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woman, and since we're laying everything out on the table, I won't dance around the fact that my goal
is to have you as my assistant in Las Vegas and see where that leads."
Maddy peered into a pair of earnest blue eyes, and said, "It would have to lead back to the
Dancing Moon Ranch because that's where my& property is."
She came close to saying, 'that's where my heart is,' but stopped herself when she realized her
heart was becoming divided, that part of it wanted to go with Dimitri. She also knew hers was the
mindset of a person operating on emotions, not logic, and somehow she needed to get her logical
mind back in gear because, at the moment, it seemed to be in a state of flux.
CHAPTER 11
During the return ride from the cabin to the ranch, Dimitri and Maddy rode side-by-side
whenever the trail allowed, and Dimitri passed up no opportunity to lean toward Maddy and give her
a quick kiss, and each time he did, Maddy practically fell off her horse kissing him back. They even
dismounted at one point because the short kisses were inadequate, when what they both wanted was a
full-body, all-encompassing clinch, accompanied by a passionate, open-mouth kiss. But as they
neared the ranch, they resumed riding single file, which Maddy found both disturbing and frustrating
because being with Dimitri, and not being able to feel his arms around her, made her want the things
she shouldn t want, all that much more.
You're not just my assistant. You're different. You're wife material&
Dimitri's words kept coming back, as did the idea of being his wife. It was all very sudden, but
she couldn't help thinking what they had was the start of a love that could last a lifetime. She could
see being married to Dimitri. Not only would he keep her smiling, because almost everything he did
made her smile, but he'd keep her world filled with magic.
Once back at the ranch, and while they were brushing the horses, Dimitri said, "I'll be tied up the
rest of the afternoon and evening, making a list of materials for building the donkey box, and
tomorrow Chris will drive me to the building center so I can hand-select the lumber and check the
hardware and have it delivered to the ranch. I assume it's okay to have them drop it off by the
workshop."
"That's fine," Maddy said, "but you'll stick out like a sore thumb if you arrive at the building
center in a limousine. Limos traveling through wine country on the way to wineries for tastings are
common around here, but making a stop at a building supply to order materials will have heads
turning and jaws dropping."
Dimitri laughed. "Then I'll do some sleight-of-hand and get their jaws dropping even more."
"Or, I could drive you there myself, and you'll blend in with the locals," Maddy said, knowing it
would be an excuse for them to spend some time together away from the ranch.
Dimitri looked at Maddy over Tut's back. "You don't mind?" he asked.
"Of course not," Maddy replied. "It'll give the local girls something to talk about, Maddy Hansen
strutting around with the sexiest cowboy they've ever seen."
Dimitri smiled. "Honey, you keep telling me I'm full of myself, and you just inflated my ego even
more."
"I know," Maddy said. "There are benefits to keeping you a butthead, and if you want to know
what they are, hang around for a few minutes after we turn out the horses and find out."
The heated session that followed, which took place on a bed of fresh straw in the dark shadows
of the stable, lasted just long enough for Maddy to want a whole lot more, but on hearing some guests
approaching, they quickly disentangled and stood, then proceeded to pick off small pieces of straw
from each other, which had Maddy breathing even more heavily when Dimitri concentrated on the
straw stuck to the front of her shirt. After sharing one last passionate kiss, they went their separate
ways.
***
On arriving at the building center the following day, when Dimitri stepped out of Maddy's Jeep,
in his faded jeans, worn western shirt, and scuffed boots, Maddy wondered if anyone would peg him
as the illusionist who was the talk of Sheridan and Grand Ronde. There was a distinctive pattern to
his short-cropped beard, but with his Stetson tipped low on his forehead, she was certain he'd pass [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]