The Trailblazer

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  As she shuddered in his arms, he kissed her back to sanity, cupping her face and stroking her hair away from her damp forehead. “You are so beautiful,” he said. “I thought so before, but now that I’ve seen you like this...”

  Dazed, she laid her head on his shoulder. “Oh, Ry.”

  He cuddled her, holding her like a precious artifact. “I knew there was that kind of passion in you.”

  “I didn’t,” she murmured.

  “You didn’t?” The male satisfaction in his voice made her smile.

  She lifted her head so he could see that smile. “You wanted me to lose it. I sure did.”

  “I wanted just what I got, you in a frenzy, so wet and flushed, so willing for me to...” He trailed off and sucked in his breath.

  The desire in his eyes told her most of what she needed to know, and a quick glance downward supplied confirmation. He needed her, and she wanted to give. Ry wasn’t the only one who’d had fantasies.

  She began slowly, reaching inside the open front of his shirt to find his nipples buried in a swirl of chest hair. She scratched across the tips lightly with her fingernails and was rewarded with another sharp intake of breath.

  She gazed into his eyes. “I think you might need doctoring, after all.”

  The look he gave her was hot enough to start a fire in wet kindling. “Could be.”

  Her shirt was damp. She flicked open the snaps at her wrists. “Let me slip into something more comfortable.” With a shrug of her shoulders, the shirt slipped to the floor. She flung her bra after it. “There.” When she glanced at Ry to gauge the effect, she was rewarded by the flash of primitive lust in his gaze.

  Still astride him, she rose to her knees, her hands cupping her breasts. “See anything you like, cowboy?”

  With a groan, he pulled her close, tasting, nipping, suckling. She’d thought to tease him, to drive him a little crazy before she gave him relief, but his teeth tugging at her nipples renewed the fire deep in her loins, and she began to quiver with her own need. She pulled away, breathing hard, and applied herself to the task of unfastening his belt. He pulled her back, toppling them both to the bed as he ravished her breasts.

  Before she realized it, he’d nudged her out of her already unfastened jeans and stripped away her panties. Free of restriction, she wanted him in a way that threatened to destroy all reason. Had she imagined she could control a conflagration this powerful?

  No longer caring about anything but bringing him inside her, she opened the fly of his jeans and reached beneath the elastic of his briefs. Stroking the fullness there, she begged him to love her. Now.

  Gasping, he looked into her eyes. “You tempt me, wicked woman.”

  “Love me, Ry. Please love me.”

  He took a long, shuddering breath. “Fantasies first. That time, when you were putting on the ointment, you gave me a picture that won’t go away. Give me the reality.”

  Of course she would. She would do anything for him, despite the aching, driving passion clamoring for his attention.

  He lifted his hips and she divested him of his clothes. He was magnificently, achingly aroused. Her fingers closed over the hot shaft. She leaned down, knowing he was watching her. Her tongue tasted salty desire, and the need to love him overrode her need to be loved. His groan as she enclosed him made the sacrifice of her own satisfaction pale to nothing.

  He shifted position, but she was so involved in his pleasure that she didn’t realize his purpose until he touched the burgeoning point of her own excitement and a spasm of pleasure zinged through her. Then his mouth was there, loving her with a thoroughness that made her dizzy. Somehow, despite the exquisite distraction, she ministered to him, too. His moment came first, and she rejoiced in the great shudders that shook his body. Soon after, he lavished her with an equal gift that left them sated and panting.

  He eased up beside her and pulled her close. Silently, they held each other, knowing words could add nothing to such unabashed sharing of pleasure. They breathed in unison, as if they’d synchronized all their responses.

  “Stay the night,” he murmured at last.

  “Isn’t that dangerous? We might forget and—”

  “If I didn’t forget that time, when I could hardly see from wanting you, I won’t forget. Stay.”

  “I’ll stay.” She snuggled closer.

  “But don’t expect to sleep much,” he murmured, his voice husky in her ear.

