by Renee Roszel
Anna returned the grin but quickly gave her attention to Dusty. His lips were drawn in a frown as he followed the goat’s erratic movements. Of course, it could have been a frown of concentration, but Anna doubted it. Whatever his mood, he looked wonderful on that beautiful horse, and it was impossible to view him without a quickening of her pulse.
Somehow Anna tore her gaze from him, driving Plague toward Hazard as she murmured a silent plea that this would work. Plague ran in front of the stallion in his haste to dart through the fence. Immediately Dusty lowered his rein hand, giving Hazard the signal to go to work. The stallion dived low and headed Plague off with a sidestep that landed him between the goat and the fence.
Plague spun away, and Hazard anticipated his move. But the spunky little goat changed direction yet again, causing Anna to marvel at his speed and cunning. And she was thrilled by Hazard’s reaction to this new challenge. Plague was fast and agile, but Hazard was a match for him, predicting his movements and blocking Plague’s every attempt to get away.
Then the goat made an unexpected lunge to the left, and Hazard tried desperately to follow. Suddenly a masculine shout of alarm—or was it a curse?—split the air. When the dust cleared, Dusty Dare lay facedown in the dirt.
Anna gasped and rushed over to him. Hazard lurched right and left, thwarting Plague’s escape for another second or two, before coming to a halt, allowing the goat to scramble under the lowest rail.
Hunky stood by the fence, stunned and speechless, as Anna dropped to her knees beside Dusty, who was raising himself up on one arm, spitting dirt. She mouthed a prayer of gratitude that he wasn’t hurt. Nicole, she noticed, was chasing Plague.
Thad burst out laughing. “Boy, oh, boy, chief, you were bouncing around out there like a bad check!” His chortle seemed very loud in the otherwise quiet tableau. Anna shook her head in warning.
Dusty groaned, drawing her attention. He was sitting up and reaching for his hat.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Swell,” he mumbled, slapping his hat against his outstretched leg.
Anna sat back on her heels and found herself fighting a smile. “I think that went pretty well, don’t you?” She hoped the amusement in her voice escaped his notice.
He tugged his hat low on his dirt-streaked forehead and gave her an assessing look. “Did you know I was going to fall?”
She felt a blush warm her cheeks. “How could I know such a thing?”
Thad laughed again and Dusty glared at him. “Bucka-roo Bob obviously isn’t very fond of his teeth.”
She couldn’t hide her grin now. Unfortunately, Thad’s laughter was contagious. “He doesn’t mean any harm. He fell off Candy Cane twice today. I guess he figures that if a horseman as good as you can fall off, he’s not so bad. And I think this is his way of bonding with you.”
Dusty stood. “If that’s the way he bonds, I’m surprised he’s lived this long.” Snatching up Hazard’s reins, he started to limp away.
Anna jumped to her feet. “Do you want me to fetch another goat?”
He stopped, frowning. “Do I look like I want to eat more dirt?”
“Uh, no. Then, uh, what do you think about the goats?”
His lips twitched upward briefly, but then he was frowning again. “You don’t want to know what I’m thinking about your precious goats.”
When he began to move away again, she caught his arm. “Tell me.” Her heart was soaring. She was positive she did know what he was thinking—that she was right. “Aren’t they everything I said they were?” He was a fair man; surely even his wounded pride wouldn’t let him it deny it. “Hazard was wonderful, too,” she added, meaning every word. “I know why you love him so much. He’s one in a million.”
Dusty looked at her hand on his wrist, then her face. There was something odd, even gentle in his expression. “Finally we agree on something.”
“And the goats?”
His gaze grew speculative. “Tell me one thing first.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you know I’d fall?”
She swallowed, her cheeks flaming. “Well, no, of...of course—”
“Now, now, Miss Andrews, your nose is growing.” His ability to read people was plainly better than her ability to lie.
Embarrassed, she looked away, but she couldn’t keep a tiny smile from her lips. “Well, maybe I, er, thought it might happen.” She shrugged. “Most first-timers fall.”
He chuckled, and she had a horrible feeling he believed she’d planned the whole thing. Which, of course, she hadn’t. Not really...
