by Sable Hunter
“Nope,” Jenna tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I love to live dangerously.” Why else would she have fallen in love with Logan Gray?
* * *
“I can’t believe this,” Logan said, standing up straighter on the steps of the fire engine, gazing at the inferno before him. He and his men had no more than returned to town from training at Texas A&M when they were called to assist in fighting a fire the likes they’d never seen. By the time they arrived, the home was engulfed in white hot flames. As quickly as possible, the firefighters unfurled their hoses and went to work.
“Logan!”
He looked up to see Titan Sloan coming toward him. “This is a bad one. They think Faye Williams is still inside. We’ve got the front; you all work the back.”
Logan nodded. “Got it.” He hurriedly directed everyone into place.
“Chief, there’s no saving this one.” Ronan called, gazing at the flames shooting up into the sky.
“There’s a woman in there!” Logan shouted. “We have to try.” He moved around to the south side of the house, the side that was closer to another structure in danger of catching fire. A crowd of onlookers was gathering, some people even pulling their cars over to gawk. “Someone get these folks out of here!”
Going as close as he could, Logan tried to gauge the possibility of getting into the house through the back door. As he neared, a window exploded, sending shards of glass out into the yard, the razor sharp shrapnel dancing next to him on the concrete sidewalk.
“Chief!”
Logan turned to the rear of the burning home, Chris was trying to pull a propane tank away from the blaze. “Get back! Get back!” He yelled at his man even as he ran forward. “Better to let it blow than…” Logan watched in horror, knowing the gas was highly flammable. Chris followed his order, but neither of them were far enough away when the explosion came.
CHAPTER THREE
The roar of the crowd, as a bull-dogging team made a successful run, was deafening. Jenna had to stop talking until the noise died down. Laramie took advantage in the lull of their conversation to eat the last of her hot dog.
“I just can’t get over how good you are.” Jenna continued. “You’re giving those men a run for their money.”
“I hope so.” Laramie took a sip of lemonade. “I’m not the first, you know. I think my name’s been bandied about a lot, but a lot of other very brave women paved the way.”
“Really? I had no idea.” Jenna hung on Laramie’s every word.
“Yea, Polly Reich rode about four years ago. She received a lot of flak for being a woman and having the nerve to participate in a male dominated sport. Her denigrators killed her dog, sabotaged her truck so it would break down, then waylaid her and beat her up – just because they didn’t think she should be allowed to ride bulls and compete against men.”
Jenna’s mouth flew open. “How horrible! Do you ever have any trouble?”
“No.” Laramie said, with a somber expression. “Thankfully, I haven’t. And you won’t either. Things have changed, thanks to some pioneers in the sport. But I can give you a piece of valuable advice.”
“What’s that?”
“You have everything you need to win. This isn’t a sport about strength.” At Jenna’s questioning look, Laramie picked up her Stetson and put it on, hitting it lightly on the brim. “Ninety-nine percent is mental and in that area, you seem to be on top of your game.”
“You’re an inspiration and I plan to keep trying. Since I trick-ride, my balance is better than most.”
Laramie reached for her denim purse. “Let me give you a card. My friend Anne heads up a performance group called Cowgirl Angels. From what I hear, you’d fit right in. Why don’t you give them a call?”
Jenna shook her head. “I don’t think so. Traveling is not something I want to do. Performing at our guest ranch and riding in local shows is plenty for me.”
Laramie let out a long breath of resignation and smiled. “Well, if you change your mind, give Anne a call. You could always ride bulls in addition to riding with the Angels.”
Her sincere attitude and friendly smile made Jenna comfortable. This had been a great trip. Dixie had placed second in her event and they’d taken in the town – eating out, shopping and going behind the scenes to meet a lot of the riders. Especially Laramie. Jenna was so excited she could hardly be still. When Dixie had set up their meeting, she hadn’t known what to expect. Now, she'd been able to meet and talk to one of her idols while Dixie got her horse ready to transport back home. Jenna was just about to thank Laramie when her phone rang. She almost ignored it, but seeing it was Earl, she picked up. “Hello?”
