One Hard Ride

by M. M. Bordeaux

  “Yes,” Justin said. “No telling what the insane bastard might have done.”

  Justin looked at Jake, his gaze steady. For a moment neither man spoke. Finally Jake said, “I reckon we should call 911 for a Medivac helicopter.”

  Justin shrugged his shoulders. “I reckon. We also need to call the vet. That little Appaloosa broke her foreleg. She’ll have to be put down. We could do it but we don’t need anyone from Winslow’s spread blaming us for shooting his horse or saying he fell because we shot his horse.”

  “Good thinking, Justin. You want to go back up there and tell him we’ve got someone coming to haul his sorry ass to the hospital?” Jake asked.

  “No, not really.” He turned, obviously pissed, and started off. “But I guess I will. I’m a damn sight more sorry about the horse than I am about Winslow.”

  Amanda certainly agreed with the sentiment as she watched Justin ride away.

  Jake dialed 911 but it took twenty minutes before he finally got connected to the Medivac service in San Angelo. He gave the pilot directions on how to get to Winslow, then called his vet. Amanda wondered if the vet would use drugs like they did with cats and dogs. He looked at her for a long moment, his gaze steady. He shook his head slowly. “No, sweetheart,” he said. “Not out here. A pistol is quick and sure. We’ll bury the horse where she lays.”

  For the first time since she’d seen Winslow blocking the road, she felt tears well up in her eyes. She leaned into Jake, who took her in his arms, holding her while she cried her eyes out.

  Twenty minutes later, she had bawled herself into a red-faced, snot-nosed mess. She leaned back from Jake’s chest. A wet spot covered one whole shoulder of his vest. She sniffed loudly and he unknotted his blue paisley bandanna and gave it to her to wipe her eyes and nose.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, sniffing loudly. “I’m such a wimp.” She leaned back, looking up at him, his expression filled with concern.

  “No you’re not. My God, Amanda, you were just attacked by a madman.”

  “I know,” she said, her face scrunching up again. “And I’m not sorry he broke his back. But I am sorry about the horse.” She fell back against his chest for one last sob.

  The Texas Ranger she’d met at the Rusty Buckle showed up to take her statement. “I can’t say I’m surprised, Jake,” Skeeter said. “Winslow’s wagon always had a couple of wobbly wheels.”

  This process delayed Amanda another hour. When Skeeter finished, Jake took her in his arms again. “You stay in touch, all right?”

  “Yes. I will. At least I don’t have to worry about your insane cousin anymore.”

  His tanned face turned a shade redder and his gaze dropped away. “No, you won’t.”

  “I’m sorry, Jake. I didn’t mean that as a reflection on you.”

  He looked up. “I know, Amanda. I’m just sorry you ever had to meet the bastard. But it looks like karma finally caught up with him.”

  “Well, I can’t say I’m sorry.” She started to get in the car, but Jake had her wait until he used a gloved hand to clear the remaining fragments of glass from her smashed window. When he was finished, she turned and stepped close to him, lifting her lips toward his.

  They kissed, gently at first, then with increasing passion. When they broke the kiss, she was breathless. “Wow,” she said smiling up at him. “Now that was a kiss to remember you by.”

  He grinned, his eyes twinkling. “You can say that again.”

  She got in the car and started it. He leaned down for a quick kiss through the broken window. When he stepped back, she put the car in gear and pulled back onto the asphalt. She stuck her arm out the broken window for a final wave.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As Amanda drove away, she looked in the rear view mirror. Jake, standing at the edge of the road holding Ginger’s reins, raised a hand in farewell. The simple gesture and the melancholy look on his face made the tears well up again and she had to fight to hold them back.

  “No,” she muttered. “No, no, no. I am not in love. I can’t be in love when there is no possibility of being together.”