  “We only have about seven hours until dawn. Will that be enough time for what you have in mind?”

  “No. But I can’t do everything I have in mind. Tomorrow, we’ll pick up what we need to expand our horizons, and we can take it from there.”

  A delicious tightening in her groin was followed by a realization that it might not be so easy to buy the supplies he was referring to. “We can’t get them in La Osa,” she said.

  “Tucson, then. Because tomorrow night, I intend—”

  “I’m sure you do,” she said, laying a finger over his lips. “I’ll buy some in Tucson. I’ll find some excuse to make the trip.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “We’ll see. If not, what size shall I buy?”

  “You don’t know?” he said, laughing. “Why, muy grande, of course.”

  She reached between them and found him hardening again. “Unless they have a larger size than that,” she said with a low, sensuous chuckle.

  * * *

  THE NIGHT PASSED as one of sweet challenge for Ry. All his instincts screamed at him to possess this woman in the most basic way, yet he managed to forestall his instincts, promising them full rein in less than twenty-four hours. It was backward from the way he’d always started a sexual relationship. The experimental part usually took place after the first wild coupling that joined two bodies. But he hadn’t expected Freddy to show up in his room practically asking for a night of love, and there weren’t drugstores on every corner out here in the desert.

  Not that he was complaining. In fact, the lack of condoms gave him a wonderful excuse to learn every inch of her fantastic body, and she seemed inspired to do the same with him. He’d discovered he could bring her to completion simply by suckling her breasts. And as for him...she’d found some very creative ways of manipulating his lower anatomy to hurl him over the brink. They’d immersed themselves in the clawfoot bathtub where he’d had some interesting results with the running water, once he’d talked her into getting into a most provocative position. And he’d found out the potency that a few inches of lukewarm bathwater could add sloshing against him while she... He repressed the memory, which was having a predictable effect on him.

  She’d just fallen asleep, and although it was nearly dawn, she might be able to catch an hour or so of rest. After all, he didn’t want her to be too exhausted to enjoy tonight. Everything they’d done had been fun, but he still wanted...just wanted. He closed his eyes. He should sleep some, too. He wasn’t an eighteen-year-old anymore, although last night he’d sure as hell felt like one. He touched her hand and her fingers curled around his in her sleep. With a smile of sweet exhaustion, he drifted off.

  * * *

  THE PHONE WOKE HIM to broad daylight and no Freddy. Dammit, he hadn’t wanted her to sneak off like that, as if they’d been doing something shameful. And here he slept like a typical greenhorn long after the ranch day had officially begun.

  He picked up the receiver impatiently and came close to snarling his greeting, until he realized it could be Freddy. “Yes?” he said.

  “Mr. McGuinnes, this is Jose Ballesteros at Frontier Savings and Loan. There’s a potentially disturbing development that may affect your financing on the True Love Guest Ranch. I started to discuss it with Miss Singleton earlier today, but she had to take care of another matter and will call me back. So I decided to call you.”

  Ry tensed. “What is it?”

  “We have reason to believe there may be some petroleum drums buried on the property. E.P.A. standards being what they are these day
s, we’ll have to locate those drums and ascertain the environmental risk before the sale can go through.”

  “Reason to believe?” Ry’s eyes narrowed. “Who has reason to believe, and why?”

  “Apparently, the environmental engineer who inspected the property yesterday talked to a neighbor, a Mr. Ebenezer Whitlock?”

  “Mr. Whitlock seems to remember that Mr. Singleton buried the tanks he used back in the days when he was fueling up his own vehicles, before the gas station was put in at La Osa.”

  “Are you aware that Whitlock had bid on the property, at a much lower figure than mine?”

  “Well, yes, we are, but that doesn’t change the situation. We need to talk to Miss Singleton to see if she can shed any light on the possibility of buried drums. But I wanted you to be aware, since you’re staying at the ranch and she might bring it up.”

  “Don’t have anybody call her. I’ll handle it. We’ll be in today with the information. How’s that?”

