Lost Memories (Honky Tonk Hearts)

by Thomas, Sherri

  Extracting the rubber band from her hair, she pushed the run-away strands back, and retied her unruly curls at the base of her neck. “What’s the game plan?”

  “Anyway that works.”

  His smile grew contagious, and her spirits lifted. She liked working with Chris. He kept things light. No pressure.

  “Uh-oh.”

  She twisted around in time to see Nick approaching, glowering in her direction.

  Chapter Three

  Darcy stepped back. “He doesn’t look happy.”

  Chris’s lean form bent toward her. “Probably swallowed a fly or something.”

  She hid a giggle behind her hand.

  Nick frowned at his brother. The muscle in his cheek worked at a steady pace. “You’re supposed to be helping Trent with the sheep.”

  “Sam’s in town picking up a load of rock for the pen and asked me to move the pigs before he gets back. Darcy agreed to help.”

  “Head down and help Trent. I’ll help her move the pigs.” Broad shoulders stiffened as he stepped into the fenced area, his eyes not straying from his sibling.

  Chris stared back, appearing ready to say something. Tension snapped through the air like a crackle in a stormy gray sky, and Darcy bit her lip to keep from telling Nick he was being awfully hard on his youngest brother.

  The kinder one shook his head and left, brushing his shoulder against his elder.

  The brute sighed and turned. “You ready?”

  She stuck out her chin and firmed up her lips. “Yes.” Though annoyed with the way he treated his brother, his standoffish attitude kept her on edge. Not to mention his downright unapproachable appearance with his black Stetson pulled low, and the black shirt stretched taunt across his chest, tucked into his low-riding Wranglers.

  She pulled on the neckline of her T-shirt. Working with Chris, she experienced a sense of calmness, but with this one...

  Get your mind off your boss and on your job. She wiped her hands on her jeans. “Let’s get started.”

  With the Almighty One’s help, five of the seven pigs where relocated from one enclosure to the other. The last two proved more difficult. Darcy went one way, Nick another, only to circle back around and hit heads leaving her dizzy. Then the thick-headed animal led her around the maddening cowboy’s legs causing her to slip. Her boots and jeans ended up covered in mud.

  With a heavy breath, she pivoted just as Horace ran behind her, pushing her knees in. Someone squealed as she splattered hands first into the mud.

  Oh man, what a mess.

  Flinging the sludge from her fingers, she glared where Horace munched on the food remaining in his feed tub.

  “This means war, pig.” She pushed to her feet and wiped her hands on her thighs.

  “Don’t take your eye off him. He likes to play, especially in the mud,” Nick told her as he corralled Charlotte toward the gate.

  At the last minute, the sow twisted to one side and got away from him. Darcy eyed the unyielding monsters and advanced, pushing Charlotte’s back end until she headed toward the opening. Then the pig stopped dead.

  “Go on, join your friends.” She shoved, but the darn animal stood her ground.

  Come on, don’t make me look bad.

  “Be persistent. Don’t back down.” Nick wedged himself between the two. “If you let up, she’ll hide by Horace.”

  Easy for him to say.

  Planting her feet in the mud, Darcy pressed forward. After several long minutes, the swine conceded and joined the others.

  Now for Horace the Troublemaker.

  She pondered over a strategy, but came up empty. Deciding to wing it, Darcy approached with arms spread wide. Nick moved on the other side, while she angled her direction to shove Horace to the left. But the slippery swine veered and ran behind her legs.

  Damn it.

  This pig was getting the best of her, and in front of her boss to boot. She needed to make him move, to prove she wasn’t completely incompetent.

  Foot glopped in mud, she circled him. He sprinted to the right, and her hand scraped against the thick skinned menace. Horace squealed and moved to the left faster than she believed the fat hog capable. Wiping her brow with the back of her arm, she lunged to catch him, missing by inches and fell face first into the mud.

  Spitting and sputtering the dirt from her lips, she lifted her head in time to see Horace strut in front of her, sticking his pink nose in the air before strutting through to the other pen.

