“Pretty much. Come to think of it, how did you get so comfortable with horses?”
“When I was in college, I worked as a camp counselor during the summer. Somehow I was put in charge of the horses we had at the camp, and I loved it. But once I became involved in building a law practice, I forgot about horses.” Dust flew as he stroked the brush across the mare’s flanks.
She watched the way he worked. He did have an affinity for the job.
“Anyway, when I finally started questioning my life, I remembered how much fun I’d had caring for these guys every summer. I set out to find a ranch that would hire me.”
“And ended up at the Last Chance, obviously.”
“Luckily, yes. I’d heard wonderful things about the place. Thank God Jack was willing to give an inexperienced cowhand a trial run.”
She tore her gaze away from the sight of his muscles flexing beneath the thin T-shirt. “It’s easy to see why you love it here.”
“Then you must also see why I don’t want to give it up for a desk job.”
She started to say something and thought better of it. Obviously he believed that opening a law practice in Shoshone would ruin his cherished life as a cowhand. Maybe it would. He might be an all-or-nothing kind of guy who could either be a gung-ho lawyer or a laid-back cowboy, but not both.
Even so, she couldn’t shake the notion that this life wasn’t a perfect fit for him. When Jack had magnanimously given him the rest of the day off, he’d winced as if he didn’t like being reminded of his employee status. The reaction had been subtle, something no one else might have caught. But she was invested in him now and was attuned to his moods.
She couldn’t resist prodding him to see if she could get that reaction again. “It was considerate of Jack to give you the rest of the day off and switch your free day, too.”
“Yep, it was.” Zach tossed the brush in the carrier. “I appreciate it.” His response was totally appropriate, but there was a slight edge to his voice as if he had to force himself to say that.
Maybe that meant nothing and he’d get over his resentment of being subject to the impulses of his boss. Jack seemed like an excellent boss and his whims were probably benign. Yet he held the power.
Zach was by nature a leader and an independent thinker who’d spent years being in control of his working hours. If losing that control continued to bother him, even at a subconscious level, his resentment could fester. He might not notice the change as bitterness crept into his soul, but if she hung around, she would.
“About done?”
Startled out of her thoughts, she discovered that she was standing motionless, the brush resting against her horse’s flank while she stared into space. “Almost.” She began brushing vigorously, so vigorously that Spilled Milk turned his head to gaze at her as if wondering if someone had given her a jump start. “I was daydreaming.”
“I hope it was about taking a solar shower when we get back. I’m looking forward to that.”
That thought galvanized her even more, but she wasn’t sure that shower was in their future. “Didn’t we use up the water yesterday?”
“I refilled it before I left this morning. That’s my routine. Then it can warm up during the heat of the day and be ready when I get home.”
She peered over her horse’s rump and discovered Zach watching her with a telltale glow in his eyes. For sure he was thinking about having sex in that shower, and now she was, too. Her body tightened in anticipation as she quickly finished grooming Spilled Milk. “Done.”
“Great. I’ll take the brush.” He came over to get it, walked back and leaned down to drop it in the plastic carrier. His lithe movements seemed particularly sexy today.
But then anything he did might seem sexy right now. She was imagining him naked under the shower in the golden light of late afternoon. That image would probably haunt her in the days ahead, and if she had any sense, she’d let him take that shower alone.
Apparently she had no sense, because she’d already decided to join him there and revel in the experience one more time. After they turned both horses out into the pasture, they climbed into their respective vehicles. He’d suggested that she lead now that she knew where she was going. That way he’d get her dust instead of vice versa.
She accepted his gallantry, although she suspected he had an agenda just like Jack and Sarah. He wanted her to move here to be with him. In the next fifteen hours or so, he’d pull out all the stops and she would be tempted to give in. She already knew that, too.
Giving in would be a mistake, but she needed to be clear in her mind about that before his loving wiped out all her noble intentions. She had the space of this drive to shore up her defenses.
The timing was wrong—not so much for her, but for him. She was ready to make a major change in her life and a small practice in a little town like Shoshone sounded exactly right. Zach was convinced he knew his future path and maybe he did, but she wasn’t buying it.
He needed to figure things out on his own, though. In the end, everyone did. She’d get out of his way and let him do that. She didn’t know how long it would take, or if he’d ever change his mind about practicing law. Maybe she and Zach had no future.
That thought was horribly painful, but she should face the possibility with a plan. Thank God she did have savings, because that would help. Once she was back in Virginia she’d begin the process of leaving her old life behind.
She’d notify the firm and stay on long enough for an orderly transfer of her caseload. She’d begin packing up everything she planned to take with her. In her spare time, she’d study for the Wyoming bar exam.
Because she needed an alternative if Shoshone didn’t work out, she’d research other small towns in Wyoming that might be good places to settle. All of that would take several weeks, weeks in which Zach might have an epiphany. If not, she’d journey on her own to whatever spot seemed the most like Shoshone to begin her new life.
