Whirlwind Page 12

"I'll be waiting," Brand answered as she started to walk away. "For as long as it takes," he added softly.

  She doubted he had meant her to hear his last words, but she had. An anxious shiver stirred by anticipation ran up her spine. As she changed her clothes, she asked herself really why she was going. She paused in the act of yanking on her boots, as the simple answer entered her mind. Until this moment she could pretend differently, but now, alone with herself, she was forced to face the real reason. She wanted to be with him. She shook her head in disgust and wondered how she was going to remain indifferent to Brand while she tried to find out about him and Mrs. Minter when much deeper feelings kept surfacing.

  With an even more determined lift of her chin, she descended the stairs to the lobby, reminding herself with every step she took that she had a job to do. And, more important, she had to keep in mind that no matter what he said, he wasn't any different from all the other men she had met.

  Surprisingly, Brand was true to his words. Not a meaningful look or touch passed between them while he pointed out different historic and scenic points of interest. And throughout the whole time, he kept asking Dayna about herself. Leaning back against the truck door, she giggled over his last question.

  "What's so funny? All I did was ask you what your favorite flavor of ice cream is."

  "What's so funny?" Dayna echoed laughingly. "You already bought me an ice cream soda and you didn't bother then to ask if it pleased me. You just made the decision we would have chocolate sodas."

  He laughed sheepishly and shrugged. "It's my favorite." His smile faded. "I'd like to please you," he said seriously, "but you haven't been really cooperative. If I had asked first, we wouldn't have even made it across the street to the ice cream parlor. I hear the word 'no' coming at me more than 'yes,' so I just don't give you the chance to say it. Today is a perfect example," he mused. "Look what I had to promise in order to get you to come with me."

  "Such a hardship," Dayna teased impishly.

  He glanced briefly at her again. "Not kissing you is very difficult. Even more disconcerting is your stubbornness."

  "Look who's calling the kettle black. You're the king of stubborn."

  "Sounds to me like we'd make a fine pair, then."

  Dayna looked out of the window as he brought the truck to a stop. Seeing Brand come around the front of it for her, Dayna opened the door quickly and joined him.

  "This area," he said, gesturing toward the entrance shaft of an abandoned gold mine, "used to be one of the state's leading gold producers. An awful lot of people still think there's some in there," he added.

  "I gather you're not one of them," Dayna replied.

  "No, there might be. But I don't need those kind of riches. There are other things in this world to be more treasured."

  He looked meaningfully at her, and Dayna quickly turned her gaze away. Spending too much time with him might be a mistake. It would be better for her if she never let herself become involved with him. She should have handled everything with greater objectivity. But that wasn't possible now. She'd known that all along. It was her own weakness for him that she had been struggling against all along. The most important question in her mind now wasn't whether Palmer Travel Agency's reputation was at stake because of Brand's romantic tendencies, but whether her emotions were going to get in the way.

  As she stood near him, she viewed the remains of what had once been a working mine but was now boarded up. Raising her head, she lifted a hand quickly to shade her eyes from the glaring sun. The countryside was peaceful and serene; the quiet was soothing. The only sound she heard was the snapping of a twig Brand was distractedly breaking apart between his thumb and forefinger.

  His gaze exerted a power that drew her to him like a magnet. He looked troubled as he leaned back against the truck.

  "I think we'd better go back now," she suggested. She didn't expect him to agree with her request, but to her surprise he turned and moved toward the truck. She started to follow but paused in midstride as he lifted out a picnic basket from the back of the truck.

  Tucking a blanket under one arm, he explained, nonchalantly, "I thought you might be as hungry as I am."

  Dayna couldn't miss the double meaning of his word. Against her better judgment, she found herself reaching for the blanket. She spread it out under a nearby tree, even while she questioned her own actions. Why didn't she just refuse and insist on going back to the ranch? "What did you bring to eat?" she asked as she sat down on the blanket with a resigned sigh over her own submissiveness.

  Brand joined her, placing the basket between them. "Pot luck."

