Her eyes widened at the bold dare and she took a step back. "I… can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I just can't!"

She was miserable, but he couldn't let her hide, not from this. "Tell me you feel nothing and I'll walk away right now," he said rashly. "Tell me."

"I-" She closed her eyes. "I want to tell you that. God, I really want to tell you I feel nothing."

"Then do it."

Her eyes opened and she licked her lips with a nervous little dart of her tongue. With just that small movement he became aware of their position and how close they stood. Her breasts brushed his chest. Her thighs met his. And between them was a heat that made him dizzy. "Tell me," he urged quietly. "I have to hear it."

They looked at each other, the air charged, and she said nothing.

"Zoe."

"When you kissed me," she whispered, staring at his mouth, "I saw fireworks. That's never happened before."

A smile crossed his lips before he could stop himself. "Did you like it?"

"Yes." She smiled, too. "That's why I punched you."

"If we try it again, just started with a little kiss, what would happen?"

"I'd probably still like it," she admitted.

His smile widened as he leaned close. "Don't slug me again." And he came closer still, brushing his mouth lightly over hers once, then twice. "No biting, either," he whispered.

A soft sound came from deep in her throat, and the soft, mewling neediness was irresistible. His hands slid down her arms to link his fingers with hers, and he took her mouth one more time, deeper, hotter. She met him, straining for even more. Then, when his brain was exploding with pleasure, she pulled back, put a hand to his chest and drew in a ragged breath. "Not good."

In his highly aroused state, he could hardly place together a coherent thought. "Felt good to me."

"You want something from me I can't give."

"Believe me, what I want, you can give."

"No, you want me to admit feelings that I… just can't. And…" She let out a little sound. "And never mind the rest."

He stared at her. He knew the rest suddenly, sharply, as if she'd spoken. She wanted something from him, too, something he wasn't sure he was any more prepared to give then she was.

The front door to the house opened and Zoe jerked back guiltily, even though they weren't in direct sight. But Zoe didn't want to get caught in Ty's arms and have to explain it to a curious, meddling sister when she couldn't even explain it to herself. She bent for the roller she'd dropped and let out an oath at the dirt clumped to it.

Maddie called to them from the front steps. "Dinner's on. You guys hungry?"

Ty hadn't moved an inch of his big, tensed body. He turned just his head and met Zoe's gaze. Something inside her chest tightened at his expression.

His slate eyes held lingering heat and frustration, equally mixed. That long, rangy body of his was tight with anticipation and irritation, also equally mixed. He was so… so overwhelmingly male.

In fact, he looked like trouble personified, and suddenly it struck her as poetic justice. He was aroused and angry about it, and that made two of them.

"Not funny," he groaned quietly, reading her mind. "A guy could die of this, you know."

"So could a woman," she told him, then regretted it when his eyes smoldered.

"I'll take that as an admission," he told her bluntly. "And it's a start."

With that, he walked around her and headed toward the front door, where Maddie stood watching them both with clear curiosity.

Ty smiled at her, and when he got close enough for Maddie to hear, he murmured something that made her smile back at him in return.

Zoe drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Another kiss like that, she thought, and she was going to go right up in flames.

How did he do it? How did he draw her so completely out of herself? It was startling, and once again she used anger to ward off fear.

He had some nerve, demanding she stop hiding and live. She did live. She did feel. Yes, maybe she did both of those things conservatively, but he had no right to criticize.

Not when he'd so neatly neglected to tell her how he felt about her.

She watched him set a gentle hand on Maddie's shoulder and lead her into the house. Maddie's soft laughter drifted to her and Zoe shook her head in disgust.

He couldn't care, not really. Right? All he wanted was the land. But the uncertainty had Zoe's head spinning. He seemed sincere with Delia and Maddie. Then there was the way he treated her. He'd held her as if she were important and meaningful, with no intentions of fooling her in those eyes. The only thing shining there had been hunger and yearning.

Apparently he'd grown up with even less love and affection than she'd had. Could he be just as reluctant as herself? She supposed it was possible, but it was so much easier to think the worst of him.

Easier and far more simple.

