by Desiree Holt
Her brow creased in a small frown then she nodded. “Okay. Come on, Mason.”
She had him in the copilot’s seat again, with the maps unrolled on his lap. Lane and the other members of the team were stashed back in the cabin of the helo with a variety of equipment. In what seemed like seconds, they had lifted off and were in the air, sliding smoothly over the rolling pastures of the Double R. He watched the activity below him through the windshield.
His wranglers were busy culling the calves from their mothers and moving them toward the fenced area closest to the barns. This afternoon they’d start the laborious and unpleasant process of branding them. Everyone’s attention would be focused on that, the branding and then tending to the cattle at night. A good opportunity for the coyote to bring another group through. Good thing The Omega Team had arrived when it did.
While they waited for the men on horseback to reach the area in question, Kris flew over the ranches on either side of the Double R.
“Not as big as yours,” she commented.
“The Double R has been around for generations. My neighbors were Johnny-come-latelies. Not as much land available.”
“So not as appealing to the cartels and coyotes.” She banked the chopper and headed back the way they’d come. “Plus, the Rio Grande is so narrow where it borders your place. I see you have barbed wire all along the border. That must have cost a fat penny.”
“No shit. But we wanted to prevent exactly what I think is happening.”
”Why do you have the empty areas fenced in parcels?” she asked.
“We get wild boar, javelinas, coyotes, all kinds of animals, and this way we can keep them away from the cattle.”
She maneuvered the controls, and the chopper lifted to a higher altitude. “Let’s flirt a little with Mexican airspace, shall we?”
“Kris—”
“It’s okay.” She gave a short laugh. “This isn’t my first rodeo. I can do a fast in and out. Besides, I doubt they’re monitoring this area.”
“But they might be. What are you looking for, anyway?”
These assholes have to have a place on their side of the river where they collect the people and load them up with the drugs.”
“Tape them to their bodies, you mean.” He’d seen enough about it on television. “Even the kids?”
“Everyone carries.”
The thought of it made Mason sick to his stomach. “That chaps my ass. I can’t— Wait!” He pointed through the windshield again. “There. See? It’s barely a road snaking in from the highway. As long as we’re in enemy territory, can you go a little lower so we can check for a pickup point?”
“We can do whatever you want.”
Mason started to make a comment about exactly what he wanted to do but kept his mouth shut.
“Hey, Kris.” Lane’s voice came through the headsets. “You forget where the border is?”
“Taking a quick detour. Nothing more.” She tapped Mason’s arm. “Scan the area as quickly as you can because I’m turning back.” She touched her mic. “Guys, let’s get pictures of what’s below for us to study later.”
“Got it,” Lane said.
“That’s the spot.” Mason touched her hand and nodded. “See that turnoff right there? They must transport them to that spot, unload them, and walk them down that dirt track to the river and across.”
“We’ll review the photos tonight, and the video. Meanwhile, let’s get our asses out of Mexico.”
“Hey, Kris?” Ted’s voice crackled in their ears. “I’m ready to start placing the sensors.”
“We’ll hover over you.”
“I’m ready to check them,” Lane chimed in.
Kris made another slow bank with the chopper then hovered over the three men below. Mason noted that Ted and Roy had dismounted and were leading their horses in a zigzag path, picking their way carefully through the scrub. They were several yards apart, and at various points, would lean down to place something beneath a thorny bush or scrub grass.
“Doesn’t someone actually have to step on the sensor to set it off?” Mason asked.
“Not with these. They send out a signal, so many feet to either side. If someone trips that signal, the pod will light up on Lane’s computer.”
“They’re using the track we marked where the wire had been cut before?”
“Uh-huh. Ted and Roy will ride along the fence line when they’re finished, making sure there isn’t another spot they’ve used, but this tracks directly back to the path on the other side. For the moment, we’ll assume it’s their usual trail.” She made a slight turn with the helo and slipped sideways. “What’s that dirt path over there to our left?”
“Where?” He leaned forward slightly in his seat, peering through the windshield. Sure enough, there was a road—no, little more than a wide trail—snaking through the scrub way to the right.”
“None of us ever go into that general area. It’s fenced off from the usable land. What I’m guessing is if the wrong fencing hadn’t been cut one time, leaving it open for the cattle to wander though, we might not have ventured in here for months. No reason to.”
Kris angled the chopper more to the right to give him a better view of what was beneath them.
“There’s your exit,” she told him. “That dirt road leads out to the highway. My guess is the coyote has someone waiting there for him where he dumps the people and the drugs.”
“Yeah. I’ve got it on the maps, and we can match the spots with the photography when we get back. How are they doing below us?”
Before she could answer, they heard Ted’s voice. “We’ve got them all placed. Lane, you got us?”
“High, wide, and handsome,” Lane answered. “Everyone is a go.”
“Let’s head back then,” Kris told them. “We need to check out what we’ve got.”
”You think they’ll take a group through tonight?” Mason asked.
“Hard to say, but we want to be ready for them.” She banked the chopper and headed back to the ranch. “We don’t know how often whoever this is comes through here. Be prepared. We could be waiting a few nights.”