  Dayna laughed softly as she lifted the red-and-white checkered cloth and saw chicken legs, cheese, biscuits, two goblets, and a carefully wrapped bottle of wine. Her green eyes sparkled with humor. "You didn't know what was packed?" she chided lightly. "Who put the wine in there?"

  "An incurable romantic," Brand answered seriously. Her hands became still. No more words were needed. She felt the color rising in her cheeks as she watched his eyes move leisurely and appreciatively down her body. She remembered the warm, firm touch of his lips and the granite hardness of his body when he kissed her. "I hope the wine pleases you."

  Dayna knew his words were carefully chosen to recall their conversation just minutes ago, when he spoke of pleasing her if she'd just be more cooperative. A minute passed before she could speak in a voice that didn't quiver with anticipation. "It does," she answered, picking up the bottle and examining the label.

  The meal passed pleasantly as they discussed their college experiences and first jobs after graduation. Packing the leftovers in the basket, Dayna watched from behind lowered lids as he lay down on the ground. His hat slid forward, hiding a good portion of his face, and he cradled one arm behind his head while the other hand balanced a glass of wine on his chest. Resting her chin and arms on bent knees, Dayna wondered if he was asleep or if there was another reason for his unusual silence. With some hesitation, she ventured a guess at what he might be contemplating. "I overheard W.R. talking to the sheriff. Was there another reason besides the desire for my company that made you invite me on this sightseeing tour?"

  Propping himself on one elbow, he shoved his hat back. "Desire is an appropriate word. It seems to be controlling my every thought lately."

  "I don't think that's why you've been looking so worried this afternoon."

  Brand grimaced. "I didn't know it was that obvious. We've had a few problems lately," he explained. "The fencing is being deliberately cut. I thought maybe when we were driving around I'd see something."

  Dayna hunched forward over her bent knees. "I overheard the sheriff mention rustling. Do you really believe someone is stealing cattle?"

  Brand made another face. "Looks that way."

  "Cattle rustling?" Dayna murmured with amazement. "I thought that kind of thing disappeared with the turn of the century."

  Brand laughed. "City slicker. No, it's still around, though it's not quite as easy as it used to be."

  His eyes locked with hers and Dayna tensed slightly. "You can ease my worries. Take my mind off them," he said coaxingly. Dayna started to shake her head. "One kiss," he said so softly it was a whisper, and he leaned toward her. "Just one kiss."

  His lips brushed the side of her face and then roamed lightly and slowly over it, kissing her eyelids and her cheek and nibbling gently at her ear before his mouth barely touched hers. It was teasing and playful, his lips caressing first one corner of her mouth and then the other. Dayna's lashes fluttered and her eyes closed as the gentle kiss deepened and became more seductive, while his tongue tasted her lips. A rush of heat began to sweep through her even though his hands weren't even touching her, and Dayna understood the danger in just one kiss.

  She pulled back quickly, drawing in her breath sharply, but Brand didn't move. His eyes looked puzzled. "You don't want me to stop."

  There was too much truth to his words. Dayna clung to the only excuse she had as his blue
eyes stared up at her, their warm softness as enticing and persuasive as his kiss.

  "I don't let emotions rule me. I have a brain, a very good one. It tells me this is impossible."

  His voice was husky and soft. "I don't understand. All I know is you linger in my mind. You haunt me when you're not around."

  Wild sensations tempted her to forget everything —why she was there, Alexandria Minter, her father's concern for the reputation of the travel agency.

  "Are you afraid?" Brand asked, seeking answers.

  "I'm not afraid," Dayna insisted. "You're too fast."

  "Don't banter with me now," Brand said abruptly, an edge of impatience creeping into his soft voice.

  "All right. You're too experienced," Dayna answered, revealing one reason for her reluctance to relax with him and accept the emotions he stirred as genuine.

  "I'm thirty-four years old, Dayna," he answered.

  He heaved a heavy sigh; the edge of annoyance in his voice found an echo in his blue eyes. Rising to his feet, he offered his hand to help her up.

