by Robin Wells
She nearly slid off the other- side. Luke’s arm hooked back and caught her.
“Easy! You’ll have to hold on tight”
“But there’s nothing back here to hold on to.”
“You’ll have to hold on to me.”
Her heart hammered against her ribs. Cautiously, hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around him. His denim jacket was open, and her hands landed on his stomach. It was flat and hard and warm, and the feel of it jarred her so much that she pulled away as if she’d been burned.
Oh, dear…exactly where was she supposed to grab hold? Maybe if she moved her hands up. Barely daring to breathe, she tentatively reached around him again.
This time her hands landed on his chest. She could feel his heart beating beneath her palm, and her own heart responded by pounding like a hailstorm. This was even worse than before. What on earth could she do now? She didn’t dare move her hands down!
Black Star snorted and shied, and Josie clutched at Luke instinctively, flattening her breasts against him. He gave a sound like a grunt or a groan.
“Did I hurt you?” she gasped.
“No. I’m fine.” He sounded anything but. His voice was thick and low and tense.
Josie’s nose was pressed near the nape of his neck, and as she drew a ragged breath, she inhaled the scent of his hair—a clean shampoo scent, mingled with a deeper, musky, manly essence. The scent made a curl of heat unfurl low in her belly. It occurred to her that his pillow must smell like this, and she was shocked to discover that her thoughts had ventured into his bedroom.
Conversation. That’s what was needed to normalize this situation. “Is your house near here?” she asked.
“Why?” His voice was curt and wary.
Oh, mercy. Surely he didn’t think she was suggesting— Josie swallowed. “I was just curious, that’s all. You didn’t show it to me when you showed me the rest of the ranch.”
“It’s not a part of the tour. I like to keep my privacy on at least one part of the ranch,”
“Oh. Of course. I was only asking because Consuela told me your grandfather built it. I love old houses and—” Josie realized her voice had a strangled, panicked edge to it. “I was just curious, that’s all,” she finished lamely.
“Hey…it’s okay.” He adopted a gentler tone, as if he sensed her discomfort. “I wouldn’t have minded showing it to you. I just didn’t think of it. Especially not after…”
That kiss. His voice broke off, and the thought hung between them. Heat scorched her face and traveled lower, and she shifted on the horse, nearly losing her seat. Luke’s arm again shot around and grabbed her. His hand landed at the top of her buttocks.
The pressure of his arm pulling her against his back nearly undid her. Oh, mercy, when was this ride going to be over? The smell of his hair, the feel of his chest, the beat of his heart—it was all too much to take. Her senses were on overload, her emotions ready to explode.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
No, her mind clamored fervently. “Yes,” she responded weakly.
He released his grip and withdrew his arm. “Better hold on tight. You don’t want to fall.”
No, she didn’t, she silently affirmed. Not off the horse. And even more certainly, not for him.
They rode in silence, the cedar-scented night pulsing around them. The very air seemed alive, filled with the throaty chirrups of tree frogs, the rhythmic clop of Black Star’s hooves.
Finally the outline of the barn loomed ahead. By all rights she should have been relieved to see it, but for some perverse reason she was instead disappointed. Some traitorous, illogical part of her didn’t want the ride to end, didn’t want to relinquish the exquisite, disturbing, delicious sensation of holding Luke.
The thought made her hand shift on Luke’s shirtfront, her fingers splaying across his chest. She heard his breath catch in his throat.
Hers did the same when his hand rose and covered hers. It was a simple gesture—his warm, large hand capturing hers against his heart—yet it struck Josie as terrifyingly, thrillingly profound, filled with meaning and fraught with peril.
She should move, she should pull away, she should just lift her hand.
She should, but she didn’t.
Was she entering into some kind of tacit agreement by remaining so still? She didn’t know. All she knew was that she didn’t want the moment to end.
Black Star abruptly stopped. Josie peered around Luke’s shoulder and saw that they’d arrived at the corral.
