“Total gold digger,” Silas grumbled. “Woman had nothing but dollar signs in her eyes the whole time. How the hell someone could lie to another person’s face like that for months…”
“I’m just glad she’s gone,” Emily cut in.
“When she left,” Wyatt said, “she took a bunch of stuff from around the house, whatever she thought looked valuable. Guess she decided if she wasn’t going to rob me blind through my bank account, she’d do it the good old-fashioned way.”
“You know, she really did us a favor with that one,” Ginny admitted. “Bless your father’s heart, but I don’t have any idea what he saw in that damn vase. Thing was ugly as sin.”
“No idea how she even got it out of there,” Travis said. “Ugly as sin and heavy as a rock.”
More laughs. I let the story settle in my mind. Wyatt had been married. There was more to this cowboy than met the eye.
Chapter 5
WYATT
Juniper, my big gray mare, looked ready to pop. She was ten months into pregnancy, and I was probably as eager to see the foal as she was. I patted her rump on the side as I moved around her, making sure she looked healthy.
“How you doin’, big girl?” I asked. “You ready to be a mama? I bet you are. Probably excited and scared as hell all at the same time, eh?”
She let out a snort as if responding to me. Her tail flicked back and forth. In a month the ranch would have a brand-new addition. I couldn’t wait. Few things were more beautiful than a healthy foal. I just had to think of a name.
“What do ya think, girl?” I asked. “Got any ideas for a name?”
She let out another snort.
“Not sure how I’d write that one on the birth certificate. I know, I know, bad joke.” I made another slow circle around her. “Hmm. How about Misty? Always thought that’d be a pretty name for a horse. Might be a boy, though. In that case we’d have to pick one a little tougher. Like maybe Rocky. Or Beast. Yeah, kinda like the sound of Beast.”
Another snort, this time accompanied by a head shake.
“Fine, fine, no Beast. Maybe Jeff. How about that? Good name for a horse?” No response. Maybe my jokes were too corny even for her.
“I don’t know. I think Jeff sounds pretty good.”
I recognized the voice and turned around to find Jess standing in the door of the barn. The sky was a bright blue behind her, making her look beauty even more otherworldly. She was bundled up in a surprisingly thin coat and a wool scarf Mom had made not too long back. It was pulled down just enough for me to see the broad, warm smile on her face.
“Glad someone here’s got my back.” I flicked a glance at Juniper, who snorted once more.
She stepped into the barn and shut the door behind her, the place darkening aside from the beams of stray sunlight shining through the slated windows. “Which one’s this?” she asked, stepping up to Juniper.
“Juniper’s her name. And as I’m sure you can tell, she’s about to be a mama.”
“Bet she’s thrilled.”
“We’re all thrilled. Ain’t that right, girl?” I patted Juniper on the side.
“That was sweet,” she commented. “What you were doing?”
“What’s that?”
“Talking to her. Just like you said you did.”
I shrugged. “I think it helps. Especially with the horses. They’ve got a way of knowin’ what’s really goin’ on with humans. If you’re antsy, they get antsy. If you’re calm, then they’re calm.”
Jess undid her scarf and opened her coat before sitting down on a nearby bale of hay. Underneath her coat she wore a simple white blouse, and I could see the faint outline of what looked like a red bra. It took all the restraint I had not to stare at her breasts, not to mention think about what I wanted to do with them.
“So how often do you go into town for your work? You have a clinic, right? I heard Travis mention it.”
“These days, not too often,” I explained. “You’re right about the clinic, but that’s mostly run by my staff. I only pop in to check in, see if they need anything, or to do complicated surgeries the other vets don’t think they can handle.”
She gave me a curious look. “Why’s that?”
I looked aside, trying to decide where to begin. “Don’t get me wrong – I love my work. Like I told you, I’ve always wanted to be a vet. But the lifestyle…it can be rough. You love animals, but when you see them, they’re sick. And when one passes, it never gets easier breakin’ the news to their owners. ‘Owners’ isn’t even the right word, really – they’re more like family to these animals.”
She nodded sympathetically. “I can imagine how that’d be hard. Must take its toll after a while.”
“It can. And I’ve seen a lot of good doctors have a hard time copin’ with everything. A lot of them end up cracking under the stress, retire early, that kinda thing.”
“You seem like you’ve got a high tolerance for stress, though. You seem like a man who can handle anything.”
“Ha, I’ll take that compliment,” I joked, pursing my lips. “But it’s true, I seem to be a little more skilled at handlin’ those sorts of things. But still, it took its toll after a time. So I decided to put the clinic in good hands and spend most of my time at the ranch.”
“I can see why. It’s beautiful here.” She looked out the closest window with a contented sigh.
“You’re right about that. Happy about my decision. I wouldn’t trade this place for the world.”
She glanced around the barn. “Anything here I can help you with? I feel like I’m not really making myself useful while I’m staying.”
“Don’t you even think about that,” I admonished gently. “Like I told you, you’re a guest here. Your job is to relax and get better while you work through the loss of your memory.”
