through her tumbled hair. She blushed adorably and tried to smile. "You're right. I don't usually. . ." She stuck out her hand. "Thank you for fixing my pipes. It was nice meeting you."
Gabe laughed and took her in his arms again. "Oh no, sweetheart. Just because I'm trying to be a gentleman here, doesn't mean I don't want to make love to you. I want to see you again. How about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow would be great."
He searched her face, memorizing every detail. The dark eyes, the short turned-up nose, high cheekbones and lush lips. He hugged her tight. "How would you like to go horse-back riding?"
"I'd like it. But I have to warn you, I haven't ridden in a while. Do you have horses?"
Gabe shook his head. "No, but I have some friends who own a ranch about an hour or so away. We could ride tomorrow afternoon, then come back to town for dinner. What do you say?"
Darcy smiled a beautiful smile. "I'd say that sounds like a plan."
Gabe stole a quick kiss. "Good. I'll pick you up around noon."
****
Darcy buckled her seatbelt in the passenger seat of Gabe's late model Ford pickup truck and settled in for a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive. The highway stretched for miles, seemingly all the way to the horizon, and soon Abilene was far behind.
Gabe turned his head and smiled at her making her tummy crater. "Mind if I play some music?"
She shook her head. "No, go right ahead."
He chose a classic country and western ballad, and the soft melody filled the cab of the truck. "I'm glad you came with me. I get tired of spending my weekends alone. Grading papers and watching television gets old real fast."
Darcy licked her suddenly dry lips. His words were innocent enough, but his low sexy voice glided over her with a promise of heat and passion.
"I'm glad you asked me." She'd spent a restless night after he'd left her house yesterday evening. The kiss they'd shared and the emotions he'd evoked had kept her tossing and turning into the early morning hours.
Her body had been stretched as taut as a barbed wire fence with repressed sexual tension. It was stretching unbearably taut again from the nearness of the man behind the steering wheel. The chemistry between them was electric. Darcy had never experienced anything like it before.
When Gabe had ended the kiss last night, she'd almost cried in frustration. She knew if he'd pressed the issue, she would have jumped into bed with him, damn the consequences. But afterwards, she was thankful he'd called a halt. She couldn't sleep with a stranger on the first date, now could she?
Luckily, Gabe wasn't a stranger any longer. Okay, that was a mere technicality, but she knew in her heart they'd end up in bed tonight. The attraction was too strong.
The drive to the ranch flew by. She and Gabe talked about everything under the sun. And nothing at all.
It didn't seem very long before they were turning onto a dirt road and driving under a wrought-iron sign that said The Diamondback Ranch . Darcy had heard of The Diamondback, of course. It was a good-sized spread by Texas standards--sixty-four hundred acres of prime ranch and farmland.
Gabe introduced his friends and Darcy found herself in the midst of the McCade family. They took Darcy to their collective hearts and she fell in love with Ruth, who turned out to be the quintessential mother.
They rode horses for a couple of hours on trails winding through the rugged West Texas landscape. Mesquite and prickly pear cactus stood out green against the red soil of the land.
When they finished riding, Ruth insisted on feeding them an early dinner. They enjoyed generous helpings of delicious fried chicken, gravy and homemade biscuits; and for dessert, Ruth served her famous Texas Hot Cocoa cake.
"I don't think I'll ever eat again!" Darcy said, as she and Gabe headed back to Abilene.
"I guess I should have warned you about Ruth. She does love to cook and feed her family and friends."
"She's a sweetheart. Thank you so much for inviting
Gabe laughed and took her in his arms again. "Oh no, sweetheart. Just because I'm trying to be a gentleman here, doesn't mean I don't want to make love to you. I want to see you again. How about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow would be great."
He searched her face, memorizing every detail. The dark eyes, the short turned-up nose, high cheekbones and lush lips. He hugged her tight. "How would you like to go horse-back riding?"
"I'd like it. But I have to warn you, I haven't ridden in a while. Do you have horses?"
Gabe shook his head. "No, but I have some friends who own a ranch about an hour or so away. We could ride tomorrow afternoon, then come back to town for dinner. What do you say?"
Darcy smiled a beautiful smile. "I'd say that sounds like a plan."
Gabe stole a quick kiss. "Good. I'll pick you up around noon."
****
Darcy buckled her seatbelt in the passenger seat of Gabe's late model Ford pickup truck and settled in for a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive. The highway stretched for miles, seemingly all the way to the horizon, and soon Abilene was far behind.
Gabe turned his head and smiled at her making her tummy crater. "Mind if I play some music?"
She shook her head. "No, go right ahead."
He chose a classic country and western ballad, and the soft melody filled the cab of the truck. "I'm glad you came with me. I get tired of spending my weekends alone. Grading papers and watching television gets old real fast."
Darcy licked her suddenly dry lips. His words were innocent enough, but his low sexy voice glided over her with a promise of heat and passion.
"I'm glad you asked me." She'd spent a restless night after he'd left her house yesterday evening. The kiss they'd shared and the emotions he'd evoked had kept her tossing and turning into the early morning hours.
Her body had been stretched as taut as a barbed wire fence with repressed sexual tension. It was stretching unbearably taut again from the nearness of the man behind the steering wheel. The chemistry between them was electric. Darcy had never experienced anything like it before.
When Gabe had ended the kiss last night, she'd almost cried in frustration. She knew if he'd pressed the issue, she would have jumped into bed with him, damn the consequences. But afterwards, she was thankful he'd called a halt. She couldn't sleep with a stranger on the first date, now could she?
Luckily, Gabe wasn't a stranger any longer. Okay, that was a mere technicality, but she knew in her heart they'd end up in bed tonight. The attraction was too strong.
The drive to the ranch flew by. She and Gabe talked about everything under the sun. And nothing at all.
It didn't seem very long before they were turning onto a dirt road and driving under a wrought-iron sign that said The Diamondback Ranch . Darcy had heard of The Diamondback, of course. It was a good-sized spread by Texas standards--sixty-four hundred acres of prime ranch and farmland.
Gabe introduced his friends and Darcy found herself in the midst of the McCade family. They took Darcy to their collective hearts and she fell in love with Ruth, who turned out to be the quintessential mother.
They rode horses for a couple of hours on trails winding through the rugged West Texas landscape. Mesquite and prickly pear cactus stood out green against the red soil of the land.
When they finished riding, Ruth insisted on feeding them an early dinner. They enjoyed generous helpings of delicious fried chicken, gravy and homemade biscuits; and for dessert, Ruth served her famous Texas Hot Cocoa cake.
"I don't think I'll ever eat again!" Darcy said, as she and Gabe headed back to Abilene.
"I guess I should have warned you about Ruth. She does love to cook and feed her family and friends."
"She's a sweetheart. Thank you so much for inviting
Similar Books
Dancing With A Devil
Julie Johnstone
Resisting the Moon: A Royal Shifters Novel
L.P. Dover
17 A Wanted Man
Lee Child
Bay Hideaway
Beth Loughner
Through the Storm (The Montclair Brothers)
Terri Marie
The Broken World Book One - Children of Another God
T C Southwell
Humber Boy B
Ruth Dugdall
Quartz
Rabia Gale
Michael Fassbender
Jim Maloney