He nodded at her politely.“Morning, Sarah.”His voice held a light Texas drawl she remembered from the day before.
She forced the greeting out between gritted teeth.“Morning.”She hadn’t seen him since yesterday when he’d made that silly proclamation about her belonging to him.Ha!She didn’t know if he’d eaten any dinner or breakfast and hoped he’d gone hungry.
“Excuse me,” she said, waving him away from her vehicle.She was fairly certain he planned to dog her heels all day.To be fair, she wanted him nearby and was certain she’d feel better having him close when she left the ranch.If she were honest, she was almost sorry for trying to throw him off the property.
Almost.
The arrogant man didn’t have to know that.
“Where are we off to?”He held out one large palm.“I’ll drive.”
“It’s my truck!”She stopped short.“If you’re going, I’ll do the driving.Now move aside, please.”
As immovable as the Big Horn Mountains looming behind him, Ben continued to gaze at her steadily.He didn’t lower his hand.“You’ll be safer with me at the wheel.”
“Look, I understand that Rio has sent you here to protect me, okay?”She tried persuading him with logic.“I get that you’ll want to stay close by,” she went on, “and on the watch.”
“Correct.”
“I don’t want to be unreasonable.”She attempted to sound logical.“Believe me, I don’t want this stalker after me any more than you do.”
“Understood.”Annoying Becca, Ben appeared to be enjoying himself.
“I have appointments to keep.Like now, I’m headed to town to do some business.I can’t have you hanging over my shoulder every second.”She tilted her head.“You’ll need to be ...unobtrusive.”
“Gotcha.”He wagged his fingers.
She stared at him.Finally giving up, she slapped the keys into his hand.
She tried not to flounce around to the passenger door.Sliding onto the bench seat, she kept to her side.
The first thing Ben did was move the seat back to accommodate his long legs.His broad shoulders filled her cab and she shifted in her seat.Of course she didn’t know him at all.However, it had been a long, long time since she’d reacted so viscerally to a man.Masculinity vibrated off him in waves, reached out to the woman in her.Somehow, just his proximity put her in mind of lazy humid afternoons spent in bed, of slow, sensual caresses, of languorous erotic lovemaking.
He seemed too close, too big.And she could smell him, a not unpleasant scent of winds soughing through pine trees.
She firmed her lips.What thoughts!With effort, she pushed them down.
Perhaps they’d gotten off on the wrong foot.However, she didn’t like him much.While the man did have a definite presence, he was too full of himself.
Sneaking a sideways glance at him, she took in his strong profile, his two-day growth of beard, his broad chest and flat belly.When he took off his black felt hat and set it on the seat between them, she saw that his full head of brown hair could use a trim.His skin was tanned, his eyes hazel, his lashes thick and black.Ben Paxton was ruggedly handsome, she’d give him that.
“Like what you see?”he asked without looking at her.
Caught!Shifting away, she gave a short, mirthless laugh to cover her embarrassment.“I was only thinking that you remind me of Rio, your build.You’re just as tall ...and stuff.”She didn’t want to describe his impressive musculature.
“We served together on the Teams,” he said.“In Afghanistan and South America.SEALs work out a lot.On missions like those, we have to carry a ton of gear.Can’t be weak.”
She didn’t respond.
“Where are we headed?”He put his hands on the wheel.
“Mountain Wood.It’s the little town you probably drove through to get here from the Billings airport.I was at the grocery store when I found the latest threat—a note left on my windshield.”
“I remember the town.”He fired up the engine and started down the mile-long drive to the county road.“We’ll have a few minutes to talk, so let’s start a threat analysis.I’ll need to ask you some questions.”
“Okay.”Tensing, she folded her hands in her lap.
“Rio told me this began with emails.”
