*  *  *

Wes Thorne stood on the porch of one of the brand-new, nearly completed luxury cabins that was being constructed on the backside of the Broken Spur ranch lands facing the mountains. The wood of the porch railing was slightly rough but would be smoothed out with a sander soon. The oak was solid and firm and a rich color of brown that was pleasing to the eye. These cabins would be incredibly lucrative for Jim and Callie.

The scheme had been his sister Hayden’s idea when she realized Jim was in danger of losing the ranch because they’d defaulted on their high mortgage payments. Hayden had suggested to Wes that they build cabins on the property and use them as a destination for high-stress workaholics who needed a vacation from 24/7 e-mail and super-powered cell service. It was brilliant of course, but he wasn’t surprised. Hayden was a better businesswoman than he was a businessman when it came down to it. He loved art more than business, but he thankfully had a great amount of success in his own business as an art expert.

While his sister was preoccupied with her wedding plans, he’d agreed to come out and check the progress of the cabins. He’d known telling Callie about Fenn and Hayden’s engagement wasn’t going to end well. From the moment he’d met the wild, free-spirited Callie, he’d known she was in love with Fenn. Her heart was pinned on her sleeve for the world to see, and he’d hated having to be the person to deliver the news that would cut her sweet, innocent little heart to shreds.

She’d taken it worse than he’d expected. He’d gone up to check on her, and when she’d answered her door her eyes were red and her cheeks were still stained with shiny tears. There was a wildness to her anguish that was breathtakingly gorgeous and something in him had rumbled, like a deep quake beneath the earth. Her pain had unsettled him, and few things ever unsettled him. So he’d decided to stay a few days to make sure she was going to be all right. Of course, if anyone asked, he was only staying to check on the cabins. That was his story and he was sticking to it. He shook his head. He couldn’t leave her when she…Wes stopped himself. She didn’t need him. Hell, he doubted she even liked him. She was always running off, hiding, avoiding eye contact as though she was nervous around him.

None of that changed the fact that he wanted her. For the last several weeks he’d been caught up in fantasies of having her in his bed, wrists and legs bound, body completely bare and ready for him to explore every inch of her with his mouth and hands as he introduced her to his darker world of pleasure. The things he wanted to do…craved to do to her were driving him slowly mad.

He’d never lusted after a woman like he did Callie and he couldn’t figure out why that was. She was young, innocent, not his usual type. So why then did his hands twitch with the urge to touch her whenever she was close, and the hint of her scent after she’d freshly showered and walked past his room seemed to carve itself into his bones? While he’d been away from her, he’d attempted to convince himself it was a silly obsession. When he bolted up in the middle of the night in his empty bed and he was hard and frustrated because she wasn’t there beside him he’d told himself it was nothing but an itch he needed to scratch to get out of his system. But now that he was here with her, so close that he could see all those unhidden emotions on her face, especially the pain he’d caused by coming here…leaving was impossible. And the itch…it wasn’t temporary.

He was going to have her. It was only a matter of time. He’d vowed the moment he set eyes on her that she was going to be his. He needed to tame her, to bring her into his world. It would take a long, slow seduction, but Callie would be his. She had to be. Her innocence mixed with her natural sensuality was about to kill him. If he could just get her to forget about Fenn and show her all the wicked pleasures life could bring, then he’d have her, body and soul.

As he stepped off the porch, dusting his hands over his jeans, he saw Callie leave the ranch house and walk toward the barn. Her steps were firm, her face held high, and she had a look of determination on her features. Whatever heartbreak she was suffering, she’d masked it and taken a firm hold of herself.

That’s my girl. The thought slipped out before he could take it back. She wasn’t his. But she would be. Soon. With a low chuckle, he continued to linger near the cabins and waved to some contractors who had just arrived, but he kept a watchful eye on the barn. They would talk, soon, and he’d set in motion his plans to have her.

*  *  *

Callie couldn’t help but watch Wes as he worked with the contractors. She fed the chickens in the coops, worked with a new foal that had been born a few weeks ago, and checked on the cattle feeding and water troughs over several hours and all of those tasks kept her in plain sight of Wes.

He wasn’t in that suit he usually wore, the one that made him look expensive and mysterious. No, he was in jeans, a t-shirt, and boots and…Her mouth ran dry as she realized that rather than make him look more normal, more approachable, the casual attire gave him a dangerous edge that seemed to say, I’m not afraid of getting down and dirty and taking you with me, sweetheart. The thought made her blush. That was ridiculous. He was just another handsome man in jeans, one she was currently avoiding. That was the whole point of swearing off men, which she definitely had. No sexy, rugged, dangerous men for her. She’d locked her heart in a steel box and sealed it shut forever. There wasn’t going to be any man getting through to it so he could smash it. Not ever again.

Despite her promise though, she couldn’t keep her eyes off Wes. It had to be harmless just to watch him, right? Lust and love were two totally different things after all…Weren’t they?

She watched him crouch by the porch of one of the cabins, a pair of contractors with him, gesturing at something. Even from where she stood, she could see the flex of the muscles on his forearm and the glint of his expensive watch on his wrist. She licked her dry lips and glanced away, only to find herself turning back his way. The light breeze carried just enough of their conversation that she realized they were discussing the wood trimming against the stone base of the cabins. Of course, Wes seemed to know all about the subject. Was there a subject Wes Thorne wasn’t an expert on? His seemingly limitless knowledge was wildly intimidating under the best circumstances, but after he’d seen her meltdown yesterday, well, Callie wasn’t challenging him to Trivial Pursuit anytime soon.

Callie hadn’t been able to afford college. And if she could have, there was no way she would have been able to leave her father, not when he was shorthanded and the ranch was in jeopardy. Now here she was at age twenty, stuck in the same town she’d lived her whole life.

Half of her loved ranch life, but the other half of her wanted to get out into the world, test her limits, and live her life.

Wes suddenly stood and shook hands with the two men he’d been speaking with and then walked away, out of her sight. It was just as well. She really needed to get back to work. With a little sigh, she turned around to go back into the barn and smacked right into a solid, warm male chest.

“Oomph!” She made an unlady-like sound as their bodies collided and she stumbled back.

Firm hands gripped her waist. “What were you doing? Hiding behind this truck?” His tone was full of dark amusement, as though he was fully aware she’d been spying on him.

She sniffed, raised her chin, and tried to dislodge his hands from her waist. He allowed it, and she was fully aware of that fact more than anything else.

“I was checking on the hay.” I was not watching you in those snug jeans.