by Myla Jackson
“The stage came in late last night.”
“What?” Jake shook his head. “Was there a woman on it?”
“Boy howdy, was there.” The livery man’s face split in a leering grin. “Quite a looker too.”
“Where’d she go?”
“Think she headed for the Golden Nugget.”
Jake spun on his heels and trotted back up the street for the hotel he’d just left. If he’d known she came in last night, he could have been on the trail with Zach. It hadn’t occurred to him until now that he’d be hauling two females up the rugged mountain to the claim by himself. He hoped they didn’t grouse and complain the entire way.
His footsteps slowed. Holy cow. From no women to two women… He frowned. How was he supposed to take pleasure from Katherine with another woman around? Well, hell. He’d figure it out somehow.
He leaped onto the porch of the Golden Nugget and ran into two women stepping out of the hotel. They didn’t see him until he barreled right into them. “Pardon me.”
They steadied him and he got his bearings, realizing one was the woman he’d bought and paid for less than an hour ago. “Ah, Miss Matheson. I take it you spoke with your father?”
KC’s eyes flashed and she opened her mouth to respond.
Before she could utter a word, the woman with her answered for her. “She has, and her father is on his way back to his ranch down south.”
Jake’s heart skipped a couple beats and slammed against his chest. His hands itched for another feel of those luscious breasts, but he supposed he’d have to wait and see how the day progressed. Making love to her on the porch of the hotel wouldn’t be fittin’.
“If you can pull your tongue back in your head, perhaps you can tell me where I can find a Mr. Zachary Braun?” The woman with Katherine stood tall, her shoulders back, her fine head held high, dark lustrous hair shining prettier than a prize horse.
If Jake were into dark-haired beauties, he’d be scratchin’ his balls about now. “He left for the hills early this morning.” Jake’s attention returned to the blonde beauty in front of him. Then he realized the significance of the other woman’s words and he faced her, his brows raised. “Are you Honor’s companion?”
The woman dipped her head in a single nod. “Rosalyn Smythe.” She held out a gloved hand.
Feeling like a clod, Jake took her hand and shook it. “Honor will be mighty happy to have you around. What with the baby comin’ soon.” He stared at the woman’s fancy dress and then at Katherine’s. “I hope you two have something more suitable for climbing hills than that.”
“We do.” Rosalyn hadn’t let Katherine speak since Jake arrived.
He wanted to hear Katherine’s voice. He wanted to know what she was thinking after he’d made the deal with her father. “Are you ready to head up into the mountains?” he asked Katherine.
When Rosalyn opened her mouth to answer for her, Jake held up his hand to stop her. “I want Katherine to answer.”
“Like I have a choice?” she bit out.
Rosalyn clamped a hand on her arm and squeezed.
Katherine glanced at her before turning a smile toward Jake—a stiff, tight smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I can be ready as soon as I pack my horse.”
Jake’s brows dipped low over his eyes. “Remember, I expect to be properly entertained.”
“You’re no gentleman.”
He laughed. “Never claimed to be.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Do we still have a deal? Or do I need to go collect my money and ranch from your father?”
Katherine’s mouth thinned into a straight line. “We still have a deal.”
He stared at her for a long time before he finally nodded. “Then I’ll meet you two ladies at the livery stable in an hour.”
Rosalyn glanced around at the teeming streets of the mining town, her nose wrinkling. “Can we make it less than an hour?”
Jake’s brows rose into the hair hanging down over his forehead. “In a hurry?”
Rosalyn smiled. “No, just thought I recognized someone, but that’s ridiculous. I don’t know anyone here.” She looked back over her shoulder.
“Anyone important?” the blonde woman asked.
Rosalyn’s lips thinned. “No.”
Katherine’s eyes narrowed. “I can be ready in thirty minutes.” She spoke as though a half hour was too much time between her and her hangin’.
A twinge of guilt nudged at Jake, but he pushed aside that feeling, looking forward to having her to himself. She was one saucy, sassy woman he could thoroughly enjoy riling with his teasing. And if he hadn’t been mistaken, when he touched her breasts last night, she hadn’t been immune to him either.
