The Rancher and the Rich Girl

by Heather MacAllister

  “Hey—we’ve lost our escort.”

  Matt swiveled around. “So we have. Ravi?” he called.

  The man waved his stick and answered something.

  “What did he say?”

  “I have no idea, but I hope it was something like ‘you’ll be fine without me.’”

  “Will we be?” Jessica had twisted so she could see behind them. When Matt turned back, his face was just inches from hers.

  His eyes warmed. “We’ll be more than fine.”

  In the few heartbeats before she turned away, awareness charged the air between them. But she did turn away, because for now, awareness was enough.

  It was going to be an interesting ride.

  However, it was by no means a smooth ride. Scheherazade nodded her head as she walked and her rolling gait made Jessica tense and grip the sides of the open box they sat in.

  “I’ve got you,” Matt said, his voice low.

  And he did. Jessica closed her eyes and relaxed against him, lulled by the rhythmic sway and the sensation of Matt’s arms around her.

  “You feel a lot different than Sam did.” Matt’s voice was barely above a whisper.

  She smiled, even though she knew he couldn’t see.

  * * *

  JESSICA WAS IN HIS ARMS once more. It wasn’t strictly necessary for him to sit with his arms around her waist, but he couldn’t help himself.

  He was conscious of every inch of her body that touched his, from her back to her thighs. Her skirt was bunched up around her knees and he loved looking at the contrast of her legs against the elephant’s wrinkled gray skin. And then she leaned her head against him and it was all he could do to keep from burying his nose in her hair. He had to say something just to keep from pressing his lips against the top of her head. You feel a lot different than Sam did. How lame.

  She ignored it, and he should be glad.

  “How did Sam like it up here?” she asked.

  “You saw. He handled it just fine. Now when he gets on Black Star, the horse will seem much smaller.”

  “Very clever. That was nice of you, Matt.”

  He was pleased by her praise. “No problem. I’m hoping he can relax some so we can go on our little roundup.” Matt had planned a couple of days checking the herd and nights camping out under the stars, but until Sam was more comfortable being on a horse, he wouldn’t have a good time.

  “You don’t have to do that. I know what I said back at Lost Springs, but I never intended for you to devote all your time to Sam.”

  “Except for the riding lessons, I’m not doing much extra. Just going about my business. He’ll earn his keep when we fix that paddock fence, though.”

  A low-hanging branch was straight ahead. “One of the hazards of elephant riding,” he said, and they ducked.

  Matt was painfully aware that his body was covering hers, and the pain had nothing to do with tree branches. It was a sweet agony, but he didn’t know how much more of this elephant ride he could take.

  “You’ve got to be limber to ride an elephant,” Jessica said, laughing when she sat back up.

  Matt liked her laugh and the way she usually ended it by tucking her hair behind her ear, as though uncertain whether or not she should have laughed.

  She resettled herself and he closed his eyes as she ended up even closer than before.

  He bent his head and inhaled just above her neck, detecting faint traces of the perfume she’d applied that morning.

  One false step from Scheherazade and his lips would touch her shoulder, or her neck, or the soft place just beneath her ear.

  Matt found himself wishing for the surefooted elephant to stumble. Just once. Just once, so he’d know how her skin tasted.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  Matt leaned back before answering. “I thought I’d show you the circus animal cemetery. Some of these animals were with their human trainers for twenty years or more. After they’ve traveled, lived and performed together, it’s like they’ve become a family member.”

  “That sounds interesting,” she said with polite enthusiasm.

  He’d been fascinated the first time he’d seen the cemetery, but Jessica was used to a more exciting, sophisticated life. From some of the things she’d said, he guessed that she’d traveled a lot and had really seen the world.

  He’d seen the world, too, but he didn’t think an extensive tour of third-rate apartment buildings and rooming houses counted.

  Jessica’s world was a different world from his and he shouldn’t let a few appreciative looks and the smell of her perfume make him forget. She wasn’t for him. She never would be.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask—what are those symbols nailed to the trees?”

  “They’re a record of the clans or performing troupes who’ve wintered here. And I think some have special meanings like welcome, or stay away. Some language the carny folk know, and I don’t.”

  “It’s Tom Andersen’s work, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” He was surprised she remembered the name.

  “I do want to meet him before we go back to the house. If he’ll agree to it, I just know I can keep him in commissions for the next year. Outdoor ironwork is making a comeback in Wyoming.”

  “Old Tom will probably be glad of the work.” If it paid much, Matt might take it up himself.

  “And I’ll be glad to have him in the Fremont catalog. Our custom work has been what’s kept the company in business. We can’t offer the price breaks the big companies can, but we can do the custom work that isn’t profitable enough for them.”

  Matt asked a few questions that kept her talking. It was easier than the silences, which made him aware of the way their bodies touched and rubbed together as the elephant continued her swaying walk.

  “I probably like building houses for other people because I’ve never had one of my own,” she said in response to some remark he’d made.