  She adjusted the mirror so she could see herself and her heart sank. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot against the black mascara smears under her lower lids. Her face was streaked with tears, her nose rosy red. God, what a mess. Great last impression to leave the man with. She sniffed loudly and wiped her nose with Jake’s bandanna. She glanced over toward the passenger seat. His spurs were lying on top of her purse, one with blood on the sharp spikes. Knowing she might have blinded Winslow made her shudder, but she knew she would do it again if she had to.

  She got to Austin much later than she had planned. She missed her afternoon flight and had to book another for noon the next day.

  After booking her ticket, she called Nikki, who gave her directions to the university. “I need to be in my office for a couple of hours,” she said. “Then we can escape and have dinner.”

  “I’ll be there after I take care of this mess with the rental car.” Amanda responded before hanging up.

  With the hail damage and broken window, it took her a lot longer than she expected to exchange her car for a new vehicle. She blamed the broken window on the hail, figuring it was less complicated than explaining an attack by an insane rancher with a crowbar.

  As she retrieved her suitcase and carry-on from the car, she thought how glad Richard would be that she had opted for maximum insurance coverage. Once she had a new car, Amanda cleaned off Jake’s spurs and packed them in her suitcase and headed for the university.

  In twenty-five minutes, she was knocking on the office door of Nicole Nelson, Professor of Art History and Acting Dean, College of Fine Arts.

  Nikki called out “enter” and she let herself in. She was surprised to see that the pretty blonde with the formidable figure had hardly changed at all. It had been five years since the two coeds had roomed together and Amanda wasn’t sure what she’d expected.

  Nikki greeted her with a big grin and a Texas hug, which she returned with a smile. She’d tried to repair her makeup, but knew she still looked a mess. Nikki was polite enough not to mention it. While neither woman would consider the other their BFF, they had been close for the semester they’d roomed together. And while she hadn’t enjoyed Nikki’s uninhibited sexual lifestyle, she could certainly appreciate the benefits of one now.

  When Nikki heard that Amanda would have to spend the night in Austin, she insisted that Amanda stay with her. “I’ve got a decent guestroom and my duplex is just two blocks off campus.”

  Amanda agreed and they left Nikki’s office, stopping at a nearby restaurant for Italian take-out and a couple bottles of wine.

  Nikki’s duplex was large compared to Amanda’s own New York-sized rooms, but was decorated in a similar fashion, with nice but not expensive furniture and decor. Several nice prints adorned the walls. The extra bedroom was small but cozy and had a separate bathroom.

  “This is lovely,” Amanda said, admiring the guest room. “Would you mind if I took a quick shower before we eat? I’ve driven three hours with a broken window, and I feel like I’ve got a ton of Texas dust on me.”

  “Of course, Mandy. Take your time. Put on your PJs if you want. We can talk until we’re tired and then go straight to bed.”

  Amanda showered and washed her hair, amazed that there were still little cubes of window glass stuck in her thick tresses. When she was finished, she halfway blow-dried her hair, then put on a tank top and a pair of jeans. Nikki had changed into sweats and had transferred the lasagna from the takeout containers to china plates. The coffee table had been set with silverware and glasses of wine. She had also heated up a loaf of Italian bread spread with garlic butter. They sat on the floor across from each other at the coffee table and chatted about their lives since college.

  Amanda told Nikki how much she liked her job working with art. “It looks like the ranchers I was visiting, the Morgan brothers, may have a genuine Randell. If it’s wh
at I think it is, they could become rich cowboys very soon.”

  She considered showing Nikki the gunslinger art, but decided it should stay tucked away in her carry-on.

  “By the way,” she said. “Congratulations on being named acting dean. That’s quite a coup for someone so young, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” Nikki said. “It will be for a couple of years. Dean McAllen is taking time off to do research in Europe. If he decides not to come back, I may be named dean permanently.”

  “That’s great,” Amanda said. “I’m really happy for you.”

  “It is great. Except it’s a lot more work for not a lot more money.”

  The first bottle of wine became two, and then Nikki opened a third bottle from her wine rack. Eventually the conversation turned to men and some of Nikki’s wilder exploits, most of which had been witnessed by Amanda.

