She grinned. “He took a little persuading, since he already considers the ranch to be all but his.”
“His? How’d that come about?”
Sara gestured dismissively. “Oh, he made some sort of arrangement with my father. I stepped in before they signed and made Jake an offer of my own.”
“Must have been quite an offer.”
“One he couldn’t resist,” she said cheerfully. “That’s when he sent me to you. He figured you were the only one around who could keep me from getting killed. His words, by the way.”
“Probably am,” Zeke agreed. “How much time do I have?”
“A few weeks,” Sara said, sensing victory in this battle at least. “Will you do it?”
“I will,” he said solemnly. “And you can keep your thousand bucks. I’ll do it just to see the look on Jake’s face when you win.”
Impulsively, Sara threw her arms around him. “You think I can do it? You think I can win?”
Zeke blushed fiery red with embarrassment and hurriedly stepped out of her embrace. “Would I be risking my reputation, if I didn’t?” He regarded her slyly. “Besides, it’s about time some woman came along and stirred that boy into a tizzy. He’s been alone too danged long. Something tells me you’ve got just the right mix of gumption and daring to be a good match for him.”
The comment alerted Sara that Zeke just might be misinterpreting the nature of her bet. “This isn’t personal between Jake and me,” she insisted.
“Girl, a bet is always personal, especially when a man’s pride or his land is at stake.”
Sara suddenly swallowed hard. Even though she’d thrown the possibility of humiliation right back into Jake’s face the night before, she hadn’t really considered what it would mean for him to lose. Jake was going to be fighting for more than Three-Stars. He was going to be battling to hang on to his reputation. Forget his experience, which already gave him an edge, a man with so much at risk might very well be impossible to beat, especially by an amateur.
Sara might have been daunted by the seemingly insurmountable odds of winning, if it hadn’t been for Zeke’s blustery confidence in his own skill as an instructor. She had sheer desperation working in her favor as well. She couldn’t afford to let anything like cool reason shake her confidence.
Zeke surveyed her worriedly. “You ain’t scared, are you?”
“Of what?” she retorted blithely. “Losing?”
“No, indeed, I was talking about getting thrown. If you’re scared of that, we might as well quit before we start.”
“Mr. Laramie, I’m not afraid of anything except losing my home.” And maybe of the feelings Jake stirred in her, but that was another thing altogether.
“That’s good. You be here at eight a.m. sharp tomorrow,” Zeke told her. “There was a lot of men happy to see Jake busted up and out of rodeo, so’s they could have a shot at the top spot. He ain’t going to be no pushover, just because you’re a woman. I’d say we have our work cut out for us.”
Sara nodded, fighting a queasy sensation in the pit of her stomach. Oh, yeah. Let the games begin.
* * *
“Did she call you?” Jake asked Zeke when he phoned him after supper that night.
It was the second time they’d spoken that day. That was more than they’d talked in the last month. Zeke wasn’t big on phones. He claimed the infernal contraptions interfered with his love life. Since he’d been married to the same woman for close to fifty years, it raised some interesting theories on what kept their marriage intact. In fact, Zeke’s relationship with his beloved Mary Lou was about the only example Jake could recall of a marriage he could honestly admire. Given Zeke’s crusty temperament, he considered their staying power a miracle and Mary Lou a saint.
“I assume you’re referring to my new client,” Zeke said, his tone huffy. “She didn’t call. She came by. Pretty little thing. You didn’t mention that when you told me to expect to hear from her.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Jake lied.
“Then your eyesight must be failing,” Zeke retorted.
Jake ignored the remark. “You didn’t tell her we’d talked, did you?”
“Dang, boy, I told you I wouldn’t. You know I keep my word.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Jake apologized. “It’s just that this whole fool thing has me tied up in knots.”
“I can imagine. You didn’t tell me about the bet. What possessed you to get involved in anything so crazy?”
“Did she happen to mention what’s at stake?”
