“If I knew how and wouldn’t lose all self-respect, I could fawn over you and go all cloyingly girly, which might redeem your status as a manly cowboy after getting your ass kicked by your mom.”
“She actually kicked my ankle, but I probably do need some positive publicity after getting barreled into by a jealous, overly protective boyfriend and kicked out of Grey’s before the rodeo even starts. Not like every cowboy won’t hear the story, and I had been looking forward to a beer there.”
“Is that a hint?”
“That’s now impossible unless you have a secret charm weapon with the bartender at Grey’s.”
“Ouch. My castrating bulls and gelding stallion skills did not impress.”
Luke laughed.
“And no charm will work on the bartender at Grey’s. It’s been tried over and over and failed.”
“That I can believe.” He held out his hand again. “It’s good to meet you, Tanner McTavish.”
She looked at his hand and then in his eyes, and it was the first time he’d seen her hesitate.
Then she took his hand with hers and pumped his hand firmly. “You, too, Luke Wilder.”
He unscrewed the cap on the water bottle she’d offered him and drained it, feeling like the chilled water washed away a shitty morning.
She waited for him to finish and then opened up a butterfly bandage. “Seriously, I’d rather put a couple of stitches in it. The scar will be smaller.”
“I’m not that pretty.”
Her sculpted lips pursed as if she would argue with him. He waited for it, but nothing came and he felt a tinge of disappointment. He had enjoyed their verbal back and forth. Most cowboys flipped shit at each other during rodeos, but it was more hit and run.
“Now my brother, we’d need to call in a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and a media specialist to handle the crash of Twitter, The IBR website, and everything else.”
“That pretty, huh?” She stood on her tiptoes and carefully placed the butterfly bandage.
“Very. Women have hyperventilated when he signs their T-shirts and bolder ones have taken the T-shirts off for him to sign after he rides, and don’t get me started on flying panties.”
“He’s full of something that rhymes with hit to tell you those stories.”
“I’ve seen it with my own startled but appreciative gaze.”
Tanner shook her head as if disappointed in her gender, but a smile played around her lips. He loved the shape of her mouth. It was so sexy, and bare. The soft pink pout was waking up part of him that really needed to go back to sleep.
Business.
But his eyes strayed back to her mouth. She looked rather proper, but with the color of her hair flaming orange red, comfort with the ins and outs of farm life, and easy-banter, he had a feeling she wouldn’t be so proper in all areas of her life. Her hair alone, though scraped back from her pale face and twisted into some strange type of braid, hinted at some wildness underneath. It positively glowed in the dim barn like a lick of orangish-red flame. His fingers actually flexed as if they wanted to pull out the elastic band and run through all that fiery silk.
Business, Wilder. Maybe he needed to kick himself instead of waiting for his mother to do it again.
“What color were the panties?” she asked.
Not helping with his business focus one bit.
“The most eye-catching I remember were bright pink with bucking broncos on them and tassels on the sides like a horses’ tails.
Tanner’s lips twitched and he waited for her to laugh. “Now I think you’re full of something that rhymes with mitt.”
“Boy scout honor.”
“And here I pictured you turning away politely when a woman is overcome by fangirl crazy. I think your mother should have kicked you and your prettier brother earlier.”
“It’s not that she didn’t try,” Luke said. “And I’m sure I sometimes deserved it.” He leaned forward, trying to gauge how much she’d let him tease her this early, but he really felt encouraged by her smiles, and her warm, lightly floral scent was reeling him in. “But not today, because today, the woman who groped me may have been pretty. I didn’t really notice. She was blonde and, Tanner, I’m more of a…” He drew out the anticipation, wanting to see if he could make her elegantly sculpted, bare mouth break into a smile. “Red man.”
She paused, her lips tightened. He inwardly winced. Back in the doghouse. He needed to leave the flirting and the charm to Kane. Tanner McTavish might talk tough, and she had a fun side, but his last comment had definitely not tweaked it. She had a purely professional, serious, medically detached air as she eyed his bandage.
“That should hold. And, cowboy, red’s what they all say at first.”
