“But you must admit,it's taking up an inordinate amount of your time. Why it's taken us six months to have dinner together.""Is that all?"He misinterpreted the quiet response, and the gleam in her eyes.And leaned toward her.She slapped a hand on his chest. "Don't even think about it.Let me tell you something,pal.I do more in one day with my school than you do in a week of pushing papers in that office your grandfather gave you between your manicures and amaretto lattes and soirees. Men like you hold no interest for me whatsoever,which is why it's taken six months for this tedious little date.And the next time I have dinner with you,we'll be slurping Popsicles in hell.So take your French tie and your Italian shoes and stuff them."Utter shock had him speechless as she shoved open her door.As insult trickled in,his lips thinned. "Obviously spending so much time in the stables has eroded your manners, and your outlook.""That's right, Chad." She leaned back in the door. "You're too good for me. I'm about to go up and weep into my pillow over it.""Rumor is you're cold," he said in a quiet, stabbing voice. "But I had to find out for myself."It stung,but she wasn't about to let it show. "Rumor is you're a moron. Now we've both confirmed the local gossip."He gunned the engine once,and she would have sworn she saw him vibrate. "And it's a British tie."She slammed the car door, then watched narrow-eyed as he drove away. "A British tie." A laugh gurgled up,deep from the belly and up into the throat so she had to stand, hugging herself, all but howling at the moon. "That sure told me."Indulging herself in a long sigh, she tipped her head back,looked up at the sweep of stars. "Moron," she murmured. "And that goes for both of us."She heard a faint click, spun around and saw Brian lighting up a slim cigar. "Lover's spat?""Why yes." The temper Chad had roused stirred again. "He wants to take me to Antigua and I simply have my heart set on Mozambique.Antigua's been done to death."Brian took a contemplative puff of his cigar.She looked so damn beautiful standing there in the moonlight in that little excuse of a black dress, her hair spilling down her back like fire on silk.Hearing her long, gorgeous roll of laughter had been like discovering a treasure.Now the temper was back in her eyes,and spitting at him.It was almost as good.He took another lazy puff, blew out a cloud of smoke. "You're winding me up, Keeley.""I'd like to wind you up, then twist you into small pieces and ship them all back to Ireland.""I figured as much." He disposed of the cigar and walked to her. Unlike Chad, he didn't misinterpret the glint in her eyes. "You want to have a pop at someone." He closed his hand over the one she'd balled into a fist, lifted it to tap on his own chin. "Go ahead.""As delightful as I find that invitation, I don't solve my disputes that way." When she started to walk away, he tightened his grip. "But," she said slowly, "I could make an exception.""I don't like apologizing, and I wouldn't have to-again-of you'd set me straight right off."She lifted an eyebrow.Trying to free herself from that big, hard hand would only be undignified.”

“Gennie,you should have told me you hadn't been with a man before." And how was it possible, he wondered, that she'd let no man touch her before? That he was the first...the only."Why?" she said flatly,wishing he would go, wishing she had the strength to leave. "It was my business."Swearing,he shifted,leaning over her. His eyes were dark and angry, but when she tried to pull away,he pinned her. "I don't have much gentleness," he told her, and the words were unsteady with feeling. "But I would have used all I had,I would have tried to find more,for you." When she only stared at him, Grant lowered his forehead to hers. "Gennie..."Her doubts,her fears,melted at that one softly murmured word. "I wasn't looking for gentleness then," she whispered. Framing his face with her hands, she lifted it. "But now..." She smiled, and watched the frown fade from his eyes.He dropped a kiss on her lips, soft, more like whisper,then rising, lifted her into his arms. Gennie laughed at the feeling of weightlessness and ease. "What're you doing now?""Taking you inside so you can warm up, dry off and make love with me again-maybe not in that order."Gennie curled her arms around his neck. "I'm beginning to like your ideas. What about our clothes?""We can salvage what's left of them later." He pushed open the door of the lighthouse. "We won't be needing them for quite a while.""Definitely like your ideas." She pressed her mouth against his throat.”