  “That...that would be fine, as long as you’re sure that you and she won’t get into any difficulties over—”

  “Not at all. Thanks for the call, Mr. Ballesteros.”

  Ry showered, shaved and dressed with the speed inbred from years of working at a New York pace. He was standing in Freddy’s office in less than twenty minutes, but the desk was occupied by Leigh, who was on the telephone.

  “No, we’re not blaming you, Mr. Gonzales,” she said. “But it was the alfalfa we picked up last week, so you might want to check with some of your other customers.” She glanced at Ry and held up one finger to indicate she’d soon be finished. “Yes, I think the horse will be fine. Freddy knows what she’s doing. I’ll keep you posted. Goodbye.”

  She replaced the receiver and gazed at him with speculation in her golden brown eyes. “Looking for Freddy?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t evade her scrutiny. “Where is she?”

  “Down at the corrals. One of the horses got into some moldy alfalfa and bloated. Want me to run you down there?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t feel like being polite and making sure she wasn’t too busy.

  Leigh pushed her chair back. “Let’s go.”

  She kept up with his rapid strides as they walked to her truck parked beside the ranch house. The crystal that hung from her rearview mirror flashed rainbows as they drove toward the corrals.

  “Freddy’s different this morning,” Leigh said, looking straight ahead. “Do you happen to know anything about that?”

  “Did you ask her?”

  “Didn’t have a chance. So I’m asking you.”

  Ry hesitated. But Leigh had been a friend to him so far, so he told her, “We spent the night together.”

  “I thought so. Been expecting it for days now.”

  Ry shook his head and chuckled. “Then you were way ahead of me.”

  “Haven’t you heard that I’m psychic?”

  “I thought that was with horses.”

  “Oh, I dabble in people, too. Besides, I know Freddy a little better than you. Or at least I did until last night,” she amended with a smile. “You’ve probably caught up some by now.”

  Ry rolled down the window. It was getting warm in the cab. “We—ah—didn’t spend a lot of time talking.”

  Leigh whooped and pounded on the steering wheel. “By God, Rycroft, you’ll make a cowboy yet.”

  “Tell me about her, Leigh.”

  “Her love life, you mean?”

  “Yes.”

  “She hasn’t been serious about too many guys.” Leigh paused. “Maybe I shouldn’t assume it’s serious between you two, either.”

  “Assume it.”

  She glanced at him. “I see. Well, her past loves, and there were only two she contemplated marrying, were both high-energy types like you. Like her, for that matter. Once you decided to stick around, I figured it was only a matter of time.”

  “What happened to those other high-energy types?”

  “Oh, it usually boiled down to the same old argument in the end. Her whole mission in life has always been to run the True Love. None of the guys thought they’d enjoy hanging around to watch her do that.” She glanced at him again. “Of course, with you, she has a different problem. You may want to run the ranch yourself.”

  “Not really.” No, the problem was bigger than a mere power struggle, he thought.

  “That’s nice to know. Then maybe you could make a go of it. I’d like to see her find a man good enough for her.”

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “Are you implying I might be?”

  “Maybe.” She braked the truck to a stop under a mesquite and opened her door. “For a greenhorn, you’re not so bad.” She paused and turned back to him. “And I’ll just bet you’re dynamite in the sack,” she added with a wink.

  With a snort of laughter, Ry left the truck and followed Leigh to the same small corral where Red Devil had met his fate. Freddy stood inside, rubbing the nose of a small dun mare. Duane and Curtis hung over the side of the corral, along with a couple of the other hands.

  Seeing Freddy sent a jolt of adrenaline through Ry, which mellowed into a misty-eyed tenderness as he drew closer. He was pretty sure what those reactions meant, although he and Freddy had been careful not to use the word last night. They might have abandoned themselves to each other physically, but emotions weren’t so easily exposed for people like them. That was okay. They had some time.

