“But we work together,” she said finally.
“We weren’t the only ones kissing.”
“I wasn’t paying attention to anyone else.”
He hesitated, as if thinking. “A kiss doesn’t change anything. It didn’t before.”
Oh, boy. The heat rushing through her veins turned to ice. He couldn’t be more wrong. A kiss had changed everything. For her, at least. More of his kisses would have the same effect. Thank goodness she’d stopped.
Yet her heart panged. Nothing new where he was concerned, but she wasn’t about to sigh. She held her head high. “Dancing was… um, nice, but I need to return to the guests.”
Jake Kohl sang another song.
Zack held her hand, pulled her toward him. “Another dance first?”
Temptation flared, but dancing, even more kisses, wouldn’t change anything. Only one thing would, the one thing he would never give her—his love. “Thanks, but I don’t want to monopolize your dance card. I’m sure Tess and Paula will want their turns.”
“Plenty of dancing left tonight. Another band takes the stage after Jake Kohl.” Zack gazed into her eyes. “We’re sort of dancing now anyway.”
They were, because of the crowded dance floor. But Charlie couldn’t pretend this moment together meant nothing to her. Sure, she might be fine tonight, but what about tomorrow and the days that followed? She had Caitlin to consider, too.
“I’m supposed to be looking for a guy. I can’t do that if we’re”—Charlie pointed to him, then herself—“dancing.”
Leaving off the kissing seemed to be best.
He flashed a cocky grin. “I’m a guy.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and her pulse skittered. “Does that mean you’ve thrown your no dating people you work with rule out the window?”
Please tell me you have. Please, oh, please. She crossed her fingers behind her back.
“I haven’t.” A muscle twitched at his jaw. “I’m sorry. You’re right. This was—”
“If you say this was a mistake and apologize, I will hurt you bad.”
Amusement gleamed in his eyes, along with something else. A challenge, perhaps. “Think you could?”
She raised her chin. “I’d give it my best shot.”
“I’d like to see that, sweetheart, but I wasn’t going to say either of those things.”
“Oh.” Had he just called her sweetheart? Or maybe she was hearing things. “What were you going to say then?”
“I’ve enjoyed this, but we should get back to the guests.”
A familiar lump of disappointment burned in her throat, but Charlie kept her shoulders back and her head up. She wove her way through the people on the dance floor. She shouldn’t be surprised by anything Zack said. If anything, he was helping her see that she was ready for more.
More kisses. More affection. More… love.
But not with him. He didn’t want those things from her. The way he kissed her suggested he cared and was attracted, but something held him back. His rule or was there more? Either way, she couldn’t change his mind or fix what kept him from dating her.
Zack followed her. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” When had she become so good at lying?
“I’ve been told by trusty sources those two words mean the opposite of what they imply.”
Busted. But she wouldn’t admit a thing. She glanced his way. “Your trusty source should have warned you that’s something not to be spoken in front of the opposite sex. Or did they forget that part?”
A beat passed. “Should I be quiet?”
“Yes.”
Enticing kisses or not, she couldn’t keep putting herself through this yo-yo of emotions. The rodeo had been going on for nearly twenty-four hours and the only hot cowboy she’d kissed was Zack.
Worse, one question kept running through her mind…
If she hadn’t stopped kissing first, would he have?
Desire brushed across her skin like a breeze off the river. Probably best if she didn’t know the answer. Because even if she knew kissing him was a bad idea, she wanted to feel his lips against hers again.
Her back pocket buzzed. Charlie pulled out her cellphone and glanced at the text on the screen. Her chest tightened. “Oh, no.”
“A guest?”
“No, Nate.” She gripped the phone. “Arrow escaped again.”
“I just repaired the fence.”
She read the second text. “He got out the gate.”
“You mean the double gate.”
“Who knows what goes through that stallion’s mind?”
“Sex.”
She stumbled.
Zack reached out and grabbed her arm. “Careful.”
She straightened, regained her balance. “I’m good.”
The word “sex” had thrown her. Maybe she wasn’t quite over his kisses as she hoped to be.
Time. She needed time and distance. She lengthened her strides, not easy to do trying to get through the dancers. “I need to get back to the ranch to help Nate.”
“I’ve got keys to one of the vans.” Zack whipped out his phone. “We can let the others know, then take off.”
“Nate’s sending Rachel and Ellie here to help with the guests. He’s heading out to search with Dusty now.” Charlie stared at the sun sinking into the horizon. “We don’t have much daylight left.”
“No worries.” Zack laced his fingers with hers and squeezed. “Arrow has an MO he follows. Seek out a mare first. If one’s not available, lead Nate on a wild good chase until he’s cursing like a sailor, then find you so he can get treats and rubs.”
She was grateful for Zack holding her hand and his words. He knew her well and what she needed. “For someone who says he prefers cattle, you know a lot about horses.”
“Remember what you said to me about listening to us wranglers?”
She nodded.
“I do the same thing with you and Ty.”
Zack’s admission surprised and impressed her. He’d paid more attention to her than she realized. “Arrow could be anywhere.”
