He grinned at the idea.
She was such a contradiction, one that had him puzzling late into the night. She was already in his blood, and he had no intention of letting her out. With a sigh, he glanced at the empty water bottle, wishing he’d asked Kessed to leave a few for him. But it was useless to wish, so he picked up another T-post and started slamming home. The earth was rock-hard and full of hunks of basalt to boot. By the end of the day, he’d be aching, and tomorrow would be pure hell. It had been far too long since he’d worked on fences, and his body’s protesting was proof.
As he picked up the last post, he sighed in relief as he heard the pickup approaching, this time much slower than when it had taken off. He forced himself to hold back a knowing smile.
It sounded stupid, even to himself as he thought it, but he loved watching her drive his truck. As if something as simple as that mattered, but to him… it did. After the last pound, he dusted off his gloved hands and turned.
Kessed lifted a hand in a wave, a rueful grin on her face. “All right, boss. I’m done with the posts. You ready?”
Jasper shook his head. “Not yet. We gotta fix this break in the fence. You have your gloves?”
Kessed paused, tilting her head. “Yeah?”
“Grab them. And I’ll get the barbwire from the pickup. There’s a fence stretcher in the back too. Cyler said he broke the other one, so I bought a new one yesterday.”
“Fence stretcher?” Kessed called out as she opened the cab and grabbed her gloves.
“You’ll see.”
“I’m sure about that.”
Jasper grinned then lifted the roll of wire, careful to carry it away from his jeans. Damn stuff would shred his denim faster than he could blink.
“I’m going to take a wild guess that this is the fence stretcher?” Kessed spoke with dry sarcasm.
He didn’t bother to even turn around. “Yup.”
“Way to double-check.”
“I trust you. Also, it’s literally the only other thing in the pickup aside from barbwire and T-posts.” He set the roll of wire on the ground and took a knee. Picking up one end of the torn fence, he bent it back on itself and then tied the tail, wrapping it around itself several times to make a loop.
“Here you go.” Kessed set the stretcher beside him.
“Thanks. Hold this for me?” He held out the looped end of the wire for Kessed, and she grabbed it.
He stood up and moved down about ten feet then picked up the other loose end and repeated the process; only this time, he threaded a new line of barbwire through the hole and connected the two. After unraveling several loops, he walked over to where Kessed waited and picked up the fence stretcher and then the end she was holding.
“Thanks. Oddly enough, it’s just easier if someone holds the end. Damn things disappear in the sagebrush.”
“No problem,” she mumbled, her expression curious as she watched.
He placed the end Kessed had held into the end of the fence stretcher and pinched it tight. In quick work, he connected the edge of the new barbwire fence into the other end then started working the ratchet. With each click, the wire grew tighter till the line was mended and no longer resting on the ground. He was cautious not to pull the line too tight. He had a scar on his right cheek from when he’d created too much tension, and a rusty part of the old wire had snapped; it had flown up and caught the side of his face, leaving its mark. He’d learned his lesson and hadn’t had a repeat of it since.
“Hold this now.” He handed the stretcher to Kessed and used his free hands to wind the other end of the new barbwire around the tight line. He pulled a set of plyers from his pocket and clipped it. “That should do it.”
After taking the stretcher back from Kessed, he released the ends, and the wire bounced, holding its tautness.
“Nice work.” Kessed said and dusted off her jeans.
“I aim to please.” Jasper stood as well then arched his back. He turned to Kessed and chuckled as he caught her staring. Belatedly, he remembered he still wasn’t wearing his shirt, and a surge of pleasure hit him, knowing he was making her uncomfortable. “One down, a hundred more to go.”
“I think we need to rethink this. It’s going to take too long. How do you use this thing? If you can do the fence posts, I can use… that.” She pointed to the stretcher.
“You think you can handle this?” He held it up, a little closer to his body than necessary, watching as she avoided looking at the tool.
“I can deal with you. I can manage some barbed wire and… that.”
“Fence stretcher.”
“Whatever. I can do it.”
“See this scar?” Jasper pointed to the small linear white mark on his right cheek as she leaned in. “That’s from pulling the fence too tight. The damn thing was rusty too. Had to get a tetanus booster.”
Kessed hissed then shivered. “I hate needles.”
“I hate lockjaw more,” Jasper replied. “But if you want to give this thing a go, you’ll probably be fine. You’ll have to pull it pretty tight, and I don’t see you doing that too easily.” He glanced down at her biceps, arching a brow to tease.
“I’m small but mighty.” Kessed lifted an arm and flexed.
“Your mouth gets more exercise talking than those little chicken wings you call arms. Which is why you’ll be just fine.”
Kessed glared, but he ignored her. “Let’s get to the next area and, if memory serves correctly, it’s a smaller break. It shouldn’t take too long to pound the T-posts, and I’ll let you get a go at the fence.”
“Deal. Hurry up. Daylight’s burning,” she commented over her shoulder as she walked to the pickup.
Jasper rubbed the back of his neck, amused. Damn if that woman isn’t as flirtatious as she is prickly. “Keys?” he called out.
“In the truck,” she replied as she hopped in.