The way she said at first bothered him, but before he could gather his thoughts, she turned on her cowboy heel and left the barn. The hitch in her right hip was really noticeable. He silently swore.
At first? What did that mean? To hell with this. He was no one’s punching bag. Not his mother’s, not his maybe brother’s, and definitely not Tanner McTavish’s, who, if he wasn’t supposed to charm, he was at least not supposed to be pissing off.
Chapter Three
Outside Tanner gulped in a deep breath and then another. Thank God. Air that was NOT fragrant with the scent of whatever pheromones Luke was pumping out. He smelled so good she wanted to press against him and just inhale him.
Freak much?
But the combination of warm male, spice, citrus, and then some magical thing made her core weep and her blood heat, so keeping her body still and her hands off him was dang near impossible. His scent, when coupled with his rolling gait and piercing, inquisitive gaze, made her achy, restless, and swoony, and she was just not the swoony type. It was like the attraction was alive, trying to burst through her skin to escape.
And now was a terrible time for her bruised and battered libido to decide to recover. Luke Wilder might have been All-around cowboy a staggering four times, but he was also working as a representative for the IBR stock brokers, and she was finally getting a chance for her beautiful bulls to get their shot at the big time and big money, which should silence her father and his critical lamentations that he had no son to carry on their ranch’s legacy. She hadn’t obtained her masters in genetics and animal science and started on her PhD before putting it on hold to take over the running of the ranch while her father recovered from a devastating injury on his ATV for nothing. No way any popping ovaries were going to get in her way.
She ordered herself to think of Luke through a purely professional prism. Not think of him witnessing women throwing panties or shirts at him and his supposedly prettier brother. God, what must the brother be like if Luke thought he was the hotter man? She’d probably combust just walking into a room and breathing the same air as both of them.
Usually she thought beauty and sex appeal was overrated and hid a lot of personality flaws as well as dismissing a lot of people before they even got a chance to get to know someone. So her sexual obsession with Luke was mortifying.
Luke was here to look at bulls. Not her. Business. Not sex. She wasn’t her twin Tucker, who could smile at Luke and have him anyway she wanted him for the entire weekend. She was so different from Tucker in every way. So stop looking. Stop speculating. Great advice until she left the barn, him right beside her, which made her so aware of their differences. Him tall, lean, olive complexion, dark brown hair that curled at his nape under his Stetson, bone structure out of a GQ magazine, and her average height, boyish slimness, nada boobs, and frizzy carrottop hair, and a million freckles across her face. Then she saw her father standing at the trailer.
“Thought I heard voices,” he said in his deep baritone.
Ryder ran over to her father and leaned into him. Definite traitor.
Tanner’s temper built. She had this. And her father should be resting. He had definitely been pushing himself more the closer the Copper Mountain Rodeo came.
“Bruce McT
avish,” he said holding out his hand. “You the IBR man come to look at our stock?”
Luke shook the proffered hand. “Yes. Luke Wilder. Nate Williams, the Montana rep, is moving to home office near Denver, and he suggested I stop by seeing as I’d be in the neighborhood. Pleasure.”
“You related to Sam Wilder?”
“I’ve never met Sam Wilder.”
Definitely not a straight answer.
“Huh,” Bruce McTavish looked Luke over also clearly finding that answer lacking. “You’re early.”
“Yes.” Luke said easily. “I was—” He was cut off by Tanner.
“We’ve gone through all that,” Tanner said, her voice not masking her impatience, but this was her show. Her bulls she was showing Luke.
“I haven’t,” her father said still looking at Luke and then at Tanner and, for some reason, the scrutiny reminded Tanner when she’d been a young teen, contemplating embarking on a crazy plan with Tucker. “But I heard there was some scuffle at Grey’s earlier today between that bachelor auction soldier you wasted good money on for that pretty little gal last April, and a cowboy new to town. And Samara Wilder was in the middle of it carrying on like thirty years never happened.”