“Jenna?”
Just the way he said her name made Jenna’s stomach clench. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. He’s okay.”
“Okay? Logan?” Her voice rose. “What happened?” She was up and on her feet. Panic made her body ice cold.
“Calm down, he’s okay. There was an explosion…”
Jenna broke down and Laramie stood and came to her, offering support. “Explosion?” The word came out in a wail.
“He’s okay, sweetie. Don’t cry.” His voice dropped. “I told you we shouldn’t call her.”
Obviously Earl was talking to Louisa, who took the phone. “Jenna, listen to me. Logan is okay. He was knocked unconscious, but now he’s awake with only minor burns.”
“Oh, no, no, no.” Jenna held on to Laramie's arm to steady herself. “I’m coming; I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Listen to me, Jenna.” Louisa raised her voice. “He’s okay. You don’t have to hurry.”
Jenna closed her phone. Looking at Laramie, she wiped her eyes. “My Logan’s been hurt. They say he’s okay, but I’m not sure. Will you tell Dixie I had to leave and…and…”
“Go. Go.” Laramie urged, her auburn hair shining in the sunlight. “I’ll tell her.” She walked with Jenna as far as the parking lot. “Drive carefully and I’ll see you down the road.”
Jenna’s hands shook as she unlocked her pickup door to climb in. Logan was hurt. Logan was hurt. Getting to him was all she could think about.
* * *
“I’ll survive. I’m just glad to be alive.” Logan shut the car door to his parent’s black BMW luxury sedan. “All I need is a little rest.”
“Here, come up on the porch and sit down.” Louisa Gray was fussing over him. “I can’t believe someone killed that woman and then set her house on fire. Who would do such a thing?”
Logan shook his head. “I don’t know. Whoever did it didn’t intend for there to be anything left to investigate. He doused that entire house in gasoline.” Logan winced. When the propane tank exploded, he’d been knocked out. If it hadn’t been for his turn-out suit and the quick actions of his men, both he and Chris would've been hurt badly. As it was, Chris had escaped with a broken arm and he just had a few burns on the side of his neck and shoulder. Nothing he couldn’t live with.
“I hope the authorities find him soon. Knowing there’s a killer on the loose is nerve-wracking.” As she spoke, his mother put pillows behind his back and handed him a glass of tea. “At least you’ll be able to get some rest. I hate it took a tragedy to get you to slow down.” His father gave Logan a knowing smile. Louisa Gray would take full advantage of his downtime.
“Well, I’m here now.”
“You just rest, I’m going in to put on supper.”
Logan felt a bit of relief when his mother quit hovering. The pain wasn’t bad. Getting hurt wasn’t the worst part. He’d known the victim. Not well, but Faye Williams had been a familiar face. It was little comfort, but at least she hadn’t burned to death. The police said she’d been shot; murdered. Dead was dead, he just hoped she hadn’t suffered.
“So, where’s Jenna?” He knew she must be gone. Otherwise she would’ve been at the hospital with his parents when they’d picked him up from the emergency room.
Yea, he’d looked for her.
He couldn’t help it.
Earl folded his hands over the shelf of his stomach. “Well, you’re not going to like it.”
“Like what?”
“I’ve tried to stop her. Threatened to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” Logan was getting impatient with his father.
“When Jenna’s not practicing her trick riding, she’s been trying her hand at riding…bulls. She left with Dixie yesterday to attend a rodeo up near Fort Worth. They had plans to meet with another little lady from Michigan who’s been professionally competing with men on the professional bull riding circuit. Said she wanted to get some pointers.”
Logan jerked, hurting his neck. “What do you mean?”
Earl eyed him, no expression on his face. “Just what I said. She’s been sneaking rides on some of your stock.” He folded his arms and looked off in the distance. “She’s pretty good too, the men tell me. All that trick-riding gives her an advantage. Nice form.”
