Trey watched Meg lead Moonlight into the barn, hypnotized by the seductive movement of her body. Although she was well-covered from chin to toes, there was something so downright sensual in the sway of her hips that he had to hold himself back from following her.
She was hiding under those clothes. She had to be. When he had lifted her down from the horse, his fingers had pressed into a pair of rounded hips. No extra padding there, just sheer woman. He could only wonder at other parts of her—which led him to wonder even more about the kind of woman she really was. That scared him.
“How’d the lessons go?”
Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw his sister-in-law walking toward him. He liked Ellie. Chace couldn’t have found a better woman. But Trey wasn’t the settlin’ down type. There were too many little darlin’s to meet and get to know. Meg Chastain was new to him. That must be why he was so intrigued by her. It would wear off, in time. He was sure of it.
With a final quick look in the direction of the barn where Meg had disappeared, Trey forced the memory of the delightful feel of her to a corner of his mind before meeting his brother’s wife at the corral fence.
“Lessons weren’t too bad,” he answered Ellie. “There were only five of ’em. Maybe the rest heard I’d be teaching instead of you,” he added with a grin.
Ellie laughed and propped a foot on the bottom fence rail. “Maybe that’s it. Anything special I should know? Any problems?”
He thought of Carrie. And Meg. “No problems, but if the little girl plans to go on the trail ride, she might need a little extra attention. A private lesson or two should do it.”
“Private lessons are extra,” she reminded him.
“Check with her grandmother. I don’t think there’ll be a problem.”
“Anything else?”
But his attention wasn’t on her or what she was saying. He watched as Meg strolled out of the barn and crossed the far end of the corral, headed for the guest cabins. He couldn’t keep his gaze from zeroing in on the woman, and he let out a breath of air when she disappeared around the corner of the barn.
“How’d she do with the lesson?” Ellie asked, gesturing in Meg’s direction.
Trey couldn’t deny that Meg was definitely shaky on a horse, but he suspected she would get over it as soon as she understood the basics. “She’s doing okay,” he hedged, feeling Ellie watching him closely.
“Maybe you’d better find some time for some private lessons with her.”
“Me?” he asked, matching her stare for stare. “Where am I supposed to find the time?”
“Oh, like I have the time,” she countered, her words dripping with sarcasm. “But you know that if she’s having some problems now, they’ll be even worse on the trail ride. Better give it some thought.”
He shook his head. He’d be damned if he was going to spend any more time with Meg unless he didn’t have a choice. “Nope. Not on your life. A couple more group lessons and she’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, but will you?” Moving away from the fence, she started for the house. “I’ve got work waiting.”
“Ellie,” he called to her, determined to put Meg out of his mind. “Chace oughta be back this evening. Has he called?”
“No, not today, but I expect him to later, once he’s on the road,” she told him over her shoulder.
He nodded as she hurried on to the house. His brother had left early the morning before to drive to Lubbock for their new riding horses. Chace had called when he’d reached the motel last night, and Ellie had relayed the message that all was well and he didn’t expect any problems getting the horses or transporting them back to the ranch. One less worry for Trey. And more time to wonder about Meg Chastain’s hidden curves and what else she might be hiding. She presented a challenge to him, and he’d be damned if he’d turn it down.
Meg stepped out onto the small cabin porch and took a deep breath. The scent of ranch permeated the air. She hadn’t expected to like it, but she did. The smell of hay and fresh, smog-free air tickled her senses, so different from life in the city. This was what she wanted for Aunt Dee. Clean air. She’d researched several areas of the country, and Arizona always came up. There, allergies would hopefully be a thing of the past, and her aunt would be able to enjoy life, instead of gasping for every breath.
Aunt Dee had never had much. Her health problems had taken any extra money they might have had. Meg wanted to repay her for all the love her aunt had unselfishly given her.
As she made her way to the green meadow behind the cottages and main house, the dry grass whispered against the denim of her jeans while colorful wildflowers caught her eye. Silence surrounded her. Silence of the nicest kind. If she strained her ears, she could hear indistinct voices coming from the ranch proper, but they were nothing compared to the din of the city. She would remember to thank Geraldine, not only for the chance to make a name for herself, but for the opportunity to experience this beautiful part of the country.