“As long as we can get eyes on them and stop them, that’s all I care about.”
“That’s what you’re paying us for,” Kris assured. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Then let’s get back and make plans.”
*****
Riding with Mason sitting so close to her in the cockpit had been an exercise in discipline for Kris. His earthy scent kept drifting across her nostrils, overriding every other smell. How was it that sitting next to him, even as she concentrated on flying the helo, sent her pulse skittering, made her nipples harden and pucker, and her juices dampen the crotch of her panties. She’d met a lot of men in her life, both before and during the military, and no one—not a single one—triggered the combustible response Mason Rowell did.
Seeing him again brought back all the memories of that one sensuous, totally erotic, down-and-dirty-sex night they’d spent together. She thought she’d buried it deep in her mind but, apparently, it was hovering near the surface, waiting to break free. Somehow, she had to make sure she wasn’t alone with him until this assignment was finished.
She was glad she had the chopper to focus on as they flew back to the ranch. And that she could hang in there doing her post-flight checks after he climbed out. But her team was waiting for a debriefing. No way could she avoid it. When they got to the bunkhouse, she’d make damn sure she and Mason were at opposite ends of the table.
“Hey, Kris.”
Lane’s shout caught her attention, and she waved to him. Glancing out, she saw the riders had left, obviously to take the horses back to the barn, but the rest of the team was waiting for her. She took off her headset, set aside her clipboard, and climbed out of the cockpit.
“Sorry. Doing my post-flight shutdown.”
“What’s up first?” Lane asked. “Food or meeting? Roy and Ted took the horses back and said t
hey’d meet us in the yard.”
“Let’s do our debriefing before lunch,” she suggested. “We had a huge breakfast, and it’s only noon.” She looked at Mason. “Does that work for you and your housekeeper?”
“No sweat. Martina’s prepared to be flexible. Let me text her and let her know.”
“Good. Lane? Let’s haul this gear back to the bunkhouse. We’ll grab Ted and Roy on the way and see what we’ve got.”
She jogged ahead of everyone, needing to put some space between herself and Mason. She didn’t want to admit it, but being near him frazzled her brain. Damn! She was a seasoned military veteran and an experienced team leader here. Surely, she could control herself for a few days. It wasn’t as if they even had any future together. That wasn’t even up for discussion.
Back at the bunkhouse, she made sure she was as far away from him as she could get. Lane opened his laptop, and everyone took out their maps and notes. Time for business. She could get through this. She just needed to concentrate.
*****
Before lunch, she approached Stick with a request.
“All right if I borrow one of the horses to ride? I know what I’m doing,” she added quickly when she saw the look of skepticism on his face. “I can ride as well as my men, I promise you.” And she desperately needed something mindless to clear out her brain. Something to relieve the tension gripping her body that was as much Mason as the job.
He shrugged. “All right with me, if the boss signs off on it.”
She tried to catch Mason alone, but as soon as they finished eating, he retreated to his den and closed the door. A sure sign he didn’t want company. Restless, she wandered out into the yard, seeking an alternative to being shut up in the bunkhouse with her team.
The hands were hard at it, moving the calves they’d separated from their mothers into larger of the two corrals. According to Mason, tomorrow they’d begin the branding process. Enjoying the pastoral scene, she leaned her arms on the top rail of the corral to watch the scene. The bawling of the animals and the shouting of the men was a familiar song that took her back to her childhood, growing up in Wyoming and visiting the ranches of her friends. She inhaled deeply, the tang of horseflesh and hay a subtle, intoxicating mixture.
“Watching the cattle? I wouldn’t think branding was one of your forms of entertainment.”
Kris jumped when Mason’s voice sounded right next to her. She hadn’t been aware of him coming up beside her, the sound of his approach camouflaged by the noise of the branding. His slightly mocking tone of voice irritated the hell out of her.
“Excuse me?”
He nodded toward the site of the branding. “I wondered if you were suddenly fascinated by all this.”
“Oh, um, sure. It’s pretty interesting.” Could she have sounded any dumber?
He lifted one eyebrow. “If you say so.”
“I thought I’d take a break from the bunkhouse. That’s all. I think Ray and Ted spoke to Stick about riding out this afternoon to double check the sensors. Lane will follow them on the computer program.”
“He mentioned it. I told him to give all of you whatever you need.”
“Appreciate it.”
“I want this thing taken care of yesterday, before we have another tragedy.”
He leaned his arms on the top rail of the corral. His sleeves rolled up to exposed a rich expanse of tanned skin. Kris barely resisted reaching out to touch him, feel the play of hard muscle beneath the surface, the tickle of the fine, dark hair. She knew his legs had the same dusting and remembered the soft scrape of it against her skin. At once she was hot and wet, her breath lodged in her throat, her heartbeat stuttering.
“I was impressed at the briefing session. You guys really know your shit.” He gave a soft chuckle. “Although I didn’t expect anything less.”
His words startled her.
“Thanks. I have a good team with me.”
“Nice to be reminded the people I hire are experts.“
“We aim to please.” She shivered slightly, an electric reaction to his nearness.