Momentarily forgetting he had as much reason as she to fear entanglement, Zoe vowed to put a stop to this insanity now. She would regain control of herself. That's all there was to it.

Zoe stalked off toward the house, determined to do just that.

The gloves she'd tucked into her back pocket flapped against her. Stopping, she reached back and jammed them in farther. She'd told Ty she'd gotten new gloves; what she hadn't told him was that they had appeared mysteriously wrapped in a brown sack in her bedroom the other night.

Zoe knew they'd come from Delia. It was just like her sister to buy them secretly, simply because Zoe's hands were cracking from the unaccustomed hard work. Delia loved to give presents, and strangely enough hated to be thanked or acknowledged, which always made Christmas fairly interesting.

Maddie and Zoe had long ago accepted Delia's inexplicable embarrassment, but now the gift meant even more. Shopping was a prized commodity out here in the boondocks. It was inconvenient, not to mention their precarious financial situation. Still, Delia had thought of her, and that was a thrill Zoe would never get used to.

A funny sensation burst in Zoe's chest. Love? Most definitely. Easy to define, not nearly as easy to express.

But that's what the gloves represented to her, a deep, abiding love. Maybe that's why she didn't want to ruin them by actually using them for work. It was her small, silly way of showing Delia that she loved her back.

Showing was much easier than actually spelling it out. She wasn't proud of the fact she rarely told Delia and Maddie how she felt, when they told her often and easily.

Old habits were hard to break. Ty might have made the mistake in thinking she could easily define how she felt about him, but Zoe could never make that same mistake.

If she couldn't easily put to words her feelings for Delia and Maddie, then describing the wild and unpredictable feelings she had for Ty were all but impossible.

Her solution-avoid him at all costs.


* * *

Zoe's plan backfired.

There was no need to ignore Ty, not when he'd so effectively ignored her first.

And he hadn't just ignored her, Zoe was forced to admit, he'd completely avoided her.

On Monday he'd brought Maddie wildflowers for the table, disappearing before Zoe had come in for dinner. Tuesday he'd brought plans for the hot tub he'd promised Delia, once again doing the vanishing act before Zoe had set eyes on him.

The week had continued like that, until by Friday she was alternately telling herself how much she enjoyed her peace and quiet, and chewing her nails into stubs wondering if she'd kissed so awful he'd decided she wasn't worth any effort at all.

Friday night the three sisters had their weekly financial meeting, which had pretty much revolved around how bad that financial situation was.

Fact was, they needed to get the ranch going now, if they had any hope of making this work. The problem was, none of them knew anything about ranching. So far the only thing they'd agreed on was that animals seemed easier than raising crops. Zoe had spent much of her childhood fantasizing about homes, but her practical experience was nil.

Delia had suggested they utilize their manager-namely Ty-and let him take over the technical aspect of the ranch, but Zoe didn't want to lean on him. She didn't want to lean on anyone.

But if she let her stubbornness have rein, she was going to lead them all to bankruptcy. She couldn't be that stupid, or selfish. The stress of it had started to keep her awake. She was hurting both Delia and Maddie with her hard head.

It had to stop. She spent Saturday dwelling on it.

Sunday morning she woke up and without thinking about it, because then she might change her mind, she hopped into one of the old trucks and drove the short distance to Ty's house. The most difficult part of the ride was craning her neck to catch the view. It was limited only by the horizon. It was impossible not to be touched by the spectacular scenery as she bounced along on the rough excuse for a road. The land was rugged, untamed.

Serenity and serendipity, she thought. Both abounded here. Still, the closer she got, the more nerves danced in her belly. She hadn't been to Ty's house before, so she shouldn't have been surprised at the lovely, one-story ranch-style home, which was obviously well-cared for. The windows opened to the early sun, and flowers grew in a series of pots on the wraparound porch.

Flowers?

Frowning, Zoe hopped out of the truck, then didn't move as she digested the fact she was staring at yet another layer of the mysterious Ty Jackson.

She was here for a purpose, she reminded herself. And nothing would detract her from that purpose: no bickering, no teasing, and most definitely no kissing.