Feeling better than she had in a long time, and with her determination to succeed at an all-time high, Meg turned back for the ranch. The sight of a cowboy strolling toward her brought her to a halt. There was no mistaking that easy lope. Her heartbeat immediately picked up, and she took several deep breaths to try to slow it before he reached her. She had to get control of herself.
“Havin’ trouble findin’somethin’to do?” Trey asked, stopping less than a foot in front of her.
She shook her head. “Just enjoying the great outdoors.”
His eyes narrowed against the glow of the setting sun lighting his face. “You aren’t gettin’ bored at the Triple B, are you?”
“No,” she said after a slight hesitation. Was this a good time to ask more questions? Would this cowboy know anything? It was worth a try to find out. “How long have you lived here?”
His slow grin sent her heart rate up another ten beats. With Trey around, she didn’t need aerobics. Just his sexy smile.
Tipping his hat farther down and shading his eyes, he chuckled. “Just about forever. And that’s about how long it’ll be before I leave. What do you think of the place?”
“It’s beautiful,” she answered truthfully.
“Ever been to Texas before?”
She shook her head. Even with his eyes hidden, she could feel him looking at her. She didn’t dare glance at him for more than a minute. His strong but finely chiseled features were enough to make most women she knew swoon. But she wasn’t most women. She’d had enough disappointing encounters with men and had decided she could live without them. A career was more lucrative and satisfying. Most men left her feeling cold. To her surprise, Trey didn’t. It was startling to be near a man who made the air around her warmer but far from uncomfortable.
But she shouldn’t be thinking about him or any man, she reminded herself. “Didn’t I hear the ranch is family-owned?”
Trey barely heard her. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Nodding, he lifted his hand to skim a finger down her cheek. Her peaches-and-cream skin was even softer than he’d imagined. And he’d imagined plenty on the drive back from visiting his injured ranch hands in San Antonio that afternoon. “You don’t get out in the sun much, do you?” he asked in a voice so husky, it surprised even him.
She cleared her throat before answering, but she didn’t move. “N-no,” she said, her voice a soft whisper.
He couldn’t stop his smile. He was definitely getting to her. But it was his heart that skipped a beat. He noticed her quickened breathing and stepped closer, her wide, green eyes drawing him in. A voice in the back of his mind told him this was no way to act with a guest, but he couldn’t make himself back off. In spite of the long, loose top she wore, hiding who knew what, the lady had a magnetism. Her delicate features blew his mind. He was accustomed to beautiful woman, but she took his breath away. Her eyes shimmered with apprehension, but he could see a flame of something flickering there, too.
His gaze dropped to her lips. Full and ripe like fresh strawberries, they begged to be tasted. His body responded to the sight of them. Unable to stop himself, he moved his hand to the slender column of her neck, his fingers curving around it while his thumb rested at the base of her throat, where her pulse throbbed beneath his touch.
Lowering his head to answer the silent plea of her lips, he was brought to a halt mere inches from his goal by the sound of a honking horn. She jerked away at the intrusion, and he lost the moment. Silently swearing at himself for his damned fool libido, he dropped his hand and looked down the long drive to see the Triple B pickup and trailer spewing dust as it neared the barn.
“Chace is back,” he muttered.
“Chace?”
Trey nodded and moved away from her, watching his brother’s progress. “New riding horses,” he said and turned back to grin at her. “But you can still ride Moonlight.”
“Oh, well, thanks,” Meg stammered. “I guess.”
“You’ll catch up on your ridin’ soon. Ellie’ll be teachin’ from now on.” At least he hoped so. If she didn’t, he wasn’t sure he could keep his attention on ranch business, like he needed to.
“I’d better go help unload,” he told Meg.
“Of course,” she said. “I mean, after all, that is your job. Not…talking to me.”
“Even a wrangler gets some down time,” he said with a chuckle.
