by V. A. Dold
Good Lord, I’m in trouble with a capital T.
*****
Lucas Le Beau hadn’t had the wind knocked out of him in over a hundred years. For crying out loud, he’d landed on his feet when a bronc threw him yesterday. What the Hades hit him, a freight train?
Definitely not. There was unquestionably a pair of luscious, plump breast pressed into his chest. Maybe if he pretended to be out cold, she would stay there a little longer. He hadn’t seen her face, but damn her hair was amazing! He was a sucker for a redhead, and she smelled like lemon meringue pie. SHE SMELLS LIKE LEMON MERINGUE PIE! Could she be...
He went perfectly still to let the idea settle into his heart and soul. His wolf whimpered, and danced excitedly, trying to get to the woman’s face to lick her.
His heart tripped. Wait a minute. He liked women, but he never got an instant hard on. He was more of a get to know them kind of man, before he developed enough interest to spark that kind of reaction. His intense physical response was another positive sign he might be near his mate. When she sat up, he felt like she was riding him to paradise. Ah, hell. That didn’t help his effort to contain his body’s over zealous interest at all.
It took a moment to gather enough blood to his starved brain cells for him to focus on her face. My Goddess! She's beautiful. The woman was utter perfection.
Then he realized he just heard her thoughts. She said she was in trouble. MATE!
He looked at her again. Really studied her, this time with his wolf’s senses. Her hair was glorious, long and thick, with a slight wave. A smattering of freckles kissed her nose and cheeks. He wanted to give some personal attention to each and every one. Her eyes were so brown he felt like he was falling into them, which was ridiculous since he was flat on his back already. He couldn’t help the grin that began to pull at the edges of his mouth; she was gaping at him with a mixture of mortification, interest, and downright feistiness. Damn her skin looked soft and if he didn’t kiss those full sexy lips, he was sure he would die.
Just as he lifted his upper body to claim them, she shifted her weight again, in an attempt to get up and said, “Do you always greet the guests so dramatically?”
He was so taken aback by her sarcastic attitude he busted out laughing. “Only when the guest is a beautiful redhead.”
She tried again to escape his hold. If she had any hope to regain her equilibrium, she needed a little distance. The shock of lying on top of the man and his sexy drawl was doing strange things to her stomach.
Lucas refused to loosen his hold. He was enjoying the feel of all her soft curves pressed against his entire body too much to let her go just yet.
About to take another shot at kissing her senseless, he heard footsteps.
“Kensie? What in the world?” Jojo was shocked by the sight of her straight-laced sister in such an indelicate position for all the world to see.
Grudgingly, Lucas loosened his hold. Kensie. A beautiful name for an exotic lady.
Careful to avoid further injury to the cowboy, she regained her feet. No wonder she thought she ran into a wall. Lucas was a brick house of a man, as she looked down at him, and realized just how big he was.
He lay there not even trying to rise. He was too busy admiring his mate. She wasn’t skinny like some professional fashionista. Hell, no. She was soft and round in all the right places. When he made love to her, he was sure the experience would be life altering. The next thirteen hundred and seventy or so years were sure to be very enjoyable.
Stepping away from him she held out her hand to help him up. He didn’t need the help, but he sure wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to touch her again. Plus, he really needed to have a free hand to hide his over zealous attraction to this woman. Once he was on his feet, he wanted to brush off his backside, but that would require exposure of his overstrained zipper or letting go of her hand. So the dust and debris would just stay plastered to his ass.
She tried to withdraw her hand, twisting her wrist to glance at her watch. What is that about? She just got here, she better not leave already. Her hand and fingers were soft and delicate. Damn, they would feel good on his bare skin.
Finally, he pulled his gaze away from Kensie to glance at his cousin Krystal. Her expression surprised him. She wore a very pleased, shit-eating grin on her face. What was she up to?
