Stone Cold Surrender - Brenda Jackson [14]
She sighed deeply. Considering her current state, she needed to get to the Silver Arrow, check into her cabin and pull herself together as soon as possible. She had to remember that she was here for one reason and for one reason only. It had nothing to do with Stone and everything to do with her mother.
But…once the issue of her mother’s state of mind was resolved, she couldn’t help but think of all the very tempting possibilities.
“You and Durango didn’t have to help with my luggage, Stone,” Madison said as she watched him place the last piece next to her bed. Once they had arrived at the Silver Arrow, the two men had been adamant about helping her instead of letting the ranch hands do it.
The ranch consisted of numerous rustic cabins that were located some distance away from the main house for privacy. Guy Jamison, the owner, had said he would give her a tour of the ranch once she got settled. He also told her the time dinner would be served and said he was waiting to hear back from the man who’d agreed to be her tour guide up to the mountains.
The cabin she had been given was tucked beneath a cluster of trees and appeared more secluded than the others. Durango bid her goodbye and left after helping Stone with her bags. He went to wait outside in the SUV.
She glanced around, trying to get her mind off Stone and how good he looked standing in the middle of the room. In an attempt not to notice him, she let her gaze float across the décor and furnishings of the cabin. There was a dark oak bureau, dressing table and two nightstands on either side of the biggest bed she had ever seen. It appeared larger than king size and the printed covers made it look very welcoming and comfortable. She also took note of the matching curtains at the windows and frontier-printed rugs on the floor.
“Would you like to join me and Durango for dinner later?”
Madison met Stone’s gaze. The attraction that had been there from the beginning was overcharging the room, blazing the distance between them and making her heart pound faster in her chest. Should she have dinner with him? He had indicated they wouldn’t be alone since Durango would be joining them. And what if Durango wasn’t joining them? Should she hesitate in accepting his offer just because he turned her on? But then she had more questions for Durango about her mother and Corey Westmoreland, and he’d said she could come over to his place.
She took a deep breath, deciding to be upfront with Stone since she couldn’t deny the obvious. “The only reason I’m here is because of my mother, Stone, and when I resolve that issue, I’ll decide if I want anything out of this trip for myself. Chances are I won’t and will return to Boston as soon as I can.”
He nodded, understanding what she was saying. “All right,” he said and slowly crossed the distance separating them. “If that speech was to let me know you need time to figure things out, that’s fine. Take all the time you need.”
He needed time to figure things out, as well. Why did she turn him on like no other woman he knew and why at that very moment was the need to taste her about to make him lose his mind? In the past, his writing had always taken center stage in his life. He had lived more or less through his characters, knowing their fears, conflicts and deep-rooted and often chilling adventures. Transferring his thoughts from his mind to paper had been all consuming and the need to block off everything and anyone had been essential. His only goal had been to deliver, on every occasion, what readers expected from a Rock Mason book and he, without exception, had happily obliged them. The last thing he had to spare while working on a book was time for a woman, and in the past that was something he understood and accepted. But he knew he would be hard pressed to understand and accept anything about this situation with Madison Winters other than the fact that he wanted her. Pure and simple.
“Can I leave you with something to think about?” he asked quietly. The afternoon light that was flowing in through the only window in the cabin was