by Starla Kaye
She understood his regret about using the “dead” word. It hadn’t bothered her. She liked this striking, polished man who seemed quite opposite the rougher-edged cowboy. “It’s all right.” A stupid lump of emotion clogged her throat, and she swallowed hard. “I’m still having trouble accepting Dad’s gone,” she said in a near whisper.
“I can imagine.” He sat on the matching leather ottoman in front of her. “By the way, I’m Daniel Patterson. His…friend.”
She wondered at his hesitation and the way he glanced up at Cordell. The cowboy tensed a second and nodded as if they’d made some kind of silent agreement. Whatever was going on between them didn’t matter two cents to her. She kept out of other people’s personal business, but she sensed they were more than friends.
Having Mr. Rough Tough Cowboy standing there, tapping his boot, annoyed her. The walk here had done her in; sitting down made her realize that even more. But he wouldn’t be satisfied to give her any kind of peace. He wanted to go nose-to-nose about her lateness and the situation with her father.
“Would you sit down,” she grumbled, looking right at him. “If you just stop glowering at me, I’ll talk.”
To her surprise, a faint hint of red spread beneath his sexy-as-heck day-or-so’s worth of beard stubble. He tossed her coat on the nearby recliner and sat in the other chair.
“I apologize for acting like a….” He seemed at a loss for a description of his rather rude behavior.
Helpful, she supplied one. “An ass.”
He blinked. The action smoothed the crow’s feet at the corners of his brown eyes. She noted a hint of amusement before it disappeared.
Daniel guffawed, capturing her attention.
She thought about how much she liked this man, even with only limited impressions so far. Generally, she wasn’t drawn to a man like him, GQ perfect, cultured, and mannered. He could teach the cowboy a lot, if given the chance. As a down-to-earth woman, earthy men were her weakness. Yet, something about him appealed to her.
Not wanting to think along those lines, she glanced back at the rancher with his tousled, dark hair and her foolish heart skipped a beat. Oh great! He’d been pretty surly so far, but that was largely her fault. Besides, she’d always been attracted to a cowboy in faded, worn jeans that hugged long, muscled legs and showed off his taut ass, like his boot-cut jeans.
She didn’t want to be thinking about him either. She was exhausted, that was all. Well, and she’d become too focused on the fact she was still a v-i-r-g-i-n, in big capital letters. Until losing her father, they’d stayed so busy she’d never taken time for more than some innocent kissing and minor petting. Her father had done his best to keep the flirtatious cowboys they ran into away from her. But her life had changed, her hormones were going crazy. She lusted, yearned, and was half-blinded with curiosity about the whole male/female relationship thing. Dangerous business.
Heaving a disgusted sigh, she shoved the irrational notions away to deal with at a better time. You’re here on business. You’d best remember that, Ruby Tuesday McMurtry.
“Are you all right?” Daniel asked when she’d been quiet too long.
Her face heated. “Yes, sorry, zoned out there for a second.”
She looked straight at Cordell and decided to cut him some slack. “Think we could start over? I won’t act testy and you won’t act all gruff.” She pulled out the warmest smile she could muster. “I apologize for showing up late today. My truck ran out of gas down on your ranch road. So I hotfooted it here.”
“You could have called me.” He studied her with a creased brow and narrowed eyes. “I would have gone to get you.”
Avoiding his annoyed gaze, she glanced at the bag she’d set down next to her chair. “If I’d remembered to charge my cell phone last night, I would have.” She looked up and added, “And, no, I don’t have a car charger. Lost it somewhere, and I haven’t gotten around to getting another one.”
Calhoun sat down and listened instead of acting like a jerk. His anger faded. When she had been irritated with him, he bristled in reaction. With her calmer, he found her soft, rusty voice soothing. For the moment at least, he would hear her out about why she’d kept a secret from him. But he knew he would have to find the other man’s name the vet gave him to contact about Starbright. He would deal with the problem tomorrow. At this point, one more day didn’t matter.
“What happened to your father? If you don’t mind me asking,” Daniel spoke gently, moving to stand next to his chair.
