The Cowboy's Pride and Joy

by Maureen Child

  The question was, did he surrender to the flames or snuff them out? Before he could make a call, the decision was made for him as shouts and conversation and bursts of laughter reached them from outside. His cowboys were back, headed to the barn.

  Jake tore his mouth from hers and quickly pulled her arms from around his neck. She swayed a little and damned if he could blame her. But in a couple of quick seconds, she was steady again and he envied it. For him, the world was still slightly tilted and the pain in his groin was like a throbbing toothache.

  “I should go. Help Anna.”

  “Yeah.” He yanked off his hat, speared his fingers through his hair and sucked in a long, deep gulp of icy air. It didn’t change a thing. “We’ll all be inside soon.”

  Nodding, she backed up, her gaze locked on his. He couldn’t look away either, because whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was done avoiding her. Done pretending that the need clamoring in his gut was going away. He needed her. Wanted her. And she wanted him back. Tonight, damn it, they’d have at each other and put the passion to rest.

  She reached the door and had to squeeze past the cowboys and their horses. A few of them spoke to her, and she answered, but Jake hardly heard any of it. All he could think was, night couldn’t come soon enough for him.

  * * *

  It was like a big, noisy family, Cass thought as she carried platter after platter of fried chicken, potatoes and corn to the table set up at one end of the massive kitchen. She was still amazed that the long table had folded out from the wall. It easily sat twenty, and could be folded down and tucked away when not in use. The house kept amazing her at every turn.

  Of course, so did the man who had designed it all. Her gaze slid to where he sat at the head of the table, laughing at something his foreman and Anna’s husband, Charlie, was saying. Cass’s heart gave a little lurch in her chest. Jake Hunter scowling was enough to make a woman drool. Jake Hunter smiling made her want to climb right up all six feet four inches of him and settle in for a long visit.

  Tingles of anticipation, flavored by memory, whipped through her bloodstream as she chatted and laughed with the cowboys. Anna had a good system here. Cook up a mountain of food and just keep it coming. The laughter, the good-natured teasing, the shouts, the bets on football games, it was...cozy, somehow. With the snow outside and the fire in the kitchen hearth snapping and crackling, this room was like sunlight.

  Cass had always loved the idea of a big, boisterous family and now here she was, smack in the middle of one. She wondered if Jake even knew that his employees were his family. He was so determined to be alone, to have no connections, that he probably hadn’t even realized that he was never really alone. Everyone here was important in his life.

  And for right now anyway, Cass was a part of it all.

  Her gaze landed on Jake again and he looked up, as if sensing her staring at him. His blue eyes darkened and a muscle in his jaw twitched. He was remembering their kiss in the barn. Remembering how they’d nearly set fire to each other with the heat between them. Heck, she hadn’t been able to think of anything else for the last two hours. Several times, Anna had caught Cass daydreaming when she was supposed to be cooking and Cass didn’t even have a good excuse to give.

  “Cass, Anna says you made these chocolate cookies.”

  Shaken out of her thoughts, she turned to Lenny and nodded. “I did.”

  “Well that settles it, you’ll have to marry me.”

  Everyone laughed, even Lenny’s wife, sitting beside him.

  “I’ll run away with you as soon as Evelyn says you can go,” Cass promised.

  “Ready to toss me over for a cookie?” Evelyn gave her husband a slap on the shoulder.

  “Really good cookies,” he insisted and popped a piece of one into Evelyn’s mouth.

  She groaned, looked at Cass and said, “Forget Lenny, marry me.”

  The people around this table were family. Mostly single men, who lived in the bunkhouses; only the ranch foreman, Charlie, and the head horse wrangler, Lenny, lived in cabins with their wives. More laughter, more fun, and then Cass was looking into Jake’s eyes again and the humor died away, burning in the flames she read there.

