Cowboys Make Better Lovers

CHAPTER TWO-1

CHAPTER TWO

Sarah admitted that his slight drawl, softened by years of city life, only added to his virility and sent shivers down her spine. She squeezed her thighs together, but that just managed to get her more worked up. Simply looking at this man put her lust on a high flame that was quickly boiling over.

And you'd better put a lid on those hormones, she warned herself. She detested false charm and sweet-talk—although she expected sweet-talk would be the last thing she'd have to worry about under these circumstances.

"Call me Raif." He flicked invisible lint from his left shoulder. "Got the papers signed yet?"

Sarah let out a soft snort, sliding her black leather briefcase onto the table. Sunlight streamed in through the window behind her, glinting off the three gold letters of her initials. She felt hypnotized by the gleam for a moment before turning her head to face him. "Oh please! You don't think I'm that stupid, do you?" His hard gaze met hers; one black brow raised high. Sarah ignored the mute implication.

"As I said during our phone conversation, I'll sign over guardianship once I’m certain the children have a stable and loving environment. While I haven't made up my mind in the stable or loving category since I don't even know you, I can certainly see for myself this is no place to raise children." She looked around the kitchen that was only slightly less grimy than the living room. "This place makes a filthy stable look immaculate."

He didn't so much as blink an eye. "A woman used to speaking her mind." His tone was snide.

"I'd be lying if I said this place looked like the Beverly Hilton, and I'd be crazy to hand over guardianship of my nephews and niece to a man I don't even know—especially after finding this." She held an upturned palm to the house around her.

Mr. Manning seemed to be mulling something over as he stood there staring at her, his feet crossed at the ankles, both arms folded over his chest, causing the material of his shirt to strain over his biceps. Sarah yearned to have just a peek at what she was sure was a rock hard, perfect body hiding beneath all those clothes. She could just imagine him doing about a thousand pushups...over her naked body.

What was the matter with her? Ever since she arrived she'd done nothing but let her mind run rampant with this man.

Oh, well. She gave in to her lust-filled brain, allowing herself the luxury to fantasize. Only fantasize. She had a feeling that once she married Paul, fantasizing would be all she'd have. Romance was low on his list of priorities. Passion wasn't even on it.

"Name your price." His thick brows bent fiercely.

"Excuse me?" Sarah was taken aback by his suddenly harsh attitude. She had quickly grown accustomed to the cool air he'd projected for the past few minutes. So, he has a temper, too? She added a few points to the Unfit-Caretaker list.

"Come on, Miss Collins, everyone has their price. You don't give a rat's ass about those kids." He jerked his head in the direction where the boys could be heard playing outside.

In three angry strides, he was right in front of her. Sarah fought the urge to shrink away at his fierceness. "You're just here checking things out so you won't feel guilty leaving them in my custody when you go back to your fancy condo and plush life. How much will it take for you to give me those papers and leave us be?" He ripped his hat off his head, slammed it down on the table in front of her then bent down, his face even with hers as he looked into her eyes. His tone was low and edged with steel as he said, "Name...your...price."

Sarah pasted on a look she hoped was as intimidating as Mr. Manning's and glared right back at him, their noses nearly touching. "I assure you I have no interest in your money."

"No?" He backed off, just a little, looking as though he didn't believe her. She affirmed his question with a shake of her head. Now he looked totally baffled.

He stood upright and turned away from her, hands on his lean hips, gazing up at the ceiling for several seconds. Sarah looked up in the area he seemed to find so fascinating, but only saw a gray, sticky cobweb hanging down, fluttering in the breeze from the air conditioner.

He turned back around and said, "Then what the hell are you doing here, lady? It's obvious you're making decisions on first impressions. I bet you even have a little list made up in your mind with two categories: good and bad. You probably add checkmarks to it as you go along." He started to imitate her, raising his rich voice a few octaves as he said, "Oh, oh, the house is a mess, that's one more checkmark in the bad category. Now he's bribing me, I'd better add another. No, make it two bad marks."

"Come now, Mr. Manning." Sarah let out a little cough, trying to hide her extreme dismay at this man's ability to see right through her. "I'm not as bad as all that." His only answer was a low snort as he dropped himself in the chair across from her looking like a sulking child.

"Okay." Sarah threw up her hands and leaned against the back of the chair. Even she was wondering what she was doing here. What had she hoped to accomplish? To walk in and find everything neat and tidy, the kids in their Sunday best, then she'd sign the papers, confident that the children had the best home possible? Unfortunately, it wasn't working out that way. Not by a longshot. "Let's be honest here, shall we?"

"The stage is all yours, ma'am." He leaned way back in his chair, balancing on the two back legs, crossing his arms in front of him. Sarah hoped he'd fall on his butt.

She got up and started pacing across the worn linoleum in her stocking feet. Her three-inch pumps were abandoned underneath the table. She hated wearing heels but liked looking taller since she felt she was too short.