Because the guest cabins were ahead and to their left, and he was headed to the barn on the right, he touched his hat and bid her goodbye. “Don’t forget the campfire tonight,” he reminded her as he enjoyed the view of her walking away from him. He could have sworn he saw her stumble, and he grinned. He really was getting to her. But why did he want to? He’d sworn to stay away from her. Instead, when he had seen her headed out here, he’d followed her. Why?
Shaking his head at the crazy way he had been acting, Trey hurried to meet Chace at the back of the horse trailer. “Any trouble?”
Chace shot him a smile as he opened the trailer door. “Nope.”
Letting out a long breath, Trey nodded. “Maybe things are looking up.”
“Looking up? Something wrong? Other than the Brahma accident, that is.” Chace shook his head. “Ellie told me about it. That sure puts a crunch on things. More work for you. But you seem to be enjoying it.” He jabbed an elbow at Trey’s ribs, then eased into the trailer.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Trey hollered at him, stepping out of the way of the horse Chace backed out of the gate.
When he was out in the open again, Chace nodded to the area Trey had just come from. “I saw you out there, little brother. Adding another filly to your stable?”
Trey opened his mouth to deny anything was going on, but closed it. Denial would only set Chace to laughing. “Can’t let my charm go to waste,” he said with a shrug. “There was a time you could’ve taken lessons.”
“Don’t need ’em.” Glancing in the direction of the house, Chace grinned. “I did fine without your help.”
“You just got lucky and found the right woman,” Trey answered. “I’d rather put all my luck into this ranch than into something as skittish as a female.”
Giving Trey a brotherly punch on his arm, Chace moved past him, leading the horse. “You just haven’t found the right one.”
Trey’s answer was a snort of laughter. “Maybe I’ve just found too many right ones. But look at it this way. If I concentrate on the ranch, and we start seeing some real money, you and Ellie won’t have to just talk about starting a family.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Chace called over his shoulder as he entered the barn. “We’ve been getting in plenty of practice.”
Trey looked up to see three of the ranch hands enter the barn. “Help’s arrived.”
With the extra men to lend a hand, the new horses were unloaded and led to stalls in a short time. When they were finished, Chace handed Trey the bill of sale. It took only a glance at it for Trey to know they had over-stepped their budget.
“Yeah, it was a little steeper than we’d planned,” Chace said, echoing Trey’s thoughts. “But I still have most of the purse from National Finals in savings. I’ll make up the difference.”
“No,” Trey answered, folding the paper and stuffing it into his shirt pocket. “I told you when you agreed to come into this with me that your rodeo winnings weren’t going to subsidize the dude part of the ranch.” Still, he wasn’t sure they could make ends meet, the way he had planned.
“But I was the one who made the decision to spend the extra,” Chace insisted.
“A deal’s a deal, big brother,” Trey reminded him, hoping it would end any more of Chace’s arguments. “And I’d better get this entered in the books,” he added, patting his pocket. “With Sherry gone, it might get misplaced. We don’t need that kind of bookkeeping disaster.”
He turned and started for the house. He had some thinking to do. And he needed to stay away from Meg. If it hadn’t been for Chace arriving when he had… Trey shook his head. He needed to forget about it. She’d be leaving at the end of the week, and he’d forget her. It was a waste of precious time to keep letting his hormones get the best of him when he had the future of the ranch at stake.
Meg watched out the cabin window until she saw Trey walking in the direction of the ranch house. Scrambling to her feet, she winced at the pain radiating from her backside. The riding lesson had taught her even more than learning to ride. Now she knew that riding a horse was dangerous to delicate body parts, too. After returning to her room to think about what had almost happened with Trey during her walk, she had learned the true meaning of the term “saddle sore.” And she had come to a conclusion about what she needed to do.
Once she was out the door and moving, she felt a little better and managed to reach the porch of the house at the same time he did. “Do you have a minute?” she asked.
“Sure. A minute, an hour, as much time as you need.”
She chose to forget about their earlier encounter and get right to the decision she had made. “About the trail ride on Saturday,” she began, hoping she wasn’t making another mistake. She was certain her first had been in being so determined to show him that she would learn to ride. “Well, I signed up for it.”