The day promised to be interesting. Jake tipped his cowboy hat at the two women and leaped off the porch, headed back to the stables to gather his horses and supplies.
Yup, the day promised to be downright interesting.
Back in the hotel room, KC stripped down to her skin. “You don’t know how happy I am that you’ll be coming with us.”
“Me too.” Rosalyn quickly sorted through her clothing, selecting a riding skirt and jacket. “Your Mr. Thompson is quite a handsome man.”
“So?”
“Makes it easier to pretend to enjoy making love when he’s not a hideous ogre.”
“He’s an ogre all right, dressed in a pretty face.”
A peal of laughter rang out from Rosalyn’s lips. “You sound like you’re not going to like him.”
“I won’t.” KC slipped one leg and then the other into her dungarees. “What kind of man buys a woman for entertainment?”
“Lots of men. Honey, you’re in a mining town. Women are highly valued when there is only one woman for every forty males.”
“That’s why they have prostitutes.”
“And what you’ve done is not prostitution?”
“It’s different. I did it because I had no other choice.” Her hands paused with the dungarees still around her knees.
“Many of the whores around here do it because they have no other choice. Some of them lost their families to disease, some were abandoned when their mothers couldn’t afford to feed them, others were raped by their own fathers or brothers.”
KC gulped, her choice seeming like a picnic next to what others had to endure. She pulled the dungarees up over her hips and buttoned them.
Rosalyn clucked her tongue. “I wish we had time to have a proper set of riding togs fashioned for you. How’s Mr. Thompson supposed to think of you as a woman when you dress as a man?”
“I don’t care. If I’m going to be riding, I’m riding in this.” When KC started to wrap the strip of fabric to bind her breasts, Rosalyn captured her hands.
“Remember what I said?”
KC frowned. “You said a lot. Which part do you want me to remember?”
Rosalyn rolled her eyes. “All of it, of course. But it’s better to give a man a little glimpse of what he’s getting than to hide it all. It will have him hotter than a blacksmith’s pit by the end of the day.” She unwrapped the fabric, her fingers brushing the sides of KC’s breasts.
KC gulped, ashamed of her desire for the other woman, but not so ashamed she wanted Rosalyn to stop touching her. “I don’t get it.”
“Honey, don’t bind your breasts. And once we’re on the trail, unbutton a few buttons. He’ll be tripping all over himself all day long.”
Rosalyn slipped the shirt up KC’s back and over her shoulders and then turned her to button the front, her fingers stopping halfway up to reach inside and caress KC’s breasts. “You have such lovely breasts, my dear.”
Suddenly shy with the light of day shining through the window, KC tentatively reached out and placed her hands over Rosalyn’s breasts still encased in the fabric of her stylish shirtwaist bodice. “Yours are so much plumper than mine.”
“Yours are no less desirable. I’ve heard men say that more than a mouthful is a waste.”
KC blush
ed, remembering Rosalyn’s mouth on hers.
As if reading her mind, Rosalyn pushed aside the shirt and took one of KC’s nipples into her mouth, pulling on it gently. “See? A lovely mouthful.” She let go and finished buttoning KC’s shirt all the way up to her neck. “Now, finish getting ready, pack your saddlebag and, if you have any spare room, maybe you can transport some of the contents of my trunk.”
As promised, KC and Rosalyn arrived at the livery stable in thirty minutes. KC dressed as a boy in dungarees, overcoat and a cowboy hat, and Rosalyn was wearing a riding dress in a tawny fabric with a matching hat. Both carried bundles of Rosalyn’s clothing from her trunk, wrapped in burlap.
KC held her breath as Jake emerged leading three horses and a couple of mules. She hoped he wouldn’t recognize her as the boy who’d punched him in the bar the night before.
When his gaze locked on her, his eyes narrowed and the smile slipped from his lips. Jake’s hand rose to the bruise on his cheekbone. “Hey, you’re the boy who hit me last night.”
KC waited for the truth to sink in as his gaze passed from her to Rosalyn and back again. His eyes widened. “Well, I’ll be hornswoggled. Katherine?”