  "I think we both want the same thing," Brand insisted.

  Dayna couldn't respond—she wasn't sure what she felt at the moment. She drew a steadying breath as they walked back to the truck. They climbed in and Brand started the motor. His perceptive blue eyes were clouded with confusion. Dayna wondered if he could read her thoughts as he said bluntly, "You're looking at me with distrust. I don't know why. To be honest, I think I'm the one who should be on guard."

  Dayna didn't understand why he was wary of her. She did know that he no longer seemed like the man she'd thought he was when they first met.

  They were a half-mile down the road when, with a barely perceptible glance in the rear-view mirror, Brand unexpectedly swerved the truck to the right and off the road. Racing across the rough terrain, he brought the vehicle to a lurching halt that nearly threw Dayna against the dashboard. Only the iron strength of Brand's arm across the front of her prevented it. Without a word he jumped from the cab of the truck. Dayna was shaken by the incident, and it took her a few moments to become aware of what was happening. She watched as Brand ran toward the fence and in one agile sweep jumped it and raced off after two figures.

  Her heart was still pounding from the jolting stop, but as she caught sight of the two men he was chasing, even more frightening to her now was the danger he might be facing. Opening the truck door, she hurried after Brand, reaching the top of the hill in time to see him standing in the cloud of dust left behind by a white pickup truck that was roaring down the rough country road toward the mountains.

  Brand whirled away, throwing his hat to the ground in a gesture of disgust. "Damn!" he yelled before he looked up and saw Dayna on the other side of the barbed wire fence. Striding back toward her, he stopped and stared down white-lipped at the cut fence.

  Dayna hesitated before asking, "Did you recognize them?"

  "No," he growled and then squatted down. The muscle in his jaw twitched with suppressed wrath as he continued to glare at the fence with the look of a man who sees himself helpless. Dayna doubted that a man as used to being in control as Brand was could handle that particular feeling well.

  He stepped over the fence, his hand lightly touching her arm. "Are you all right? I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked.

  Dayna offered a wan smile. "I'm fine."

  "Do you want to wait in the truck while I fix this?"

  "No, I'll wait here."

  While he went back to the truck, she looked down the road toward the bottom of the hill. Clouds of dust, the aftermath of the truck carrying the culprits, were visible for miles. She glanced back at Brand and could tell by his hard-set features that he was blaming himself for not catching them. Whether it was logical thinking or not, she understood it. He was a proud man, the kind that didn't often get caught off guard.

  Wearing work gloves, his head bent, he squatted down to splice the fence. She watched the concentration that turned his handsome features into rugged, hard lines. She was seeing him now in a totally new light. And what Alexandria Minter had said about him suddenly seemed not only impossible, but unimportant. Watching him work industriously at repairing the fence and seeing his anger at not catching the men, she realized just how important his job was to him—so important he was willing to tangle with criminals.

  They were both quiet during the ride back to the ranch. In the silence, he reached out and caressed her face gently. As he left her at the lodge entrance, a rueful smile curved her lips. She watched him walk down the hill toward the working part of the ranch. With a deep sigh of confusion, Dayna returned to her room. She tried to call her father and made a face at the answering-machine message she received instead. Obviously he was out with Melissa, so there was no point in trying too long. Dayna wrote him a second letter, again saying that she hadn't discovered anything about the Minter affair but that she felt the need to write him. Her feelings for Brand were getting in the way of a job she had to do and the contact with her father, even if it was one-sided, helped to reinforce in her own mind why she was really there.

  She knew there was only one solution to her problem—to find out what really had happened when Alexandria Minter was at the Double R. But every time she convinced herself to take action, she backed off.

  Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Dayna felt just as reluctant the following morning to confront Brand or talk to W.R. about why she was really there. W.R. had enough on his mind at the moment with missing cattle. Some of the ranch personnel were edgier than usual. She didn't feel like adding to their woes at that particular time. Gathering a few soiled clothes, she went down to the back of the lodge where laundry facilities were available for guests. With a coffee cup in hand, she settled down in one of the blue director-styled chairs, and while the clothes were being washed she tried to concentrate on a book she had started reading in Hawaii. She thought she was succeeding, but the warmth of the sun streaking through the window beckoned her outside, making her realize how easily distracted she could be these days. As she stepped outside, she heard the sound of male voices becoming louder as they approached. She turned to go back inside.

