Barefoot Blue Jean Night

by Debbi Rawlins

  She cleared her throat and glanced at the small jar he’d switched to his other hand. “What’s that?”

  “Some liniment that should help.”

  “Rachel already gave me something.”

  “This is better.”

  With some effort, Jamie straightened and watched him set the unmarked jar on the bedside table. He hadn’t let go of her hand yet, and that was fine with her. “Not that I don’t trust you, but why didn’t Rachel give me that in the first place?”

  “Probably because it stinks like hell.”

  “Ah. A homemade remedy, I take it.”

  “It’s something the Blackfoot use.”

  She tilted her head back to gaze up at him. His brown eyes shouldn’t have been anything unusual, except they were. No gold or amber flecks to distinguish them, but somehow they stirred a need inside her to find out what lurked behind his carefully passive gaze.

  Before she realized she was going to touch him, she reached up and ran the pad of her thumb over his high strong cheekbones. “Do the McAllisters have some Native American blood?”

  Surprise flickered in his eyes, but he didn’t even flinch. “Nothing I can prove.”

  “You boys all have dark hair and eyes, but then Rachel is so fair like your mother.”

  His hand closed a bit more tightly around hers. “Trace has green eyes.”

  “Does he?”

  Cole smiled. “He’d be offended that you didn’t notice.”

  “Then we won’t tell him.” She smiled back, thinking about how the rest of the women had fluttered around Trace earlier. Sure, he was a cutie and charming as hell, but something about Cole’s reluctant smile and the way his left brow seemed to lift at will made her toes curl.

  She was still touching his face. For no reason. Other than that she liked it, and she’d started to hope it would lead to a kiss. “Thanks,” she said, finally forcing herself to lower her hand.

  “I wager it doesn’t feel like it, but you’re doing the right thing by moving around.” He released her, too, and stepped back to give her room.

  “I know. Tonight humiliation won out. Tomorrow I’ll walk out some of this stiffness.”

  “Better if you do it now.”

  Her gaze went to the window, even though she’d already drawn the drapes. “It’s dark.”

  “There’s a full moon, no clouds.” He shrugged. “I’ll take you for a stroll if you’d like.”

  A walk in the moonlight with Cole? She had to think about it…for at least half a second. “Uh, yeah, that would be great. If I’m not putting you out.”

  “Nope.”

  She glanced down at her shorts. She never wore them outdoors but sometimes slept in them. They didn’t leave much to the imagination. “Should I change?”

  “No need.”

  The painful thought of trying to yank on jeans made her shudder. These would have to do. Besides, the way some of the other women had dressed for drinks and dinner, one would’ve thought they were vacationing on a beach.

  “You might want to take care of that, though,” Cole said in that low husky drawl of his.

  She looked at him, saw him shooting uneasy glances at her chest. Ah. Her buttons. She’d forgotten that she’d unfastened them. Both flaps of her yellow Henley top lay back, forming a V that exposed a wedge of cream-colored lace and more cleavage than she could truthfully claim, thanks to her uplift bra. Talk about false advertising.

  “Ah, right.” She pulled the flaps together. “I should change.”

  “Not on my account.”

  “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Buttoned, the top was fine. It was the brief shorts…

  Cole chuckled. “Honey, if it were up to me…” He trailed off, shaking his head, his expression part-irritated, part-amused. “How about I wait for you outside?”

  “No. Wait. What were you going to say?” she asked, grinning, excitement fluttering in her belly.

  “Just poking fun at myself.” He moved to the door, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at his mouth.

  “Come on.”

  “Take your time. I’ll be out front.” He grabbed the doorknob.

  “You big fat yellow-bellied chicken.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a polite nod as he opened the door.

  “Don’t leave me to hobble out there by myself. I’m going to need help.”

  His dry look told her that he knew she was totally lying. Okay, so she might not need his help but she did want him to walk out with her. She’d seen Tammy and Lynn, the two brunettes from Chicago, giving him the onceover, and heard their remarks. Better the pair of vultures saw that she had first dibs on him.