“He….” She closed her eyes and drew in what appeared to be a steadying breath before opening them again. “He had a heart attack.” She swallowed hard, blinked. “Dad hadn’t been sick much in his whole life. Strong, fit.” Once more she blinked at tears ready to spill out. “We were packing the trailers, getting ready to head here. He just…he just collapsed.”
He sensed Daniel fighting the urge to go to her, probably to pull her into his arms for a reassuring hug. The man might be a hard ass in the boardroom, but he had an enormous heart. Few knew he soothed people when they needed comforting. He’d done that with him numerous times since they’d gotten together—going on two years ago. He remained in place, silent.
When a tear managed to escape and slide down her cheek, he experienced the same distress as earlier, when she’d admitted her father died. Something about a woman crying always got to him.
He got up and went to her. She looked so small, so defenseless, kind of lost. He didn’t mean to touch her. Yet, he reached down and wiped away the tear with a thumb. His gut tightened at her velvety-soft skin. He hadn’t been this close to a woman in a while, caressed one…or had sex with one. He almost backed away.
But she held him in place by looking up at him with her sad eyes. Misery lurked in the depths. As their gazes remained locked, the heat of awareness fired in them. She drew in a shaky breath. Her pretty brow furrowed as if in confusion. His reactions to this stranger, this young woman whose emotions were all over the place, puzzled him. One moment she bristled, another she challenged him, and in another she pulled on his heartstrings with her pain.
Before he could move, the furnace kicked on, blowing warm air around them, mixing in her light floral scent as it surrounded him. He also caught the essence of her. His body tensed; his cock hardened.
Shocked, he pulled his hand back and stepped away. This was wrong. He felt as if he were betraying Daniel. He would never betray him.
Guilt weighing on him, he turned to the windows, unable to face either of them. “We should go get your car,” he blurted out.
“Truck,” she corrected, sounding bewildered by his abrupt change in mood.
His cock hadn’t softened when he put distance between them. He could still smell her, hear her sensual voice. No way could he take her to her truck. He needed time to get his body back to normal and get his head straight.
“I’ll get a ranch hand to go with you. You can stay in one of the guest rooms tonight.” He hesitated. “Before you leave, I’ll pay you for making the effort to come here.”
Without looking at either of them, he strode across the room toward the doorway. “I need to find that phone number for the other horse whisperer.”
In the next instant, she moved right behind him. She grabbed a belt loop. “Whoa, Cordell! We need to talk.”
He brushed her hand away and turned around. Her vivid green eyes no longer looked sad; they flashed with anger. The plump breasts he’d been trying not to notice strained the fabric of her pink plaid Western shirt. Otherwise, she stood stiff, her temper appearing to sizzle. Damn if he didn’t find her cute as hell.
And that notion frightened the bejesus out of him. He needed to get as far away from her as possible. “We’ll talk tomorrow. You need to get your truck and get some rest.” He shifted back. “I have business to tend to.”
The tenacious woman stepped right up to him. “This business being to call another horse whisperer.” She tilted her chin up and met him eye-to-eye. “Well,
cowboy, I’m the second best one in the country.” Sadness slipped back into her eyes, but determination remained as well. “The best now with my father dead.”
God, those expressive eyes were killing him. He fought the urge to tug her into his arms and hold her until she’d shed every tear, until the grief left. Doing that would be a huge mistake for so many reasons. He mentally shielded himself against her.
“Forget it. I’m not letting a puny little thing like you anywhere near Starbright.” If she’d worked alongside her father, Calhoun would no doubt have been okay. Maybe. But the idea of her being alone anywhere near the powerful, troubled, and crazed mare scared the devil out of him. His heart raced.
The woman had no back down in her. She thrust her chin higher. “I’m not puny! I’m not big and muscled like you, but I can take care of myself with any animal.”
He snorted at the foolish declaration and shook his head. “Not with my horse. Starbright can’t be trusted with most work-hardened men, including me at times. There is no way I could trust her not to do you serious harm.”
Once more he turned to walk away.
