“That’ll do fine,” John T. said with authority. Jake hated sitting in his study facing off with the stern man as if he were a schoolboy who’d been summoned to the principal’s office. Hell, he’d had enough of those real-life memories to clog his head for years to come.
Anxious to leave the house and find Cassie, Jake made a move to rise. “Not so fast. There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”
Jake lowered his body down again and sighed, causing John T. to lift his graying brows. “What else?”
“Your birthday’s coming up soon.”
Jake scoffed. He didn’t like being reminded of his birthday. It had never been a happy occasion for him. As a young boy he had one vague memory of cake and candles, of delight and laughter, of his attempts to blow out tapering flames and of the only gift he’d remembered receiving from his mother—a watercolor she’d painted of a little boy sitting atop a gray mare, his face infused with joy, amid a mountain backdrop. Jake had kept that picture with him always. It was almost as though his mother had known that one day he’d end up here at Anderson Ranch, or was it just wishful thinking on a hope-filled young woman’s part? Jake had surmised that must have been his fifth birthday because it was the last happy memory he’d had, faint as it was, of his mother. “I don’t do birthdays, John T. You know that.”
“Well, it’s time, don’t you think? I’d like to throw a little party. I’d like us to celebrate as a family.”
“No. I don’t think so.” His face set, Jake wanted to leave no room for doubt. He had no need for a strained celebration, no need for John T.’s brand of family. It was too late for those things.
“Things are different now, Jake,” John T. persisted. “You’re going to be a father.”
Jake jerked his head up. “You know?”
His father nodded, his voice taking on a somber edge. “Cassie told me the other day. Good thing, too, because I doubt I’d have heard it anytime soon from you.”
Jake stood and began pacing. He glanced out the window, his anger swallowing him up, blinding him from seeing anything but Cassie’s constant rejection. Hell, he didn’t know what the woman wanted. He braced his hands on the back of the leather chair and leaned in. “We have some things to work out. I suppose she told you that I’ve asked her to marry me and she refused. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that woman walk out of my life. I plan on raising my child.”
John T. nodded, his eagle-sharp eyes following his every move.
“There’s not much else to say, is there?” Jake couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his tone. On the one hand, he was furious with Cassie for refusing his proposal and denying him a future with his child. But on the other hand, he couldn’t wait to see her. Couldn’t wait to gaze into those big green eyes. Or kiss the sass right off that pouty little mouth of hers. Thoughts of her clouded his mind, messing with his focus and concentration.
“There is, if you’re in love with her, son.”
Jake huffed out a breath. Love? He wasn’t sure he knew that emotion. He’d thought he was in love once, but that relationship had ended with a quick divorce. He knew he wanted Cassie, desired her in a way that made him crazy. He wanted to make love to her, and if she ever agreed to marry him, visions of long, slow, seductive nights danced in his head. And he wanted his child. He wanted to be the kind of father John T. hadn’t been. He wanted to be there for his child at every turn, to let him know he wasn’t alone. He wanted his child to have what Jake had never had—his father’s name.
When Jake gave him no answer, John T. grimaced, a look of frustration sweeping across his features. “Hell, I wish I knew what to tell you. But I’m the last man to give advice regarding women. At least, think about the birthday celebration, son.”
Son? There it was again. “I don’t have to think about it, John T. My answer is no.” Jake strode to the door. “I have work to do.”
Jake slammed the door, heading for the guest house, but the carefree sound of Cassie’s laughter had him turning toward the stables. It didn’t take him long to spot her, surrounded by four ranch hands, the whole group looking extremely happy with themselves.
Jake’s gut clenched. One of the men had taken his hat off and plopped it on Cassie’s head. She was wearing denim today, a short skirt and Western boots. In that getup, Cassie looked as though she truly belonged here, as if she were made to live at the ranch. Her appearance stirred his blood but made it boil, too. Was she deliberately flirting with the hands, trying to find a man she wasn’t attracted to, someone she’d feel safe with, someone she could trust with her heart? Irrational as it seemed, Jake couldn’t get the notion out of his head.