  No way.

  Darcy rolled over, breathing hard from the unexpected exercise. She flung a forearm over her eyes to block out the sight of Nick peering over her.

  “You okay?”

  Removing the barrier, she witnessed a twitch of his lips beneath the thin layer of scruff covering his jaw.

  “Thanks for all your help.” Not. Other than standing there, he hadn’t done a thing to help with Horace.

  He held a hand out to her. “Looked like you had him under control.”

  Darcy rose onto her elbows. Yuck. Her jeans were caked with who knew what else. Anxious to get out of the stench, she placed her hand in his. Palm to palm, her heart skipped a beat, and she forgot to breath.

  He tugged on her arm, pulling her to her feet. His arm went around her waist as she slammed into his chest. The unexpected heat of him made her step back into one of Horace’s holes, knocking them both off balance.

  Nick twisted, bracing her against his hard chest as they landed back in the muck. Air whooshed from her lips. She stared at his mud-splattered form in horror.

  Oh, God, he’s sure to fire me now.

  “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” She tugged her foot to free it, catching her boot on the cuff of his jeans.

  “I would be if you’d stop kicking me.” All movement halted on her part as she stared, biting her bottom rim to keep from laughing as she wiped the specks from his cheek, making the damage ten times worse. His skin was warm and bristly under her finger, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

  His chest rumbled beneath her.

  Startled by the warmth that spread through her, she levitated herself by placing her palms on his chest.

  “You should see yourself.” His lips lifted at the corners before he broke out in a full laugh.

  A second later she joined him. “Me? What about you?”

  His thumb wiped a clump of sludge off her check as he moved his leg. Every hard inch of him pressed into her flesh, branding her to him.

  When he tucked a stray curl behind her ear, a spark ignited in her toes and heat worked through her body. His chest rose and fell in a rapid pace beneath her palms, but her own air suspended in her lungs. She fought a wild urge to rake a fingernail over his unshaved jaw.

  She sucked in a breath. This was not right. The way her body succumbed to one touch of his hand was wrong.

  Darcy pulled her knees up in an effort to get to her feet. Large hands encased the back of her thighs in a stilling motion, and she ending up straddling him as he rose to a sitting position. A helpless gasp robbed her of speech and pulled his eyes to her lips.

  She gave herself a mental shake and swallowed the moan rising in her throat. Ripples of anticipation churned deep inside, and she forced herself to look away. The magnificent body was off limits. He’s my employer for goodness sake.

  “I—I must look quite a sight,” she commented, trying to escape her own thoughts.

  “We both do.” He smirked, revealing a devilish indentation in his left cheek.

  When did he get a dimple? She didn’t remember seeing one before.

  Muscles flexed under her and the heat of him seeped through her jeans. She glanced away, wondering how to talk her jelly-filled muscles into getting up. Failing to persuade her body, her sights returned to his. Green specks highlighted his brown orbs—another new finding to keep the breath from my lungs.

  “We, uh, should get cleaned up.”

  His voice broke through her muddled brain. Nodding, one by one she convinced her l
imbs to move and scrambled to her feet before he attempted to help her again. “Where exactly can we do that?”

  “There’s a hose by the barn.” He picked his hat up out of the muck as he rose and led the way.

  The wooden structure loomed not far ahead and as much as she wanted the goop out of her hair, she stayed a couple of paces back because her nerve endings sizzled when she got too close.

  Wonderful. Not only did she have to worry about screwing up the job, now she had to find a way to rein in suddenly uncontrollable hormones.

  Nick cursed under his breath the whole way to the barn. He was right in keeping his distance from Darcy yesterday. Too bad his judgment failed him today. While he found her mishaps slightly amusing, he grew worried over her safety. Yet, though the animals got the better of her on occasion, she never quit and continued to tend to the rebellious creatures with a caring hand. He admired her spunk and determination more than he wished to admit.