Lucas tipped his hat to Jojo, apparently she was Kensie’s sister, before he turned back to the center of his universe. He tipped his hat again, this time to Kensie. “Hello, and welcome to the Rocking Double L Ranch. My name is Lucas.” He held out his hand to her and waited. For two long seconds he thought she would refuse to shake it.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lucas. I’m Doctor Brown.”
“Oh, no, darlin’. The pleasure was all mine.”
Kensie blushed from her toes to the top of her head. Damn her pale skin. She hated her inability to hide even the slightest embarrassment. “Sorry about running into you, I apologize. I don’t normally bowl strangers over.”
“Honey, you would have bowled me over without touching me. But I’m damn glad you did.”
Kensie frowned at him as she turned her attention to Jojo. “Hi, hun,” she said, and pulled her baby sister in for a hug.
“Hi. Are you tired from the long drive?”
“A bit. I could really use a shower and a change of clothes.”
She offered her hand to Krystal “Hello, it’s good to see you again.”
“Hello, Kensie. I’m very pleased you were able to come.”
“My sister is a force to be reckoned with and wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Jojo grabbed Kensie’s arm and pulled her toward the car. “I’ll help you with your luggage. We’re sharing a cabin just over there.” Jojo pointed toward a sturdy little place with a quaint front porch. Two rocking chairs, framed the doorway and seemed to welcome them to enjoy what she hoped would be a cooler evening.
Before the ladies could take hold of the suitcases, Lucas reached between them and lifted them from the trunk. “Allow me.”
He leisurely followed the women to their cabin, enjoying the view of Kensie’s swaying backside the entire way. Once they reached the covered porch, he patiently waited for Jojo to unlock the door. Before he could step inside, Kensie snatched the bags from his hands and mumbled, “Thank you,” and slammed the door in his face. He stood, hands on hips, staring at the solid wood barrier. Hells bells. That’s not how he’d imagined that going.
It wouldn’t hurt to knock. Right? A few heartbeats later, he watched as the door opened a slight crack, but no further. “Sorry to be a bother, but I would like to talk with you for a minute.”
“Look Lucas, I realize I experienced an unfortunate accident the moment I stepped foot on the property. But I assure you, I have no intention of taking legal action. I appreciate any concern you may have for my welfare, but truthfully, I’m fine.”
She closed and locked the door again, and he still hadn’t gotten to ask her to spend time with him. A challenge, he grinned as he rubbed his five o’clock shadow. I can handle that.
Chapter 5
Lucas started his day with an excitement he hadn’t felt in a long time. Kensie threw down a challenge and he was ready to meet her head on. With a spring in his step and a whistle on his lips, he headed to the dining room. He was a Le Beau and they didn’t give up easily. The women would have to surface for meals and he would be waiting.
Well, hell. Breakfast and lunch came and went and the vexatious woman managed to dodge him each time he came her way. She presented a much tougher nut to crack than he expected. He just needed to be a little more cunning.
*****
Jojo sent an S.O.S. text to Krystal as she walked to the barn. They needed an emergency meeting in the hayloft. Within minutes, Krystal climbed the ladder to join her.
“What’s up?” she whispered as she took a seat next to Jojo on the hay bale.
“Kensie refuses to talk to Lucas. She spent the entire mo
rning avoiding him like the plague.”
“That explains why Lucas is in such a foul mood,” Krystal chuckled. “I have an idea. How would your sister react if he told her he was going to take you on a date?”
“Me?” Jojo squeaked.
“No,” Krystal laughed. “Not a real date, and if all goes as planned, she won’t permit him near you anyway.”
“Oh, there’s no way she would allow it. She’s like a mother bear with a cub when it comes to my personal life. I have to keep my dates a secret until the last minute around her.”
“Excellent,” Krystal grinned. “I’ll plant the idea in Lucas’s head to tell her he is asking you out and we can sit back and watch the show.”
“You’re kind of scary. I like it.” Jojo laughed as she fist bumped Krystal.
They broke up the secret meeting before anyone saw them and asked unwanted questions. Jojo had a date to make with a handsome cowboy, and Krystal needed to find Lucas.