He sidled up next to her and laced his arm around her waist. Without giving her notice, he pulled her close so that her waist brushed against him and he kissed her soundly on the lips. Her sweet, startled taste rattled his brain. “Good morning, darlin’. Did you miss me?”
Jake ignored Cassie’s flaming face. He glanced at all four men, making eye contact with each one individually. Their shock at his actions didn’t surprise him. Other than his short-lived marriage, Jake had never brought a woman to the ranch before, and he doubted the men knew his history with Cassie. It was about time he staked his claim. “Morning, boys.”
They grumbled perfunctory greetings in return.
“John T. tells me we’re shorthanded today. I’m taking over Toby’s duties until he gets back.”
One by one, the men tipped their hats to Cassie and said their goodbyes. Jake lifted the hat off her head and handed it back to the youngest of the crew, a cowboy named Nate. “Here you go,” he said, “best to keep this on your own head.”
“Yes, sir.” Nate blushed and took off to do his chores.
Jake turned to Cassie, her face a mass of emotion he didn’t want to consider. He returned her look with one equally as quelling. “Well, you didn’t answer my question. Did you miss me?”
Cassie glared at Jake, too irritated to give him an answer. She’d been happy to see him, for about half a second, until he’d mortified her with that kiss, the deliberate message he sent to the ranch hands sounding loud and clear.
She turned on her heel and swiftly headed for the guest house.
Jake followed her. “Dammit, Cassie. Slow down.”
“Go away, Jake.” She kept on walking.
“I’m not going away. I’m staying, so you might as well talk to me.”
“You’ll be going away soon enough. You always do.”
“Hey,” Jake said, taking her arm gently, stopping her stride and turning her to face him. “You did miss me.”
Cassie paused to look deep into his dark eyes. Ranch sounds surrounded her; a distant hammering from the barn area, horses whinnying out of unison and truck motors revving up. Dust swirled around, coloring the air a hazy reddish-brown only to be lifted away by a light wind as the Nevada sun beat down with simmering morning heat. Cassie sighed, not ready for this confrontation. Up until his appearance this morning, she’d been having a pleasant day. “You had no right to kiss me that way, Jake. I was working on the payroll and had some questions for the boys. We were having a nice conversation until you showed up.”
“You’re going to be my wife,” he stated without hesitation. “No sense hiding it.”
“I’ve never agreed to that, Jake. You can’t bully me into marriage.”
Jake lips went tight. He spoke with deliberation, a hard and ruthless edge to his voice. “You talk about rights? Well, what about mine? That’s my baby growing in your belly. I have a right to raise my own child. I have a right to see him grow, watch him conquer big and small things alike. What’s the problem, Cassie? You live here at the ranch. You work here. What’s wrong with sharing a marriage bed? We do that well enough. What’s wrong with getting married?”
“Oh, Jake.” Cassie sighed deeply. “There’s nothing right about us getting married. The reasons should be clear.”
“Nothing’s clear,” he admitted. “In fact, wh
enever I look at you, my mind muddies up real thick.”
Cassie stared at him, seeing him for the man he truly was, a drop-dead handsome cowboy whom she loved with unwelcome pain. She didn’t have to ask him if he loved her. Her pride wouldn’t allow it, anyway. But sadly she knew the truth. He was a man incapable of love. “I have to go.”
“Hold up a sec,” Jake said. “Don’t go just yet.”
“Why?”
“There’s something I want to show you. Something you didn’t get to see on the nickel tour a while back. I’m taking over the ranch superintendent’s duties until Toby can get back and I want to show you what this ranch is really all about. Up on the north pasture.”
His enthusiasm, the light in his eyes, the eager change in his voice, had Cassie curious. She’d never seen Jake respond with such animation before. Yet the north pasture was quite a long way away. She didn’t know if she trusted herself with Jake all alone up there.