“What the fuck do you mean letting that tiny little thing on the top of a fuckin’ bull?” Logan practically raised the roof on the porch. “Bushwhacker is unridden!”
His father shrugged. “Nobody said she got on Bushwhacker. The men wouldn’t let her do that, she was trying her hand at some of the more docile ones.” As Logan gave him the eagle eye, Earl had to hide a grin. “She’s taken a spill or two, nothing serious. Cecil and Robert have been looking after her. They even put out hay for her to take a tumble on.”
“Over my dead body.” Logan grumbled. “I’ll fire the next idiot who encourages her.” At Earl’s snort, Logan sat up too quickly and winced. “I’ll talk to her. She won’t be doing it again.”
“Hmmmph,” Earl mumbled, “I’d like to hear that conversation.” He’d no more than said the words when the roar of an engine caught their attention. “Speak of the devil and she appears.” They both looked up to see a white streak of lightning come careening down the drive.
Standing up, Earl yelled. “Louisa, we need to visit some friends.”
Hearing the commotion, Logan’s mother rejoined them on the porch. “What? No, that’s Jenna. I want to talk to her.” Letting herself be led by her husband to the car, she grumbled. “Will you turn me loose, Earl?” She went, but she didn't go quietly. “This isn’t the time to leave. I need to cook supper.” Even after he shut the door, she still kept on. “I need to stay. I have work to do.”
Logan sat up. He’d just been abandoned by his folks, while the person who mattered the most in the world to him was descending on him like a Texas windstorm. Oh well, he’d get her mind off his injuries by letting her know exactly what he thought about her riding damn bulls.
Jenna slammed on her brakes, cut the engine, and was out the door in a flash. She ran to the porch as fast as she could, throwing herself at Logan’s feet. Tears had left wet streaks down both sides of her face. “God, Logan. Are you all right? I’m so grateful you’re alive. Are you hurting? Can I touch you?”
“I’m fine.” He said the words calmly, but the sight of her made his insides feel like someone was stirring them with a sharp stick. “If you drove like that all the way from Fort Worth, I’m surprised you didn’t get a ticket.”
“I got two,” she confessed, her hand moving upward to touch his cheek. “You are hurt.” Jenna began to cry.
“No, no, I’m not in pain.” He sought to assure her. “They gave me drugs.”
“Which you haven’t taken, have you?” While Logan battled with his own private demons, she laid her head in his lap. “I was so afraid, so scared. When I heard you’d been hurt in the fire, I nearly went crazy. If anything ever happened to you, I couldn’t go on.”
“Oh, yes you could.” His hand hovered over her head. “You shouldn’t have hurried home.” She was like a breath of fresh air for his soul, but he couldn’t let his guard down for even a second with her. Jenna was just too big of a temptation for him to resist. She’d never know how hard he’d fought to keep their relationship that of a brother or a sister, or an uncle and a niece. Shit, their age difference would make them closer to being father and daughter. But he couldn’t think of her that way – he had never felt paternal toward Jenna Travis. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d wanted her with every fiber of his being. But he didn’t intend to ruin her life just to make himself happy. He'd learned from Chief Hodgins mistakes.
“Of course I had to come. You’re my Logan.” She pressed her hand to his chest, finding comfort in how solid it was. “So you're really okay?”
“Yes,” he assured her. “Just a few burns. See?” He moved his shirt aside so she could inspect the small places that had been doctored and dressed.
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she hugged him tight.
Seeing a scrape on her arm, he picked it up. “What happened?”
“Nothing, I just bumped up against something.”
“A fence?” Her evasive answer ticked him off. “What’s this I hear about you riding a bull? That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever hear of and I expressly forbid you to do it again!” His voice had raised with every word. By the time he was finished, Logan was shouting.
“Forbid?” Jenna raised one delicate eyebrow. “Only fathers and husbands can forbid and you, dear Logan, are neither.”
Logan growled. “I’m someone who cares about you and I’m telling you NO MORE BULLS! Do you hear me?”
