The Wyoming Inheritance

by Caitlin Edwards

  Jenna walked through the barn looking at all the empty stalls; she wondered what in the world she was supposed to put in them. With a crestfallen look, she turned and headed toward the entrance, where she flung the door open and walked into a rock hard body.

  If two huge hands hadn’t grabbed her, she would have fallen. Jenna ignored the spark that shot down her arms where his hands held her in a steely grip. But she couldn’t ignore the way her heart raced when his deep voice rumbled, “Whoa, little lady, you’re going to land on your butt, if you don’t watch where you’re going!”

  She took a deep breath, and looked up into a pair of gorgeous, sparkling, blue eyes. Just as she was ready to lambaste him for his rudeness, she realized it was amusement glittering there!

  “You must be Jenna; I’m Cord,” the smooth, velvety voice told her.

  “You’re the God named Cord that I’ve heard so much about?” She blurted out before thinking.

  His shout of laughter echoed around the building, “Sweetheart, I’m not even close to being a God; I’m just a plain, ordinary, Wyoming man.”

  Jenna looked at his brawny arms, his thick chest, his washboard abdomen and his muscular thighs; he was far from being just a plain, ordinary man. Then when her gaze moved to the hard angles of his face, her heart started racing so hard she thought it was going to jump right out of her chest. If this was a plain Wyoming man, then she couldn’t wait to see one that wasn’t!

  Chapter Two

  Jenna looked at Cord and felt tongue-tied. She’d never been nervous around men before; she didn’t know why she was with him.

  “Calvin told me about some of your concerns. If you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk to you,” Cord told her softly.

  She nodded. “Let’s go in the house to sit down and talk.”

  As they walked side by side, Jenna kept falling back, so she could look at his backside. And what a marvelous backside it was, she thought with a loud sigh.

  “Is something wrong?” he inquired, as he stopped and waited for her to catch up.

  “No! Nothing’s wrong. I just had a rock or something in my shoe,” she told him.

  He looked down, and then frowned. “Jenna, I hate to sound bossy. But, honey, you shouldn’t be wearing sandals out here. Your best bet is to run into Sheridan, and pick up a pair of boots, or even tennis shoes. Either of them would be better than the flimsy shoes you’re wearing now!”

  Jenna looked down at her sandals. “But I love wearing sandals! Tennis shoes are so uncomfortable that I never wear them, and as far as boots go, forget it!”

  They entered the kitchen, where he watched her fill the coffeepot with water and add coffee grounds. When she finished, they both sat down at the table.

  “Jenna, I want you to promise me that you’ll pick up a pair of good loafers or casual shoes the next time you go to town. Since you don’t like tennis shoes or boots, that would be a good alternative,” he informed her gently.

  She shook her head. “My other choice is to do exactly what I’ve been doing for the last few days, and that’s wearing my sandals!”

  “Look, honey, be sensible! Sandals aren’t safe footwear to be wearing on a ranch!” His tone was getting a bit harsh. Cord wasn’t used to people not listening to his advice.

  “Says who,” she demanded. Jenna was determined that she wasn’t going to quit wearing her sandals. “How would you know they aren’t sensible, if nobody wears them to find out?”

  “Jenna…” he growled, as the palm of his hand began to itch. “I think we better just change the subject!”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” she replied, and then got up to fill two mugs with freshly brewed coffee.

  “Do you take anything in it?” she asked, setting the mug of hot coffee in front of him.

  Cord shook his head. “Just black, thanks,”

  She dumped some sweetener into her mug, and after adding some milk out of a milk carton; she picked up her spoon and started stirring it, then sat back down at the table.

  He frowned. “Why are you still buying milk when you can get it fresh from the cow?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “That stuff is gross!”

  “That’s real milk, honey; you need to start drinking it. It’s crazy to buy milk when you own a cow,” he told her chidingly. “What are you doing with the buckets of milk, if you’re not drinking them?”

  “That’s not milk, it’s cow piss,” she told him impudently. “And, I feed it to the kittens in the barn.”

