by Vonna Harper
She shifted the grain sack from one shoulder to the other while watching where she was walking so she’d disturb as little dust as possible. It was quiet here, with nothing going on except birds carrying on winged conversations. Maybe she could hear her heart beating—it was hard to be sure.
Then Koko whinnied. It could have been another horse, but the sound seemed familiar, a one-of-a-kind announcement from a one-of-a-kind animal. Excited, she picked up her pace. Her shorts brushed her buttocks with every step.
A new sound stopped her. Vowing not to try to hide like some thief, she concentrated until she had no doubt she’d heard an approaching vehicle. Going by the direction the rumbling was coming from, she was certain the newcomer had taken the same road she had, not that there were many. She considered and dismissed several options. What made the most sense was to wait and watch before making a move.
Less than a minute after she’d heard the vehicle, it came into view. By then she’d decided it was pulling something. It didn’t surprise her to see a truck hauling a horse trailer. Two men were in the extended cab’s front, another two behind them. Still balancing the grain sack, she watched as they reached the top of the rise. Koko raced back and forth as close to the fencing as he could get. The driver backed the trailer so it was a few feet from the corral’s gate and all four men got out. She recognized the driver as her disciplinarian.
After opening the horse trailer door, he joined the others, who were studying Koko. The stallion pranced about as if challenging his audience to get in the enclosure with him. She was relieved to see a full water trough near the gate. Hay was scattered about.
She put her load down and knelt where she didn’t think anyone could see her. The way her punisher’s companions stared at Koko she was pretty sure this was the first time they’d seen the animal. Clearly they didn’t know what to do with him. If the stallion’s wellbeing weren’t involved, she’d laugh.
And probably earn myself another spanking.
Her disciplinarian unlocked the corral gate and passed through it. He carried a halter and some rope. The others were obviously relieved to let him be the one risking life and limb. Instead of waiting for the man to approach, Koko whirled and thundered to the far end of the corral.
The men who’d stayed outside yelled something. She’d be amused if Koko weren’t so agitated. Clearly, the stallion didn’t like having to share his space with a stranger. She watched as the intruder closed the distance between himself and Koko. Asha gave him credit for not rushing. Going by how Koko’s ears pointed forward, she surmised he was talking to Koko, probably in an attempt to earn his trust. It might happen, but not in one day.
Koko deserved better. Someone had forced him into this confined space and expected him to calmly stay there until he was needed elsewhere, but Koko wasn’t hardwired for patience. How well she understood.
Sighing, she straightened and started walking. Someone had to run the show. From what she’d observed, she was the logical choice.
“Don’t infringe on his space,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear. “That makes him nervous.”
The three men outside the corral turned toward her. She nodded to acknowledge their presence, then came within a few feet of them. The fool who’d decided to try to charm Koko hadn’t closed the gate behind him, not that she blamed him. If things went sideways, he’d need an escape route. Her heart doing things she didn’t want to analyze, she pushed through the gate and re-latched it.
“What are you going to do with him?” she asked.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I asked a question,” she pressed. “What are your plans for Koko?”
Her disciplinarian’s mouth worked. “He’s been here long enough. It’s time to determine if he’s worth what I paid for him.”
“Why did you? I don’t understand paying for something without—”
“I don’t expect you to. Unless you have a fool-proof plan for loading him in the trailer, get the hell out of here before you regret it.”
She had no doubt what he was hinting at, but their audience didn’t need to know. This man had invaded her nights. He was responsible for erotic dreams that ended with her waking up with her fingers on her pussy. Being this close to him in the flesh wasn’t helping. So he was issuing a challenge, was he? That she could deal with.
She acknowledged what he was carrying. “Give me those. Then back off. I take it Koko has been in a trailer?”
“How do you think he got out here?”
This wasn’t a man who abided someone questioning his authority. She’d be wise not to forget that. As for why that piece of information was vital—something said this wasn’t the last time they’d be together. Despite how things had started between them, she wasn’t sorry.
He handed her what she’d asked for then folded his arms across his too-big chest as if only her proving herself to him mattered. Thanks to her extensive experience with horses she knew not to take anything for granted where Koko was concerned. Things could go bad fast if she didn’t win his respect.
“What’s your name?” she asked the man.
“What do you care?”
“You know mine.”
“Tell her,” another men said. “It’s not like it’s some damn secret.”
“Banner,” her disciplinarian said, his tone low and seductive. At least it sounded seductive to her. Impossible to dismiss.
“Thank you. That might prove to be important.”
She ran her hand over the rope. It was rough and stiff. At least the halter had seen use. Whoever had brought Koko here should have kept a halter on him for ease of handling.
“How have you been, big boy?” She kept her voice low. “I’ve been thinking about you, hoping you’ve been able to put your penis to use. Sounds like they’re going to get you out of here. I suggest you keep your libido under wraps. That way, you’re more likely to get put in with a herd. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? All those mares for you without having to fight for them.”