“Got everything in place for tonight?”
“We are prepared, although there might not be anything happening,” she reminded him. “We have to play this one night at a time. You know the schedule for this stuff is unpredictable, mostly because there is no schedule.”
“Understood. I’ve done some research myself, and I know they try to evade detection by varying when they cross. They try to fool the authorities or anyone else patrolling the area by being unpredictable.”
“Absolutely.” She had an itch to touch the hard muscles of his arms so she shoved her hands in the front pockets of her jeans.
They stood for a moment in silence. She wondered if he was as rocked by the sexual tension between them as she was.
I should walk away. Go back to the bunkhouse. I’m going to get in trouble if I stay here.
Mason cleared his throat. “Stick mentioned you asked if you could ride one of the horses.”
“Is that okay? I used to ride a lot before I went into the military. Where I grew up. I’m sure I still remember how.”
He frowned. “Where you grew up? I don’t think we ever talked about our backgrounds.”
Kris couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. “I don’t think we ever got around to talking about anything.”
He smiled. “No, we sure didn’t. Maybe we should correct that.”
“To what end? I’ll be gone as soon as this gig is over.”
He was silent for a heartbeat, then two, leaning against the corral fence again. “Yeah. True.”
“Wyoming.”
“What?”
“I grew up in Wyoming. I had friends with horses.”
More silence.
Kris blew out a breath. “I think I’ll go back to the bunkhouse.”
“Fine with me if you want to borrow a horse. In fact, I think I’ll go with you. Show you some of the sights on the ranch.”
Uh-oh. She frowned. “Mason, that’s not necessary. You can trust me—”
“Afraid to be alone with me?” His mouth curved in a slow, predatory smile.
The answer was yes. Immediately, every pulse in her body ramped up. Leaving the ranch with him was like stepping into a danger zone. The smart thing would be to say no. Every minute she spent with him sent signals to her body she wanted to shut down. The man was like a drug to her, a habit she couldn’t kick.
He was a hostile, sexually aggressive male, the kind of man she always avoided. Always.
Tell him no. Right this minute. Do it.
But the words that came out of her mouth seemed to come from someone else. “Of course not. Sure. That sounds great.”
Had she really said that?
I’m crazy. That’s what I am. Crazy.
He almost, but not quite, concealed the surprise on his face. Then he reached out and took her hand, as if he was staking some kind of claim. Or sending a message.
“Let’s get saddled up.”
The heat from the contact of their hands sizzled up her arm and through her body. From the way his fingers tightened reflexively, she was sure Mason felt the same thing. Her first tendency was to yank her hand away. The effect this man had on her was scrambling her brain and distracting her. She never, ever let men affect her this way. She needed to get a damn grip on herself.
But he seemed equally as determined not to give her space. He held onto her hand, fingers linked through hers, until they were in the barn and standing in front of one of the stalls. A pinto shifted in its stall and hung its head over the door, nosing at Mason’s chest.
“This is Sassy. She’ll give you a smooth ride.”
Kris stroked the mare’s forehead. “Who normally rides her?”
“One of the older hands. He’s been using her for ages.” Mason chuckled. “They’re almost like a couple.”
“Won’t he mind if I ride her?”
“Uh-uh. Lately, he’s been riding one of the
horses we bought last month. He’ll be glad she’s getting some exercise.”
Okay, she could handle riding the horse. She’d done it for years in her earlier life. It didn’t obligate her to anything else. Of course not.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
In moments, Mason had Sassy saddled and ready to go, as well as his own mount, a large buckskin. Conscious of Mason’s eyes on her, Kris took a deep breath, put her foot in a stirrup, and pulled herself up into the saddle in a smooth movement.
Yes!
She wanted to pump her fist.
Mason made a sound of approval. “Not bad.”
She tugged the reins, turning Sassy so she faced the man who ignited such sexual hunger in her, and grinned at him. “Damn straight.”
She watched him mount up with a lithe, fluid movement and urge his horse forward.
“All set?”
Kris nodded. “After you.”
The ride across the rolling pastureland was exhilarating and refreshing. They began at an easy lope, embraced by the sunlight’s warmth. The wind felt so good against her skin, the feel of the horse beneath her bringing back so many memories. For a moment, as she and the animal streaked across the landscape, she forgot Afghanistan, forgot broken relationships, forgot everything except this moment and the incredible freedom sweeping through her.
Then, ahead of her, Mason slowed down and pulled his mount to a walk. She rode up alongside him.
“Why are we stopping?”
He pointed off to the left to a dense stand of ancient oak trees. “Thought we’d take a minute to enjoy nature. That’s a pretty sight, and there’s a creek where we can water the horses.”
Dismount? Out here in the middle of nowhere? With him? Was he nuts? Was she?
Kris figured she definitely was because she nodded and urged Sassy to follow him to the spot he’d indicated. It really was beautiful. A narrow creek cut through the meadow here, the spot shaded by the heavy limbs of the very old trees. They dismounted and led their horses to the stream, standing quietly while the animals drank. The silence wrapped around them like a thick blanket, so Kris dug desperately around in her brain for some kind of conversation.
