Claimed!

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  She lifted her eyes to his as tension coiled inside her again.

  “Once more.” He began an easy rhythm, sliding his fingers back and forth, creating a sound both erotic and elemental. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Yes.” Her voice was breathy, her willpower entirely gone. No one had ever brought out this kind of abandon in her until Jack. He awakened something primitive in her psyche, and she surrendered to it once again, letting him stroke her body to readiness as his dark eyes made love to her soul.

  She moaned as the moment drew closer.

  “Good?”

  “You know it is.”

  “Tomorrow, I want my mouth there.”

  The mere suggestion catapulted her into another climax. She arched her back and gasped his name. He held her steady as the tremors rolled through her.

  “That’s it,” he murmured. “Let go. Let go.”

  And she did. She let go of her anger, her fears and her inhibitions. Jack had that effect on her. Tomorrow she might decide indulging her craving for him was a really stupid idea. But for today, she felt sensuous, fulfilled and gloriously free.

  That couldn’t be all bad.

  7

  JACK WAS EXTREMELY GRATEFUL that no one happened to be around the barn area when he and Josie rode in. He wasn’t sure how someone else might interpret Josie’s pink cheeks, unruly hair and wrinkled clothes, but he’d rather not find out. Josie was safely in her Bronco and headed back toward town when Gabe rode up on Finicky, a chocolate and white Paint he used for cutting horse competitions.

  “How’d it go?” Gabe dismounted and wrapped Finicky’s reins around the hitching post.

  “Fine.” As Jack pulled off Destiny’s saddle and saddle blanket, he thought about Josie climbing back on Destiny after she’d done up her clothes.

  She’d wiggled in the saddle and smiled down at him. “I’d rather ride you,” she’d said with a wink. “So don’t forget the condoms, cowboy.”

  As if he would. All his noble intentions had been swept away by the prospect of having sex with Josie every morning for a week. He’d already thought of all the secluded places within a half hour’s ride. A couple of spots were only about fifteen minutes from the barn, which would give them bonus time.

  “Hey, Jack.”

  “What?” He glanced up to find Gabe staring at him.

  “I don’t mean to tell you your business, but you just took the saddle off that horse. I’m a little confused as to why you turned around and put it back on. Destiny looks a little confused, too.”

  Heat climbed up from Jack’s shirt collar. Sure enough, he’d re-saddled Destiny and was busily tightening the cinch. The horse regarded him with curiosity.

  Jack reached for an explanation—any explanation. “I remembered as I took this saddle off that the cinch wasn’t quite right, like something was ripping loose. I wanted to check it out.”

  “That’s usually best done in the tack room.”

  “I like doing it on the horse.” He made a great show of crouching down and examining the cinch and buckle from all sides. “Looks okay, after all.” He gave Destiny a pat. “Thanks, son.”

  Gabe’s snort of laughter told Jack he hadn’t fooled his brother.

  “A little distracted, are we, Jack?” Gabe unsaddled Finicky.

  “It’s possible.” Jack did his best to avoid Gabe’s knowing glance as he hauled the saddle off Destiny for the second time.

  “Good thing you’re hanging out with Josie now. Maybe in a week or so you’ll be desensitized enough to have a working brain.” Gabe carried the saddle and blanket into the barn.

  Jack plopped Destiny’s saddle on the hitching post so he wouldn’t have to follow Gabe and put up with more ribbing. He had to get a grip. If he continued to wander around in a daze, people would notice, and they might start asking questions.

  Questions could lead to assumptions, which could lead to everyone paying more attention to what he and Josie were up to. Jack didn’t want anyone to know about this new arrangement for obvious reasons. His family was already watching to see whether he and Josie would make it through the wedding without an incident. If they had any idea that he and Josie were going off into the woods for something besides riding lessons, Jack would never hear the end of it.

  JOSIE WAS ALREADY behind the bar serving happy hour drinks when her brother came back from his day hike. When he walked into the bar wearing shorts and a Cubs T-shirt, several of the women there gave him the once-over. Josie sometimes forgot that her brother was a hunk, because to her he was just Alex, her beloved and also pain-in-the-ass big brother.

