Two in the Saddle

“Take it easy, sweetheart.”

“I am most definitely not your sweetheart.” And if her nerves jumped at his words, that was only because nobody had spoken an endearment to her in a while.

“Too bad for both of us. Listen, I know you hate me and this is torture for you, but we’re almost done.”

Oh, it was torture, all right. Torture of the highest order. And how she wished that hate was the emotion she was feeling for this man.

2

TRAVIS HAD ACTED on impulse, tucking Gwen against him as they proceeded up the aisle. Pure devilment had made him do it, probably, knowing how much she loathed him. Funny, though, once they were hip to hip, he felt her tremble.

He recognized that tremble. Women tended to do that when he touched them, but he wouldn’t have expected that reaction from Gwen, who’d let him know she wasn’t even slightly interested.

So when she started squawking about his behavior he held her tighter, to test her reaction to increased contact. Sure enough, that quiver got worse, and her skin flushed pink.

He noticed the color in her cheeks, and because he was a healthy male animal, he also noticed the color spread to the swell of her breasts above the green material of her dress. The way he figured it, if a woman chose to wear a neckline like that, she could expect a man to look his fill. He indulged for as long as he dared, which was only a few seconds, considering he and Gwen were in a very public place.

When he forced himself to look away, he was trembling a bit himself. Fantasies of unzipping her dress and sampling those generous breasts swirled through his mind, affecting his breathing.

She wasn’t breathing so easy herself, and her agitation stirred up the erotic, cinnamon-flavored perfume she wore, which excited him even more. By the time they reached the back of the church and moved through the doors into the vestibule where Matty and Sebastian stood waiting, Travis had decided it might be worth his time to cut through the barbed wire Gwen had strung around herself to keep him out.

So what if he wasn’t husband material? He’d taught several women that good sex didn’t have to lead to everlasting love. Mutual enjoyment was justification enough for climbing between the sheets, in his opinion. Gwen needed to expand her options, and he was the guy to help her. If Lizzie hadn’t been twisting his ear during the entire walk down the aisle, it would have been an outstanding interlude.

If he’d had any doubt about Gwen’s reaction to him, she erased it once they passed through the main chapel doors. She wrenched away from him as if she’d been cuddled up to a hot stove. An indifferent woman wouldn’t have made such a big production out of escaping.

Avoiding his gaze, she abandoned the buggy and rushed over to hug Matty. “I’m so happy for you!” she said.

Travis knew Gwen’s sentiments were sincere, but there was a quivery edge to her voice, as if she might not be in complete control of herself. That pleased him. After their walk down the aisle, he’d had to take a few deep breaths, himself. He caught Matty looking at him over Gwen’s shoulder, and he shrugged.

Then he pried Lizzie’s fingers from his ear before walking over and holding out his hand to Sebastian. “Well, it’s too late to turn back now, buddy.”

Sebastian was grinning all over as he clasped Travis’s hand. “We really did it, didn’t we?”

“I do believe you did. Congratulations. You roped yourself a keeper.” He turned to Matty, who looked happier than he’d ever seen her. He’d been her head wrangler at the Leaning L through the bad years with Butch, and the lonely years after Butch crashed his plane into a mountain. Technically she was his boss, but he loved her like a sister, and he was pleased as punch that she and Sebastian had finally figured out they were meant to be more than good neighbors.

Continuing to balance Lizzie in one arm, he leaned down and gave Matty a kiss on the cheek. “I hope you know you’ve hitched up with the stubbornest cow-poke in the valley,” he murmured. “If he gives you any problems, let me know and I’ll kick his butt for you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Matty said, her blue eyes twinkling.

“Nice going, Travis.” Sebastian clapped him on the back. “I had Matty convinced I was perfect, but you had to open your yap and ruin my image.”

“My pleasure.” Travis smiled, then winced as Lizzie crowed happily, grabbed his nose and pinched hard. “The kid’s got the instincts of a steer wrestler,” he said as he peeled her fingers away.

Matty laughed. “I’ve taught her all she knows. I’m hoping she’ll have that nose thing perfected by the time she’s eighteen.”

Travis figured now wasn’t the time to mention there was a chance Lizzie wouldn’t grow up on the Rocking D. Matty was more attached to this baby than she knew. “She’s got the nose thing perfected now,” he said, grabbing Lizzie’s hand before she could latch on again.

