Saddle Up

by Victoria Vane

  “Of course I care!” he exclaimed. “And I see far too many parallels between how the government is handling mustangs and how they ‘managed’ the Native American population.”

  “I never would have thought of it like that,” she remarked.

  “Because you have no connection to it. I do. Much like these horses, my father’s people were taken from their homes, families fractured, gathered up and trekked across the country to their ‘long-term pastures.’ Have you ever been to a reservation, Miranda?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “The rez is a depressing and dispiriting place. The people have mostly lost hope. Abject poverty has broken many of them. Drugs and alcohol are rampant, and life expectancy is less than fifty years. So you see, our designated ‘pastures’ didn’t turn out to be so green.”

  “If you feel so strongly about the mustangs, why don’t you try to do something about it?”

  “Do something? Like what?” he asked. “Look, Miranda. I learned a long time ago that some problems can’t be solved. And there’s no fixing this one. None of us here like the system, but there’s not a damned thing we can about it.”

  “That’s not true,” she insisted. “You could do something. You just told me there are thousands of mustangs that need gentling, and you have a God-given talent with these animals. Why aren’t you using it for the greater good?”

  “Simple,” he replied. “Because I’ve been around long enough to know that the ‘greater good’ rarely pays off.”

  Chapter 12

  “Looks like we’re about done here,” Mitch said after they’d freeze branded and immunized all of the gathered horses. Watching the crew, Miranda had been impressed by the speed and efficiency of the process. “Did you get everything to satisfy the court order?” he asked her.

  “I got everything I came for,” Miranda answered. “But I’d really like to hang around with you a little bit longer.”

  “Are you staying in Reno tonight, or heading back to L.A.?” Mitch asked.

  “I hadn’t really decided yet,” Miranda replied. “It’s a really long drive, and I’m pretty whipped.”

  “If you’re thinking about staying in Reno tonight, we get a special rate at JA’s Nugget,” Mitch said. “It’s the only place the boys ever want to stay.”

  Beth looked to Mitch with a snort. “And it isn’t for the buffet.”

  “Then why?” Miranda asked, glancing from one to the other. “I’m afraid I don’t get the joke.”

  “They have bikini bull riding every weekend,” Mitch explained.

  “It’s nothing but a shameful exhibitionist display, if you ask me,” Beth added with a shake of her head.

  “There ain’t no harm in just lookin’,” Mitch teased.

  Beth flashed her husband the evil eye. “Oh yeah? I promise you’ll suffer plenty of harm if you go lookin’, ol’ man.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “You should know by now that I only have eyes for you, ’Lizbeth.”

  “Don’t you dare try to cozy up to me now, Mitchell West.” She batted his hands away with a mock glower. “I’ll have you know we’ll be getting two double beds tonight.”

  Miranda watched them with a vague feeling of wistfulness. Beth and Mitch had been together at least thirty years and had a comfortable, playful, and obviously passionate relationship. She wondered what it would be like to have that with someone.

  Her mother and stepdad mostly ignored each other. They rarely conversed and hadn’t even kissed in years. It was sad to see a couple living together in isolation—people who shared their lives but never their hearts. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t been able to commit to Jason. He was a great guy, but he hadn’t shared her dreams and aspirations. She wondered if she’d ever find that—someone she could share her dreams with.

  Though she and Keith were worlds apart in so many ways, somehow they’d shared a connection. Was it only transitory lust? Or could it have been something more. She wished they could have had a chance to find out.

  “What about you, Keith?” Beth inquired, darting a sly look from Keith to Miranda. Had she picked up on the vibe between the two of them? “Are you staying in Reno tonight too?”

  Keith tipped his hat back to glance at Miranda. “I was planning to drive down to Warm Springs today, but by the time we get another load on the trailer, it’ll be near dark. I don’t suppose that’s the best time to deliver a load of wild horses to a prison. Maybe it’d be better to wait and go tomorrow.”