This time Daniel stopped him. “Give her a chance to at least tell you about her credentials. Let her explain her abilities to work with a traumatized animal.”
He spun to glower at his friend, who looked every bit as resolute as he felt. “No.”
The man gave him a censuring look and ground his jaw. They would have words later. But he wasn’t going to change his mind.
When he glanced at Ruby, her shoulders were tense, her body rigid. But instead of arguing with him, she stormed back to the recliner and grabbed her coat, jerking it on. Grumbling to herself, she snagged her oversized bag and marched past them both and toward the foyer.
Daniel’s expression grew stonier, pissed at him.
“What are you doing?” he asked gruffly.
“Leaving,” she snapped over her shoulder. “I don’t need this job. I came here out of respect for my father’s agreement with you. And out of concern for Starbright.” She picked up her pace, not bothering to glance at him.
“You can’t just leave. I have to get one of the hands first,” he blustered, unable to believe her boldness.
“I don’t need help—yours or anyone else’s.” She stiffened. “I’m going back to my rig, grabbing a gas can, and walking to the nearest town. Not any of your concern.”
“The hell you are!” He strode after her. Lord a’mighty, what an obstinate female.
She stopped long enough to look in his direction and hiss, “The hell I’m not!”
Chapter Two
Daniel decided the two of them needed some space apart and time to cool down. He’d never seen Cal behave this way with a woman. Most of the time, he acted the cowboy gentleman, treating a woman with respect, courtesy, and going out of his way to take care of their every need. But these two rubbed each other wrong. Even without knowing Ruby, her attitude showed she didn’t want to be taken care of and she didn’t want anyone thinking she couldn’t handle her job. She wanted to prove herself. He admired her.
He knew Cal’s testiness came out of worry for his beloved horse and the fact the person he’d hired to help the mare wasn’t who had shown up. Instead, they’d found this petite, half-frozen female on the doorstep. She’d come prepared to do a job few men could handle—take on a frightened mare and find a way to heal her. Cal wanted nothing to do with that plan because of her size, because she was a woman.
Cal and Ruby all but circled each other like two dogs getting ready for a fight. She was tired, dealing with some serious emotional baggage, and prickly. Cal didn’t know how to react. Being drawn to her, he’d wiped away a tear then appeared alarmed at his daring to touch her. There’d been a twinge of guilt in his lover’s eyes before he’d turned toward the window.
Daniel supposed he should feel worried, jealous. But he didn’t. They were friends with some serious personal benefits, but they weren’t tied to each other. He didn’t want to give up Cal. Not that it was a matter to consider since she wouldn’t be staying.
Another tear trickled down her cheek, and she dashed at it. In the same instant, she swayed on her feet. Exhausted in all ways. He wanted to…take care of her. Damn. He wasn’t any better than Cal. But damn if he would let the stubborn woman leave in her condition.
He stepped around them and pulled his shearling-lined leather jacket from the hall tree. After jamming his arms into the sleeves, he faced the pair as they stopped arguing long enough to look at him in curiosity. “I’ll help you with your truck.” He met Cal’s surprised gaze. “You don’t need to bother one of your ranch hands.”
“But—”
Daniel gave him a back-off glare, and Calhoun closed his mouth.
The contrary woman turned her focus on him. “As I said, I can—”
He took her by the elbow and escorted her to the door, stopping her protest. “As Cal would say, ‘Give it a rest.’ I am going to take you to your truck. We’ll get the gas. And you’re coming back here to at least spend one night in the guest room. Period. Done deal.”
When he hazarded a glance down at her, her eyes were wide in surprise at his insistence. Maybe he’d gone a bit far, but he knew how to take charge of a troublesome situation. He lifted an eyebrow in challenge.
“Fine,” she said, sounding relieved. “But I don’t need the use of a guest room. I’ve got my travel trailer with me. My home away from home. All I need is to connect up to some electricity.”
“You’ll park your rig by the horse barn.” Calhoun opened the door for them. “We’ll run a cord out to your trailer from there.”
She gave a curt nod then, tugging her elbow from his hold, pranced out onto the porch. He led her to his new Lexus SUV parked in Cal’s driveway.
