by Rita Hestand
"Well what?" He asked crossing his boots his voice colder now.
"How's the coffee?" She firmed her lips and waited.
"It's great. It tastes just like coffee to me." He chuckled, his glance sliding up and down her quickly.
"Aw…you're not funny." She wrinkled her nose at him.
"At least I'm in a good humor when I'm wake up before dawn."
She narrowed her gaze on him. "Why, if you are gonna be a cowboy, you're gonna have to wake up early in the saddle." She encouraged.
After due consideration for what she was saying he nodded, "You know, you're right about that. Guess I have gotten into some bad habits. What is it five in the morning?" He rolled his eyes at her.
"Actually it's nearly six!" She announced pouring herself another cup and staring out on the prairie.
Without thinking, she sat down on the blanket next to him and leaned her head on his chest and stared out at the morning. She used to do it as a kid and thought nothing of it.
But something told her quickly that he remembered.
Automatically his arm went around her and she snuggled comfortably against him. "It's so pretty out here." She murmured. "Look at the colors in the sky. Have you ever seen such beauty?"
"No, I can't say that I have," he sighed comfortably as his chin rubbed against her head, "You're right. Lately I haven't taken much time to even pay attention. Guess I have been taking things for granted."
"Well, now that I'm here, you won't. You hungry?" She asked her voice was soft and low.
"No, not exactly." He smiled and kissed the top of her head.
***
Suddenly she jumped up and made for the frying pan, her face was a wad of frowns and blushes, "Well, I am…"
"Help yourself honey." He said softly.
It was the way he said it that had her fluttering about.
"Don't you honey me," She floundered about making all kinds of noise, so much so that a couple of doves flew up and away. "I'm your cousin, remember?"
He threw his head back and chuckled, "Is that kissing cousins?"
Her mouth flew open and she threw a pot at him. He dodged and died laughing.
"Sorry, it was too tempting. You sure are pretty when you blush."
"You want to change your ways, you better start now." She instructed.
His expression sobered, "Right now, I'd rather sit here with you and stare out on the prairie. Like we were doing."
"You don't understand…" Her voice took a serious turn, becoming husky and mudded. "I'm not a kid any more."
He stared at her figure. "I'm aware of that. What are you trying to say?"
Her sobs were silent, but when she turned to look at him he saw the real tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't just go curling up with you like I did when I was a kid. Like I did just now. It's old habit. And…I'm not a saloon girl anymore, either. You changed that yourself. And then you go and try to treat me like I am one."
He stood up and went to stand behind her. "That wasn't intentional…sweetheart, I'm having a time remembering who and what you are. Guess I forgot my manners. Haven't been around a woman in a while. I guess you'll have to teach me how to behave."
"Must have been a long while!"
"A lot of years."
"I don't believe that. What have you been doing? Romancing every girl in the west? From the way you kiss I'd say you have been." she whirled around at him and didn't realize how close he was. He reached out to catch her in his arms.
She looked up slowly at him.
He pulled her closer, "I don't know what this is…but it's something." And with that he pulled her even closer and kissed her hard on the lips. So hard that the heat between them made them both melt against each other. The pure sweetness his mouth offered, made her move ever closer, clinging to him. He romanced her lips, and it seemed as though she could do nothing but return his kisses. A slow burning smile lingered at the curve of her lips as he pulled away gently to look at her. For just a second he was sure they both enjoyed that kiss.
She shoved him away when her eyes opened, her cheeks flamed, her lips were red as roses and her chest rose and fell quickly. "You can't do that anymore. Understand!"
"Why not, you certainly seemed to enjoy it as much as I did."
He stared at her, his eyes glassy, his own chest rising and falling quickly.
"Yeah, that's the problem…I did."
"I'm not following your logic here, we both enjoyed it, so what's the problem?" He stared at her with a sexy grin.