“True, but Arrow’s a smart horse. He’s not going to go wild, not until he can find a stable of mares.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Zack squeezed her hand again. “That horse loves you. If Nate can’t track him down, I know you can.”
Charlie stared at their linked hands, wishing she didn’t want his support but knowing that deep in her heart of hearts, she did and wanted…more.
Too bad he wouldn’t pursue anything more than a dance or kiss with her. She had a feeling they would have been good together.
Really, really good.
*
Tracking down a horny stallion was not how Zack expected to be spending Saturday night during the 76th Copper Mountain Rodeo. Punishment for tossing the gauntlet earlier? More likely penance for getting caught up in the moment, doing what he’d been told and kissing Charlie, completely forgetting the rule he’d built his working life around.
What the hell was he doing?
Sending mixed signals wasn’t fair to her. But damn, the woman made thinking straight difficult. Especially when she kissed like a dream and made him forget both common sense and reason.
Zack parked the four-wheeler outside the lower meadow where the mares often grazed, entered, then closed and latched the gate behind him.
Considering he couldn’t take his gaze off Charlie in her flowered print top and faded jeans earlier, he should have known this wouldn’t be a typical evening. She’d looked so darn pretty, how could he not ask her to dance, and then with her hips moving against his, not kiss her?
But his attraction for Charlie was more than lust. The realization worried him.
Feelings toward her had bubbled up at the dance and now simmered beneath the surface, waiting for another chance to appear. Not the brotherly or family kind of caring, either. Far from it.
Damn. He needed to get these feelings under control bef
ore strong emotions led to a disaster. Zack wanted to keep everything the same. Finding Charlie a man was the best way to make that happen, and she was correct. He wasn’t helping matters by dancing with and kissing her the way he had.
Zack turned up the collar on his jacket to ward off the dropping temperature. He carried a bag of apples and carrots. If Charlie couldn’t entice the horse into the field, then maybe Arrow’s favorite treats would draw him out.
“At the lower meadow.” He spoke into a walkie-talkie. They were easier to use when cell coverage was spotty at best. “Charlie’s here. No sign of Arrow.”
His headlamp lit a path through the grass. The sun had slipped below the horizon fifteen minutes ago, taking what warmth remained in the air.
“No sighting in the cow pasture,” Nate’s voice came over the walkie-talkie. “Checking along the river.”
One of them had better find that damn horse soon.
Zack strode across the meadow where the mares grazed toward the beam from Charlie’s headlamp. She sat on the grass, holding a lead rope. A fleece blanket and coffee thermos were at her side. Not her first time at this rodeo.
“See him?” Zack asked.
“Yeah, Arrow’s out there, but he’s spooked.” Her voice stayed calm. She stared off into the darkness. “Did you close the gate?
“Yes.”
“He’s trapped now.”
Zack squinted. A pair of night vision goggles would come in handy, but tactical gear wasn’t on the dude ranch’s “To Buy” list. Though if Arrow kept this up… “I don’t see him.”
“Listen.”
He did. “I’ve got nothing but crickets.”
She closed her eyes, using what he called her horse intuition. He didn’t know what else to call her and Ty’s connection to these animals.
“He’s by the trees,” she said, opening her eyes. The moon was a crescent sliver surrounded by a million stars, but nothing amazed him more than her.
Zack had watched her manage off-the-wall situations with horses no one else could handle. “Should I let the others know?”
“Let’s see how we do on our own. I don’t want to freak out Arrow any further.”
“You’re the boss.” He held up the bag. “I’ve got the treats.”
“Give me a carrot. You eat an apple.”
“Huh?”
“Arrow has to be hungry. He loves treats.” She stared off in the direction of the trees, focused on the escape artist. “He’ll hear and smell us eating and want to join the party.”
Made sense. A part of him wished she would show the same concern about him as she did Arrow, but that wouldn’t do him any good. They weren’t going to be dating. He handed her a carrot, took an apple and set the bag on the ground.
Her carrot crunched with her bite.
He bit into the apple. “Juicy.”
She finished her carrot. “Arrow’s favorite.”
“Mine, too. This one’s sweet.” Like Charlie’s kisses. Kissing would be a good way to warm up. She had to be cold sitting there, but Arrow might not like Zack messing with his girl. That gave him an idea. “Horses don’t get jealous, do they?”
“Not in the way humans do. Or dogs and cats for that matter,” she said. “But horses can be defensive about their rank in a herd or their amount of space in a pasture or the attention given from a horse or person.”
“No one wants to be left out.”
“That’s for sure.”
Her wistful tone intrigued him. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”
The air was so quiet he could almost hear her consider the question.
“There is,” she admitted. “Years of being dragged from one Montana town to another by my mom was hard. I’d want to fit in at a new school, so I learned to be a chameleon and adapt quickly. Making friends and joining groups was easier that way.”
Made sense. “My parents didn’t care if I went to school or not, but when I did go, it was the same one. Still hard to make friends when you’re never there.”
