by Jane Jamison
She led the way down the hallway to the staircase. Kid lumbered behind her, worried that he’d break a horse’s back with his weight.
“Once we’ve done the trail thing, don’t you think we’ve seen enough? These guys are responsible, caring cattle ranchers. Or are we staying because you want more time with them?”
If she told the truth, she’d have no real excuse, other than her libido, to stay. “I think we need a little longer to be sure. And if, in fact, they don’t know what Lawson’s doing, it’s time they found out. I want to be here when they do.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure the Lawson thing is your big reason.”
She whirled on him, ready to argue, but he stuck up one of his huge hands to cover her face. She yanked his big paw away.
“Okay, okay. I believe you. That’s your reason.”
A few minutes later, she was racing him to the barn. She was quicker and got there first.
Damn, but they’re so hot.
Like a television ad for a new Western show, the men made her think of long, leisurely rides and cozy nights cuddled together in sleeping bags. Her body tensed in all the right places and her mouth went dry. Two other horses were saddled and ready with their reins wrapped around the top railing of a stall.
It wasn’t until she’d laid eyes on them and the tantalizing current hit her dead center, harder than ever, that she wondered. Had she ruined any chance of them having a longer, meaningful relationship? Her body craved theirs, but more stunning was the realization that she yearned for them in an emotional way as well.
What would it be like to stay with them for the rest of her life? What would it be like to have their children? When had she started thinking in terms of a relationship? And yet, she couldn’t dismiss the possibility, the hope that whatever was happening between could turn into something wonderful.
“Morning, sleepyhead.” Rick, dressed in his usual style of worn jeans, scuffed boots, and a black T-shirt, ran a palm over a large black horse. “We wondered if you were going to sleep until noon.”
She hadn’t expected a huge greeting, but she’d hoped for more than a “mornin’” and an admonishment about sleeping in. They were acting like nothing had gone on between them last night.
Gunner gave her a wink and yanked on the saddle cinch of his horse. “We thought you’d like to get a closer look at the livestock.” He shot her a bemused look. “As long as you don’t bring any paint. We like our cattle in their natural color.”
She loved his sense of humor, even when it was directed at her.
“But first, we’d like you to meet someone.”
She followed the men with Kid at her heels as they strolled down the middle of the barn and came to the last stall. A beautiful chestnut-colored horse scraped her hoof over the ground, demanding their attention, then shook her mane and moved toward the railing to lay her muzzle on Rick’s palm. The excitement of visitors sent the mare’s colt prancing and whipping his tail in a frenzy of circular movement.
“This is Rocket.”
“Oh, my God, he’s so cute.”
“We figured you’d think so. Come on inside. Don’t make any quick movements, though. He’s like any other youngster. Skittish and ready to kick.” Gunner opened the gate as Rick kept the mother horse occupied.
Copying the way he entered the stall, slowly, with her attention focused on the horse and her colt, she got as close to the baby as she could. She lifted her hand, then waited for the go-ahead to touch him.
“Aw, he’s so soft and sweet.”
“Yeah, he’s a good one. He comes from good stock. She’s a great dam and his sire is one of the best in the area.”
“So will he learn to run cattle? Or will you use him for rodeos and the like?”
Gunner cooed at the colt, trying to keep him calm. “We don’t do rodeos much anymore. We’d rather stick close to home. But he’s got his role to play.”
“And what’s that?” She made the same comforting sounds Gunner made. His wide eyes grew softer as he dared to push his muzzle against her leg.
“He’s going to a friend of ours who runs a ranch for kids with problems.”
“With problems? Like what? And how can he help?”
“Once he’s ready, this little guy will get paired up with a kid that’s had drug problems or comes from a lousy home. Horses have a knack for putting things in perspective and that helps the kids in residential placement facilities get their heads back on straight.”
“Really? That sounds great.” She caught Kid’s pointed look. Maybe she hadn’t done enough research before she’d accused Rick and Gunner of animal neglect. Two men who would help kids in trouble couldn’t abuse an animal, could they? Not to her way of thinking. “So you sell the horses to them and they train them?”
“We do both. The training comes free with the purchase of the horse. We figure we got lucky in life so it’s our way of giving back.”
They’re simply too good to be true.
She stopped, worry striking deep inside her. Maybe they really were too good to be true. What was the old saying? “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is”? What if last night was their way of distracting her or winning her over so she wouldn’t see the truth?
She took her hand away, then faced him. Confronted him was more like it. “Is this your way of convincing me that you’re good men? Helpful ranchers who have gotten a bad rap?”
He drew back, and scowled at her. “Damn, woman, why so cynical?”
Guilt and shame flooded her, wiping away the body heat she’d gathered from the Northman brothers. She had no reason to believe they weren’t as good as they seemed. As for last night, they all shared responsibility for that and she didn’t want anything to color her memory of it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have accused you.”
Gunner, however, had already stormed out of the stall and was striding toward the front of the barn.
Rick’s hard gaze seared into hers. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” He gestured for her to get out of the stall, then closed the gate behind them and followed his brother.
