Meg chose one of the many bales of hay surrounding the campfire, making certain she had a clear view of everyone and everything, and settled onto it. Wincing, she shifted position, trying to find a spot where the sharp straw didn’t poke through the thin cotton of her skirt. She had packed a few pairs of jeans, just in case, but had hoped she wouldn’t have to wear them. They didn’t hide her figure—a figure she found a nuisance. But when it came to the riding lessons she had agreed to take, there wasn’t any way she could get away with wearing one of the hideous skirts she’d brought with her.
Eventually finding a comfortable spot, she greeted the woman sitting next to her. As they chatted about the ranch and how much they were enjoying it, a shadow blocked the light from the campfire.
Meg looked up to see Trey standing in front of her, the glow from the firelight behind him setting off his silhouette. With his thumbs hooked into his belt, and his cowboy hat tipped back on his head, Meg couldn’t help but be impressed by the figure he cut. Strong broad shoulders and a wide chest narrowed to hips and muscled thighs beneath denim. It was a sight that would take any woman’s breath away. It definitely took Meg’s.
“Havin’ a good time?” he asked.
Before Meg could find enough breath to answer, Carrie appeared and tugged at his shirt. “We’re going to have our riding lesson in the morning, aren’t we?”
His deep laughter sent warm shivers up and down Meg’s spine. He placed a hand on top of Carrie’s head. “First thing in the mornin’ after breakfast. I already have a horse picked out especially for you.”
“Really?”
He looked at Meg, the firelight dancing behind him. After what seemed like several minutes had gone by, he dragged his gaze away and reached down to tap the little girl’s nose with one finger. “Really.”
Carrie squealed with delight, but Meg couldn’t stop looking at the cowboy whose attention was now elsewhere.
He backed up a step and nodded, tugging his hat down and touching two fingers to the wide brim. “See you at breakfast,” he said without looking at Meg.
Carrie spun around to face her. “Do you think it’ll be a fast horse?”
Reluctantly pulling her attention from the fascinating sight of the retreating backside of the cowboy, Meg squelched a sigh before answering. Her heartbeat had picked up since he’d walked up to them and now raced in double-time.
“Not too fast,” she answered. But whether her answer was directed at Carrie or a command to her own galloping heart, she wasn’t sure.
Nodding, Carrie covered a yawn with her hand, and Meg stood. Taking the child by the hand, she gave her a friendly squeeze. “Let’s find your grandmother so she can get you into bed. You’ll need some sleep if you’re going to learn to ride a horse tomorrow.”
Carrie looked up at her. “But nobody else is going to bed.”
“I am,” Meg answered.
It didn’t take long for them to find Carrie’s grandmother. After a brief discussion of the plans for the next day, Meg bade them good-night and started for her cabin.
The air around her was pure and clean, so different from the city air where she lived. Breathing deeply, she tipped her head up and gazed at the canopy of stars above her. She couldn’t remember ever having seen anything quite so beautiful. Someday, she and her aunt would be able to enjoy the same kind of beauty. That’s why it was so important that she keep her mind on the reason she was here, not on a sexy ranch hand who she’d never see again after the week was over.
Movement in the darkness to her left brought her to a halt. Her heart beat harder and fear prickled her skin. “Is someone there?” she asked, her voice sounding weaker than she had hoped.
“Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She instantly recognized Trey’s drawl and breathed easier. “Oh! It’s you.” Much to her disgust, the beating of her heart didn’t slow down at all.
He caught up with her, shortening his long stride to match hers when she continued walking. “You’re turnin’ in early.”
She glanced up to see him watching her. “It was a long drive, and since I’ll need to be clear-headed for the riding lesson in the morning, I thought I should get some sleep.”
“Where did you say you’re from?”
“I didn’t,” she admitted, with a smile. “But Indiana is home.”
He let out a long whistle. “That is a long drive.”
“I enjoyed it,” she admitted. “Except for the heat. But it’s the first time I’ve ever had the opportunity to see much of the country.”
“I saw enough of it when I was rodeoing, and this is still the best.”
The pride in his voice was obvious. She couldn’t blame him. The ranch and the countryside surrounding it were breathtaking. “What did you do in the rodeo?”
He was so close, she felt his shrug. “A little this, a little that. Mostly saddle bronc riding.”
“I’ve never been to a rodeo, but I’ve watched them on TV. To be honest, they’re frightening. Isn’t it terribly dangerous on those horses?”
“Lots of injuries, but if it’s in your blood, those don’t matter. My brother was a double National Champion the last year he competed, so I guess you could say it’s in his blood. Not really in mine, though,” he added with a soft chuckle. “Give me ranching, any day.”
