“What will it take to make you reconsider?” Needing some space between them, a distraction from the pull he exerted over her, Lauryn bent to take the chew toy Rocco had proudly returned to them.

  When she flung it as far onto the lawn as possible, she could feel Gavin’s eyes on her.

  “My presence is that important to you?” The timbre of his voice, smoky and soft, tripped up her spine in a peculiar way.

  She shook off the sensation, admonishing herself that this talk had to be all business.

  Hooves and Hearts needed the income from this event too much for her to get caught up in whatever games Gavin liked to play with women.

  Games she suspected he excelled at.

  “The invitations have gone out,” she explained, chasing the image of sensual playtime from her brain. Where had that come from? She wished his conscience would just kick in and explain to him that a responsible adult would make good on his word to be a part of the fundraiser. “Guests have RSVP’d. They all think you’re going to be there.”

  His jaw worked, flexing and tensing, as he seemed to chew over the idea. Once more, his attention dipped lower, taking her in from boots to breasts.

  Or maybe her breasts just noticed his attention more than the rest of her. Her face flamed hot, and she found herself sliding one hand beneath her hair to lift the mass that felt too warm against her neck.

  Catching herself in the act, she released it once more, yanking her arms to her side as she realized his gaze was calmly fixed on her face again, his expression masked.

  “If I do this for you, I wouldn’t be going for the sake of the guests.” Something about his words made her wary even as hope reignited.

  “Meaning you might attend after all?” She searched his brown eyes, looking for the catch.

  “On one condition.” His chin ticked up.

  She sensed a challenge coming, but she needed his participation too much to care.

  “Name it.”

  Between them, Rocco’s furry body brushed against her, the dog’s panting audible as he waited for another round of fetch. But she didn’t dare look away from Gavin as she mentally urged him to follow through with the auction.

  As if she could impose her will on him if she stared hard enough.

  “Go on a date with me.”

  He couldn’t have surprised her more if he’d asked her to drag race him.

  In the silence that ensued, she heard a tractor at work in the distance, a sign of the Broken Spur’s fields being worked nearby. The engine hummed in chorus with the warning bells jangling in her brain.

  “Excuse me?” She’d heard him clearly enough. But she had to be missing something since he’d never made an overture toward her.

  She’d assumed the occasional hot looks that he sent her way were a knee-jerk reaction, an automatic facet of being a ladies’ man. They’d had little to do with her personally.

  No doubt he flirted with everyone that way.

  “It’s a simple request, Lauryn. I’d like—just once—to take you on a date.” Never looking away from her, he gave a soothing scratch to Rocco’s head and somehow released the dog from the game with some kind of nonverbal command.

  Or so she guessed since Rocco took his toy onto a rug near the back door, where he lay down and put his head between his paws with a long doggy huff.

  Rocco seemed to comprehend the man in front of her far better than she ever would.

  “I don’t understand. Why would you want to do that?” She already knew she would agree. Of course she would say yes for the good of the charity event.

  The man was a sought-after bachelor for a reason, not the least of which were his good looks and magnetic charm. Women threw themselves at him. And while he’d always moved on quickly from them, Lauryn had never heard any complaints other than that they were sad when their time with him came to an end.

  There was an implied compliment in that.

  But she wanted to know why Gavin would request such a thing when he could have dozens of women lining up to be his very willing partner for any given night.

  A ghost of his old, careless grin crossed his face.

  “No need to sound so surprised.” He leaned a square shoulder against the wooden post at the edge of the patio, as if settling in for a casual conversation when his words had thrown her into a whirlwind of confused anxiety. “I don’t think you need for me to tell you you’re a very compelling woman.”

  Flustered, she shook her head.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not fishing for compliments, Gavin. I just can’t fathom how a date with me will make it any more bearable for you to participate in an event you’re obviously now dreading.” An awful thought occurred to her. “Is this about my father? A way to tick off the sheriff?”

  Any hint of a smile vanished.

  “How little you think of me,” he observed wryly, shaking his head. “Although, oddly enough, even as you offend me, you manage to tap into a reason that I want this date.”

  Impatience stiffened her spine. Tension tightened in her shoulders.

  “You’re talking in riddles. Can you please just be straight with me?”

  “Of course.” He arched a light brown eyebrow at her, as if she were the one playing word games. “I don’t appreciate that you think the worst of me. And given the way my own father just erased me from his life, it gets under my skin that people are determined to write me off.”

  The accusation hit home with pinpoint accuracy.

  No matter that she believed Gavin had well-earned his reputation, a part of her still felt the sting of his allegation. She pursed her lips, unsure how to respond.

  But he saved her from replying when he continued speaking a moment later, “So, if we’re going to work together on this bachelor auction, I’d appreciate it if you’d take the time to get to know me. Go on a date with me, Lauryn.” That trademark smile returned at full wattage, a potent weapon in his seductive arsenal, as he lowered his voice a notch. “Find out for yourself if I’m as bad as everyone says.”

  Three

  Gavin knew Lauryn wouldn’t refuse.

