In fact, the thought of her reaching up and pressing her mouth to his sent a ripple of delicious desire along his nerve endings, tightening his muscles. If she chose that moment to kiss him, he’d be powerless to say no.

Swiftly, before she decided to initiate something, he lowered her to the ground and steadied her before he took a step back. “I’ll get my horse from the livery and see you back to the ranch.” Even though she’d probably made the ride home dozens of times alone, he didn’t like the idea of her riding by herself. Besides, he could use the opportunity to get his things.

She studied his face, her gaze flitting over his lips.

Another wave of wanting shot through him, this one just as intense as the last.

Blazing smoke. Was this what he had to live with from now on, remembering their kiss every time he was with her and craving it again? Was that why Wyatt and Flynn wanted him to get married to Ivy, because they knew the temptation firsthand?

He had to resist. He spun toward the hitching post and began to untie the horse’s line. “Wyatt offered me my job back but said I have to live with Flynn.”

She was silent another heartbeat before he heard the thunk of her shoe in the stirrup and the swish of her skirt as she situated herself in the saddle. “And you won’t do either?”

He allowed himself to get his fill of her now that she sat a safe distance away. “It’s best if I stay in town until I get another job.”

She looped the reins through her fingers, twisting the leather. “You don’t have to move.”

What was she insinuating? That she wanted to be with him? All the more reason he needed to make his escape from Healing Springs Ranch while he still had his sanity about him. “I booked a room at the hotel.”

“Are you still planning to work for Wyatt?”

He wasn’t sure what he’d do. He had to keep on acting like he was interested in Steele’s land, but at the thought of her not being able to buy it anymore, he hated to move forward with the purchase, knowing how much it would bother her. “I’ll be checking into a couple of other options tomorrow.”

“Then you won’t be around at all?” Her question hinted at dejection.

He had to relinquish the need to work for Wyatt just so he could see her once in a while. “I’ll be busy. And so will you.”

She stared off to the north. The forest fires that were still burning emanated an eerie glow, lighting up the pine trees and illuminating the outline of the peaks in the darkness. Without the strong winds, the smoke had lessened, leaving only a hint of it in the air.