The Cattleman

by Angi Morgan

  “We didn’t really get a chance to talk much before you took off. Your mom mentioned she saw you. So I, um...I just thought it would look better if I seemed excited to greet you.”

  “Right. It has nothing to do with how anxious you are to hear what I found out there? And it doesn’t have anything to do with whether I decided to walk away from all this or stay and help you with your cover?”

  “Go ahead, drive. I’m not in any hurry to hear anything.” She leaned back, trying to look casual. It didn’t look good on her. He liked that she stood and sat straight. Taller than everyone in the room except for him. Casual didn’t fit. “I really didn’t care when you got back. You were gone three days. I can’t help it if people began to wonder why you left.”

  “On the very day you arrived, too. Must have been hard to explain. Probably even harder to your friend McCrea. My parents get it. I leave all the time.”

  “Makes no difference to me. I get paid the same, whether you help or not.”

  She clenched her jaw just as she did when holding her opinion to herself with the task force. Her teeth might split in two if she bit down any harder.

  “And what if I said I did see something in one of the box canyons. Is there still no rush?” He watched the raven-black braid fly from its casual spot across her breast to hit the Wrangler seat as she turned to face him. It was hard to hold back his laughter. He raised his eyebrows and clenched his jaw so he’d appear serious. “Want me to take the long way home?”

  “Are you kidding? Why are we waiting here?” The smoldering look she returned spoke every ounce of the frustration she’d obviously experienced. “We need to get a team together and get there as fast as possible. You should have called.”

  He scratched the three days of beard. “I’ll be glad to hit the shower and get some of this stink off me.”

  “Then why don’t we go to the house?”

  He flipped his seatbelt off his shoulder and stood in the worn seat, gesturing for her to follow. She did. He leaned forward on the windshield frame like he had many times in the past year, just looking. And wondering where the men were who had ordered his death.

  “Have you taken a look at a map, Beth? Do you have any idea how long it takes to get anywhere in this country? Especially on horseback?”

  “Believe me, I study area maps all the time. In between my daily chores, that is. We should get moving. There’s a lot to arrange.”

  Agent Conrad had ranch chores? He swallowed his surprise. Who did he have to thank for that bit of pleasure? “I should have thought of assigning you duties before I left.” He waved a hand in an arch toward his land. “Tell me what you see, Beth.”

  “A lot of nothing in that direction. The ranch is behind us. What’s your point?”

  “That’s exactly my point.” He was disappointed, but she said what he’d expected to hear. How most people reacted. “You see nothing.”

  “Can you stop speaking in riddles, Nick? So there’s a lot of nothing between us and wherever this box canyon is. How far can we take the cars?”

  She was such an attractive, competent woman. It would have been nice to imagine her here because she wanted to be. Because she saw the beauty of the land just like he did. Of course, appreciating the ranch had taken quite a while for him. He couldn’t expect that reaction from anyone overnight. Or even in three weeks.

  Making love to Beth had been a welcome reward for getting pulled into that cold water cistern after she’d been dumped there by her horse. He’d been looking forward to getting her onto a soft mattress once or twice before she headed back to Chicago. But that was before she’d declared herself his protector and had been assigned permanently to this idiotic task force.

  She tapped the back roll bar. He remembered her long manicured nails. The vivid memory of them being dragged across his back and then barely touching the puckered bullet scar had combined both of his dreams into one.

  The best and worst thing that had happened this past year.

  He pointed to the highest spot in front of them. “Up there is where most of the activity’s been.”

  The sun was setting. Still high enough to just catch the hilltops and make Nick shade his eyes.

  “It was clear this morning. No signs they’d been there in a while. Then I had a fight with one who destroyed my cell and stole my horse. I tracked the horse, waited until they pulled out and came home. In the time it took me to ride down, I’ve seen dust clouds. Heard sounds of a second chopper.”

  “Let’s go. Now.” She popped into her seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her head tilted up to him. “I will find these guys and put an end to the threat they pose.”

  “No, you won’t. That’s the point. In all this vastness, you can’t do this alone. Not without a lot of help and manpower. You have neither. Just me and a lot of ground to cover. You think of me as just a rancher, someone to teach you the necessary skills to complete your mission so you can move on. But I live here. This is my land, my home.”

  “Look, I realize they twisted your arm to help me and that you might be—”

  “No one can force me to do this, Beth,” he interrupted before she could make him angry. Hell, she’d already made him angry. “Here’s a secret, I don’t live here because I have no choice. I’m not afraid. You need to stop thinking that I am or we’ll never leave the paddock.”

  “I don’t think of you that way, Nick.” Shoulders back, shades on the top of her head, she implored him with her eyes alone. “I never could. If I didn’t respect your skills, I wouldn’t have asked for your help.”

  “You’re asking this time instead of the DEA?”

  She laughed, tossing her braid over her shoulder, making him wish those gorgeous black locks were flying free in the wind. “The DEA doesn’t need to learn to ride one of those monsters you call a horse.”

  The sun disappeared. Staying up here would give credence to their engagement story. If he was going through with this charade. “I had another reason for stopping.”

  “It can’t wait?”

