“It’s after midnight. And I’ve been up since dawn.”
She pushed away from the counter and rolled her shoulders. “I know. I heard you getting up.”
“Sorry. I know there’s only a thin wall between our rooms. I was trying to be as quiet as possible.”
“Oh, no.” She looked up, alarmed that he misunderstood. “I managed to fall back asleep. But I remember glancing at the bedside clock and wondering how someone could get started so early.”
He shrugged. “I never even think about it. I’ve never used an alarm clock. I just have this inner clock that tells me it’s time to get up and get going.”
“Maybe you need an alarm clock to tell you when to go to bed. Do you realize you’ll be up again in a few hours?”
“Yeah.” He shot her that famous Wilde smile that always did strange things to her heart. “Come on, Doctor. Time we both got some sleep.”
They carefully returned the blood samples to a refrigerator, and placed the slides in an antiseptic solution, before turning off the lights.
At the door to Erin’s room, Hazard paused. “I hope I won’t disturb you when I get up to start my chores. I promise I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.”
“Please don’t feel constrained to tiptoe around because of me. This is your home, Hazard. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable because I’m here.”
“But I am—” It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he was indeed extremely uncomfortable because she was there. But he knew this solemn, serious little woman might take it the wrong way. And so he finished lamely, “—going to try not to knock over too many pieces of furniture before I head out to the barn in the morning.”
He was looking at her with such intensity she felt her heart begin to trip over itself. She had the distinct impression that he wanted to touch her. And the truth was she wanted him to. The knowledge shocked her.
He took a step back. “Good night, Erin.”
“Good night, Hazard.” Feeling oddly deflated, she remained in the doorway until he entered his own room and closed the door.
Then she closed her own door and leaned against it, as she waited for her heart to stop this crazy, unnatural rhythm.
What was wrong with her? Why was she allowing these strange, unsettling feelings to upset her so? This fixation on Hazard Wilde was completely out of character. And thoroughly unprofessional. In fact, she was ashamed of her behavior.
As if to test herself and her maturity, she pushed aside all thought of Hazard and forced herself through her nightly ritual. First she carefully hung up the borrowed jeans and turtleneck and set the boots on a rug by the heating vents. That done she brushed and flossed, then slathered lotion all over her body, before slipping into a pair of man-tailored pajamas. Finally she pulled the pins from her hair and bent forward to brush at least a hundred strokes. Only when everything was done did she turn off the lights and climb into bed.
She was so exhausted she expected to fall asleep instantly. But thoughts of Hazard kept sneaking into her mind, distracting her. The way he looked when he went about his ranch chores. Like a man completely at peace with himself. A man who could handle anything, no matter how painful.
She thought of the way he’d looked when told of the latest deaths of his calves. Not so much angry as wounded. She’d been deeply touched by his sadness and pain. And then she thought about the way all his features had softened when she told him she wanted to stay and solve the mystery. There had been a light in his eyes. A light that said, more than words, that she had made the right decision.
She wished she could always see that light in his eyes. She wished, more than anything in the world, that she could solve the mystery of these deaths and give him a reason to smile.
It worried her to admit that she was beginning to care much too deeply about Hazard Wilde and his problems. But, try as she might, she couldn’t think of any way to turn off her feelings.
Chapter 6
In her dream Erin watched as Hazard walked slowly toward her. The snow and slush were gone, replaced by fields of flowers as far as the eye could see. She could smell the flowers. Roses. Hundred of them. Like the pale creamy roses the gardener used to plant in pots on either side of the doorway of her parents’ Boston home. She smiled. She’d always thought it would be interesting to plant something and watch it grow. She’d even, over her mother’s objections, persuaded their gardener to allow her to plant one single rose. But she’d never had a chance to follow through. To this day she didn’t know if it had thrived because of the work she’d done or because the gardener had replaced it with one of his own.
Suddenly her dream veered from the roses to Hazard. As he drew near, Erin could make out the calf draped across his shoulders. He carried his burden as though it weighed no more than a feather. The way he’d carried her. No strain. No effort.
He stopped in front of her and bent slightly so she could reach up to pet the calf. She threw her arms around its neck and pressed her lips to the soft cheek. Then the calf disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and Erin was holding Hazard, and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was so shocking, so unexpected, she sat bolt upright in her bed.
She pressed a hand to her heart. It was pounding like a runaway train.
She glanced at the clock. Four in the morning. She was suddenly wide awake. And far too agitated to consider trying to fall back asleep.
She lay in bed for long minutes, forcing herself to think of something, anything except the dream that had left her so shaken.
She would concentrate on the tests she’d done on the blood samples. Why hadn’t they yielded anything out of the ordinary? What was she missing? Often sleep had a way of clearing the mind, so that it could look at the same old problem in fresh new ways. And since sleep was impossible now, perhaps she ought to visit the lab, on the off chance that something new would come to her.
She reached for her glasses and climbed out of bed. Because she didn’t have a robe, she fumbled in the closet for her suit jacket to put on over the pajamas. Then she padded barefoot to the lab.