She stood up, shaking her head. “I insist. I’m sure there’s something I can do. It’d make me feel better if I was helping.”
I put my hand on my hip and regarded her. Jess was determined and wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself. I liked that a hell of a lot. I smiled at her, a show of respect. “Alright. If a lady insists, then I’m not gonna stand in her way.”
I stepped back and scanned the barn, looking for something for her to do. I went over to the wall where the supplies were kept and removed one of the horse brushes. “How are you at brushing?”
“Like, my teeth?”
I chuckled. “No, like your hair.”
“I’d say it’s something I can handle.”
I passed the brush to her. “Horses love bein’ talked to. But I think a little more than that, they like to be brushed. Why don’t you come over to Juniper and give her the royal treatment?”
Jess sidled to Juniper’s side, careful not to move quickly. “Anything to it?” she asked. “That I should know?”
“Nope. Just smooth, straight strokes with that thing and she’ll be the happiest horse you’ve ever seen.”
She nodded and began slowly moving the brush through Juniper’s thick mane. Juniper was calm, leaning a little into the brush. “Aw, you like that, don’t you? You’re such a beautiful horse, you know that, right?”
Juniper let out a soft snort as Jess continued to brush her.
“Feels good, right?”
I stepped back and crossed my arms over my chest, watching her from a distance. She continued brushing Juniper’s mane and speaking softly and sweetly to her. Something about her, watching the way she tended to the animal moved something in me, something I couldn’t explain.
“What do you think?” she asked after a minute or so of brushing.
“I’m thinkin’ you’re a natural. Might end up puttin’ you to work after all.”
She smiled. “Next maybe some braids.”
“Now, let’s not get crazy.” Jess let out an adorable, chiming laugh. I checked my watch, noting it was getting close to lunch. “What do you think about headin’ back to the house?” I asked. “Mama G should be putti
n’ the finishin’ touches on lunch right about now. Not sure, but I’m thinkin’ BLTs.”
“The best BLTs I’ve had in my life?”
“You know it.”
She handed me the brush and I put it where it belonged as she turned to speak to the horse. “Bye, Juniper. Nice to meet you. And congratulations.”
Juniper gave one final snort and flick of her tail before the two of us headed off.
I opened the barn door, the sunlight pouring in through the wide gap. The day was still beautiful and clear, not a single cloud in the sky. The puddles were still a problem, but the ground would dry in a couple days as long as the rain didn’t return. The rains would bring a green spring, which I was grateful for.
“Anything new on the memory front?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Still the same as before – just impressions here and there. I’m starting to get a little worried.”
“The doctors said it should start comin’ back soon, right? I know those two guys – they may not have the gentlest bedside manner in the world, but they know their stuff.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. And they did say a few days or weeks. And everything else feels better, at least.”
“That’s good to hear. Thinkin’ you just took a good bump to the head and got some things mixed around in there. The body’s very good at healin’ itself. Probably just need more time.”
Jess shivered as a gust of wind blew past, drawing my attention to her thin coat.
“Don’t know if that’s gonna to cut it for the cool weather. The sun might be shining, but it’s still in the forties.”
“I know,” she grumbled, pulling the jacket close around her. “But my heavier coat’s still drying.”
I was warm in my shearling jacket and seeing Jess suffering didn’t sit right with me at all. Without saying a word, I unzipped it and placed it over her shoulders.
She turned an expression of surprise my way, her gaze flickering over my flannel shirt. “But you’re going to freeze!”
“Don’t you worry about that. I’ve dealt with this kind of weather long enough to be able to tough it out.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. House isn’t too far off, and if one of us is gonna suffer, I want it to be me.” I flashed her a smile. “I insist.”
“Alright…if you insist.” She pulled the jacket tight around her gorgeous body. “This coat is so warm. Where’d you get it?”
“That was one of my father’s. Keeps me warm and reminds me of him. A good two-fer deal.”
We trudged along through the snow, the house about ten minutes ahead of us. I kind of wished I could fall back so I could look at her shapely form, but since my coat covered most of her, there was no need. And it would be rude.
“Your dad…” she said, her voice lilting up in a question. “What was he like?”
I chuckled. Where to begin? “My old man was most definitely what you would call a tough son of a bitch. Hard man to know, and a hell of a worker. Built his company from the ground up, and the house too. He was rough around the edges, sure, and definitely the strong and silent type. But he loved the hell out of all of us in his own way. Everything he did was for his family.”
“Sounds like a good man.”
“He most definitely was. Miss the hell out of the guy.”
She regarded me with an expression of both warmth and sincerity. Damn, the woman was fucking beautiful. I couldn’t resist looking at her.
“You know,” I said, changing the subject and tearing my eyes off her face. “This landscape’s pretty gorgeous.”
“It really is. I love it.”
“But it’s got nothing on you.”
For a moment, she was surprised, but her expression quickly turned into a dazzling smile. I’d say anything to get that smile out of her.
“Aren’t you a sweet talker,” she flirted. Then she regarded my flannel shirt. “OK, I told you the truth when I said you look like you could handle anything. But this cold’s got to be killing you.”