  But with his blond good looks, broad shoulders and lean hips, he could easily be one of the movie stars that vacationed in the Jackson Hole area. Yesterday Josie had answered a couple of questions from customers who wondered if Alex was from Hollywood.

  They could tell he wasn’t local. Men from Shoshone wouldn’t be caught dead in shorts and a T-shirt. Jeans, boots and long-sleeved western shirts were the uniform around here, whether a guy was a true cowboy or only hoped to look like one.

  Alex wasn’t a poser. He rejected the idea of trying to be something he wasn’t, so he stuck with his shorts and T-shirts during the day and only switched to jeans if the nights were chilly. Josie had offered to buy him a cowboy hat while he was here as a souvenir of his visit, but he’d told her that was silly because he’d never wear it. He favored ball caps.

  Today’s boasted the call letters of the radio station where he worked in Chicago. Josie wondered if he’d received a message from the station. They’d tried her apartment phone earlier but had said they’d also contact him by cell. She suspected they wanted to know when he’d be coming back.

  She was a little curious about that herself. He’d been in town almost a week, and although she didn’t want to rush him, she didn’t want him to put his job in jeopardy, either. Also—she hated to admit this because it sounded selfish—he might cramp her style. She’d have a tougher time carrying on an affair with Jack while Alex was around.

  He settled on a bar stool and smiled at her. “How was the riding lesson?”

  She’d known that would be his first question, and she’d practiced her answer several times in her head. She shrugged in feigned nonchalance. “It was okay, I guess.”

  “No issues?”

  “Nope.” She turned away to fill a glass with his favorite draft beer, which gave her a chance to compose herself. Lying didn’t come easily to her, and Alex had known her all her life. He’d usually been able to see through her whenever she’d tried to fool him.

  “That’s good.”

  Josie felt like a bug under a microscope and decided a change of topic was in order. Those gray eyes of his saw way too much. “Did you get your voice mail from the station?”

  “Yeah.” He sighed and picked up his beer. “My sub isn’t working out. The guy has zero sense of humor, and listeners are calling in to complain.”

  “So they want you to come back.”

  He nodded and sipped his beer. “That’s what they said.”

  “So, does that—” Josie cut her question short to fill a couple of drink orders. She’d noticed that Alex hadn’t seemed too thrilled that the station was begging him to return.

  Finally she was able to get back down to his end of the bar. “So if the station wants you back, does that mean you have to leave?”

  He glanced at her and grinned. “Wouldn’t be trying to get rid of me, would you, sis?”

  “No! I love having you here.” She ran a damp towel over the bar’s wooden surface to clean off some condensation rings. “I just don’t want you to lose your job.”

  He continued to gaze at her with that knowing smile. “And when it comes to you and that cowboy, I’m a fly in the ointment.”

  “Jack has nothing to do with anything.” She polished the bar some more, even though it didn’t need it.

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

  Josie groaned and tossed the towel
on the counter behind her. “All right. I might be a tiny bit worried that the longer you stay, the more likely you’ll get crossways with Jack.”

  “Could be.”

  “I promise you that I have everything under control.”

  “Do you?”

  Josie lowered her voice. “Quit looking at me like that, Alex.”

  He laughed. “How am I looking at you?”

  “You know perfectly well. It’s the same way you used to look at me when I was sixteen and I’d sneak out of the house to meet Billy Flannigan. You didn’t approve of him, either. In fact, I don’t think you’ve liked a single guy I’ve dated.”

  “I can’t help it if you’ve dated mostly losers who don’t deserve to kiss the hem of your skirt.”

  “Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black. Your choice in women has been abysmal. I can’t fathom what you ever saw in Tiffany, or Sue, or—” She stopped herself as she realized she’d been about to rag on his ex. She could make fun of old girlfriends, but this break with Crystal was too new, too painful to be made into a joke.

