Chapter 23

Part Two: A Touch of Magic
The Story Continues

Maddie Woodward concentrated fiercely on navigating the narrow highway that led out of town out to the ranch. In her small compact she would have felt at ease but the big SUV was still new enough to be challenging.
Had she made a mistake buying it? Just as she might have made a mistake in her other recent decisions?
No. I won't play that game. I made up my mind and I'm doing this. No matter what.
The moment the arched rock entrance of the road leading to the house came into view, with the Flying W in wrought iron swinging slightly in the breeze, her heart stuttered.
Home!
That was all she could think. She was home. And she didn't plan on ever leaving, no matter what her sisters said or tried to talk her into. She'd burned her bridges to make sure there was no going back.
She stopped for a moment to look at the familiar brand, the wings of the W looking like angel's wings, and she thought how appropriate it was for Christmas. But that brought back the feeling of sadness that she couldn't seem to shake. This would be the first Christmas since their parents were killed two months earlier in a plane crash.
The trip to the ranch that time had been consumed with the funeral and more grief than she thought it possible for a human being to bear. When she'd returned to San Antonio and her teaching position, all she could think about was the Flying W, her years growing up there, and how the ranch had been in the Woodward family for three generations. Somehow it seemed sacrilegious to be selling it, the way her sisters wanted to. The more she'd thought about losing it, the more grief had weighed her down.
Until she'd come to her decision. Before she could second guess herself, she'd quit her job, sublet her apartment and loaded everything she could fit into her brand new Jeep four wheel drive. There was nothing to keep her in San Antonio. No close friends. Certainly no love life.
No, this was where she belonged, even if she lived here alone for the rest of her life. If all else failed, she'd negotiate a loan at the bank and buy them out. She had a good-sized savings account, having spent very little on herself for the past ten years, and the land was good collateral.
And there were no bad memories left to run away from. That particular part of her life had taken off for the rodeo circuit and never returned.
And good riddance.
Taking her foot off the brake, she pulled through the entrance and headed for the stone ranch house, passing horses inside the corral on the left and spying the familiar outbuildings like the barn and the stable beyond that. A warm feeling spread through her as her eyes took in every inch of the place where she'd grown up.
Anxious to be inside, to light a fire and maybe dig out the old Christmas decorations, Maddie unfastened her seat belt and jumped out of the vehicle. But the smile on her lips disappeared and her stomach knotted as she spotted the figure watching her from the open door of the barn.
No. It can't be. Fate wouldn't play such a cruel trick on me.
But there was no mistaking the tall, lean lines of Zach Brennan, even with a jacket concealing part of him. The hat still sat the same way on his head and his posture still shouted arrogance and confidence. And sex. Oh, God. Sex.
What is he doing here?
And then he was walking toward her with that same lean-hipped stride that was so recognizable, even after all this time. She was rooted to the spot as if her feet were encased in concrete. The knot in her stomach grew larger and tighter, even while her breasts ached and her pussy wept at the memories that flashed through her brain.
Zach Brennan. Here, on her ranch.
How could life be so cruel?
His stood in front of her now, tilting his hat back just enough so she could see the glint of light in his coffee-colored eyes. His skin was tanned as if he spent a great deal of time outdoors and there were fine networks of lines at the corners of his eyes and his mouth.
His mouth!
She had to focus on something else, because all she could remember was the last time they'd been together and the wonderful things that mouth had done to her body.
Maddie wondered if he was still riding the rodeo circuit. Like a nail poking into an open sore, she'd kept up with his career until she couldn't stand it anymore. She knew all the silver buckles he'd won, all the grand prizes. Not to mention, she was sure, the adoration of dozens of buckle bunnies. That had been her last sight of him, twenty-five years old and a walking bottle of testosterone, surrounded by rodeo groupies in the beer tent, ignoring her last-ditch effort to talk to him, winking at her as he leaned in to kiss the brunette hanging on one arm.
"Hello, Maddie." His voice was like aged whiskey - smooth as silk but burning its way into her body. "Ty said you'd be the first one to arrive."