She kept up the seductive, teasing tone as she waited for Koko’s curiosity to get the best of him. A lot of novice horse handlers got that wrong. They thought they had to prove their dominance, when convincing a horse that he called the shots always worked.
“If I was you, I’d play hard to get,” she continued. “Make the mares vie for your attention. Single out one the others respect. Once you have her, the rest will fall in line.”
Given how he watched her, Koko seemed to be considering her advice. Her words didn’t matter—her tone and volume did. As she continued giving him suggestions, she couldn’t help but wonder if Banner was paying attention. He didn’t strike her as a patient man. If she wound up spending more time in his presence it would behoove her to learn why he was the way he was.
“You aren’t wild,” she told Koko. “I’m pretty darn sure you’ve worn a halter. Maybe you’ve been ridden. What I’m thinking is it’s time for you to demonstrate what you’ve learned. You know what this is.” She held up the halter. “Nothing to it, right? Come on, big boy. Let me see what it looks like on you.”
Koko tossed his head. Then, as she’d suspected he’d do, he closed the space between them and sniffed her blouse.
“You’re a big tease.” She slipped the halter over his head. “Showing off a bit. Playing macho stud.”
Whistling as if in agreement, Koko lowered his head. She scratched him behind his ears.
“I love you,” she muttered and attached the rope to the halter. “Time for us to see what Banner and his buddies have in mind for you.”
Chapter Six
Keeping his expression impassive, Banner waited as Asha led the stud to the pasture holding the dozen horses that were part of Escape. Like everything else here, the herd existed compliments of a group with no patience for governmental red tape. They weren’t do-gooders. They were convinced their program was the most direct way to heal the emotionally wounded. Banner, one of the wounded, agreed. He
ll, he’d agreed to give Escape as much time and attention as possible. Nothing and no one was going to stop him, including a hard-headed young woman. She’d proven to be a lot of trouble, but maybe that’s what he needed. He sure as hell was determined to find out.
It was nearly dark, which had too much in common with his mood. If pressed he wasn’t sure he could explain why he was short-tempered. It happened—a lot. He didn’t like that she still hadn’t told him why she’d been where she had today, but there was no denying that her presence had made things easier where Koko was concerned.
“We need her,” Croft said.
“What for? The stud’s been moved.”
“Thanks to her, but that isn’t the only reason she’ll be useful, and you know it,” his fellow soldier argued. “She can handle that piece of rank but valuable horseflesh. She’ll do the same and more with the other horses. Our guests shouldn’t have to concern themselves with their safety. If there’s any place where they can feel safe this has to be it.”
Croft was right, damn him. In less than a week the first soldiers would arrive, men with emotional baggage they’d do everything they could to hide from themselves and the world. Once he’d earned their confidence, he’d explain that he was going down the same rutted and unwanted road.
“She’s free to come and go,” he said. “She has to have a job, commitments.”
“What if those commitments aren’t important to her?” Croft asked. “She could be looking for a change. Do you want me to talk to her? We can probably pay her enough to make the offer tempting.”
“Maybe.”
“Okay, okay. I know where you’re going. There’s a drawback specific to her.”
“Is there?”
“Come on, man. You aren’t blind. Her presence is going to distract men who need to concentrate on getting their acts together.”
“You think so?”
“Shit. Help me here. How do we deal with said problem?”
Done with drawing out the inevitable, he straightened. “By making her understand we won’t stand for her bringing out her sexuality.”
“Turn off the sex appeal? Short of wrapping her in an old horse blanket how’s that going to happen? She has it all together in the physical department.”
He didn’t care about Asha’s physical package, darn it. He had a job to do that revolved around salvaging as many messed-up men as he could.
Groaning under his breath, he headed toward her. She’d stayed in the trailer with Koko during the drive. He’d gone from being sure he’d need at least four men to handle the stud to having a huge load taken off him. His relief had lasted until they’d arrived at their destination, but now he had a new problem.
One he knew how to handle.
“I’ll get my point across,” he said over his shoulder. “Let me take it from here.”
“I trust you,” Croft said. “Hell, I know what you’re capable of. I’m just pointing out that this is new territory for us.”
“No it isn’t. She’s trainable.”
“You sound like she’s your pet.”
“Not yet.”
She couldn’t make out Banner’s expression, but Asha had a pretty good idea of his mood. He could be upset because she’d had no trouble handling Koko. If that was it, she didn’t have much respect for a man whose macho ego got in the way. He was sex appeal in a hot package all right, but she wasn’t an adolescent girl with a crush. In fact she’d never had a crush. That would take a lot more trust in the male of her species than she’d ever had.
Watching him approach was like watching a predator assess whether an attack was worth the effort. She couldn’t shake off the memory of how he’d manhandled her. The smartest thing she could do was avoid him as much as possible. He’d have his say. She’d have hers. They’d shake hands, maybe he’d thank her for handling Koko, and she’d leave.