She peeked at him. His eyes danced with devilment. “Miss Andrews, do you recall what I said about paybacks?”
She nodded, swallowing hard as a vivid memory of his hot kiss flashed through her mind. “They’re...they’re hell?” she recited timidly, dropping her hand from his arm. There was something entirely too intimate about the contact all of a sudden.
“Right.” He reached up to touch his chin, where Anna noticed a small gash was beginning to bleed.
She flinched, not having realized he’d been cut. “And... and what about the goats?”
A smile played at the corners of his mouth. Then he tugged on Hazard’s reins and ambled off, calling over his shoulder, “The goats, Miss Andrews, are hell, too.”
CHAPTER SIX
AFTER ALL THE CHORES had been done, Anna escaped to her cabin, showered and changed, but not into her night-gown. Instead, she put on a pair of jeans and a cotton-knit top. For some reason, she was too restless to go to bed.
The night air was warm and inviting, and it seemed a million crickets were chirping soothingly in the distance. The bright moon beckoned, and Anna decided to go for a walk in the nearby thicket, hoping it would take her mind off...things. Besides, she rationalized, she hadn’t really explored the thicket yet. Yesterday she’d noticed a winding footpath heading toward a creek. Just the sort of tranquil setting to calm frayed nerves.
She headed off at a brisk pace, trying to outrun the constant vision of a handsome man with “payback” glinting in his eyes. She stuffed her hands in her pockets. Darn his hide! Why did he have to be constantly in her thoughts? He didn’t like her and she loathed him. He was attractive, yes. Charismatic, true. But he was too volatile. And too much like her father—a man she’d never known. A man who was never content. A man who always wanted something more, something new, something different.
Abe had left her mother when Anna was a baby. Her mother had said he was all fireworks, and whenever she’d talked about him there’d been both reverence and regret in her voice. Anna had grown to fear that kind of man—the kind who never really left a woman’s heart, even after he’d left her life.
Dusty was like that. Daring, wonderful and dangerous. If a woman made the mistake of getting too close, she might not survive.
So why was she wasting time thinking about him? She shook her head. She supposed she was frustrated about Thad, and their on-again-off-again relationship. She knew he was trying, and she couldn’t help being reminded of her stepfather once more. They were both solid steady men.
“You walk as loud as an elephant, sugar,” came a deep familiar voice from somewhere in the darkness.
She twisted around, trying to spot him in the darkness. The path was shrouded in shadows, and she had no idea where he might be lurking. “Why...what...” she stammered. Sucking in a breath, she demanded shakily, “What are you doing? Practicing for a career as a mugger?”
“You’ve never heard of the ancient Indian art of stalking?”
She still couldn’t see him. “I hate to break it to you, but stalking’s a federal offense these days.”
His low chuckle rippled through the night. Her reprimand was clearly of no concern to him. “I’ve brought good news,” he said quietly.
“Good news?” she echoed, her heart leaping with the hope. “Steven’s back!”
“Not that good, I’m afraid.” He stepped into a shaft of moonlight,
and she jumped at the movement, then stared. The silver radiance paid delicious homage to the muscular planes of his bare chest and shoulders. “Are... aren’t you chilly?” she asked, her voice frail.
“It’s muggy tonight.”
She nervously shifted her gaze to his chin. There was no bandage. “How’s the cut?”
He shrugged. “It was nothing. Do you want to hear the news?”
She nodded absently, unable to think about anything except his nearness. “I suppose so.”
He stepped closer. Reflexively she stepped back, bumping into a tree.
“I’m going to let you work Freckle with the goats once a week.”
“Really?”
He nodded but didn’t smile. Still, she couldn’t help reaching for his hands. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Dare. You won’t regret it, I promise!”
He glanced at their joined hands, his surprise apparent, but no more so than hers when she realized what she’d done. Feeling foolish, she let go and self-consciously crossed her arms. “Uh, anyway, thank you.”
He mirrored her actions, and she couldn’t tell if he was doing it to mock her or if her touch had affected him, too. “Tell me, Miss Andrews,” he asked abruptly, “how did your brother get into gambling?”