  Running a hand threw his muddy hair, he fought the desire to turn around and haul her into his arms again. At thirty-two, he figured himself capable of controlling his urges. What he hadn’t counted on was the intensity of the pull. His body had responded to her in a millisecond when she landed on top of him, and he’d wanted more than his next breath to raise his head and kiss those luscious lips.

  He groaned inward, recalling the way her breasts pushed on the pale green cotton shirt tucked into the small waistband of her jeans. She’d turned his blood hot with one glance. Damn.

  Nick grasped the hose and twisted the nozzle, spraying his face with cold water. The blast knocked the air right out of him. Nothing like a cold shower and a dose of priorities to get his mind straight.

  He held the hose over his head and doused his heated body. Monday needed to get here fast. The business meetings he’d set up out of town should help snap his hormones back into place. The magazine companies who agreed to meet with him were widely known and great advertisement for the ranch. Many folks were interested in vacationing at a dude ranch, and his job was to convince the families to vacation at the Matthews Dude Ranch. The business was a whole lot safer to think about than the body standing next to him.

  He shook the water from his hair, rinsed his arms, and opened his eyes to find Darcy not two feet from him. Even with clumps of mud in her hair and smudged on her face she was a sight of beauty.

  “Your, uh...” His voice croaked like a gangly teenager. He forced his throat to clear and, raising the hose, stepped toward her. “Your turn.”

  At the first blast of the water, her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips. She laughed and tipped her head to pull out the band securing her hair. Slender fingers ran through the curls as she bent forward giving him a clear view of her cleavage.

  Nick followed the contour of her body and all but groaned out loud. Her nipples hardened before his eyes, and he imagined rolling the tight beads in his fingertips. His body tightened at the provocative image.

  When she lifted her hair and turned, the water cascaded down her back to her firm, tight ass.

  He sucked in a breath. Lusting after an employee was not one of his better ideas, but he couldn’t turn away.

  Rotating in a circle, she stopped and stared in his direction. A piece of him melted. Surely, those big brown eyes could buy her the moon. His feet shuffled closer even as his brain told him to stop. He touched the side of her face.

  “You missed a spot.” Using the side of his wet thumb, he rubbed the dirt off her cheek. As expected, her cool skin was smooth and soft.

  When she licked her lips, he zeroed in on the movement. Adrenaline rushed through him. Unable to stop himself, he tucked her hair behind her ear and noted the pulse twitched at the base of her throat. His free hand found its way to the back of her neck, nudging her closer. The hose fell out of his other hand as the thought of tasting her had his mouth lowering to hers.

  Cold water spurted up between them and Nick sprang back, noting through the frozen mist that the hose had landed on the trigger of the sprayer. He grabbed the handle ceasing the shower of water.

  Darcy blinked, then doubled over in a fit of laughter. The sound contagious, he soon found himself chuckling, too, realizing he had never enjoyed a day’s work quite this much.

  Suddenly she straightened in haste and looked around, her doe eyes round as saucers. Rubbing her wet arms with her hands, she whipped her head from one direction to the other.

  Alarm set in. “What’s wrong?”

  “I heard something.” She scanned the area, appearing ready to bolt into hiding.

  “Probably one of the animals.”

  She shook her head. “No, it sounded like someone said my name.” Her sights darted around for whatever sound she heard.

  He glanced to the right then the left, but saw no one.

  “I didn’t hear anything.” Why was she so skittish?

  “G-guess just my imaginations working overtime.”

  “Uh-huh. Care to explain why?”

  Nick watched her rewrap the band around her hair with shaky movements. The way she jumped from one extreme to the next, just like April, bothered him. He needed a way to figure out what she hid from him.

  “Too much sun.” Her lips lifted in an attempt to smile, but fell short as her gaze took in the surroundings again.

  If not for the way her fingers curled into a tight fist, he might have believed her. “Why don’t you head on down to the guest cabins. They need cleaned before the next group arrives. The supplies should be in the closet in cabin one.” While I take time to sort this all out before I make a complete mess of my life.

  She grimaced at her clothes. “Would it be okay if I change first?”