“What were you doing near Koko earlier?” he asked.
“I thought I’d made that clear. I was concerned for his wellbeing. Out there by himself—short of jumping over the fence, which would have been hard to pull off, he was at the mercy of whoever had confined him.”
“You didn’t trust me to care for him?”
“I don’t know you.” She kept her gaze on him. He’d won the first round, but the war between them was far from over.
“That works both ways,” he shot back. “I don’t know thing one about you. Where did your confidence concerning stallions come from?”
“I’ve been around livestock most of my life.”
“Is that what you’re doing now?”
Suspicious, she studied the sky. The stars would start appearing before long, which meant she’d be less able to read Banner’s mood.
“What does it matter? In case this is what you’re wondering, I didn’t blow off work to come out here.”
“Good to hear. I don’t have any respect for someone who doesn’t prioritize her job. Some of us risk everything to ensure that the populace lives in peace.”
What did you risk? “What makes you say that, not that I don’t admire those who focus on safety.”
“You better.”
The conversation had gotten off on the wrong foot. Maybe it had never had a chance. “Are you waiting for me to apologize? I don’t know what for.”
Shifting his weight, he drew in a deep breath. “What do you do for a living?”
He didn’t need to know. Heck, they didn’t need to be having a conversation, but they were and she was soaking up every moment. She’d never forget this man, didn’t want to have to rely on small chunks of memory. He’d already turned her understanding of herself in a new direction.
Also, he’d seen her partly naked. His hand had landed hard and repeatedly on her ass. He’d forced her to climax.
Hopefully keeping her tone neutral, she told him about working for the well-heeled brothers. She didn’t refer to them by name, but it wouldn’t be hard for him to come up with that information if he were so inclined.
“Five years,” he mused. “Does that make you the employee with the most experience?”
“I’m not bragging, but that’s me. Also most people who stable their horses on the property ask my opinion about such things as whether to buy a particular new one.”
“You consider yourself a good judge of horseflesh?”
“I’m not bad. I don’t give much weight to lineage. Studying how a horse handles himself in a variety of situations tells me what I need to know.”
“Do you get paid extra for your advice?”
Sensing he was getting to the point of this conversation, she said she did. “I could get paid more at another facility, but the brothers let me keep my RV on the property. I pretty much choose my hours.”
“You live in an RV?”
“Paid for.” Her housing probably didn’t mean much to him but owning the roof over her head helped her sleep.
“Then moving wouldn’t be a problem. You can bring everything with you.”
“I’m not interested.”
Instead of responding, he stepped into her space. She refused to back away, which meant they were now so close she felt—or thought she felt—his expelled breath in her hair. He hadn’t said anything of a truly personal nature, thankfully hadn’t brought up the spanking, but the possibility hung between them.
“What if I made it worth your while?”
“What are you talking about?”
“About Escape needing someone experienced with livestock around all the time.”
Keeping her mouth shut took effort. So much for thinking she’d never see him again. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, or maybe the truth was that knowing he’d be part of her world for the foreseeable future had sent her blood pressure up several points. Moisture gathered at her crotch and her palms tingled.
She didn’t need this.
Wanted it.
“I’m surprised whoever owns Escape hadn’t already thought of that,” she said.
�
��You have no idea how many moving parts are involved in getting what Escape represents off the ground. Maintaining the livestock is only one element.”
“I’m sure I don’t know, but—”
“What would it take in the way of salary for you to agree to assume responsibility for the animals here? What help you have will be volunteer, with different people with a wide range of experience, including none, at different times.”
She almost said she didn’t understand what he was getting at, but he already knew that. Liking the idea of having some control over Banner, she shot him a figure nearly double what she now earned. He whistled.
“You’re pushing it. Taking advantage and robbing—”
“What? Robbing who?”
“People, mostly men, with PTSD.”
At a loss for words, she stared up at him. She was still hyperaware of his closeness, to say nothing of his size and the masculine aura built into him, but she remained determined to focus on what was important.
“There are a lot of reasons for someone to have PTSD.” I’m speaking from personal experience.
“Yeah, there are.” He slapped the side of his neck.
A moment later, she did the same. As much as she loved being outside at night, mosquitos were a major drawback.
“I should have brought repellent,” she said as another of the beastly insects buzzed around her ear.
“We’ll finish this inside.” He pointed in the direction of the large house she’d spotted when she was in the horse trailer.
He’d issued a command to her when a suggestion was what civilized humans did. Pissed, she folded her arms over her chest. Hopefully he couldn’t tell that her nipples were hard.
“No, we won’t,” she snapped. “I’ll give you my phone number. Call when you feel like explaining what’s going on here.”
“I intend to do that as soon as we put distance between ourselves and these bastards.”