Ty Blackwell, Zach's friend and her older sister Liza's lover years ago, was handling the estate of her parents. But just what did Zach have to do with that?
She had to swallow twice before she could get words out in something approaching a normal tone. "I was sorry to hear about your mom."
Pain slashed through his eyes, darkening them. "Yeah. That was a bad scene."
"I heard your dad sold your place and moved to Colorado to live with your brother."
Zach gave a brief nod. "He was pretty lonely after Mom died."
Maddie screwed up her courage. It was now or never. "What are you doing here?"
A hint of a grin kicked up one corner of his mouth. "I guess that gets it right to the point, doesn't it?"
"I don't see any point in beating around the bush. Where's Jack Grady and the rest of the hands? What's going on here?"
"Grady got kicked by the new bull your daddy had just bought about a week before the accident. At his age that's not such a good thing. His doctor thinks he might not be able to come back to work."
Maddie wet her lips. "That still doesn't answer the rest of my questions."
"The hands are out taking care of business. I'm here because Ty needed someone to run the ranch until you and your sisters sign the papers to sell it."
Maddie felt as if a giant fist had just punched her in the stomach. "Sell the ranch," she managed to get out. Well, she hadn't told Ty about her decision yet. Or her sisters. She supposed she should be grateful he hadn't left the ranch to its own devices.
"Yes. I understand that's what y'all plan to do." He moved closer to her so their bodies were almost touching. His hand reached out to cup her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking the skin. "I've missed you, darlin'. More than you can possibly know."
Before she could gather her wits about her, that sensuous mouth had pressed down on hers, his tongue probing the closed seam of her lips. She gasped at the contact and he took advantage of the opportunity to sweep his tongue inside, teasing and tasting. Her knees felt weak and without realizing it she leaned against him for support.
His other arm closed around her, pressing her body to his, molding her to him. There was no mistaking the hardness of his cock behind the worn denim of his jeans, or the ache that throbbed in her breasts. When he finally released her, all she could do was stare up at him, dazed.
"It's still there, isn't it, darlin'. We've still got the chemistry."
The cocky self-assurance in his tone was like a bucket of ice water. Maddie pushed away from him, anger surging through her.
"You keep your damn hands to yourself, Zach Brennan. Go find one of your buckle bunnies to play games with."
It irritated her even more that he still kept his arm around her and his eyes sparkled with mischief.
"I think I'd rather have what I've got right here," he teased. "Much tastier."
She pushed hard against his chest and he finally dropped his arm. "You have nothing here, Zach. You gave it up a long time ago. And I'm going to call Ty right now and tell him to get someone else to manage the ranch."
Zach's grin widened. "I'm afraid you can't do that, Maddie."
"And just why not? This is still our ranch. My sisters' and mine."
"See, it's like this. I've put in an offer with Ty and given him a big fat earnest money check. Maddie, I'm done with the rodeo circuit. I plan to buy the Flying W."
"What?" Maddie thought her heart would stop beating. "No, no, no. That is so not happening. Not for one minute. You can just forget about it. Get off this ranch, Zach. Right now, Get away."
She knew she was raving out of control but she couldn't seem to help herself. How dare he walk away from her ten years ago, treating what they had as if it was nothing more than a passing fancy for him and then show up to practically steal her home out from under her.
"Calm down, Maddie. Come on. Please." He reached for her again but she threw his arms off wildly.
"No, no, no." She just kept shaking her head, her fists clenched.
"I've always wanted a ranch like this," he told her, his voice calm but firm. "I battered my body to get the money to buy it. Now's my chance and I'm not letting go of it."
"We'll just see about that, you egotistical jerk."
"We can do it together, you know." His hands tightened on her arms, holding her in place and his eyes burned into hers. "Remember what we had, darlin'? I sure do. And we can have it again if you'll stop fighting me."
The scene blasted into her mind despite her efforts to shut it down. Though it was ten years ago, it might have been yesterday.