"Because I didn't come out here to shack up with you. You made me believe in changing last night. Was that all just lies?" She blasted him. "You've been in town not even two days, and look at us."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mistreat you…"
"Well…what do you think happens when you kiss a girl like that. I've been kissed before and I know where that kind of kissing leads. That was no peck on the cheek kiss. I'm not my sister. And no more kissing, or I'll leave and I won't come back." She was shaking now. "I won't be a whore any longer."
He stared at her, saw her trembling and realized his own mistakes. "I'm sorry! I want you to grow into a gracious lady and I'm defeating the purpose, aren't I?"
"Very much so. I thought you were different. I thought you really cared…."
"I do…Jen…" His face screwed up in a frown and he stared at her. "I really do care!"
"I been with you two days and already you are pawing me like I'm a whore. You and your big ideas…Your no different than any of the rest of the cowboys that came into that saloon."
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize. It's just…well, you put on those clothes and I sort went crazy." He tried to explain. "The problem is, you are a grown woman now, and it's hard to put into place. I like you Jen. I always have. You've got the body of a woman, the face of an angel and the heart of pure gold. How can I not want you?"
Flustered at his flattery, she stammered.
"I'm not a commodity. I've got a heart and soul, and I won't let you use me, then discard me. But I adore you and I always have and it's hard not to respond to you. So if this little plan of yours is going to work, we've got to be adult enough to keep our hands off each other."
"You want to hear something funny?" He snickered.
She smiled shyly, "Sure, why not."
"I been thinking how crazy I was not to have picked you. But honey, you were only eleven or twelve then. It was impossible then…like now, I guess. There's something between us Jen, and that's not going to change. And I won't back off forever, but I will give you time to get used to the idea."
"These are men's clothes, not female clothes…" She protested. "I honestly wasn't trying to seduce you."
"Well honey, you don't look like any man I ever saw. No one would mistake you being female…even in those…" he pointed to her pants. "Especially in those."
"You say the sweetest things at the worst times." She stared and then her face broke out in all out laughter. "I put them on so I wouldn't look like a female to you. So you wouldn't think I was trying to…seduce you."
"Are you?" He smiled devilishly. "Because it's working pretty well."
Her mouth fell open.
"Don't do that honey. 'Cause every time you do; it makes me want to kiss you more…" He chuckled.
"I never knew you were such a flirt…" She threw a biscuit at him.
He dodged it then started for her, he caught her to him and turned her around and the look on her face was so innocently seductive he was inches from kissing her again, when a couple of strangers rode up. They hadn't heard them too engrossed in each other, he reckoned.
"Well now, what we got here?" One of them shouted.
"Playin' or fightin'?"
"Neither, just cutting up…" Jen said softly and moved swiftly out of Jace's arms. He was Jace now, she had to remember that. In front of strangers he was Jace.
"Your wife?" One of the strangers asked as he finished hobbling the horses and came near to the co
ffee.
He stared at Jen then Jace.
"Cousins!" Jace told them, moving to get a cup of coffee.
"Awful close cousins, I'd say." The other man grunted.
One was tall, skinny with dark hair and eyes, the other was shorter, rounder and had dirty sandy hair with probing brown eyes.
"I'm Slim, my brother, Martin." The skinny one offered a hand to Jace.
"I'm Jace, this is Jen." He introduced them.
"Mind if we help ourselves to some coffee?" Slim asked eyeing them closely.
"Help yourself." Jace nodded.
Jen went to fold the blankets. She wanted Jace to size the men up. She could read him well enough to know when to keep silent and when to speak up.
"We got some fat-back if you got anything to go with it?" Martin offered getting it from his saddle bag and casting Jen a questioning look.
Jen watched him. "Sure, we got biscuits and I can make gravy too with that fat-back."
"Sounds good to me. Where you folks headed?"
"Around, I'm looking for work."
"What can you do?" Slim sized him up quickly.
"I'm pretty fair horse wrangler." Jace told them.
"Horse wrangler huh?" Slim looked at his brother.