It was just a matter of time, she knew, until she found the answer. Until then, she had to keep plodding along, doing every test she could think of, until the code was broken.
Hazard glanced at the clock, annoyed that his mind wouldn’t let him rest. Another hour and he would have to start morning chores. But he was already wide awake, a dozen different questions spinning through his brain.
It wasn’t enough to have taken clot samples from the carcasses. He should have taken blood samples from healthy calves as well, so that he could do comparison testing. If he had to, he’d take a sample from every one of the herd, until he found the correlation between those that lived and those that had mysteriously died.
He slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans before crossing to the window to stare broodingly out at the land, still covered in darkness. He loved this place so much. This ranch. This land. Even the ornery cattle. Especially his experimental herd. He’d pinned such hopes on them. And now, maybe he’d exposed them to unnamed danger.
Had he been wrong to deny this herd antibiotics? Had he unknowingly exposed them to illness? What about genetic abnormalities? Was he lowering their immunity, and allowing them to reproduce, carrying a killing gene?
He rubbed the stiffness at the back of his neck and headed toward the lab. Maybe he’d run just a couple of tests before he set off on his daily chores.
At the doorway of the lab he paused. All the lights had been switched on, turning the room to dazzling white.
In the center of it all was Erin, perched on a stool. At the sight of her, his lips curved in a smile of pure appreciation. This was an Erin he hadn’t seen before.
She was bent over the microscope, a study in concentration. Bare feet peeked from beneath the cuffs of man-tailored pajamas. Over her nightclothes she’d tossed her suit jacket. Whether for warmth or modesty, he couldn’t be certain. But he found the look entirely too appealin
g. The small round glasses on her nose gave her an owlish, intelligent appearance. It was simply endearing. He studied her hair, free of pins, flowing in lovely wild tangles around her face and shoulders. Hadn’t he wondered how she would look with her hair mussed? Now he could see an Erin who looked much less like a scientist and more like a woman.
She hadn’t seen him yet, and he was grateful for the freedom to simply watch her as she worked. She was so fierce. So intense. Something else that he found oddly attractive. He loved the fact that she was so dedicated to her studies. So absolutely determined to find the answers.
Satisfied with what she’d observed, she turned and made some notations, then froze when she caught sight of him in the doorway.
“Working a little late, aren’t you?” He started toward her.
It took her several seconds before she could find her voice. The sight of him, barefoot, shirtless, wearing only denims riding low on his hips, stole her breath. “I…guess you could say I’m just eager for the day.”
“People need their sleep. Otherwise, after a while, they begin to malfunction. Are you sure you’re not a robot, Dr. Ryan?”
She smiled. “I could ask the same of you.” But this was no robot. This was a man. Unlike any man she’d ever seen.
The men with whom she worked were often absentminded, with no more regard to themselves and their surroundings than the specimens they studied. Most of them wore flowing lab coats, and spent their days pouring over scientific data. The majority of them were more concerned with their minds than their bodies.
Hazard’s body had her mesmerized. It was hard and sculpted from years of ranch work. His shoulders were so broad and muscled the sight of them had her throat going dry. She had to swallow twice before she could manage to ask, “Did I disturb you?”
He nearly laughed aloud at the question. She did disturb him. More than he cared to admit.
Aloud he merely said, “I couldn’t sleep, and thought I’d stop by the lab before I started my chores.”
“I see we both had the same idea.”
“Yeah.” He stepped closer. His eyes narrowed at her hair, the color of aged whisky. He had a sudden overpowering urge to plunge his hands through the tangles and kiss her until they were both breathless. To keep himself from reaching out to touch her, he clenched his hands into fists at his sides.
He seemed so fierce. So intense. She struggled to think of something, anything, to say. “You might be interested in this.” She moved aside to allow him to study the specimen on the slide.
He bent his head beside hers and peered through the microscope. Though he tried to focus, all he could think of was the subtle fragrance that clung to her skin. A fragrance that had his blood pulsing.
He lifted his head and turned to her. “I don’t see anything unusual.”
“There’s a small spot.” She bent forward, sending golden tangles swirling around her cheeks. Unable to find what she was looking for, she blinked. Looked up. “It’s gone. I guess it was just eye strain.”
“Or maybe you just want so badly to find something, that your mind’s playing tricks on you.”
She touched a hand to his. “Don’t say that. We’ll find something. I know we will, Hazard.”
He didn’t seem to be listening. Ignoring the little warning, he leaned close and breathed her in. “You smell like a rose garden. What’s that perfume you’re wearing?”
She had to struggle to make her mind to work. It was a tremendous effort. As though some force had blocked all her thought processes. “It’s not perfume. It’s a body lotion. Roses and Dew. My mother sent some of hers when she heard I was coming to Wyoming. I guess she thought my delicate Boston skin wouldn’t survive a year in Wyoming without help.”
As she laughed she tossed her head, sending her hair drifting back to settle around her shoulders. Without thinking he reached out and caught a tangle, allowing the strands to sift through his fingers. It was as soft to the touch as it looked. As smooth and sleek as a newborn calf.
