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he would have guessed with her black hair. And right now they were the stormy deep
green of a raging sea. He felt a stirring he hadn t felt in a long time but banked it down.
He had no time for city women. He leaned down staring into her green eyes. Lady,
you re on my property and you d better have a good reason for trespassing, he growled.
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Then you must be Mr. O Shea, Sage snapped holding her head high. I m Sage
Mendoza and I ve come for my mother. So with you permission, my Lord, I ll just
continue on to the house. With this as a dismissal she turned to continue walking.
What about your car? he asked without moving.
She abruptly halted and sighed. Since your road is responsible for the condition
of the car in question, perhaps it wouldn t be too much to ask if you could have the tire
changed for me. Then my mother and I can be on our way.
Now Quinn frowned. Cheyenne hadn t said anything about leaving. He d
become very fond of her and would hate to see her leave. But that was not up to him.
I ll have your car fixed, but I wouldn t count on Cheyenne leaving, he said
dismounting. Striding forward he fell in step along side her noting that she barely came
to the top of his shoulder.
Thank you. As for my mother, that is between her and me. She& Sage
stepped on a large stone and would have fallen if not for Quinn s quick reflexes. She felt
his arm pull her up against him to keep her from falling. She immediately pulled away.
As I was saying, she has had her time on a ranch, but now it s time for her to come
home where she belongs.
Don t you think that s her decision? The fool woman stumbled again. His
hand steadied her. Look Sagebrush, she came to me for a job and I gave her one. She s
an adult with more common sense than most of the people I ve met. If she wants to live
here, it s up to her, he stated emphatically.
She ground her teeth. My name is Sage. And my mother is my business! To
her chagrin her heel caught in a rut in the road making her lurch forward.
Seems to me they should have named you Tumbleweed going by the way you
walk, he snorted easily swinging her up into his arms. He breathed in her soft floral
scent as he cradled her against his chest. She was soft and warm in his arms igniting
feelings he d long thought dead or buried deep where they d never be exposed again.
Sage didn t know whether to be embarrassed or angry over his actions. Anger
won out. Put me down, she ordered pushing against his shoulders. I am perfectly
capable of walking on my own. He smelled of horse and hard work, but for some
reason it wasn t a totally unpleasant odor. Up this close she could see the days dark
growth on his face and sun kissed streaks of gold in his dark brown hair. He really was
an attractive man, but an annoying one that she could do without.
He glanced at her small feet clad in fragile purple shoes and gave a bark of
laughter. I have serious doubts about your being able to walk across a room let alone up
to the house. If you want to see your mother today, I suggest you relax and let me get
you there in one piece.
Humph!
Quinn bit back a grin at her disgruntled look. She crossed her arms over her chest
and stared straight ahead as he effortlessly carried her the rest of the way to the house.
Thor trailed behind with Shadow walking along side as he studied the person in his
master s arms.
For once in her life Sage was at a loss for words. But then what could you
possibly say to an overgrown barbarian with the frontal lobes of a hamster? And her
mother had said that Quinn was wonderful. Ha! He was domineering and bossy and
rude and& her mental tirade was abruptly cut short when he unceremoniously put her on
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her feet. Pushing the door wide he motioned for her to enter. She stomped past him with
as much outrage as she could muster.
Hey Cheyenne, you got company, he bellowed down the hallway. I ll see
about getting your car fixed and get your suitcase brought into the house.
I appreciate your getting my car fixed. But I would prefer to stay in a motel
nearby.
Sorry, Sagebrush, but there are no motels close by. The closest one is just
outside Monticello and you would be on the road going back and forth which wouldn t
leave much time to visit with your mother. Let s face up to our dilemma. This wasn t a
trip that you had planned to make and I hadn t planned on any visitors. The only thing
we can do is to make the best of an uncomfortable situation. Oh her green eyes were
about to erupt. Suddenly he wondered what they would look like in passion. Just as
quickly he dismissed the thought. It was none of his business and he wasn t interested in
finding out.
Sage groaned. Then resolve straightened her spine. How can I refuse such a
gracious invitation?
Quinn nodded as he made to leave, but turned back at the last second. Oh, and a
word of advice. Scrap the ankle breakers and get some sensible shoes.
Before she could mount a suitable reply he and the wolf were out the door. Of
all the nerve! she muttered to the empty foyer.
Sage? Is that you? Cheyenne asked as she came down the hallway wiping her
hands on a rose patterned apron. I thought I heard Quinn?
Sage rushed forward to gather her mother into a warm hug. Don t you ever go
off like this again! Do you have any idea how worried we ve been? She held her
mother at arms length to see her more clearly. She looked wonderful. Her long back
hair, now heavily threaded with gray, was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck.
Her dark eyes reflected happiness and held a twinkle that Sage could not remember ever
seeing before. And yes, your boss was here but he left to go bully someone else
presumably. How you can say that man is wonderful is beyond me! He is arrogant,
bossy and rude. And I have a feeling that those are his good points, Sage snapped then
immediately regretted her outburst.
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