Neither of them spoke again until they neared her cabin. Meg wondered what he was thinking about, but didn’t ask. The silence between them was comfortable and she didn’t feel the need for conversation.
As they reached the porch, Trey slowed his steps. “I’d better get back to work.”
In spite of knowing she shouldn’t, Meg was sorry to see him go. “And I need to get that sleep.”
They stood staring at one another in the darkness. Finally, Trey cleared his throat. “See you at breakfast. Sleep tight.”
Meg thanked him for keeping her company once again, then slipped into her cabin. Before she closed the door, she searched for a glimpse of him, but couldn’t see much of anything.
“Just as well,” she whispered to herself. Tomorrow would arrive soon enough, and she would have to get to work. She had learned more about Trey than she had about the ranch, and even though she enjoyed his company, she had to get some sleep. And she still needed to find Buford Brannigan.
“What do you mean, you’re not teaching the class?” Trey boomed down at his pint-size sister-in-law early the next morning.
Ellie Brannigan leaned back against the corral fence, crossing her arms on her chest. “Calm down, Trey. We’re short-handed, remember? And Sherry called this morning to say she wouldn’t be in again today. Somebody’s got to hang around the office to answer the phone and get the paperwork caught up. I’m the likely candidate.”
“But who’s going to teach the riding class?”
“Why, you are,” she said, pushing off and starting for the big double barn door.
Trey grabbed her arm before she could take two steps. “Wait a minute. Why me?”
Pulling away from him, she planted her hands on her hips and tipped up her head to look at him. “Because you can’t spare any of the other hands, that’s why. And you know as much about horses and riding as I do.”
She was right, but the last thing he needed was to spend more time around Meg Chastain. When he’d left her at her cabin last night he’d made the decision to put as much distance between himself and the green-eyed woman as possible. Teaching the riding lesson would throw them together again. Exactly what he didn’t need.
“I can’t do it,” he said, dragging his hat from his head and raking a hand through his hair.
“Oh, puh-leeze.”
“No, really,” he argued, jamming his hat back on his head. How was he supposed to tell her that his plans for the day didn’t include being around Meg? For some reason, Meg was worming her way into his mind. There was something about her that he couldn’t explain—especially not to his brother’s wife.
“Look, I’ll go get the paperwork done while you teach the riding lesson,” he said with hope.
“You don’t have a clue where anything is,” Ellie reminded him.
Trey hated to admit she was right. He might do the majority of the business end of the ranch work, but he was about as organized as a drowning man. If it weren’t for their young secretary, the Triple B would be in bad shape. He could handle the simple stuff—keeping stock records, ordering feed and the “dude” part of the ranch. But when it came to the other paperwork, he needed help.
“Okay,” he relented. “But just for today, you got that? When Sherry gets back tomorrow, I’m off the hook and you’re back with the lessons.”
Patting his shoulder, Ellie smiled. “She said she had some personal business to take care of today. Things should be back to normal tomorrow.”
“Nothing will be normal,” he grumbled as she walked away. He didn’t bother to return the grin she gave him over her shoulder.
A sigh of frustration ended his self-pity. He had a choice. Go with the flow and deal with the catastrophes that seemed to be plaguing him this week, or give up. And he wasn’t about to give up. There was too much at stake. The Triple B wasn’t only his livelihood. It was Ellie’s and Chace’s, too. Trey knew his brother was eager to start a family to carry on the Brannigan name, but neither Chace nor Ellie wanted to put a strain on things until they were certain the dude ranch was going to be profitable. Until they could regularly draw in larger groups, like the one this week, that wouldn’t happen.
With a kick at a dirt clod, Trey headed for the large, modern horse barn. He had a vague idea who would be riding and what horse each guest would use, but he needed to make sure all was in order before the group descended on him.
Once inside, he stopped at the first stall to check on the gentle pinto mare he’d chosen for Carrie. Satisfied with his choice, he moved on to check the other horses. Everything had to be perfect. The welfare of his guests was top priority. He couldn’t risk having one of them land on his or her butt and go screaming “lawsuit” all the way back to whatever city they’d come from. The Triple B couldn’t afford anything like that.
A whinny from a stall farther down caught his attention. Turning, Trey saw the bay gelding shaking its head as if in answer to a disturbing question. Concerned there might be a varmint in the enclosed area with the horse, Trey moved down the walkway and silently peeked into the stall. He expected to see anything from a small mouse to a polecat, but what he saw made him freeze.
