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The lights went out with the second peal of thunder. Luckily it was light enough inside the house to locate the candles.
Lesley helped clear the table.
When the rain started it pounded like angry fists against the windows. “I better check the horses,” Zane said. Since Carl was away for the evening, someone would need to quiet them.
“You go with him,” he heard Mrs. Applegate insist. Rather than argue with them both, Zane let her.
He started out the back door. Lesley found a sweater on a hook just inside the porch. She held it over her head as they hurried toward the barn.
The horses whinnied and stomped their front legs when he stepped inside the large structure. It was darker in there.
“Carl?” Zane called, thinking his friend might have returned, but there was no response. He lit a couple of lanterns that he kept for just such emergencies.
The animals needed quieting and Zane did so with the skill of one who is more comfortable with equines than with people. To her credit, Lesley stayed out of his way and let him deal with the horses. She didn’t offer to help, since she was a stranger, and right now his stock needed reassurances from someone they were familiar with.
When he’d finished getting them into their stalls for the night, refreshing their water and giving them an extra scoop of oats, Zane turned and found Lesley studying him.
She gave him a slow, sweet smile. Earlier, Zane had realized how badly he wanted to kiss her. In that moment, the need increased tenfold. His chest lifted with a deep, sharp intake of breath.
“We better get back to the house,” he said, fearing if they stayed in the barn any longer, he wouldn’t be able to resist taking her in his arms.
By the time they extinguished the light, it was pitch-black. Zane opened the door and watched as the rain pelted the ground as if it were a means of punishment.
“Maybe we should stay in here for a while,” Lesley suggested, staring into the pulsating rain. It was coming down in sheets now.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Zane said quickly, fearing the level of intimacy would increase beyond his ability to withstand being this close to her. At the moment he would have welcomed the entire community of Sleepy Valley into his home if it would help him take his mind off touching Lesley.
The temptation grew stronger each passing minute, and their being alone didn’t bode well. Already he could feel his level of resistance weakening.
“You think we should make a run for the house?” She sounded uncertain.
“No,” he said, groaning inwardly. To do so would be foolish. Lesley would get drenched in a matter of seconds. The thought of her undressing and him finding warm, dry clothes for her to wear—his clothes—created an equally disturbing picture.
“Zane.”
Just the way she said his name told him what she wanted. It was the same thought that had been hounding him from the moment they’d sat down for dinner. He needed her touch. Needed her in his arms. This kind of longing didn’t respond to logic.
They reached for each other, clumsy in their efforts to hold one another. The instant her lips slid over his, a hot excitement filled Zane. It felt as if his body were on fire. Empty. Aching. Wanting.
Lesley would never know the level of self-control it demanded not to bury himself hip-deep inside of her right then and there. It wouldn’t have taken much to back her against a wall and make love to her.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong for him to have allowed his control to slip this badly. To cause this ache. This physical frustration would only grow worse. He had to put an end to it now, otherwise the consequences would be more than he could afford to pay.
He ground his lips over hers, wanting to punish her for making him want her like this. Even that tactic didn’t work. Her mouth softened, opening under the force of his.
By the time he broke off the kiss, the rush of blood to his head—and other body parts—made him feel as if he were about to explode.
Lesley braced her forehead against his shoulder; her breathing was uneven, and as heavy as his own. Neither spoke, and Zane suspected that they weren’t quite sure what there was to say. He’d never meant for any of this to happen, but it had, and God help them both, he didn’t have a single regret.
He kissed her again, gently this time. Her mouth met his, her lips warm, wet and pliable. His body reacted instinctively to hers. He braced his hands on the wall on each side of her, uncertain that he could withstand the pleasure and not embarrass them both.
She stilled immediately and Zane guessed that she hadn’t realized what she was doing to him.
A noise at the other side of the barn told him they were no longer alone. He broke away from Lesley, and when she stumbled forward, he caught her by the shoulders.
“Who’s there?” he barked, resenting the intrusion.
“Carl.”