  He just hoped this petroleum drum business didn’t become a major obstacle to the sale of the ranch. That could screw up a lot of his plans for the future, including his future with a certain dark-haired woman who was very inventive in the bedroom.

  Duane turned as he and Leigh approached. “She’s doin’ okay,” he said, reaching for his can of tobacco in his hip pocket.

  Freddy pushed herself to her feet and turned, her eyes widening slightly when she saw Ry. “I think she’ll be fine now.” She picked up her kit of medical supplies and handed it across the fence to Curtis. Then she walked over to lean against the gate to the corral. “Did you call Gonzales?” she asked Leigh.

  She looked tired, Ry thought with a pang of guilt.

  “Yep,” Leigh replied. “He was upset, but I told him we weren’t holding him responsible. And I warned him to check with anybody else who bought some of that grain.”

  Freddy nodded. “Good.” Her gaze traveled to Ry and she smiled gently.

  The smile made him dizzy. He longed to whisk her off to some private spot and soothe away the lines of fatigue shadowing those sage-colored eyes.

  “Then I guess we’d all better get back to work,” Duane said, slipping a plug of tobacco under his lip.

  Curtis glanced at Duane’s tobacco can as he shoved it back into his hip pocket, where a permanent faded circle had been formed by the pressure of the can. “Did I ever tell you folks about the New York City gal who wanted to go to bed with a cowboy?” Curtis started to laugh at his own joke and pointed to the impression of the tobacco can in Duane’s pocket. “When she saw the size of their condoms, she plum chickened out!” Curtis slapped his thigh and chortled.

  Ry’s shoulders shook with laughter. One glance into Freddy’s eyes, brimming with helpless merriment, and he looked away, across the corals. If he shared this joke too intimately with her, the whole crowd would know what Leigh knew, and he wasn’t ready to go that public yet.

  “Thank you, Curtis,” Freddy said, opening the corral gate and walking out to join them. “I don’t know how we’d make it around here without a few of your jokes to keep us going.”

  “Nothin’ to it,’ Curtis said over his shoulder as he headed for the tack shed.

  “Well, I’m due to take some German folks out for a trail ride in a half hour,” Leigh said. “Freddy, I assume you can give Ry a lift back to the house?”

  Freddy looked at Ry. “You didn’t come down here to ride Red Devil?”

  “I came down here to see you.”

  “Oh.” She lowered her eyes and a faint dusting o
f pink tinged her cheeks.

  “Come on, Duane,” Leigh said, grabbing the grizzled cowboy’s arm as he stood gaping at Freddy and Ry. “You and I have horses to saddle and dudes to entertain.”

  “Shore, Leigh.” Duane followed Leigh, but he stopped several times to glance over his shoulder.

  Freddy gazed up at Ry with a captivating shyness lurking in her eyes. “Nothing stays private long at the True Love, I’m afraid.”

  “That’s okay.” He traced the line of her jaw with one finger. “I got up this morning and expected the news to be written across my forehead. Which reminds me, why did you leave without waking me up?”

  “You looked so peaceful, and I knew there was nothing you absolutely had to do, so I let you sleep.”

  “While you had to get up and work. I feel like a selfish jerk.”

  “Don’t.” She laid a hand on his arm, then abruptly took it away, as if the contact had burned her fingers.

  “Be careful,” he teased. “I’m barely in control of myself as it is.”

  The shyness had left her eyes. “Me too, cowboy,” she murmured in the sexiest voice he’d ever heard.

  The sensual impact of the stoked fire in her gaze took his breath away. He struggled to remember why he’d needed to see her. Nothing seemed as important as what he was contemplating right now, and that involved naked bodies and soft sheets.

  “Shall we go back to the house, then?” she asked. “I have a call I need to return.”

  Of course, he thought. The phone call. “That’s what I came to talk to you about. Ballesteros called me after he tried to talk to you. He wants to know what you can tell him about old petroleum drums buried on the property.”

  She frowned. “There aren’t any. Dad had them all dug up and hauled away when the gas station was built in La Osa.”