Tanner didn’t give her curiosity time to react. “Oh, please. You sound like Carol Bingley, Dad. What? Are you on her speed dial or something?” She rolled her eyes and glared at her father. “Luke is here to look at Triple T bulls not entertain your new penchant for nosiness. In fact, I’m running him over to Sam’s to load up a few of our bulls for the rodeo. Josh and I are loading another ten from the west pasture this afternoon when I get back.”
Her father looked stunned and no wonder. She was totally taking Luke’s side on this. Shutting her dad down in favor of a stranger, and she felt a quick stab of guilt, but she ignored it. Her dad’s sudden protective instinct was long overdue and no longer welcome. Besides this was Luke Wilder. Obviously he wouldn’t be interested in her except as a bull breeder, but still the fact her dad did have a spark of protectiveness was sweet.
“After the rodeo, he’s going to spend a couple of days here viewing our entire operation and meeting the ranch hands. You’ll get your shot at him them, but time is tight. I got bulls to ferry and he’s got to prepare. He’s competing this weekend. First Copper Mountain Rodeo ever.”
Oh, my God, I’m gushing.
Tanner barely restrained clapping her hand over her mouth. Obvious much? For a moment her father didn’t answer. Not that unusual. He took taciturn to new levels and had since she could remember, but what he could say in one look would take others ten minutes of conversation.
“Think you can beat Montana cowboys, son?”
“Going to do my best,” Luke said neutrally.
Another fraught silence. Luke didn’t fidget or break eye contact and Tanner nearly cheered though she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as if he’d come courting her. No, just her bulls. Then her father’s gaze slid sideways and held hers. She held her breath but didn’t budge. She wasn’t twelve anymore, desperate for comfort, praise, a hug, or approval, which she never got.
“Not sure you quite know what you’ve got yourself into son,” Bruce McTavish said, and Tanner didn’t think they were talking about the rodeo anymore. “But it sure isn’t gonna be private. And a word of advice from a man old before his time, there are some things tougher to stick than eight seconds on the back of a bull.”
Bruce McTavish smiled and Tanner caught her breath. She hadn’t seen that smile in a long while. But she had a feeling Bruce’s warning carried a subtext she’d missed, but Luke hadn’t because she’d heard just the slightest hitch in his breath though he hadn’t stirred—God, he must be deadly at poker.
“You go ahead to Sam’s, Tanner. I can show Luke here the spread,” her dad said. “I did, after all, grow up here and run it until my accident a couple of years back.” He gave Tanner a hard look. “I’m not six feet under yet.”
Tanner’s spine snapped straight. “Yet!” She repeated. “Exactly, and you are still supposed to be taking it easy. Such as resting after your physio and not getting up early. Don’t think Jorge didn’t tell me that you were at the stables at dawn this morning. You’re supposed to be resting.” She emphasized the last word.
“I’m fine. I’m not an invalid, and I sure as hell don’t remember seein’ an MD after your name.”
“We’re going to be late to Whispering Winds,” Tanner said, lips pressed thin. No way was she leaving Luke alone with her father. Who knew what her father would tell him about their breeding plan? She knew it would be out of date. “Then Jorge and I need to do final wellness checks. You can ride around with us when we get back.”
“Thanks for giving me permission to tour my own damn ranch,” her father stated, drily. “I took over this ranch before you and your sister were a gleam in God’s eye. I can take care of my own damned business.”
Tanner walked over to a cooler and pulled out three bottles of water. She handed one to her father, kissed his cheek, and then tossed one to Luke.
“Gonna be hot today so hydrate. You want to come say hi to Sam, Dad?”
“Hell, no. He’s crankier than I am.” Her father grumbled. “And I never liked him.”
Tanner laughed. “You said it.”
He huffed, but his eyes crinkled in the corner as he tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. “Careful with that rig it’s state of the art and…”
Tanner slammed the gate on the trailer and bolted it, her moves quick and practiced.
“I know. I researched it. I bought it. Stop worrying. Even you, Dad, don’t need or use your penis to drive.”
She laughed as her father shot Luke a quick, mortified look. She hopped in the truck and it roared to life. “Coming, cowboy?”
