Becca nodded. “But I don’t think he liked it. I mean, he hasn’t been back to see me…”
“He’s busy, Becca. There’s been so much going on, what with the theft of the horses and then the fire. Everyone’s on edge,” Emma said, making excuses for Jake’s behavior.
“I bet if you let him know you wanted him again, he’d come around,” Olivia added with a smirk.
Becca wasn’t so sure. She shrugged and continued to eat her lunch. Then again, what could it hurt? She could go visit him and see what happened. Every night when she went to sleep, she saw his face and imagined his touch on her skin. She wanted that big body against her in the worst way.
A little later, when they arrived at the ranch, Olivia sat up and leaned forward. “Wow. This place is gorgeous!”
“You’ll love the inside.” Becca smiled at her. She pulled the truck around to the side, parked, and within minutes, they were inside. Olivia walked through the house and stopped in the foyer. She looked at Becca and Emma.
“This place would make a great bed and breakfast.”
Becca gasped. “Oh my God, you are so right. It would.” Becca immediately saw the home through Olivia’s eyes. “What a great idea.”
Olivia laughed. “I see the wheels turning,” she said looking at Emma. “It’s the same look she had when she decided we needed to buy the coffee shop.”
Becca laughed. Olivia was right. Once she got an idea in her head, Becca didn’t give up until she made it come true. Now, if she could just make her other dreams come true.
* * * *
February came in softly. The weather warmed in the first few days, enough so that when Becca told Olivia she was going for a ride, Olivia perked up.
“I’d love to go for a ride.” She stood up but froze when she saw Becca shaking her head. “What? I can’t go with you. Are you going to see Jake?” Olivia gave her a sly grin.
Becca laughed. “No. I’m going for a horseback ride. It’s almost fifty today.”
Olivia flopped back down to the couch. “Oh, hell no,” she exclaimed waving her hand. “You have a good time. I’ll be right here when you get back.” She picked up the book she’d been reading.
“That’s what I thought,” Becca sighed. “I know you’re bored, Liv. We’ll take a drive tomorrow, I promise.”
Olivia snorted. “What’s there to see anyway? I know the town we come from is small but this…” She waved her hands around. “This hole in the road would fit inside of our town.”
Becca couldn’t argue with her. Clifton was a small town. Everyone seemed to know everyone else and his or her business, but already Becca was beginning to love it. Although she had to be honest, her growing love for the town probably had a lot more to do with a certain tall, dark, and gorgeous cowboy than anything else.
She missed Jake. It had been weeks since she’d seen or talked to him for more than a polite minute or two. The night of the fire, he’d been so nice to her, comforting and holding her in his big strong arms. Maybe she should just call him and ask to see him. What would he think? Would he think her too forward? Maybe he didn’t want to see her or be with her again. God, she hoped not. The memory of their time in bed together made her whole body ache.
Becca groaned as she wandered toward the barn. Carl was walking toward her. He smiled at her.
“Did you need something, Miss Becca?” She’d tried to get the men to call her Becca instead of Miz Daniels but other than Stan, they’d all refused and compromised with Miss Becca.
“I wanted to take a ride, but I just remembered that Daisy is pregnant.”
“You can still ride her. The vet actually recommends riding a mare up until the last month of her pregnancy. It helps strengthen her stomach muscles. The exercise is very beneficial for her health and for the foal too. A strong, healthy, physically fit mare will give birth to strong healthy babies,” Carl explained as he led her into the barn. “I’ll saddle her for you.”
Becca followed him to Daisy’s stall, watching as he placed a blanket on the horse followed by a saddle. He hesitated, glancing at her. “You have ridden before, haven’t you?”
“Yes. There’s a stable I visit in Maryland at least once a month.”
Carl nodded and continued to saddle Daisy. “I’ll adjust the stirrups once you get on.”