“If you think you’re gonna talk me into takin’ back my jacket, you might as well stop there.” The idea of this girl suffering in the slightest, even if was only from some cold on a short walk back to the house, was enough to get me keyed up.
“I’m sure. You’re probably as stubborn as you are tough. But I was going to suggest something else.”
“What’s that?”
“A little body warmth.”
Without saying another word, she stepped closer and snuggled up close to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and held her tight. Her body felt good as hell against mine. We walked in silence like that, slowly making our way to the house. Once we arrived at the door we stopped, standing there for a time. I didn’t want to let her go, and I could tell she felt the same way.
“Thanks for lending me your jacket,” she murmured as she slipped it off and handed it over.
“Anytime.” I took it and tossed it over my shoulder.
The two of us stood there, looking into each other’s eyes, her green gaze as lovely as springtime. And there it was again – that hot tension that had formed between us last night in her room. I should’ve resisted again, but it was too damn hard. Jess had a way of getting through the barriers I’d put up, knowing how to get right to my heart.
She stepped up on her toes and planted a kiss on my cheek.
Fuck it.
Without a moment of hesitation, I pulled off my right glove, placed my hand on her chin, and turned her head toward mine. Then I kissed her.
Just like I’d guessed, she tasted like Heaven. Our lips lingered for a long time, my hands on her hips and hers on my chest. My senses took over, and I drew back. Jess regarded me with a heated expression, one that suggested she wanted more. But like last night, she was confused.
“Jess, you know we can’t be doing this.”
“But we both want it.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
She chuckled quietly. “Doesn’t matter?” she asked playfully.
I lifted a corner of my mouth in a small smile. “Your memory needs to come back before we do anything we might regret.”
It was hard as hell, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Jess and I, as much as we wanted each other, had to keep ourselves in check. Looked like I would have to be the one to take the lead on the subject.
We couldn’t stand out there like that forever. Not only that, but I had the mother of all hard-ons and needed to hide it. With one last squeeze, I let her go and opened the door. The two of us stepped into the warm entryway of the house and saw a few guests milling around here and there. We regarded each other again, neither of us wanting to move. But the chime of the bell for lunch snapped us back to reality.
“We should get somethin’ to eat,” I said. “Ready?”
She nodded and turned, leading the way to the dining room. The glimpse of her rear in the tight jeans did not help with the hard-on, and I had to think of baseball and pond scum to get the sight out of my head.
Lunch was delicious, of course. BLTs on fresh-baked bread, along with some killer potato salad. All throughout the meal, Jess and I tried to avoid making eye contact. When we finished eating, Jess headed up to her room and I went to mine. I was sticky and sweaty from working and felt like a shower was in order. But that kiss was still fresh in my mind, and I decided that while I was getting clean, I’d take care of something else as well.
I stripped off my clothes and glanced in the mirror as I passed. I wasn’t the type to be to fixated on my appearance, but I had some pride in being in good shape. My muscles were still big and defined. I had never been much for the gym – life on a ranch was a non-stop workout.
Once in the bathroom I took off my boxer-briefs and tossed them aside. My cock was still half-hard from the kiss and extraordinary view. I stepped into the shower, turned on the water, and let it flow over my body. I couldn’t wait to soap up. The pressure boiled inside me and needed
to be released. I took my cock into my hand and closed my eyes.
The fantasy instantly came to life. Jess and I were in her room, the two of us on her bed. I was in nothing but my boxer-briefs, and she in nothing but that sexy as hell thong I’d spotted in her suitcase.
“I take it the kiss wasn’t enough?” she cooed, smiling seductively.
“Not even fuckin’ close.”
“So you want more.”
“I want more.”
“Tell me what you want.”
My eyes dropped to her tits, big and round and perfect, her nipples pink and hard. “I’d rather show you.”
I leaned down and grabbed her breasts, putting my mouth over the left nipple and sucking it, licking it. Jess moaned with pleasure as I touched her, her back arching underneath me. As I sucked her tits, I squeezed them too, feeling their soft ripeness.
Her body was like none I’d seen – full but muscular with curves in all the right places. And the way her auburn hair fell around her face was perfect.
“That feels so fucking good,” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”
I kept at it, turning my attention from one breast to the other. I moved my hand over her belly, under the waist of her panties and over the soft patch of hair above her pussy.
“You’re already wet for me,” I murmured. “I can feel it.”
“Just for you.”
Exactly what I wanted to hear. I spread her lips open and slipped a finger into her, then two. Her pussy wrapped around me, gripping me tightly.
“You like when I touch you like that?”
“So fucking much. Don’t stop.”
I moved up to kiss her as I continued to finger her pussy. Unlike the kiss we’d shared on the porch, this one was all tongue. Hers moved against mine, her delicious taste filling my mouth. And as we kissed, I moved in and out of her, feeling her body writhe under mine.
Cowboy's Baby: A Secret Baby Ranch Western Cowboy Romance Page 5
