The Durango Affair. Brenda Jackson
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outside, but heaven help her, her concentration was on him. And what a view he was. How a man so tall, long-legged and muscular could move with such fluid grace was beyond her. But he managed to do so rather nicely.
She had noticed that about him from the first. There was something inherently masculine about Durango Westmoreland and the single night they had made love, she had discovered that what you saw was what you got. He definitely could deliver. That night he had tilted her universe in such a way that she knew it would never be the same again. Even now, a warmth moved slowly through all parts of her body just thinking about all the things they had done that night. No second, minute or hour had been wasted.
Durango suddenly turned and his gaze rested on her, longer than she deemed necessary, before he said, “It looks simply beautiful out of this window. Nothing but mountains all around. And this time of year when the snow falls, I think it’s the most gorgeous sight that you’d ever want to see.” He then turned back around and looked out the window again.
Mildly interested and deciding not to pretend otherwise, Savannah crossed the room to stand beside him and her breath caught. He was absolutely right. The panoramic view outside the window was beautiful. She hoped she had the chance to capture a lot of it on film before she left. “Have you lived here long?” curiosity pushed her to ask.
He met her gaze and smiled. “Almost five years now. After I finished college and got a job with the park ranger service, I lived with my uncle Corey on his mountain for a couple of years, until I saved enough money to buy this land. It was originally part of a homestead, but after the elderly couple who owned it passed on, their offspring split up the property and put individual parcels up for sale. My ranch sits on over a hundred acres.”
“Wow! That’s a lot of land.”
He smiled. “Yes, but most of it is mountains, which is one of the things that drew me to it. And a good portion of it is a natural hot springs. The first thing I did after building the ranch house was to erect my own private hot tub out back. If the weather wasn’t so bad, I’d let you try it out. A good soak it in would definitely guarantee you a good night’s sleep.”
Savannah couldn’t help but smile at the thought of that. “A good night’s sleep sounds wonderful. The flight out here was awful.”
Durango chuckled. “Unfortunately it usually is.” He then checked his watch. “How about I put dinner on the table? Earlier I smothered pieces of chicken in gravy, and made cabbage and mashed potatoes. You’re welcome to join me after you settle in.”
Savannah felt her stomach growl at the mention of food. Dinner was her favorite mealtime since she could never keep any breakfast down for too long. The only thing she had risked eating that day had been saltines. “Thanks, and I’d like that. Do you need any help?”
“No, I have everything under control.” He turned to leave the room then stopped before walking out the door. “You’re a city girl, but your name isn’t.”
Savannah arched a brow. She remembered what Jessica had shared with her once regarding Durango’s aversion to city women. “It’s my mom’s favorite Southern city and she thought the name suited me.”
He nodded, thinking the name suited her very feminine and genteel charm, as well.
A short while later Savannah followed the aroma of food as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. She stopped and glanced around, getting a good look at the wood-grain kitchen counters and the shiny stainless-steel appliances. The kitchen was a cook’s dream. From one side of the ceiling hung an assortment of copper pots. Unlike most men, Durango evidently enjoyed spending time in his kitchen.
He must have heard her sigh of admiration because he then turned, looked at her and smiled. “All settled in?”
Forcing her nervousness away, she nodded. “Yes. I didn’t bring much since I hadn’t planned on staying.”
“You might as well get comfortable. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re stuck here for a couple of days.”
Savannah frowned. “Why would you think that?”
Durango leaned back against the counter and gestured toward the window. “Take a look outside.”
Savannah walked quickly over to the window. There was a full-scale blizzard going on. She could barely see anything. She turned around. “What happened?”
Durango chuckled. “Welcome to Montana. Didn’t you know this was the worst time of year to come visiting?”
No, she hadn’t known. The only thing that had been on her mind, once she’d made her decision, was to get to him and tell him about the baby as soon as she could.
She glanced back out the window. “And you think this will last a couple of days?”
“More than likely. The only thing we can do is to make the most of it.”
Savannah turned and met his gaze, taking in what he’d just said. It was simply a play on words, she presumed. She hoped. Being cooped up in the house with Durango for a couple of days and making the most of it wasn’t what she’d planned on happening. It didn’t take much to recall just how quickly she had succumbed to his sexiness. All it had taken was a little eye contact and she’d been a goner.
“Come on, Savannah. Let’s eat.”
Savannah regarded him for a moment before crossing the room to the table where he’d placed the food. “Aren’t you concerned about losing power?”
Durango shook his head. “Nope. I have my own generator. It’s capable of supplying all the energy I need to keep this place running awhile. Then there are the fireplaces. I had one built for every bedroom as well as the living room. No matter how cold or nasty the weather gets outside, you can believe we’ll stay warm and cozy inside.”
Staying warm and cozy was another thing she was afraid of, Savannah thought, taking a seat at the table. There was no doubt in her mind that she and Durango could supply enough sensuous fire to actually torch the place.
“Everything looks delicious. I didn’t know you could cook,” she said, helping herself to some of the food he had prepared, and trying not to lick her lips in the process. She was so hungry.
Durango smiled as he watched her dig in, glad she had a good appetite. A lot of the women he’d dated acted as if it was a sin to eat more than a thimbleful of food. “I’m a bachelor who believes in knowing how to fend for myself. On top of that I’m Sarah Westmoreland’s son. She taught me Survival 101 well.”
Savannah tasted the mashed potatoes and thought they were delicious. “Mmm, these are good.”
“Thanks.”
After a few moments of silence Durango said, “I noticed you aren’t showing yet.”
Savannah met his eyes. She had felt the heat of his gaze on her, checking out her body, when she’d crossed the room to stand at the window. “I’m only two months, Durango. The baby is probably smaller than a peanut now. Most women don’t start showing until their fourth month.”
He nodded. “How has the pregnancy been for you so far?”
She shrugged. “The usual, I guess. What I’m battling now more than anything is the morning sickness. Usually I don’t dare eat anything but saltines before two o’clock every day, which is why I’m so hungry now.”
Durango’s eyes widened. “You’re sick every day?”
He looked so darn surprised at the thought of such a thing that she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, just about. But according to the doctor, it will only last for another month or so.”
She tilted her head and looked at him. “Haven’t you ever been around a pregnant woman?”
“No, not for any length of time. When I went home for Easter last year, Jayla was pregnant and boy, was she huge. Of course, she was having twins.” He grinned. “Twins run