Becca put her foot in the stirrup and lifted herself up into the saddle. She waited as Carl adjusted the stirrups. He told her to wait a minute and walked away. He returned a moment later with a walkie-talkie and handed it to her.
“We all use them. If you have any problems, just press the call button. We each have one, so someone will hear you. Don’t be out longer than an hour or two since the area is new to you. If you happen to lose your sense of direction, as you ride from the ranch there are woods on your left. To your right is Stone land, that’s Jake’s land. Those few reminders should keep you going in the right direction.”
Becca gave him a nod. Nudging Daisy, she rode the mare from the barn and headed toward the north pasture. It was a beautiful day. The sun felt good on her skin. She lifted her face to soak up the warm rays. Occasionally, she heard the men talking through the hand-held radio. It gave her a sense of ease knowing they were available if something went wrong. The ride gave her time to think about her new idea of turning the ranch into a B and B. The town was small but if she advertised on the internet, she might be able to get people to visit. It would help the town too. She could have horseback riding and camping trips. Obviously, closing in the winter would be necessary since the closest ski area was over two hours away. There wouldn’t be much for visitors to do during wintertime in Clifton except be stuck inside. The more she thought about the idea, the more she liked it. When she got back to the house, she’d discuss it with Liv. Of course, talking her into staying would be hard, but Becca wanted her best friend with her.
Nudging Daisy a little, she moved through the pasture. As she rode along, she looked to her right and saw a fence line. She knew it was the border between hers and Jake’s land. She rode over to the fence. Her heart stopped when she saw a lone rider on the other side. The rider stopped and looked her way then spurred his horse toward her. Talk about fate. It was Jake. She admired that he sat a horse so well. Jake had a beautiful body. The horse and man moved as one.
He stopped at the fence and smiled at her. She was happy to be sitting for she was sure her knees would’ve given out if she were standing. How could she feel this way, and yet have earlier suspected him of the problems going on?
“Hi Red,” he said in that sexy voice that sent shivers over her skin.
“Hi.” Becca smiled at him. “What are you doing?”
He crossed his arms on the saddle horn and leaned forward. “Just checking the area. What about you?”
“Just enjoying the day.” She felt her cheeks warming.
He nodded then looked away from her. When he glanced back at her, she struggled for breath. The heat in his eyes was intense. It seemed like the temperature had risen thirty degrees. Becca felt flushed but couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.
“Too bad this fence is between us, Stone,” she teased.
He sat up. “Why’s that, Red?”
Her smile widened as she laughed. She was enjoying herself.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Jake’s voice was husky.
Becca laughed and nodded her head. Her laughter fell away when he rode away from her. Had she angered him? Her mouth dropped open when she watched him stop his horse and then lead the animal to run full speed toward the fence. The horse cleared the obstacle and landed flawlessly on Becca’s side of the fence. She turned to see him rein in the large animal and gallop back toward her. He stopped beside her and grinned.
“Now what, Red?”
Becca stared at him for a few seconds, and then burst into laughter. “You cheated, Stone. How was I supposed to know you’d jump the fence?”
Jake chuckled. “You’re the one who teased me with tha
t too bad the fence is between us shit,” he said with a casual shrug. “And now it’s not.”
He leaned across his horse and kissed her full on the lips.
Becca whimpered low in her throat as he deepened the kiss. She clasped him around the neck and moved her tongue against his, making him growl.
He swore as he pulled away and sat up in his saddle.
“I’ve missed you,” he told her softly as he cupped his gloved hand around her cheek.
“I’ve missed you too. Now, what are we going to do about it?”
He leaned toward her again and put his lips close to hers, she felt him smile. “Why don’t you come over tonight and I’ll fix you dinner?”
“Dinner sounds nice. What time?”
He leaned back to look into her eyes. “Six good for you?”
Becca nodded. Jake gave her a quick kiss, turned his horse away from her, and then ran past her as he cleared the fence again easily landing on the other side. He stopped and looked back at her. “I’ll fix breakfast too.”