***
When Ruby sat down on one of the benches by the small table in her trailer, it was almost midnight. She pulled up her legs, settled her stocking-covered feet on the seat, and hugged her knees. She wore her warm, baggy, flannel pajama bottoms and her dad’s much-worn sweatshirt from Appalachian State University, where he’d wanted her to go to college. How many times had they argued about that? So many.
She hiccupped past her second crying jag of the day. God, she hated crying. She remained mortified at having broken down in front of poor Daniel when he’d taken her back to her rig. She’d climbed out of his big fancy SUV, headed for her truck, and spotted the last travel sticker from Wyoming her father had put on the side of her trailer. A second later, she’d lost it, bawling her head off.
He’d helped her into the trailer and sat down beside her. She’d sensed his discomfort, but he’d drawn her onto his lap with calming, gentle words. The independent side of her wanted to resist, to force herself to buck up and prove to both of them she didn’t need his kindness. The weaker, wounded-heart side of her had won out. She’d leaned against his lean, muscled chest. While he stroked her back, she’d sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. Poor man.
Sniffling, hiccupping, she wondered what he’d told Cordell about her breakdown. Odd she thought of the big-time investment CEO as “Daniel” and the rancher as “Cordell.” But the cowboy hadn’t seen her at her worst and offered her comfort anyway. Actually, she hadn’t seen him since leaving his house earlier. He’d made himself scarce. Instead, Daniel helped get her rig in place, and he and a couple of the ranch hands hooked her trailer up to electricity.
What was the deal with Cordell? He’d wiped away a tear earlier, his gaze heated in what she believed might be sexual interest. Then he’d backed away like she’d scared him right down to his scuffed boots. Her? Scare any man?
Again she considered this new puzzling curiosity. Not that she hadn’t noticed men in the past, or been noticed. She just hadn’t been ready for any kind of relationship. She hadn’t read romance novels because her dad kept shoving mysteries and thrillers at her. Books he read and assumed she would like, too. They were okay, but stories containing at least a hint of a romance held m
ore interest for her.
They went to movies from time to time during their travels, but he liked anything without a romantic element. “No chick flicks.” She hadn’t thought about that until this second. He’d steered her clear of anything hinting at an interest in love and romance.
Her mother’s leaving when Ruby was three had devastated him. She hadn’t liked his professional need to travel all over the country. She also hadn’t wanted to stay behind in their home outside of West Jefferson, North Carolina, with just Ruby. So, she’d served him with divorce papers one night and walked out of the house without saying good-bye to her.
She vaguely remembered them arguing but hadn’t understood what was happening. She’d cried for her daddy—not her mommy—and he’d been there for her. She hadn’t cried much the next day after learning Mama had left. From that moment on, there had been just the two of them.
Thinking about those painful memories, she realized he’d been heartsore all these years. He hadn’t trusted another woman. He hadn’t wanted his daughter to ever suffer as he had.
She glanced to the other end of the trailer where a few photos hung over the sofa. Her gaze landed on her favorite one of her and her dad, taken at a rodeo they’d gone to the year before. The last picture of him she would ever have. Oh God.
She was so alone in the world. How could she keep on bearing it? She yearned for someone to love her, to share things with her, to argue with and to challenge her.
Chapter Three
Cal hadn’t been able to fall asleep, though he’d kept his eyes shut and pretended to even out his breathing for Daniel’s sake. Hearing the other man’s quiet snoring, he glanced at the clock beside the bed. Just after midnight. He would normally get up in less than five hours. If he didn’t get some sleep, today would be hell. Of course, he already knew it would be because he had to deal with Ruby McMurtry.
When he returned from a rancher’s association meeting around ten—one he’d announced days ago he wouldn’t attend—Daniel had been furious. His friend knew he’d gone into town earlier on errands his foreman could have handled, and he’d stayed away because of her. He didn’t deny any of it. They argued for maybe a half hour before Daniel left him drinking a beer downstairs. The other man didn’t bother to acknowledge him when he’d come up to bed later.