  She wanted him bad, and if she didn’t get off this mountain soon, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Already, she’d kissed him. Twice. And sadly, she was forced to admit, only to herself of course, that if the cowboys hadn’t returned to the ranch when they had—oh, better not to think about that.

  The man had great hands. And an incredible mouth. Not to mention that truly fabulous butt. He was the whole package, plus—fantasy bonus—a cowboy. Claudia was right, Cass told herself as she took a seat as far from Jake as she could manage, it had been way too long since Cass had had a man in her life. Those stolen moments with Jake told her it was time to change all of that. Oh, not now. Not Jake. Yes, she had kissed him first this time, but that had clearly been out of character. She couldn’t do that again, and he would probably keep avoiding her until it was time for her to leave the ranch....

  But when she got back to Boston, she’d look for a guy who could do to her what Jake was able to. Surely there had to be more than one man in the world who could send skyrockets flashing through her bloodstream.

  Determined, she nodded at the thought, glad to have a plan. She picked up a piece of chicken, bit in and chewed, her gaze shifting unerringly to Jake again. He lifted his beer for a sip and she watched the muscles in his throat move. She licked her lips, sighed a little and told herself grimly that there was absolutely no man anywhere who could compare to Jake Hunter.

  Finding a cowboy in Boston would be as easy as finding a stockbroker in Montana. No, when she went home, she’d be leaving the fantasy behind. The question was, would she go home with a smile on her face? Or regret in her heart?

  Five

  Once the work was done, what was she supposed to do?

  Cass wandered the big, silent house and wished she could sleep. But that wasn’t going to happen. She’d taken a hot bath to ease her sore muscles, tried to read a book and even flipped through a few dozen TV channels. Nothing had worked.

  Now she was so unsettled, she couldn’t even sit still. So she walked, her bare feet soundless on the wood floors. She paused to look at framed photos of the Montana countryside hanging on the walls. She ran her fingertips across the spines of leather-bound books on shelves. She stared out the windows at the dark night beyond the glass, then went on, moving into the great room, where a fire lay slowly dying in the hearth. The soft hiss and sizzle of flames looking for a meal on the charred wood was the only sound as she finally stopped her wandering and eased onto an overstuffed chaise covered in a blue-and-white flowered fabric that hinted of spring and promised comfort.

  Taking a breath, she let it slide from her lungs and stared unseeing out the window. Her own reflection wavered in the glass, highlighted by the last of the firelight, and behind her lay the empty room. And then he was there.

  As if conjured from the racing thoughts in her mind, Jake appeared out of the shadows and stood right behind her. His reflection joined hers and as he looked at their mirrored selves, he asked quietly, “Why’re you sitting here in the dark?”

  “There’s firelight still,” she said softly, gaze locked on the man in the glass. She could feel him behind her, and yet, the wavering figure in front of her had all of her attention. “Did I wake you?”

  He shook his head. “Couldn’t sleep.”

  She wondered why. Was he feeling what she was? The restlessness that seemed to nibble at her insides? When he closed his eyes, did he see her? Did he feel that kiss they’d shared in the stable? Did he remember that flash of anticipation, expectation, that had jolted between them?

  Even now, her body was tingling, and staring into his eyes, dark in the glass, made her feel that tingle l
ight up and sing. Cass had been over this and over this in her mind. She’d gone through the whole “boss’s son” thing and she could admit, at least to herself, that she no longer cared. After all, it wasn’t as if she would run home to Boston and announce that she’d had sex with Elise’s son. No one had to know. This wasn’t forever. This was—she looked at him again and felt everything inside her turn over—necessary.

  Silence stretched out between them, taut, humming with so much tension, it nearly burned the air.

  “I like whatever it is you’re thinking,” he said.

  “Not surprising, since I believe you’re thinking the same thing.” Her voice didn’t sound the least bit breathy and desperate. Good for her.

  He came around the edge of the chaise, held out one hand to her and, when she took it, pulled her to her feet. He didn’t let go, but ran his thumb back and forth across her skin, sending shivers up and down her arms.