  “Please, Cole.” She limped pathetically toward him.

  His gaze went down her legs. “Shoes?”

  “Oh, yeah, that would help.” The thought of bending over and pulling on her running shoes made her want to weep. Maybe the walk wasn’t worth it. She could stay in her room and groan in peace through a few stretching exercises.

  He found her shoes stashed beside the dresser and then motioned with his chin toward the bed.

  “What?”

  “Sit,” he ordered, obviously mistaking her hesitation for confusion, and held out his hand to her.

  She frowned, curious and oddly turned on as she let him steady her to a perch at the edge of the bed.

  He crouched down, scooped her heel into the palm of his large hand and set her foot on his knee. She clenched her teeth together to keep from bloodying her lower lip, wishing she wore a dainty size-six shoe instead of a big honking nine. Still, she’d gotten a pedicure a week ago so that was something to be thankful for. Plus the socks he’d grabbed were clean.

  She watched him slide the white socks over her polished pink toenails, over her foot, his hands incredibly gentle as he tugged the band snugly in place around her ankle. He carefully kept his eyes on his task, not once letting his gaze wander up her leg, his cautious avoidance telling her more than he’d probably appreciate her interpreting.

  Not that she was a paragon of logic at the moment. The whole thing was crazy. Watching him switch to the other foot, she tried to keep still, tried not to think about her tightened nipples or how insanely intimate this seemed.

  Jamie’s only one-night stand, hours after Kaylee had stood at that altar and said “I do,” hadn’t come close to the intimacy of Cole slipping on her socks. For her, anyway. All this stuff going full-speed in her head, and he probably wasn’t giving any of it a second thought.

  He finished making sure her shoes were on and tied, and finally met her eyes as he pushed up to a standing position. His dilated pupils made her breathing stutter. He put out his hand and she took it, his skin warm against her cool damp palm.

  Men didn’t normally throw her off balance like this. She lowered her gaze, not crazy about the idea of not being fully in control. On the other hand, those were some mesmerizing dark eyes.

  She smiled. “Ready?”

  “Give me a minute. I have to stop by my room.”

  “Shall I wait here?”

  “Up to you. I’m right next door.”

  “Oh.” She tried to look cool, but hot damn.

  * * *

  COLE LEFT HER IN THE HALL while he ducked inside. It shouldn’t matter that her room was next to his. It wasn’t as though he walked or talked in his sleep, but he didn’t like her being so close, sharing a wall with him.

  So why the hell was he going for a walk with her? He’d been around long enough to know that from some women a man simply needed to keep his distance. Sometimes you understood why—the reason was as plain as a mare in heat—and sometimes you couldn’t nail down the problem, you just knew.

  Jamie Daniels fell into the latter category.

  He headed straight for the attached bathroom, turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face. A quick walk once around the house and maybe the stables. Then he’d bring her back, part company with her at the bottom of the stairs. She�
�d come up to her room, and he’d go to the study and clear some paperwork. No big deal.

  After drying his face, he used some mouthwash and stared at himself in the mirror. One thing was for certain, he was too damn old to be having that jittery feeling in his gut knowing it was going to be just Jamie and him in the moonlight.

  Hell, he was just horny. Bella hadn’t been in town for a while, and in a small place like Blackfoot Falls, he pretty much knew every woman over eighteen. He couldn’t see himself getting serious with any of them, but he could get in a whole lot of trouble if he were stupid enough to ask a local woman out on more than three dates. Inevitably she’d get the wrong idea and then there would be hurt feelings and too much gossip. That was the good thing about living in a city, Noah had told him. Women there weren’t quick to think marriage. Some good sex…until it wasn’t good anymore…and then everyone went on with their lives. Of course there were exceptions, but it wasn’t as if you had a whole town following your every move.