His words made her hot. Damn man. He threw her a sexy grin and spurred his horse into a run, leaving her gazing after him. Becca laughed and spurred Daisy into a run to take her home. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on him again.
* * * *
Jake rode Midnight into the barn and dismounted. One of the ranch hands came toward him and Jake asked him to wipe the horse down. Usually he did it himself but he wanted to go inside to plan the dinner he intended to make for Becca.
He was smiling as he walked from the barn, his long stride eating up the distance to the house. Jake halted when he saw Wyatt’s truck coming up his driveway. He waited until Wyatt stepped from his truck.
“Wyatt?” Jake hoped nothing was wrong.
“I was just driving by and wanted to see if you’d had time to get that bridle back to Stan?”
Jake grinned as he remembered the day Becca had come to get it. “Yes. Becca came over and got it. Stan needed it.”
Wyatt raised an eyebrow at him and his mouth twitched. “Becca, huh?”
He saluted Jake and got back into his truck, then leaned out the window. “She’s a beautiful woman.” Wyatt chuckled.
“Back the fuck off, little brother,” Jake growled.
Wyatt burst out laughing and drove off. Jake shook his head. He’d fallen right into that one. He was sure his brothers knew he had it bad for Becca, and they were going to rib him about it as much as they could, or until Jake punched one or both of them. Shaking his head, he hurried into the house and headed for the shower, wishing Becca were there with him. Jake stripped, turned on the shower, and stepped in. The hot water flowed over his shoulders, chest, and down along his abs. His thoughts went to Becca’s hands following that same path. He ducked his head under the water but still couldn’t push thoughts of Becca from his mind. He felt his cock begin to rise and thought about taking his pleasure but couldn’t help thinking of Becca. He wanted to share his pleasure with her, not alone in the shower. He closed off the hot water and let the icy chill remaining flow over him putting out the heat until Becca was in his arms. Lord, how he needed and wanted that woman.
* * * *
Becca was nervous. She’d been with Jake before and couldn’t wait to be with him again, but the butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. They never seemed to know where they were going anyway, the way they flittered around all wild. They desperately needed a global positional system. Placing her hand over her tummy, she turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of her driveway. Olivia had been happy for her and told her she’d see her tomorrow as Becca was heading out the door.
When she pulled up to Jake’s house, she sat in the car for a few minutes and took several deep breaths. Wearing new underwear was supposed to make a woman feel confident so why had she begun to second-guess herself? What if the matching black bra and boy-cut panties don’t turn him on? Maybe he doesn’t even want to have sex with her. She snorted. Yeah, right, she thought as she remembered his last words about fixing breakfast too.
Get a grip, girl!
Just as she opened the door to step out, the front door of the house opened and Jake appeared. “Do you plan on sitting in the car all evening, Red?”
She heard the laughter in his voice and gritted her teeth.
“You’re a real smart-ass, Stone.”
He leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms. “So, back to Stone are we?”
Becca muttered under her breath as she walked toward him, carrying a bottle of wine. She shoved it against his chest as she went past him into the living room. His sexy chuckle made her shiver. Spinning around, she glared at him as she took her coat off and laid it on the recliner. A fire roared in the fireplace. Walking close, she put her hands out toward it. The blaze was warm, but not as warm as the hot man standing behind her. She felt him come close. He put his hands on her shoulders.
“Why are you so nervous?”
Before he even touched her skin, she vibrated with need. Why was she so sensitive to the least little move he made? When he put his lips to her neck, she sighed. For a few moments, she relished the nibbling and licking of his tongue on her skin, and then she remembered what he’d said and spun around to face him.
“I’m not nervous.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Liar.” Jake lowered his head and just before his lips touched hers, he stopped. “God, you’re sexy,” he whispered before taking her lips in a deep kiss.
