Beneath the Stetson by Janice Maynard

Author:Janice Maynard
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-01-22T23:00:00+00:00

Ten

Gil brooded on the way to the hospital, his hands wrapped around the steering wheel in a death grip. Only a short time ago he had awakened feeling jubilant and sexually sated and better than he had in a long, long time. A sleeping Bailey lay nude in his arms, her leg angled across his thighs, her hair a dark cinnamon cloud around her face.

He had held her close in the predawn darkness, deeply grateful for whatever path led her to him. She walked alone in life, it seemed. Halfway estranged from her father. No other close family. Though Gil admired her self-sufficiency, he wished she would not discount the possibility that her current assignment put her in danger.

The urge and desire to protect her was strong. As was the need to stake a claim somehow. That last bit didn’t make sense. Bailey was not involved with anyone else sexually or otherwise. She might be staying at Chance’s dude ranch, but Gil had no real worries on that score. Even if Chance made a move on her, Bailey would never get involved with someone who might be key in her investigation.

But still the urge remained.

Gil knew that some bridge had been crossed last night. Over the years, particularly when Cade was too small to realize that his dad was gone overnight, Gil had spent an evening with an amenable woman and had his sexual needs fulfilled. It hadn’t taken very long for him to realize that such encounters left a sour taste in his mouth.

Apparently, he wasn’t cut out for casual sex.

As a young man, before he had fully understood the extent of his wife’s emotional trauma, he’d had every reason to believe that he and Sherrie would spend a life together at the Straight Arrow, potentially filling the house with a number of children.

Once the truth came out, Sherrie withdrew, both physically and emotionally. Despite Gil’s every effort, he had been unable to reach her. The loneliness of living in such a marriage hit hard, and had only increased tenfold after Sherrie’s death.

Not even to himself had Gil admitted the great void in his life. It seemed ungrateful and almost wicked to complain when he had so many blessings. A happy, healthy son. A family property that generated a very comfortable lifestyle. A wide circle of friends.

But a man needed a woman in his bed at night. A woman by his side. A partner who would share dreams and sorrows and joy and troubles. Bailey seemed convinced that she was only passing through. And in truth, Gil had believed they had little basis for a long-term relationship. Their lives were so different.

But after last night...well...after last night, Gil was prepared to move heaven and earth to prove to her that she was wrong. He had no clear plan, no road map for avoiding the obstacles in their way. Nevertheless, he wasn’t prepared to walk away from an experience and a woman who had made him rethink his monastic lifestyle.

A cynical person might point out that sexual euphoria was no basis for making serious life decisions.

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