“Well, here we are,” Luke said. “I’ll help you down as soon as I tether Black Star to the fence.”
He somehow managed to swing off the horse without dislodging her.
The next thing she knew, he was reaching up to help her down—and then she was in his arms, her body sliding against his in heart-stopping slow motion as she slipped off the horse.
Her feet met the ground, and her gaze met his. The light in his eyes sparked something deep within her, like a match to dry hay. They stood eye to eye, chest to chest, belly to belly, her arms wound around his neck. She’d been thinking about kissing him for so long that it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to tug his head down until his lips touched hers.
The kiss started out slow and gentle, then rapidly gained momentum, feeding on itself like a forest fire. It went beyond attraction. It soared into the realm of passion—wild, fierce, hungry, white-hot passion. He tightened his arm around her, and she fitted herself against him, seeking to get close, then closer still.
He unlocked something deep within her, something previously untouched—some deep, hidden part that needed to be understood and accepted and believed in. Why this should be so, why he should be the one to make her feel this way, why she should respond to him so intensely baffled her nearly as much as how she could be melting into a puddle of emotion and desire and longing, fast reaching a point of no return.
No return. The thought jarred her. She couldn’t let herself just get swept away. She needed to exercise some judgment, some control over her own destiny. She’d let herself be swept along on a tide of events once before, and she’d vowed she’d never surrender control of her life again.
His hand slid up her waist, his fingers on her back, his thumb on her ribs—up, up, up until his thumb curved under her breast, then higher to strum across the tip. Her knees weakened, and so did her resolve. Oh, mercy—another few moments of this and all of her good intentions would be forgotten.
With an effort she pulled away. “I…I need to go,” she gasped. Turning, she fled down the path toward her cabin.
Luke watched her go, struggling with his own raging emotions. He propped both of his hands against the rail fence and drew a deep, steadying breath.
Dammit, it was just what he’d sworn wouldn’t happen. Just exactly what he’d feared.
Being alone with Josie and trying to keep his hands off her was like laying a bed of catnip before a kitten and saying, “Don’t roll in it.” It was like holding an apple to Black Star’s muzzle and saying, “Don’t take a bite.” It was like tossing a bale of hay to a half-starved bull and expecting it to still be there half an hour later. She was an irresistible temptation, and he’d known better than to get himself into a situation where he was alone with her.
Dammit! He’d nearly succeeded in making it through the evening. But then he’d gotten one taste of her soft, sweet lips and all bets were off.
Five more days, he thought grimly. Just five more days, and she’d be off the ranch and out of his life. Then maybe, just maybe, he could sleep through the night, focus on his work and think about something other than the sound of her laugh, the scent of her skin and those haunting, heart-breakingly blue eyes.
Chapter Seven
A shrill whistle echoed through the lodge, causing Luke to freeze in his tracks in the middle of the main hall.
What in deuces was that? Whatever it was, it sounded like it came from the guest room quarters. With a muttered oath, Luk
e clutched the employee time sheets he’d come to collect and headed off to investigate.
He found Consuela standing in the hallway outside an open guest room door.
“What’s going on?” he asked, craning his neck to peer inside. He stared in surprise as two pudgy, middle-aged chambermaids raced around the room’s two beds, smoothing and tucking the sheets, jamming pillows into pillow cases and yanking up the bedspreads in record time. In the six months he’d known these women, he’d never seen them move faster than slugs. Come to think of it, they usually looked about as neat as slugs, too. Yet here they were, sporting brand-new black-and-white maid uniforms and looking as dapper as a pair of penguins.
“It’s a bed-making race,” Consuela said. “Isn’t it exciting?”
Thrilling. And he bet he could just guess who was behind all the excitement, he thought with a scowl. His eyes scanned the room for Josie. Sure enough, there she was, standing in the corner, her eyes riveted on a stopwatch, her hair curling about her shoulders in wild abandon. His stomach tightened at the sight of her, and the unwelcome reaction only increased his annoyance.