  “Sure.” Nick watched her saunter away, which was becoming an addicting hobby, one sure to bite him in the ass. Her head moved back and forth as she scanned the area then glanced his way before hurrying off.

  He scouted the vicinity, half hoping to see anything to validate her actions. Maybe he’d try to get a hold of her friend again tonight. Last night, all he got was an answering machine. Tomorrow, he’d have Darcy work with him in the horse barn. If he talked to her alone, she might shed some light on her past. Not to mention, the bonus of splitting Chris and her up. The way those two carried on, it was a wonder anything got done.

  He glanced around at the mess. Then again, maybe he should fire her before anything more happened. His mother would understand his safety concerns. If not, he’d make her see reason. The woman proved harmful to the ranch...and his libido.

  ****

  “I’m gonna call Mom tonight and tell her this isn’t working,” Nick informed his brothers at supper that evening.

  “What’s not?” Trent stuffed some meatloaf in his mouth.

  “Darcy.”

  “It’s only been two days. Give her time.” Sam put his fork down and stood, stretching his back.

  “And in those forty-eight hours, she’s caused more chaos than the Miller’s five kids last month.” Nick gulped his coffee. Five naughty boys ranging in ages from eight to fifteen ran amuck around the grounds, going in and out of every stall, pen, and cage at any given hour. The parents let the monstrous five come and go as they pleased with no regards to the rules.

  “Give her time to get her bearings. Geeze, not everyone’s perfect. You certainly aren’t,” Chris huffed. “Maybe if you’d take time to be around her, you’d see how hard she’s trying.” His eyes narrowed, and his lip snarled.

  “Don’t give me that look, Christopher. You’re partly to blame.”

  “For what? Having fun?” He tossed his napkin down. “You need to lighten up. You haven’t even tried to make her feel comfortable.”

  Oh hell. If he felt anymore of her, she’d be filing a sexual harassment charge. He jabbed his fork into another piece of meat.

  “Mom hired her to do a job, not goof off. Maybe if you two spent more time concentrating on what needed done, she’d figure out how to care for the animals without mayhem.”
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br />   “She does do her job!” His voice rose. “But any time she spots you coming, she gets nervous. And can you blame her? You could try being nicer.”

  Nick eyed his brother’s defensive glare. A pang of jealousy over Chris and Darcy’s bond gnawed his gut.

  “I am nice to her.”

  “No, you’re not. You flipped out on her for mixing up the feed and a broken gate latch. Even at the pig pen, you jumped down our throats. Try being her friend instead of a tyrant.” The youngest brother chugged his water.

  “Is that what you are, her friend?” He’d wondered over the relationship since he happened upon them corralling the deer, kicking hay at each other. “I’m gonna tell you right now, you may be twenty-one, but I’ll kick your ass if you sleep with Darcy, or any other future employee on this ranch,” he added quickly.

  “What? You’re nuts.” The inexperienced runt threw his fork down. “I can have female friends without having sex. Unlike you. Maybe it’s you who is attracted to her.”

  No way. He stood, the chair flipping back in his haste.

  Sam’s hand closed over Nick’s arm. He inhaled and released the air slowly. Why was Chris jumping to her defense?

  “What’s up with the two of you?”

  “I’m fine,” he lied, as the jealousy reared its ugly head.

  The realization struck him square in the chest. He half expected Chris to put a fist to his face. Guilt ate at him. He blamed his blood relation for what he desired.

  “Enough,” Trent growled. “We promised not to let another woman come between us.”

  Nick blew out a breath. His brother was right. It’d been enough with Trent’s fiancée and manipulative ways.

  “Come on.” Trent rolled his neck, cracking the bones. “We have to pull together and run this ranch for Mom and Dad’s sake.”

  Chris pointed in Nick’s direction. “I’m sick of it being his way or no way.”

  “Do you have feelings for Darcy?” Sam questioned Chris.

  “She’s just a friend. A good friend...and a hard worker. She makes work fun. I don’t want her to leave.”