Matty held out her arms. “Let me hold her while we take care of this reception line business. You’ve been tortured enough.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” Gwen said.

Travis shot her a look. The old defiance was back in her dark eyes, but he wasn’t intimidated by it anymore. Underneath all her bluster was a woman aching to be kissed, and kissed well. He wondered if he might find the opportunity to take care of that before the night was out.

“Lizzie’s okay with me,” Travis said. “She’ll be fine, now that we got rid of that bow apparatus.”

“I knew that bow was a bad idea,” Matty said, glancing at her new husband, “but Sebastian insisted on making her look like a girl.”

“I liked the bow,” Sebastian said, a stubborn gleam in his eye.

“Well, she didn’t,” Matty said. “And I’m proud of her for sticking to her guns.” She turned back to Travis. “Hand over that little dickens. I miss her already.”

Travis eyed Matty’s white dress. He had a rough idea what the dress cost, and he’d heard some talk about keeping it for the next generation of brides in the Daniels family. He didn’t think Lizzie’s baby drool would improve the dress any. “I’ll hang on to her. That outfit of yours is a keepsake, and this tux is only rented. Might as well keep the mess concentrated in one spot.”

Matty looked down at her dress. “You have a point. I’m not used to being dolled up like this, and I keep forgetting I have to be careful.” She smiled at Travis. “Thank you for your sacrifice. You saved the day.”

“Sacrifice?” Gwen said. “Ha. He eats this stuff with a spoon. He—”

“Maybe we’d better set up our reception line,” Matty said quickly. “People are heading this way. Gwen, you’ll be first, then Travis, then Sebastian, then—”

“There’s that adorable baby!” shrieked Donna Rathbone, kindergarten teacher and one of Travis’s former girlfriends.

Donna had called him her teacher’s pet, he remembered. He had fond memories of hot summer nights about two years ago. Donna hurried through the double doors of the main chapel and headed straight for him, followed by half the congregation, all female, and all jabbering about the baby.

“Then again, maybe we should put Travis first in line,” Matty said as the women enveloped him in a sea of pastels and perfume.

MATTY AND Sebastian had decided to hold the reception inside a large tent on the Rocking D, and from Gwen’s vantage point at the head table, the whole town seemed to be packed inside the tent’s white canvas walls. Tiny clear lights strung from the tent poles sparkled in celebration and centerpieces of spring flowers bloomed on each linen-covered table. The bar was open and the buffet table was crowded with food.

Sensual pleasures teased Gwen from all sides—succulent barbecued beef and rich red wine, the seductive beat of a country tune, the scent of juniper every time the breeze lifted a tent flap a few inches. And then there was Travis in his rumpled tux, an attraction more compelling than the bride and groom, apparently.

Women surrounded him constantly, whether he happened to be holding Elizabeth or not. He was a very busy man as he tended to his many admirers, and yet every few minutes he’d pause, find Gwen in the throng, and send her a smile or a wink.

She tried to be unaffected…and failed. It was heady stuff to be singled out by the man who was clearly adored by every woman in the room. But the dinner part of the reception had nearly ended, and soon the dancing would begin, which meant she’d be expected to dance with Travis. And no matter how seductive the atmosphere, no matter how appealing the man, she must not give in to his considerable charms.

She’d known Travis would be trouble the first day she’d laid eyes on him while paying a visit to Matty’s ranch. About four years earlier, she and Matty had met over the yarn counter at Coogan’s Department Store and discovered they both had a passion for weaving. Their friendship had blossomed.

Gwen had taken up the craft as a way to heal after her divorce from Derek. Eventually she discovered that Matty used her floor loom as therapy while she dealt with an unhappy marriage, which gave the two women even more in common.

They enjoyed each other’s company tremendously, and the only fly in the ointment had been Gwen’s occasional forced interaction with Matty’s head wrangler. Travis reminded her way too much of Derek. He pushed all the same buttons Derek had, making her pulse race with a look, her breath catch with a devilish grin. But Gwen had no intention of losing her heart to another rascal too handsome for his own good.

Fortunately Travis spent winters at his place in Utah, which meant Gwen only had to deal with him during the summer. Because summer was high season at Hawthorne House, she was usually too busy to socialize much. She’d been so subtle about avoiding Travis that even Matty hadn’t known of her vulnerability until recently…until Elizabeth had turned all their lives topsy-turvy.