  “Do you remember that night Brad’s friend came over to my bed? I knew you were watching.” Nikki grinned in remembrance. “That was an extremely erotic evening,”

  “It was pretty hot.” Amanda admitted.

  “I was a total exhibitionist back then.”

  “And now?”

  Nikki smiled. “Not so much. Although if the right opportunity arose…” She let her words trail off, still smiling.

  Amanda grinned. “I have to admit, I still remember the night of your threesome. Especially when I’m…” she paused. The third bottle of wine had definitely loosened her tongue.

  “When you’re horny?” Nikki giggled. “That’s when I think about it, too.”

  “I thought you were so naughty. But I really got turned on watching.”

  “You were so shy then.” Nikki poured more wine. “Are you still so inhibited? Not that I want to pry into your sex life.”

  Amanda felt herself blush. “Until a week ago, I hardly had a sex life. And yes, I was pretty inhibited.” She looked at Nikki, letting her lips slowly curl up in a knowing smile. “Right now, however, I think I’m leaving a lot of those inhibitions on a Texas ranch.”

  Nikki raised an eyebrow. “Ah,” she said. “So can I assume you met a rugged, randy cowboy on this trip to Texas?”

  “I may have met one or two.” Amanda was sure she wore the quintessential shit-eating-grin.

  “One or two? Why you naughty girl. Did you actually have a threesome?”

  Amanda was blushing brightly now, from the wine and Nikki’s questions. “There are some things a lady doesn’t discuss.”

  “Bullshit. There are no ladies here. Only a couple of horny thirty-year-old women who sometimes fuck their men two at a time. So come clean. Did you enjoy the ménage?”

  “Yes. It was out of this world,” Amanda admitted ruefully.

  Nikki laughed out loud. She raised a hand to high five Amanda. “You are a naughty girl. I guess you have broadened your horizons a bit.” Nikki opened a fourth bottle of wine. “So share some details, girl. I need some visuals before I go to sleep.”

  “Let me just say that I’ve discovered if the men are willing to share and eager to please, the results can be sensational.” She finished with a giggle. “And Texas cowboys are very eager to please.” She swirled the wine in her glass. “One cowboy in particular. Jake really helped liberate my libido. He showed me how pleasure was meant to be enjoyed.”

  “I hear a bit of wistful longing in your voice. So maybe there was a little romance in your sexual fun and games?”

  She looked at Nikki and then shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. We did share something very special. At least it was for me. I think it was for him, too. But under the circumstances, I guess neither one of us wanted to commit to anything even approaching the L word. Unless L is for Lust. There was plenty of that.”

  “So you think you might be in love with the rancher?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve only known him for six days.” Amanda wondered if love could happen that quickly.

  “I’m not sure time is always a factor when emotions are concerned.”

  “Has it ever happened for you Nikki? Have you ever been in love?”

  Nikki was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think so,” she said. “I had strong feelings for a man I met when I first moved here. Then I found out he was married. I guess I’m still a little bitter about the whole thing. So I’m definitely not the one to offer advice on love.” Nikki took a sip of wine and grinned. “Lust, however, is a different matter. That I can give advice on. Speaking of lust, tell me about your threesome. Was Jake involved?”

  Amanda felt heat creep up from her neck to her cheeks. “Yes. Not the first time. But the second.”

  Nikki laughed out loud again. “You naughty, naughty girl. So you had sex with two men besides this fellow Jake? And Jake wasn’t jealous?”

  “No. I think that’s one of the things I love—at least like—about him. He seemed to know that I needed to…I don’t know…explore my sexual boundaries. Maybe live out some fantasies.”

  “Like having a threesome?”

  “Yes. That. And a lot more.”

  “So he was okay with you having sex with another man?” Nikki asked in surprise.

  “Not only okay with it. He set it up. At least the first time.” Amanda was still amazed at the man’s daring.

  “Was he a good lover?”

  “Sensational,” Amanda whispered softly.

  “Nice looking?”

