by Dani Harper
James grinned. “Animals are excellent judges of character.” And that was all the explanation he would give her.
Eventually they came to the edge of the farmyard, where the trees gave way to rolling green fields. “What have you planted here?” she asked. The plants were nothing like the orderly grain fields she’d expected. These were bushy with twisted, sprawling stems and an abundance of leaves.
“Green manure.”
She wrinkled her nose. “What?”
“Seriously. Part of organic farming is to use natural methods to enrich the soil instead of chemical fertilizer. This is a field of alfalfa. It has very long roots that bring minerals up to the topsoil from deep in the earth. And it has the ability to take nitrogen from the air and put that into the soil too.”
“Don’t they make hay out of this stuff?”
“Most of the time, but alfalfa’s a perennial and this field is several years old. Too old to make good hay. See how it’s got a lot of stems? So instead of harvesting it, I’m going to wait another week and then plow it under while it’s still green to enrich the soil even further. Voila, green manure.”
“So there’s no real manure involved?”
“No, it’s just a slang term for growing a crop strictly as fertilizer. Although we do compost real manure to put back into the soil, but it’ll be a year, maybe two before it’s ready to use.”
“It really means a lot to you to convert this farm to organic production.”
Her hand was resting on his arm. He stared at it a moment then covered it with his own hand as if to keep it there. “It does. We don’t have to destroy the land in order to persuade it to feed us. And I feel better eating food that was produced this way. Other people have other opinions of course.”
Jillian looked up at him, studied his face. “You really believe in what you’re doing, and I like that. I like the way you care about the land, and I like the way you care about the animals. I guess that means I like you.”
She’d succeeded in surprising him, yet shouldn’t he look pleased or happy or something? Maybe he wasn’t as interested as Birkie thought he was. Oh great, now he’s frowning. Maybe coming here was a huge mistake.
Or maybe not. James was still frowning, but his powerful hands had slid around her, gently gathering her in. He lowered his face to hers, eyes open as if to gauge her reaction. Jillian reached up to tangle her fingers in his white-blond hair and met his lips with her own. She poured herself into the kiss, felt the thrill of it vibrate through both of them. She felt reckless, exhilarated, as if she were leaping from a great height into a deep pool.
But the water wasn’t still. Powerful currents rocked her, an ocean of sensation carried her along at dizzying speed. Each time she tried to surface, James changed the angle of the kiss and pulled her under. His lips were hot over hers, soft but relentless. Jillian had one hand still fisted in James’s hair, the other gripping his shoulder as he simply flowed into her system like the tide. She had tried to meet the kiss as she met everything else in her life, head on, trusting her own strength and mind and skill to prevail. But they were useless tools here. The tide was too powerful, the water too deep and fast, the inescapable pull of an undertow drawing her steadily towards the silky bottom. With James. She sighed and sank willingly into the nameless, sweet sea.
James felt her sigh shiver right through him, felt the subtle shift in her, a yielding. He wanted her, wanted to feel her skin against his, wanted to touch and to taste. The blood was pounding in his head and throbbing in his groin, as he ran his hands over her, held her tightly to him and ached to be closer still. His hand found its way under her blouse and cupped a teacup breast, felt the delicate nipple pressing into his palm through the silky bra. James shifted, trailed kisses along the angles of her face and down her throat.
Yes, yes, yes. With a start he realized he wasn’t alone. The wolf was present and it was eager. Eager to have him claim Jillian fully.
No. With difficulty, James pulled back. God, he wanted nothing more than to continue what he was doing. But he wasn’t about to give in to the wolf’s plans for his life, or do something that might eventually endanger Jillian. And so he pulled back while he still could. He smoothed her blouse back into place and rubbed his hands up and down her upper arms. He was about to say he had work to do and she probably did too and maybe she should go—but those sea green eyes, still dreamy with arousal, were looking up at him. “Maybe we should continue our tour,” he heard himself say.
“Maybe we should.”
Her lips curved. They were still soft and full from kissing, and he very nearly bent his head to capture them again. But he could feel the wolf within and would not let it have its way. Dared not. If he kissed her again right now, he couldn’t stop himself a second time. A horse nickered nearby, penetrating James’s awareness, and James seized upon it like a life preserver. He tore his gaze away from those green eyes and looked out over the fields. If he didn’t look at her, didn’t fall into her eyes again, maybe he’d be okay. Still, he had to clear his throat twice to get his voice to work properly. “If you’d like to see some of the rest of the farm, we could go back and get the truck.” His hands were still on her shoulders but he held her away from him. Not much—maybe an inch or two—but it gave him a chance to breathe. “Or we could ride. It’s a good day for it. You like horses, right?”
“I love working with horses—but I don’t know how to ride.”
“What? You’re kidding, right?” Genuinely shocked, he forgot his intentions and looked down at her.
Jillian shrugged. “I grew up in the city, so I was never really exposed to them. And then when I went to veterinary college, believe me, I was too busy learning about their inner workings to learn how to ride them. I always wanted to learn, though.”
“No time like the present.” He was relieved to find he could let go of her now. His brain was even starting to work—probably getting some blood flow again. James took a couple steps away and whistled shrilly, a four-note sound guaranteed to carry.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling Charlie.”