Soon they were pulling up to the next break. And just as he remembered, only a few posts were left to replace. The ground was a softer, sandier variety, so the work was done in a few minutes. When the time came, Kessed huddled down beside him, and he took her step-by-step through the process, reminding her to not overwork the tension. To her credit, she held back whatever smart comments she could have made, and when he coached her through the second break, she fixed it with only minimal help.
“I think the boots are wearing off on you,” he remarked as she grinned proudly at the mostly taut fence line.
“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just naturally awesome. I’ll let you figure that out.” She shrugged a shoulder and walked back to the truck.
As the sun started to hit its crest in the sky, Jasper finished the seventh section of fence and waited while Kessed stretched the wire, by now, like a pro.
“You about ready for lunch?” he asked, heading to the pickup to fish out another water bottle.
“Starving!” she called out then hissed. “Damn.”
Jasper tossed the water bottle back in the truck and started back toward her.
“What’s up?” He knelt beside her and saw the blood.
Kessed bit her lip as blood trickled down her forearm toward her elbow. “I snagged myself reaching across. But I guess that’s better than it snapping and smacking my face, right?”
“That damned wire will slice right through you, honey,” he murmured as he took her arm in his hands. “Hold on, I have a first-aid kit in my truck. Don’t touch the wound. You’ve been messing with rusty wire all day, and that won’t do you any favors.” He paused. “You did snag it on the new stuff, right? Not the old line?” He waited for her nod then finished his trek to the pickup.
After pulling his kit from the dashboard, he crossed the short distance to where Kessed waited.
“It’s not that bad.”
“Nope, it’s not. But you still need to patch it up.” Jasper used a
softer voice, the one he used around injured animals—purely out of habit.
He quickly put on his latex gloves and wiped the cut clean. “Whoa, girl. You did a number on yourself.” He studied the long laceration that started where her glove ended and headed toward her elbow.
“Go big or go home,” Kessed replied through clenched teeth.
“You all right? You’re not going to pass out on me, are you?”
“No! I’m fine, just… don’t like blood. My blood. I’m okay with other people’s.”
“Heartless, are you?”
“Not fair. Be nice. I’m injured.”
Jasper chuckled, applied antibiotic ointment, then placed the gauze along the line of her cut and taped it to her skin. “I am being nice, see? I fixed you right up.” He patted her head teasingly.
“Not one of your regular patients.” She slowly stood.
“True. They talk less.” Jasper leaned forward and finished twisting the barbwire then made it nice and tight.
“Thanks.” Kessed’s softer tone surprised him, and he picked up the fence stretcher and glanced at her.
“You’re welcome.” He shrugged. It wasn’t as if he’d done something important. “You ready to go eat?”
“Yes, a million times yes,” Kessed replied in a pathetic tone.
“Whine much?” Jasper goaded as he tossed the stretcher in the back, counting the remaining T-posts. At this rate, they’d be done by evening.
Thank the Lord for small favors. That meant that tomorrow he could fit in at least a few appointments.
“Where to?” Jasper asked as he turned the pickup around.
“I get to pick?” Kessed eyed him, and he had the sensation of walking into a trap.
“Within reason,” he added carefully.
Kessed arched an eyebrow in amusement. “Don’t be so suspicious. I say McDonald’s.”
Jasper relaxed. “Oh. Sounds good.”
“But don’t judge me when I order.” She pointed a finger at him.
Jasper lifted a hand in defense. “Swear, I won’t. I have a sister, remember? Besides, there’s nothing more irritating than a woman who orders a salad then eats all your fries, you know what I mean?” He shook his head as he drove past the ranch house and toward the main road.
“Trust me, it’s worse when you order the same thing as the guy, and his ugly eyes judge every bite you take. This one time, this guy actually said, ‘Do you know how many calories are in your meal? That’s a lot of miles you’ll need to run.’”
Jasper winced. “Is he still alive?”
“Barely. Only because I gave him a head start. You know, since he said I needed to run, it was only fair I had something to chase.” She arched a brow to match her evil grin.
“Remind me never to piss you off.”
“You already have—many times—but you haven’t messed with my food so you’re safe… so far.”
“Noted.”
Soon they were pulling up to the old McDonald’s down by the freeway. “Drive-through or inside?” Jasper asked as they pulled in.
“I’m a wreck. Drive-through. I’ll just get dirt in the restaurant, and they’ll have to alert the food inspector.” She glanced down then dusted off her jeans.
“Yes, because no one in Ellensburg gets dirty from working outside. And those people certainly don’t go to McDonald’s.” He cut her a wry glance but pulled up to the speaker, lowering his window.
“Are you done?” She gave an impatient glare.
“No, just on pause.”
“Welcome to McDonald’s! Order when you’re ready!”
Jasper raised his eyebrows, waiting.
Kessed leaned across the cab toward the window. She placed a hand on his thigh, and heat burst through him. Sunshine and warm earth saturated her skin, fragrancing the air around her. “Hi, I’d like the Double Quarter Pounder with cheese, super-sized, but I don’t want the drink. I’d like a chocolate milkshake instead. And can I get an extra order of fries? Small? And an ice water. Large.”