*****
“Lucas?” she called as she walked down the hallway toward his office.
“In here,” he called back.
“Cher, we need to talk,” she said as she took a seat.
Lucas leaned forward, concern etched on his handsome face. “What’s wrong? What can I do for you, hun?”
“It’s more like, what can I do to help you?”
“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows and sat back in his chair.
“First, I should come clean. I knew Kensie was your mate and arranged for her to come to the ranch.”
“How the heck could you know that?”
“I have a rather large secret, but you have to promise to never tell anyone.”
“All right, I promise.” He reached for her hand, feeling her anxiety. “You can tell me anything.”
“You know how I’ve never told you what my special gift is? Well, I can read people’s auras and speak to their spirit guides.”
“Sounds cool. I knew you could read people, but not to such an extent. Why were you hiding your gift? Reading auras and talking to spirits doesn’t sound like something to be embarrassed about.”
“That’s not it. I hide it because if it ever became known, I would be overwhelmed with people, both human and shifter, demanding I find their soul mate.”
“Shit. You’re right. Your life could turn into a nightmare in a heartbeat.”
“Well, now you know. The point is, I met Kensie and Jojo a couple weeks ago. I read her and spoke to her guide. I knew she was yours. I tried to get her to come to the ranch then, but we’d just gotten to town and weren’t prepared for guests. So, I talked to your mother and formulated a plan to get her to come back from Minnesota.”
“You sneaky minx.” Lucas chuckled as he shook his head.
“Anyway, Jojo is in league with me. We’re trying to help you spend time with Kensie and we have an idea.”
“You have Jojo in on this, too?”
Krystal grinned. “Don’t knock it, little sisters can be very determined when it comes to their big sister’s happiness. And she wants Kensie happy. When we convince her to move to Texas, it’ll just be a bonus.”
Lucas waved his hand as if he were clearing the air. “I’m not going to try to understand the dynamics of female relationships. Just spit it out. What’s your plan?”
“I want you to ask Kensie out. She’ll more than likely refuse. When she does, remember one very important fact. She will do anything to keep Jojo from being hurt by a man, which includes refusing to allow her to go on a date.”
Lucas frowned. “Are you speaking in code or something? How is that advice supposed to help me change her mind?”
“You’re a smart boy. Figure it out.” Krystal sprang from her chair and breezed from his office before he could demand a better explanation.
*****
Jojo was on her way to the main house as Lucas headed to their cabin.
“Hi, Lucas. Are you on your way to see Kensie?”
“As a matter of fact, I am. Krystal told me you two are conspiring to trick her into spending time with me. Thank you for that.”
“Having my sister fall in love with an honest, gentleman cowboy like you would be the best thing that could happen to her. I wish you all the luck in the world, and if that’s not enough, you have Krystal and me as backup.” Jojo laughed and fist bumped Lucas before she walked toward the main house, presumably to see his cousin.
A knock sounded on her door, breaking Kensie’s concentration. Did Jojo lock herself out? She was a city girl and knew better than to open the door without knowing who was on the other side. Carefully, she pulled the curtain back, just a crack, so she could see who was out there. Dang, it was that mountain of a cowboy again. She had things to do and wasting time on that man was not on her priority list. Gently, she eased the curtain into place and went back to her laptop. Eventually the bothersome gnat would leave.
She was reading her emails when she heard a key in the lock. An instant later, the door opened and quivered slightly on its hinges. The persistent cowboy she bowled over filled the doorframe so completely, he blocked out the sun. Holy moly, he ducked to enter the room! And he looked angry or..or...something. She wasn’t certain what the expression on his face meant, but she had a hunch she didn’t want to find out.
The cute little cabin she considered comfortable instantly became claustrophobic. A heat filled his eyes, she didn’t recognize, but she was sure she didn’t want to be anywhere near it.