He’d managed to avoid her for the past three days, but he hadn’t managed to get her off his mind. It didn’t help matters that Consuela and Manuel couldn’t stop talking about her. Josie had done this, Josie had done that, Josie had recommended so and so. They prattled on so about her, you’d think she’d hung the moon.
Josie had evidently helped Consuela select and train two new employees, and she’d instituted some kind of incentive program to encourage the housekeeping staff to show up on time and improve their job performance. And while Luke had to admit the lodge was running more smoothly, her involvement in the operation of the place bothered him no end.
She’d started out peeling potatoes, and now she was darn near running the whole show. It just wasn’t right. She was a paying guest, by golly, and she had no business being so involved in the operation of the lodge. The whole situation made him flat-out uneasy.
One of the maids plopped a mint on a pillow and threw her hands up in the air. “All done!” she shouted.
The second maid quickly followed suit. “Me, too!”
Josie clicked the stopwatch and beamed at the maids. “That was terrific, ladies. You beat your old time by ten full seconds. Shave off another ten seconds next time, and Consuela will give you each a pound of coffee to take home.”
“Great!” The taller of the two maids turned to her co-worker. “You know, Myra, that was a lot of fun.”
“Yeah. Didn’t seem like work at all,” agreed the other.
“I think work should be fun,” Josie said. “We’ll have another race later in the week. In the meantime, you can practice improving your time every time you make a bed. And remember—if you both report to work on time all week, clean all your allotted rooms during your shifts and complete all the tasks on your checklists, you’ll win a take-home family dinner on Friday.”
The maids smiled broadly. “I can’t wait. It’ll be awfully nice to skip cookin’ for an evenin’,” Myra said.
“You’re not kiddin’,” agreed the other. “I can use every break I can get.”
“I’m sure you’ll both be getting a break on Friday.” Josie gave each of them a warm pat on the shoulder. “It’s a team effort, though. Both of you have to meet the goal.”
“We won’t let each other down,” said the taller one solemnly. “Right, Myra?”
Myra nodded vigorously. “Right.”
With a broad smile, Josie stepped out of the room, into the hall and smack into Luke’s chest.
“Oh!” Her eyes flew wide.
Their startling blue color struck him like a bucket of cold water. He grabbed her by the shoulders, intending to steady her, but he suddenly didn’t feel any too steady himself. Her soft, feminine scent teased his nostrils and played havoc with his composure.
He hid it under a scowl. “What the heck is going on here?” he asked gruffly. “And just who authorized all this, anyway?”
Consuela stepped up and stretched her round form to its full four feet ten inches. “I did. If you have any questions, you can talk to me.”
Luke stepped back and rubbed his chin. Heck, he’d always let Consuela handle everything concerning the lodge’s domestic staff. He trusted her judgment in these matters more than his own. But it galled him to think that she was blindly following Josie’s suggestions.
“What are they doing in uniforms?”
“It gives them a sense of identity and helps build team spirit,” Josie piped up. “And it looks a lot more professional from your guests’ standpoint.”
“Hmm.” He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t say exactly why. “What are these checklists they were talking about?”
“Oh, those are ¡muy bueno!” Consuela raved. “Josie made a list of all the chores that have to be done for the rooms to pass the mustard.”
Luke furrowed his brow. “For the rooms to what?”
“Pass muster.” Josie flashed her dimple. “The checklist gives Consuela an objective set of criteria for evaluating their work and lets the maids know exactly what’s expected of them. When they meet or exceed their job requirements, they earn incentive prizes.”
“And it’s working wonders,” Consuela said, clutching her hands together ecstatically. “Josie’s done the same thing for the kitchen staff. I don’t know why I never thought of this myself.”
Luke’s brow darkened. “Probably because you have more sense than to start giving away the ranch.”
