A Cowboy, a Bride & a Wedding Vow

by Shirley Rogers

  Exasperated, Catherine stepped back and took a breath. “Maybe I should try another time.”

  “Catherine, you can do this,” Ryder encouraged. “C’mon, I’ll help you.” He instructed her to put her foot in the stirrup, then when she jumped, he put his hand under her backside and gave her a push upward. Catherine landed in the saddle, her hands grasping the saddle horn as she bent over.

  “Don’t you have something else to do?” a hard voice questioned, interrupting them. Jake stared at Ryder, his hands on his hips.

  Ryder’s palm rested along Catherine’s backside. He held the reins in his other hand. He’d seen his brother approaching out of the corner of his eye. Ignoring the harsh tone of Jake’s voice, Ryder turned his back to him.

  “I thought it was about time Catherine learned to ride,” he offered, giving Catherine a smile and a wink.

  “I thought you were going out to the south pasture to check the fencing today,” Jake reminded his younger brother. He glanced at Ryder’s hand again and didn’t think it was appropriate for him to be touching Catie so intimately.

  Very slowly Ryder turned to face his brother. “The last time I checked, I was pretty much my own boss.”

  “I didn’t say you weren’t,” Jake replied stiffly.

  “Look,” Catherine said, interrupting them, “I’m not too fond of this idea, anyway. Why don’t I just—”

  Ryder touched Catherine’s thigh, then took note of the way Jake chewed at the inside of his mouth. “Stay put, darlin’,” he said when she made as if to dismount. Without a fraction of hesitation, he confronted his brother with a sharp look.

  “Catherine’s been working hard for the past few weeks. She cleans the house, does tons of laundry and is one of the best damn cooks Texas can claim. She deserves some time off to relax.”

  “No one’s sayin’ she doesn’t,” Jake countered, glaring at them both.

  “Well, she admitted at dinner last night that she didn’t know anything about riding, and you didn’t exactly jump up and volunteer to teach her.” There was an accusation in his tone.

  That was true enough, Jake thought. He’d been working with Matthew daily, wanting his son to learn how to handle a horse on his own. He was proud of Matt’s progress, too, though he hadn’t yet allowed him to ride alone.

  “I’ll take over now,” Jake stated, and he sounded as if it was going to kill him to do so.

  Jake had tried his best to stay away from Catie because he was all too aware of his attraction to her. He hadn’t wanted to teach her to ride until he walked up and saw his brother instructing her. They looked just a little too friendly. Not that Jake thought Ryder would ever betray Ashley, but Catie was a beautiful woman who could turn any man’s head.

  Ryder gave Jake a sharp look. “With that kind of attitude, Catherine might not want your help,” he commented.

  “I don’t have an attitude,” Jake countered.

  Ryder’s hand went to his hip. “Sure could’ve fooled me.”

  Catherine was sure she looked as uncomfortable as she felt. The last thing she wanted was to make Jake feel as if he was being forced to teach her to ride. And she sure didn’t want to be alone with him. “Let’s not worry about it right now,” she insisted, squirming in her seat. “I’m not really ready for this, anyway.”

  Ryder patted her thigh again, then handed the reins to Jake. “Don’t be silly, darlin’. You’re goin’ to have a ball.” Grinning, he stepped back. “She’s all yours,” he said to his brother. Giving Catherine one of his warmest smiles, he added, “You’re in good hands.”

  Catherine didn’t doubt that. Jake’s hands, as she well knew, were all too capable in more ways than one. He checked the saddle and adjusted it a bit, her heart thumping a little harder as he nudged her leg with his arm.

  “Jake, we don’t have to do this,” she insisted, self-conscious from being turned over to him.

  He frowned at her. “Do you think I can’t teach you to ride?” he demanded, giving her that patently challenging look of his.

  “I’m not saying that at all!” Catherine gritted her teeth, trying to think of some way to get out of this.

  “Maybe you’re afraid to be alone with me.”

  His blunt statement silenced Catherine. She swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. “That’s ridiculous. Why would I be?” she finally replied, bravely leveling him with a stare.