“One of the horses? But aren’t they in the corral?”
“Not for long.”
Jillian started to say something, but James had a finger to his lips. Moments passed. With his Changeling hearing, the sounds of hoofbeats were immediately audible. But it didn’t take long for Jillian to hear them, too. A pale horse with a riot of spots and speckles in his coat rounded the last shed and trotted toward them. An enormous gray draft horse and a trio of chubby ponies followed him. They milled around James like big dogs eager for play.
“Somebody knows how to open gates.” Jillian chuckled.
But James didn’t reply right away. He watched in fascination as she patted and stroked the glossy coats with both hands, grinning as velvet noses nuzzled her. The serious veterinarian was gone, and in her place was someone nearly bursting with childlike delight. She laughed out loud as the draft horse nudged her a little too hard with his massive nose and sent her skidding on her butt in the dirt.
James laughed then too and reached a hand for her. She expected him to pull her to her feet. Instead he picked her up and tossed her, wide-eyed, onto the back of the culprit.
“Omigod, he’s huge. I’m going to get a nosebleed up here.” But she didn’t ask to get down. Her hands were already running over the dappled gray neck, winding through the silky white mane. “What’s his name?”
“Toby. And he is huge. He’s over eighteen hands high. I think his head alone weighs as much as you do.” James eyed her speculatively. “Maybe a bit more.”
She sniffed at that and leaned further over Toby’s neck to pet him. “So does Charlie break out regularly?”
“Whenever we ask him to. Sometimes when we don’t. Charlie can open every gate and door in the place, lets his friends out too sometimes as you can see.”
“You must spend a lot of time rounding up animals.”
“Nope. C
harlie does that. He’s an incredible cow-horse, best I’ve ever seen. More like a big sheep dog really.” James scratched the Appaloosa behind the ears. “He can’t carry much weight with those legs of his—see how the front ones bow out?—but he doesn’t need to be ridden. He brings the cows in when we tell him to, or singles out the ones we need to work on, all on his own.”
“But the other horses—”
“Will stay with him. He’s not the biggest, but he’s the herd leader and they don’t stray. We’re going to take our tour of the rest of the farm, and they’ll all just follow us.”
“They will?” That was as far as Jillian got before James suddenly vaulted up in one smooth cat-like motion and settled in close behind her, chuckling at her openmouthed surprise. “Practice,” he answered before she could ask. Although he knew there were few if any humans who could mount a horse of Toby’s size without stirrups and from a standing start, no matter how much they practiced. Being a Changeling had some pretty good perks.
He waited for the next question as he nudged Toby forward. She didn’t disappoint him. “Hold it, we don’t have a bridle or reins or—”
“Don’t need them, doc. Toby is used to being guided by legs alone.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Ask Connor. He rides just like this all the time. So does Kenzie when she comes out to visit.”
“Your sister does this?”
“Uh-huh. She’s pretty good at it, been teaching Zoey too. I can teach you if you like. So you don’t ride at all?” He was still surprised by that.
“Not a bit.” She was accustomed to treating horses, not riding them, with both of her feet firmly on the ground. “I’ve sat on a horse inside a corral once or twice, but that’s all.”
“Well, then there’ll be a whole bunch of things you won’t have to unlearn.”
Jillian surveyed her mount and ventured to lean over the side. “Toby is tall and broad and gray all over. Are you sure he isn’t an elephant? I think I should take lessons on something a lot closer to the ground.”
James laughed and brushed a kiss on top of her head, dared to nuzzle her wayward blond hair and enjoyed the scent of it. “You can try riding one of the ponies later if you want. For now, just pretend Toby is a tour bus and enjoy the ride.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and nudged Toby into a brisk trot, chuckled as Jillian scrabbled to wind her hands into the horse’s mane. “I won’t let you fall, doc, I promise. Relax.”
She glared back at him. “I’m perched on top of a tour bus with no visible means of control. It’s a little tough to feel safe.”
“Trust me.”
“I’ll try.”
He smiled at the hesitation in her voice, then moved Toby into an easy gallop. “Wait, wait, wait,” she squealed.
“I told you to trust me,” he said with his lips near her ear.
“You didn’t tell me you were going to go fast.” She had a death grip on Toby’s mane.
“Believe me, this is easier on you than a trot. See how you’re not bouncing now?” He put his hands over hers. “Look, give me your hands. Let me hold them while you relax and feel how to move with the horse.”
“You mean let go? Are you nuts?”
“I’m not hanging on to anything and I’m okay,” he pointed out. “It’s balance, Jillian. You know all about balance from whatever martial art it is that you practice.”
“How did you know about that?”
“Your reflexes. And that power punch to the gut at the clinic. Not to mention that little battle in the loft we had—those little fists of yours really drill between the ribs. So what is it exactly that you practice?”
“Tae Kwon Do.”
“Belt?”
“Blue with a red stripe. It’s a little past intermediate. I’m hoping to test for red belt in the fall.”