  “What do you mean you never had a house of your own?” That mansion she lived in was house enough for five families.

  “When I was growing up, my dad traveled around the world giving lectures. We always lived in rented houses or hotels. There is an apartment in Denver, but we were never there long. It was mostly for storage and a place to give as our permanent residence. When I was thirteen, I went off to boarding school, and then I met Sam’s father and moved into the Fremont house, but it isn’t mine. It’s really Sam’s now, and someday, when he’s grown, I guess I’ll finally move into a place of my own.”

  “Why didn’t you and Sam move into a place of your own?”

  “After his father died, I didn’t want to. I wanted Sam to grow up in a real home, you know, with traditions and holidays and notches of how much he’s grown each year cut into the door of his closet. I mean, he’s in the same room his dad had as a little boy and his notches are right there next to his father’s. Isn’t that great?”

  “Yeah,” Matt whispered. “Really great.”

  If he’d ever fantasized that a miracle would occur and he and Jessica might end up together, her words just squashed it.

  Jessica turned to look at him. “I’m sorry. I’ve been babbling on and on about homes and houses. I forgot that you grew up at Lost Springs.”

  She’d heard the bleakness in his voice and misunderstood it. He wasn’t going to correct her. “I’ve got a home now.” He made himself smile down at her, then look away.

  She continued to study him and he was afraid she wouldn’t drop the subject. Fortunately he saw Tom’s signpost for the cemetery. “Here’s our turn.”

  “Does Scheherazade know that?”

  “Probably, but we’re going to tell her to turn, anyway. Press your left foot behind her ear and say ‘chi.’”

  “Chi,” Jessica repe
ated, but the elephant ignored her.

  “Chi!” Jessica pressed harder, her body pressed equally hard against Matt’s. “Chi! Chi!”

  At the last minute, the elephant slowed and took the path toward the cemetery.

  The trail wasn’t as well traveled and they had to push tree branches out of their way until they came to a clearing.

  “Oh, look!”

  “Scheherazade, dok!” Matt leaned back, pulling Jessica with him, and the elephant lumbered to a stop.

  Before them were monuments and headstones depicting bears, tigers, monkeys, dogs, horses and lions and an elephant mausoleum. The stonework was as carved and as elaborate, even more so, as in any human cemetery. Flowers bloomed around many of the graves. Iron planters held cascading baskets of ferns and ivy. Sometimes when things got tough and Matt wondered why he just didn’t give up, he’d come out here and think.

  “It’s beautiful!”

  Jessica seemed as enchanted with it as he’d been, and he was glad.

  “Carmen and Katya keep it up. They each have their own group of helpers. It’s an ongoing rivalry.”

  “Do you ever let visitors come here?”

  “People come here if they know about it, I guess.”

  She shifted until she could see him. “I mean advertise it and give tours.” She gestured around them. “You could clear more of this area and make a park for picnics. This would be a fun Sunday outing for families and it would make you a little extra money.”

  He’d never thought of doing so before. It might be something to bring up with Krinkov.

  Jessica patted Scheherazade. “You could give elephant rides, too.”

  “Don’t know about that. Scheherazade has paid her dues.”

  “Well, it was a thought.”

  He smiled down at her. “It’s a good thought. As you know, I do need the money,” he forced himself to add. “The circus people claim that old Barnaby had some payment they’d given him stashed somewhere, but I’ve never been able to find it. You know, on the way to Lost Springs, I saw signs for the Kingston Wildlife Sanctuary outside San Angelo and all the sponsors for it. I thought I might try finding a sponsor but I don’t know how to go about it.”

  He wished he had Rex’s smooth way of asking, but this was the best he could do. He hoped Jessica understood what he was asking. If she became his sponsor, then at least he’d have a chance of seeing her in the future someplace other than in his dreams.

  “I have no idea how to get a sponsor,” she replied. “I could call Lauren for you. She’d know.”

  “Lauren?”

  “DeVane. She’s a friend of mine who does that type of thing.”

  “Oh, yeah. That would be great.” So it hadn’t occurred to Jessica that she could maintain a connection with the ranch by becoming a sponsor herself. He swallowed his disappointment. It had been a long shot, anyway.

  They set Scheherazade on a circular path around the cemetery, stopping frequently to admire the stonework and read the inscriptions.

  Matt soaked up these moments with Jessica, knowing that they probably wouldn’t be alone together like this before she left next week. When she wasn’t watching, he stared at her, determined to memorize every expression she made, the way her mouth moved when she talked and the gestures she made with her hands.

  They completed the circle and had reached the path that would take them out of the clearing when Jessica leaned back and shouted, “Dok!”

  The elephant stopped.

  “You have to say ‘chi’ to get her to turn back to the village.”

  “No, I meant stop.” Jessica carefully twisted, then drew her leg over the elephant’s head until she was sitting sideways, her legs draped over the sides of the seat.

  “What are you doing?”

  She looked first around the cemetery, then down at her clasped hands, and finally met his eyes. “When are you going to kiss me?”