  “Probably would be best,” Mitch agreed with a sly look.

  So he’d be staying in Reno tonight too? Miranda’s gaze riveted back to Keith. Was he thinking what she was thinking? His casual tone and blank expression gave nothing away.

  “If that’s the case, would you mind if I went also?” Miranda asked, looking from Keith to Mitch.

  “To the prison?” Mitch asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “If we left early in the morning, maybe I could spend a couple of hours there and still get back to L.A. at a reasonable time.”

  Keith shrugged. “I don’t mind as long as Mitch can arrange it.”

  He had hardly spoken to her from the time they’d arrived at the processing facility. Although he’d been busy sorting and loading horses, it felt like he was intentionally keeping his distance from her. She wondered why.

  Mitch scratched his chin. “Don’t see why not. You’ll need authorization from the warden, but we’ve been working with that facility for years. I ’magine you’ll be barraged with forms to sign, but I’ll make the call if you want to go.”

  “Yes. I would.” She beamed.

  “If you’re going to stay in town tonight, I hope you’ll join us for some supper,” Beth said.

  “Thanks for the invitation,” Miranda replied. “But to be honest, after sleeping on the ground last night, I’m seriously craving room service, a long, hot bath, and a nice soft bed.”

  * * *

  With me. Keith wanted to blurt. He hadn’t planned to overnight in Reno, but her decision to stay had changed everything. If they had a second chance to be together, he wasn’t about to pass it up. “If you’re ready to go, I’ll give you a ride back to your car,” he offered.

  “Thanks,” Miranda replied, but her smile held an uncertain edge as she packed up her gear.

  He placed his hand on the small of her back, noting the slight shiver even at this light contact. There was a new tension between them now, an uneasy and unspoken anticipation. They drove in silence until reaching the end of the gravel road that marked the entrance to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse Adoption Center. Pulling up to her car, Keith put the truck in park. “Are you going to call the hotel for a room…or are you going to stay with me?”

  “Stay with you?” She looked up in surprise. “That sounds a lot like a proposition.”

  “Is that what you’d call it?” He asked with a grin. “I thought it sounded like a really good idea.”

  “Or a really bad one,” she blurted. “I don’t get you. You were almost chilly toward me all day. Why this sudden about-face?”

  “I was trying to make it easier on both of us, but it wasn’t easy,” he said. For the past few hours he’d tried to keep his mind focused on work, but couldn’t get the thought of her out of his mind—or ignore the ball-aching frustration he still felt every time he looked at her. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about last night.”

  “Last night was one thing,” she replied, her expression wary. “But this is something else.”

  “Last night was different for me too,” he said. “You are different.”

  “Different how?” she asked, her gaze searching his.

  He paused, not knowing exactly how to answer her. “I don’t deny I’ve been with a lot of women, Miranda, but I haven’t wanted anyone like this in a long time.” His eyes shuttered. “Too long. I still want you, and I think you still want me.”

  “Last night the circumstances drew us together. In the
heat of passion it’s always easy to throw good sense to the wind, but things tend to change in the light of day.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “That I know this thing between us can’t go anywhere.”

  “Does that really matter?” he asked.

  “I don’t want to be another conquest, Keith. I told you before that I don’t do hookups. I dated my last boyfriend for almost a year before we were ever intimate, and here you and I met only two days ago.”

  “Not true,” he said. “We first met over a year ago.”

  “But we’re still virtually strangers,” she insisted.

  “Time and intimacy are irrelevant, Aiwattsi. There are people who spend a lifetime together as strangers, and others who connect as if they’d known each other in another life. Why do you think it’s wrong to be with me?”

  “Wrong? No, I don’t really feel that way.” Her gaze darted away. “Maybe I should, but I don’t.”

  “We all have a need to be touched,” he said. “It’s in our very nature. I want to be with you, Aiwattsi. Tell me you want this too.” He ached to touch her, to be inside her, but the attraction was more than just strong sexual chemistry. He hoped she felt it too.