  Yet having the ice queen of Silent Spring over a barrel didn’t give him the satisfaction it might have at one time. Maybe because he had every reason to suspect she’d played a role in depriving him of the family legacy, a concern that left him feeling more bitter than vengeful since he couldn’t do anything to change the fact that Duke Kingsley had gone to his grave assuming the worst of his son.

  “Fine. It’s a deal.” Lauryn thrust her hand toward him to seal the bargain. “One date in exchange for your participation in the bachelor auction—both as a bachelor and as a sponsor.”

  He noted she was careful to spell that out.

  Smart businesswoman.

  And yet the gesture provided all the more proof that she thought him less than honorable. Making him doubly glad he’d come up with the date scheme as a way to learn more about her and how much she’d known about his disinheritance.

  “We’re in agreement,” he assured her, taking her soft, slender fingers in his to seal the deal.

  Beneath his thumb, in the tender vee of her palm, he felt the warm throb of her pulse beneath her skin. A rhythmic beat that jumped faster when he gave it a small, tentative stroke.

  For a moment, Lauryn’s hazel gaze flashed with startled awareness.

  Right before she drew her hand free.

  “Then let’s agree to a time to go over the meeting notes I had ready for this morning,” she murmured, folding her arms across her chest in a way that made her breasts all the more enticing.

  Not that he let his gaze linger.

  He wasn’t about to push a seduction agenda with a woman whose good will he required if he was going to draw her out about her relationship with his father. Although somewhere along the way, he wouldn’t mind hearing Lauryn Hamilton acknowledge that the chemistry between them wasn’t all one sided.

  “How about the day after tomorrow?” He’d need to rearrange his schedule since he’d already agreed to meet a Realtor the next day to view ranch properties in Wyoming.

  Now Gavin would need to cool his heels in Montana for at least a few more weeks until the bachelor auction.

  “It will have to be after noon,” she answered without even consulting a schedule. “I’m driving out to Twin Bridges that morning to deliver a four-year-old mare to a family who fell in love with her after visiting the rescue last month.”

  The warmth in her voice, the glow in her face at the mention of the animals in her care, told everything about her commitment to her cause. No matter what Gavin learned about his father from her—or not—he could hardly begrudge the time and investment in someone so dedicated to equine rescue.

  “That’s fine,” he assured her, gesturing toward the walkway back toward the front of the house where her pickup waited beside his so he could escort her out. He had new plans to make for his remaining days in Silent Spring. “If you’re running late that day, just shoot me a text. I can meet later, if necessary.”

  As they moved out of the covered-patio area, Rocco rose to follow, tail wagging sleepily after his doze. To keep his attention off the enticing sway of Lauryn’s hips as they walked, Gavin allowed his attention to move to the custom-built ranch house he’d spent so long designing to his exact specifications—from the detached garage with separate kitchen and suite for guests to the hand-hewn timber used in the living area and the spectacular river views. He would miss the place when he left, but this work with Lauryn would keep him here a little while longer.

  “Thank you.” Lauryn shifted her hair to the opposite shoulder as they walked, a few silky waves brushing his arm. “But I don’t anticipate any problems. The adopter is an experienced horseman buying the mare for his teenage daughter. I know he’s got the stable and pasture ready, and he’s paid in advance for a year’s worth of hay.”

  “Sounds like your ideal customer,” Gavin observed as they reached her truck. “Where would you like to meet?”

  She nibbled her lip as she thought, and Gavin distracted himself from her mouth by reaching for the handle on the driver’s-side door.

  “Would you mind if we worked here? Your place is on the way back from Twin Bridges.”

  The thought of having her all to himself again sent a surge of red-hot desire through him. He tried to ignore it, grateful he’d have a couple of days to come up with a plan for their time together.

  Because he would swear that the chemistry between them had grown more potent this afternoon. While he’d always felt the draw just beneath the surface of their interactions, he’d seen a hint of her reaction to him today, and that had amped up the heat far beyond anything the mild spring sun dished out.

  “Of course. And if you send me the meeting notes ahead of time, I’ll be all the more prepared.” He made the offer mostly so he could devote more of their time together to conversation about her. He needed to find casual ways to get her talking about those years in his father’s employment.

  Yet to see the obvious pleasure she took in the gesture, he almost felt guilty for the ulterior motive.

  “That would be fantastic.” Her eyes lit up as she looked at him. “I’ll shoot them your way once I get home.”

  Holding the door for her while she stepped up on the running board of her sporty red pickup truck, Gavin couldn’t help but see a flash of her bare legs as her navy sheath dress hiked up away from the tops of her suede boots.

  Rocco chose that moment to bark, looking back and forth between them.

  A friendly goodbye to their guest? Or a reminder to Gavin to put his eyes back in his head?

  He gritted his teeth, guessing it was the latter, while Lauryn’s gaze shifted to the dog before she laughed with pleasure.

  “It was good to see you, too, Rocco,” she said sweetly, reaching down to scratch the dog’s head before she tucked her dress more securely around her legs. “I’ll be back at the Broken Spur before you know it.”

