THE RANCHER'S SPITTIN' IMAGE

by Peggy Moreland

  "But you didn't."

  Mandy shook her head, still unable to look at Jesse. If she did, she was afraid that he'd see the truth in her eyes—the fact that she'd defied her father because she wanted so desperately to keep a part of Jesse with her always. "No. And I've never regretted my decision."

  "Thank you."

  Surprised, Mandy turned to look at him again. Unshed tears glimmered in the soft lamplight. "For what?"

  "For standing up to Lucas and for giving me Jaime."

  Mandy simply stared, robbed of a reply by the hand that slipped from her ear and down her back to settle at her waist, drawing her closer. She shivered, unblinking, unable to look away.

  "I should never have left," he said, his voice husky.

  "Why did you?" she whispered.

  Jesse stiffened, reminded of that night long ago. "You made your choice. Remember? You chose Lucas over me."

  Mandy's mouth dropped open. "No," she cried, shaking her head in denial. "I didn't."

  Jesse's forehead pleated into a frown. "Then why didn't you leave with me?"

  Mandy turned, angling her body toward him, and the album slipped from her knees and fell to the carpet forgotten. "If I'd left with you, Lucas would've been furious. He would never have let you leave that glen alive. I was just trying to buy us time until we could figure out a way to be together."

  Jesse let his head drop back and groaned. "But I thought—"

  Mandy pressed a finger to his lips, drawing his face back down to hers. "No, Jesse. The only thing I ever wanted was to be with you."

  He caught her hand in his and squeezed. "Oh, Mandy. If only I hadn't let my pride get in the way. I could've been here for you and Jaime."

  She smiled softly. "You're here for him now."

  Jesse sighed, taking her hand to his heart. "Yes. And I'm here for you, too."

  Mandy felt the thud of his heartbeat and her own pulse quickened in response. "Jesse?"

  "Yes?"

  "Why did you leave me in the barn last night without saying goodbye?"

  Jesse closed his eyes, and blew out a long breath, caught off guard by the question. When he opened them again, Mandy was still looking at him, her green eyes filled with expectancy. "I don't know," he said miserably. "Scared, I guess."

  "Of me?"

  Jesse snorted. "No. Of me. Of what you made me feel."

  "What did you feel?"

  The intensity of her gaze trapped Jesse and he realized there was no escape. "It was like nothing had changed, no time had passed since the last time I held you."

  "But there was a change, Jesse. You never made love to me like you did last night. It was as if you were trying to punish me for something."

  That she could so accurately name his original intent shook Jesse to the bone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

  She leaned closer, wanting to reassure him. "You didn't. Not physically, anyway."

  The scent he'd smelled earlier grew stronger until his brain grew fuzzy and his senses heightened, blinding him to all but the woman whose hand still rested on his heart. "Mandy," he murmured, his voice growing husky. "Oh, Mandy," he sighed as he dipped his face to claim her lips.

  With the first brush of his mouth against hers, Mandy felt the difference. Softness, tenderness, regret. Nothing at all like that first kiss the night before when his lips had punished, his hands had demanded retribution for a crime she was innocent of.

  This was Jesse. Her Jesse. The man she'd fallen in love with as a teenaged girl. Tearing her hand from his, she threw her arms around his neck and clung. He responded with a groan that rose from deep in his throat and climbed to vibrate against her lips like a guitar's plucked string. Twisting around, he used his chest to ease her to the bed and Mandy went willingly, holding his face to hers with fingers twined in his thick black hair. She wouldn't, couldn't let go of him. Not now, not when they'd finally put to rest that night from long ago when they'd each thought they'd lost the other. Not ever.

  His hand slipped inside her robe and Mandy gasped, arching to meet him, then grew limp, her shoulders sinking back to the tangled sheets as he palmed a bare breast. Closing her eyes, she gave herself up to each stroke of his fingers, each scrape of his thumb across her sensitized nipple. The gentleness, the utter tenderness of his touch, drew memories of other times he'd touched her just so. Now, as she had then, she quickly grew impatient to touch him as well.