He leaned back against the house and crossed his arms on his chest. His lips twitched in the beginning of a smile. “Good. I can guarantee you’ll enjoy it.”
“Money back?” she asked, unable to resist.
The hint of a smile he’d worn disappeared for a split second, and then he grinned. “I doubt it’ll come to that.”
She took a deep breath. “Actually, I want to take my name off the list,” she blurted, before she could change her mind.
For a moment, he studied her, and she wished she could just turn around and forget the whole thing. Home sounded good. Their encounter in the grassy field had left her with feelings she didn’t want to deal with. Feelings she shouldn’t and didn’t want to be feeling. They confused her. And frightened her.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” he offered, pointing behind her.
She turned to see an old-fashioned porch swing and was tempted. There was a swing similar to it that hung on her aunt’s porch in Gary, and Meg had spent half of her lifetime in it, even during snowstorms. But the idea of sitting on anything at the moment was beyond imagining.
“Thank you, but I’ll stand,” she answered, turning back to look at him.
He fought a definite grin. Then a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. Before she knew it, he was laughing.
“Happens to everybody,” he said, reducing the laughter to a wide, knowing grin. Walking past her to the swing, he picked up a pillow from the floor of the porch. She watched as he dusted it off and plumped it, then placed it on the seat of the swing. “That’ll help. Come sit down and tell me why you don’t want to go on the trail ride. Besides the, uh, unpleasantness you’re feeling.”
She certainly couldn’t ignore his gesture, but she also couldn’t ignore her underlying reasons for wanting to beg off on the ride. With a silent sigh, she gingerly placed her sorest area on the pillow, prepared to give him every reason she could think of.
But he settled on the swing beside her, and all reason flew out of her mind.
“The best way to deal with being saddle sore is to get back on again,” he explained patiently. “Kind of like the old adage about falling off a horse. That’s why there are bathtubs in the cabins.” His gaze wandered up the length of her. “They aren’t big, but you should fit. A good soak will do wonders.”
“But it won’t improve my riding skills,” she replied, ready to offer her arguments, one by one. “And we both know that I’m about as green as they come.”
“Nothing that a private lesson or two won’t fix.”
She recognized the suggestive, husky tone in his voice. But she also noticed that as soon as he’d said it, he moved away. Not exactly what she would expect, considering that she was certain he had meant to kiss her earlier. If she wasn’t careful, they’d be taking up where they left off when they’d been interrupted.
“I’ll be honest,” she said, ducking her head to stare at the toes of her sneakers. “I can’t afford the added expense.”
A moment of silence followed. “It’s on the house.”
So now what should she do? Private lessons wouldn’t solve her biggest problem—being near him. But she couldn’t come right out and tell him that he did things to her that were completely out of her realm of experience. No man had ever affected her the way he did.
“You really don’t want to miss the trail ride,” he said, leaning closer. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced. That first ride, out in the open, away from everything, is something that can’t be described. Then to wake up in the middle of the night with the stars looking like they’re so close you could reach out and grab ’em— Nope, it has to be experienced.”
“You sound like a salesman,” she said, softening the words with a smile when she looked at him.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I suppose I do. But it’s the truth.” He caught her gaze and held it with eyes burning brightly. “I love this ranch. And I want others to experience the same things I do. If it wasn’t this ranch, it would be another one. That’s how much it means to me. You’ll love it, too.”
And she was supposed to say no to this? She couldn’t, in spite of knowing she was putting herself—her future and maybe even her heart—in danger. “All right,” she said, “I’ll take you up on the offer of the private lessons. But only one,” she added when she saw victory in his eyes. “I don’t want to waste your time.”
She moved forward, steeling herself against the pain she knew she would feel when she stood. But Trey was on his feet and offered her his hand. “Slow and easy,” he told her, pulling her up gently. “And don’t forget to take that long soak in the tub before supper. You’ll be glad you did.”
But she wondered if she would be glad she’d capitulated to his charm when Sunday came and she started the long drive back to Indiana. Somehow, she doubted it.
