Layla popped her head over the stall door. As soon as she saw it was Magda, she whinnied for a treat. That brought two more heads over the doors. Magda laughed.
“Sorry, ladies and gent. The pockets are empty.”
She parked the bike in the first stall on the left, the one designated for her Fat Boy. The guys kept some drying towels in the barn and she pulled a couple out to dry her jacket and then her bike. As she was finishing, the clop-clop sound of approaching horses echoed, drawing the three stabled horses back to their doors. Reno rode in on Gordo and Darren on Archie. Water sluiced off men and horses.
Magda pulled a couple more towels from the supply and handed one to each man as he climbed down.
“Thanks,” Darren said. “That caught us off-guard. I swear there wasn’t any rain forecasted for today. Cold weather for sure, but no rain.”
Reno rubbed the towel over his short hair. “Welcome to Texas, my brother. The weather can change hourly.” He tossed the damp towel over a railing. “How’s your dad?”
“Good. The stent procedure went like clockwork.”
“He home?” Darren asked as he unbuckled the strap around Archie’s girth.
“Yep. You know he’s got a girlfriend, right? Blanche Jenkins?”
“Olivia’s housekeeper is dating Mitch’s foreman?” Darren asked.
“That’s her.”
“Gee, bro,” Darren said to Reno. “The man’s more than twice our age and he can get a girlfriend.” He slapped Reno’s back. “There’s hope for you yet.”
Magda laughed. Reno snarled, which only made her laugh more.
“Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Should be enough time for all of us to get into dry clothes.” She was glad she’d checked the weather that morning and had known she’d need the warmth of her leather jacket today. Otherwise, she’d have been standing there like a contestant in a wet T-shirt contest.
“Great,” Darren said.
“Why don’t you go on and get cleaned up. I’ll finish the horses,” Reno said.
“I’m not looking that gift horse in the mouth.” Darren laughed at his own joke. “Get it? Gift horse and you’re doing the horses?”
Reno shook his head. “Pitiful attempt, but I got it.”
Darren dashed from the barn, leaving Reno and Magda alone.
“Can I help?” she said, indicating the horses with a tilt of her head.
“No. I’ve got it.” He turned away and began brushing Gordo.
“It’d be faster if I helped.”
The cold look he gave her over his shoulder chilled her worse than the ice storm that had brought her to town. “I said I’ve got it.”
“Fine.” She snatched her helmet off the floor and ran to the house, the rain mixing with the tears of frustration and anger on her cheeks.
The weather continued to worsen. The rain stopped by the next morning, but the temperatures began to steadily drop. By the weekend, the daytime highs were forecasted to be only in the twenties.
Thunder rolled as they sat down to dinner Friday night.
“Good thing we got that fence repaired in the back forty,” Reno said. “If it’s going to rain again, the mud would be a mess.”
“No posthole digging in the mud.” Darren raised a hunk of pork chop to his mouth. “I’m heading into town tonight,” he said around his chews. “Be late when I get back, but do you need anything, Magda?”
She stopped eating to think about their supplies. “Yeah, I do. I got a list started. If I call in the order to Parker Market, can you pick it up for me?”
“As long as nothing will spoil in my truck. Headed out to Leo’s Bar and Grill. He’s got live music tonight. Either of you want to come along?” His eyes got wide as he looked at Magda. “Don’t slap my head. I’m not asking you out.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted that you don’t want to ask me out or relieved that you don’t want to ask me out.”
“Well, ma’am,” he said with an exaggerated drawl. “You’re one fine-looking lady, but hands off means hands off.” He grinned. “Besides, I’m sure I’d get my head slapped more than once during the evening.”
Reno didn’t contribute to the conversation. He continued to eat as though it were the last meal of his life. He didn’t even laugh at Darren’s really bad southern drawl.
Standing at the kitchen with her hands in sudsy water, Magda heard the first ping of ice on the window. She leaned to the right to see the thermometer nailed to the tree. The needle was sitting right at thirty-two.
Heavy boots thumped on the stairs and into the kitchen. When she looked over her shoulder, Darren was putting his hat on to leave.
“Parker’s knows I’m coming for a delivery? I don’t want to hang around there all night. The ladies are awaitin’ my arrival at Leo’s.”
Magda chuckled. “I bet they are. Don’t worry. Everything will be boxed and waiting for you to pick up.”
“Good deal.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She slapped the back of his head, which brought out a loud guffaw. “That was a wussy slap.” He hotfooted it to the back door. “But I’m not going to give you another shot.”
She smiled. “The weather is getting nasty. Started sleeting just now.”
“I’m not worried. My truck can plow through anything.”
He left with a loud bang of the door. Through the window, she could see him hunched over in the wind. He pulled his hat lower to protect his face. But his bright red truck was fairly close to the back porch, so he was in it and gone before she finished rinsing the dishes.
Reno came in to the kitchen. “I heard some sleet hitting the roof. I’m going to head down to the barn and check on everything for the night.”
“Need any help?”
“Nope. Not this time. I’ll be back shortly.”