"Yeah, you fellas work around here?"
"For the WW ranch." Slim told him.
"Oh, where is that?"
"About ten miles to the north of here. A Mrs. Willa Williams owns it."
"Need any help?" Jace asked as he put the blankets up and picked up his coffee once more. It had gone cold so he moved to refill it. Jen tossed him a quick glance, her eyes connecting with his.
Martin rubbed his chin, "Come to think of it, she needs a bronc buster. The last one got hurt. Are you good at that too?"
Jace nodded, "Done some, mostly on wild ones I caught myself."
"'Bout ten miles to the north, you'll find her spread, ask for Doug, that's her brother, he's younger, he works for her too, he's the foreman."
"That a fact. All right sir, I'll check that out if nothing else comes up, thanks for the information." Jace smiled.
"Got something against working for a woman?" Martin blurted.
"Not against, but I'd rather not."
"Yeah, that's what we said." Slim snickered.
"Would you look at that gravy, I ain't seen gravy like that in years. My grandma made gravy like that, smooth as a baby's bottom, and with that fat back it will be great." Martin licked his lips.
"Help yourself." Jen smiled at them now.
"She's not your woman?" Martin asked as he scooped up some gravy into one of the tin plates sitting out.
"She's my cousin, and we were just horsing around."
"Yeah, you said that already. Looked more like kissing cousins to me." Slim remarked casually, then glancing from one to the other.
Slim helped himself too and stared at her, "She's a right pretty filly. Can't blame a man for tryin'."
Jace sent them a frown.
They were noticing a little too much and he didn't like it, but they did give him a tip about work, so he couldn't be entirely rude.
"You got a place around here?"
"Nope, this is it." Jace told them as he went to sit on a rock and watch them as they ate.
"You mean you've been campin' out here?"
"Something wrong with that?" Jace asked his forehead wrinkling with a frown.
"It's Noah Hawkes land. And he don't take kindly to anyone livin' on his land. He's kind of a hermit, keeps to himself. You can pass on the land, but stayin' ain't healthy if you know what I mean. He usually don't talk, he usually just shoots."
"Then I guess we better have a talk with Hawkes. Does he own a ranch?" Jace glanced at Jen.
"If you'd call it that." When Jase shot him a quick quizzical look he explained. "He's got a place up in the hills there."
"If you come to work at Kate's, she might let her stay at the big house, since she's a cousin. Only Kate runs everything on the ranch, you see. She'd have to know her place."
Jace frowned. "Know her place? What does that mean?"
"You'll find out if you come askin' for work." Slim assured him.
"I thought you said her name was Willa?"
"It is, but she don't like it, so she goes by her middle name, Kate. She said Willa reminds her of a tree, and she don't want to be no tree. You see, Kate fancies herself a real special lady. Sort of like a Queen Bee. And she don't like nobody else taking her place."
"Where's her husband?"
The two looked at each other and Martin chuckled. "He mainly stays at the house. He's an invalid. She runs things."
"I see."
"Yeah," He cast him a strange look. "Got throwed by a bronc. Five years ago. Been in that chair ever since. His legs are paralyzed."
"That's rough."
"Yeah. You probably won't see the mister much. But you will see her, real fast." Slim snickered. "She's got her hand in on everything on that ranch. She rules, just like a Queen."
"Is there something you're not telling us?"
"You'll find out, soon enough." Slim muttered. "But if you need work, she can probably put you on. Or Doug can."
"I'd rather do my business with Doug."
"Yeah, that's what we all said. But even if he hires you, you won't earn a penny until she approves you."
"What kind of man lets his woman run the place?"
"He ain't well, she's just waiting until he dies. He's a bit older and I don't think there's much left between them, if you know what I mean."
Jace and Jen looked at each other strangely.
Jace let it go. He had enough to worry about as he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of Jen. That needed to change, even he could see that. But the more he touched her, the more he wanted to touch her. He had a gut feeling she was his, and she didn't even know it.