She nodded. “Call me KC. No one calls me Katherine.”
He shook his head, his expression alternating between a frown and a grin before settling on the grin. He rubbed his cheek. “You pack a mighty powerful punch for a girl.”
“You deserved it,” she snapped.
“Eh-hem.” Rosalyn jabbed her in the ribs.
“I mean, please accept my apologies,” KC said through gritted teeth. She really had to control her temper if this deal was to work. Otherwise she’d find herself and her family out on their ears, starving through the winter. “I’m sorry I hit you.”
“Look, don’t mention it.” Jake glanced around and leaned close with a conspiratorial wink. “Really, don’t mention it. If even one of these miners knew I’d been clobbered by a girl, they’d never let me hear the end of it.”
The teasing in his eyes left KC breathless and confused. In men’s clothing she always felt in control. But not with Jake Thompson leaning close to her, his breath fanning her face.
Heat built in her neck and spread up into her cheeks. Hell! Was she blushing like a schoolgirl? KC ducked her head, letting the brim of her cowboy hat shadow her face. She’d be damned if she let Jake Thompson, her nemesis, know he’d flustered her.
Jake tied the bundles to the backs of the mules. Then he turned and cupped his hands for KC’s foot.
She shook her head slightly. “You want the miners to see you helping a boy up into the saddle?” With her head held high, she sidestepped his offer of help, grabbed the saddle horn and hauled herself up the side of the horse into the saddle, just like she always did. She didn’t need a man to help.
But when Jake bent to help Rosalyn onto her horse, unexpected anger washed over KC.
“I apologize, Miss Smythe. The livery was fresh out of sidesaddles.”
“I suppose I’ll manage.” As Rosalyn placed her fancy riding boot into Jake’s palm, the anger soared in KC, taking her aback at its intensity.
Rosalyn settled in her saddle, arranged her skirts to cover everything except her booted ankles and tipped her brows at KC, mouthing the words, Be a lady. Then her head swiveled around as she scanned the streets of the town.
“Seeing ghosts again?” KC asked. Was the law after her? Was that why Rosalyn had volunteered to be a companion to a woman in the desolate mountains, far away from civilization and marshals?
“Don’t worry about me.” Rosalyn reached out to pat KC’s hand. “I’m a survivor.”
Jake, mounted on his horse, cut between Rosalyn and KC. “You okay?” he asked Rosalyn. He didn’t say anything to KC.
“I’m fine.” Rosalyn gave him a sweet smile that made KC’s teeth ache. “Shall we?”
KC frowned and nudged her horse, sending it skittering away from Jake and Rosalyn. What had come over her? Was she losing her mind? Jake Thompson more or less won her in a poker game. Why should she be angry that he treated Rosalyn like a lady? It stood to reason that if he paid more attention to Rosalyn, that would leave less time for him to force his attentions on her.
But that wasn’t the deal. And though she knew she’d been forced into this preposterous arrangement by family duty, KC couldn’t help anticipating the night to come when she could try out the lessons she’d learned under Rosalyn’s tutelage.
She should burn in hell for the desires she’d felt with Rosalyn, but she didn’t care. KC had made a deal with the devil. Now she wanted to consummate that deal by testing out her new womanly skills. She couldn’t have her master disappointed and running after her father for repayment.
Finally seated and ready, Jake took the lead with two mules tethered behind him. The animals plodded north to the edge of town where a narrow trail led up and away from the scattered buildings and tents that constituted the boomtown of Idaho Springs.
The horses and mules began the climb up the mountain. Behind them a group of riders galloped onto the main street from the other direction.
Rosalyn looked back, her eyes widening, her face pale. She nudged her horse, sending it up the trail faster, almost overtaking the mules in front of her.
KC moved in behind Rosalyn, hoping to block her friend from view of the town and the riders. Whatever Rosalyn had done couldn’t be bad enough to warrant a trip to jail. She couldn’t imagine the beauty killing someone.
Jake’s pace quickened and the little mining town disappeared from sight.
As they rode up into the hills, Jake and the mules kept the lead, followed by Rosalyn, with KC taking up the rear. KC preferred it this way. She could study the man who more or less owned her without worrying that he might notice her staring.