He nodded appreciatively. “Okay then, you know plenty about balance. So you can do this. Trust me and let go. Trust yourself.” They were doing a large loping circle around the field now, with Charlie and the ponies following close behind. When Jillian still hesitated, James pressed his very best button. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
Her fingers released the mane at once, and he had to stifle a laugh. Instead he held her hands, marveling anew at how small they were, seemingly too small to have knocked the wind from him after that first kiss in the clinic. He brushed his thumbs over the palms, then held her hands out from her sides. “Close your eyes, doc. Pretend Toby’s a circus horse.”
“I thought he was a tour bus.”
“That’s just his day job. Now he’s a circus horse and we’re the performers.” James was surprised and pleased when she closed her eyes at once, when she lifted her hands free from his and held her arms straight out. He rested his hands lightly on her waist then and used his legs to direct Toby into intricate patterns and paces. Jillian never faltered. She had a natural grace, would make an excellent rider.
“It’s kind of like flying,” she said at last. “You were right about closing my eyes. It’s amazing how not being able to see where I’m going actually helps me find my balance. Must be a Zen thing.”
“Must be.” He knew it was Jillian and not Zen that was affecting his own inner stability, however. She both knocked him off-balance and grounded him, simply by being near him. It was a volatile mix, and if he wasn’t a lot more careful, he would fall.
Chapter Twenty
Jillian was catching on quickly. He could see her begin to anticipate the horse’s movements. She could sense when Toby was turning and the direction, even feel when the pace was about to change. But through it all James was very aware of her. Her hips were wedged firmly into the vee of his legs, his thighs dwarfing hers. There was little space between her shapely little bottom and his groin. His hands tightened on her waist in spite of himself, although whether it was to hold her away or pull her closer, he couldn’t say. The only thing he was certain of was that his jeans had become very uncomfortable.
“Why are you always so hot?” she asked suddenly.
“What?” He really should stop glancing down at her backside.
“Your body heat. You’re always so warm.”
“High metabolism.” His voice came out thick. He needed a distraction, but his brain wasn’t working again. “Family trait. Does it bother you?”
“No. No, it’s kind of nice, actually. I like it.”
She nestled back into him, making him fight to stifle a groan as his body reacted. God, she felt good. “You’re doing really well, doc. Ready to try it on your own?”
“What? Wait!” She grabbed at his hands.
“I’m not leaving. I’m just going to move back a little and let go of you, okay? I’ll still be right here. Put your hands up like before.”
“All right.” Jillian let her arms rise out from her body like wings. “I’m ready. I think.”
James let go of her waist and eased back from her body, putting some welcome inches between his throbbing groin and her enticing little butt. The relief was enormous, but it slowly dawned on him that the distance between them was an illusion. The sun was low in the sky and cast golden lights into Jillian’s hair. She was beautiful as she sat poised in front of him, moving as the horse moved. He could feel that she was in perfect synch with the horse now, beginning to instinctively shift her legs as well. And he could feel her enjoyment blossom into joy. For a few perfect moments she was in harmony with everything around her, and that harmony seemed to radiate from her and into him. He could hardly breathe, feeling her presence as if it was part of him. The curious connection seemed tangible—and transcendent.
James let the moment draw out as long as he dared, then reluctantly slowed Toby to a walk. Jillian opened her eyes and looked back at him, but he managed to dodge her gaze. He knew he couldn’t muster a defense against those green eyes, not at the moment. Maybe not at all.
“Is he tired? Do we need to stop?” She lowered her hands, and James noted she now rested them on her l
egs instead of seeking Toby’s mane again.
“It’s a bit more exercise than he’s used to, and he’s carrying two of us. We’re going to head down the coulee to the river. The horses can drink and the grass is good there.”
“What the hell’s a coulee?” She sounded if he had made up the word.
“City girl,” he teased. “The coulees are the steep sandstone ravines that drop down to the river. They’re eroded by rain and melt water, full of caves and fossils. Bears and cougars too.”
“Really? Do you think we’ll see any wildlife?”
“Well, it’ll be twilight by the time we’re done.” And just what was he doing, he wondered, heading further away from the farm? The horses could be watered in their corrals just as easily, yet he couldn’t bring himself to head back there yet. “Animals tend to move around more then, at dusk and at dawn. Maybe we’ll get lucky and see some.”
I hope so.
What? He lifted his head and regarded her. For a split second he was certain she hadn’t spoken aloud. Then he shrugged it off. Imagination. Had to be. He couldn’t even hear his own brothers’ thoughts unless he was in wolf form.
Twilight had already come to the deep valley at the bottom of the coulees. The sky far above was gold fading to mauve, and the evening star was bright in the south. A faint breeze stirred the leaves of enormous trees, grown tall with ample water and rich soil. The river itself was smooth and glassy, reflecting the golden sky.
Jillian inhaled deeply, taking in the cool air, rich with scents. Water, earth, green and growing things. Abundant life. Forest primeval. She watched as ripples appeared here and there on the river, fish seeking insects. Swallows darted low along the water and ducks could be heard somewhere nearby. There was a timelessness here, she realized. It could be 2011 or 1811 or 1411, and look just the same.
“I guess that’s why they call it the Peace River,” she said aloud. “Despite being so big, it hardly looks like it’s moving.”