  His heart thudded heavily. If she only knew how much he longed to. Matt stared at the mouth only inches away from his. “I’m not.”

  She waited, clearly not believing him.

  Matt held his breath to avoid touching her. He couldn’t be strong if he touched her.

  She looked away, then back again. “I thought...I got the impression that you wanted to.”

  He swallowed, his nerves screaming. “I do.”

  Her face softened. “Well, if you’re waiting for a signal from me...”

  “I can’t.” His voice was a ragged whisper.

  Jessica reached up and touched his face, her caress raising gooseflesh along his arms. “Why not?”

  “Because I won’t want to stop.” He caught her hand and flirted with fire by pressing his lips to the palm before lowering it away from his cheek. “Because I won’t be able to stop.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “I doubt things will progress too far while we’re sitting on top of an elephant.”

  It was after they got off the elephant that Matt was worried about. Even the idea of kissing her made it difficult for him to think of anything else.

  At the end of next week, she was going to walk away, and if he weren’t careful, she’d take his heart with her.

  “Jessica, I—”

  Scheherazade had reached out with her trunk to wind it around the lower branches of the tree growing at the edge of the clearing. She took a step backward to pull the leaves and threw Jessica off balance.

  She lurched sideways, arms flailing. Matt grabbed for her and pulled her to him.

  All his good resolutions were forgotten as he felt her in his arms once more. With insistent fingers, he tilted her chin up and then claimed her mouth with his.

  He was going to hurt, anyway. Might as well know exactly what he couldn’t have.

  Matt intended to be tender and restrained in the sophisticated way he imagined the men she’d dated had kissed her.

  He was none of those things.

  There was nothing gentle about the way he clutched her to him and forced her lips apart, demanding a response from her. There was nothing restrained about the way he buried his hands in her hair and trailed kisses from her mouth to her shoulder and back again. And how could saying her name over and over again be sophisticated?

  His kiss was raw and elemental, with none of the polished finesse a woman like Jessica would be accustomed to.

  Matt didn’t care. He loved the taste of her, the smell of her and the feel of her, and used his mouth and hands to tell her so.

  The small sound she made barely registered, but the way she pulled her head back did.

  “Let me go.”

  Horrified, Matt dropped his arms. What had he done? She must despise him, but no more than he despised himself. She was only interested in a light flirtation, not a mauling. He felt sick with self-loathing.

  Jessica shifted her position so that she faced him more fully, then wound her arms around his neck. “That’s better,” she said, and drew his head to hers.

  Surprise and relief kept him immobile.

  Jessica Fremont was kissing him.

  And doing a darn good job.

  Her tongue met his thrust for thrust. Her arms held him close to her as tightly as he held her.

  “Matthew,” she breathed, using his whole name the way the others did.

  He’d started a fire within himself that threatened to consume him. The blood pounded in his ears and his senses were filled with her. He pulled back to drag in much-needed air and Jessica kissed his chin and his jaw, then his neck.

  He heard a pop and then more as she unsnapped his shirt.

  Splaying her hands over his torso, she reached around him, then kissed his throat and chest, her blond hair a stark contrast against the darkness of his.

  He shivered with wanti
ng. “Jessica,” he gasped, trying to tell her what she was doing to him.

  “You’re so strong and you make me feel so safe,” she murmured, working her way back up to his shoulder.

  She wasn’t safe, not the way he was feeling.

  He wanted to take her to his bed, make love to her and wake up in the morning with her by his side. He wanted to know that she’d be there the next morning, and the next.

  He never wanted to let her go.

  And that’s when he knew he must.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  KISSING MATT was absolutely the best idea she’d ever had.

  There had been enough pent-up electricity between them to light up the entire state of Texas, and frankly, it was long past time a man flipped a few of her switches.

  Jessica had expected an initial awkwardness and a few false starts before she got back into the swing of things. She had not expected a full-out sensual assault—or the intensity of her response.

  Matt kissed her the way he looked at her—as though she were the only woman in the world for him. He even had Jessica believing it herself, so she was shocked when he trapped her wandering hands, held them against his bare chest and said, “We have to stop.”

  “What?” Shouldn’t that have been her line?

  For a moment, the only sounds were those of their hard breathing and Scheherazade munching on grass.

  Matt kissed her hands and gently, but insistently, held them away. “We both know you’re leaving next week.”

  “That’s next week.”

  “Jessica...”

  “I understand,” she assured him quickly. “No strings. No promises.”

  He looked pained. Slowly he began fastening his shirt. “That’s just it. I’m not the kind of guy who goes in for flings, and knowing that you’re going to be leaving, well...”

  She blinked. “You’re making me sound like...a woman of loose morals,” she finished, trying for a laugh. She managed a shaky one.

  “No, no.” He cupped her jaw, the way she’d cupped his earlier. “It’s me. I...all the people I was close to in my life left me. My counselor at Lost Springs warned me that it would be hard for me to make friends and have relationships. I’ve been hurt so many times that—”