  “You can say it. Or Crystal. All these hikes I’ve been taking have given me better perspective. Clear mountain air and all that. Crystal was never right for me. I ignored the warning signs and plowed ahead. Mom and Dad didn’t think much of her, and I know you didn’t, either, although you tried to be nice, which I appreciate.”

  “You’re welcome.” From the corner of her eye, she noticed a customer signaling for a drink. “Excuse me a minute. Gotta take care of the folks at the other end. Be right back.”

  “Take your time.”

  Josie filled the orders with her usual cheerful customer service, but her mind was on Alex. He was coming to terms with his divorce, yet he didn’t seem ready to go back and reclaim his life.

  She broached the subject when she returned. “Don’t you think you should go back? They can’t keep this other guy if listeners are complaining, and with you dragging your heels, they might—”

  “Fire me? It’s possible.” He picked up his beer.

  “I thought you liked that job.”

  “I did.” He took a swallow and set the glass back on the cocktail napkin in front of him. “That call from the station was what I needed to make the decision. I’m not going back. I’m moving here.”

  Josie’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

  Alex chuckled. “I can see you’re thrilled.”

  “I am. Of course I am! But what will you do? Where will you work? Where will you live?” Now that last part sounded ungracious. “I mean, you can stay with me for as long as you like. I only thought you’d want a place of your own.”

  “Don’t worry, sis.” His gray eyes danced with laughter. “I’m not planning to drop out of society and sponge off you. It so happens a radio station in Jackson is looking for a DJ. I’ve already called them and I’m going in for an interview tomorrow.”

  “That’s wonderful, Alex. It really is.” Josie discovered she meant it, despite the complications Alex might bring when it came to Jack. “I’ve missed you horribly since moving out here. But you know Mom and Dad will have a fit if you leave Chicago.”

  “We’ll work on them to retire in Wyoming.” Alex looked more excited than she’d seen him since he arrived. “I hate what happened between Crystal and me, but if it hadn’t, I never would have left Chicago. You’d have to pry Crystal out of there with a crowbar. I had no idea I’d be so crazy about this area, but I love it.”

  Josie laughed, happy that he was so happy. “Maybe you’ll have to buy a cowboy hat, yet.”

  “I doubt it. Unless that’s the only way for a guy to get women around here.”

  “Judging from my female customers’ reactions to you, a cowboy hat might be overkill. I can see me running interference so you won’t get mobbed once the word’s out that you’re available.”

  Alex polished off his beer. “Feel free to interfere all you want. And if you don’t like somebody, for God’s sake, say so. After this fiasco with Crystal, I’m not sure I can trust my own instincts.”

  “Okay.”

  “But just so you know, I reserve the right to watch out for your best interests, too. Which brings us back to this Jack guy. When’s your next riding lesson?”

  “Um, tomorrow.” Josie tried her best to act as if it was no big deal. She didn’t think she’d succeeded.

  “I figure I should go, just to keep the guy honest.”

  Inside Josie was screaming no, but she struggled to remain calm. “That’s silly. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not so sure. Two nights ago, he was drunk and disorderly. I think it would be good for me to keep an eye on this character. I could—oh, wait. What time is the lesson?”

  “We haven’t settled on an exact time. I need to call him.” She would definitely call him if she couldn’t talk Alex out of this idea.

  “I have my interview with the radio station at nine-thirty.”

  She almost sighed with relief. “We’ll probably go at nine.”

  “I thought you weren’t sure about the time?”

  “I knew it would be somewhere around then—nine, nine-thirty, ten.” She didn’t dare mention the lesson had been extended another hour. That would definitely make Alex suspicious.

  “All right. I’m probably being paranoid because I got slam-dunked by Crystal.” He put some money on the bar and stood.

  Josie shoved the money back at him. “Put that away. You don’t have a job yet.”

  “I will.” His cocky smile flashed. “I’m that good.”

  “And so modest.” But she knew he was right. If the station needed a DJ, Alex would get the job.