  “Man alive, you’re just flat impatient.”

  “I’m efficient.” The little remaining light was behind her and he couldn’t see her expression. But the agent had returned, standing straight and resting her hand on her hip.

  “I stopped to give you a chance to say something without my mom and dad in the room. Don’t you have something to ask me?”

  She jumped from the Wrangler and walked around to the hood, lightly hitting it with the palm of her hand.

  “I don’t think I should. You’ve obviously made up your mind that this is a hopeless situation and you’re unwilling to help. I’ll just go back to the B and B tonight.”

  “There you go jumping to conclusions again.” He’d decided to go through with this earlier and he didn’t know why he wanted to tease her so much with what ifs now. But it felt right. “You mentioned something about a fake engagement so everyone thinks your staying here is legit.”

  “Yes. Does that mean you’re agreeing to teach me how to operate in this territory?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. But I’ll teach you what you need to get by.”

  “Yes.” She did a classic double fist pump gesture for emphasis.

  “That is if you ask me. And if I were you...” He ducked under the roll bar to the ground. “I’d ask me real nice-like. Bended knee, the whole shebang.”

  “Oh, my gosh. You can’t be serious. It’s a fake engagement.”

  He gestured to the rocky ground again. “Not to everyone out there.”

  “You’re for real? You want me to kneel? No one can see us. Oh, all right. Whatever.” She shoved his chest, causing him to retreat a step and giving her room to bend on one knee. “Okay. So. Um, Nick Burke, will you?”

  “Wait. I think you’re supposed to hold my hand or something.”

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, sighing as if touching him was going to absolutely kill her. “Will you marry me?”

 
; “Marry you? I don’t even know you.” For some unexplained reason he couldn’t help teasing her.

  “Okay, that’s it. I’m out of here.”

  He squeezed her hand, keeping her where she was while he knelt in front of her. Their thighs touched. It was clear that two layers of jeans weren’t enough to stop the sparks he remembered.

  “Go ahead. I’m ready and will behave.”

  “Again?” Beth cracked her neck exactly like she did before taking aim. “Fine. Will you marry me?” she asked in one long monotone breath.

  “Sure. But I want to be up-front with you. I believe in long engagements.” He helped her to her feet.

  “Thank heaven.” She started to slip away.

  Someone probably watched them through the telescope they had on the patio. That’s how his mom would have known he was close. He knew it, but Beth didn’t. The entire gesture thing was to make her cover story believable. He should tell her. But not telling her for a minute was much more fun.

  As many times as they’d kissed, even the first night they’d kissed, they’d never been standing. Now he held her close to his chest and slid his arms around her back.

  “What the heck do you think you’re do—”

  He kissed her. And kissed her again before her hands went from trying to push him away to sliding around his neck. Her lips were as soft as he remembered. She tasted like fruit. Strawberry or maybe cherry.

  It was hard to remember that someone, most likely both his parents, were taking turns watching. His fingers itched to drop a few inches and curve around her shapely bottom. Instead he wrapped them around her waist and explored her cool mouth.

  When they came up for air, Beth’s dimple was prominent in her cheek.

  “Worth going down on one knee?”

  “Don’t get so full of yourself.” She pointed a finger in his chest. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out this was for your mother’s benefit. I finally remembered the telescope.”

  There wasn’t a sharp jab from the tip of her finger. He grabbed her hand and took a closer look. “You cut your nails?”

  “I realized it would be better if they were short. Easier to do ranch work. I took care of it in Alpine with Kate. I don’t mind.”

  He did. He’d miss them. “Kate? When did you see her?”

  “We went shopping. I needed appropriate clothes if I was going to take my turn mucking stalls like everybody else.”

  “I have hands for that. Who the hell said we took turns?”

  “Great. Just great. I am going to kill your father,” she said through gritted teeth as she walked back to her seat.

  “Hey, Beth?” A Wrangler width’s between them and he continued to feel the heat she’d created being against his body. He wanted to stay and wait for the stars to come out instead of heading toward the house. He was very tempted to ask but that wasn’t the objective. “There’s another reason for you to stay on the ranch besides my mom’s ultimatum.”

  He could see her smile, her brilliantly white teeth showing in spite of the darkening sky. Time to fill her in on his adventure at the canyon.

  “I’m going to find who the cartel has spying at the Rocking B. I’m ending this once and for all.”

  Chapter Six

  “I’m telling you that they ain’t doing nothing except riding. Day after day, that’s it. Burke ain’t going nowhere. He ain’t taking off like he used to. Not even to town. And there ain’t been a soul come to visit them. Nobody. That makes it too risky.”

  The past several weeks had been very frustrating for their organization. Their Rook had been captured, leaving only the three of them. The promised weapons had been confiscated. And this American imbecile was getting on his nerves.

  “We want him out of the way. Do you understand?” he asked, expecting the appropriate response.

  “No. Spell it out for me. ’Cause you don’t and won’t ever pay me enough to take care of that kind of a problem. Do you understand?”

  Impertinent fool. If the organization had anyone else to take their place on the ranch, his men would chop the body in pieces for the Coahuila desert mountain lions to feed upon. They needed this little pawn, much to his distaste.