His change of subject caught her off guard, as did his show of interest. “I— Well, Steven once said he liked the excitement and the chance to get big money fast.” She stuffed her hands back into her pockets and settled against the tree. “He’s got a fairly big ego like—” She halted, bit her lip. She’d almost said “you.” She blushed and turned away, though she knew he couldn’t detect the blush in the darkness. “Anyway, it started small. You know, poker games with buddies. Then in the last year or so, he started playing for high stakes with some pretty tough guys.”
“What do you mean, tough?”
“I don’t know. He just seems scared. Once he even said something about getting his legs broken. But Steven’s always exaggerated things.”
There was silence, and she grew edgy waiting for him to respond, but she didn’t want to look up. Maybe he’d left, not really interested in hearing about Steven. But now that Dusty had brought it up, fear began to niggle at her. “Mr. Dare, wait. You do think he’s ex—” She raised her eyes then, and her question caught in her throat. She’d been wrong. He hadn’t left. Instead, he’d come even closer. Mr. Ancient Indian Stalker had struck again.
She thought she saw worry in his eyes, but maybe not. It was quite dark. “You don’t think anybody would really hurt him, do you?” she asked almost shyly. “I mean, I thought I heard Uncle Bud say something like, ‘If he lives.’ ” She shook her head. “No. I must have heard him wrong. Don’t you think?”
He looked contemplative for a second, frowning slightly, then after a few heart-pounding seconds, he placed his hands on either side of her and leaned forward, his lips perilously close to her own. “Sure. Don’t worry.”
He was so close and he was staring at her with such interest that she lost her ability to speak. “I... well... I...” she stammered, dropping her gaze. Finally she managed to say, “Mr. Dare, you’re making me nervous.”
He chuckled. “I make a lot of people nervous. It keeps my competitors off guard and allows me to win. It’s called good business.”
What utter arrogance! She lifted her chin, refusing to back down. “Oh? I thought it was bad manners.”
His laughter was deep and surprisingly warm. “By the way,” he said, “your uncle called. Wanted to know how I liked the goats.”
“Oh, Lord,” she moaned, sagging against the rough bark.
“I told him Plague had me kissing dirt.” His breath was gentle against her face, making her feel strangely dizzy. “Bud thought that was very funny. He also had a lot of good things to say about his little Punkin Pie.” He flashed a grin. “I was too sore to argue the point.”
She was going to heatedly defend herself and her goat, but as she opened her mouth, his lips came down on hers. The intensity of his kiss was both thrilling and terrifying, and she couldn’t bring herself to push him away.
With a sigh that held far less regret than it should have, she curled her arms about his neck and leaned into his inviting hardness. She relished the tautness of his muscles beneath her hands, knowing they were capable of great strength, though he held her in an embrace that was gentle, even tender.
His kiss was wild yet caring, demanding, yet giving. She clung to him, quivering, a current of raw desire spiraling through her. But just when she was about to abandon herself completely, he jerked away with a muffled curse.
She swayed backward, and the tree was the only thing that prevented her from falling. Staring into hard, frustration-darkened features, her voice breathy with yearning and sadness, she pleaded, “Why...why didn’t you push me into some mud to pay me back? Why did you have to... to do that?”
“I wasn’t—” He thrust a hand through his hair. “I didn’t plan—” He cut himself off with another curse and stalked off. “Good night, Miss Andrews.”
As he disappeared into the darkness, Anna lost her strength at last. Sagging to her knees, she wailed inwardly. Please don’t let me fall for Dusty Dare. Don’t let me be that stupid!
DUSTY STOMPED across the lawn to the pool, slammed open the privacy gate and dived into the chilly water. He was furious with himself for kissing Anna, and he needed cooling off. She might be irritatingly single-minded, and she might be the sister of a thief, and it was obvious she’d had a big laugh seeing him facedown in the dirt, but damn, he couldn’t find anything wrong with her kisses. They were as soft as silk and hot enough to wither cactus. He was drawn to her like he’d been drawn to no other woman—back talk and goats and all!
Surfacing at the far end of the pool, he hauled himself out. “Blast it!” He yanked off a boot and heaved it against the privacy fence, the impact rattling the wooden slats.
