“Of course I will, but this isn’t about me, or my mom or my brothers. It’s about Aunt Jo. She’s lived here for twenty-four years. I’ve heard her say how much she loves her job and her customers. She –”

  “She loves it because she doesn’t know anything else! She deserves a chance to try a different kind of life, one she might love as much or more than this one.”

  “Maybe, but I’ve never heard her say that the big city intrigues her. Has she ever hinted that it might be fun to live there?”

  “No, but why would she? She had the house, and like you, I thought she wanted to stay in it. But when she announced she was selling, that opened up all kinds of possibilities, including coming to live with me in New York.”

  “Mandy, think about it. She’s lived in this area more than half her life and I know for a fact she loves everything about it – the people and the amazing vistas. You said yourself that Manhattan doesn’t offer this kind scenery. She’ll be trading a peaceful rural environment for crowds of strangers and endless traffic noise. She’ll be miserable.”

  “Excuse me?” She got right in his face, like she used to when they’d argued as kids. “She’ll be living with her beloved daughter. I hardly think she’ll be miserable!”

  “Come on, Mandy. She loves Montana.“

  “She also loves me.”

  “Of course she does! But that doesn’t justify trying to coop her up in a New York apartment!”

  “What justifies you telling me I shouldn’t?” As her anger bloomed, she moved even closer and poked her finger into his chest. “This is just like you, Zane McGavin, thinking you know what’s best for everyone.”

  “Not everyone. But I know Aunt Jo and she –”

  “She is my mother.” She poked him twice to emphasize those two words. “You have a mother and four brothers. I have one person who cares about me.” She jabbed her finger into his chest again. “Me and my mom, we’re the only family we’ve got. Butt out, McGavin!” She drew back her finger to jab him again.

  “Stop it!” Breathing hard, he caught her hand and yanked her against his chest. “Stop doing that.”

  “Why should I?” Wild and reckless emotions coursed through her as she focused on eyes darkened with hot anger. But that wasn’t the only emotion there. He wanted her. “It’s not like little ol’ me can hurt big muscular you.”

  “I’m not so sure.” Without warning, his arm snaked around her waist and his mouth came down on hers.

  Both their hats hit the ground. At first she fought him, pushing at his massive chest and struggling to get away. But it was only a token effort. They could fight this battle with words or they could fight it this way.

  It was a kiss filled with fury and frustration on both sides. His mouth was demanding, as if he could convince her to agree with him. She wasn’t about to cave just because he was damned good at this kissing thing. She hurled that energy right back at him and was gratified by his moan of desperation as he delved deeper, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and pulling her tight against his aroused body.

  In response, she hooked her leg around his to bring them even closer. If he thought he could subdue her with a kiss, she’d show him that she wasn’t that easy to manage. He’d find out how a strong woman reacted to…to…uh-oh. He’d changed tactics. His mouth gentled on hers, sipping and tasting as if savoring every delicious moment.

  No fair. He was supposed to be aggressive, not seductive. He was…ahhh…turning her slowly inside out. Soft pressure, a lazy slide of his tongue and she gradually melted against him. She tried to summon her former resistance but it was going, going, gone. Combing his fingers through her hair, he cupped the back of her head and had his way with her mouth.

  Heaven. Without the battle that had raged before, kissing him was so easy, so natural. What a revelation. The man who gave the best kisses she’d ever enjoyed in all her twenty-seven years turned out to be her old buddy Zane.

  They had a blanket available…an image of them rolling around naked on it brought her to her senses. She was not, absolutely not having sex with this man for a million and one reasons. If she stopped kissing him for two seconds, she’d remember what they were.

  She tried pulling away, but his grip tightened as he continued his sweet assault. Yes, she could bite his tongue, but she didn’t want to inflict real damage, especially to such a talented tongue. Instead she grabbed a fistful of his longish hair and tugged.

  He lifted his mouth a fraction from hers. “Ow.”

  “Let me go.” Her voice sounded like a rusty hinge.

  “Buttercup…” Unlike her harsh croak, his voice held the deep, rich tones of a man anticipating what could transpire if she’d allow him to keep this up.

  He’d never know how tempted she was. “Let me go now.” She sucked in air. “We’re not doing this.”

  He choked on a laugh. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “I mean it. Let me go.”

  His grip loosened and he stepped back. He was breathing hard and his hand trembled as he ran his fingers through his hair, but his gaze was steady. “We need to talk about this.”

  “No, we don’t.” She scooped up her hat.

  He stared at her. “I just kissed you. And by the way, you kissed me back.”

  “So what? You’re a good kisser.”

  “So what? We’ve known each other since we were three and something like this has never happened before. We can’t just ignore it.”

  “I can, and I will. What you choose to do is up to you.” She leaned down, gathered up her hair and crammed her hat back on as she stood upright. “We should go.” She picked up his hat and handed it to him.

  He took it but didn’t put it on. “Look, I was there. I felt you respond. You want me as much as I want you.”

  She wasn’t about to admit to damp panties and tight nipples. He didn’t have to know about either. “This episode was an aberration, like we stepped into an alternate reality for a while. We’ll both be better off if we pretend it never happened.”

