Elle James - Protecting the Colton Bride

Megan closed her eyes again. “Mmm. This is much nicer. I should have quit sooner.” Her breathing became deeper and her body relaxed against Daniel’s.

If only she knew how hard it was for him to hold her and not kiss the tip of her nose or press his lips to her temple, she might not be so willing to fall asleep against him. All thoughts of being a good boss and not touching his employee flew out the barn door while he held Megan in his arms.

Halo stirred, lifting her head a little, her hooves kicking out just once before she settled back in the straw.

Daniel prayed that she’d make it through the night and he’d come up with a way to keep Megan. She’d been instrumental in his research and planning for his breeding program. She was good at what she did, and her parents would squander her assets, forcing her to go to social events she couldn’t stand.

Sometime in the night, Halo shook out of the effects of the poison and got to her feet.

Daniel was so relieved, he almost woke Megan to tell her, but she was sleeping soundly and he hated to wake her. Instead, he lay down on the bed of straw and blankets and pulled her up against him. As he drifted into a deep sleep, he found himself wishing he could go to sleep every night with this amazing woman in his arms.

* * *

Megan woke to the soft thuds of hooves pawing at the dirt. She cracked an eyelid to see Halo standing in her stall, impatient for her feed and getting more impatient by the minute.

Joy filled her heart at the sight of the mare standing straight and proud, the effects of the poison worn off. Megan turned to tell Daniel, but he was asleep, his manly face softened in the gray light of dawn that snuck through the open door of the barn.

He must have been awake all night, worrying about Halo and wondering what to do about the meeting with the Kennedys.

Megan was loath to move away from the warmth of his body. It felt so firm and strong beside her.

One big obstacle had been cleared for Daniel. Halo would live. She was one of his best broodmares. Her loss would have been a big hit to his breeding program. Now all he had to do was impress the Kennedys. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on her.

Her family was among the socially elite of California. The Talbots’ horse-breeding program at the Triple Diamond Ranch was nationally acknowledged. Daniel needed a boost on the social front in order for the Kennedys to consider him eligible for inclusion in their equine breeding efforts. What he needed was to marry into a family like the Talbots to give him social clout.

And if she and Daniel married, she’d satisfy the conditions of her grandmother’s will and inherit a trust fund sufficient to purchase her horses from her father.

Megan could see herself married to a man like Daniel. He respected her mind and her ability to work with the horses, and he wasn’t stiflingly overprotective. He’d worked hard to get where he was, earning his keep on the Lucky C, giving back to the family that provided him a home when his mother died. Yes, he was the kind of man she could easily fall in love with and probably already had.

If the ache that had settled in her chest when she thought of leaving the Lucky C and Daniel was any indication, she could see herself falling for this amazing man.

All her problems would be solved if only Daniel was interested in her as more than just his assistant.

“Do I have dirt on my nose?” Daniel stared up at her, a sleepy smile curling his lips.

“No,” she answered. “Why?”

“You were staring at me and frowning.” He swiped his hand across his face and sat up. “What were you thinking?”

How much she cared about him and wished he returned the feeling. Heat filled her cheeks, and she bit hard on her tongue to keep from blurting out her thoughts. To avoid answering, she turned to Halo. “When did she get up?”

“Around two in the morning. One minute she was lying as still as death, and the next she rolled to her feet as if she was done being sick.”

Megan smiled. “I’m glad. I’ll leave feeling much better knowing she is okay.”

Daniel’s brows dipped. “About that...” He stood and reached down for her hand. “I’ve been thinking.”

Megan laid her fingers across his big palm, bracing herself for the rush of heated awareness to shoot from the point of contact throughout her body. And it did, leaving her feeling slightly breathless and off balance. Oh, yes, she was well on her way to loving this man, and he didn’t have a clue.

If she were smart, she’d keep it to herself. He obviously wasn’t of the same mind or he would have kissed her again. He’d had an opportunity while holding her through the night, and hadn’t made a move.

Daniel pulled her to her feet. “You’re frowning again, and I haven’t even told you my idea.”

“Oh, sorry.” She slipped her hand free and stepped away from him to keep from making a fool of herself. “I guess I was thinking, too.”

“Well, it’s like this—and tell me I’m crazy if this sounds too insane to pursue—”

Megan watched as the man blushed and stumbled over his words. It wasn’t like Daniel to be embarrassed. Nor was it like him to beat around the bush. Megan leaned back against the wall, enjoying this side of Daniel she hadn’t seen. “It can’t be all that bad. Your ideas are usually spot-on.” She smiled, encouraging him to continue.

“You need the money to buy your horses.”

Before he finished his sentence, she shook her head. “I told you, I won’t take your money.”

“That’s good, because I don’t have enough to buy the Triple Diamond breeding stock. But I might have a solution for both your problem and mine.”

Megan’s heart skipped several beats as Daniel’s cheeks turned a ruddy red.

“You need a husband. I need an injection of social elitism that will impress Marshall Kennedy.”

Her heart stopped. Her breath caught and held, refusing to move past the knot in her throat as she waited for what she’d only dreamed would come next.

Daniel shoved a hand through his dark hair and frowned. “I can’t think of any other way to accomplish both, or I’d do it, but I’m fresh out of ideas.”

“Daniel!” Megan said, her voice breathy. “Get to the point.”

“Why don’t we get married?”

Even though she’d known it was coming, it still hit her square in the chest. The air rushed from her lungs, and a tsunami of feelings washed over her. A surge of joy made her heart beat so fast she felt faint. She crested that wave and slid into the undertow of reality. “A marriage of convenience?”

“Exactly.” He reached for her hands.

When she hid them behind her back, he dropped his arms. “It wouldn’t have to be forever. Just long enough to satisfy the stipulations of your grandmother’s will and keep your horses. That would help me get past the Kennedy gauntlet. We could leave today, find a chapel in Vegas and spend the night. It would be over in less than five minutes.”

With her heart smarting, Megan forced a shaky smile. “Way to sweep a girl off her feet.”

He waved his hand, and Halo tossed her head. “If you want, I can make an official announcement in front of my family.”

Megan shook her head. “No.”

“No, you won’t marry me?”

“No.” She pushed past him to pace down the center of the barn. “Your plan is insane.”

“Do you have a better one?” he asked. “I’m all ears.”

The plan was the same as the one she’d been thinking of before Daniel had woken up. Only when she’d dreamed it up, it didn’t sound as cold and impersonal as Daniel’s proposal. Somewhere in the back of her mind she’d hoped that a marriage to Daniel would be something more than one of convenience.