“Will you just tell me, Brian.I need you to tell me you love me.""I'm getting to it." He turned back. "I never thought I wanted family.I want to make children with you,Keeley.I want ours. Please don't cry.""I'm trying not to.Hurry up.""I can't be rushed at such a time.Sniffle those back or I'll blunder it.That's the way." He moved to her. "I don't want to own horses, but I can make an exception for the gift you gave me today.As a kind of symbol of things. I didn't have faith in him, not pure faith, that he'd run to win.I didn't have faith in you, either.Give me your hand."She held it out, clasping his. "Tell me.""I've never said the words to another woman. You'll be my first, and you'll be my last.I loved you from the first instant, in a kind of blinding flash. Over time the love I have for you has strengthened, and deepened until it's like something alive inside me.""That's everything I needed to hear." She brought his hand to her cheek. "Marry me, Brian.""Bloody hell.Will you let me do the asking?"She had to bite her lip to hold off the watery chuckle. "Sorry."With a laugh, he plucked her off her feet. "Well, what the hell.Sure, I'll marry you.""Right away.""Right away." He brushed his lips over her temple. "I love you,Keeley, and since you're birdbrain enough to want to marry a hardheaded Irish horse's ass, I believe it was, I'll go up now and ask your father.""As my-Brian, really.""I'll do this proper. But maybe I'll take you with me,in case he's found that shotgun."She laughed, rubbed her cheek against his. "I'll protect you."He set her on her feet.They began to walk together past the sharply colored fall flowers, the white fences and fields where horses raced their shadows.When he reached to take her hand, Keeley gripped his firmly.And had everything.”

“Ribs hurting?" When he only shrugged, she shook her head. "Let me take a look.""She barely caught me.""Oh,for heaven's sake." Impatient, Keeley did what she would have done with one of her brothers: She tugged Brian's T-shirt out of his jeans."Well,darling,if I'd known you were so anxious to get me undressed,I'd have cooperated fully,and in private.""Shut up.God, Brian, you said it was nothing.""It's not much."His definition of not much was a softball-size bruise the ribs in a burst of ugly red and black. "Macho is tedious, so just shut up."He started to grin,then yelped when she pressed her fingers to the bruise. "Hell, woman,if that's your idea of tender mercies, keep them.""You could have a cracked rib. You need an X ray.""I don't need a damned-ouch! Bollocks and bloody hell, stop poking." He tried to pull his shirt down, but she simply yanked it up again."Stand still,and don't be a baby.""A minute ago it was don't be macho, now it's don't be a baby. What do you want?""For you to behave sensibly.""It's difficult for a man to behave sensibly when a woman's taking his clothes off in broad daylight. If you're going to kiss it and make it better, I've several other bruises. I've a dandy one on my ass as it happens.""I'm sure that's terribly amusing.One of the men can drive you to the emergency room""No one's driving me anywhere. I'd know if my ribs are cracked as I've had a few in my time.It's a bruise, and it's throbbing like a bitch now that you've been playing with it."She spotted another, riding high on his hip,and gave that a poke. This time he groaned."Keeley,you're torturing me here.""Im just trying..." She trailed off as she lifted her head and saw his eyes. It wasn't pain or annoyance in them now. It was heat,and it was frustration. And it was surprisingly gratifying. "Really?"It was wrong,and it was foolish, but a sip of power was a heady thing.She trailed her fingers along his hip, up his ribs and down again, and felt his mucles quiver. "Why don't you stop me?"His throat hurt. "You make my head swim. And you know it.""Maybe I do.Now.Maybe I like it." She'd never been deliberately provocative before. Had never wanted to be. And she'd never known the thrill of having a strong man turn to putty under her hands. "Maybe I've thought about you, Brian,the way you said I would.""You pick a fine time to tell me when there's people everywhere, and your father one of them.”