“Come on, Cassie. Say you’ll go. I’ll have you back here in an hour or two. We’ll take the truck up there. I don’t want to risk you on a horse.”
His warm gaze fell on her belly and Cassie’s heart softened. She found herself wanting to go, wanting to see just what Jake had to show her. She had missed him and since his mood had changed she found herself ready to spend time with him, but she needed to set rules to preserve her own sanity. “I’ll go on one condition. You have to promise there’ll be no talk of pressuring me into marrying you. The subject is off-limits.”
Jake smiled and nodded. “I promise.” He took her in his arms, pulling her close, and brought his lips down, kissing her with scorching heat. Cassie’s body responded immediately, edging its way closer to him, her lips tingling, her body trembling. She moaned, a little sound that had Jake deepening the kiss, slanting over her lips with sweet, tortuous pressure. The kiss lasted longer than it should, considering that they stood right in the middle of the road, in sight of anyone who had a mind to watch.
When Cassie came to her senses, she backed away, ending the kiss and blinking, her fingers going to her ravaged lips. “And…and no more of that…either.”
Jake only smiled and took her hand. “I figured as much. C’mon.”
Twenty minutes later Cassie stood next to Jake on a rise, under the shadow of one of the few aging oaks on the north end of the land. They looked out at a herd of horses that made up the bulk of Anderson Ranch’s wealth.
“Aren’t they something?” Jake asked, his tone filled with awe.
The horses grazed peacefully, but there was wildness about them, a keen look in their eyes that even a rookie rancher like Cassie could recognize. “All of these are bucking horses?”
“Yep, every single one. They get exercised five days a week and we put them on a special diet to strengthen their bodies. They run the length of the pasture and back many times. Notice their legs—see the thick muscle there? That’s to keep them strong when they buck.”
“What makes them buck?” Cassie asked, never giving the idea any thought. Of course, she’d only been to one rodeo. “Their spirit mostly. There’re a small percentage of animals that can’t ever be tamed. They want no part of it and will fight against being broken with everything they’ve got. They’ve got no need for the sedate life most ranch horses enjoy. They are God’s creatures kept entirely the way He made them.” Jake pointed one out.
“See that one over there, the paint with the brown and white markings? That’s Texas Thunder. He comes from a long line of bucking horses. His mama was famous and his daddy bucked for over fifteen years. A rider who draws a high roller stands to win the most points. That’s what makes those horses so valuable, the more they buck, the higher they fly, the more points a rider earns.” Jake chuckled. “That’s if they can keep astride for the entire ride.”
“So you breed them?”
“Yep, most we do. But some aren’t bred at all, some are just born that way. A rancher might call us up and say he’s got a horse he can’t break. John T. or Toby or me—we’ll go check the horse out. If he looks like he’s got potential, a horse inclined to buck, and we feel he’ll make a good bucking horse, we’ll take him on.”
Cassie watched the horses, listened to Jake’s explanation, the excitement in his voice filling her senses. He had a look on his face that spoke of respect and appreciation, a regard for this special kind of ranching and the animals that struck a deep cord in her.
“A good bucking horse is worth a small fortune to a rodeo. It’s what constitutes most of the wealth here. That and the pickup horses we raise.”
When Cassie appeared puzzled, Jake continued, “Those are the horses that help out a rider when he’s through with his ride. They have to be specially trained, both horse and rider being able to get close enough to the bronc buster to help him off the bucking horse. Most of the horses you see down at the corrals are pickup horses. We’ve got three mares ready to foal down there, too.”
Jake and Cassie stood silent for a moment, watching the untamed horses prance around, some nuzzled others, causing a quick short-lived fury and others simply grazed contentedly.
“How often do you come up here?” Cassie asked, her mind reeling. She hadn’t a clue that Jake cared anything about the ranch. He’d never let on before, but now she was seeing a different side of him, perhaps a side he was finally willing to share with her.
“Whenever I’m in town, I help Toby with them.”
“They’re beautiful horses.”
