The Rancher's Surrender

'I'm just checking the horses,' he said, as if he needed to put her mind to rest. 'We've got one close to foal.'

Zoe's troubles fell away at the thought. 'Really?' She pictured a brand new baby horse, all awkward and adorable, struggling to stand next to its mother, and went warm and fuzzy inside. 'I've never seen a pregnant horse before.'

'Can't have that,' Cliff drawled, smiling at her. He walked past her into the barn and hit one of the switches on the wall. Soft light filled a small portion of the barn. So did an intriguing mix of scents that Zoe hadn't gotten used to yet, but liked. Sweet hay, horse… man.

Even here, she thought with wonder, she could smell Ty. She told herself that was dumb and concentrated on looking around. There was a double row of stables here, and a couple of curious horses peeked out over the doors. A sable-colored mare stood closest in her stall, staring over the wood with large, melting eyes.

Zoe moved closer, mesmerized. In the past few days she hadn't had time for this, with getting the house cleaned and everything situated. She reached out with a slightly nervous hand, charmed when the horse pushed her big head closer, stretching her long neck.

Then Cliff was there, right next to Zoe, holding an apple. He pulled out a pocketknife and sliced off a piece. Gently, he took Zoe's hand in his warm, callused one, put the wedge of apple on it and held it out. Zoe went still at Cliff's touch and waited for that burst of awareness, the same one she got whenever Ty inadvertently touched her.

Nothing.

Disappointed, she looked up into Cliff's handsome face, wondering why. It didn't seem fair in the least that this man did nothing for her. It wasn't unusual, she'd gone most of her life without being tempted in the slightest by the more rugged male species. She'd managed to lose her virginity early due to pure curiosity, but a shrugging disinterest in the activities had assured her she wasn't missing anything.

Here she was at twenty-six, a woman who didn't seem to lust as most normal women did. So why was she suddenly doing just that with Ty of all men?

Well, if she had to be experimenting, then it should be with someone kind and gentle like Cliff. Maybe if she tried just a tad bit harder…

Oblivious to her thoughts, Cliff held the apple up to the eager horse. 'Watch,' he whispered conspiratorially, winking when Zoe beamed up at him, giving it her best shot.

The beautiful animal, whose sides were bursting, obviously filled with pregnancy, reached its sniffing, hopeful face toward them and… bright light flooded the place.

The horse snickered, annoyed. Zoe blocked her eyes from the bright glare.

'This is certainly cozy.'

Zoe blinked until she could see. Ty leaned negligently back against the wall, arms loose, fingers hooked into his belt loops, legs crossed in a deceptively casual pose. Every switch on the wall had been flipped on. 'Sorry if I interrupted anything,' he said, looking anything but.

Cliff smiled at him and shook his head. 'Just giving Abby a bedtime snack.' But he dropped his hand from Zoe's.

Ty nodded, his expression inscrutable. 'Are you all done for the night?'

Cliff's smile faded some and he shuffled his feet slightly. 'Well…'

Ty lifted a brow, all stern and unrelenting, none of the sharp wit that Zoe had come to think of as innately part of the man in evidence now. 'Well, what?' he snapped.

Zoe opened her mouth, but not sure what to say, she shut it again.

Cliff shifted his weight. 'I didn't have time to-'

'You had time to come on to Ms. Martin.'

Now Zoe opened her mouth again, suddenly positive she did indeed have plenty to say.

Before she could, Ty pushed away from the wall, and when he did, Cliff shot Zoe a half-sheepish, half- apologetic glance, moving clear from her.

'Ah… gotta go,' he mumbled.

With enough bright lights shining that she could see every line on his tanned face, Zoe had no trouble detecting Cliff's blush, or his embarrassment. She glared at Ty, who didn't appear to notice. When Cliff had fumbled his way out of the barn, leaving the door open in his haste to escape, Zoe ground her teeth and turned to Ty. 'Well, that was… nice.'

His eyes flashed. 'Don't flirt with my help.'

'Flirt?' A shocked laugh left her. This had to be a joke. But it wasn't, she realized, looking at his furious face.

'If you want to flirt,' he growled, 'you do it with me.'

Carefully she closed her dropped jaw. 'You're the last man in Idaho- No, the last man on earth that I'd flirt with.' Tossing her hair beck, she stormed over to him. That her chin didn't even come to his tense shoulder didn't stop her, she wasn't afraid of him. 'And don't you ever tell me what to do.'

'I'll tell you whatever I please when it's my business.'

'This is just because I refused to take you on as our partner.'

'Believe me, it has nothing to do with that-'

'You flirt with Shirley.'

He laughed then, some of the tension leaving him as she stood him down. 'I do not.'

'I saw you.'

'What you saw, Zoe, was me turning her down. I don't mix business and pleasure. Usually,' he added, taking the last step between them.

The breath backed up in her throat at the look on his face. The shadows covered some of his expression, making it difficult to tell if all that heat was anger or arousal. She preferred the former.

'Did you hear me, Zoe? Stay away from my ranch hands.'

'You're a… a bully!'

He laughed again. 'Is that the best you can do?' Before she could come up with better, he'd taken her shoulders and pressed her back against the stall. Zoe was sandwiched between the hard, cold wood and Ty's equally hard but warm body, and her mind went blank. He surrounded her, and it wasn't a threatening sort of feeling at all, though it should have been. His broad shoulders blocked the light, blocked out everything but him.

'You were…' She struggled to keep her train of thought, difficult when all the blood rushed out of her head at the rough, unexpected embrace. 'Rude to Cliff.'

'I know.' His forehead lowered to hers at the startling admission. 'What is it about you that drives me so crazy?'

It was a rhetorical question, but with his lips hovering only a scant inch from hers, Zoe felt the compulsive need to keep talking because if she stopped, he might kiss her and then she would be lost.

'Don't worry,' she said quickly. 'I drive everyone crazy, it's not just you. Ask Delia-'

'Delia's not here.' His large hands captured her head with surprising gentleness. Slowly he tilted it up, better aligning their mouths so that if he so much as breathed, they'd be connected.

It couldn't happen, she thought, unreasonable panic welling. This was crazy, they had no business doing this, none at all. Forget her wild fantasy involving his wicked mouth covering hers, of his tough, powerful body doing things to her own, of his deep, husky voice detailing each one of those things… Goodness. Forget it, this was not what she wanted.

But he was going to kiss her if she didn't do something, anything. 'Ty… I don't think.'

'That's right,' he murmured, his eyes heavy-lidded. 'Don't think. Feel.'

'But-' He was watching her mouth with a hot, intent purpose that had her knees knocking together. 'Ty…'

'Hmm-mmm…'

He wasn't going to listen to her. Well, she knew what to do, she was from Los Angeles, and well prepared. 'Ty…'

'Shh.' His hips slid over hers, the hard ridge between his thighs unmistakable. He did it again, finding the soft