  "It's all set up." Dayna recognized Hank's voice as she touched the doorknob. "Now make sure you do your part."

  Her brows knitted as the other man replied irritably, "I will."

  "Don't get all in an uproar, Cutler," Hank said placatingly. "You tend to weasel out at the last minute. Just make sure you bring plenty of cash and do your part."

  Dayna frowned over their strange conversation. She stepped back inside the building just as John Cutler passed by. Though she hadn't been introduced to the man, she recognized him as the ranch hand Christy seemed to devote her time to when Brand wasn't around.

  Her frown deepened as she transferred her clothes from the washer to the dryer. Just what were the two of them talking about? With so many strange things happening on the ranch, she knew her wild imagination could probably come up with some ridiculous conclusions. She settled back in the chair again and picked up her book. What was happening really wasn't any of her business, was it?

  When she returned to the room, Karen suggested a game of tennis and Dayna agreed quickly, glad for the diversion from her constant preoccupation with Brand.

  After they had played one set, Karen suggested they go back to the lodge. Dayna couldn't blame Karen for not wanting to play any more. Dayna hadn't been much of a challenge. Her ability to concentrate on the game or anything else for that matter seemed to have deserted her.

  As they walked away from the tennis court, Karen asked the obvious question. "Why aren't you with Brand? Is he working?" Karen tilted her head in a gesture of impatience at Dayna's refusal to answer. "Dayna, don't pretend with me. I've never seen you play such a lousy game of tennis. Now," she repeated, "is he working?"

  "I suppose so," Dayna snapped. "How would I know? He doesn't account to me for every minute of his day."

  "You only wish he did."

  Da
yna paused in midstride. "Karen, stop it!"

  "Okay, okay," Karen conceded, "you don't care anything about him."

  "I didn't say that."

  "Dayna, stop fooling yourself."

  "I'm not," she answered. "Love doesn't happen this fast. Not that kind of love that two people should build marriage on. Very bluntly, he's told me he desires me."

  "That's not news," Karen answered with a sly grin. "Anybody could have told you that. But be honest, have you ever dated a man who didn't?"

  "There's an unbelievable tenacity in Brand." She couldn't help but laugh. "He's got so much determination that…"

  "You're tempted to listen to your heart," Karen finished, making a face. "Would that be so bad?"

  "Yes, it would. Casual flings can do a lot more damage than good, especially if one person in the relationship starts feeling a much deeper emotion than the other."

  "Are you starting to feel something for him?"

  "Yes," Dayna admitted, surprised at how easily the word came out.

  "I know how cautious you've always been. And I realize someone who looks like you do has met more than her share of Casanovas, but maybe Brand is different."

  Dayna shook her head. "He isn't. Are you forgetting what brought us here?"

  "No, I haven't. But you don't know the truth yet."

  "Maybe not, but I do know the difference between desire and love. You don't fall in love with a man in a week." Anxious to change the subject, she laughed mirthlessly and tugged at Karen's arm. "That's enough of all this serious talk. Come on, let's go inside the lodge and get a glass of iced tea."

  At a loss for words, Karen decided to play along with Dayna's feigned brightness, and she smiled and nodded in agreement.

  Heads turned to admire the two slim figures, dressed in their revealing short white tennis outfits, but two men deep in conversation as they came out of the lodge were oblivious to them. Dayna was brought to a shocked standstill as she overheard one man's words.

  "Hank, the boss has never been like this before. I asked him a question this morning," the wrangler rambled, "and I had to repeat it twice before he'd pay me any mind, and when he did he practically snapped my head off. He's as mean as a frustrated bull during rutting season. One of the guys who works with Charlie said the woman is from the city."