The baby was presently sitting on Sebastian’s lap while Matty played patty-cake with her. Gwen smiled at the picture they made. No doubt about it, Elizabeth had totally changed Matty and Sebastian’s life, fortunately for the better. But Matty and Sebastian belonged together. Gwen and Travis did not, and she’d be wise to keep that firmly in mind.

Travis returned to his place at the head table just as the band finished a tune. He signaled to the band, picked up his wineglass and raised it. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?”

That would be no problem for the ladies, Gwen thought. At the sound of Travis’s rich baritone, they’d all turned toward him like daisies to sunlight.

“I’d like to propose a toast to the bride and groom.” He grinned. “You know, this is gonna be like shooting fish in a barrel, Sebastian.”

“Roast him, Travis!” called one of the ranchers from a table in the back of the room.

Gwen rolled her eyes. Travis would make a joke of this, the way he made a joke of everything.

“Well, you folks ain’t heard nothin’ until you’ve heard Sebastian Daniels croon Ghost Riders in the Sky,” Travis said. “If I’d been writing your vows, buddy, I would’ve made Matty promise to love, cherish, and put up with a round of Ghost Riders every blessed morning in the shower. Oh, and I don’t want to forget the yodeling. Did you tell her about that, yet?”

Gwen laughed along with everyone else, including Matty and Sebastian.

Travis cleared his throat and Gwen prepared herself for more jokes.

But Travis was no longer smiling, and his tone had changed. “Yodeling aside, I’ve known Sebastian Daniels for a lot of years, and he’s one hell of a friend. If you’re in trouble, this is the man to call. His heart’s bigger than the whole Sangre de Cristo range.”

Gwen stared at Travis. Just when she thought she knew what to expect from him, he did the exact opposite.

“Sebastian loves this land,” Travis said. “Until recently, I didn’t think he could love anything, or anyone, more than this paradise he calls the Rocking D. But I was wrong. His fondness for this ranch is a drop in the bucket compared to the way he feels about the woman sitting next to him.”

Emotion clogged Gwen’s throat. She could take anything from Travis except heartfelt sincerity.

“And he’s found his soul mate in Matty,” Travis continued. “Matty is true-blue, the straightest shooter I’ve ever known. If there is such a thing as a match made in heaven, you’re looking at it. God bless, Matty and Sebastian. I’m proud to be here.”

Gwen was destroyed. She clapped furiously and blinked back tears. Then she took a quick sip of wine to toast the newlyweds and grabbed a napkin to dab at her eyes.

The band started playing a waltz, and Sebastian handed Elizabeth to Travis. “Thanks,” he said, his voice suspiciously hoarse. “That was…damned nice.”

“Outstanding,” Matty said, sniffing.

“I meant every word,” Travis said. “Now go have that first dance, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels. You deserve it.” He sat down next to Gwen and propped Elizabeth on his lap. “What’d you think?” He sounded as if he actually cared.

“Great.” Gwen took another gulp of her wine and choked on it. She snatched up her napkin again and held it over her mouth while she coughed.

“Easy, now.” With one arm wrapped around Elizabeth, he leaned over and patted Gwen on the back. “Didn’t mean to make you nervous.”

She glanced at him. The hell he didn’t. At least she had an excuse for the tears in her eyes as she continued to cough and gasp for breath.

“And now let’s have the best man and the maid of honor on the floor,” announced the band leader.

Travis leaned closer. “Are you up to it?”

She coughed once more. “Sure,” she said hoarsely. “But what about Elizabeth?”

“We’ll take her along.” He stood and pulled back Gwen’s chair.

Stupid her, she was disappointed that they were taking Elizabeth. What a dope she was, feeling sorry because she wouldn’t have Travis all to herself. She was twenty times safer if they danced with Elizabeth cradled between them, and safety was important. Self-preservation was imperative.

Unfortunately Travis’s speech had derailed her protective instincts and stirred up needs she would do well to bury, especially when she was around this man.

Travis guided her with a hand at her elbow as they wound through the tables to the dance floor. Once again Gwen became aware of the envy coming at her in waves. She and Travis would dance this one, obligatory number. After that, he’d be mobbed and she wouldn’t have to worry about protecting herself from his advances. She should be happy about that, not depressed.