“You mean aside from your pride and her neck? Yeah, she did say something about the ranch, too. Frankly, that’s what has me buffaloed. Since I first ran across you, all you talked about was getting your hands on some land of your own. Now you’ve got your chance and you’re risking it. How come?”
“Because running Three-Stars was her dream, too. It’s not her fault that her father’s a chauvinistic old fool. Besides, I figure it’s a safe bet.”
“You’re forgetting who’s teaching her,” Zeke reminded him. “You sent her to the best.”
“Face it, old man, not even you are up to this challenge.”
“Oh, I don’t know. She looks like a winner to me. Anyone with as much heart as she has shows potential.”
“Dammit, Zeke, if anything happens to her, I’m holding you accountable.”
“I’m not the one who made an idiotic bet with her in the first place,” Zeke reminded him.
Jake sighed. “No, I did that all on my own.”
“Must have been blinded by love,” Zeke guessed, sounding a little too gleeful. “Ever since I told Mary Lou about all this, she’s been all atwitter thinking about a wedding for the two of you.”
Given Mary Lou’s love of matchmaking, Jake was relieved he hadn’t mentioned his impulsive inclusion of a marriage rider to the contest rules. “Don’t start with me, old man. Just keep Sara in one piece, okay?” He paused, then added, “And keep Mary Lou the hell away from her.”
Zeke chuckled at that. “Must mean the thought’s crossed your mind, if you’re all nervous about it.”
Jake refused to rise to the bait. “You know my opinion of marriage, Zeke. If my parents hadn’t taught me that, that brush with Sue Ann would have soured me for good. It’s strictly a fool’s game. You and Mary Lou excepted, of course.”
“It’s a dull man whose mind can’t be opened to new ideas.”
“If you want to preach, go find a church. I’m way too old to listen to your dime store philosophy.”
“And I’m too old to be caught up in your shenanigans. How about I call Miss Sara Wilde and tell her the deal’s off?”
Jake was all for that. But he knew it wouldn’t be the end of it. Sara would just go and find someone else to teach her and that someone else wasn’t likely to know half of what Zeke Laramie knew.
“No,” Jake said emphatically. “I want you to work with her, no one else.”
“Then that’s the way it’ll be,” Zeke said readily. He allowed the subject to rest for a beat, then added, “Still say you’re sweet on her, though.”
Zeke hung up before Jake could argue with him. He might find Sara Wilde attractive. He might even find her intriguing. But there wasn’t a woman alive who would ever tempt him to walk down the aisle of a church and say a bunch of vows that didn’t amount to a hill of beans.
It suddenly struck him, though, that there was a whole lot of fascinating territory that could be explored before a man ever had to say I do.
* * *
Anticipating her first bronc-riding lesson, Sara could barely choke down a piece of toast at breakfast the next morning. Worse, she was sitting at the table under her father’s watchful, perplexed gaze. She would have bolted from the dining room, but that would only have alarmed him and brought him chasing after her.
He’d always been the nosiest, most protective son of a gun on the face of the earth. The trait had only gotten worse since Dani and Ashley had left home. Most days that left Sara vir
tually alone as the focus for his attention and his worrying. Yesterday’s visit to aggravate Dani had been a rare exception. Obviously he was hoping to get at least one of them settled before he took off on this secret fling of his.
“You’re not eating much this morning, Sara Jane,” her father noted. “Everything okay?”
Since she couldn’t tell him that she was going to extraordinary means to resurrect the future he’d just single-handedly destroyed, she forced a smile.
“Terrific,” she said tightly and rushed to change the subject. “By the way, I understand you paid a visit to Dani yesterday. When are you going to give up on the idea of marrying her off to Kyle Huggins?”
“When she’s married to somebody else,” he said unrepentantly.
“A woman doesn’t have to be married to be happy,” Sara pointed out.
“Your sister does. She wants babies. Only one way I know to get them.”
“I suggested she just find a handsome stranger and get pregnant,” Sara countered cheerfully.