  Jake didn’t answer. He just turned away from her, and Catherine had no idea what he was thinking. “Hold on,” he instructed, then moved forward, leading the horse with the reins.

  Catherine fell forward and grabbed at anything to keep from falling. Flo did another little sidestep and lifted her head, shaking her thick mane. Jake almost laughed at Catherine’s expression of fear, but appeared to check himself at the last minute.

  “Loosen up a little,” he instructed, giving the horse a reassuring pat. “You’re scaring Flo and making her nervous.”

  “I’m making her nervous?” Catherine countered, breathless. “She’s the one making me nervous.”

  Jake studied the situation. “Well, she wouldn’t if you’d stop hanging on to the saddle horn as if you were glued to it.”

  The tension along Catherine’s spine mounted as she contemplated Jake’s words. There was no way she was loosening her grip. She tried to straighten her back so it would appear that she was more at ease.

  Apparently she didn’t fool Flo or Jake a bit. The horse that Ryder insisted was gentle seemed uneasy and not at all worthy of Catherine’s trust. Jake just glared at her.

  “Here,” Jake said. He brought the horse to a halt, then turned around and stood beside her. “Scoot up in the saddle.”

  Before she knew what he meant to do, he moved her foot out of the stirrup. Then he swiftly mounted the horse and slid behind Catherine, which molded her bottom intimately against him.

  His arms came around her, and he pried her fingers from the saddle. “I’ve got you,” he said, holding her tight about the waist. “You need to loosen up a bit. Flo won’t have any problem with you riding her as long as she thinks you know what you’re doing.”

  “Well, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Catherine reminded him tightly. “And I don’t think your being up here with me is going to fool her.”

  Jake chuckled, then clicked his tongue and jabbed the horse lightly with his heels. Flo responded immediately and moved forward. Instinct made Catherine squeal, but Jake whispered in her ear to take a breath.

  Catherine wished she could get a deep breath. This was so much more than she’d bargained for when she’d confessed at dinner that she’d never learned to ride a horse. Her breath dammed up inside her, and she knew it didn’t have anything to do with riding Flo.

  Jake took her hands in his, then gave her the reins, instructing her on how to guide the horse. They rode around in big circles.

  “You’re still too uptight,” Jake commented. “Relax.”

  Catherine wondered how she was supposed to accomplish that with Jake whispering in her ear, his breath fanning her cheek. Her heart constricted, and the air she’d sucked in got trapped somewhere inside her lungs.

  Jake’s warm body was wrapped around hers, and Catherine felt as if she was going to melt against him if she relaxed even a fraction. What she wanted more than anything was to be off the horse and out of Jake’s arms. But there was no way she was going to let Jake know how he made her feel.

  Since the night after dinner when he’d kissed her, he’d done his best to steer clear of her. For the most part Catherine saw him only at meals. He might be physically attracted to her, but he seemed to not want to explore his feelings.

  Well, Catherine wasn’t stupid. If Jake felt regretful about the night they’d made love, then so did she. It had been stupid of her to let it happen. The trouble was, she admitted to herself, she couldn’t seem to forget how easily she’d come apart when he kissed her…or how much she still wanted him to.

  “Hey, Mom!” Matthew came runnin
g up to them, his green eyes big and round. “Wow, you’re learning to ride, too!” he exclaimed.

  Catherine tried to give her son a confident grin as Jake slowly brought the horse to a stop. She’d been about to let Jake know that she’d changed her mind, that she wasn’t really interested in learning to ride. Now, with the way Matthew was gazing up at her, his eyes aglow, she had to rethink her decision. She didn’t want to disappoint him. Forcing a smile, she said, “I’m giving it a try.”

  Matthew grinned. “Dad says anyone can learn to ride.”

  Catherine’s stomach somersaulted. Matthew had called Jake Dad. Twisting around, she looked at Jake, and his gaze collided with hers.

  “He asked me this morning if he could call me Dad,” Jake told her, his tone thick with emotion.