“How about if you hold Lizzie?” Travis asked as they stepped onto the temporary dance floor that had been erected in one corner of the tent. “Then I can hold both of you.” Without waiting for an answer, he transferred the baby neatly into Gwen’s arms.

Elizabeth was growing limp and her eyes drooped with fatigue.

Gwen cradled the little girl in her arms, and with a yawn Elizabeth laid her head trustingly on Gwen’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Gwen’s heart swelled with pleasure as she turned her head and brushed a kiss against the baby’s velvet cheek.

In the past few weeks, Gwen had tried to keep some distance from this cherub, but she was afraid that distance had just disappeared. She’d fallen in love with the baby like everyone else who came within Elizabeth’s charmed circle. If Elizabeth ever left Huerfano, the town would be wall-to-wall with broken hearts.

“Perfect,” Travis murmured, as he wrapped his arms around Gwen and Elizabeth and gently led them into a slow, swaying dance.

The baby sighed and gave in to sleep, relaxing completely against Gwen.

The dance should have been harmless, even platonic, Gwen thought. But she hadn’t counted on having to look directly into Travis’s eyes while they moved to the music. Cheek-to-cheek would have been one kind of sensual temptation, but gazing into those golden eyes seemed even more intimate.

He held her gaze, and even though his arms cradled her loosely, she felt cinched in tight by the warmth in his eyes. She couldn’t glance away without seeming cowardly, or nervous, or lacking in confidence.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Gwen,” he said.

She lifted her chin. “I’m not.”

In sleep, Elizabeth’s hand slipped down and rested on the swell of Gwen’s breast. The innocent touch ignited Gwen’s already heated nerve endings.

Travis glanced down with a hint of a smile. Then his gaze moved back up and lingered on Gwen’s mouth before returning to her eyes. There was a flicker of heat in the tawny depths that hadn’t been there before. “Yeah, you’re afraid,” he said. “The pulse in your throat is going like sixties. But I won’t hurt you.”

She swallowed and tried to calm her breathing. Her senses filled with the scent of baby powder mingled with the spicy aroma of Travis’s aftershave. A baby and a man to love—she hadn’t realized how much she wanted that. Longing washed over her. “That’s right, you won’t hurt me, because I won’t give you the chance.”

“You know, there’s a big difference between me and your ex.”

“I don’t want to talk about Derek.”

“We won’t. I have something to tell you about me.”

She tried not to respond to the caressing tone in his voice. “I know all I need to know about you.”

“I don’t think so. Otherwise you wouldn’t be afraid. Gwen, the only way people get hurt is when promises are broken. I won’t do that.”

She shivered at the way he spoke her name. “Because you don’t make promises?”

“Not the forever kind.” His fingers traced lazy patterns over her back. “But I can promise to make love to you honestly, thoroughly, and tenderly for whatever time we decide to spend together.”

She didn’t want him to know he was arousing her, but those eyes probably saw everything—her rapid breathing, her beating pulse, her flushed skin.

“If we both know what to expect going in, then nobody gets hurt,” he murmured.

Oh, he was good. She wanted him to kiss her so much she could taste it. “I’ll bet there are several women with broken hearts who wouldn’t agree with your reasoning.”

“Then they lied to themselves. I never lied to them.”

His mouth was beautiful, she thought. Every woman should have a chance to kiss a mouth like that once in her life. And if the rest of him lived up to the sensuous promise of his mouth….

“You’re thinking about it,” he said. “That’s a start.”

“I’m thinking about what an arrogant man you are.” Excitingly arrogant. She wondered if she was capable of lovemaking with no strings. Pleasure without promises. For the long run, it didn’t fit into her dreams. But a forever man seemed like a distant and unreachable goal, and in the meantime she could allow herself to enjoy…no, it was too risky. But the fact that she was even wondering what it would be like to have an affair with Travis meant that he’d breached her defenses.

“I’m far from arrogant,” he said, subtly caressing her back. “I can’t afford to be when you have all the power.”

“Ha. You’re a world-class flirt, Travis. I can’t even play in your league.”

“You’re selling yourself short. When I saw you come down the aisle of the church in that dynamite dress, my knees almost gave out. I’m a desperate man, Gwen, begging you to soften your heart.”