  “I understand perfectly. It’s a shame you do not. All we require is an opportunity to present itself.”

  “They ain’t givin’ you none.”

  “I have excellent hearing and I heard you earlier. Perhaps we are paying you enough to give them a false lead? Once they’re in the open, I have men who understand their jobs and can take care of the problem.”

  “When are you thinking? There’s no way I can pull something off before tonight. But everybody’s talking about what happened last year, him being shot and all.”

  “Tomorrow will be soon enough.”

  “I’ll call ya.”

  The line disconnected.

  “I’m sure you will,” he said, setting the phone on the table.

  As he sat on the gold brocade settee, he studied the four chess boards to his left. Each one a separate opponent. One—the Rook’s board—would go unfinished. He didn’t care for that scenario.

  Unfinished bothered him.

  As did the unfinished business of Nick Burke. He shouldn’t have trusted the money-fixated foreman to take care of that particular problem last year. His personal men would have been more efficient and they might have had control over the property by now.

  “Working in that area is one constant irritation after another.”

  “What’s that, senor?” Michael set a dinner tray on the end table.

  He’d been so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed he was no longer alone. It re-emphasized just how annoyed he was.

  “Nothing, nothing. I was thinking aloud. Nothing to bother with, Michael.”

  “Do you need anything else this evening, Senor Obispo?”

  “No, and tell the rest of the staff I do not want to be disturbed.”

  “Very well, senor. Buenas noches.” Michael gently pulled the door closed, leaving the room silent.

  Perfect.

  They all knew him as Senor Obispo. “Mr. Bishop.” He pulled the dark wine-colored bishop from the game he’d been playing with the Rook. He would have won in four moves.

  Senor Obispo could afford to bask in his victory. He rolled the cool marble between his fingers and gripped it in his palm. Mr. Bishop needed action—swift, sincere, artless. He stared at the other three boards against the wall. His opponents were merciless. He mustn’t fall behind in any of the games.

  The one adversary he truly wanted to outmaneuver was Burke. The game would be simplified when he did. How many moves would it finally take to defeat him? An inconsequential nobody who didn’t know he was at war?

  Tomorrow. His answer was patience. Tomorrow the game would change.

  Chapter Seven

  Hand to hand. Hip to hip. Chest to chest. Back to front. Tense muscle to tense muscle.

  Beth drew in the sexy scent off Nick’s shoulder pressed very near her mouth. Nice. Enticing. Erotic. Off-limits.

  “No, not spread. You’ll lose your balance. One foot slightly ahead.”

  “Like this?” His lowered voice sent tingly shivers throughout her body, teasing the cells that remembered his light but firm touch under the stars.

  “Yeah.” She gulped air through her mouth, trying not to smell his intoxicating musk and get turned on even more.

  Another move had his rock-hard back pressed against her breasts. Her in a workout tank and him in a sleeveless undershirt only stirred the memory of when no cotton cloth had separated them. She had a stranglehold around his neck, his hand was behind her head, fingers twisted in her hair. She wasn’t threatened, only proud when his free hand followed through and she was forced to release him.

  The daily encounters of physical contact with Nick were probably the only things keeping Beth sane on the ranch. She was in charge, the expert. She could hear her parents drilling the phrase “knowledge is power” into her brain.
They’d forced her to learn constantly. It had driven her at school, at college and at work. Not any longer.

  Book smarts couldn’t make up for experience.

  Constantly learning about riding and horses kept her busy, but also made her feel inadequate. Where her parents were concerned, she’d never be the smartest person in the room. And here at the ranch she was once again the student. She’d never enjoyed that position. It made her feel totally vulnerable.

  More so than having Nick’s hands casually touch her during a lesson or when he was pretending to be her fiancé.

  Nick didn’t hold back while they were working out, so neither could she. He was an avid student, forcing her to teach defensive moves she’d learned from instructors years ago. They trained in a silent barn before everyone awoke. At a horrible hour before anyone should be awake.

  “Your elbow should catch them a little higher.” Her soft voice was to hide their secret workout. She wished she could protect herself from his knowing eyes as easily. He could tell when she was close to breaking their agreement about no sex.

  He could tell and he would tease her mercilessly.

  Nick raised her exhausted arms, bringing them back around his neck for another try. More pressure, a tighter hold, slick skin, more effort. A breath across her ear made her lose focus. He chuckled. She wanted this one as a win. Forearms, elbows, she pushed the exercise out of her mind and dealt with the threat.

  He spread his feet. That was her opportunity and with a determination she’d thought she’d forgotten, Nick went down.

  “Damn, woman.” He moaned a second or two with his eyes closed. “When are you teaching me that move?” He stuck his hand blindly in the air, expecting her to help him stand as she’d done each time before.

  “You didn’t angle your feet.” Touching him was difficult, but she did. They clasped forearms and he stood.

  Face-to-face, his chest only inches away from hers. Closer than she felt comfortable allowing others. Not close enough to satisfy the desire building inside either of them. She could see his rapid pulse, caught the slight jerk when they touched and witnessed the heat in his eyes.