  She skimmed her hands across the breadth of his back, feeling each corded muscle, each swell and dip of his spine. When her fingers inadvertently brushed against the bandage she'd placed there, he flinched and she immediately stilled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

  He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes dark with a passion that fevered her skin. "It's just a little tender is all. You didn't hurt me."

  Smiling softly, she smoothed her hands upwards, over the sharp blades of his shoulders, to frame his face with her hands. "I love you, Jesse," she whispered. "I've never stopped loving you."

  The truth of it was there in her eyes, in the soft curve of her lips. "Querida," he groaned, reverting to his native language. "My love." He shifted, dipping his head, and took her mouth with his as he shucked out of his jeans. With his tongue, he prepared her, teased her with what was to come.

  Once free of his jeans, he braced his hands on the mattress on either side of her head and lowered himself to her. Lifting his head, he met her gaze, watching as the passion built on her face. With a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes, he entered her, then carried her higher with each slow, measured thrust until she was gasping beneath him. He increased the rhythm, carrying them both higher and higher, until perspiration beaded their skins like early-morning dew.

  He felt the explosion build within her, felt her nails dig into his back, and knew she was near the edge. Cupping his hands beneath her hips, he brought her hard against him, thrusting one last time … and felt her shatter around him. Then and only then did he allow himself the release that he so desperately needed.

  Weakened by spent passion, he gathered her into his arms and pulled her on top of him. Her robe tangled around his legs and a pain shot through his back as he took her full weight. But Jesse didn't care. Mandy loved him and that was all that mattered. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her head to his shoulder.

  "Sleep, querida. Sleep," he murmured.

  Dawn brought sunlight to the room, but no regrets for Mandy. She'd awakened him every hour through the night, fearing he'd suffered a concussion from Judas' attack. As a result, neither of them had gotten much sleep.

  The lump on his head had decreased somewhat in size during the night, but was already beginning to turn a vibrant shade of purple. Tenderly she placed her lips there, feeling more than a bit responsible for him being hurt.

  "What was that for?"

  Mandy smiled at the grogginess in his voice. "Just a little kiss for medicinal purposes."

  Yawning, Jesse hooked an arm around her waist and snugged her closer. "Medicinal, huh?" he murmured, closing his eyes again.

  Enjoying this early-morning pillow talk, Mandy inched closer. "Does it feel better?"

  "'It' being the knot on my head?"

  "Yes," she replied, chuckling. "What else did you think I meant?"

  "Well, you could've been asking about my back."

  Mandy lifted her head, instantly concerned. "Does your back hurt?"

  "No, but there is something else that's beginning to ache a little."

  Hearing the teasing in his voice, Mandy gave his chest a hard shove. "You jerk!"

  Jesse chuckled, catching her hand in his. "Had you worried there for a minute, didn't I?"

  Huffily, Mandy settled her cheek back on her hand. "Only for a minute."

  "Let's get married."

  Mandy's head immediately popped right back up. "What did you say?"

  Jesse wasn't sure when the idea had occurred to him, nor was he sure why he'd blurted out the suggestion so bluntly, but he never
questioned the rightness of it. They were destined for each other, had been since the day they'd first met. But Mandy's shock had him propping himself up on one elbow to meet her gaze. "I said let's get married."

  Slowly, Mandy pushed herself to a sitting position, scraping her hair back from her face with two hands. "Married?" she repeated dully as she stared at the far wall.

  "Yeah, married. You know, 'I do,' 'you do,' husband and wife."

  Mandy hauled in a shuddery breath before turning to look at him. "Jesse, we can't."

  "We can't?" he repeated in disbelief. "But you said you loved me, and I love you. Isn't that all that's required for a man and woman to decide to spend their lives together?"

  Seeing that she'd hurt him, Mandy laid a hand on his cheek. "Yes, but … but what about Jaime?"

  "What about him? He's my son and it's past time I claimed him as such."

  Twisting around to face him, Mandy tried her best to explain. "But, Jesse, as far as Jaime is concerned, you and I have only known each other for just a few weeks. To suddenly announce that we're getting married, then to drop the bomb on him that you're his father…" She shook her head, pressing her palms against her temples as she envisioned what a shock that would be for her son. "We just can't," she repeated. "It's simply too soon."