Meg Chastain knelt in the corner, her back to him, whispering comfort to something. Trey hoped to hell it wasn’t something that could hurt her. An armadillo wasn’t a pretty sight, nor was a possum, but there was no accounting for some people’s soft spots.
When he saw the silver-gray of the mother cat rubbing against Meg’s leg, he relaxed. Crossing his arms on the gate in front of him, he watched her. The gelding moved closer to Trey, who absentmindedly scratched between the horse’s ears. He knew that if either he or the horse made any sudden moves, they’d scare the daylights out of the woman. He sure didn’t want that to happen. Besides, he didn’t want to lose this opportunity to take a close look at her while her attention was somewhere else. Maybe he could figure out what it was about her that had his curiosity and his pulse at a high.
He couldn’t see much of her. Like she had the day before, she was wearing a big, tent-like top that hid whatever she had under it. The way she was kneeling made the bottom of it hang around her, shrouding her and covering whatever she had on from the waist down. He couldn’t tell what that was, but a hint of denim winked at the tops of her hot pink tennis shoes.
Taking his time, his gaze wandered up her back and stopped at the slender column of her neck. With her head tipped forward, the creamy ivory of her revealed skin beckoned to him, silently begging for his lips to press against it. He warmed to the idea, almost ready to move in her direction to do the deed. Reaching out for the gate latch, he froze and shook his head. What the hell was he doing?
Meg twisted to look over her shoulder, ruining the view he’d had of her bared neck. Trey swallowed as his gaze slid to hers. Behind her round lenses, her eyes were wide with surprise, pulling him deeper into their cool, green depths.
She turned, breaking the spell, and he let out a whoosh of air. Pulling himself together, he silently cursed himself for letting her get to him. By the time she turned around again, he was ready for those killer eyes.
“Kittens,” she said, holding up a tiny ball of slightly damp fur against one flushed cheek. “Carrie will love these.”
He nodded. “Too bad they won’t be big enough for her to take one home.”
Meg answered with a knowing smile and turned back to return the kitten. She slowly got to her feet and faced him, brushing off clinging bits of straw. “I hope the barn isn’t off-limits.”
Jeans, he thought, running his gaze quickly over the bottom half of her legs. But that’s all he could see. The long top covered everything from just above her knees on up. Below that, he could only guess at what was suggested.
“Is it?” she asked.
“What?” He looked into her emerald eyes and felt like a mule had kicked him in the chest. It took him a moment to regain his equilibrium, and he forced himself to look away before he lost what little control he had left. Stepping back from the stall, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping to look unaffected.
“Is the barn off-limits?” she asked. “I’d like to show Carrie the kittens after our riding lesson.”
“No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I mean, it’s okay. Just make sure she’s careful around Pedro, there.” He inclined his head towards the horse that had moved away to the far corner. “I’m surprised you’re in the stall with him.”
Sudden realization and fear sparkled in her eyes. “Is he dangerous?”
“He’s fairly gentle. I reckon he didn’t sense any fear in you.”
“I-I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t even notice him. I heard the kittens mewing and I—” Her cheeks were pale as she pressed against the side of the stall and eased along it, keeping her attention on the horse. “Maybe I’d better— I guess it’s about time for the lesson to start. I’d better get Carrie so we won’t be late.”
He opened the gate and held it for her. Unfortunately, he got a whiff of her as she passed. Soft, sweet, gentle as a summer evening, her scent drew him in. Managing to keep his feet planted, he could only nod in answer.
“I’ll see you around, I guess,” she said, squaring her shoulders and turning to leave.
Trey suddenly remembered that he would be teaching the class, not Ellie. He cleared his throat and found his voice. “I’ll be teaching the riding today.”
She came to a stop halfway to the wide double doors and looked back at him, her features troubled. “I thought you said somebody named Ellie would be teaching it.”
“Yeah, well…” He shrugged. Hoping she’d change her mind about going ahead with the class, he waited.
Indecision danced around her well-covered body. “Well, I can’t let Carrie down,” she said, more to herself than to him. With a shrug of her own, she hurried from the barn.
Damn. Looked like he didn’t have a choice. He’d be teaching her how to ride. She didn’t seem to have any sense about how to act around horses, but he crossed his fingers and hoped she’d get the hang of riding quickly. He wasn’t sure how much time he dared spend around her. And if he was smart, he’d stop encouraging her. The only way he could do that was not to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. Damn his bad luck.
Trey stood near the doors of the stable, his hat pulled low, blocking the morning sun that bathed his tanned face. “Come on in the barn and I’ll show y’all how to dress out a horse.”
