What a Man Needs. Patricia Thayer

Then they went on to the west section to check the ten acres of rootstock vines they’d planted last spring. And finally he’d made it home in time to have a great dinner.

      He liked having his sister home and he loved her cooking. With Nora working in Portland she hadn’t been able to get out to the ranch much. That meant he was usually all alone. Not that he got lonely. He had plenty to keep him busy. And that was the way he liked it.

      Old memories rushed into his head. Aside from his sisters it had been years since he’d shared his life with anyone. Not since Gwen had ripped out his heart and nearly bankrupted him. He’d wanted a wife, a second mother for the girls, especially someone to love. But she had played him for a fool.

      Since then, Patrick had decided that he didn’t need the hassle or heartache. After striking out with Gwen, he realized he wasn’t cut out for relationships. So he kept any associations with women short, nothing serious, nothing permanent. And he’d let them know the score by the second date. But waking up this morning in the hotel room alone meant he’d never get the chance for that.

      Now he needed to stop remembering his incredible night with Cynthia Reynolds. His body suddenly stirred to life and he cursed his weakness. How was he going to handle having this woman around, sharing his home…his life?

      Just then the door opened and Cyndi, Kelly and Nora walked out onto the porch. Nora came up to him. “Patrick, Kelly and I are headed back to town, unless you need anything.”

      My solitary life back, Patrick thought as he shook his head. “I can’t think of a thing.” He leaned down so his sister could kiss him goodbye.

      “Then I guess I’ll be going.” She looked him in the eye. “Behave yourself. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

      Kelly and Cyndi hugged, then she and Nora walked to their cars. Cyndi waved until they drove off, then turned to Patrick.

      “Would you mind if I stayed out here for a while? I’m a little too restless to sleep.”

      Yeah, he knew the feeling. “It’s a free country.”

      Cynthia leaned against the post and looked toward the barn. This wasn’t going to be easy, especially since she couldn’t seem to push aside the feelings this man churned up in her. “You own a beautiful piece of Oregon, Patrick.”

      “I know. Wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

      Cynthia knew she should go up to her room, but the draw to him was magnetic. She couldn’t stop the need she felt to rediscover this handsome man with the killer eyes, sexy grin and to-die-for mouth. She moved closer and could feel his heat, smell his fresh soap scent.

      “Nora said you’ve lived here all your life.”

      He gave her a stiff nod. “True.”

      “That’s nice,” she said. “After my parents divorced, our mother moved us all to L.A.” She remembered the endless crummy apartments in bad neighborhoods. As a twelve-year-old kid, she’d dreamed of a house and no money problems.

      But Carol Reynolds hadn’t been good at handling money, a job and kids. She was never meant to be without a man. If only she’d known how to pick the right ones. After two more bad marriages, her mother had wisely chosen to stay single. Why not? Her oldest daughter made sure she’d been taken care of. Cynthia had made a lot of money in her career, even if she never worked again.

      “I was there once,” Patrick’s voice broke into her reverie. “Hated the place. Too many cars and people.”

      “That’s true. I don’t like to drive around on the freeways, either.” She glanced toward the shadow of the mountains. “Like I said, you live in a great place.”

      “Well, it may be a great place but we start early in the morning. So you need to get to bed.”

      He started to move away, and something made her touch his arm to stop him.

      “Please, not yet,” she whispered, not willing to end it. “It’s barely dark.”

      Cynthia’s heart began to race when he gazed into her eyes. “You’re right.” His warm breath caressed her face. “It’s not nearly dark enough. I can still see the fiery highlights in your hair.” His gaze lowered. “And your sexy mouth.”

      The rush of pleasure his words caused was so intense she couldn’t speak or resist when he reached for her and jerked her against him. Then he leaned down and took teasing bites from her lower lip. “Damn, you’re too tempting.”

      She whimpered and her fingers gripped his shoulders.

      His sapphire eyes met hers. “Want more?”

      Cynthia’s throaty whisper was barely audible, but he heard her. When he closed his mouth over hers, the muscles in her legs were suddenly nonexistent. But Patrick held on to her as his mouth moved over hers. His tongue slipped inside and rubbed against hers, recreating flashes of their night together. His touch, his mouth, his… Suddenly he released her and stepped back. His eyes were dark and intense.

      “If you think this is going to make tomorrow easier, think again,” he whispered. “So you better get some sleep.” He turned and walked off the porch toward the barn.

      Cynthia was still trying to catch her breath. What had gotten into her? What was it about this man that made her want her hands on him all the time? She’d never thrown herself at a man before. She raked her fingers through her hair. Well, she’d better think of a way to control herself and remember why she was here. To learn to ride.

      She turned and headed inside the house. She doubted she’d be dreaming about horses tonight.

      Patrick wasn’t in a good mood the next morning. He’d been up by five to do chores, even though he hadn’t slept much at all, not after kissing Cyndi. He’d lain awake, unable to get her out of his head.

      He checked his watch. It was six o’clock and time to meet his student. He headed to the barn for the first lesson, but he doubted that Cynthia Reynolds was even out of bed yet. He groaned. The picture of the sexy redhead in tumbled sheets was not something he needed to think about. At least it meant that he could send her packing and out of his life. Then he could get back to normal.

      Patrick walked into the barn and stopped when he saw his student standing in the center aisle. Dressed in worn jeans and a pink blouse, she looked too damn good for this early.

      “Am I on time?” she asked.

      “You’re fine.” He ignored her cheerfulness, trying to stay down to business. “Follow me,” he said and walked to a stall. A camel-colored horse with a white star on her forehead immediately came to the gate. Cyndi stopped about ten feet back and her face turned pale.

      Patrick frowned. “What happened to you?”

      “What do you mean?”

      “What’s the reason you’re so terrified of horses?”

      She shrugged. “A horse is a big animal.”

      “Yeah.” He petted the animal. “But something else happened to make you look like you’re going to pass out. And if you want to ride, you better tell me what I’m dealing with.”

      Cyndi let out a breath. “When I was six, my dad took us to his family’s farm in Missouri. He thought it was time that I learned to ride. All I can remember was that the horse was huge, but my dad still put me in the saddle. I begged him to take me off. He told me not to be a baby. The animal started moving sideways and I screamed when I lost control and ended up falling off. I broke my leg…and ruined the family vacation.”

      “I’d say your dad was a fool. Sounds like the horse wasn’t used to kids.” He went to the gate and rubbed the mare’s nose. “Daisy isn’t like that. She’s the sweetest animal here. All my sisters learned to ride on her. Isn’t that so, sweetie?” He crooned to the horse, but when he glanced at Cyndi she didn’t looked convinced. “Look, I’m not going to force you to do