  Desire and hesitation mingled in her eyes. “Part of me does, but the other part just doesn’t know if I can do this,” she said.

  “Then I think the second part of you needs a little convincing.” Palming the back of her head, he claimed her mouth in a long, hungry kiss. Her arms came around his neck as she melted into it with a little moan. He drew her in deeper, kissing her hot and fierce, invading her mouth with his tongue, before reluctantly breaking away. His body screamed for release, but his truck wasn’t the right place, especially when a comfortable room waited.

  Keith held his breath, his gaze silently probing hers.

  Her eyes met his, soft with desire. “Yes, Keith,” she whispered. “I want to be with you too.”

  Chapter 13

  Stepping out of the shower, Miranda pulled on her cotton sleep shorts and a tank top, and then proceeded to dry her hair. Her jitters were growing by the second. Out in the desert, it was easy to fall victim to heat-of-the-moment passion. Danger and desire made an addictive cocktail, especially to someone who’d always lived vicariously through films, but spending the night with Keith in a hotel was very much a conscious decision.

  She froze at the sound of a light knock on the door, fraught with nervous anticipation. She’d almost decided to back out, until she peered through the peephole and found Keith standing there with an overnight bag slung over his shoulder and bearing two very full trays of food.

  “Room service.” He grinned as she cracked the door.

  Her anxiety eased by his playful tone, Miranda fumbled to release the chain and then stepped away to let him in.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  Her stomach answered with an embarrassing growl.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” He chuckled. “What are you in the mood for? We’ve got a double decker club with fries, a Monte Cristo with onion rings, and a four-cheese pizza.” He set the food on the table beside the queen-size bed and uncovered the trays with a scowl. “Maybe I should have ordered more.”

  “More?” She laughed. “There’s enough food there for a small army. How much do you normally eat?”

  His gaze raked slowly over her, heating her skin. “The kind of activity I have in mind burns many calories.” He fed her a fry with a grin then offered her half a sandwich and a slice of pizza. “We’re going to need our strength, so you’d better eat up.”

  She accepted the plate with a smile. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took a bite of the sandwich, rolling her eyes in appreciation. He sat down beside her, sneaking an onion ring from her plate with a guilty look. For the next few minutes they ate in silence, Keith devouring his food with gusto while Miranda picked at hers. She was famished but too nervous to fully appreciate the meal.

  “Second thoughts?” he asked.

  She hesitated for a couple of seconds, weighing her feelings. “I just don’t have any experience with this kind of thing. To be honest, I haven’t a clue what to think…about you and me.” Except that he read her better than anyone she’d ever met.

  “Then don’t think,” he replied. “Just eat.” His gaze traveled slowly over her, making her insides quiver. “And quickly.”

  Swallowing his last bite, he tossed his plate down and then took hers away. Slowly leaning in, he kissed her, just a light brush of his lips. Holding his body inches from hers, enough for her to feel his heat but not his flesh, he teased and enticed. Sucking her lower lip between his teeth, he gently nipped and then slowly released. “Any better now?” he asked.

  “A little,” she whispered back.

  “Come.” Taking her hand, he led her into the large, tiled bathroom with its oversized Jacuzzi tub. He turned on the tap. “Earlier you mentioned a desire for a hot bath.”

  “But I already showered,” she said.

  “Showering doesn’t sooth aching muscles like a hot soak does. You’re tense. You need to relax.” His smile faded. “And I want to undress you,” he added with a dark look that made her pulse race.

  “Arms up.” He drew the thin white tank top over her head to reveal her small breasts and painfully erect nipples. She wished she’d worn one of those sexy pushup bras, but she only owned one and wore it only on special occasions. She realized with a pang that maybe seduction by one of the hottest men alive qualified as one. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her breasts.