  Gavin told himself it was stupid to envy his pet, but the big fur-beast was damned lucky to have Lauryn’s long fingers stroke him. No wonder the tail-wagging recommenced with renewed enthusiasm.

  “See you then,” Gavin managed over a dry throat as he shut the door behind her.

  Stepping back with a wave, he watched her pull out of the driveway.

  And no matter that he’d gotten out of the meeting exactly what he wanted—an opportunity to find out how much Lauryn had known about his father’s plans to disinherit him and what role she might have played in the decision—Gavin couldn’t help but think he’d signed on for a whole lot more than he bargained for.

  * * *

  Two days later, Lauryn folded her arms on the four-rail fence behind her client’s spacious home in Twin Bridges.

  In the pasture in front of her, she watched Toffee, the bay mare, explore her new surroundings. The horse nosed a pile of clean straw behind her brand-new stable, then walked slowly toward a black spruce tree that would provide good shade in the summer.

  “She seems right at home, doesn’t she?” a familiar feminine voice said behind her.

  Turning, Lauryn met the kind eyes of her former foster mother, Ellen Crawford. The older woman looked exactly the same as Lauryn remembered her from her brief stay with the Crawfords before the Hamiltons adopted her when she was twelve years old. Maybe a few strands of the blond ponytail that hung over the shoulder of her red flannel shirt were grayer, but the keen blue eyes were just as warm, the walk just as full of vigor. Ellen and her husband, Chip, had fostered children right up until a few months ago, when they adopted their last foster daughter, Zara, now the lucky recipient of the bay mare they’d taken in from Lauryn’s rescue.

  “Toffee is going to love this place.” Opening her arms for a hug, Lauryn gave the tall, spare woman a quick squeeze, the earthy scent of herbs clinging to her from her work in the greenhouse next door, where the Crawfords sold plants and trees. “But then, you have a knack for making everyone feel at home here.”

  Ellen smiled her pleasure as she joined Lauryn at the rail. “She’ll be good company for Zara. I remember how horses helped you come back to life after you moved here.”

  Memories crowded her thoughts, the sudden intrusion of the past uncomfortable, even though she’d worked through the worst of it a long time ago. Ellen Crawford was the only person in Lauryn’s life who could speak so openly about the horror she’d faced in her previous foster home.

  Not that she’d been mistreated. Her then-family had been kind enough, if a little overwhelmed by the number of children under their roof at the time. Their home had been an aging farmhouse, and there’d been plenty of room for them all and fun places to explore. An attic. A basement. Barns and outbuildings. Much of it hadn’t been in use at the time, but Lauryn and her favorite foster sister, thirteen-year-old Jamie, hadn’t heeded their parents’ warnings about staying out of the older structures. They’d grown comfortable in their “hideouts,” sneaking books into their best-loved haunts to escape chores or avoid their brothers.

  Not that they needed a reason. Both had been caught up in the joys of having a real sister and best friend, a first for each of them. They’d been glad just to spend time together, sharing every secret while they braided one another’s hair and dreamed of living next door to each other once they were old enough to leave the foster home.

  A dream that had never happened for Jamie.

  After the accident, Lauryn didn’t recall much until she’d arrived at the Crawfords’ home and her new foster mom, Ellen, introduced her to equine therapy. Over the next several months, Lauryn found a new best friend in the understanding brown eyes of a Champagne quarter horse gelding.

  “Champy was a godsend,” Lauryn admitted, her voice thick with the memory of the bond they’d formed. A downside of her adoption by the Hamiltons had been their insistence that she not visit her quarter horse friend anymore—or anyone from her past—believing a fresh start would be best. She hadn’t complained about it, sensing that, as a twelve-year-old with a traumatic history, she’d been fortunate to find a forever family at all.

  “I’d forgotten his name.” Ellen chuckled softly in her easy way as they watched Toffee snuffle around the black spruce needles before snorting in disapproval at the scent and backing away. “Champy. What a good horse.”

  For a moment, they remembered the gelding in companionable silence. That ability to sit with uncomfortable things—sadness, memories—was one of the reasons Lauryn had sought Ellen out after college. As much as Lauryn adored her adoptive parents, they’d had a tough time talking about the past, and they certainly hadn’t wanted her to either. No one in Silent Spring knew her real personal story because the Hamiltons had told their friends they were adopting a relative’s child.

  Lauryn’s past had been swept under a rug.

  But Jamie—like Champy—deserved remembering.

  A moment later, Ellen’s voice called her back to the present. “We received your invitation to Studs for Sale. It sounds like quite the event you’ve put together.”

  Nearby, Chip stepped out of the stable and into the pasture, giving them a wave as he walked toward Toffee, brandishing an apple.

  Lauryn was grateful for the extra moment to gather her thoughts about the auction. Her planning meeting with Gavin was only an hour away, and visions of seeing him again had occupied far too much space in her mind the last two days.

  “I hope so. It’s been a lot of work, but it will be worth it if it raises enough money to take my plans for the equine-therapy facility to the next level.” She’d dreamed of this for years.