*
Luke sat back and watched Tanner out of the corner of his eye. She’d tossed her bright green cowgirl hat in the back of the cab and was humming to the radio, one hand slapping out a beat on the steering wheel as she drove down the long, dirt driveway. He liked how she didn’t seem to adjust her persona because he was in the truck. Her hair, scraped back into a semblance of subservience, didn’t seem interested in complying with her wishes. Wispy curls haloed her face, and now that he could see her hair in the light, it glowed brighter than a flame, especially when framed by the bright blue sky and mostly tan, September landscape. Her skin was so luminous.
She must have to roll around naked in sunscreen to make it through a Montana summer day. Okay, he definitely should not have thought the naked word.
“Gonna tell me what that was all about?”
“What?” Her large greenish hazel eyes sparkled with innocence.
“Why your dad couldn’t show me your stock? I got no business with Sam Wilder.”
“Sam’s got one of the biggest spreads. The Wilder family’s been ranching forever. He breeds bulls. He and my daddy have worked together off and on over the years, helping out when they need it. I’d have thought Whispering Winds would have been on your list.”
Her voice held challenge, but Luke didn’t take her up on it. He was still trying to figure out why, after deciding he wasn’t going to attempt communication with Sam Wilder, even though his mom had demanded it, he’d still climbed in Tanner’s rig. He’d lost the element of anonymity, and the stomach for another confrontation. He didn’t want to be compared to the father he couldn’t remember, who had taken off leaving an infant son and a broken teen age bride and had never looked back.
Love was a fickle bitch he’d never trust, and he sure as hell didn’t make promises he wouldn’t keep. Luke kept his hat low and his gaze on the far away horizon. He should have stayed at the Triple T ranch. Or headed back to the fair grounds. He’d have kept his focus tighter, but the way Tanner had tossed him the water, swung her long braid back over her shoulder, and climbed into the high truck as easily as she could have slid her tight ass into a sports car had tweaked his competitive streak and her taunt, “coming, cowboy,” had so
mehow managed to sound like a dirtiest innuendo, as well as a challenge he couldn’t ignore.
“You trying to put something over on the IBR?” he asked, keeping his voice light, but closely watching for her reaction.
“What? No.”
Sounded genuine.
“It’s just—” She broke off. Sighed. “Look. You’re young. Born well after Title IX was a thing. I love my dad but he thinks a lot of old fashioned things that aggravate me.”
“Like I’d drive better to Sam’s because my penis has super navigational skills?”
“Does it?” Her laugh filled the cab and stole his breath.
He had never been accused of being funny, but he really wanted to make her laugh again. Much better than her wary perusal in the barn.
“Cowboy, I’d like to see that trick.”
“Could be arranged,” he said quickly without thinking. “But then I’d have to swear you to secrecy.”
She smiled, and he noticed a faint pink colored her cheeks.
“So, the bulls. And the ranch. And your dad. And Sam Wilder.” He made himself say his grandfather’s name, like it meant nothing special to him.
She hissed out a breath, and glanced at him. “I don’t want to color your opinion about Sam,” she said finally. “Because I can’t imagine you aren’t considering signing with him as well. He has carved an enormous legacy in the area. His bulls and broncos have won many awards.”
Luke noticed the past tense.
“So let’s stick to talking about the Triple T.” She said casually. Too casually.
“So, it’s true.” Luke pounced. “Whispering Winds is in financial trouble.”
“I didn’t say that,” she said, quickly and with emphasis. “We aren’t talking about Sam. Triple T only. I don’t want my dad showing you around the ranch because, well, because his health isn’t what it used to be, and I’ve taken over more and more of the day to day operations, so I am more current…”
She tensed up and then took a deep breath as if trying to force herself to relax. “And he doesn’t like that or accept that. My dad ran a good operation. Just not high tech and he had an accident a few years ago on an ATV. His recovery was…” She took another deep breath. “Challenging. So I came home from school. I was getting my PhD in animal genetics, and I’ve taken my knowledge and taken over the bull-breeding program and have hired new staff and am already seeing dramatic results. I’m just getting started,” she said enthusiastically. “And now that my dad is better he’s expecting me to act like I’m twelve again and hand over the reins only—”
Want Me, Cowboy Page 3