As she dried the clean dinner plates, she watched Reno walk toward the large barn, his heavy coat flapping in the wind, his cowboy hat pulled low on his head. The ice, which had been pinging pleasantly on the glass, changed to large shards that clanked when they hit. The sound made her shiver even though the house wasn’t the least bit cold.
She was just finishing up in the kitchen when the back door slammed open, allowing a rush of icy air in. Reno stepped through, his arms full of chopped logs.
“Let me give you a hand,” Magda said, hurrying to close the door behind him.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to set these by the fireplace in case the floor furnace has trouble keeping up. Then I’ll head back out and load some wood in the firewood box. We’ve been taking advantage of the nice weather to do field work and have let our winter preparations get behind.”
She held out her arms. “Let me have the logs. I’ll take them in the other room.” When she could see the objection rising on his lips, she added, “I’ve got sleeves on so my arms are protected. Now give them to me and go.”
Reno nodded, transferred the wood to her and left.
Sometimes Reno was sure Magda Hobbs would be the death of him. He stepped on the bottom step from the back porch, his mind on the woman who’d dominated his thoughts for almost a year instead of the freezing rain, and slipped on a small ice patch.
“Damn it,” he muttered. “Most stubborn woman I’ve ever met. Pretending like there was nothing going on between us last summer. Acting like I haven’t seen her sweet ass naked as the day she was born.” He opened the door to the firewood box. “Great. Just freakin’ great.”
There was one stick of wood left from last winter. Otherwise, the box built into the house to hold wood for the fireplace was a gaping hole. And the area to hold the surplus fuel for the wood box had two tiny sticks for tinder and one log. Yeah, that wouldn’t hold them if they needed a fire.
They’d put the major pile of wood behind the barn, bringing up loads as needed. For a
minute, he thought about saying screw it and heading back inside. These cold temps might last through the night, but come morning, the sun would likely warm everything back to normal.
Still, the other side of his brain said, you know eventually you’ll need wood for a fire. And this will keep you from grabbing Magda and hauling her off to your bedroom.
“Damn it.” He tromped back to the kitchen to get his truck keys.
“That didn’t take long,” Magda said.
“That’s because I didn’t do anything,” he groused. “Gotta haul some wood up from the storage area.”
“I’ll give you a hand.” She grabbed her heavy leather jacket off the coat peg.
“I can do it.” He slammed the door behind him.
Why didn’t she understand that being around her more than was necessary sent him into a shitty state of bone-jarring lust that produced a dick as hard as a fence post?
During the day he was fine. There was more than enough to do to keep his mind busy, but the nights? The nights were the worst. If he didn’t already have calluses on his hands from the field work, he’d have them from his nightly tension release her presence caused.
After backing his truck down the hill and around the barn, he set the brake and climbed out. Why was he not surprised to see Magda standing there, heavy leather coat on, thick leather work gloves protecting her hands?
“Don’t argue with me. This will be faster with two.”
Gritting his teeth, he nodded. “We’ll do a relay. Stand at the truck gate and I’ll pass you logs and you put them in.”
“Works for me.”
For ten minutes, he passed firewood and she stacked it in the back on the truck. Every time he touched her fingers, even through their thick protective leather gloves, his heart jumped.
His mother had meant well hiring Magda, but this simply wasn’t going to work.
Meals were hell. The lump that formed in his throat made every bite of food almost impossible to swallow.
Her scent filled the house. Each draw of breath filled his nose with her unique blend of spices.
And her laughter. That might be the worst. When she laughed, or even smiled, it was as if the sun had risen after years of darkness.
He couldn’t live like this.
Darren would give him hell. That he was sure of. Despite being slammed on the back of the head almost daily by Magda for something he said—and Reno suspected Darren deliberately egged her on—Darren had fallen for their housekeeper. Not fallen as in romantically attracted, but more like one would care for a sister. Darren loved the hot meals, clean house and fresh clothes. He seemed to enjoy chatting with Magda, passing jokes back and forth, and generally being in her company.
Yeah, Darren would not be happy when Reno told him that Magda had to go.
“How’s that?” Magda asked, jerking him out of his thoughts.
The back of the truck was loaded down, way more than the wood box could hold. At least the overflow wood had a storage area much closer to the house.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Reno headed for the driver’s seat. Magda crawled up into the truck’s bed and sat.
“Hello?” he said, his eyebrows arched. “You can ride up front, you know.”
“Nope. I’d just get warm and then have to get out again. I’m fine here. But let’s go. I’m freezing.”
With a roll of his eyes, he did as she asked and they drove slowly back up to the house and around to the side near the wood box. This time, they reversed the relay with Magda passing wood over the side of the truck to Reno and him stacking it in the wood box until it was full and then making a neat stack in the overflow storage.
Shivering now, he was glad when the last stick of wood landed on the top of the pile.
“Done,” he said. He looked at Magda, still the sexiest woman he’d ever known. “Thanks for your help. You were right. Two people made the work go much faster.”