  "For who? You or Jaime?"

  Mandy dropped her hands, surprised by the bitterness in his voice. "For Jaime," she said, touching a hand to his cheek. "It's Jaime I'm concerned about. We've got to consider his feelings in all this."

  Though she could tell Jesse wasn't happy with her decision, she could feel the tension ease from his face.

  "Okay. But we're not dragging this out forever," he warned her. "We've wasted enough time as it is."

  "He didn't come home last night, did he?"

  Pete heaved a block of salt lick into the back of his truck. "Wouldn't know," he replied as he dusted coarse granules from his hands. "I don't keep track of the boy's whereabouts like you do."

  Margo thinned her lips. "But you'd know if he came home or not. You do share the bunkhouse with him."

  "Yep, as a matter of fact I do." Pete tipped back his hat and grinned which had Margo's lips thinning even more. "But I sleep like the dead. Once I'm out, a herd of spooked buffalo could stampede right through the bunkhouse and I'd never be the wiser."

  "I suppose you think that's funny," Margo snapped.

  "No, ma'am. As a matter of fact, I don't." He stooped to pick up another block of salt lick and hefted it to his shoulder, then turned to grin at her again. "But I do find it amusin' that you're concerned about where and how Jesse spends his time. Might make another man wonder if you weren't worried just a bit about the boy's safety." He heaved the salt onto the back of the truck and chuckled as he turned to her again. "But of course we both know that's not true, now don't we, Margo?"

  Later that same morning, Mandy turned to glance out her office window when she heard a truck on the drive beyond. A black semi pulling a long, custom-built horse trailer passed by on the way to the barn. Pushing out of her chair, she pressed her nose to the window to read the writing on the side of the trailer.

  Barrister Farms. Noble, Oklahoma.

  "What in the world?" she murmured under her breath. Tossing her pen aside, she ran for the door and through the house, anxious to find out what the truck was doing on the Double-Cross.

  At the barn, she stopped, breathless, to find Jesse standing behind the trailer talking to the truck's driver as he unhooked the trailer's rear door and swung it wide.

  "Jesse?"

  He turned to look at her and a smile broadened on his face. Mandy felt the heat of it all the way to her toes. "Good morning," he said, his voice husky.

  "Good morning to you, too," she replied as she stepped closer. She waved her hand at the trailer. "What is all this?"

  A blush stained Jesse's cheeks. "A little surprise for Jaime. I hope you don't mind?"

  Mandy let out a nervous breath. "Before I tell you if I mind or not, maybe you should tell me what the surprise is."

  Jesse cut a glance at the man who stood beside him. "Mandy, I'd like you to meet the foreman of my ranch in Oklahoma, Jim Bonner. Jim, this is Mandy McCloud."

  The man scraped off his hat and extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

  Surprised to learn that Jesse had a ranch in Oklahoma, Mandy shook the foreman's hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, too, Mr. Bonner." As soon as he released her hand, she turned to Jesse again. "Do you mind telling me what is going on here?"

  Jesse chuckled. "Well, since Jaime's pretty much mastered roping that bale of hay, I thought he might need a roping horse to test his skills on, so I had one of mine shipped down here." He stepped to the side, gesturing toward the back of the trailer. "Want a look?"

  Unable to resist, Mandy stepped to the back of the trailer and peered inside. The interior was state-of-the-art; stainless-steel railings topped with black padding. From the center slant, a paint horse turned his head to stare at her. "Oh, my goodness," she murmured. "He's beautiful."

  "He's that, all right, and a damned good roping horse to boot."

  "Do you raise horses on your ranch in Oklahoma?"

  Jesse nodded. "And train them, too. This paint was one of my first foals." Anxious to unload the horse, Jesse dropped the ramp, unhooked the chain and climbed inside the trailer. Murmuring softly to the animal, he unhooked the lead rope and backed the horse down the ramp, still clucking to him.

  Mandy stepped back, giving the horse room, then joined Jesse at the paint's head. "Oh, he's gorgeous," she said, stroking his velvet muzzle. "Does Jaime know about this?"

  "No. I wanted to surprise him."

