Jeffrey saw no sign of David during the two-week vigil he held in Theresa’s room. It was just as well. He was still angry enough to pound first and ask questions later.
Theresa was awake for a few days when Glenda brought the news that David and Pattie were married. It seemed that Henry put his foot down and threatened to disinherit David if he didn’t do right by Pattie. They’d done a paternity test and the babies David fathered were his. When Jeffrey asked about Linda, Glenda said that when they demanded a paternity test, she admitted that she’d arrived in Montana with the baby already in her womb and that she was just trying to be crafty and railroad a man into marrying her. Had Jeffrey been fool enough to sleep with her, he’d have been labeled the proud father. Joan was so disgusted with her niece’s antics that she disowned her. The last they heard, Linda was packing up and heading back in
It was her first day back to work. Jeffrey was reluctant to let her go, but she eventually convinced him that she was well enough. Her cast was off, the scar on her face was less angry, and she felt fairly strong. She saw no reason to sit around and get fat any longer.Insisting on driving her to her office and picking her up when she was ready, she kissed him good-bye with the promise that it would be a short day.As she unlocked the door, memories of Jeffrey making love to her in her office flooded her mind. Her body tingled at the thought until her mind shifted to David’s vicious assault. Cold sweat coated her body and her fingers trembled as she opened the blinds and replaced the closed sign with an open one.Jeffrey was thoughtful enough to have cleaned things up before she returned to work, so there was no sign of what occurred. He even managed to have fresh flowers in a vase waiting for her. It had a card declarin
It was an early summer morning when Theresa first set eyes on Jeffrey Holmes. He’d come to help her father put the first hay of the season into the hay loft. She was convinced that he was the handsomest man on earth, bar none. He was tall, dark, gorgeous, and oh, so strong. She watched the way his powerful muscles flexed as he hefted bales of hay onto the conveyor belt with star-struck eyes.Theresa was in love for the first time.Years later, she could still feel how her heart practically fluttered out of her body when he turned his handsome face her way and flashed a smile that caused the dimples in his cheeks to deepen, while his sparkling blue eyes gave a quick wink. His large, calloused hand felt warm and powerful as he playfully tousled her long, sun-kissed hair.She wasn’t deterred when she discovered he was a whopping twenty-one years old. Age didn’t matter when you were in love. Theresa followe
Jeffrey did his best to stay removed and balanced as he led Theresa toward the mares his father wanted her to inspect. He remembered her as a gangly, young, flat chested, freckle-faced girl with braces. The woman whose company he shared was anything but gangly and flat chested. Her braces were long gone, leaving a beautiful set of pearly white teeth. Her freckles had either faded or were cleverly concealed with makeup that had that natural effect of looking like she had no makeup on at all.He’d deliberately concealed his face and body when he first approached her in order to hide the effects she’d had on him, both physically and emotionally. She was the most stunning woman he’d seen in ages and he was hard because of it. He needed his baggy coat to cover what his tight jeans would certainly reveal.His body longed for her, even if his mind resisted. His divorce had devastated him to the point he’d sworn off w
Theresa paced the length of her office while she waited for the phone to ring. It had been almost a week since she’d visited the Holmes’ ranch to see the stud and mares and she still hadn’t heard a “Yay” or “Nay” from Henry Holmes or his sons about moving forward. She needed to get her business off the ground and doing so with a job such as the one Henry offered would be a fantastic springboard.She’d attracted a few small animals as patients and was concerned that, if she wasn’t careful, her business would evolve into the standard, stereotype veterinary office she’d wanted to avoid. The thought of being stuck in an office from morning until night caring for dogs and cats made her shudder. She wanted the variety and freedom large breed animals provided. She wanted the scents and ambiance of a stable, not an office. She needed the word to spread about her competency and skills. She
David walked as close to Theresa as he could without seeming obvious. He found her energy overwhelmingly alluring. It was more than just her looks that drew him to her. She radiated a sexy vibe that he just couldn’t get enough of. The fact that she didn’t do it purposefully only enhanced its sexiness.Ordinarily, if he found himself in the presence of a woman as hot as Theresa Burk, he’d be working on a way to get her into bed. It crossed his mind on more than one occasion since she came to the ranch to meet with his father and Jeffrey.He’d actually battled with himself to maintain control and not ruin things. Theresa may be smoking hot, but she was also an intelligent, well-bred woman who he’d have no hesitation bringing home to Sunday dinner. The fact that she would bring an attractive fortune with her certainly didn’t hurt matters; especially since he’d had a recent reversal of fort
Jeffrey paced his kitchen while he watched out the window for his brother’s return. He’d lied through his teeth when he told David that he had no feelings for Theresa. Ever since he’d walked up to her on that rainy afternoon in the stable, he could think of nothing else.The entire afternoon and evening were spent in torment as he wondered what David and Theresa were doing. Knowing his brother like he did, it took little imagination to think what he might be up to, but he didn’t believe Theresa was the type to dive into a sexual relationship so quickly. Yet, his brother was gone far too long to simply be at dinner. He had to be up to something else as well. His blood boiled with jealousy at the mere thought of David’s hands touching her.He and David couldn’t have been more opposite in the way they dealt with women. It stemmed beyond his resolve to refrain from a relationship after his divorc
Theresa tossed the keys to her truck onto the kitchen counter next to the mail she’d just brought in. A sigh passed her lips as her fingers slid the envelopes apart for her to get a better look at them. Bills. Lots and lots of bills. She’d been hoping to see a big fat check for the breeding service she’d provided for the Holmes by now. She hadn’t thought Henry Holmes the stingy sort, but getting him to pay his final bill was beginning to become a burden. Fortunately, she had the income from her steadily growing veterinary office to offset the lack of payment for her larger jobs. She’d pay the bills on time, but would have minimal left for her personal comforts.She’d been on at least a dozen dates with David over the last few months. Little by little she was beginning to look at him as an individual instead of someone who resembled her childhood obsession so remarkably that she found it diffic
“That can’t happen again,” Theresa said as she walked into the living room and handed a beer to David.“You didn’t like it?” David asked with surprise.“I liked it just fine,” she said as she eased herself into the chair. “Although it was a little rougher that I’m used to. What I’m talking about is the absence of a condom. That can’t happen again.”“I take it you’re not on the pill,” he said softly.“That isn’t the point,” she said firmly. “We don’t know each other’s medical history. Having unprotected sex in today’s world is just too dangerous.”“I know my body, baby,” he assured her. “I’m clean.”“So, you’re telling me that you’ve been celibate?” she said with a tone of disbelief. “Or, are you saying that you always use a