  “Oh, Jake,” Catherine said on a whisper, her voice cracking. Tears stung her eyes. Clearly, Matthew’s request had taken his father by surprise. She could see how much it meant to him, and her insides melted a little. A tearful smile wavered on her lips.

  Jake’s gaze fell to her mouth, then traveled back up to her eyes. All of his good intentions about not getting involved with Catie disappeared as he remembered the way she tasted when they’d made love. Everything and everyone around them ceased to exist.

  Without even thinking about it, Jake bent his head in her direction. Flo chose that moment to whinny and move, breaking Jake’s gaze with Catherine’s. Jake grabbed the reins and gentled the horse.

  What an idiot, he admonished himself. Wanting Catie was driving him crazy. Without preamble, he dismounted.

  “That’s enough for today,” he stated gruffly. He slid Catherine’s foot into the stirrup, then motioned for her to get off the horse. Catherine swung her leg over the side of Flo and slid down, aware of Jake’s strong hands on her waist. When she had sure footing, he let her go. She didn’t look at him.

  “It’s getting late. I’d better go see about helping with dinner,” she said, looking down and dusting her jeans with her hands. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Jake, couldn’t bear to let him see how he affected her. “Thanks,” she offered, then called to Matthew. “Come on in and wash up.”

  Jake watched Catherine walk away, admiring the gentle sway of her hips. He thought about having made love to her after all the years they’d been apart, and his body tightened with consuming lust. He wanted to slide into her again, to feel her heat, to see her come apart in his arms.

  He’d been with his share of women over the years, but after Maxine he’d never been tempted to form a permanent, lasting relationship with any of them. Only once had he felt like that—a long time ago with Catie.

  And she’d lied to you, his mind taunted. She kept your son a secret, kept him from you.

  Secrets.

  Jake couldn’t seem to let her deceit go. Everyone important to him had hurt him. His father. Maxine.

  Now Catie. Regardless of the letter his lawyer had sent, she should have tried to contact Jake again.

  He couldn’t allow himself the luxury of trusting Catie. He had too much to lose. Desiring her was one thing. He could handle wanting her. But he couldn’t take a chance on getting his heart broken.

  Despite his reasoning, Jake watched her disappear into the house, and all he could think about was how much he wanted her.

  Damn, he was a fool.

  Nine

  Catherine wasn’t prepared for what was coming. She’d tried and said everything she could think of to get out of it. After that first day, she had assumed that Jake wouldn’t continue trying to teach her to ride.

  She’d been dead wrong. Ryder had brought it up at dinner the very evening of her first lesson, asking how it went, egging his brother on by declaring that he could teach Catherine to ride if Jake couldn’t.

  Jake seemed determined not to let Ryder get the best of him. He stated that he was expecting to continue with her lessons each day, just as he was with Matthew’s.

  After a few weeks Catherine felt as if she was beginning to get the hang of riding. Flo didn’t seem nearly as nervous, which made Catherine more at ease, and the two of them appeared to be less leery of each other.

  Today was supposedly Catherine’s big moment. She groaned as she left the safety of her room and headed toward the front door. Okay, so maybe she was dreading being alone with Jake more than she was reluctant about riding Flo. After all, she and the horse had apparently made peace with each other.

  Not Catherine and Jake. There was an unspoken awareness between them that seemed to spark every moment they came into contact with each other. Catherine had endured being alone with Jake without giving him any hints that she was in danger of falling in love with him again.

  She wasn’t sure how much longer she could go on being near him. She didn’t think the attraction she felt was one-sided. The smoldering looks Jake gave her now and then made her shiver with need. He’d almost kissed her the day he’d started teaching her to ride. Catherine had started wondering when he would kiss her again.

  She crossed the yard and went into the barn. The acrid smells of hay and horses hit her as she walked inside, and she let her eyes adjust to the shadows of the structure. Jake had taught her to saddle Flo, though Catherine still had trouble lifting the heavy saddle on her own.

  Russ Logan was in the barn, and she greeted him as she approached Flo’s stall. As Catherine led the horse outside, he offered to get the saddle for her, and for that Catherine was grateful. He was a quiet man who kept to himself most of the time, though from comments she’d heard, he was well liked by most everyone who lived on the ranch. And heavens, he was handsome in a rugged, cowboy-of-the-West sort of way.