  Mandy turned to look at him. "Oh, he'll be surprised all right," she replied dryly. "I'll be lucky if he does another chore for the rest of the summer."

  "We could put some restrictions on him," Jesse offered, lifting a hand to scratch the horse between his ears.

  At the word "we," Mandy felt her heart flutter. The idea of sharing parental responsibilities didn't bother her in the least, and that Jesse was willing to share the burden pleased her immensely. "Such as?" she prompted, anxious to hear what he had to say.

  "Well, how about if we tell him he can't ride until he has all his chores done?"

  "And if he breaks the rules?"

  Jesse chuckled. "Then he faces the consequences."

  Intrigued by the ease with which Jesse had stepped into the role of father, she turned to look up at him curiously. "What would be the consequences?"

  Jesse dipped his head, scratching at his chin. "I suppose we'd have to deprive him of something that brings him the most pleasure, just to make our point. Seems to me, that would be to deny him the privilege of riding for a day or two." Inexperienced with dealing with kids and discipline, Jesse lifted his gaze to Mandy's, seeking her approval. "Would that be appropriate?"

  Mandy smiled. "Perfectly. But I think it would also be appropriate for you to explain the consequences to him and enforce them, since you're the one who's giving him the horse."

  "Coward," Jesse teased.

  Mandy looked up at him and grinned. "Maybe, but I play the villain often enough in his life. I think it's time you became someone more than just his friend."

  "Hey! Whose horse is that?"

  Mandy and Jesse both turned to find Jaime racing across the barnyard toward them. Biting back a smile, Mandy folded her arms beneath her breasts. "No time like the present," she murmured, just loud enough for Jesse to hear.

  Margo dropped the phone back onto its base, cursing violently, then immediately picked it up again and punched in a series of numbers. "Representative Gaines, please. Margo Barrister calling."

  She waited only a few seconds before the legislator's booming voice came over the wire. "Margo, how are you?"

  "Fine, Matthew. And you?"

  "Better now that I'm talking to you," he teased. "What can I do for you?"

  Margo caught the phone cord between her fingers a
nd spun her chair to stare out Wade's office window—her office now, she was quick to remind herself. "I was wondering if you got that check I mailed for your campaign fund?"

  "Yes, I did. And a generous one, I might add. Thank you."

  "No thanks needed, Matthew. I always consider my contributions to your campaign an investment." She tipped forward in her chair, watching as Jesse's truck raced by on its way to the bunkhouse. "I need a small favor, Matthew," she murmured, narrowing an eye at Jesse as he swung down from the truck's cab.

  "As always, Margo, I'm at your service, both as the representative from your district and as a dear friend."

  Margo frowned at the sugarcoated reply. She hated politicians, but then again, she had found her association with them had paid off for her now and again over the years. "I've just heard a rumor that someone is going to make an offer on the Circle Bar."

  Matthew's voice took a sympathetic turn. "I'm so sorry, Margo. I'd heard that Wade didn't leave the ranch to you."

  Margo had to fight back the urge to scream. To think that her private affairs were being bandied about the capital like common gossip sickened her as much as had hearing the terms of Wade's will read to her. Tightening her fingers on the receiver, she replied carefully, "Thank you for your concern, Matthew." Then, forcing a laugh, she added, "But what in the world would I want with the ranch? I find it difficult enough to find the time to manage my own investments." She took a steadying breath. "But it is my concern for the ranch that spawned this call.

  "You know how much Wade wanted the ranch to stay in the family," she explained. "That's why he left it to Jesse." She shuddered at the sour taste the bastard's name left in her mouth.

  "So what's the problem?" Matthew quizzed.

  "Well," Margo replied, taking on a secretive tone. "Jesse has indicated that he wants to sell out."

  "Oh, that's too bad. I'm sure Wade would be disappointed if he knew that."

  "Yes, he would. But the worst part is that I'm afraid it is the McClouds who are wanting to purchase the Circle Bar. Wade would never want the Circle Bar to fall into the hands of the McClouds. And that's why I'm calling you. A source who must remain unnamed has just told me that Amanda McCloud has set up a dummy corporation to make the purchase, hoping that no one will discover her part in the exchange until the deed has been transferred."