“But you? Are you all right? You're a bit pale.""Am I?" Small wonder, she thought, but smiled as she enjoyed the sensation of holding a secret inside her. "I don't feel pale. But you..." Swimming in the river of discovery, she leaned down. "You look wonderful.Rough and windblown and sexy."His narrowed eyes flickered, and he stepped back, a little uneasy when she rubbed a hand over his cheek. There were a half a dozen men milling about, he thought. And every one of them had eyes."I was called down to the stables early this morning,didn't take time to shave."She decided to take this evasive move as a challenge rather than an insult. "I like it.Just a little dangerous.If you've got time later, I thought you might help me out.""With what?""Take a ride with me.""I could do that.""Good.About five?" She leaned down again and this time took a fistful of his shirt to yank him a step closer. "And,Brian? Don't shave.”

“She took his hand, fumbled with the door herself. Breathless, she would have stumbled if he hadn't caught her. "Teach me to wear heels in the damn stable," she muttered. "My legs are shaking."With a nervous laugh she turned back to him. Her legs stopped trembling. At least she couldn't feel them. All she could feel now was the unsteady skipping of her heart.He was staring at her, his eyes intense. When she'd turned his hands had reached up to frame her face. "You're so beautiful."She'd never believed words like that mattered. They were so easily, and so often carelessly, said. But they didn't seem easy from him.And there was nothing careless about the tone of his voice.”

“I don't like to make mistakes. Which is why I haven't been with a man before now."He as thrown off balance so quickly and completely, he coud hear his own brain stumble. "Well,that's...that's wise."He took one definite step back, like a chessman going from square to square."It's interesting that makes you nervous," she said, countering his move."I'm not nervous,I'm...finished up here, it seems." He tried another tactic, stepped to the side. "Interesting," she continued, mirroring his move, "that it would make you nervous,or uneasy if you prefer, when you've been...I think it's safe to use the term 'hitting on me' since we met.""I don't think that's the proper term at all." Since he seemed to be boxed into a corner,he decided he was really only standing his ground. "I acted in a natural way regarding a physical attraction. But-""And now that I've reacted in a natural way, you've felt the reins slip out of your hands and you're panicked.""I'm certainly not panicked." He ignored the terror gripping claws into his belly and concentrated on annoyance. "Back off, Keeley.""No." With her eyes locked on his, she stepped in.Checkmate.His back was hard up against a stall door and he'd been maneuvered there by a woman half his weight.It was mortifying. "This isn't doing either of us any credit." It took a lot of effort when the blood was rapidly draining out of his head, but he made his voice cool and firm. "The fact is I've rethought the matter.""Have you?""I have,yes,and-stop it," he ordered when she ran the palms of her hands up over his chest."You're hearts pounding," she murmured. "So's mine.Should I tell you what goes on inside my head,inside my body when you kiss me""No." He barely managed a croak this time. "And it's not going to happen again.""Bet?" She laughed, rising up just enough to nip his chin. How could she have known how much fun it was to twist a man into aroused knots? "Why don't you tell me about this rethinking?""I'm not going to take advantage of your-of the situation."That,she thought,was wonderfully sweet. "At the moment,I seem to have the advantage.This time you're trembling,Brian."The hell he was.How could he be trembling when he couldn't feel his own legs? "I won't be responsible.I won't use your inexperience.I won't do this." The last was said on a note of desperation and he pushed her aside."I'm responsible for myself.And I think I've just proven to both of us,that if and when I decide you'll be the one, you won't have a prayer." She drew a deep, satisfied breath. "Knowing that's incredibly flattering.""Arousing a man doesn't take much skill, Keeley. We're cooperative creatures in that area."If he'd expected that to scratch at her pride,and cut into her power,he was mistaken. She only smiled,and the smile was full of secret female knowledge. "If that was true between us, if that were all that's between us, we'd be naked on the tack room floor right now."She saw the change in his eyes and laughed delightedly. "Already thought of that one, have you? We'll just hold that thought for another time.”