A Diamond In The Rough. Catherine Mann

of when he was about twenty-one or twenty-two and his favorite horse had gone lame. Even with the best vets money could bring, nothing could be done to save Jet. She’d found Stone grieving in the stable with his horse afterward. She’d just been a gangly teenager and hugging him would have been out of the question regardless. So she’d just sat beside him quietly, being there. He hadn’t asked her to leave, and she liked to think her presence had made things somewhat easier for him.

      God knew, Stone would need someone now as he dealt with his grandmother’s illness, and he’d always made a point of being stoic, as if the problems rolled right off him. Mariah had been the most important person in his life, the only parental figure he’d had after his grandfather had passed away while Stone was still young.

      Hillary smiled gently, tucking the belt back into the bag. “It’s our pleasure to have Gem as a part of our family. He will be T.J.’s best buddy and a treasured friend.” She patted Stone on the arm, seeming to understand that was as much tenderness as the man would accept right now. “The guest cabin is fully stocked with food and drinks, but please let us know if you need anything at all. Otherwise we’ll see you after breakfast to say goodbye before you leave.”

      In the morning?

      Johanna’s heart leaped to her throat. Of course it was time to call an end to the evening and go to the guesthouse. Resisting Stone had been difficult enough when occasionally crossing paths at the ranch. But tonight, with the memory of him cradling that tiny infant in his powerful arms?

      She didn’t know how she would hold strong once the doors closed behind them.

       Six

      Johanna’s stomach tightened with each step closer to the guesthouse. A barn perched on a hill behind the Donavan’s main home had been converted into a guesthouse with soaring ceilings. One side had been removed and replaced with glass windows.

      Tonight, she and Stone would sleep under the same roof together for the first time in seven months. They walked side-by-side silently, not touching. But the wind twined around them as if binding them with whispering bands of air carrying his scent mingling with hers.

      The desire that still simmered between them was out in the open now. Discussed. Acknowledged. She’d told him no, and he’d respected that. But to be honest with herself, she wasn’t so certain she could hold out through tonight, much less through this whole week without succumbing to the temptation of one last fling. One more chance to lose herself in being with him. To immerse herself in total bliss. If only they didn’t have to face the morning.

      Once the guesthouse door closed behind them, there would be no more delaying. And she was feeling all the more vulnerable after watching him hold the Donavan baby. The evening seemed to have been tailor-made to play with her emotions.

      Stone opened the gate to the picket fence around the guesthouse. Cuddly Sterling, impish Pearl and loyal Ruby raced up to greet them, barking and sniffing their hands. Little Pearl’s head tipped to the side quizzically.

      Crouching, Johanna scratched the cairn terrier’s head. “It’s as if she’s asking about Gem. I wish there was a way to keep them all together. I have to admit I’m going to miss that goof of a dog.”

      “Life doesn’t always work out the way we’d hoped and we’re just left with doing the best we can.” Stone ruffled the Rottweiler’s ears, then the dachshund mix’s. “Thank goodness Mariah made sure all her dogs and cats were placed in good homes.”

      Johanna glanced up through her eyelashes at Stone. His broad shoulders against the sentimental moonlight made for a mouth-watering silhouette. “You’re right. I’m just...feeling emotional about Mariah. I know it must be so much worse for you.”

      He cricked his neck from side to side. “Let’s get through the week as best we can.”

      “Of course, there’s satisfaction to be found in doing something tangible for Mariah.” She scooped up the dachshund. Seven-year-old Sterling cuddled closer as if sensing the ache inside her. “We should, uh, turn in. We have a lot of ground to cover this week for the other dogs.”

      Nerves pattered as quickly as racing dog feet as she made fast tracks along the pavers toward the guesthouse.

      Stone followed—she could hear the steady even tread of his long-legged stride. He reached past her, thumbed in the security code and pushed the large door wide into the sweeping great room.

      Pearl and Ruby raced past, sniffing and exploring, closing in on the large dog bowl of water even though they’d had plenty to drink outside, as well. She set Sterling down to join them. Three fat, fluffy dog beds were lined up behind the sofa. The Donavans were thoughtful hosts.

      As she turned toward the expansive glass wall, she couldn’t help but think the winter must be magnificent with the view of a snow-covered countryside. Even now, the sight was beyond magnificent, lush and green with cows grazing. She worked with large animals as a vet tech every day and had seen farms across Texas, but even she found this place breathtaking. What would it be like to have visited these people when she and Stone had been a couple? Most of their outings had been to more pretentious social gatherings, high-end fund-raisers or business functions.

      Nothing like this day or this place.

      The Donavans clearly had embraced the Vermont experience, complete with dairy cows. Although not all Vermont farms came with an ice cream parlor just for their kids.

      Stone whistled softly from the state-of-the-art kitchen. “When they said they’d stocked the kitchen for us, they weren’t joking. Do you want something to drink? Just pick, I’m sure it’s here. Snacks, breakfast pastries, fruit and ice cream. Holy cow—so to speak.”

      Listening to him ramble off the flavors, she realized he was doing his best to ease the tension between them. Definitely a wise idea if she wanted to get through this week with her sanity intact. “I’ll take a scoop of the maple nut.”

      “Coming right up,” he said, opening cabinets and drawers.

      She walked to the kitchen island and hitched a hip up onto a bar stool. “They’re a surprisingly normal family, given all their wealth.”

      He passed her a bowl and spoon. “Are you saying that my family is pretentious because of our money?”

      “Not at all. But some of your friends...” She stabbed her spoon into the generous mound of ice cream in the blue stoneware bowl. “They looked right through my father in the stables.”

      Scowling, he stood across from her, his bowl in front of him. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

      “You were more than just sorry about it,” she answered, remembering well how he’d stood up to snobs. “You did something about it. I remember this one time when I was about eleven and one of your college friends was ordering my dad around. You made sure that guy was given the slowest, least cooperative horse in the stable. The horse even sat in the middle of a stream and got the guy soaking wet. I knew it wasn’t accidental on your part. Was it?”

      He winked, his scowl fading. “You seem to have me all figured out.”

      “You always treated everyone with respect.” Her trip down memory lane reminded her of the reasons she’d fallen for this man in the first place. “You took care of your own horse. But that day when I was eleven, I officially developed my crush on you.”

      “You never told me that story before.” He shoveled a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, his eyes tracking her every movement with an intensity that tingled through her.

      “I had insecurities of my own in those days,” she admitted now. It was tough to share her self-doubts around someone as confident and, yes, arrogant as Stone. “I was a tomboy, freckled and gangly, living in a trailer park. I was brought up with strong values and I loved my parents, the life they made for me.”

      “They loved you. The