The Durango Affair - Brenda Jackson [12]
He met her gaze and smiled. “Almost five years now. After I finished college and got a job with the park ranger service, I lived with my uncle Corey on his mountain for a couple of years, until I saved enough money to buy this land. It was originally part of a homestead, but after the elderly couple who owned it passed on, their offspring split up the property and put individual parcels up for sale. My ranch sits on over a hundred acres.”
“Wow! That’s a lot of land.”
He smiled. “Yes, but most of it is mountains, which is one of the things that drew me to it. And a good portion of it is a natural hot springs. The first thing I did after building the ranch house was to erect my own private hot tub out back. If the weather wasn’t so bad, I’d let you try it out. A good soak it in would definitely guarantee you a good night’s sleep.”
Savannah couldn’t help but smile at the thought of that. “A good night’s sleep sounds wonderful. The flight out here was awful.”
Durango chuckled. “Unfortunately it usually is.” He then checked his watch. “How about I put dinner on the table? Earlier I smothered pieces of chicken in gravy, and made cabbage and mashed potatoes. You’re welcome to join me after you settle in.”
Savannah felt her stomach growl at the mention of food. Dinner was her favorite mealtime since she could never keep any breakfast down for too long. The only thing she had risked eating that day had been saltines. “Thanks, and I’d like that. Do you need any help?”
“No, I have everything under control.” He turned to leave the room then stopped before walking out the door. “You’re a city girl, but your name isn’t.”
Savannah arched a brow. She remembered what Jessica had shared with her once regarding Durango’s aversion to city women. “It’s my mom’s favorite Southern city and she thought the name suited me.”
He nodded, thinking the name suited her very feminine and genteel charm, as well.
A short while later Savannah followed the aroma of food as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. She stopped and glanced around, getting a good look at the wood-grain kitchen counters and the shiny stainless-steel appliances. The kitchen was a cook’s dream. From one side of the ceiling hung an assortment of copper pots. Unlike most men, Durango evidently enjoyed spending time in his kitchen.
He must have heard her sigh of admiration because he then turned, looked at her and smiled. “All settled in?”
Forcing her nervousness away, she nodded. “Yes. I didn’t bring much since I hadn’t planned on staying.”
“You might as well get comfortable. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re stuck here for a couple of days.”
Savannah frowned. “Why would you think that?”
Durango leaned back against the counter and gestured toward the window. “Take a look outside.”
Savannah walked quickly over to the window. There was a full-scale blizzard going on. She could barely see anything. She turned around. “What happened?”
Durango chuckled. “Welcome to Montana. Didn’t you know this was the worst time of year to come visiting?”
No, she hadn’t known. The only thing that had been on her mind, once she’d made her decision, was to get to him and tell him about the baby as soon as she could.
She glanced back out the window. “And you think this will last a couple of days?”
“More than likely. The only thing we can do is to make the most of it.”
Savannah turned and met his gaze, taking in what he’d just said. It was simply a play on words, she presumed. She hoped. Being cooped up in the house with Durango for a couple of days and making the most of it wasn’t what she’d planned on happening. It didn’t take much to recall just how quickly she had succumbed to his sexiness. All it had taken was a little eye contact and she’d been a goner.
“Come on, Savannah. Let’s eat.”
Savannah regarded him for a moment before crossing the room to the table where he’d placed the food. “Aren’t you concerned about losing power?”
Durango shook