Erin’s mind and body seemed to freeze. Did he know what his touch was doing?
His gaze lowered to her mouth. And though he didn’t move, she could feel the heat as surely as though he had already kissed her.
Her heart slammed against her chest, leaving her dazed. To cover her feelings she did what she always did. Resorted to words.
“Actually, the air here is no more dehydrating than back home in Boston. But my mother, like so many of her ilk, allowed her preconceived notions about Wyoming to cause her to behave irrationally. And so she did the only thing she could think of to discourage me. She sent me her exotic Roses and Dew, hoping to remind me of my roots.”
Hazard paused for a moment before throwing back his head and bursting into gales of laughter.
Puzzled, she could only stare at him, loving the way his eyes crinkled and the way his voice deepened as he muttered, “I love it when you talk like that, Dr. Ryan.”
“Like what?”
“All those big words. My father used to call them ten-dollar words. He said that most people speak in two-bit words. But there are some who just have to use ten-dollar words. That’s you, Erin. And do you know what?”
She shook her head.
“Coming from you, they sound perfectly normal. But I have to confess, it really turns me on when you talk like that.”
“I don’t—” Her words died as he reached out and removed her glasses. “Hazard, what are you—?”
“I’ve been wanting to do this for two days now.” His gaze locked on hers, and he saw the startled look in her eyes.
“But I…you mustn’t…. We shouldn’t—” She put out a hand to stop him. But the moment her hand came in contact with his bare chest, she forgot what it was she was about to say.
In her twenty-nine years, she’d never before touched a man’s naked flesh. And this was such hard, muscled flesh. Covered with dark hair that tickled her fingertips. When she realized what she was doing, she lifted her hand, but it was too late. She could see the way his eyes had narrowed on her.
“Shouldn’t what? Do this?” He combed his fingers through her hair, thinking he could simply touch. But the touching wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Almost roughly he plunged his hands into the tangles and drew her head back, all the while staring deeply into her eyes.
She was amazing to watch. Despite the brilliant mind, she was as artless as a child. Every emotion was there in her eyes to read. Shock. Fear. And then a gradual awareness that the kiss he intended was as inevitable as breathing. Not just inevitable, but welcome.
Unable to wait a moment longer, he lowered his face to hers. Now there was only the sweetness of her mouth against his. And her breath filling his mouth. Breath as fresh, as sweet, as dawn. And her long, drawn-out sigh, as though pulled from someplace deep within her.
He absorbed a series of shock waves and struggled to hold himself together. For the space of a heartbeat he didn’t move, afraid that if he did, he would crush her against him and take until he was sated. It was what he wanted…what he’d wanted from the first time he’d seen her looking so prim and proper and so vulnerable.
Erin was still seated on the stool, her back pressed against the counter. She was so swamped with feelings she wasn’t even aware of the sharp edge of the counter digging into her back. Nor did she notice the whimpering sounds that escaped her lips.
She filled herself with the taste of him. So different from anything she’d known. Bold. Musky. Utterly male. His tongue met hers, teasing, tempting, causing the most amazing tingles along her spine.
“Or maybe we shouldn’t do this.” The words were spoken inside her mouth as his big fingers closed over the tops of her arms and he hauled her roughly against him.
Without even realizing it, she ran her fingers up his arms, thrilling to the feel of corded muscles. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him while his mouth moved over hers in a way that stole her breath. There was no hesitation in him now. He took with
out asking. The more he took, the more she wanted to give.
She returned his kisses with a hunger that had them both gasping. And though he knew he was taking her too far, too fast, he couldn’t seem to stop. This kiss had opened a floodgate. The need, the passion, poured between them, heating their blood, clouding their vision.
He was holding her up off the floor, against the length of him, one hand locked around her waist so that she wouldn’t fall. The other hand was cupping the back of her head, his fingers massaging her scalp as he feasted on her mouth with a hunger that rocked them both.
He hadn’t known how desperately he’d wanted her. Wanted this. But now that he’d tasted her, he wanted more. He wanted all.
He lowered his head, running nibbling kisses along the smooth column of her throat. The scent of roses was stronger here, and he could imagine her rubbing the lotion across her throat, over her breasts. The blood roared in his temples.
“Hazard.”
Her voice gradually penetrated the haze that clouded his mind and his judgment. He lifted his head and stared at her, loving the way she looked: her eyes heavy-lidded with desire; her lips swollen from his kisses; her skin flushed with a glow that told him, as plainly as any words, that she had been as caught up in this passion as he.
He lowered her until her feet touched the floor. Then, because the thought of letting her go was too painful, he brushed his mouth over hers one last time and absorbed another jolt to his already overcharged system.
It took all his willpower to lift his head. Then, before he could lose his resolve, he took a step back, breaking contact.
“I’ve…got chores to see to.” He backed up another step and another, even though all his senses were screaming for him to take her in his arms and kiss her again until they were both beyond caring. “I’ll see you at breakfast.” He made it to the door and took a deep breath, determined to leave.