Joining the other four guests as they followed Trey into the barn for their riding lesson, Meg bit her lip to keep her nervous giggle at bay. Would the animals be wearing career clothes? After all, this was their job. Or would they be dressed in casual wear?
Inside the barn, Meg stood, fascinated, as she watched Trey instruct them on the fine art of saddling a horse. His expert and graceful movements held her attention as he slowly went through each and every step of readying a horse for riding. His strong hands were long-fingered, tanned and callused, but gentle in their movements. When Meg realized she was wondering what those hands would feel like caressing her body, she put the brakes on her wayward thoughts. Oh, no, she wasn’t going to let herself be taken in. This cowboy was a ranch hand, and although he might be useful to her, there would be nothing more. Besides, he was probably like all the other men she had met. He might look gentle, but more than likely it was pure deception.
“Okay,” Trey said, bringing Meg out of her reverie. “I’ll assign y’all each a horse, and then I want to see you do it. I’ll give you a hand if you need help.”
Meg shuddered, her nerves giving way to pure terror. If Trey hadn’t found her in the stall earlier with the kittens, she wondered how she would’ve gotten out. Growing up in Gary, Indiana, hadn’t lent itself to riding horses. She barely knew the front end from the back end. Now she was going to have to climb on one.
Meg felt a small hand slip into hers, and she looked down to see Carrie.
“I don’t think I can lift the saddle,” the little girl said, her voice wobbling.
Before Meg could think of something to say to reassure her, Trey joined them and bent down to Carrie’s eye level. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Nobody expects you to. Soon as I help Miss Chastain, I’ll get you all ready to ride.” He straightened and looked directly at Meg.
She hated to admit that the thought of saddling a horse had her scared witless. “Just show me the horse,” she announced, hoping her voice wasn’t as shaky as her knees were.
Sliding her a strange look, Trey shrugged. “Sure you can lift that saddle?”
She flashed him what she hoped was a confident smile. “I’m much stronger than I look. Go ahead and help Carrie. I’ll let you know if I need help.”
With a nod, he pointed to a nearby stall. “See that palomino? He’s yours.”
Her breath caught at the sight of the beautiful horse, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be afraid of such a gorgeous animal. “Does he have a name?”
“Moonlight. And he’s gentle, so don’t let him spook you if he starts moving around.”
With her knees feeling like rubber, she took the few steps and reached the stall. Easing into it, where the palomino stood waiting, she kept her voice low and much calmer than she felt. “Hey, Moonlight, I’m Meg. And aren’t you a beauty?” Her hand trembled as she tentatively reached up to comb her fingers through his mane. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back. “I’m going to saddle you now,” she warned.
She lifted the saddle from the top of the half-wall between stalls, and the weight of it nearly buckled her knees, forcing her to lean against the stall to stay upright. But she was determined to do this herself.
The horse, as beautiful as he was, wouldn’t cooperate. Each time Meg hefted the saddle higher, he sidestepped. She cursed him under her breath, determined that one way or another she was going to get it done. Gripping the leather and taking a fortifying breath, she tried once more. The horse backed away, his ears pressed flat to his head, and he snorted. Meg jumped back at the unusual sound, lost her balance, and the weight of the saddle brought her to the ground with an oomph of air. Tears of frustration burned her eyes.
“Problems?”
She jerked her head around at the sound of Trey’s voice and looked up to find him watching her. She sniffed at the tears and shrugged. “Maybe I’m not as strong as I thought I was.”
He opened the gate and walked in, his attention on the saddle holding her to the straw-covered floor. “You okay?” he asked as he lifted the saddle off her.
She scrambled to her feet, dusting off her backside and picking off bits of clinging straw. “I’m fine,” she answered, stepping back to give him plenty of room in the stall. Except for my dignity.
His gaze raked her from head to foot, then he shook his head. “You forgot the saddle blanket.” Picking up the brightly colored woven cloth, he proceeded to saddle the horse. “Pay close attention. Next time you’ll get it right.”
“It seems to me it makes more sense to use a blanket when he goes to bed.”
His hands stilled on the buckle he was tightening and he made a choking sound. “Horses don’t sleep under blankets, as a rule.” When he finished, he spun around and left her standing alone in the stall. “Let’s all get out to the corral,” he called to the others.
Leading her own saddled horse, Carrie patted Meg’s arm. “Don’t feel bad. I couldn’t do it either.”
“Right,” Meg answered, forcing a grin. She did a quick once-over of Carrie and her horse, finally realizing that she needed to loop the long strip of leather connected to the things in the horse’s mouth over the horse’s neck before she could lead him. She definitely had a lot to learn.