“Sounds like we both had challenges at school.”
“But we made it through.”
She nodded. “Moving to Marietta and staying here until I graduated high school made a big difference.”
“Joining the army saved me. Otherwise…”
He would be in jail, or trying to avoid arrest, or working some scam to cheat hard-working folks out of their money. Because that was what his parents did. They’d been showing him how to do the same when he left. He pushed the memories aside. Not his life anymore.
“I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “And I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
“Even now?”
“A clear, star-filled night sky overhead. A pretty woman…”
“A rebellious horse.” She clicked her tongue. “Come on, Arrow. I have apples and carrots. You know you want a treat.”
Zack watched, waited, nothing. “Arrow’s too smart to fall for the treat ruse.”
“Sometimes you have to be patient. Try again.” She pulled an apple from the sack. “Want another one?”
Zack had a better idea. “How about a kiss?”
Chapter Seven
‡
The circle of light from Charlie’s headlamp shone on the grass, moving back and forth. Okay, Zack’s plan didn’t impress her. He understood because he would be the first to admit he didn’t know as much about horses as the other wranglers at the Bar V5, especially her and Ty, but Zack’s gut instinct was strong enough he would stick with his hunch. “Don’t let the kissing part throw you.”
She frowned. “You’re exact words were ‘how about a kiss’. What part are you talking about?”
“My fault. A slight failure to communicate. I’m not talking about us kissing.”
She gave him a look. One he deserved. He was playing with fire. They didn’t have to kiss. A hug might work. Except he wasn’t going to mention that.
“Let me try again. We would kiss, but we’d be kissing for Arrow’s sake. To get him to come out from the trees,” he explained, feeling like an idiot. His feelings for her were making him act irrational. “Horses may not get jealous, but I’ve seen how they act, especially our wants-some-action Houdini. Arrow loves you. If you give me attention, he might get defensive—protective even—and come over.”
Charlie didn’t jump to her feet and kiss him. That was too much to expect under the circumstances. But she hadn’t said no to his idea. That pleased him.
“Might work,” she said finally. “If Arrow doesn’t get mad and try to hurt you.”
“Get that rope lead on him, and I’ll be fine.”
She stood, brushed her backside with her free hand, something he wouldn’t mind doing to her if she needed help. “Worth a shot, I suppose.”
Her lack of enthusiasm bothered him, but this was about the horse, not them kissing. A totally selfless gesture. Yeah, right.
“I don’t want to have to stay out here all night,” she added.
But he knew she would. She or Ty would sleep with sick or injured animals. Arrow on the loose was no different. Truth was, spending the night out here wouldn’t be so bad, even in the cold, as long as Zack and Charlie were together. Cuddling and sharing body warmth didn’t suck. “We’ve done it before.”
“Mabel,” they said at the same time.
Bluebelle’s calf, Mabel, had gone missing in June. They’d found her right before sunrise, trapped in a trench. He and Charlie had each put a rope on Mabel to pull her out.
“That was some good teamwork,” she said. “But exhausting.”
Zack nodded. “Like with Mabel, we have nothing to lose if this doesn’t work with Arrow. And if it does, our comfy beds await and we can get a full night’s sleep.”
She pursed her lips. “What about your rule?”
Charlie seemed fixated on his no-work romance rule tonight. Funny, that hadn’t come up in months, not since she returned from Colorado this spring. But he understood, given the way he’d kis
sed her.
“The rule doesn’t apply here,” he said. “We’re doing this for our jobs and Arrow. Not us.”
As soon as he’d spoken the words, Zack knew Arrow wasn’t the only reason he wanted to kiss Charlie. He prided himself on being honest, but being around her short-circuited his brain. If he kept saying things like this, he might have to rethink his definition of honesty.
He was going to steal a kiss. His suggestion was as simple and complicated as that.
She stretched her arms and wiggled her gloved hands, making him think of the warm-ups swimmers do before a race. Was this how she prepared for a kiss? He bit back a smile. Kind of cute.
Her arms went to her sides. She held the lead rope in her right hand.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be.” She looked up at him. “Kiss me, cowboy.”
“You can kiss me, cowgirl.”
Charlie lifted her chin. “Your idea.”
Fine. She wasn’t going to have to twist his arm. He would kiss her. Gladly.
For Arrow.
Better not forget that key point.
Zack lowered his mouth to hers, touching her lips gently.
Soft, warm, sweet.
The words described Charlie’s lips, her kiss, the woman. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, but the jacket she wore—more life vest than piece of clothing—and his kept them more separated then he’d like.
Still no complaints. Not when he could run his fingers through her long hair and kiss her.
Intoxicating.
More potent than whiskey, her kisses tasted better, too.
Her hands moved up his back until her fingers curled in Zack’s hair. She trailed kisses along his jawline until reaching his ear where she nibbled and licked…
Oh, yeah. A fire burned in his belly. He loved what she was doing to him. He wanted another kiss.
Zack turned his head, searching for her lips.
Kiss Me, Cowboy (Montana Born Rodeo Book 3) Page 9