Bright patches of red flamed in her father’s cheeks. “Sara Jane, I will not have that kind of talk in my house. I raised you and your sisters to know right from wrong.”
“You also raised us to go after what we wanted.”
He frowned. “Within the bounds of good taste.”
“Who set the rules?” she asked. “You?”
“Me, Emily Post, Miss Manners, what does it matter? Right’s right,” he said stubbornly.
“Tell me, Daddy, if you’d seen some way to have a son without Mama being the wiser about your indiscretion, would you have gone for it? Did you ever consider just adopting a little boy, when the two of you kept producing girls?”
His frown deepened. “What the devil brought on a bunch of fool questions like that?”
Sara swallowed all of the pent up resentment that had been guiding her actions the past couple of days. Arguing wouldn’t accomplish a thing anyway. She slid her chair back from the table.
“Never mind. I’ve got to be going. I have an appointment.”
Her father seemed as eager as she was to let the subject of sons and babies rest. “Getting your hair done?” he asked.
The question was so typical of her father’s thought processes that Sara cringed. Naturally he didn’t anticipate that she might have an actual business appointment or even chores around the ranch.
“No,” she said, then added truthfully, albeit with an edge of sarcasm, “I’m going to take a bronc-riding lesson.”
He laughed heartily at that. “Okay, so don’t tell me what you’re up to. I suppose you’re entitled to your secrets, same as the rest of us.”
“That’s right, Daddy, and you’re just full of them, aren’t you?”
She walked away, ignoring his shouted demand to know what she meant by that. Fuming, she slammed open the kitchen door and ran smack into a grinning Jake.
“Careful, sweetheart.”
“Oh, just stay out of my way,” she snapped.
“Actually, I was referring to your tendency to mouth off without thinking. Unless, of course, you’re hoping your father will figure out that you really are preparing to ride a bronco and that he’ll put a stop to it. That would save your pretty little tush, wouldn’t it?”
“You were eavesdropping,” she accused.
“The cows in the west forty probably heard your conversation. Neither one of you has a volume control when you’re arguing.” He grinned. “Did you really tell your sister to just go out and get pregnant?”
“I did.” She regarded him speculatively. “Are you interested in volunteering?”
“Not likely.” A dangerous gleam flickered in his eyes. “I’ve got my hands full with you.”
“What you and I have going boils down to an eight-second contest,” she countered. “That should leave you plenty of time for chasing any other women who interest you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
That glint in his eyes intensified, startling her. An intensity that hot could have singed brick. Sara swallowed hard. “Eight seconds,” she repeated adamantly.
“Not nearly long enough for what I have in mind,” he said in a low, provocative voice.
Sara stared. What the devil was he up to?
He reached out and deliberately trailed a callused finger along the curve of her lips. A shiver of pure delight shimmied down her spine. She reached up to remove his hand, but he caught her hand in midair and brought it to his mouth. The kiss he grazed across her knuckles was soft and warm and sweet. Sara simply stared at him, bemused by the unexpected tenderness.
Trying to gather her wits, she backed away a step and found herself pinned against the counter. Jake followed, bracing an arm on either side of her, his thighs and hips so close she could feel his heat. The warm, male scent of him surrounded her.
“This isn’t part of our deal,” she whispered, her voice choked.
“Sure, it is,” he claimed. “If I’m going to marry a woman, I surely should know what I’m getting, don’t you think?”
“This isn’t some ice-cream store, where they’ll give you a spoonful before you commit to a pint,” she retorted, trying to wriggle away from him. Her frantic movements only seemed to amuse him.
Then the sparks of laughter in his eyes suddenly turned serious as he bent forward very, very slowly and touched his mouth to hers.
Sara could have sworn lightning split the sky and thunder boomed at precisely that moment. Certainly fireworks went off. The reaction was devastating, setting off ten years of pent up lust. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep from flinging her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and taking him right there on the kitchen floor. This reaction wouldn’t do. He might get the idea she was actually eager to marry him when nothing could be further from the truth.