  He’d bet his boots Jamie could be one of those level-headed women. Problem was, he’d warned the men to watch themselves around the guests, and wouldn’t it be something if he were the one to set a precedent?

  Nah. Knowing Trace, he’d probably already done that honor. Cole tossed the hand towel on the rack and finger-combed his hair. Past due for a trim. Maybe he’d make the time to run into town and visit Sherman tomorrow. The barber would be surprised to see him. Cole had been letting Hilda whack at his hair when he couldn’t stand it sticking to the back of his neck. But she was busier now with all the guests to cook for and clean up after. He wouldn’t bother her.

  He’d only been gone a minute but Jamie wasn’t in the hall where he’d left her. She stood at the top of the staircase, staring out the front window at the moon. It was something to see, all right—big and full, shining with an otherworldly glow.

  Times like this made him glad he’d been stubborn about putting in that window.

  Folks in town had thought he was nuts when he’d started the project. They’d been quick to point out that if he wanted to watch the sun set or the moon rise, all he had to do was step outside. Then the hands had teased him mercilessly about being a sappy romantic. Hell, that had nothing to do with it. He’d figured it was a shame to shut out that kind of beauty. No harm in letting creation in.

  Jamie looked over as he approached. “I have never seen a moon like this. Not even in Tahiti or Fiji where the light pollution is low.” She turned back to the window. “This is incredible. I feel as though I can reach out and touch it.”

  He was foolishly pleased with her reaction. As if he’d had something to do with the damn moon. They stared out in silence for a few moments, and then she smiled at him, giving him a long enough look that he wondered if he should’ve used a real comb on his hair.

  Laughter drifted up from the great room, and Jamie blinked. “Ready if you are,” she said softly.

  He nodded, gestured for her to go first. But the staircase was wide enough that they fell into step abreast of each other and, by tacit agreement, remained quiet until they were out the front door, no one the wiser.

  The moonlight was enough. No need for artificial light, even though some of it flooded out of the east barn and the bunkhouse. Cole steered her to the right, where there would be less chance of running into anyone. The issue wasn’t so much about wanting her alone as it was about the men getting the wrong idea.

  He glanced down at her profile—the slightly upturned nose, the long thick lashes, the curve of her pink lips as she gazed up at the sky. She hadn’t said a single word since the top of the stairs. He couldn’t recall a woman so unhurried to fill the silence with frivolous chatter.

  Hell, maybe it wasn’t so bad wanting her to himself for a while. She wasn’t just pretty, she was smart and easygoing, sensible…except for insisting on riding too long.

  “How’s the stiffness?” he asked.

  “Not bad, really. I think I bruised my pride more than anything else.”

  Cole smiled. “The ointment won’t help with that.”

  “Oh, my God, that ointment.” She made a face. “I took a whiff of that stuff while you were in your room. The pain might be preferable.”

  “Might want to think again. Keeps away rattlers, too.”

  “I wouldn’t doubt it,” she said, then stopped. “Are there snakes around here?”

  “Not where you’ll be stepping.” He touched the small of her back, and she drew closer.

  He wasn’t sure what to do about that new development. He hadn’t meant anything except to reassure her. But he couldn’t say he minded her nearness….

  Or when she slipped an arm through his and peered up at him. “Do you mind?” she asked, her eyes wide and questioning. “The air’s a bit cooler than I expected.”

  “It’s the altitude. Once the sun goes down…” Damn, he should’ve known better. He was okay in a T-shirt, but he wished he had something to offer for around her shoulders. “Did you want to go back inside?”

  “No,” she said quickly. “It feels good after today’s heat. I’m just surprised.”

  He felt a little awkward, not knowing if he should tug her closer and share his heat or leave well enough alone. Problem was, his body had reacted to the sweet feminine scent of her skin and the soft warmth of her breast nestled against his arm.

  She must’ve felt his tension because she started to pull away.

  He closed a hand over hers and tightened his arm. “I don’t mind,” he said, and heard her breathy sigh. “But you let me know when you wanna turn around.”