  Cass looked up into his eyes and watched as they darkened, filled with the same need that she knew glittered in her own.

  “I’ve been thinking it since the first time I saw you.”

  A swirl of something hot and lovely spun in her center and Cass took a long, deep breath, reveling in the sensation.

  “Me, too.” She couldn’t believe she’d just admitted that to him. But then, not really a secret, was it? Each time they’d kissed, they’d set off so many internal explosions it had left her rattled for hours after.

  “You should know—” He looked at her, hunger shining in his eyes, mouth tantalizingly close. “I didn’t want to feel it.”

  She had to smile, how could she not? She’d been going through the same thing for days now. Good to know she hadn’t been alone. “Now who’s being forthright?”

  “It’s time, don’t you think?” A small smile curved his mouth briefly as he pulled her closer. When he spoke again, though, all trace of amusement was gone from his features. His blue eyes were dark, serious and fixed on her as if she were the only person in the world. “I want you and I’m done waiting.”

  “Oh.” She blew out a breath. “Okay. Good.”

  Time seemed to pause. Her mind raced with so many thoughts, and yet each one somehow allowed itself to be acknowledged before the next one rushed forward.

  She liked him. A lot, really. Before she came to Montana, Jake’s mother and sister had both told Cass about him. She’d listened to the stories and heard both their pride in and exasperation with him. She’d known before she came here that he kept his emotions on a short leash, that he didn’t like company and that loyalty was important to him.

  She’d heard about his short-lived marriage, his tours of duty and his love for this ranch. Once she got here, his grandfather had shared more stories until she felt as though she’d always known him. Yes, he was closed off and hard to know, but Cass had seen his gentleness with the horses. Seen him smile at his housekeeper and laugh with his grandfather. She remembered him with Rocky, the lazy horse.

  Cass smiled to herself at the memory. He could tell himself that Rocky was only here under sufferance, because there was no way to get rid of the animal. But she knew the truth. She’d seen it in his eyes. He loved that horse and that’s the only reason he kept him.

  There was kindness beneath Jake’s gruff exterior. And caring. And a capacity for love that he was denying himself. She had to wonder why. He intrigued her, attracted her and touched something deep inside her that had never before been awakened.

  There was more to Jake Hunter than it appeared. And Cass wanted him so much the sensation was overwhelming. She’d never felt anything close to this need, this rush to touch and be touched before.

  All of these thoughts and more swam through her mind. It seemed to take forever and yet she knew, logically, that only a handful of seconds passed.

  Cass stared up at him and wondered how they’d come to this moment. Finding this...connection, with Jake Hunter wasn’t something she’d expected. But now, it seemed inevitable that she step into the heat sliding from his body. That she keep her gaze locked on his as he spoke again.

  “Good?” He smiled again and the way that curve of his lips lit up his eyes was simply staggering.

  “Yes,” she said, knowing exactly what she was saying yes to. She moved in eagerly as his arms locked around her and pulled her in.

  “Glad to hear it,” he whispered, then he bent his head to take her mouth.

  That first brush of his lips against hers turned a key in a lock that was so deep inside her she hadn’t even realized it was there. Every time he kissed her, she’d felt a buzz of rightness. A sense that it had been meant to happen. But this time, knowing that the kiss was leading to something more opened every door in her heart and mind.

  She parted her lips for him and tangled her tongue with his. Breathing fast and hot, they gave and took and shared until her heartbeat thundered in her chest. She felt the same reaction in him as his arms tightened around her, holding her to him so that nothing separated them but the layers of fabric they wore.

  And suddenly that was too much. He tore his mouth from hers, stared down into her eyes and said, “Upstairs. Now.”

  “Oh, yes.”

  He took her hand and led her from the room, and Cass was forced to run to keep up with his much longer strides. Her breathing was staggered, her pulse pounding, and when they hit the stairs, she was just a step behind him. Which was apparently too slow for Jake.