His kiss was more controlled, more deliberate than she wanted. He coaxed and persuaded and taunted. She was weak-kneed and trembling before his tongue ever skimmed her own. That set off another round of lightning, thunder and fireworks, plus what sounded like a crash of cymbals.
Awestruck by the effect and desperate for more, she fought disappointment when he pulled away.
“Jake?” she implored, gazing into eyes every bit as dazed as her own.
“I think we’re in Annie’s way,” he murmured.
For a moment, Sara couldn’t think who the heck Annie was or why she had anything to do with ending such a glorious, monumental kiss. Then she connected Annie and the cymbals. Apparently the housekeeper had been slamming around a few pots and pans to get their attention.
“Oh, geez,” she murmured, as heat flooded into her cheeks. Annie was the next best thing she had to a mother and she had just caught Sara and Jake making out in her kitchen.
Apparently guessing her embarrassment from her expression, Jake offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. She won’t talk. Annie and I have a deal. She never discusses what she catches me doing in her kitchen, isn’t that right, Annie?”
Sara was intrigued despite herself. “Exactly what kinds of things has she caught you doing?”
“I’ll never tell,” Annie said dutifully, winking at Jake.
“And neither will I,” Jake said. “By the way, didn’t you say something to your father about an appointment?”
Sara glanced at the clock. It was almost eight. She was going to be late to her first appointment with Zeke. Something told her he wasn’t going to be happy about it. Jake admitted that he heard her tell her dad about the bronc riding lessons, so of course he knew where she was going.
She regarded Jake suspiciously. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
He returned her look innocently. “Did what?”
“Tried to make me late.”
“Not me,” he swore. “I just developed this sudden urge for a little sugar before breakfast.”
Annie guffawed at that. For a woman who’d practically raised all three of the Wilde sisters, her
loyalties seemed somewhat misdirected. No doubt Jake had that effect on a lot of women. Sara scowled at the pair of them.
“Well, next time you’re in the kitchen and decide you want a little sugar,” Sara said, “I suggest you try the pantry. Just make sure you avoid the kind that’s laced with arsenic for the other rats.”
Chapter Four
Admiring her spirit, if not her assessment of his moral character, Jake watched with masculine appreciation as Sara sashayed out of the kitchen. Deliberate or not, the taunting swing of her hips in those formfitting denims was enough to make a man’s blood sizzle. Combined with that seemingly unconscious seductiveness she’d displayed at his house, it added up to one dangerously provocative woman.
“You hurt that girl and you’ll answer to me,” Annie O’Leary announced, waving a rolling pin at him menacingly. “And that’s before Mr. Wilde gets his hands on you.”
Somewhat daunted by the unexpectedly serious warning, Jake deliberately tried to lighten the mood by dropping a kiss on the housekeeper’s furrowed forehead, bringing a blush to her round cheeks. “I thought you adored me, Annie, my love.”
“How I feel about you isn’t the issue. It’s how I feel about that girl. I love her as much as if she were my own and I won’t see her hurt.”
She said it as if Sara were some fragile little thing, incapable of looking after herself. Jake knew otherwise. “Trust me, Annie, Sara’s no shrinking violet. She can take care of herself.”
Annie wasn’t persuaded. “I don’t doubt it in most situations, but she hasn’t met up with the likes of you all that often. You’re handsome as sin and twice as dangerous. More experienced women than Sara have been taken in by that crooked smile of yours. I daresay more than one has come to the conclusion that marriage is in the cards, only to discover they were playing with the wrong deck.”
Jake flinched at the direct hit. “I can’t help it if some woman gets foolish ideas about the future. My opinion of marriage is no secret. I lay it out at the beginning. Anything that comes after is done at their own, fully informed risk.”
“Hogwash! A woman who’s interested in a man will say whatever she figures he wants to hear at the beginning,” Annie insisted. “Like it or not, that so-called first-date disclaimer of yours doesn’t absolve you of any responsibility for any hurt that comes after.”
The Bridal Path: Sara Page 4