Outside, in the corral, Trey held a stunning black horse and demonstrated the proper method of mounting. “From the left side,” he was explaining, “grip the saddle horn with your left hand and the back of the cantle with your right. Put your left foot in the stirrup, and then swing your right leg over, like this.” With a grace that belied his size, Trey swung into the saddle. “Keep your heels down, knees hugging the horse, hand firmly gripping the reins. But don’t pull. These are like the steering wheel and brakes on your car, only more so. You think power steering and brakes are touchy? It’s nothin’ compared to these animals.”
Meg helped Carrie, doing her best to hold the horse steady beneath the child. But her attention was on Trey and the fine figure he cut atop the horse. The way they moved as one around the fenced area was pure artistry, and she suddenly understood the saying about someone looking like he’d been born in the saddle.
And now it was her turn to climb on Moonlight. The thought scared her to death.
Once Carrie was settled in the saddle, Meg started behind the little black and white horse and felt herself being jerked away, the grip on her forearm causing her to wince.
“Are you crazy, woman? Not behind the horse,” Trey growled. “You want to get your teeth kicked out?”
“Why would he do that?”
Trey stared at her, then shook his head. “She can’t see you back there.” He kept his grip on Meg and led her to the palomino. “Let me see you mount.”
As they approached the horse, Meg swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. With more than a little trepidation, she lifted a foot into the stirrup.
Grabbing her calf, Trey eased her leg down to the ground. “Left side, left foot.”
She looked at him and then at the horse. “Right,” she said, nodding, and forced a smile. A giggle bubbled in her throat. “I mean left, and you’re right. Um, correct.”
Starting around the back of the horse, she halted. “See? I remember,” she said, flashing him a grin before retracing her steps to go the other way. On the left side, she lifted her left foot to the stirrup, glancing over the horse’s back at the man watching her. Flashing him a shaky smile, she jumped but landed with her right foot still on the ground. Then jumped again. Then again, getting absolutely nowhere.
“Put your weight on the foot in the stirrup and swing your other leg over the horse,” Trey said, walking around the horse. Bending down, he grasped her calf. “Now try it.”
She nearly fell into her instructor when he pressed his hand to her bottom. As he boosted her up, she came close to sailing over the top of the horse, and had to grab the saddle horn to keep from toppling over onto the ground.
“Thanks,” she said, gritting her teeth and attempting a smile.
“You okay?” he asked, settling his hand on her thigh.
Meg gulped at the heat his touch sent spiraling through her. Looking down, she stared at his hand. “Um, yeah,” she answered, her voice barely a whisper.
As if he had just noticed he was touching her, he jerked back and spun around so fast, it nearly made her dizzy. Mounting his own horse, he called to the others. “Listen up, folks. Give the reins a little flick,” he said, demonstrating with a quick movement of his wrist, “then touch—and I do mean touch—your heels to the horse’s side. Once you get moving, just circle around.”
Forcing her racing heart to calm, Meg concentrated on the idea of actually riding the horse and did as he’d instructed, but the horse didn’t budge. She tried pulling the reins, but still no luck. When Moonlight didn’t respond, she tried the last thing she could think of. “Move horse,” she said, throwing her upper body forward in the saddle. To her surprise, the horse began to walk.
“Knees in, Miss Chastain,” Trey ordered from across the corral. “And get those heels down. Without boots, you could get your ankle busted real easy if you don’t.”
Meg quickly complied. The last thing she needed was to be laid up with a broken bone. An accident would take her out of the ranch activities, and she needed to be in the thick of things.
Trey approached her and brought his horse to a stop. “Maybe you oughta go into San Antonio and get yourself a pair of boots. If you’re plannin’ on doin’ anymore ridin’, that is.”
“I’ll do that.” she answered as he turned to ride away. She wasn’t at all convinced she would ever do this again.
With a sigh of relief when Trey called the group’s riding to a halt, Meg started to dismount, only to find a pair of strong hands grasping her hips. The sigh instantly became a gasp as she was lowered to the ground. Once her feet were firmly planted in the dirt, she turned to see Trey, his blue eyes wide, as if he were surprised.
He released her and shook his head, backing up a step. “Didn’t want you to fall, considerin’ the trouble you had gettin’ on.”
Meg bit down on her lip, refusing to acknowledge the sparks skipping through her body. Between the way his touch affected her and her insecurity on a horse, she wondered how she would last the week. She had been crazy to agree to come here, but there wasn’t much she could do about it except give it her best shot. And she would. She only hoped it would be good enough.