Her convictions firmly in place, she parked near the Airstream and climbed out. Zach pulled his truck in behind her car. She’d barely had time to draw a breath before he was out of the truck.
Setting his hat on the truck’s dusty fender, he strode toward her, his gaze purposeful. “Shower time.”
She laughed as he pulled her into his arms. “We need to go inside first.”
“No, we don’t.” He took off her straw hat and put it on the hood of her car. “We can strip down right here. I do it all the time.” He grinned as he slipped his hands up the back of her shirt and deftly unhooked her bra. “But doing it with you will be way more fun.”
Her heartbeat sped up. “What about towels?”
“It’s warm. We’ll air dry.” He pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it next to her hat.
Undressing outside shouldn’t be any different from yesterday when she’d walked out of the Airstream naked. Yet somehow it felt more daring, maybe because of the intensity in his gray eyes as he slid her bra straps down her arms.
“I love looking at you.”
Her nipples tightened beneath his hungry gaze. “I love lookin’ at you, too.” She reached for the hem of his T-shirt, tugged the shirt over his head and threw it in the general direction of her car. She had no idea where it landed because she was too busy drinking in the sight of his bronzed chest.
“Come here.” He drew her forward, watching as her nipples made contact and quivered against his warm skin. “Your breathing just changed.”
“So did yours.” Their rapid breaths created a sensuous friction that made her tremble with excitement, yet they were barely touching.
With a groan he pulled her against the solid wall of his chest. “Damn. I want you so much.”
“I want you, too.” She flattened her hands over the firm muscles of his back and gazed up at him. “We could go i
nside and save the shower for later.”
His fingers flexed against the denim covering her backside. “We can save the shower for later, but we don’t have to go inside.”
The implication made her slick with desire, but she wanted more than a climax. She wanted to feel him deep within her, thrusting rhythmically until that shared moment of release. “We need to go inside for what I want.”
“Maybe not.” He backed her against the car and unbuckled her belt. “Tell me what you want.”
“This.” She cupped him through his jeans. His erection strained against the zipper. “All of this.”
He gulped in air. “Okay, then.” He abandoned his quest to unfasten her jeans, reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. “Please watch over that.”
“Zach! You just happened to have a—”
“No mystery there.” He knelt down and expertly pulled off her boots one at a time. “Shoved it in my pocket before I left this morning. Wanted to be ready for anything.” He stood and cupped her face in both hands. “Looks like it was a good decision.” His mouth claimed hers in a short but very passionate kiss that left no doubt where this episode was headed.
He didn’t waste any time getting there, either. Her jeans and panties joined the rest of the clothes on the hood of her car. Then he unfastened his jeans to reveal how ready he was.
Desire shot through her, hot and demanding. She reached for him, needing to touch that stiff, sleek answer to her lustful prayers. A drop of moisture had gathered at the tip. She wanted—
“No.” He caught her wrist. “I might come.”
She moaned softly in frustration as his beauty was covered with latex.
His breathing grew more labored. “Then I...I couldn’t give you what you want.” He swallowed. “Grab hold of my shoulders.”
As she did, he bracketed her hips and lifted her up against the fender. Her breath caught as he pressed her against the warm metal. The sensation of that metal on her bare skin was so erotic that her body clenched in response.
“Wrap your legs around me.” Urgency sharpened his tone.
She didn’t have to be asked twice. She desperately needed the gift he was about to bestow.
He held her steady, took a shaky breath and slid in. The motion required no time and almost no effort. “You’re drenched.”
She exhaled slowly and fought to keep from coming right that very second. She looked into his eyes, dark as thunderclouds. “It’s...no mystery,” she said, repeating his words.
“Guess not.” He held her gaze. “Just be still for a bit.”
She nodded.
He gave her a crooked smile. “Never tried this before.” He took another ragged breath. “Don’t want to...rush it.”
“Me, either.”
His glance traveled over her. It lingered on her hair, her lips and her breasts. “You look so good in the sunlight. Like you’re glowing.”
“Maybe I am.”
“I’d believe it.” His voice was husky. “Especially there.” His gaze continued downward and settled at the juncture of her thighs. “Where the fire is.” His cock twitched.
Unable to help herself, she tightened in response.
“Ahhh.” He sucked in a breath and tensed. Then he relaxed slightly and looked into her eyes. “What you do to me, Jeannette.”
“The same thing you do to me, Zach.”
“And do you know how great that is?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never made love to a woman outside up against a car. Only you could inspire me to do that.”
“Only you could talk me into it.”
“I know.” Holding her gaze, he eased out and pushed back again. “We’re good together.” He initiated a slow rhythm.
“Uh-huh.” She was in no position to argue. But she was in a perfect position to receive the kind of pleasure that he excelled at giving. Each thrust took her higher until she began to whimper.
