Sunset Seduction. Charlene Sands

her wildest imaginings, Luke would have been thrilled to see her. He would have whisked her off to his bedroom, claiming undying love and demanding that she never leave his side again. In the worst-case scenario, Luke would’ve scolded her for having unprotected sex with him and then running off in the middle of the night.

      But this conversation was just plain strange.

      “I’m glad you came for a visit,” Luke said, gesturing for her to take a seat.

      She sat down next to the cat carrier. Luke took a seat across from her in a buttercup-colored wing chair trimmed with round bronzed studs. “You look great.”

      She didn’t think so. When she’d dressed this morning, she’d picked the best her neglected wardrobe had to offer, plaid blouse, baggy jeans and her too-long hair tucked into a baseball cap. She’d been meaning to get a stylish cut but that obviously hadn’t happened. The ball cap and casual clothes were Audrey As Usual. “Thanks, so do you. Are you feeling better?”

      “I’ve got no complaints. My arm’s good as new now.” His arm had been encumbered with a cast when they made love, but that hadn’t stopped him from making her die a thousand pleasant deaths that night.

      “That’s...good.”

      “What’ve you been up to?” he asked, being polite.

      “I, uh... Luke?” She hated to sound desperate, but Luke was avoiding the whole I-jumped-your-bones-in-the-middle-of-the-night subject.

      His eyes softened and his voice registered sympathy. “What’s up, honey? You have another fight with Casey? Is he still being a bear?”

      She leaned back against the seat cushion, rattled. Was he being deliberately obtuse? Surely he had to know why she’d come this distance to visit him.

      Luke was a wealthy horse breeder now. Along with his brothers, he owned the biggest ranch in three counties. He had a lot on his mind, and it humbled her to think he remembered her troubles with Casey. It had been years since Audrey had complained to Luke about her brother’s overprotective, overbearing nature. She would confide in Luke, because he was the only one who’d really listened to her and treated her as an equal rather than a silly girl with years of growing up to do.

      “We still argue,” she said, “but it’s different now.”

      “How so?” He seemed genuinely interested.

      “He can’t ground me anymore, so I really let him have it.”

      Luke laughed again. “I bet you do.”

      Audrey forced a smile. She didn’t get any of this. Luke acted as if they hadn’t been intimate, hadn’t steamed up the sheets on that guest-room bed. Was making love to a woman such an everyday occurrence to him that Luke thought nothing of it? Just casual sex with a onetime friend? “Casey knows I’m a big girl now. He doesn’t lord over me like he used to.”

      She wanted to make it clear to Luke that Casey didn’t play into the equation. What happened between the two of them wasn’t any of her big brother’s business.

      “So he finally cut the apron strings?”

      “He’s getting there. It’s better than it was.”

      Luke nodded, and they stared at each other. “Can I get you something cold to drink?”

      “No...I’m just fine.”

      “Okay.” He nodded once again and then she caught him glancing at his watch.

      “Am I keeping you from something?”

      “Nope,” he said, sitting up straighter in his seat, giving her his full attention. Luke was the best fibber on the planet. On the rodeo circuit, he used to tell white lies all the time to make people feel better.

      Yes, Mrs. Jenkins, your strawberry-rhubarb pie is the best in the county.

      Jonathan, you just need another year practicing with that fiddle before you make it to the Grand Ole Opry.

      No, Audrey Faith, you’re not keeping me from anything important.

      Audrey knew it was now or never. She had to speak with Luke about that night. She couldn’t leave things the way they were without clearing the air.

      “I actually do have a reason for being here, Luke,” she said softly. “I think you know why, but if you’re going to make me say it...”

      Luke’s forehead wrinkled as he gave it some thought. Then it hit him. “Ah...Audrey.” He raised his hand to stop her. “Say no more. I should’ve guessed the second I saw you standing on the doorstep.”

      Relieved, Audrey let her stiff shoulders relax. Finally, they would get things out in the open.

      “You heard about the wrangler job at the ranch,” he said. “Casey must’ve told you I was shorthanded. Come to think about it, there’s no one better to help me settle down my pain-in-the-ass, hardheaded stallion. I should have thought of hiring you myself, but we haven’t talked in years, so it didn’t cross my mind. The truth is, I need to get Tribute in line. He’s a big challenge. Casey tells me you’re not going back to vet school until the fall?”

      Blood drained from her face and a shudder of dread coursed through her body. Her devastation would be visible any second now. She couldn’t let that happen.

      Get a grip, Audrey. Hang on.

      She was finally getting the picture. It was murky at best. “I, uh...y-yes, that’s my plan,” she managed.

      She wished she’d chickened out instead of coming here. She could have done a quick one-eighty on the highway and headed straight back to Reno. Because the murkiness was clearing and the image left underneath was nightmarishly ugly.

      We haven’t talked in years.

      She could take that literally. Technically, they hadn’t talked...much. They’d moaned and groaned their way through that night. But she’d be an even bigger fool than she was now if she thought that’s what Luke had meant.

      The Luke she’d known in the past wouldn’t have skirted an issue this big. He would have been up front and honest. He would have probably apologized and felt guilty as hell for making love to his best friend’s little sister. There was only one conclusion that Audrey could draw. There was only one reason any of this made sense.

      Luke doesn’t know he made love to me.

      That incredible night of passion they’d shared was one-sided.

      He wasn’t being obtuse. He was clueless.

      If someone plunged a dagger in her heart, the pain couldn’t have been any greater.

      “What do you say, honey?” The timbre of his deep voice broke through her anguish.

      “Want to spend what’s left of the summer with me on Sunset Ranch?”

      * * *

      “They’re just formalities, Audrey, but we’ve got to do them,” Luke said as he handed her an application for the job on Sunset Ranch.

      She sat in the Slade family office located at one end of the sprawling one-story ranch house. Luke had taken a seat at his desk across from her. She felt his eyes on her as she began filling out the personal information on the form. Robotically, she went about accepting the job as wrangler on the Slades’ very lucrative horse farm, her mind on automatic pilot as she tied herself to working with Lucas Slade for the next two months.

      Audrey wasn’t into science fiction, but she could surely relate to anyone who believed in alternate universes. This sci-fi version of her life had her living under Luke’s roof and working beside him every day, filling her summer days with something more than meaningless temp jobs back home until she could restart her veterinary education. This universe wasn’t ideal, but it was a far cry better than anything reality had had to offer.

      Audrey completed the application.