“Hey, guys, give her a break. Sometimes her mouth gets ahead of her head. You can understand that. Right, Rick?” Kid scowled at her as he rushed after them. “Can we still go on that ride?”
She didn’t hurry, not with the looks they gave her. By the time she’d made it back to the saddled horses, she was ready to apologize again. She hadn’t been thinking when she’d said it. After all, she found it difficult to think straight anytime she was near them.
“I’m sorry. Kid’s right. I don’t think before I speak and I had no right to say what I did. Can you please forgive me?”
She would’ve sworn that they spoke a silent language that was communicated through glances and body language. But she wasn’t about to ask them about it. At least, not until later.
Gunner tugged the reins loose, then stuck his boot into the stirrup, and threw his leg on top of his horse. “We all make mistakes.”
“And we did promise Kid a ride,” added Rick.
Gunner clucked at his horse, getting the horse to move. “Choose either of the horses and saddle up. Although Kid might need the dappled mare. It’s a lot gentler than the other one.”
“You don’t have to tell me again,” joked Kid.
Mallory eased over to take the white horse’s reins and grazed her hand along its neck. She was thankful that the men had let her accusation pass. Clutching the saddle horn, she swung onto the horse. Rebel dashed around the corner, gave them a cheerful bark, then sat down on his haunches.
Thirty minutes later, she’d forgotten about her stupid remark. She was too entranced by the ranch to let any hint of doubt surround her. The summer’s drought had left the ground dry and brown, but green patches of trees broke up the monotony. A small lake filled with fish was only a half mile from the house and looked tempting in the heat of the morning.
They passed through one herd after another while Rick pointed out the he
alth of the animals. She didn’t see any problems with the herds or with the group of horses that came up to them, seeking attention and to nicker at their mounts. The beauty of the animals, as well as the peacefulness of the land surrounding them, rolled over her as she rocked back and forth in her saddle. If she could ride over the ranch every day, she’d count herself as one lucky woman.
She might’ve been lolled into a serene state of mind if the Northman men weren’t close-by. The strange sensation that she’d come to love cocooned her with their presence. She studied them, from the way they sat tall in the saddle to the way they scanned the herd. They’d stop every so often to pass a loving hand over the head of a steer or the mane of a horse, then move on.
It was crazy, but she found herself resenting the attention they paid to the animals.
Good grief. I’m jealous.
They kept riding, urging their horses over the next ridge. She reined her horse to a stop as she took in two oil rigs pumping in the distance. “So you have oil wells, too?”
Rick pulled his horse up next to hers. Without thinking, she reached out to him, letting the sizzle that rushed between them bring her arm up. She blinked, realized what she was about to do, then dropped her hand to her thigh.
“We have a few wells. In fact, with the way the industry’s going, we make more money from oil than from raising cattle. The oil leases run for several more years and we don’t handle any of the mechanics of getting the crude out, so we don’t give it much thought.”
She didn’t say as much, but the gray and black oil rig didn’t fit with the beauty of the rest of the land.
“Come on. Let’s catch up to Gunner and Kid.”
They spurred their horses into a gallop. By the time they’d caught up with the others, Gunner had his hand flat on his horse’s rump, his gaze scanning the horizon. He didn’t appear happy.
“Do you hear it?”
She listened, but didn’t hear a thing. Rick, however, did.
“Yeah.” He listened again, then pointed toward the west, over another small rise. With a sharp whistle and a slight nudge of his boot heels, he had his horse running in that direction. Gunner was right behind him, leaving Kid as surprised as she was.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but I aim to find out.” She pushed her knees against her horse’s sides, then flicked the reins. The horse jumped into a full gallop.
“Hey! Wait for me!”
She lifted her hand at Kid’s yell, but kept going anyway. By the time she’d caught up, she could see Gunner and Rick still on their horses a few yards up ahead. She stormed toward them, then pulled her mount to a skidding stop when Rick lifted his hand, motioning for her to stop.
“Mallory, stay where you are.”
Gunner tugged on his horse’s reins, holding it back even as it danced and snorted. Rick did the same, then grabbed for Kid’s reins to stop his horse. The men’s bodies tensed as they straightened in the saddle and stared at an area off to their right. She followed their gazes, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
The wail of an animal in distress split the air. How had they heard it from so far away?
“What’s wrong?”
Chapter Five
Rick urged his horse forward. When Mallory started to come along with him, he spun his horse around. “No. I told you to stay put.”
She nodded, although she was dying to see what was making the plaintive sound.
Leaving Kid with her, the men cantered their horses over to a small ditch with Rebel hot on their heels. As tall as she tried to make herself in the saddle, she still couldn’t see anything. “What is it, Kid? You’re taller. Can you see what they’re doing?”
He stretched his long frame. “It looks like they’re hauling a calf out of the ditch.”
“Is it hurt?”
“From the way it’s caterwauling, I’d say so.”
She couldn’t stand back and not help. “Let’s go see.”
“Mal, maybe we should let them handle it.”
But she didn’t wait to argue. Instead, she spurred her horse forward, then dismounted next to their horses and let the reins fall to the ground. “What’s wrong with the poor thing?”