Consuela shook her head. “We’re only giving things we buy in bulk or have to prepare, anyway.” She wagged a finger at Luke. “Believe me, it’s not nearly as expensive as advertising and training new employees every other week.”
Luke frowned down at his boots. Everything they said made perfect sense. Regardless of the source of the ideas, they were good ones. Why did it bother him so that Josie happened to be the one to initiate them?
Because she was a guest, he thought stubbornly. It wasn’t seemly and it wasn’t her place.
But there was more to it than that. The fact of the matter was he didn’t want to be beholden to her. He didn’t want to need her, and he darn sure didn’t want to miss her when she was gone.
The thought made him squirm in his boots. He needed to get her out of the lodge and back into vacation mode, and he needed to do it fast.
He glanced at her. “Your overnight canoe trip’s scheduled for tomorrow. I’ll set it up for Manuel to be your canoe partner, and Consuela can join the two of you for the camp out.”
“Oh, I can’t be away from the lodge that long,” Consuela demurred, waving her hand. “I have to supervise the cleanup after dinner and breakfast in the morning.”
“Nonsense. From what you’ve told me, your kitchen help is showing up on time and you’ve got everything more under control than ever.” Luke gave her a coercive smile. “I’ll drop you off at the campsite late in the afternoon when I take the supplies, then I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning.”
Consuela frowned. Luke could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She’d been none too subtle about trying to match him up with Josie, and she probably didn’t want them separated for most of Josie’s remaining time. Her eyes suddenly lit up. “I have a wonderful idea! You should take her, Luke. You haven’t been on a camp out in years.”
He hadn’t expected a suggestion this blatant even from Consuela. He narrowed his eyes. “I’m sure Josie will be much more comfortable with another woman along.”
“I don’t want to create any extra work for Consuela,” Josie said worriedly. “Maybe we should just skip the whole thing.”
“I won’t hear of it,” Luke said firmly. “It’s part of your package. Besides, Consuela and Manuel love camping out. Why, Manuel told me they went camping at Lake Tenkiller just last weekend. And the weather should be great. This warm spell is supposed to last through the weekend.”
“I really don’t mind going
by myself,” Josie said.
Luke shook his head. “Our insurance doesn’t allow it. Besides, I’m sure Consuela and Manuel will be more than happy to escort you.” Luke gave Consuela a meaningful look, then turned and stalked down the hall.
That should keep Josie out of his hair for a couple of days, he thought with satisfaction. With Consuela and Manuel watching her, she was sure to stay out of trouble. And with her off the ranch and out of reach, hopefully he could stay out of trouble, too.
“The campsite’s just around this bend,” Manuel called from the rear of the canoe. “I bet Luke and Consuela are already there.”
Josie peered ahead as the craft floated around the curve of the river, her pulse unaccountably picking up speed. Sure enough, there they were, setting up a camp in a clearing in the distance.
Consuela was closer to the shore, in plain view as she pulled a large black skillet from a box of cooking supplies, but it was the familiar figure behind her that caught and held Josie’s full attention.
Luke. Her eyes hungrily drank in the sight of him, noting every detail of his appearance—the way his dark hair looked like he’d just combed it with his fingers, the breadth of his shoulders in his blue flannel shirt, how his thigh muscles bunched against his jeans as he crouched down to arrange wood on a campfire. The blood suddenly seemed to run hotter and faster through her veins.
Not counting the conversation in the lodge hallway yesterday, she hadn’t seen him since the trail ride. She was certain he’d been avoiding her, and she was equally certain it was because of that kiss.
He sure hadn’t minded kissing her at the time, she thought. She might have initiated it, but he’d been a more-than-willing participant. She grew warm just thinking about the way his lips had seared a trail of pleasure across her mouth and throat while his hands had roamed her body.
Whatever his reasons, she told herself, she should be relieved he’d been keeping his distance. Romance was the last thing she needed at this point in her life, and not seeing Luke meant not having to deal with the confusing, distracting, disturbing feelings he aroused in her.