Becca moaned and threw her arms around his neck. He lifted her up, clasping her with strong hands under her bottom. His tongue moved into her mouth and touched hers. Both of them groaned. A timer rang in the kitchen, making them break apart.
Jake smiled at her. She smiled back feeling less nervous.
“Good start. You have a seat and I’ll get dinner,” Jake told her as he set her down, kissing her forehead.
Jake had her sit at the table while he brought the dinner to her. He sat down across from her. The meal of steak and baked potatoes was excellent.
“How long have you been training horses?” Becca asked him.
“Five years now.” Jake shrugged. “I’ve always loved being around them. I worked at a ranch when I got out of high school. I have a rapport with horses. Training was just something I wanted to get into.”
“It sounds like you really enjoy it.” Becca smiled.
“It can get tedious, but I love doing it. I stay busy.” Jake glanced down at his plate.
“Gabe and Wyatt stay busy too?”
Jake’s head snapped up. “Yes. Why?”
Becca snickered. “Just wondering…they’re very good-looking. Are they married?”
Jake growled. “No.”
She burst out laughing. “I’m teasing you, Stone. You’re the only one I’m interested in.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That so?” At her nod, he went on. “Damn good thing, Red.”
An hour later, they sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace drinking wine. They laughed and talked about their families. Becca learned that Jake’s father had virtually given up once his wife died of cancer. He and his brothers watched as their father faded away. The same way they’d watched their mother die. He told her about Gabe taking the original farmhouse, and he and Wyatt building their homes.
“Wyatt is the only one of us who has even come close to getting married,” Jake told her.
“What happened?”
“She broke off the engagement a week before the wedding.”
“Was she nuts?” Becca practically shouted the words but then threw her hand over her mouth making Jake chuckle.
“I’m well aware of the effect Wyatt has on women. I think it’s his I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude.” Jake shook his head. “He did take it hard for a while, though. He drank.” Jake shook his head again. “So much so, that I finally told him to suck it up and act like a man or stay the hell away from me.” He shrugged. “He turned himself around but now he’s a real cynic when it
comes to women. He doesn’t trust them at all. That little bitch did a real number on him.”
Becca told him all about Olivia, and about the accident that had claimed her parents’ lives. She also told him about finding the pictures of herself in Hattie’s closet and talking to Stan about it. “I can’t believe my dad treated her that way.” Becca’s voice cracked as she spoke the words.
Jake put his hand over hers. “We all believe we have all the time in the world. I’m sure if he’d known how things were going to go he would’ve talked to his mother. Hattie was a wonderful woman who had a good bit of sorrow in her life. I miss her every day.”
Now as they sat in front of the fire, Becca had the sensation she’d known Jake her whole life. Was this love? Becca mentally shook her head. How could she love him when a little over a month ago she hadn’t even known he even existed?
She glanced over at him and discovered he was looking at her. He reached out, took her glass from her hand, and set it on the table along with his. Pulling her onto his lap, he cradled her close. “I’ve been waiting all night to do this.” He took her face between his hands, lowered his head, and ran his tongue along the seam of her lips.
Becca shivered and moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck. She opened her mouth to him, surrendering to him. His tongue moved inside hungrily as he pressed his lips against hers. Jake tilted her head back to deepen the kiss and moved his tongue even deeper, making love to her mouth. Becca reached out, unbuttoned his shirt, and pushed it off his wide shoulders. Her hands moved over his solid pecs, feeling his skin quiver. She smiled at the power she had to make this man tremble. To her delight, he moved his hands down her shoulders to her breasts and gently squeezed them, making her groan. Becca felt her nipples harden against the fabric. His hands moved to the bottom of her sweater and lifted it over her head. She laughed softly when he growled and closed his eyes at the sight of the black lace bra she wore.
“You like?” she whispered in his ear.
“Hell yes. Did I tell you black is my favorite color?” he whispered then took her earlobe between his teeth.
Jake (Men of Clifton Montana Book 1) Page 9