She rose to her less than impressive height of five feet, five inches and gave him her fiercest glare. More than one nurse made a run for it when they were on the receiving end of her displeasure. “Who the hell do you think you are? Get out of my cabin! I’ve already apologized and if that isn’t enough, I’ll speak to the owner.”
Her outrage, meant to put him in his place, seemed to amuse him.
The addled cowboy held one hand behind his back as if he was hiding something. The added pressure stretched his cotton shirt across one of the most delectable chests she’d ever laid eyes on. And as a doctor she’d seen thousands. She could actually make out each defined muscle through the fabric. Mercy.
She watched as he presented her with the single rose he had been hiding. “I’ve been trying to get a few minutes with you since the moment you fell into my life.”
“That’s sweet, but I’m here to spend time with my sister not bag a cowboy.” What was up with this guy barging into her cabin? Did he really think he could do that and then charm her with a flower? She stepped around him and held the door. “Please leave or I’ll have to report you to the owner.”
She looked away from the distracting man, the wisps of dark hair peeking out of the top of his shirt were much too unsettling.
He stepped toward the door, but not to leave. Her eyes jumped to his when she felt one long tapered finger trace a line down her cheek. Who the hell was this man?
“I’m sorry I barged in, darlin'. I spoke to Jojo on my way here and she told me to let myself in if you didn’t answer the door. I saw you look out the curtain, but you didn’t answer and I needed to talk to you. Please don’t be upset. I’m not embarrassed to admit, since I laid eyes on you, you’ve intrigued me. All I wanted to do was ask you to have dinner with me. How about it? Will you please enjoy a nice Italian meal at Rubio’s with me?”
She held her own until he smiled. Good gracious. The combination of his pearly whites, twin dimples, and tanned skin, was lethal to any woman within ten miles. Thank God she was impervious to cowboys’ and their charisma because this one could cause her downfall.
“No, thank you. I’m busy.” She waved one hand imperiously toward the door and waited.
Lucas didn’t blink, he turned from the door and strode across the room to one of the easy chairs and made himself comfortable.
The gall of the man left her speechless. Scowling, she snatched the tableside phone and dialed the manager’s office. The instant she heard the ring in her ear, Lucas’s cell phone rang in his p
ocket. “Rocking Double L Ranch, Lucas Le Beau speaking, how may I help you?”
Kensie heard the greeting in stereo. The annoying cowboy just answered the manager’s phone. Furious, she slammed the phone into its cradle.
“You’re the manager!” she shrieked.
He nodded. “And the owner.”
A little growl rumbled from the red-haired beauty. Fine, she would ignore him. Pretend he wasn’t in the room. Easier said than done. After an hour he got up and stood in front of her chair where she worked on her laptop.
Concentration became impossible with his pelvis at eye level. Unless he augmented with a tube sock, he was very blessed in that region. As she struggled to tear her gaze away from his equipment, he leaned in and placed his hands on the arms of the chair. They were twice as large as hers. Was there anything on him that was normal?
“Aw, come on, darlin'. Talk to me.”
She didn’t respond.
“Please. Just have dinner with me.”
Still didn’t say a word.
“Are you going to ignore me all day?”
No, that would be impossible. “Are you still here?”
So that’s how she wants to play it. He knew how to handle a woman like her. He met quite a few of them in the last hundred fifty years. She would never back down from a challenge. Fine, he would lay down the gauntlet. “I’m going to stick to you like glue for the next week or until you have dinner with me. If you want me to leave, say you’ll go out with me tonight.”
His blue eyes held her captive.
Dang it, he’s serious.
“You can dog me all week, Mr. Le Beau. But I will not go out with you.”
A slow smile spread across his face as he remembered the cryptic advice Krystal gave him. “I would prefer to take you to dinner, but if you don’t want too, I would be happy to take Jojo instead.”
Nothing got her blood up like a dare, and he definitely dared her to say no. Add her sister to that, and game over. The blend of sexual tension and anger Lucas stirred up was a dangerous combination when it came to Kensie. “Stay away from my sister.”