Mining had to be strenuous work, as evidenced by Jake’s extremely broad shoulders and trim waist. His thighs strained against his dungarees, clamped around the horse’s sides.
When she couldn’t see far enough ahead, KC’s gaze settled on Rosalyn. The constant sway of her hips in the saddle conjured images of a naked Rosalyn rubbing her mons to the rhythm of her own pleasure.
Off and on that day, KC struggled to squash her rising desires. The gentle abrasion of her pussy pressing against the fabric of her dungarees, coupled with the rocking movement of the saddle so similar to the motion of a man pumping in and out of a woman, didn’t help.
As a virgin, KC could only imagine what it must feel like to have a man’s cock inside her. Resigned to her fate as a bought woman, KC shivered in nervous trepidation. Jake would take her virginity, and when he tired of her, he’d let her go. She could hire on as a cowboy somewhere, couldn’t she?
As daylight waned, KC’s breathing became more labored as though she’d been doing the climbing up the mountains, not the horse beneath her. Any moment, Jake would call a halt for the night and make camp.
KC had to remind herself to breathe on more than one occasion. Every time she thought for certain they would stop, her heart raced and she’d grip the reins so tightly the horse would nearly rear.
Even as the sun set behind the hills, Jake pushed on until KC began to think he planned on riding through the night.
Even though she was an experienced rider, the excitement and worry of the day had taken their toll on her and she sagged against the saddle horn. She could imagine how exhausted Rosalyn was. The woman’s straight posture had long since curved into a slump as she swayed with each movement of the horse.
Would Jake ever stop?
They came upon a mountain stream with a lovely pool. Jake dismounted and led his horse to drink downstream. “We make camp here.”
From exhausted to the point of falling asleep in her saddle, to wide awake and breathing hard, KC nearly toppled out of her saddle trying to scramble down on shaking legs.
Jake crossed to Rosalyn and held his arms up for her.
She fell into them, allowing him to help her down. The beauty leane
d in to him for support long after her feet touched the ground.
KC frowned, turning away to tend to her horse. She slipped the saddle off, muttering beneath her breath, “Damned men. Always chasing the pretty skirt.”
“Katherine, did you say something?” Jake asked, his arm around Rosalyn’s waist.
“Not a thing,” KC said breezily, her teeth clenched so hard her jaw hurt. “And it’s KC.”
When Jake went off into the woods to gather firewood, Rosalyn hurried over to KC. “If you’re going to provide his entertainment, you’ll need to start now.”
KC stared at her friend dumbfounded, her stomach rumbling from lack of food. “Before dinner?”
“At the very least let your hair down. For heaven’s sake, look like a woman.” Rosalyn unbuttoned several buttons on the front of KC’s shirt and removed KC’s overcoat.
“I’ll freeze.” KC reached for the coat, feeling naked even in the men’s shirt.
“You can stand a little cooling down. It’ll make your nipples pucker.” Rosalyn stared at the creek. “Even better, you could bathe in the stream naked.”
“You have lost your mind. Have you ever bathed in a mountain stream?”
She tipped her head. “No. I usually enjoy my bath in a tub.”
“The water comes from melted snow, not a heated pot.”
Rosalyn’s nose wrinkled. “Oh, I take it that it’s very cold, requiring a good warming up?” Her mouth slipped into a secretive smile.
“Try it.” KC bent to scoop a handful of water from the pool beside her. When she started to rise, a hand planted in the middle of her back, shoving her forward.
As she plunged into the icy depths of the stream, she heard a plaintive “Oops!” from behind her.
Chapter Five
KC struggled to the surface, splashing, her breath stolen away by the frigid water.
“Mr. Thompson, help!” Rosalyn called out.
As KC fought the current carrying her away from the shore, Jake came crashing through the woods, flinging sticks and logs aside as he took in the scene before him.
She managed to get her feet under her on a sandbar in the middle of the stream and was just about to tell Jake she was all right when he dove into the pool, surfacing beside her. He grabbed her in his arms and swam back to shore, dragging her with him, nearly drowning her in the process.