  His eyes seemed to miss nothing. He didn’t talk very much, which didn’t exactly encourage idle conversation. Catherine sensed there was a lot to this man, only he wasn’t letting anyone close enough to discover much about him.

  As Russ lifted the saddle to Flo’s back, Catherine raised her hand to shade her eyes from the hot sun so she could study him. Though he seemed nice enough, she was all too aware of his fiery altercations with Lynn. Catherine shook her head thoughtfully. As far as Jake’s sister was concerned, Russ Logan was pig-headed and cantankerous. Catherine could see none of those traits in the good-looking, quiet man standing before her.

  He turned toward her, and Catherine smiled. “Thanks, Russ.”

  “No problem, ma’am.” Russ nodded, his gaze locking briefly with hers before breaking contact.

  Catherine went about the task of securing the saddle, patting Flo and talking quietly to her. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a piece of carrot to offer the horse.

  “Okay, you can do this,” Catherine whispered to herself when Russ was out of hearing distance. Jake was expecting her to ride out with him today. He would be showing up at any moment, and she was determined to appear calm and sure of herself, despite the reservations attacking her at the moment.

  Actually she and Flo had gotten along quite well over the past few weeks that Catherine’s lessons had taken place. Jake had even complimented her several times.

  Catherine put her foot in the stirrup and took a deep breath. She mounted Flo without difficulty, then let out a puff of air. She had wanted to show Jake that she was capable of mastering riding, and she’d worked hard to keep up with Matthew. Leaning forward, she patted Flo affectionately. As she sat up, she caught sight of Jake riding into the yard on his brown roan.

  Her heart skipped a beat. She sat straighter, wishing he didn’t have the power to make her heart ache so.

  He purposefully kept her at a distance, and it annoyed her that Jake still blamed her for not telling him about Matthew. He’d seen the letter the lawyer had written her, had proof that it was his lawyer’s mistake. Apparently, Jake still needed to accept the fact that she’d believed he hadn’t wanted anything to do with her, and to Catherine that had meant her son, as well.

  “I see you’re ready,” Jake commented, his intense, dark gaze sliding over h
er.

  Catherine glanced briefly at him, avoiding his eyes and his piercing stare. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

  He nodded, then turned his horse around. They rode out of the yard and around the outside of the fenced pasture toward a patch of trees.

  “There’s a trail through there,” he said, pointing to a barely discernible opening.

  Catherine glanced over at him. “You want me to ride through there?” she asked, her tone questioning his sanity. The grove of trees he’d pointed to left a lot to Catherine’s imagination. She couldn’t even see the trail he was pointing at.

  “It’ll open up more as we go through,” he assured her. “Go on,” he encouraged. “You won’t be sorry.”

  Catherine wasn’t too sure about that, but she did as she was told and started her horse through the trees.

  “Watch out for low branches,” Jake warned, calling to her.

  Catherine nodded. The small path did open up after a bit, and she had more room to negotiate the trees. She and Flo seemed to be getting along fine, which was a relief. “You promise not to throw me,” she whispered to the horse, “and I promise I’ll give you a nice treat.”

  It was dark under the canopy of the trees, and Catherine wondered what wild animals made this their home. She reminded herself to warn Matthew not to come out here on his own.

  Even though she had on a sleeveless blouse, she felt a trickle of sweat slide between her breasts. She had to admit that the shade of the trees was a welcome respite from the blazing Texas sun, and she was glad that she’d pulled her hair up into a ponytail and off her neck.

  They’d been riding for about fifteen minutes when she saw a clearing up ahead. She turned in her seat a bit to look back at Jake just about the time he called a warning to her. Catherine realized she should have been watching where she was going when she turned back around and was slapped by a tree branch.

  “Ouch!” she cried, then put her hand to her neck. Holding it there, she leaned a little forward, trying to catch her breath. She maneuvered Flo into the clearing and managed to bring the horse to a halt.