Back and forth she treaded over the floor, formulating her next move. She didn't want to appear the wicked witch he had labeled her, and thought honesty was the best policy in this case. "First, I'm sorry for not contacting you or showing up sooner—" He interrupted her with another one of his low snorts. "Please," Sarah stopped and looked at him, "let me finish. I'm not proud of ignoring your letters and phone calls, but I lost my only sister and it came as a pretty heavy blow."

"I lost my brother. Those kids lost their folks. Do you think that hurt any less?" The challenging spark was in his eyes again.

Biting on her bottom lip, Sarah averted her gaze. "No," she softly replied. The haunted look in his eyes made her stop and ponder his pain, but she quickly abandoned the feeling. She couldn't let him get to her. She needed to stay objective.

Sarah looked at him and said as calmly as she could, "The last thing I heard, the kids were staying with your sister and her husband. I thought they'd do well with them." She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. "I don't want to disrupt their lives any more than they already have been, but when the lawyer contacted me about shared guardianship and said they were staying with you now—"

"You thought you'd stop on by and check things out."

"Of course!" She buckled her courage around her like a lifejacket, holding on for dear life. This man seemed to be able to knock her emotions off their steady ship and right into a stormy ocean every time she blinked. She'd never come up against anyone so...so...untamed as Raif Manning.

All the people she had ever been around were quiet and polite. Her father, silent and surly. Her mother, before her death, soft and obedient. Even her relationship with Paul never went beyond an occasional mild tiff. But Sarah had never been one to back down. If someone pushed her, she pushed back harder. Raif Manning was pushing her about as far as she wanted to go without resorting to anything physical.

"To be truthful, I wouldn't be the best parent at this point in my life, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to turn over my half of custody." She stood as near him as she dared, hands lightly laced in front of her to keep them from fidgeting. It didn't work. She found a loose thread on one of her jacket buttons and started pulling on it.

"I have to be certain the kids are in good hands and that they have a proper living environment." The pearl button fell off and bounced across the floor, landing under Mr. Manning's chair. Sarah's eyes followed the button then rose to his dark gaze. She left the button where it was. "When I'm satisfied, I'll go back to my fancy condo in California, and you'll be the children's legal guardian."

Sarah saw him smile slightly at her last statement and felt a tug in her heart. The glimmer of hope and love was a positive sign, she told herself, and mentally chalked up another good point for the man.

Mr. Manning slid his chair back, picked up the tiny button, and walked over to her, looking down into her eyes with a smirk. "You're right, you don't want my money. Your perfume smells as expensive as your skirt and jacket look. Daddy's sweetheart with an open bank account you tap into whenever the whim strikes you." He took her hand and placed the button there, closing her fingers around it. "Lay it on the line, little lady. How long do I have to pass this test of yours?"

Sarah balked at his words. The way he said it made her sound like a first-class b***h. She snatched her hand away from his, tucking the button in her jacket pocket. "As long as it takes. A few days. A week." Sarah took a step backward, needing some space, but Mr. Manning moved forward. She moved back again and he brought himself uncomfortably near her once more. They continued this until the small of Sarah's back hit the edge of the counter. She felt trapped, ready to bolt for the door and race right back home. Instead, she stayed put, trying to look unbothered by his words and his nearness.

"What do I have to do to satisfy you?" He was unbearably close, his body heat mingling with her own until Sarah felt she would melt into a puddle at his feet. And his words, as harsh and innocent as they were, had her blood surging hot through her veins. A million ways he could satisfy her bubbled in her brain, none having to do with the subject they were on.

Sarah ultimately avoided his gaze. "Well," she began, clearing her mind of the sensual thoughts slipping in and out. "It shouldn't be too hard to find out how the boys feel about you, as well as discovering your character for myself, but this place is certainly not suitable—"

"I'm not moving to another place just because you find the accommodations lacking, if that's what you're implying," Raif interrupted.

"Then hire a maid! Or better yet a bulldozer!" Sarah grew frustrated. This was turning out much harder than she had at first thought. Debbie never talked about Raif much, probably because his visits were few and far between. She had expected a country bumpkin with hay between his ears who would just go with the flow of her visit, or a civilized man who could understand her concern for the children. What she encountered was a fire-snorting bull who had come out fighting the second she stepped foot in the ring.

"Sorry, Peaches, no maid." He stepped to his left and grabbed some glasses from an overhead cupboard, setting them on the counter. "I don't like strangers in my home." He shot her a look that clearly said she was included in the category. "And I think demolition is a little harsh."

"Then you'd better learn what a broom and mop are, real-quick." Her fists were planted on her hips. "There's no way I'm going to let those kids live in such utter filth."

Mr. Manning ignored her as he went to the refrigerator and extracted a pitcher of lemonade, pouring some into each of the four glasses. After handing Sarah one, he propped himself against the counter just a few feet from where she stood and took a long swallow from his glass before saying, "Let me tell you a couple of things." He finished off the lemonade and set the empty glass down. "First off, nobody who wants to see the sun rise the next morning better tell me what to do. Second, I just bought this house. The kids and I have been staying with my sister. Little Jenny's over there now. I've been moving stuff in here little-by-little. I had the boys come along to help me out today. In case you hadn't noticed, the place needs some work." He seemed to be smothering a grin.