  “Who says?”

  “I do!” She felt panic rising because he looked so appealing standing there all mussed and manly. “So we kissed each other. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

  “Because it is a big deal, damn it.” He took a deep breath. “At least to me.” His eyes were trained on her like lasers. “I can’t speak for you.”

  Dear God, he was sexy. But she needed to appear calm and in control even though the blood rushed through her veins, making her dizzy and disoriented. “It was just a kiss. Nothing earthshattering. We don’t have to talk about it, dissect it, or worry about it. It’s over.”

  A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You are a maddening woman.” He put on his hat and tugged the brim down low. Then he made quick work of rolling up the blanket and tying it with the twine she handed him.

  Wordlessly she scooped up the binoculars and tucked them inside her jacket.

  “I’ll go down ahead of you.” He put on his gloves and picked up the rolled blanket.

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” As shaky as she was, the climb down would be more of a challenge than the climb up. Having him there ready to catch her was reassuring, but she’d prefer that the trip down not include the kind of contact they’d had going up.

  She’d had a buzz going ever since he’d wrapped his arm around her waist to help her onto the ledge. When he’d murmured gotcha, Buttercup, her entire body had thrilled to that tender phrase. He’d reacted to their close encounter, too, judging from the evidence that had pressed against her backside as he’d held her. Later, sitting on the blanket, knees touching as they discussed the eagles and his crazy stunt to clean out the nest, she’d been aware of his every movement, his every breath.

  When he’d destroyed that tantalizing moment, he’d changed the game to something far more erotic. Anger and sexual arousal were a potent combination. She hadn’t known that before.

  * * *

  Zane insisted on taking care of the horses following their silent ride back to the ranch. In years past Mandy would have argued that she should do her part. But she must have been as eager to get away from him as he was to get away from her. After giving him the binoculars and muttering a terse thank you for the trail ride, she made a beeline for the house, jumped in her little red car and headed out.

  Zane stood and watched to make sure she was truly gone. He sure as hell didn’t relish going back to the house only to find her chatting away with his mom as if nothing was wrong.

  Turning to the two horses standing patiently by the hitching post, reins looped around the saddle horn, he heaved a sigh. ““At least I can depend on you two to have some common sense. You’re not even ground tied, but did you consider cavorting off somewhere to cause problems? You did not. The world has enough troubles without adding more.”

  Jake bobbed his head up and down, making his bridle jingle. Eeyore just stared in sad-eyed agreement.

  “Appreciate the support. Much as I love those raptors, they lack empathy. Take Socrates, for example. I’ve tried having conversations with him and he just stares at me like he doesn’t give a hoot.” He laughed at his own joke as he replaced their bridles with halters.

  His brothers made fun of him for carrying on long conversations with the horses, but he loved doing it, especially when he had some issue to work through. Horses were good listeners. Confiding in a sympathetic audience gave him insights he might not get otherwise. Right now, though, he just needed to blow off steam. He’d done a slow boil while heading home a couple of lengths behind the source of his current frustration and he could still feel the tension in his neck and shoulders.

  “That woman has me tied up in knots,” he told Jake. “If I’m lucky, I won’t lay eyes on her again. I used to like her, but now I hope she stays the hell away from here.” He turned to Eeyore. “Although I’m sorry for your sake.” He gave the gray horse a pat. “I know you’re partial to her, but you need to get over it.”

  Eeyore groaned as if he’d expected disillusionment all along.

  “My feelings, exactly.” Zane took a closer look at both bridles. They could use oiling so maybe he’d add that to his list of chores for later in the day. He intended to wear himself out with chores. After unsaddling both horses, he hauled everything into the tack room and picked up the grooming tote.

  Winston called out a greeting from the far end of the barn.

  “Hey, Winston! Be glad that your days as a ladies’ man are over, buddy. Nothing’s straightforward when sex is involved.”

  Winston snorted in response. He was the most vocal horse of the bunch, and because he was also stocky and assertive, Ryker had named him after Winston Churchill. The taffy and white Paint always held up his end of a conversation.

  “Yeah, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.”

  Winston nickered in reply.

  “You’re right. Kissing her was definitely a mistake.” He started out of the barn. ““Won’t be making that one again,” he called over his shoulder.

  He brushed Eeyore first because age had its privileges. As he concentrated on the pressure points left by the saddle, he couldn’t help thinking about the contrary woman who’d sat astride that saddle. “I was just talking to Winston. He’s not impressed with my efforts so far.”

  Eeyore turned his head to give him a look of resignation.

  “Yeah, but you think everything’s a lost cause. Reasoning with Mandy didn’t work out and kissing her really didn’t work out but there’s gotta be something I can do for Aunt Jo.“

  The gray horse gave a mighty exhale and farted.

  Zane laughed. “Okay. I’ll take that under advisement.”

  After Zane finished grooming both horses, he put them in the pasture so they could search out the few shoots of grass that had poked up in the last couple of days. Then he grabbed a quick lunch in his cabin and checked on the birds before going back to the barn to muck out stalls and oil bridles. That kind of work usually had the power to quiet his mind, which would be a special blessing today.