When the phone at Trey’s elbow jangled, jarring his already frayed nerves even more, he gave it a scowl, daring it to bring him more bad news. Picking it up, he clamped it to his ear and growled into the receiver. “Triple B Dude Ranch.”
“B must stand for bear,” the voice on the other end said, accompanied by a deep chuckle.
A smile replaced Trey’s frown. “Dev! How the hell are you?”
“Can’t complain, baby brother.”
At any other time, Trey would have bristled at his brother’s choice of words, but he was so damned glad to hear from Dev, he didn’t care. Lifting his legs, he propped his boots on the desktop in front of him and leaned back in his chair. “Sure hope you’re callin’ to say you’re headed home.”
“In time,” Dev replied after a slight hesitation. “In good time. But I’ve got some news for you.”
The muscles in Trey’s jaw tightened. News. He couldn’t take much more. Especially if it had to do with their former neighbor, and he suspected it did.
“Is it about the lawsuit?” he asked.
“No. I’m still waiting to hear from the lawyer. Jimmy Bob’s crazy to try this again. The ranch is ours. Every acre of it.”
Taking a deep breath, Trey pushed aside thoughts of James Robert Staton, better known as J.R. for the past few years, and slowly let the air out of his lungs. “Then what’s the news? Good or bad?”
“Depends on how the Triple B is doing.”
Afraid to ask, Trey did anyway. “What’s that mean?”
Dev didn’t answer immediately, and Trey could hear muffled conversation and noise in the background. Devon Brannigan kept his life a secret. Even Chace, the oldest of the three Brannigan brothers, didn’t know where Dev was or what he did.
“Gotta make this quick,” Dev said. “I just learned that Trail’s End Magazine is sending a reporter out to rate the Triple B and do an article. This may be the break you need.”
A cold wave of dread seeped down Trey’s spine. Trail’s End was one of the most widely read and respected travel magazines in the country. A good rating could easily make the ranch a complete success. A bad one would mean—
His feet came down on the floor and he straightened in the chair. “When?”
“Far as I know, somebody should be there now.”
The chill spread through Trey’s bones. Damn. Couldn’t this have come some other time? Say, six months down the road? The Triple B needed the good publicity to draw in more guests. But “good” was the operative word. With two of his men out for most of the week and everything going berserk, not to mention his insane preoccupation with Meg Chastain, the ranch could easily fail the test.
“What’s the reporter’s name?”
“Hell, Trey, I don’t know,” Dev grumbled. “That’s the way Trail’s End operates. They don’t want you to know so you can’t butter ’em up for a good rating. But you’re smart. You’ll figure it out.”
Trey closed his eyes and bit off a groan. He had his hands full, as it was. Now this. He might as well chuck it all. The Triple B would be nothing but a failed dream. And his brothers would see that, once again, baby brother couldn’t meet the mark.
“Trey? You still there?”
Propping his elbow on the desk, Trey settled his chin in his palm and frowned. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m here. Thanks, Dev. We’ll take care of it.”
“I know you will. Look, I’ve gotta go. Tell Chace howdy for me. And good luck. I’ll be looking for that article and five-star rating.”
“Thanks,” Trey said as the click announced the end of the conversation. He’d need all the luck he could get.
Not only had he been fool enough to offer Meg riding lessons—and on the house, when they needed any extra money they could earn—but now he had to deal with finding out who the mysterious reporter was. Damn! Why couldn’t he stay away from the woman, like he swore he would?
He pulled a bottle of expensive bourbon from the bookcase behind him and poured a glass, then stood and walked around to the front of the desk. Staring out the window toward the guest cabins, he leaned against the edge of his desk and took a long drink, letting the alcohol burn its way to his gut. It should have cleared his mind. It didn’t.
He gazed up at a portrait on the wall, smiled at the familiar face looking down on him and raised his glass in a salute. “Don’t worry, Granddaddy. I’ll take care of the place. I wasn’t named after you and Dad for nothing.”
Trey could handle their mystery guest, whoever it was, with no problem. And he wouldn’t let any woman get to him and make him forget what was important. The Triple B would always come first.