  Cord’s eyes narrowed. “When was the last time you had a good spanking?”

  Jenna’s eyes flew up at his challenging tone. “Ummmm, Cord? I think we better change the subject again.” She didn’t know if his threat was serious or not, and she didn’t want to find out! Just one look at those big hands, and his sinewy biceps, was enough to have her shaking!

  “That’s probably a good idea,” he growled. “But what happens when we run out of safe subjects?”

  She grinned at him. “Then you go home!”

  Cord chuckled at the little vixen. She was something else! “So, honey, do you have any plans at all about what you’d like to do with your ranch?”

  Jenna shook her head. “I know I want to keep it, Cord, but I’m clueless as to what that entails.”

  He tapped the tip of his finger on the table for a minute while thinking. “Have you thought about hiring a manager? He’d be in charge of the day-to-day running of the ranch, and managing your hired hands. That would leave you free to keep the books up to date, and decide when to add more stock.”

  Jenna looked at him excitedly. “That’s a wonderful solution, Cord! Can you help me find a manager?”

  Cord nodded. “You’re in luck, honey. I have someone in mind, and I think he’d be perfect for the position. Nevin Carstin has managed the X Bar Loop Ranch for the last few years. It’s only because the ranch was recently sold that he’s no longer needed there.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful! And, he’d probably be able to start right away,” she exclaimed.

  “I know he’s been worried about being unemployed. He has a wife and a child to support.” Cord mentioned, as he walked over to refill his empty mug.

  “But where would he and his family stay?” she asked. She knew they couldn’t stay in the bunkhouse.

  He smiled and sat back down. “There’s a cabin in that little grove of trees just north of the ranch house.’

  “How much work would it take before they could move into it?”

  “Probably, not a lot. I know Tim kept it in good repair. I’m sure it’ll take some hard work, but Nevin’s wife, Miranda, would be glad to help. I think you’ll get along great with Meri; she’s probably close to the same age that you are. She’s a sweet woman, and boy, can she ever cook,” Cord chuckled.

  “She can? I wonder if she’d be willing to give me lessons. I’d be willing to pay her!”

  Cord looked at her in surprise. “You can’t cook?”

  Jenna felt her face flaming, and she looked down at her hands. “I’ve never had the opportunity to learn. My mother always had a housekeeper, and she didn’t allow me in the kitchen. Then when I moved out, I just lived on microwavable food.” She grinned, “Come to think of it, I still do!”

  Her gaze dropped to his waist where she’d seen a cell phone on his belt. “So, do you have his number? Can you call him for me?”

  His gaze fastened on her for a minute. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll call him and run it past him, and then he can come over, so you can meet him and his wife.”

  “That would be great, Cord! Please call him,” she begged, plucking his phone off his belt and handing it to him.

  Cord chuckled as he dialed; he figured she’d never give him a moment’s peace until he did.

  A few minutes later, he flipped his phone closed, and then took a sip of his coffee.

  “Well? What did he say?” she asked giddily.

  “What did who say?” he teased.

  “Cord, c
ome on! What did Nevin say,” she demanded, as she jumped to her feet and grabbed his arm.

  He moved to the side suddenly, and she found herself falling onto his lap. Jenna looked up at him with a shocked expression.

  Cord laughed. “It’s so nice of you to drop in!”

  Jenna felt her face flaming. “I’m so sorry, Cord! I didn’t mean to sit on your lap!”

  He grinned, as he looked down at her. “Why? What’s wrong with my lap?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with your lap! It’s a wonderful place to be!” Jenna groaned as she realized what she’d just said. “I mean… I mean…” She didn’t know what she meant; she’d lost her train of thought when his hand began to caress her back.

  How could just one touch from this man leave her speechless, she wondered.

  “Nevin said he’ll stop by in the morning,” Cord informed her, sending goose bumps down her arms, as his warm breath danced across her neck.

  She tried to stand up, but he put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. “Going somewhere?” he asked teasingly.