But the problem with that was she was such a sweet woman, and so damned tempting. How was he ever going to remember she was a cousin? Even with a Queen Bee staring down his neck. His first allegiance was to Jen. And this Kate, this Queen Bee would soon come to know it if he went to work there. Although these men hadn't said anything that made him want to work for the lady. He'd never worked for a woman before and he didn't cotton to it.
Chapter Four
It wasn't hard to find Noah Hawkes place. They'd followed the directions straight up the hill. East Texas was pretty this time of year, so green and so many trees. Hawkes had a nice spread and very little help as far as Jace could tell. Although the entire place seemed to be kept up, it was apparent this man had little help in keeping it that way. The house stood overlooking the small hill and a valley lay out in front, trees lined each side of the property. There was a good size cabin, a nicely built corral and a barn that needed painting. It seemed to stand out like, "paint me". Since Jace didn't see any men working the place he figured whoever this Noah was, he worked it himself. He liked that, an owner that took part in the work and didn't delegate it all to someone else. It spoke of character.
"Hello there," Jace called as he dismounted and went toward the door.
A thin man came out of the large cabin. He had uncontrolled black hair, obviously one glass eye and a rifle in his hand. "Who are you and what do you want?"
Direct and to the point. Jace liked that too.
"The name's Jace Harrison, this is my cousin, Jen."
The man glanced at Jen and didn't say a word. "What do you want?" His one-eyed glance raked them with curiosity.
"Well, I was told you own the land down there in the valley and that you didn't like people stayin' on it. We been camped there for some time and just now found out who the land belongs to. I wanted to come up and let you know and find out if we need to move on or what."
"Why you campin' there?" The man asked screwing up his lean face at him. Jace knew the man was simply sizing him up and he respected that.
"Got no home, no job, but I'm looking for work. I saw the ruins of a cabin and sort of to
ok to it, you might say."
"What kind of work you lookin' for?" The man's face relaxed just a tad and he eyed Jen again.
"Horses mainly. Of course I can herd cattle, mend fences, any odd job."
"You a bronc buster?"
"I have been…"
The man rubbed his chin, and although he was bent over he wasn't unattractive in an elderly way, with thick dark hair and one piercing brown eye.
The man stared at Jace for the longest before he spoke again, but he turned the rifle up and away from them which made them relax a bit. "I got a wild one in the corral there. You break him and I'll give you a job."
"You serious?" Jace looked surprised.
"If you can bust him I am. He's a wild one. All mine are wild. I capture the wild ones on the place and brake 'em then sell them top dollar. But I usually tame them well, so anyone can ride them too. Now I can't rightly break them any longer, but I'm pretty fair at taming them once they are broke, so we'd work hand in hand."
Jen smiled brightly. "You must take some time in taming them. I mean, what exactly does that mean."
"You betcha I do. It means when I get through with a horse, that horse is gonna do exactly as the man that rides him wants. If he wants to stop on a dime, the horse will do it. If he needs to jump a limb on the ground, the horse will know it and do it. If he needs to chase a calf, he'll do that. In other words, he's tame and trained. Anyone with half a brain will be able to ride him." The man said proudly. "I got regular buyers for them too. Most people in these parts know me. They might not like me, but they know I'm a good horseman."
"Alright sir." Jace walked over to the corral and eyed the wild stallion for a long moment. He'd dealt with wild ones before. This one was beautiful and would bring a good price. They took some work to break, but he knew how to break most any horse.
He opened the corral gate and went inside. The horse snorted and ploughed the ground with a front hoof.
Jen climbed the gate and sat on top to watch Jace and the stallion together.
"Easy boy, we're gonna be friends." Jace said lowly.
The horse snorted again.
"Easy now fella. I don't aim to hurt you."
There was no saddle about, so Jace climbed his back in one fluid motion, as he reached for the rope that tied him to the post.
