The Rancher's Surrender

'And you know what that's like, don't you?'

'I had my sisters.'

And he'd had Ben, thank God. 'You know, maybe we're not quite as different as you think.'

That brought a smile. 'I'm a city girl. You're a cowboy. How much more different can we get?'

'Labels, Zoe?' he chided with a laugh. 'I expected better from you.'

She looked pointedly at his boots. At his hat lying on the back seat.

'The clothes don't make the man,' he told her. 'And I'm a horse trainer, not a cowboy. I'm more city than you think. I came from Chicago.' He had no idea why he said it, he never said it.

She was just as surprised as he. 'How long have you been here?'

'Forever,' he said flatly.

She nodded, understanding better than most he didn't like talking about his past. 'You were so good to her. I don't know why I snapped before, I'm sorry. I think…' Her voice lowered as if she were ashamed. 'I think about how often I've wondered about my family. About where and who they were-' She rubbed her face again, looking weary. 'Never mind. It doesn't matter.' She reached for the door handle.

'Wait.' He put his hand over hers, not wanting her to go, not when he was getting a prolonged glimpse of the Zoe she usually kept hidden from him. 'It matters.'

'I don't know why I'm telling you these things, I hate to talk about myself.'

'You haven't told me much, except for what you think of me.' He smiled. 'You've been pretty clear on that score.'

She grimaced. 'Yeah.' She bit her lower lip. 'Look, I often shoot off at the mouth, letting out the first thing that comes to me.'

'No. Really?'

She smiled at his dry tone. 'I should work on that, but…' She lifted her shoulder. 'Truthfully, I haven't the foggiest idea how I feel about you.'

On that shocking statement, she got out, then bent slightly at the waist and looked at him.

He looked back.

'Did you know you were going to inherit when you went about helping Constance to find her granddaughter?' she asked.

'No.'

The green in her eyes deepened. 'Without us here, you'd be one happy camper.'

'But you are here.'

'Yes, we are. You never told me why this land is so important to you.' She leaned on the door, and her light scent came to him on the breeze, wafting through the window. It was soft and sexy. Exciting.

But she was asking him a very personal question. He breathed through his mouth instead of his nose and concentrated. 'My land is too small. I want to expand.'

'Uh-huh. And…?'

'That's a pretty good reason all by itself.'

'But it's not the only reason.'

'Maybe not,' he allowed.

'We're not going to give up.'

'I realize that.'

'And you're not going to… get mad?'

'Mad?' He shook his head. 'You're going to make me mad just asking that ridiculous question. It's your land, Zoe. And Delia's and Maddie's. Yes, I want it. Yes, I'll buy it when and if you want to sell, but that's it. There's no trick, no ulterior motive, no nothing.'

And that genuinely confused her, he could tell, which went a long way toward tempering his anger. She couldn't possibly comprehend what his attachment was. And if she knew about Ben, she'd understand even less.

'There's more you're not telling me,' she insisted.

'Okay, let's make a deal,' he suggested. 'I'll tell you my deepest, darkest secret and you tell me yours.'

'Fine.' She crossed her arms tightly over her front, a defensive pose if he ever saw one. 'My secret is I don't think I like you very much.'

This made him laugh. 'Well, we share that.' He was strangely relieved that she wasn't going to push, because it was too personal, too deep, watching Ben's dream die.

And like Zoe, he trusted no one, not even this woman and her sisters, who were already worming their way into his weary heart.

He was certainly not prepared to open that heart up for inspection. Not with Zoe, a woman he'd just discovered had the unsettling ability to hurt him.

Zoe sighed, then turned on her heel and walked toward the house.

Ty watched her go, wondering why he felt so off the hook and yet discontented at the same time.

* * *

Cade shoved in the last bite on his plate and moaned with pleasure. 'God. Maddie, you're a genius. It's wonderful.'

Delia eyed his scraped clean plate with a lifted brow. 'Well, thanks for coming, and now that your plate is empty…' She glanced meaningfully toward the front door. 'Don't let us keep you.'

Cade grinned instead of leaving and lifted his plate toward her. 'Why, yes, thank you, Delia. I'd love seconds. Kind of you to notice.'

Delia inhaled deeply, as if searching for her calm. Maddie laughed and got up from the table, taking Cade's plate to refill it with another steaming helping of pot roast. 'Cade, Cade,' she said with a smile. 'You're learning the hard way.'

'Most definitely,' Zoe agreed. 'The last man who teased Delia disappeared.'

Maddie handed Cade his plate, shaking her head when he laughed. 'It's true.'

'And he was never seen again,' Zoe added helpfully. Cade dug into his second helping with as much gusto as he had the first. Undaunted, he winked at Delia as he spoke to Zoe. 'So she's a real witch, huh?'

'You should see her when there's a full moon.' Zoe grinned when Delia lost all semblance of cool and sputtered.

'Zoe, I liked it better when you were all sullen and pissy over Ty,' Delia decided. 'Being grumpy makes you silent, my all-time personal favorite mood of yours.'

Cade laughed. 'Ah, the love in this room is heartwarming.'

'Don't say we didn't warn you,' Zoe murmured to him as Delia shoved back her plate and stood.

'There must be a reason you're still here,' Delia said coolly.

'Yes,' he agreed smoothly, meeting her annoyed gaze. 'Because you're so sweet and kind. It warms my heart.' He lifted an innocent brow.

Delia rolled her eyes, and for the first time all day, Zoe found herself starting to relax. Being with her sisters did that for her, she thought with an unusual burst of affection, even when they were happily bickering and snarling.

Family togetherness at its peak.

But more than ever she was thinking about her other family. Her mother, wishing for answers, yearning for the truth, bowing she was looking at that truth and just not wanting to face it.

She had been purposely and cruelly deserted. Not orphaned. Not stolen.

Deserted.

But lately she'd had other things that occupied her mind every bit as fully as that. Ty Jackson, for one.

She hadn't been able to put him out of her mind. The way he'd taken care of Constance. The way he'd helped them from the very beginning here at the ranch, even when their being here had destroyed his inheritance. The way he continued to remain civil when she'd continued to turn him down on his offer for a partnership.

But it was far more personal, like the way he'd looked that night in the barn, all fierce and hot as he'd stared down at her mouth in a way that told her exactly what was on his mind. And then there was the way he'd kissed her today in broad daylight out in the middle of the field, how his hands had felt on her body, snugging her close to