The Rancher's Heir. Sara Orwig

      A faint smile raised one corner of his mouth. “Something we finally agree on.”

      “I’ve lost two brothers and an uncle because of accidents or violence. At least you can take care of yourself. When we were dating, maybe I should have gone to your ranch with you and you should have gone to an opera with me.”

      “I can’t recall being invited to an opera.”

      “You would have turned me down.”

      Again, she saw a faint, crooked smile. “You should have tried me, Camilla. You’ll never know whether I would have or wouldn’t have.”

      They looked at each other and she felt that same pull, the attraction that was as intense as it had been when they dated. He had the most vivid blue eyes she had ever seen and they held her captive right now while her heart pounded. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t look away and couldn’t move.

      “I’ll see you next week,” he said gruffly. But as his gaze lingered on her for a minute after he spoke, longing swamped her. She could just reach out and pull him back into her life. That thought came and immediately she stepped away from him. He might not ever want to be in her life again and she didn’t want him back. He hadn’t changed; he’d still try to run everything. Just like Thane. She knew Thane had been trying to get them together again or he would never have sent a present for Ethan and asked Noah to place it in Ethan’s hands.

      “I’ll call you before I come out,” Noah added, still standing in the same spot and looking at her.

      Just as she’d expected, he turned the tables on her, taking charge of their next meeting. “Please do call. My schedule varies from week to week. I have a painting I’m working on.”

      “I’ll call. You look great, Camilla,” he said and his voice suddenly had a rasp that made her pulse jump. His gaze ran briefly over her from head to toe and back to look into her eyes. He might as well have run his fingers over her. She tingled from his glance—a mere glance—and she reacted to him.

      “Thank you. So do you,” she said in a voice that was almost a whisper.

      “I don’t know why in hell you fell in love with me when you knew from day one the things I like and do, the kind of man I am,” he said. His eyes blazed with anger and a muscle worked in his jaw.

      Her temper flared over his comment and she leaned closer to him, as she breathed deeply and looked at his mouth. “Oh, I think you know full well why I fell in love with you,” she said, reacting with anger and longing. Her emotions were raw and she hurt and was angry with him, while at the same time, she couldn’t stop wanting him, his kisses and his arms around her.

      Annoyed with Noah and herself, she slipped her arm around his neck, standing on tiptoe to kiss him, running her tongue slowly over his lips for seconds before his mouth opened on hers. His arm banded her waist tightly, yanking her against him, and he leaned over her, kissing her, thrusting his tongue over hers. It was a hot, demanding kiss that made her heart pound while she moaned with pleasure and forgot momentarily all their differences.

      Abruptly he swung her up and released her. Both of them gasped for breath as they stared at each other. “Well, I knew there had to be some reason you liked me. That one hasn’t changed. It’s a package deal—it’s all of me, the bossy male, the rancher, the cowboy and rodeo rider, the pilot.” He glared at her and her heart still pounded. “I should go,” he said.

      He turned and left, walking toward his black sports car. She watched as he walked away with purpose, standing straight, looking like a soldier, someone who was accustomed to walking with shoulders back and chin up.

      “The truth is, you don’t want to change,” she said softly, knowing he was out of earshot and couldn’t possibly hear her. “You’re not going to see Ethan,” she whispered. “Not next week or next month or next year. Thane was meddling in my life, doing what he thought was best because he loved both of us, but it wasn’t best for any of us—not for me, not for you and not for Ethan.”

      Her conscience hurt when she remembered Thane’s call to her, the heated arguments between them—something she’d never had before in her life—and now her brother was gone and she wanted to say she was sorry she had argued with him. She wasn’t sorry for what she had done and was still doing, but she was sorry she had fought with the brother she loved so much.

      She had told him that she had rights and he was butting into something that was none of his business and could hurt three people.

      He had told her what she was doing was wrong and Noah had legal rights that she was violating. Thane had said she should rethink what she was doing before she hurt three people badly.

      She thought about Noah and whispered to him even though he had driven away. “You can keep Thane’s present to Ethan. It won’t be half as important as keeping you from giving it to him. If the day ever comes when you see Ethan, the moment you do, you’ll know you’re looking at your son. And if that happens, all hell will break loose between us, Noah Grant.”

       Three

      Noah

      As Noah drove away, he took deep breaths and relaxed his grip on the steering wheel. It had hurt far more than he had expected to see Camilla again. He thought he was getting over her, but the minute she opened the door, he knew damn well he hadn’t gotten over her at all. He had just been busy trying to stay alive and do his job.

      While he hurt, he wished he didn’t care. He and Camilla had no future together and he didn’t want to see her again because today had torn him up. She hadn’t looked happy, either.

      She had been prettier than ever, looking gorgeous, and his knee-jerk reaction had been to want to wrap her in his arms and kiss her for the next hour and carry her to bed.

      He couldn’t ever do that again.

      He struck the steering wheel with his hand. He needed to get to the ranch and outside where he had hard, physical work. The Army was over. His life with Camilla was over. He had to move on and get a new life and try to forget her.

      He hadn’t helped himself by asking her why she fell in love with him when he knew what she liked and they both were tense and angry. Her kisses made him want to promise to change, to do whatever she wanted, but he hung on to his wits enough to know that he couldn’t stop being decisive, controlling, demanding. He loved the Bar G Ranch and didn’t want to give up that life. He’d lived in Dallas and worked in the family business and he’d had more of that than he wanted. That wasn’t the life for him.

      He drove carefully because he was upset and his mind was elsewhere. It was not until he was in his own condo that he could let go, let the memories that tugged at him come, the regrets, the anger, the longing he couldn’t control.

      He brewed coffee, poured a mug and went out on his balcony to look over the city of Dallas. He was high enough up that the horns and clatter of trucks were muffled.

      He sat and sipped his coffee and thought about what else he had to do before he went back to the ranch, yet every few minutes, his thoughts would return to Camilla. He had to let go because they would not get back together. The differences were too big, too basic. She felt he was too strong an alpha male, making decisions and taking charge, because she had grown up with two take-charge males—Thane and her dad. She said her mother had given in to her dad always. Noah felt certain that wouldn’t happen with Camilla. She was about as strong-willed as he was if she stopped to think about it. Would she really have liked him better if he couldn’t take charge, couldn’t make decisions and act on them? He didn’t think so.

      She hated her grandfather’s ranch, thus she disliked all ranches. He knew her memories were terrible at her grandfather’s place because her little brother had caught pneumonia from his fall into an icy pond and had later died. That would be a bad memory, but Noah didn’t think his ranch would trigger any such memories. He should have tried more