  Stopping, he turned, swung her into his arms and took the rest of the oak staircase two steps at a time. “Wow. When you say now, you’re not kidding.”

  He grinned down at her and Cass’s heart tumbled in her chest. “No point in wasting time once the decision’s made, is there?”

  “No point at all.” She hooked her arms around his neck and let herself enjoy being swept—literally—away. It was romantic, a gorgeous, muscular guy carrying her up a grand staircase to a bed that was— “That is the biggest bed I’ve ever seen.”

  Jake gave her another smile and said, “Custom made. Big enough for me to stretch out.”

  “With a dozen of your closest friends,” Cass whispered as he walked up to what had to be a king and a half mattress.

  His room was as beautiful as the rest of the place, in a purely masculine fashion. Not that she had a lot of time to look around, but in a fast glance, she caught the dark red duvet on the mattress, and black leather chairs pulled up in front of a stone hearth where a fire burned brightly. The windows were bare, providing what would in daytime be a sweeping view of the ranch and the lake far below. There were bookcases, tables, and an adjoining door that probably led to the attached bath.

  But most of her concentration was fixed on that bed. Especially when he laid her down onto the mattress and loomed over her.

  “You’re thinking,” he accused warily. “Not changing your mind, are you?”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Good to know,” he said, lying down beside her and gathering her into his arms with a strength that sent chills racing along her spine.

  His kiss woke every nerve ending in her body, leaving them all screaming for more. Her mouth opened under his and his kiss deepened until all she could think about was the next taste of him. This was what she had wanted. The mind-numbing passion that had eluded her for her entire life. Here, in his arms, she was thrown headfirst into a tumult of emotions and sensations that were too many, and coming too fast, to even identify them all.

  And it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but having his hands on her. She felt him tug at her shirt and she moved to help him strip it off. The cool, slick feel of the duvet chilled her skin even as his touch heated her through. He tore his mouth from hers as if desperately in need of air, but then shifted to drag his mouth down the line of her throat, his lips and tongue leaving a line of fire in their wake.

  S
he gasped and arched into him when his fingers undid the clasp at the front of her bra and spilled her breasts into his palms. At his first touch, she half lifted off the bed, moving into him as his fingers and thumbs tweaked and tugged at her nipples, pleasure darting through her at every action.

  Her breath came in short, hard gasps when he took first one hardened nipple then the other into his mouth. His tongue did amazing things to her skin, his hot breath brushing her flesh with more heat than she thought she could bear.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered, his voice a tight groan in the firelit night. He lifted his head and looked at her. In his eyes, she read more passion than she had ever seen before. “Cassie, I want you badly enough that I can’t promise to go slow.”

  Cassie. No one in her life called her Cassie and she liked it. It spoke of intimacy, a connection beyond the physical that only added to what she was feeling already. Hunger pumped through her. A need to lose herself in the feel of him.

  “Who needs slow?” she answered softly and her words were swallowed by the cavernous room.

  He grinned at her and her heart responded with that wild tumble again. What did he do to her? How did he do it? Days she’d known him and yet, to Cassidy, it felt as if somehow she’d always known him.

  His hands were everywhere; she felt him. Every touch, every slice of heat that speared through her, driven by his caress. She moved and writhed on the bed, drowning in the feelings overtaking her. Too many, yet not nearly enough.

  He dragged his mouth down the length of her body, stopping only when he came to the waistband of her jeans. Then his fingers quickly undid them and slid them down her legs and off. Her fingers fumbled with his clothes, too, and he let her have her way. She skimmed her palms up and across his hard, muscled chest, loving how the hard planes of bronzed skin heated her hands.

  Again and again, she touched him as if she couldn’t get enough, and his response was immediate.

  He jumped off the bed, practically growled, “Be right back,” then stalked across the room to disappear through a doorway. Vaguely she heard a drawer open, then snap closed. Suddenly he was there again, before her body had time to cool at his absence.