  His gaze locked on hers, and he slowly drew back. As if reading her mind, he brought her hands to her sides. His eyes not leaving hers, he cupped her breasts and stroked the peaks of her nipples with his thumbs. “I love your natural beauty, Aiwattsi. So slender and graceful. You remind me of a doe.”

  “Is that what it means?” she asked. “Doe?”

  “Close,” he replied. “Aiwattsi is a little fawn. Your eyes are innocent like one.”

  “But don’t wolves eat fawns?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied, giving her a lupine flash of incisors. “I find fawns very tasty indeed.”

  She gave a tiny gasp as he planted his lips at the sensitive junction of her shoulder and neck. Sliding his hands down her back, he clasped her ass and then lowered his head. Kissing and licking, he worked his way down to claim her breasts with his hungry mouth. “Perfect. Beautiful. Delicious.”

  His words made her feel once more like an exotic desert flower. She arched her back and released a blissful sigh. He suckled her breasts as his hands mapped her body. Her fingers tangled in his thick, silky hair. She shut her eyes, throwing her head back with a moan, abandoning herself to the drugging pleasure of his mouth. Just like the wolf in his story, he devoured her by inches as he moved down her body with lips, teeth, and tongue.

  A quiver raced over her skin as he caressed the curls of her mound through her shorts. She tensed again as he began to peel them off her hips. Her heart pounded in her chest at the realization that they were approaching the point of no return. He looked up with a grin as he bared her short nest of curls.

  “Your down matches your hair. I want to bury my face in its softness.”

  His meaning made her throat go dry. “Um…” She swallowed. “You aren’t planning to…do things down there…are you?”

  “Things down there?” His chuckle warmed her exposed belly with a blast of moist, hot air. “I’d planned to do lots of things, but not if you can’t even say it. Haven’t you had lovers before, Miranda?”

  “Only one,” she confessed. “We were supposed to get married when I graduated college.”

  “And this guy you were going to marry didn’t go down on you?”

  “Um. He did once or twice, but I didn’t like it.” Jason had tried to please her sexually, but there was just no excitement, no passion between them. She’d never regretted breaking it off with him, but now she understood why. At the time, she hadn’t even
known what she was missing. Now she did.

  “You will this time,” he said. “If there’s one thing I take pride in, it’s pleasing my woman.”

  “Your woman?” she repeated, both irritated and flattered by the possessiveness of the statement. “Is that what you think I am?”

  “You will be the moment I put my tongue in your—”

  “Please don’t say it, Keith. I don’t like dirty talk.”

  “All right. I won’t say it…but you will. Tell me you want it, Miranda. Tell me you want me to bury my nose in your soft down.”

  “But I don—” She gasped as he nuzzled her with his face.

  “Oh, yes, you do,” he insisted darkly. He kissed a slow path from one hip bone toward the other. “Tell me you want my lips and tongue inside your lips.” He worked his way back to her navel, tracing it slowly with his tongue. Her inner walls responded, shuddering with a wave of intense want. “You want me to drink your salty sweetness while I kiss and suck the little pearl that hides within your womanhood. These are just a few of the things I wish to do down there, and all you have to do is tell me you want it.”

  She shut her eyes on another hard swallow.

  “I’ll make this good for you,” he promised. “You won’t regret it.”

  Her desire once more waged battle with her conscience. Knowing that he wanted her made her feel beautiful and desirable. Why shouldn’t she feel those things? She didn’t care if it was only for one night. “No. I won’t regret it,” she whispered as much to herself. “But what about that bath?” she suggested shyly.

  “You distracted me, Aiwattsi.” He chuckled and then began stripping, toeing off his boots and peeling off his T-shirt. She drank him in with thirsty eyes, from chest and shoulders down his torso to his low-slung jeans. She hadn’t had a good look at him before, but now she could hardly tear her eyes away. His entire body was honed of lean, hard muscle under his sun-bronzed skin. In her eyes, Keith was physical perfection.

  “Like what you see, Aiwattsi?” he asked softly.