She slapped her hand over her chest and batted her eyelashes. “Why, Reno. I think that’s the nicest thang you’ve said to me since I got here.” Her words were spoken in a slow, drawn-out Southern twang. He couldn’t help it. He laughed.
“Come on. I’ll help you down.” He moved to the truck gate and held up his arms.
“I’ve got it.”
“It’s slick down here. Don’t be stubborn. Let me help.”
Blowing out a loud sigh, she leaned over and let him lift her to the ground. If hearing her laugh and eating her food was bad, touching her was sheer hell. Although her coat was thick leather, his hands could still find the indentation at her waist. And even when she was safely on the ground, his fingers didn’t want to unwrap, didn’t want to release the treasure they held.
Surprisingly, she didn’t push him away or try to step from his grasp. Her gaze rose until it met his. Her green eyes reflected the confusion he felt. They stood frozen, staring into each other’s faces. Reno lifted his hand and, using his thumb, wiped the sleet off her lips. For a second, he felt her press her cheek into his hand, but then it was gone.
She stepped back. “Okay, then,” she said, huffing out a breath. “Got us some firewood for a while.”
“I’ll park the truck. Why don’t you go ahead and get warm?”
“Going.” Whipping around on her heel, she marched around the corner of the house. He heard the front door slam after she let herself inside.
Nope. This was not going to work at all.
Chapter Seven
Magda took a moment to lean against the front door. She’d been so close to rising to her toes and kissing Reno. Of course, he wouldn’t have pushed her away. He was a Montgomery. They took what they wanted, and she was sure he’d enjoy a nice roll in the sack with her.
God. Her mind flashed back to May and the Montgomery Memorial Day party. They’d snuck off behind the barn to a grove of shade trees and hedges. He’d pushed her against a tree. Sucked her breasts like a starving man. Jerked her shorts and panties down and off her. Wrapped her leg around his waist as he’d driven into her.
Each thrust had been hard and fast, slamming her into the bark at her back. Each stroke had been accompanied with his groan of pleasure. The memory of his eyes flashing to hot and wild as he took her made her wet even now. And then there was the way the sweat that collected in the dip right above his ass cheeks felt when she stroked down his back to his firm and luscious butt.
She shivered, but not from the cold. In fact, the heat between her thighs was downright scorching.
A hot shower seemed to be what she needed right now, although a cold one might do better at addressing her out-of-control libido. She pushed off the door and headed toward her bath. Hot shower won the argument.
If only she had a handheld shower massager, she could take care of her hot areas and her cold areas at the same time.
Like the chicken she was, she hid out in her bedroom the rest of the evening. She had her own television in there. And a comfortable bed. And a chair. And all her books, so it wasn’t as though staying in her room was a punishment of any sort. And it was easier than confronting and restraining her lust.
Yeah, she was a chicken shit.
Something jarred her awake. She looked at the clock. Two a.m. She jumped when a fist pounded on her door.
“Magda.” It was Reno’s voice.
“I’m up. Come in.” She sat up in bed and pulled the covers up over her breasts, although she didn’t know why. The man had seen all she had to offer. Hell, he’d seen and tasted every inch of her body.
The door swung open. Dressed in jeans, a shirt and boots, he looked ready for work, if the boots had been his work boots rather than his nice ones.
“What’s up?” She looked at the clock again to see if maybe she’d misread the time and had overslept. Anyone who knew her well knew that she wasn’t really a morning pers
on. It’d been one of the stressors of this job. The other stood directly in front of her.
“The hospital just called. Darren’s had an accident.”
Magda pushed the covers off and leapt from the bed. “How bad is he?”
“Don’t know. The nurse wouldn’t tell me much over the phone except I needed to come.”
“Give me five minutes. I’m going with you.”
His mouth opened as though he were going to object, but in the end, he nodded and left. Less than five minutes later, Magda hurried from her room. Reno stood at the back door, hat in hand, boot tip tapping. The minute he saw her, he threw open the door and headed for his truck with Magda close on his heels.
Luckily, the temperatures had drifted up to a pleasant thirty-seven, so the roads were wet but with no ice.
Magda was no stranger to speeding. She pretty much considered posted speed limits as suggestions. Tonight, Reno paid no mind to posted speeds or wet conditions or any cop car that might roll in their path. He hit the D&R drive with the gas pedal to the floor and kept it there until he turned into the hospital parking lot. Still, the drive to Whispering Springs Hospital seemed to take a lifetime.
They dashed into the lobby, stopping short when they found Drake Gentry, Reno’s brother-in-law, standing in the lobby.
“I was sent to bring you up to the surgery waiting room. Come on.”
“What’s happening? How bad is he?” Reno asked in a tone that demanded answers.
“I can’t really tell you much. KC and I got here first. She went up and I stayed in the lobby to direct family upstairs. You’re the last one to arrive.”
Reno’s jaw hardened. Magda suspected he was cussing himself for living so far away. The rest of the Montgomery clan could make it to the hospital in under forty-five minutes with the gas pedal floored. She’d bet her eyetooth he was feeling guilty about something he had no control over.
Texas Bossa Nova (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 5) Page 6