Her senses were swimming, her heart drumming. And she wanted him as she'd never wanted another. 'Ty… one of us is overdressed. Way overdressed.'
He got out of his clothes in five seconds flat, both of them laughing breathlessly when a chipmunk scolded them, startling Ty into swearing. Then the laughter was gone and his powerful body was stretching out over hers as he linked their fingers. 'Just the beginning,' he vowed, then bent over her, taking her mouth as he plunged into her.
She arched up into his thrust, whimpering shamelessly for more. 'Ty-'
'I'm here, Zoe.' His voice was rough, his words low and thick with passion. He held her hips in his big hands, lifting her to meet him. 'I'm right here.'
She gasped his name again as he surged against her in a hard, even rhythm. Over and over.
'You've got me. All of me.' Faster and faster. 'Always,' he assured her.
They soared together beneath the sun and the wide-open sky. And when it was over, when they were tangled together in a damp pile of trembling limbs and pounding pulses, their misty gazes met and held, each of them shattered apart by emotion, yet whole in a way they'd never been before.
Ty had meant to spend the entire day at his own ranch, working on some desperately needed chores. Instead he found himself riding to Triple M.
He had to see Zoe. See if yesterday in the woods had been a fluke. Hell, maybe she'd just had an itch and he'd been handy to scratch it.
Some scratch.
What had happened between him and Zoe was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. He knew that now, and knew he could never walk away, not from her.
His pensive mood vanished when he came over the ridge and looked ahead. Zoe and two of the ranch hands were painting the last of the cottages, though Zoe seemed to have more paint on her than the window edging she was working on.
He dismounted and moved close to Zoe, making sure no one was within hearing range. 'Morning,' he said, his voice unintentionally husky and full of promise.
She gave a little jump. Her nose was sunburned. So was her neck, and he wondered what other parts they'd sunburned yesterday. 'How are you?'
'Um…' She glanced around, as if making sure no one could hear. 'I'm fine.'
He laughed. 'There's nothing indecent about being fine, you know. No one is going to take one look at your face and realize you did it outside while screaming my name-'
She slapped a hand over his mouth and looked horrified. 'Shh! Someone will hear you! I said I was fine! Fine! Fine! Fine!'
Fine. Great, she was fine and he was dying. He decided to go for the direct route. What the hell, he didn't have a doubt in his head. They belonged together, and as he saw it, she was just putting off the inevitable. 'I love you, Zoe. Stay with me tonight.'
'You…
She looked so shocked. So unsure. He nodded but felt the sudden heaviness in his heart. 'What's the matter? You turn into a pumpkin if you make love in a bed?'
Crossing her arms in that stubborn gesture he recognized all too well, she shook her head. 'I… don't think it's a good idea to rush this.'
'Rush this?' He laughed, but it was hollow. 'Zoe, I fell for you the first day I saw you. It's too late to be rushed now.'
Her face crumpled then and so did her composure. Her eyes, her huge, beautiful eyes, nearly killed him. 'I need a little more time, Ty.'
'Time,' he repeated dully.
'Yes.'
'You get naked with me, twice now, but you can't come over and sleep in my arms?'
She closed her eyes.
How was it that he was completely bowled over by what they had between them and she could still pretend it didn't exist? He turned away, needing distance if he was going to come up with any patience at all. He mounted his horse and was nearly out of earshot when she called after him.
Reluctantly he stopped, knowing everything he was, everything he felt, was on his face. So exposed, he thought with a grimace, but he couldn't help it, couldn't hold back what he felt, not even for her.
Slowly, he turned.
She stared at him, misty-eyed. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered, her words carrying on the breeze. Her hand rubbed absently at her heart, as if it hurt. 'I'm so sorry.'
That made two of them.
Everything he wanted, everything he thought about… his entire future stood there looking at him with eyes that proclaimed a love she couldn't admit to.
It was the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he had to let her go. Had to give her the space she needed.
Heart aching, he turned away and rode toward the harsh mountains. He needed to be alone, and high on the peaks was the only place to go to do that.
Chapter 18
Zoe felt as though she paced for two days. Two days, and not a word from Ty.
While he was gone doing only God knew what in those unforgiving mountains that she stared at a thousand times a day, Triple M received another reservation request for fall. And several for the following spring.
Their modest, hopeful success felt good.
And for Zoe, it also felt empty.
It was amazing that people wanted to come from all over and help run their ranch, and
But she wanted Ty. Wanted to see him, and tell him she knew she was home. Wanted to laugh with him and race their horses over their land. Wanted to spar with him and then make up.
She wanted to make love with him.
But he didn't come back, and she had no one to blame but herself.
On the third night Zoe went to bed early. There was a package there, lying on her quilt, wrapped in the familiar plain brown paper bag that signified her mysterious gift giver. Her throat tightened as she sank to the bed.
Delia had done so much for her over the years and somehow she always just knew when Zoe needed her the most.
She opened the bag, and a delicate gold bracelet fell into her hand. It was small, dainty, and her heart nearly burst at its beauty. It was the bracelet from town, the one she'd admired so many weeks ago. And now it was hers.
'Oh, my God,' she breathed, because Delia hadn't known about the bracelet. No one knew how she'd coveted the beautiful gold chain.
No one but Ty.
Clearly he'd remembered how she'd yearned for it… but it meant so much more than that. It meant that all along it had been Ty leaving her the presents. The gloves, the boots, the adding machine. 'Oh, Ty,' she whispered, covering her mouth with shaking fingers as memories flashed.
Ty frowning over her cut fingers, and then the gloves mysteriously appearing. Ty pointing at her tennis shoes and demanding she better protect her feet, then the new boots that had shown up only days later. Ty telling her she worked too hard, that she needed help, and then the adding machine had appeared and had been such a