“Hmm. And they have a spirit that can’t be held down. They’ll go to their graves with that wildness still in them. They don’t have to answer to anyone. Some of them work a total of ten minutes a year. That’s all. The rest of the time they’re free.” Jake spoke with pride, his gaze resting on the animals.
“You really love it here, don’t you?” Cassie saw it clearly now. Jake loved the land. He loved the ranch. He loved working with the stock. He couldn’t disguise the passion in his voice and the brilliant gleam in his eyes. He might hide behind his words, he might run away to the rodeo, but there was no mistaking Jake’s true calling. He was a rancher, whether he knew it or not.
Jake shrugged. “I like working with the stock.”
Cassie smiled sadly. He liked working with the horses because he could relate to them. Their very nature, their untamed spirit and the way they answered to no one, called to Jake. He was just as they were, a soul that couldn’t be held down, a spirit that had to be free.
Cassie sighed, understanding Jake better now. Nothing was going to hold this man down. Not the ranch, the baby, or a wife. Jake’s idea to bring Cassie up here, might just have backfired, because Cassie knew without a doubt she could never marry Jake Griffin.
They drove back in silence with Cassie deep in thought, the idea of leaving the ranch nagging at her. She glanced sideways at Jake behind the wheel, wondering if she had the strength to leave him, to pack up all of her belongings and abandon the home she’d come to love.
Brian needed her. She would have family in Los Angeles, and the support of friends. Whenever Cassie thought long and hard about leaving, tears welled up in her eyes and she would put the notion out of her head, but soon she knew she’d have to make a decision.
As the truck pulled up to the main house, Marie came racing down the steps as fast as the elderly woman’s legs could take her. With an ashen face and watery eyes, she cried, “Jake! Jake! Your father’s had a heart attack. They took him to the hospital. You must go quick. Carson Memorial.”
Jake bounded out of the truck. Cassie was just steps behind. “Are you okay, Marie?” Jake asked.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.”
“Tell me what happened?”
Marie began to tremble. Jake wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I found him in his study. He was slumped in the chair, having trouble breathing. He said it would pass, but I stayed with him and it didn’t pass. When he clutched his chest, I begged him to let me call for help. The ambulance came and took him away. You must
go to him.”
“I will. But you have to promise me to go inside and calm down. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, relaxing a bit.
“Promise me, Marie?”
She nodded and Jake kissed her cheek, waiting until she climbed the steps of the main house. Jake huffed out a deep breath and turned to Cassie. “I’d better go.”
“Not without me.” She took his arm with reassuring pressure. “I’m going with you.”
Jake nodded and they climbed back into the truck.
Eleven
“I’m fine, really. Just got to eat more vegetables,” John T. stated, his pale face lighting up a bit when she and Jake entered his hospital room. They’d been kept waiting in the reception area for two hours while the doctors conducted a battery of tests on John T. Cassie had paced the floor, asking questions of the nurse, while Jake flipped through magazines. She knew he’d been concerned, but Jake Griffin, an expert at concealing his feelings, hadn’t said much of anything. “I wish they’d hurry up and get these dang gadgets off me. I’m not a man comfortable with being hog-tied.”
“Be patient, John T.,” Lottie said, lovingly fingering wayward locks of his salt-and-pepper hair back into place. She’d been the first to arrive, never leaving John T.’s side. “The doctor says to take it easy.”
Cassie walked over and bent down to give him a quick hug, making sure not to push aside any of the tubes hooked up to him. She kissed his cheek and smiled. “You gave us all a scare.”
She backed up and stared at Jake, who as yet hadn’t said a word. Jake blinked and stepped forward, putting out his hand. John T. immediately clasped it with both hands in what was more than a handshake. “The doc says you’re going to be just fine.”
“Thanks, son. A wake-up call is how the doc put it. He says I’ve got to cut out the greasy foods, exercise…”
“Not stress yourself out,” Lottie added firmly. “And be doggone sure to take your medicine.”
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