  All the horses except Winston were out in the pasture, which provided him with plenty of empty stalls to clean. He’d kept Winston in the barn ever since the gelding had overdone it racing around the pasture during a warm day last week. The stiffness in his foreleg was almost gone but he needed to be a hundred percent before the weekend trail rides. With his showy coat and take-charge manner, Winston was a favorite.

  Grabbing a wheelbarrow and a rake, Zane tackled the stalls closest to Winston. He filled and dumped a few wheelbarrow loads and worked up enough of a sweat that he took off his t-shirt and used it to mop his face.

  Then he draped the shirt over Winston’s stall door. “I just feel so helpless, buddy.”

  The Paint snorted and came over to have his nose rubbed.

  “Aunt Jo’s been there for me so many times over the years and now when she needs a champion, I can’t come up with a single idea that will help her out.”

  Winston’s little grunt of sympathy was so like him.

  “Thanks, buddy.” Zane doubted the horse understood the words, but he sure responded to the tone. “I mean, here comes Mandy with her crazy idea, when Aunt Jo is already stressed about selling the house. Who wouldn’t be after living somewhere for twenty-four years? It’s gotta be a hassle when she starts thinking about the listing, the showing, finding a buyer who won’t be a pain in the ass for my mom…”

  The horse gave a short nicker.

  “Yeah, that last part might be Aunt Jo’s biggest stressor.” He leaned on the rake. “I know a hell of a lot of people in this town, Winston. I wonder if I could nose around and find her a good prospect. Then she wouldn’t have to go through all that.” He went back to cleaning stalls, pleased with the concept.

  The big brainstorm didn’t hit until he’d switched to oiling bridles. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Maybe he could help Aunt Jo and the raptors at the same time.

  Chapter Seven

  Zane allowed his idea to percolate as he quickly finished oiling the bridles. He wanted to boot up the computer in the office before his mom came back from her grocery run. If he found a bunch of stumbling blocks once he went online, he might ditch the whole thing without mentioning it.

  She got home before he’d accomplished all he’d wanted to do, but he had enough to light a fire under him. When the front door opened, he called out to let her know he was in the office.

  “Okay.” She sounded cheerful. “Thought I’d make chili for dinner if you want some.”

  “Thanks! I’d love it.” He kept checking facts and figures while she moved around in the kitchen putting things away.

  Eventually she appeared in the doorway. “I saw Mandy and Jo in town. They were buying touchup paint. I’m glad they decided on that instead of repainting.”

  “Me, too.” They wouldn’t need to bother with any of it if his idea worked.

  “Mandy was acting a little weird, though. I asked if she’d seen the eggs in the nest. She was enthusiastic about the eagles, but something was off about her. She didn’t want to look at me.”

  He shrugged. “She’s hard to figure sometimes.”

  “Actually, I think she’s a little bummed because her mom isn’t jumping on the New York proposition. Jo called when you two were out riding. This has thrown her for a loop.”

  “And you told her she and Mandy had to work it out?” Not likely.

  She sighed. “That sounded great in theory, but I can’t refuse to comment when my best friend’s sorting out a problem.”

  “I know.”

  “You’re right that she doesn’t want to go. But she doesn’t have a handle on why Mandy’s asking her and she wants to know that before making a decision.” She studied Zane. “Do you know why she’s come up with this idea?”

  “Not a clue.”

  She hesitated, as if wondering whether to continue the discussion. Then she waved her hand as if pushing the topic out of the way. “What I said last night is true, though. We’re not the people who can solve this.” She glanced at the computer. “Doing raptor research?”

  “No, I’ve been checking comps to find out what the Fielding place would likely sell for.”

  “Jo did that a couple of months ago, but I can’t remember what she found out. Why were you looking that up? Did you run into a hot prospect for her?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Now that he was about to say it, his chest tightened.

  “Who’s that?”

  “Me.”

  Her jaw dropped. “You? Why would you want to buy Jo’s house, for God’s sake?”

  “As it turns out, for lots of reasons. For one thing, you’d get along with your new neighbor.”

  “Zane, that’s not a reason to make such a major purchase.” Her gaze narrowed. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing complicated.” Not strictly true but close enough. “I could use it for Raptors Rise.”

  She looked skeptical. “Why? You have plenty of space to build more aviaries if that’s what you’re thinking about.”

  “I don’t really need more land, although I’m glad the Fielding property is a couple of acres. I want the house for my headquarters.”

  Her eyes widened. “Headquarters?”

  “Exactly. I could put up a sign on the main road and another one in front of the house. I could have a small reception area in the living room and use one of the bedrooms for intake and to house severely injured birds. If I raised the funds, I could put some medical equipment in there so Kyle wouldn’t have to bring his.” He paused for breath. “The list goes on.”

  She walked over and sank into a chair in front of the computer desk. “I had no idea you had such a big dream.”

  “You know what? Neither did I until today when I started thinking about Aunt Jo selling that house.”

  “Could you even swing it?”

  “I think so.” He smiled. “As it turns out, I know somebody who has an impressive title at the bank and I’ll bet she’d vouch for me when I apply for a loan.”