  “I’m going upstairs to call Mom and Dad. Any message you want to give them?”

  “Tell them I love them and that you moving here was not my idea.”

  “I was planning to blame it all on you.”

  She laughed. “Brat.”

  “Pest.”

  “Come on down afterward and have some dinner.”

  “Sounds good. And thanks, Josie. You’ve helped me get my life back.”

  “My pleasure.” Smiling, she watched him leave the bar. Having Alex around on a permanent basis would be fun…except for the small matter of Jack. She needed to keep those two far away from each other.

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Jack walked down to the barn and announced to Emmett that the lesson with Josie would be two hours instead of one. He’d take his cell phone in case anybody needed him during that time, but he asked Emmett to handle anything that wasn’t an emergency.

  Jack had chosen Emmett as the person to notify of this two-hour lesson because Emmett wasn’t a gossip. If Jack had mentioned it to Sarah or Gabe, or even Nick, it would be the topic of conversation for most of the morning.

  But Emmett didn’t pass on information unless someone asked him. Jack was counting on the fact that nobody would. After all, people had a wedding to plan. They didn’t have time to keep track of him. Or so he hoped.

  He expected Emmett to be surprised at the length of time Jack planned to spend on something that wasn’t, strictly speaking, ranch business. If Jack hadn’t been such a workaholic for the past ten months, Emmett probably wouldn’t have batted an eye. As it was, he looked at Jack as if he’d suggested they dedicate the north pasture as a UFO landing field.

  “Is there a problem with me being gone from nine to eleven?” Jack asked.

  “No, no problem.” The foreman rubbed his jaw, a sure sign that he was thinking. “I just didn’t expect you to take these riding lessons so seriously.”

  Jack gave Emmett the standard answer. “I don’t want any problems to interfere with the wedding.”

  “I understand that, but all she’ll have to do is walk that horse a bit and then sit on him when he’s standing still. It’s not like she’ll have to run a barrel race.”

  “It’s not only the riding.” Jack could see that Emmett, a logical thinker, needed more background. “Gabe and Sarah want to make sure that
Josie and I don’t have any leftover bad feelings from when we broke up. They figure if I can teach her to ride without us blowing up at each other, then the wedding will go fine, at least as far as Josie and I are concerned.”

  Emmett nodded. “Looks like you and Josie are getting along, then, if you’re stretching out the time.”

  “We’re doing okay.”

  “It’s good to see you acting a little more like yourself.”

  Jack realized there was no fooling Emmett. The foreman had known Jack practically his whole life. He’d been there when Jack’s mother had deserted the family, so he was one of the few people who knew why Jack had no use for the woman who’d given birth to him. Emmett probably understood him better than anyone, which meant he’d figured out what was going on with Josie.

  Jack would rather Emmett didn’t dwell on that, so he took the offensive. “How’s that vegetable garden at the Bunk and Grub? Did you fix that drainage situation for Pam?”

  Emmett glanced away and cleared his throat. “I think so. Took a little digging, but she shouldn’t have any more problems.”

  Jack pressed on. “She’s crazy about you, Emmett. You know that, right?”

  Emmett met his gaze. “Yes, I do. And if she wants an arrangement that gives us both pleasure, then I’m willing. But I’m afraid the woman’s after more than that.”

  Whoa. Jack had never heard Emmett admit that he was sleeping with Pam, but apparently he was. Well, good for them. They deserved some happiness, both of them.

  “Did I shock you, Jack?”

  “No,” Jack lied. He was always shocked to realize that people over fifty had sex.

  “Well, I’m a little shocked that a woman like Pam is interested in a man like me. The thing is, she wants to get hitched.”

  “Married?”

  “That’s what she said. And I’m not having any of it. I’ll be her boy toy, but I’m not about to become the husband of a woman who’s worth four or five times what I am. That’s a bad deal.”

  Jack was still back at Emmett’s use of the term boy toy. He’d never expected those two words to come out of the foreman’s mouth, let alone have them referencing Emmett himself. Jack’s world was definitely shifting.