She was getting soft, all right. Soft in the head, heart, everywhere. Outrageous though his compliments were, they were having an effect. Soon she’d be putty in his hands. “I don’t want to be another notch on your belt,” she said.

He smiled, slow and sexy, his eyes alight with banked passion. “Then let me be a notch in yours.”

3

TRAVIS PRIDED HIMSELF on his ability to handle a room full of women and make each one of them feel special, but this reception was taxing his powers. And to be truthful, his heart wasn’t in the effort. Flattering as it was to have all these ladies asking him to dance, he would have preferred a quiet little bar, a jukebox and Gwen in his arms.

He wasn’t happy about the fact that she was out on the floor nearly as often as he was, and that she seemed to be having such a good time. Damn it, she wanted him. He’d seen it in her eyes when they’d shared that one frustrating dance, and he’d hoped for another dance with her once Elizabeth was tucked into the little bassinet Sebastian had set up in a corner. No telling where another dance might lead, considering the look in her eyes following the first one. He was eager to stoke the fire he’d started.

Instead he’d been besieged by the female population of Huerfano. He’d danced with nearly every woman in the room, and he’d been offered enough pieces of wedding cake to open his own bakery. Apparently his stint with Lizzie at the altar combined with his wedding toast had made him a very popular guy. Ordinarily he would have loved it, but tonight he was in a strange, one-woman kind of mood.

He was so busy that he barely had time to get himself a fresh beer. Finally he excused himself from Donna, the kindergarten teacher, and headed for the bar.

“Hey, Romeo.” Sebastian caught his arm as he was heading back into the fray, a cold long-neck in one hand. “Got a minute?” He glanced at Travis’s beer. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

Travis grinned, turned back to the bartender and lifted his bottle. “Get another one of these for the bridegroom, would you? The poor guy needs to live it up while he still has the chance.”

“Yeah, I’ve got it tough,” Sebastian said as he took the offered beer. “Not every guy could handle being married to a goddess, but fortunately I’m up to the job. Come on, let’s get some air.”

“I can see right off that my speech gave you a swelled head.” Travis followed Sebastian outside. The air was cold, but it felt good after all the exercise he’d been getting on the dance floor. “Keep it up and I’ll be obliged to round up a few guys to toss you in the horse trough.”

“You think I’ve got a swelled head?” Sebastian leaned against the fender of the caterer’s truck and unfastened the top button of his tux shirt. The string tie had been abandoned long ago. “After all the attention you’ve been getting tonight, it’ll take three men and a boy to cram your hat on in the morning.” He lifted his beer toward Travis and smiled. “Here’s to one hell of a wedding.”

Travis clinked his bottle to Sebastian’s. “A great party for a great reason.” He took a long swallow.

Sebastian sipped his beer and looked up at the night sky. “Full moon.”

“I ordered it special.”

Sebastian laughed. “Funny thing is, I believe you.”

“Hey, I can do anything I set my mind to.”

“Uh, huh. Evans, you really should work on that lack of confidence problem.”

“I know what I know.”

“Okay, you’re amazing. But listen, I’ve been going over this honeymoon trip again, and I really think I ought to hire somebody to help you with Elizabeth while Matty and I are in Denver. We don’t leave until noon, so I’m sure I could find somebody if I started calling around in the morning.”

Travis stiffened. “You don’t trust me with her.”

“Sure I do. Well, maybe I didn’t at first, but you’ve got the basics down. I’m worried about what you’ll do if something goes wrong, though. We’d be at least three hours getting home, assuming we even got the message right away, and—”

“You are such an old granny, Daniels. I swear. I can handle it. If it’s major I’ll go to Doc Harrison. If it’s minor, I’ll go to Gwen.” He’d just now thought of that, but the idea appealed to him. Not that he wanted any emergency to crop up concerning Lizzie. But the combination of him and the baby seemed to melt women’s hearts. It might have a thawing effect on Gwen, too. Yeah, he just might have to consult Gwen on some baby-care question.

“What’s up with you and Gwen, anyway?”

“What do you mean?” Travis took another swig of his beer, so he’d look cool and casual as he answered the question.

“I thought you two were like oil and water, but you were blending together pretty good during that dance earlier tonight.”