  “I love it out here.” She looked up at the sky as they started to walk again. “So many stars. It’s beautiful. I’d like to camp out one night if that’s possible. Guess I need to talk to Rachel about that.”

  “Where are you from?”

  Jamie grinned, her teeth gleaming. “That’s tricky. I’ve lived in a lot of different places.”

  “Where do you live now?”

  “Southern California is home base. West L.A. to be exact, though I spend only half my time there.”

  He’d never been to California but he’d heard enough about it that he doubted most women from there were like Jamie. “Where did you learn to ride?”

  “My aunt and uncle’s peanut farm in Georgia. I was nine, but I’ve ridden on and off over the years.” She stopped and swung around to face him. “Take me camping for a night.”

  Floored, he just stared at her.

  “Please,” she whispered, tilting her head back and meeting his eyes before her gaze settled on his mouth.

  His heart thundered in his chest. She looked so pretty with the moon glowing in her face. He wanted to kiss her, and he was pretty damn sure she wanted the same thing.

  He lowered his head, and she lifted up the rest of the way to meet him. He brushed his lips across her petal-soft ones, and felt the small tremor in the hand she’d pressed to his chest.

  A wheezing laugh slid into a cough, breaking the stillness of the night. They automatically jumped apart, and Cole noticed a dark figure leaning against the corral fence.

  “Wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. The great Cole McAllister has finally been knocked off his high horse.” A bottle of whiskey in hand, Wallace Gunderson moved into the light. “I see you’d rather whore yourself out than sell me a damn speck of land.”

  6

  COLE COULD BARELY contain his anger. He pulled away from Jamie and moved closer to Gunderson, who staggered sideways. No way he’d take a swing at the older man, though not because he wasn’t tempted. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Wallace smiled, tipped the bottle of whiskey to his lips, then used the back of his sleeve to wipe his mouth. “I wonder what your daddy would think of this pitiful predicament of yours, the way you’ve run this fine ranch into the ground.”

  “I strongly suggest you leave of your own accord,” Cole warned in a low, controlled voice. Inside he shook with r
age. Normally he wouldn’t give a damn what the stupid bastard had to say. He was clearly drunk, and he always spouted off when he had too much liquor in him. But that Jamie had heard…

  “Or what?” Gunderson cackled, swayed from side to side then squinted at Jamie. “Have some manners, boy. Introduce me to this fine-looking gal.”

  “I’m not telling you again, Gunderson.”

  Wallace moved closer. “I saw your surveyor out there a couple months back. He was tagging the strip that backs up to government land, so I know you been considering selling off a parcel. But I ain’t interested in that piece, so you can keep it.” He belched loudly. “You know damn well which section I want, boy.”

  It took just about all of Cole’s willpower not to pick the man up by the back of his shirt, toss him into the barn and lock him in there till morning came or he sobered up. Cole looked over at Jamie. “You mind going back to the house on your own?”

  “Yes, I do.” She glared at Gunderson. “I don’t appreciate being interrupted by a man who’s clearly old enough to know better than to get publicly drunk and act like a common bully.”

  The man stared at her for a second, then started laughing again, lapsing into the vile rusty wheezing. “You got yourself a spirited filly there, McAllister.” He jerked his chin toward the house. “I just might have me a look at the rest of the fresh mares you got stabled.”

  When he took an unsteady step toward the house, Cole didn’t have much of a choice but to get in Gunderson’s face, but Jamie caught Cole’s arm.

  “I know you’re trying to help,” he told her tightly, “but you need to stay out of this.”

  The door from the bunkhouse opened, and laughter and lights flooded the night. Kyle and Josh, two of the younger hands, walked toward Josh’s ancient pickup, grousing about a poker game they’d obviously just left.

  They stopped when they spotted Cole and Gunderson.

  “Hey, Cole,” Kyle said uncertainly, his gaze shooting to the old man, and then to Jamie. “We were just headed to town…unless you need us for something.”