He pumped faster. “We...belong together.”
“Mmm.” She’d lost the ability to form words. Nothing mattered but the steady beat of his powerful strokes. They drove her to the edge of sanity and touched off little explosions every time he sank into her quivering channel.
“You’re almost there.” He was panting, now. “I can feel it. I know you, Jeannette. I know you.”
“Yes.”
“Come for me.”
“Yes...yes...yes.” Sweet surrender. A release so strong her body was wracked with the pulsing rush of it as she gasped and breathlessly chanted his name.
“I’m here. I’m here, love.” With a deep groan, he rocked forward and shuddered against her.
I’m here, love. His words echoed in her mind as she held him and absorbed the aftershocks of his climax. She couldn’t argue with those words, either. She was his love. And he was hers. No matter how it all turned out, that much would still be true.
17
FOR THE PAST MONTH, Zach had looked forward to each morning. Until this one. He and Jeannette hadn’t slept much, but they’d had plenty of sex, more than he’d thought possible for one night.
In between the incredible bouts of sex, they’d rested and talked. He had no doubt she was as much in love with him as he was with her. But that didn’t seem to matter any more than the great sex. She wouldn’t agree to move to Shoshone.
Instead she insisted that he needed more time to adjust to his new way of life. What she really meant was that he needed time to grow bored. She’d never come right out and said that, but he’d picked up on it, anyway.
As daylight approached, he considered whether professing his love openly would change her mind. He decided that it wouldn’t, so why put himself in such a vulnerable position? Instead he made love to her once more for what could be the last time.
He tried not to dwell on that as he got up, pulled on his jeans and made coffee. She showered in the tiny bathroom, and he stayed away from that end of the trailer when she left the bathroom to dress in the hallway. Watching her do that would make him want to touch her and coax her back to bed, which wouldn’t accomplish anything—except maybe make her miss her flight.
At one point he’d thought about doing that on purpose. She’d probably be upset with him, though, and he’d only delay the inevitable. He couldn’t expect Jack to give him a second day off, either.
Somehow he had to get through the next hour or so before she left. He felt the urge to do something for her, so he scrambled eggs and made toast to go with the coffee. “Breakfast is ready!” he called out.
“Oh.” She appeared in slacks and a silky-looking blouse, her Virginia lawyer’s clothes. She was still in her bare feet and didn’t have makeup on yet. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“And you don’t have to eat it. I needed something to occupy my time.” He sounded surly, which wasn’t how he wanted her to remember him. He managed a smile. “Never mind. I’ll put it out for the raccoons.”
“No, you won’t.” She padded into the kitchen. “I’d love some breakfast.”
“Then have a seat and I’ll bring it to you. I hope you like your eggs scrambled.”
“I do.”
Spatula in one hand and a plate in the other, he glanced at her. “Would you tell me if you didn’t?”
“Yes. Scrambled is how I make them at home.”
“Which you hardly ever do, I’ll bet.” He knew she wasn’t a cook.
“Hardly ever, and even then in the microwave.”
“Jeannette, if you’re eating this breakfast to be nice, then please don’t.” Okay, he still sounded surly but he couldn’t seem to help it.
“I’m eating this breakfast be
cause you fixed it for me, which has nothing to do with being nice. I’m doing it because I—” She ended the sentence abruptly and her cheeks turned pink.
He understood what people meant when they talked about heartache. His chest hurt something fierce. “Because you what?” he asked softly.
Pressing her lips together, she shook her head.
“It won’t kill you to say it, you know.”
She swallowed. “I don’t want to make things worse.”
“I don’t think they can get much worse.”
“Zach...”
“Oh, what the hell. I love you, Jeannette. You know it and I know it. And what’s more, you love me, which was what you almost said just now.” He heard the anger and frustration in his voice and sighed. “That’s not how those words are supposed to be said, either. Sorry about that.”
“I...I have to go.” She got up from the table and hurried out of the kitchen.
As he listened to her throwing things in her suitcase and banging around in her haste to leave, he stared at the spatula and plate he was holding. How he’d love to hurl the plate at the nearest wall and howl like the wolves that roamed the nearby hills. But he didn’t want to leave her with that image of him, either.
So he made sure the burner was turned off and unplugged the coffeepot. He hadn’t put on his boots, but it didn’t matter. Opening the front door, he walked out on the little stoop and down the steps. Dry pine needles pricked the bottoms of his feet, but he didn’t care.
Hands in his pockets, he stared at the Grand Tetons. The timelessness and immensity of those jagged peaks with their whipped-cream topping of snow usually calmed him and gave him perspective. It wasn’t working this morning. The peace that he’d found here was gone.
Behind him the trailer door opened. He turned as she came out, purse over her shoulder and pulling her suitcase while she balanced on four-inch heels.
“Let me help.” He hurried up the steps and took charge of the suitcase.
Riding Home Page 16
