“I could be.” He paused infinitesimally, then said, “Your dad’s health isn’t good, is it?”
To hear Gabe say that about her father hurt, and she looked away. “Ashley,” Gabe said in an incredibly gentle voice that surprised her so much it brought her attention back to him. “I don’t mean to upset you about your dad. I’ve lost too many people I’ve loved, and it hurt to lose them.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, hearing the pain in his voice and seeing it cloud his eyes. A muscle worked in his jaw, and she realized he was still grieving his losses.
“You have to face the truth. Your dad has health problems and he may need more help as time goes by.”
“We have our foreman, Gus,” Ashley protested.
“I’ve heard that in two years he’s going to retire and move to Wyoming where his son and grandkids live.”
The waiter came with their salads, and for a moment they ate in silence.
“I know Dad needs help—that’s why I’m sitting here listening to you, but marriage is just impossible,” Ashley said, wondering if she was arguing with herself more than him as she had done with her father the night before.
“It isn’t at all. I wouldn’t make demands on you. There wouldn’t be anything physical unless you wanted there to be.”
She couldn’t keep from raising an eyebrow and giving him a look. “So if I said let’s hop in bed, you’d be ready and willing?”
Putting down his fork, he smiled, and she drew a swift breath because it made him even more attractive. “Ashley, you’re a beautiful, appealing woman. I’m a guy. That’s all it takes.”
She shrugged. “Why should I have been surprised?”
Amusement flashed in his eyes again.
Their entrées came and they were silent a few minutes as they ate, yet her mind was seething with conflicting thoughts. Over it all was the replay of his velvety voice telling her that she was beautiful and appealing.
“Ashley,” he said, lowering his fork, “for the next hour, why don’t we just pretend that you’re Ashley Smith and I’m Gabe Jones. You’d see me a whole new way.”
“That’s like trying to pretend the rattlesnake a foot away from you is a kitten. That’s not possible.”
He grinned again, and she wondered how many female hearts he had melted with that smile. The man was wickedly handsome. This whole affair would be easier if she didn’t have this constant prickly awareness of how sexy he was.
“A rattlesnake?” he asked with another arch of his brow. He leaned across the table. “Isn’t that a little harsh?”
“All right. Maybe not a rattlesnake, but I can’t pretend you’re not a Brant. I’m far too aware of who you are.”
“And I’m incredibly aware of you.”
“That wasn’t what I meant,” she protested with amusement. He was fun to flirt with, exciting to be with. Ashley knew she was on dangerous ground. She barely knew him. She needed to keep things impersonal and keep her wits about her.
“Will you answer something truthfully?” he asked.
Surprised, she set down her water glass. “Sure, unless it’s too personal.”
“I don’t think it’s personal at all. If I were really Gabe Jones, would you consider my proposition?”
She had walked into that one. She wanted to say no to his question and all other similar questions, but she had promised to be truthful. “I haven’t for one second considered that you’re anything other than a Brant.”
“Okay, while we eat, think about it that way. Just for the next hour, see me as Gabe Jones. If you were really Ashley Smith, I’ll tell you, I’d be a whole lot happier about all this.”
“I’d hate to see you want this any more than you already do,” she said. “All right, I’ll try to think of you as Gabe Jones, but that’s a stretch.”
“It shouldn’t be. You don’t know any Brants and never have. And if you think about it, this is an irresistible proposition.”
“That’s because it’s your idea and it’s been irresistible to you from the start,” she retorted.
“Au contraire. I’ve had a difficult time getting around the Ryder factor.”
“You hide it well.”
He touched her cheek. Her skin was soft and smooth as silk. “I’m glad you have a sense of humor.”
“I think it falls more under sarcasm than humor. You’re rather thick-skinned, aren’t you?”
“When I’m after something,” he agreed, and his dark eyes riveted her with a look that, under other circumstances, could have implied much more. “Now, remember, think Gabe Jones.”
Ashley sighed and looked around the almost empty dining room. To her relief, the only people she saw were strangers. A popular old ballad played softly, what her father called his “elevator music”, yet music he liked, and she wondered if every time she heard it played, she would always remember this evening.
While she took another bite of salmon, Gabe cut another bite of his juicy steak. The dinner was good, and the man across from her was exciting. She still couldn’t believe she was here with him. She glanced swiftly at him and then away. Why couldn’t she see him as an ordinary man instead of someone extraordinarily handsome and dashing?
Her gaze ran over planters of artificial greenery that served as dividers for part of the dining area. It was a hotel she had never been in before and would never be in again after this one unusual night that might set her on a course to changing her life.
“You aren’t using all your land, are you?” Gabe asked, breaking into her thoughts while he took a sip of his water.
“Not all,” she answered.
“There, you see? You aren’t using the land—I could expand on a quarter of your ranch and it wouldn’t interfere with your family or your horses. In exchange, you would have—”
“I know, help for Dad. And a hubby in name only. That is about as useful as a heater in July,” she replied.
“Let’s just talk—try the Jones-Smith approach. Tell me more about your life.”
“It’s pretty simple. I went to California to college and then got a job in advertising in Chicago.” Silence stretched between them.
“Want to tell me about the guy you left behind?” he asked.
“No.” She took a sip of water and considered Gabe’s life. “You seem to have a good relationship with your son.”
“I think I do. And don’t worry, if we marry I won’t let Julian be a burden to you.”
“I told you, I like children.”
“Julian is a good kid. He’s too quiet,” Gabe said solemnly. “The pediatrician tells me that she thinks he’ll outgrow it.”
“He wasn’t quiet yesterday,” Ashley said.
“He liked you. You have a way with kids, evidently.”
“He might not want you to remarry,” she said.
“He’s too little to have many ideas on the subject.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes and then Gabe said, “For all we know the old legend of Stallion Pass could come true. I’ve seen that white stallion on my land and on yours.”
“Well, the legend of the white stallion is foolishness,” Ashley snapped.
Gabe