Gunner and Rick struggled with the terrified calf. It couldn’t have been too injured from the way it battled them. Once Rick had shoved it over the edge of the shallow ditch it had lain in, he pulled himself out of the hole and helped a struggling Gunner to pick up the calf and put it on its side.
“Easy, buddy, we’re not out to hurt you.”
A ripple of energy, not unlike what she always felt around the men, wafted over her. The men, their gazes locked on the frightened calf, spoke softly, too soft for her to hear. A few moments later, the calf stopped fighting them, and lay panting, its eyes no longer wild. Rick stroked its neck while Gunner examined it. Amazingly, the animal let them handle it without even a cry of alarm.
“Damn it.”
She tried to see why Rick had cursed, then noted the bloody area on one of the calf’s back legs. “Is that a bite? Is it going to be all right?”
The men were too busy helping the calf to bother answering her questions. Instead, Rick pointed at his horse. “Mallory, reach inside that rolled up pack on the back and pull out a couple of those ties.”
“Ties?” Why would a cowboy carry around a tie?
“Yeah. Hog ties. Two strips of leather to bind its feet.”
“Oh.” She hurried to his horse, then dug in the pack. At first, she didn’t feel anything that reminded her of leather. Then her fingers passed over one, then another. She pulled them out and held them up in a triumphant show.
“Move it, woman. We don’t have all day,” chastised Gunner.
She dashed over to them and held them out as they each took one. Like cowboys going for the win at a calf roping event at a rodeo, they had the animal’s legs bound together, front and back.
“I’ll go fetch the pickup.” Gunner strode over to his horse and was in the saddle with one smooth move. “Kid, come back with me. You can wait on the vet while I bring the pickup back.”
“Will do.” Kid took a lot longer to get into his saddle, but at last he made it.
“What can I do?” She didn’t know how she could help, just that she wanted to.
“Stay with me, Mallory.” Rick had hold of both the bound front legs as well as the back ones. “You can help keep him down and on his side. And as calm as we can get him.”
“Okay.”
Gunner and Kid wheeled their horses around with Gunner yelling and spurring his horse into a gallop. Kid’s worried eyes found hers, but he didn’t complain. Instead, he kicked his horse with his heels, and gripped the reins as the horse bolted into a run, almost jerking him out of the saddle. Rebel ran after them.
She made a grimace as she went to her knees on the other side of the calf. “Maybe I should’ve followed Gunner back to the house. We’ll be lucky if Kid doesn’t fall off and break his neck.”
“Maybe, but it’s too late now. He’s a big guy. It’ll take more than a fall to kill him.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears.” She stroked the calf that seemed a lot calmer than she did. “Easy, baby. It’s going to be all right. What could’ve bitten him?”
“Almost anything, but I’m guessing that’s a wolf’s bite.”
“A wolf?” She looked around her. Was the wolf still in the area?
“Yeah. I’m surprised it didn’t kill him. Either the calf got away from the wolf,”—his jaw muscles twitched—”or the wolf didn’t mean to kill it.”
“Why would a wolf attack it and not want to eat it?”
“Most wolves wouldn’t attack unless they’re hungry. At least not normal wolves.”
“Normal? What does that mean? Are there abnormal wolves?” She saw something pass over his face and realized before he spoke that he wasn’t going to tell her the whole truth.
“We’ve had a problem lately with the catt
le and even a horse getting attacked. But the wolf didn’t eat anything. Not one damn bite as far as we can tell. He just tore them apart and left the carcasses behind.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. The way you say it makes it sound like the wolf’s on a vendetta. Like it’s doing it out of spite.”
“Yeah, but we won’t know the reason until we find which wolf, or wolves, is doing it.”
She hated it when the idea came to her, and wanted to keep the awful thought to herself, but, as Kid had said, sometimes her mouth jumped ahead of her mind. “The calf’s going to be all right, isn’t he? The truth.”
“I hope so. Why do you ask?”
“Isn’t he what you’d call a downer?”
Rick groaned, then let his head fall to his chin. When he lifted his gaze to hers, she could tell that she’d made yet another mistake by asking.
“No. A downer is a term they use at packing plant when a cow gets hurt and can’t stand up on the processing line. This little guy can walk, but we don’t want him to. Not until the doc has a chance to look at his leg. Unless the doc says he can’t save his leg, we’ll take care of him until his wound heals.”
“And if he can’t save the leg?”
“We’ll do what we have to do. Anything else would be inhumane. Damn, you don’t think much of us, do you?”
“No, I do. Really. And I’m sorry. I have a couple of problems. First, I ask a lot of questions. Second, I can’t seem to keep my foot out of my mouth.” She smiled, hoping he’d get her joke. “Is that what they call hoof and mouth disease?”
He let her off the hook, rolling his eyes at her horrible attempt at humor, then murmured soft words to the calf. “Naw. You have foot and mouth disease and I have the cure.”
“You do? What is it?”
In the next instant, his mouth was against hers. The kiss demanded her full attention as his tongue whipped inside her mouth, then made a quick route around hers. The ever-constant tingle that ran under her skin morphed into a surge of power that had her mind spinning. The world around her ceased to matter as his hand cupped the back of her neck and held her to him.
