One Night Rancher


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Oh, she was doing it.
 She was kissing him. Her mouth brushed his and a streak of heat went through her that she couldn’t deny. She pulled away almost the instant their mouths touched. “I’m sorry,” she said.
 He turned her to face him, his hands curved around her forearms, and gripping the edge of the bar, pinning her there. “You just kissed me.”
 “I did,” she said.
 And suddenly, she found herself being hauled toward him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pushing her body against his. When he kissed her, he did not move away.
 No. His kiss was deep, hard. Hot.
 And it was Jace.
 And he was kissing her. His lips were firm and expert, and then he angled his head, and she opened her mouth to him. And his tongue slid against hers. Jace’s tongue.
 And she was trembling. Because her fantasies had primed her for this moment over the course of years, and yet it was so much better than she had ever imagined that it could be.
 * * *
 One Night Rancher by Maisey Yates is part of The Carsons of Lone Rock series.
 
 
 Select praise for New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates
 “Her characters excel at defying the norms and providing readers with...an emotional investment.”
 —RT Book Reviews on Claim Me, Cowboy (Top Pick)
 “A sassy, romantic and sexy story about two characters whose chemistry is off the charts.”
 —RT Book Reviews on Smooth-Talking Cowboy (Top Pick)
 “This is an exceptional example of an opposites-attract romance with heartfelt writing and solid character development.... This is a must-read that will have you believing in love.”
 —RT Book Reviews on Seduce Me, Cowboy (Top Pick)
 “Their relationship is displayed with a quick writing style full of double entendres, sexy sarcasm and enough passion to melt the mountain snow!”
 —RT Book Reviews on Hold Me, Cowboy (Top Pick)
 
 
 
 One Night Rancher
 Maisey Yates
 
 www.millsandboon.co.uk
 
 
 
 To Nicole Helm, who is always here for my 11:11 texts and stories of visits I’ve had with birds. There is infinite value in having a friend who just gets you.
 
 
 Contents
 Cover 
 Booklist 
 Title Page 
 Copyright 
 Note to Readers
 Introduction
 Praise
 Dedication
 One
 Two
 Three
 Four
 Five
 Six
 Seven
 Eight
 Nine
 Ten
 Eleven
 Twelve
 Thirteen
 Fourteen
 Fifteen
 Epilogue
 About the Publisher
 
 
 
 One
 “You have to spend the night in the hotel if you want to buy it. Because they had too many people back out. Isn’t that completely wild, Grandpa? I mean, I’m sure that it is haunted. Nothing can be around that long and not be.”
 Cara Summers looked up at her grandfather. He was sitting on the shelf behind the bar. In an old Jack Daniel’s bottle.
 Just as he had asked.
 Cara had done her very best to fulfill his last wishes. Cremated and then placed on that shelf behind the bar so he could see everything.
 He didn’t answer her question.
 At least not audibly. She didn’t expect him to. Though she often felt his presence. It wasn’t anything she could really describe. But she knew he was there. It was why she talked to him. Almost as easily as she had when he was here. Hell, maybe it was even easier because he didn’t interrupt.
 “The bar is empty, scrap. Who are you talking to?”
 She knew the voice. She didn’t have to turn.
 Even if she didn’t recognize the tone—and of course she would, after this many years of friendship. It was the way it made her feel. Because that was the thing. Jace Carson was one of six brothers. They all sounded relatively similar. Deep, rich male voices. But not a single one of them made goose bumps break out over her arms or made a suspicious warmth spread all through her body when they spoke. No. That would be way too convenient. Kit Carson liked to flirt with her, or at least he had before he had married Shelby Sohappy. And Flint enjoyed flirting with her to rile Jace up. But she knew that none of it was serious. Well. She had a feeling that any number of the Carson brothers would’ve happily had a dalliance with her if she was of a mind. They weren’t exactly known for their discernment when it came to women. Every one of them except for Jace. Oh, Jace wasn’t discerning either. But Jace was...
 He was not interested in her that way. And just the mere suggestion of it made him growl.
 They were friends. Best friends. Had been since middle school. It was a funny friendship. He was protective of her. And sometimes a little bit paternalistic. Or brotherly. But that was the thing. He saw her as a younger sister. The younger sister he no longer had, she knew.
 And in some ways, she was an emotional surrogate for what he had lost when he had lost Sophia. She knew that. She’d always known it.
 Every so often these days it made her feel bristly and annoyed.
 Because the problem with Jace was that she wanted him.
 And he didn’t want her.
 “Just telling Grandpa about my next move.”
 “Right,” he said looking around the bar. “Is he here now?”
 “He’s always here,” she said, gesturing to the makeshift urn.
 “Cara...”
 “I know you don’t believe in any of this. But I do. I believe that I can talk to him. And that he hears me.”
 “I’m sure that’s comforting.”
 “I think that sounds more condescending and less accepting than you think.”
 “I don’t mean to be condescending. But I don’t really mean to be accepting either. Just... I can understand why you need to think it, I guess.”
 That was Jace. He just didn’t have a fantastical bone in his body.
 He himself was a wonder. A masculine wonder. Over