  “I was going to get up,” she whispered.

  He shook his head. “I need to collect a penalty before you can get up.”

  Jenna frowned. “A penalty? What kind of penalty?”

  Cord grinned. “Well now, I think a kiss would be nice.”

  Jenna felt butterflies take flight in her stomach at his words.

  “A k-kiss,” she stuttered.

  Cord lifted his hand and traced the edge of her lips with his finger. “Yes, a kiss. You just pucker up these lovely lips, and then kiss me.” His voice had taken on a smooth, velvety tone.

  “And if you don’t want to do the penalty, then there’s always the default,” he whispered.

  “What’s the default, Cord?” she asked in a shaky voice.

  “The default is that I put you over my knee and spank that beautiful bottom of yours,” he told her, his lips just inches away from her mouth.

  When she groaned, he added, “Maybe I should do both!”

  “Cord! If you’d shut up for a minute, I could kiss you,” she whined.

  “Oh, honey, you desperately do need a spanking,” he muttered, as his lips closed over hers.

  Jenna felt like he was sucking her soul out; she felt like she was floating on air, as he pulled her into a deep kiss. Finally, she had to break away for air.

  She was breathing hard when he looked down at her with passion-filled eyes.

  “What just happened between us, Cord?” she asked, touching her swollen lips.

  “Damned if I know! But I do know that I want it to happen again, sweetheart,” he growled.

  She quickly pushed him away and jumped to her feet. This was too soon, and she was feeling too much emotion for this man that she’d just met!

  “Come back here,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Cord, it’s too soon; we just met today!”

  He closed his eyes for a moment as if thinking, and then glanced at his watch. “I need to be going. Give me another kiss before I go?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t think when you kiss me, Cord; my brain turns to mush!”

  He grinned as he stood and ran his finger down the side of her neck. “And what’s wrong with that?”

  “Cord, please,” she begged.

  He slowly backed away, but his eyes glittered at her. “All right. You need time; I’ll give you some time.”

  “What the hell just happened in here,” she muttered aloud after Cord left. However, she was unable to answer her own question.

  That night, Jenna had x-rated dreams. She was in Cord’s arms; only this time she didn’t stop him. His kisses turned her inside out until he finally lifted her into his arms. He carried her up the stairs to her room, where they spent the night making mad, passionate love. She woke up gasping for breath and felt like she’d just run a marathon. Her eyes were wide with shock, as memories of the erotic dream came back to her.

  What in the world was wrong with her? For heaven’s sake, she’d just met the man, and now she was having hot, passionate dreams about him! She’d dated her last boyfriend for two years before she’d finally had sex with him, and she’d never had dreams about him! Her experience with sex was limited, and the handful of times they’d made love; it always left her feeling as if something was missing. She had the feeling that making love with Cord, though, would be a completely new experience.

  Nevin and Mari arrived early the next morning. Jenna instantly liked them both. She hired Nevin on the spot, and Meri fell in love with the little cabin that would be their new home. She told Jenna that she’d gladly help clean it up, and that she also had two sisters who’d be willing to help.

  Jenna arranged for Nevin to start work in two days, so they’d have time to get the cabin ready, and he told her he’d spread the word that they were hiring ranch hands.

  * * * *

  Jenna was walking toward the back paddock, where the horses were, when she saw Cord arriving in his pickup truck. She watched him climb out, and then he looked over at her. She was sure her face was beet red, as she remembered her dreams of the previous night. He winked at her, and without saying a word, he headed for the barn.

  She blew out the breath that she didn’t know she’d been holding, and then hurried back into the house. There was no way she could face him yet.

  Jenna and Meri went to the cabin a while later, and after looking around the yard, headed inside. As Jenna watched with amusement, Meri danced from room to room, ripping off the sheets and dust cloths from the furniture.

  “Oh Jenna! This is wonderful! Did you see; it has three large bedrooms, and another small one that Nevin can use for his office?! Oh, I can’t believe how perfect it is!” Meri gushed happily.