What had come over him? He’d wanted to comfort and reassure her. Instead, he’d found himself kissing her! “You’re an idiot, Dare,” he muttered. “You’re going to end up sending her brother to jail and then appropriating her home. You need to be making love to Anna Andrews like you need a goat for a hood ornament!”
THE MEMORY of Dusty’s kiss nagged at Anna throughout the next morning. She felt guilty every time she saw Thad. Of course, she had been the kissee, not the kisser. But when she remembered how passionately she’d responded, she had to admit she’d done a little kissing of her own.
Thad sneezed, distracting her from her disturbing thoughts. He’d been cheerfully spreading sawdust in the stalls for the past hour, though his eyes were watering and his sneezing had become continuous. He put down his rake and went to the drinking fountain to splash his face and grab a few swallows. She wondered how he’d take the news that it was time for his riding lesson. It was noon, and she was hungry, but this would be her only break today. Thank goodness for Max—he’d noticed her lack of free time and had brought her a couple of sandwiches and a thermos of tea.
She saddled Candy Cane for Thad and Freckle for herself. Freckle deserved some fun after all her hard work, so Anna decided they’d go for a ride through the woods, which would be about an hour’s trip with a novice rider in tow. “Okay, Thad,” she called as she led the horses outside. “It’s time to hit the trail.”
A flash of distress crossed his features when he glanced at Candy Cane, but it was quickly gone. He grinned, though Anna had to admit it wasn’t his best effort. “Well, little missy,” he drawled in a truly feeble Western accent. “I’m as happy about that as a pie with flies on it.”
She laughed at his mangled metaphor. “I think you mean you’re as happy as a fly on a piece of pie—” she paused as a thought occured to her “—unless you’re really not happy?”
He shrugged, wiping his brow with the back of his red-and-white checked sleeve. “I’m happy when you smile at me.”
“What’s wrong, Thad?” she asked, detecting the moroseness in his tone. “Don’t y
ou want to ride today?”
He eyed his mare distrustfully. “It’s just...well, that horse hates me. It keeps throwing me. Don’t you have one that’s tamer?”
Anna shook her head. “The only way you’re going to get a gentler horse is on a carousel.” She stroked the little mare’s cheek. “If you don’t want to go, it’s fine with me. I could use the time to do some paperwork.” She held up the sack lunch. “We can just eat this in the stable, instead of the woods.”
“The woods?” he asked, sounding much more enthusiastic.
“Don’t get any ideas, Romeo. Mr. Dare’s not paying me to fool around.”
“That guy’s not paying you at all.”
“Yes, he is. Keeping Steven out of jail’s the only pay I need.” Indicating Candy Cane with a nod, she said, “Do we ride, partner, or not?”
He exhaled and rubbed his hands on his designer jeans, which were no longer pristine white. “Okay, Miss Kitty,” he agreed with hollow enthusiasm. “We ride.”
“Do you remember what I taught you, Thad?”
He approached Candy Cane slowly, as if the mare were a snarling beast with a taste for tenderfoot cowboys. “Yeah. I tell her ‘whoa,’ put my left foot in the stirrup, bounce on my right foot and just get up there.”
“That’s perfect,” she agreed. “Now, you do that.”
“What if she walks away and drags me the way she did yesterday?”
“She won’t if you don’t bounce up and down for five minutes,” Anna said. “Go on.” She swung up into her saddle. “It’s easy.”
“Yeah, just like swallowing a bus.” Resigned, he grabbed the saddle horn and put his left boot into the stirrup, bouncing once, twice, three times. Candy Cane began to move forward, obviously trying to get rid of the irritation on her left side.
“Get up there, Thad,” Anna instructed. On the sixth bounce, he finally lifted himself up, swung an ungainly leg over and landed heavily in the saddle.
“Super! If I didn’t know better I’d have thought you were John Wayne.” A small fib, but it put a grin on Thad’s red face. “Okay. Now don’t hold the reins so tightly—you’re pulling her mouth.” Anna lifted her rein hand. “Instead of using both hands, try it this way, with both reins in your right.”