“Yes, I hear you. I think people in the next county heard you.” She smiled at him sweetly. “And for the record, you’re the only man in the world I want to care about me.”
Logan steeled himself to her charm. “I’ll always be here for you. Whatever you need, Jenna, you know that.” Trying to reestablish boundaries was difficult.
“You know what my answer is.” She picked up his hand and kissed it, but he gently removed it from her grasp. “I told you the other day. I need you.” She sat back on her heels, her eyes still shimmering with tears.
“Jenna, that’s not possible.” Unable to keep his hand to himself, he pushed a lock of hair gently over her shoulder. “You have your life to live. You don’t need some older man taking up space in your world.”
“Older man?” Jenna rose up on her knees, bringing herself closer to him. “You’re not even forty. You’re in the prime of life. You’re perfect!”
“You’d feel differently after a few years.”
“I would not. I am an adult now, a fully grown woman.” She thrust out her breasts and Logan almost bit his tongue.
“You’re eighteen years younger than me – a lifetime.”
“You don’t get it do you? You’re my life.” A frown came to her pretty face. “Stop trying to push me away. Whatever our spirits are made of, ours is the same. We're meant to be, Logan.”
What else could he do? From his close vantage point, he could see her pulse at the base of her throat. He wanted to kiss her so badly he ached.
Since he didn’t answer, she continued to speak. “What I told you the other day is true. I want you. I’ve wanted you every day since you came into my life.”
“Gratitude,” he mumbled. He was unable to look away. The curve of her lips was weaving his dreams.
She rose on her knees, placing both palms flat on his strong thighs. “Not even close. I desire you, Logan. I ache for you. I fantasize about you when I touch myself at night.”
“Jenna! Stop!” Logan shouted, his hands shaking. She was killing him. The idea of her touching herself drove him crazy.
“You’ve never married; you’ve never even come close. You don’t care about Terra, you just invited her to the rodeo to put some distance between us. I know you feel the same way I do.” She hoped she was right.
“What I’ve done or haven’t done has nothing to do with you.” He lied like a dog.
“I want to belong to you, Logan. Only to you.” Her breath was coming in pants, her breasts rising and falling. Jenna’s eyes were shimmering with unshed tears and her plump lips were trembling.
Hi
s heart was pounding in his chest so hard, Logan was sure she could hear it. “You don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Are you hurt anywhere other than your neck?” She asked, looking at his body up and down, searching for further evidence of wounds.
“No.”
“Good.” She rose from the floor and climbed into his lap, careful of where she touched him. “When you’re feeling better. I want to make love to you. I’ve saved myself for you.”
Fuck. Logan scooted back in the chair, taking her by the hips at the same time and pushing her forward. The last thing he wanted her to feel was how aroused he was. “That’s not going to happen,” he said more gruffly than he intended.
Jenna’s eyes were on his mouth, she was moving so close to him. Any second their lips would touch. But when she heard his words, she blinked. “Why? Don’t you want me?” She asked with a quivering quality in her voice. “I know you do, that kiss we shared was amazing.”
This was it. Logan knew he either stopped this now or go down a path neither of them needed to be on. She’d be making a mistake and he probably wouldn’t survive it. Once he’d had Jenna, there would be no way he could ever walk away from her. “No. I don’t want you.”
She jerked back as if she’d been slapped. By the look on her face, she’d never considered the possibility. And why would she? It was a bald face lie. Oh, he’d never crossed the line with her, but there had been heat between them from the very first. That was the reason he’d had to fight to keep things platonic. And the responsibility was all his, she was an innocent, Jenna couldn’t possibly know what she wanted. “Your feelings for me have always been mixed up with the fact I rescued you and gave you a home. What you feel for me is nothing like you’ll feel when you fall in love with the right man.”
Before his eyes, her small face changed. Her eyes glittered, her mouth compressed. Very rarely had he seen Jenna angry, but this would be one of the times he did. “That’s not true. I’m not a child, Logan!” She rose from his lap. “I know what I feel.”