  “So, the cabin meets your approval?” Jenna asked laughingly.

  “Oh, yes!” Meri flung open the cupboards in the kitchen.

  Jenna followed her into the kitchen, and then frowned. “I think we need to make a trip to Sheridan and pick up some new curtains for this place. I can’t believe how threadbare these are!”

  Meri smiled. “The curtains are fine! Who do you think is going to spy on us way out here; the cows?”

  Jenna stuck her tongue out, and they both started giggling.

  “I think I just heard someone pull up,” Meri told her, heading for the living room.

  Jenna was standing in the doorway of the kitchen when the door opened, and Cord and Nevin came in. She quickly took a step backwards into the kitchen and then walked over to the sink. This looked like a good place to hide, she thought, studying the curtains. She grinned; whether Meri thought they needed it or not, she was going to replace those curtains! She grabbed her tape measure.

  Cord stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching her, as she stretched her arms up over her head to assess the material hanging at the window. He couldn’t help but notice how her shirt rode up, revealing a few inches of bare skin around her waist. Skin that looked so soft that he longed to touch it—he could just imagine laying her down kissing every inch of it. He groaned when she bent over from the waist, while leaning on the counter. It gave him a beautiful view of her gently rounded bottom. He’d always been a butt man, and hers was superb!

  He cleared his throat, and she jumped, turning to face him. “Hi, Cord,” she greeted him, trying not to think about that hard body, and her vivid dreams!

  “Hi, honey. Need any help?” he asked, his eyes roaming over her.

  She wordlessly shook her head. Her eyes fastened on the top two snaps of his western shirt, which he’d left open, and it gave her a view of the thatch of hair running down his muscular chest. Jenna had the worst urge to pull the rest of the snaps apart, and run her hands over the exposed skin. Get a hold of yourself, woman, she thought grimly.

  Her eyes widened as he slowly advanced on her, and she took a step backwards, up against the sink. Cord took two more steps, and suddenly his hard body was touching hers. She could feel the fi
re sizzling through her, just from his slight touch.

  He cupped her chin in his hand, and then brought his lips down on hers. She heard someone moaning, and then realized it was coming from her own throat. He pulled her closer to him, and at the same time, his thrusting tongue entered the moist cavern of her mouth. She was near the point of ripping her clothes off; she wanted to feel her naked body up against his! Suddenly, she heard the sound of a giggle.

  Cord slowly pulled his mouth off hers, and then whispered, “I think we have company, Darlin’!”

  Jenna knew her face was beet red when she looked up into Meri’s dancing eyes.

  “I thought I’d have to find a fire extinguisher, so I could put out the fire in this room!” Meri told them teasingly.

  Cord chuckled, as he flicked the tip of Jenna’s nose. “Later,” he promised, and then he turned and strode out of the room.

  The next morning, Jenna went into Sheridan. She knew that Nevin and Meri were planning to move into the cabin in the afternoon, so she wanted to put new curtains up before they arrived.

  She loved shopping at the local chain discount store, and since she had a few minutes to spare, she headed for the shoe department. She was planning on picking up a pair of tennis shoes to wear outside, since Cord so strenuously objected to her sandals.

  However, when she started looking at the shoes on sale, she found a pair of sandals that she’d been wanting since last spring. Jenna hunted until she found a pair that was in her size, and then she dropped them into her cart. She frowned, and tossed an ugly pair of tennis shoes into the cart, then headed for the check stand. At least, he couldn’t say she didn’t listen, she thought.

  After arriving home and putting on her new sandals, Jenna walked over to the cabin. She was almost there when she stepped on a thorn. She gasped in pain as it pierced her toe. She tried pulling it out, but she didn’t think it all came out, from the painful throbbing still there. As soon as she entered the cabin, she sat down and inspected her foot. She groaned as she realized that a broken-off splinter was embedded deeply into her toe. She carefully hobbled around changing the curtains, and then slowly made her way back home.