  Grinning, Amanda couldn’t help remembering Jake’s sculpted face and defined body. “Gorgeous.”

  “He sounds like a catch. A handsome, sensational lover who doesn’t mind if you have sex with other men.”

  “He might be a catch,” Amanda said with a sigh. “Unfortunately, we live eighteen hundred miles apart.”

  “Yeah,” Nikki said. “I can see where that might be an issue. Do you think Jake has feelings for you, too?”

  Amanda took a slow sip of wine. “It’s hard to know what these stoic West Texas ranchers might be thinking, but yes, I think it was more than just mind-blowing sex. Although, after what I’ve experienced this week, I’ll take what I can get.”

  Nikki giggled and poured the last of the wine. “That’s my philosophy too. Don’t waste opportunities.”

  “I just wish Jake and I could have spent more time together outside of the bedroom. There was so much going on that we never had a chance to really get to know each other. I mean other than the fact that he is an incredible lover who has turned me into an insatiable nympho.”

  Nikki smiled and shook her head. “You are on the horns of a dilemma aren’t you?”

  After the fourth bottle of wine they went to bed, where Amanda had muddled dreams of long-horned cattle and horny cowboys. At some point Winslow intruded, swinging a crowbar, but Jake swept her up on Ginger and they flew across the prairie with the little sorrel’s hooves never touching the ground.

  Amanda awoke with the early morning light, thoughts of Jake pinging through her mind. She was horny but knew her vibrator just wouldn’t do the trick.

  With a groan, she crawled out of bed and found Nikki in the kitchen toasting bagels. She had a slight hangover from the wine but, in general, she felt okay.

  Nikki served scrambled eggs and orange juice and, as they ate, she said, “I have an idea I want to run by you.”

  “Sure,” Amanda said. “What’s up?”

  An hour later, they were still discussing Nikki’s idea. As exciting as the prospect seemed, Amanda just wasn’t sure it would work or that Jake would be interested in seeing it to fruition. Only time would tell.

  By the time Amanda finally looked at her watch, she realized how late it was. “I need to go,” she said. “But we can talk more by phone. I can’t tell you how much fun this has been. No matter what happens, we need to stay in touch.”

  Amanda made it from Nikki’s to the airport just in time to catch her flight. The flight back to New York was uneventful and Amanda was back in her own apartment by nine that night. She’d kept her carry-on with the rolled up gunslinge
r canvas close at hand for the entire trip. She would be glad to turn it over as soon as she could.

  As soon as she arrived home, she called Jake, as she promised she would.

  Jake answered after the second ring. “It’s good to know you’re back safe and sound. I miss you already.”

  “I miss you, too, Jake.”

  “Did you have fun with your friend from college?”

  “Nikki? Yes. We had a great time.”

  “Let me know how it goes authenticating the illustration.”

  “I will, Jake. I’ll call as soon as I know anything.” Too soon, they said their goodbyes, leaving Amanda lost in thought and wondering if she could really make things happen.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Amanda was able to call Jake sooner than she expected. Richard had followed through on her plan and, when she got to the office Monday morning, everything was on track for a quick resolution. She hustled all week to make sure things were in place.

  On Friday, she called Jake.

  “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon,” Jake said, surprised at her phone call. “I thought it would be a couple weeks at least.”

  “Things are moving quickly. Can you be here next Tuesday?

  “I guess. You think I need to be there?” Jake seemed surprised at the request.

  “Yes. It’s best if you are here. Let Justin and Luke run things. Just be here Tuesday by ten.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to get there.”

  “One more thing. I need you to bring the bedroll the illustration was wrapped in.”

  “No problem.” Jake paused. “I really look forward to seeing you again.”

  “Me too, Jake. Me too.”

  The next two days were a whirlwind of activity, with Amanda, Sarah, and Richard all working to put Amanda’s plan into action. By Monday afternoon, final arrangements had been made and she left the office for a late lunch. As she was leaving, she got a call from Jake.

  She glanced around to see if anyone was listening, then lowered her voice. “I’m really, really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”