As she spoke, her nose crinkled slightly, and she tilted her head like a curious little bird, yet his greater focus was on her hand, its warmth seeping into his skin. He prayed she’d not look down and see the current state of his body. That would be a fun explanation, one she’d probably not appreciate. Then as quickly as it happened, she was gone.
Immediately, he missed the contact. Leave it to me to find the one woman who drives me crazy—in every sense of the word—and have her be in love with another man.
Damn, fate was a cruel bitch.
“Jasper?” Kessed stage-whispered.
“Oh, same for me.” He glanced at the screen and nodded his approval.
“Thank you, please pull forward to the first window.”
“Not a word,” Kessed warned.
Jasper turned to her, her almond eyes wary. “Chocolate is my favorite too.”
Her expression relaxed slightly, just enough to take the edge off. “The vanilla isn’t bad, but my favorite is when they mix the two. But they get cranky if you order half-chocolate, half-vanilla.” She hitched a shoulder.
“If you tell me you save the small fries for your milkshake, I might kiss you. Fair warning.” He turned to the first window, not waiting for her reaction.
He handed over his card then took the receipt before pulling forward.
“My purse is at the ranch, but this is my usual order, so I know what I owe you. Don’t worry,” she replied hesitantly.
He noticed how she hadn’t responded to his previous statement but let it slide. “I’m not worried about it. If nine dollars breaks me, then I have bigger issues to address.”
“Stop being so nice. It’s killing me,” Kessed groaned.
Jasper took the bags handed to them and set the milkshakes and waters in the cup holders. “You make no sense.”
“I’m a girl. I don’t need to.”
“You know, Harper has said the same thing to me more times than I can count. But she usually only says it…” He let the words linger as he pulled out of the drive-through and back onto the road that would lead back to the ranch.
Kessed took a sip of milkshake, then asked, “Well, are you going to finish your sentence?”
“Nope. I decided not to.”
Kessed sighed. “That’s really frustrating.”
“I’m a man. I don’t have to finish my sentence if I don’t want to,” he retorted, pinching his lips together to keep from laughing at Kessed’s irritated expression.
“You win.”
“I love hearing that.” He lifted his own shake and took a long sip. Thick, cold, and sweet, it was the perfect antidote to hard work.
“So, how are we doing as far as time? Do you think we did well this morning?” Kessed asked as she unwrapped her burger. As she took a bite, she moaned softly.
Jasper choked on the milkshake.
“You okay?” she asked around the bite.
He nodded his head as he coughed then took a long drink of ice water. “Wrong tube.”
Kessed reached into the bag and fished out his burger. She opened the carton and offered it to him.
“I’ll wait. I’ve tried eating it while driving, and I almost hit a fence. The ketchup slimed my wheel, and I slipped. I learned my lesson,” he replied, trying to ignore the way his body was humming with awareness.
“Let’s stay away from fences for the moment.” Kessed put his burger back into the bag took another bite of her own, moaning softly again.
Even as he steeled himself against it, the effect on his body wasn’t lessened. She was playing every string perfectly, and he couldn’t help his reactions. Clearing his throat, he turned on the radio, anything to drown out the soft pleasurable sounds coming from this woman.
“Good song.” Kessed nodded with the music, a
grin on her face as he pulled into the ranch’s drive. The music worked, and as she took another bite, he barely heard her enjoyment, and his body cooled—but only slightly. He bypassed the house and headed toward the next area that needed to be addressed. As he put the truck into park, the radio cut off just as Kessed finished her burger.
He almost sighed with relief then grabbed his burger bag and went to the back of the pickup. He let down the tailgate and set his food on the back then went around to get his drinks.
Kessed followed, and soon they were sitting on the back of the truck, the hot sunshine beating down on them even as a cool breeze wound its way through the canyon.
Jasper took a bite, savoring the flavor of the beef, when Kessed dipped a fry in her milkshake, and though it was much softer than before, she made a soft moan of delight.
“Can you please not do that?” Jasper asked, closing his eyes. When she didn’t respond, he hazarded a glance.
Her dark brows were furrowed. “What am I doing?”
Ah, hell no. Jasper rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s uh… distracting when you”—moan with pleasure, show me what you’d sound like in my bed, sound satisfied—“hum.”
“I hum?”
“Yes.” No.
“Huh, sorry.” She blushed, dipped a fry. Then blessed silence.
Jasper took a deep breath, took another bite, and soon finished his burger, grateful for the silence—for a minute. Till the silence was too… silent.
“What gives?” He turned to Kessed as he dipped one of his own fries into his chocolate shake.
“I’m being quiet! What am I doing wrong now?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
“You’re too quiet.”
“You’re impossible.” Kessed jumped off the tailgate.
“That may be, and I might not have known you for a long time, but I think I have a pretty strong grasp on your nature, and that nature doesn’t include silence.”
Kessed glanced away, shuttering her expression. “Nothing.”
Jasper glanced heavenward. “Nothing never means nothing. I got all day, Kess.”
“It’s nothing I want to talk about,” she amended, her expression walled.
The Courage of a Cowboy Page 5
