“Hey.” He caught her wrist. “Stop that.”
“But I think you would really like it.” She fondled him with her other hand. “I’m no expert at this, but I can probably give you a great memory to take back to the bunkhouse.”
Sitting up again so he had better balance, he grabbed that wrist, too. “I already have a great memory of you having an orgasm on the dryer.”
Her voice lowered into a soft purr of seduction. “Then how about a great memory of me giving you an orgasm under the kitchen table? This might be your one and only chance, because tomorrow night the house will be full of people again.”
He was trying mightily to resist, but the more she talked, the harder he became.
She leaned down and rubbed her cheek against the cotton of his briefs, which were barely restraining his bad boy. “You say no, but this part of you says yes.”
“You’re crazy.” As the ache for her grew stronger, his resistance weakened.
“Earlier you said I was passionate.”
“Crazy and passionate.”
She nuzzled him through the cotton material. “I want you,” she murmured. “I want to lick and nibble and suck and—”
Groaning softly, he let go of her wrists. He was only human, and she was…ah, she was making love to the tip of his penis. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sensation. He had a clear mental image of her plump mouth, and as he thought of it closing over that sensitive part of him, he almost came right then.
But now that he’d surrendered, he wanted it to last longer than a few seconds. That wasn’t going to be easy as she dipped one hand inside the opening of his briefs and cupped his family jewels. She might not be an expert at oral sex, but she had good instincts. Soon he had to grip the edge of the table and clench his jaw to keep from moaning out loud at the pleasure she was giving him.
With one hand fondling his twins, one stroking his shaft, and her mouth and tongue very busy playing him like a flute, he knew this ecstasy wouldn’t last long. His orgasm rolled closer, stealing his breath and kicking his heart into high gear. Then she did some swirly thing with her tongue and took him all the way to the back of her throat.
Squeezing his eyes shut and choking back his cry of release, he erupted. Boldly she caressed him, milking him of all he had to give until the tremors gradually faded. He slumped in his chair with his eyes closed, and wondered if he could just stay there for the night, or maybe for the next week or two. He wasn’t sure how soon he’d be capable of moving.
Vaguely he realized that she’d tucked his happy penis back inside his briefs and zipped his fly. He lost track of her whereabouts after that, but she must have climbed out from under the table, because now she was leaning over him and kissing his cheek.
“Thanks for the menu-planning session,” she murmured in his ear. “I think it’s time for you to go back to the bunkhouse, unless you want to spend the night in my bed and say to heck with what people think when they find out.”
Taking a long, slow breath, he opened his eyes and looked up at her. “You are an amazing woman, Aurelia Imogene Smith.”
She smiled. “That’s the orgasm talking.”
“Nope.” Planting his palms flat on the table, he pushed himself to his feet. “That’s experience talking.” He drew her into his arms. “I’m not exactly a virgin, you know. I have some basis for comparison, and you are amazing. After knowing you for twenty-four hours, I’m prepared to be your sex slave.”
Tilting her head, she looked up at him. “Come back tomorrow night and I’ll take you up on that.”
“Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away.”
8
AURELIA MADE THE CHICKEN with regular mushrooms instead of black truffles, but once again, she couldn’t call the dish by its proper name because Matthew had talked her into stripping the meaning right out of it. The chicken was no longer in partial mourning. It looked pretty much like any roasted chicken would.
She’d figured out years ago that she wasn’t good at art, music or writing. But cooking satisfied her urge to bring something new and useful into the world, especially when the final result was beautiful or interesting. This chicken didn’t qualify on either account.
Still, the warmth of Matthew’s gaze whenever she caught him watching her during lunch was worth bastardizing as many recipes as necessary. Several of the hands and a couple of the teenagers came up after lunch to compliment her on the meal.
She wasn’t sure if they were doing it on their own or if Matthew had prompted them, but either way, she was happy about their comments. If they genuinely liked the food, then she was making progress. If they were only following Matthew’s directions, his support meant the world to her and she could be happy about that, too.
He found a moment during lunch to invite her back down to the corral this afternoon to watch him work with Lester and Houdini. He said some of the other boys would be included today, as well. She cleaned up the kitchen in record time so she could do that.
When she arrived, six teenagers lined the fence rail instead of seven. Emmett wasn’t around, nor was his daughter Emily, who often helped with the boys. But the tall, dark-haired cowboy named Tucker was there to supervise. Inside the corral, Matthew stood back while Lester held an English saddle out to Houdini and talked to him about it.
Aurelia joined Tucker at the railing. “How come they’re using an English saddle instead of a Western one?” Aurelia didn’t know a lot about horsemanship, but she recognized the difference in saddles.
“That’s Matthew’s idea. Houdini had a bad experience with a Western saddle.” Tucker tipped his hat back. “Sarah called his former owners this morning, and sure enough, when they had Houdini their son was about Lester’s size and he spent a lot of time with the horse.”
“So that’s why Houdini took so quickly to Lester.”
Tucker nodded. “That’s the theory. Houdini seems to trust him. I’m not saying he doesn’t trust Matthew, because I think he does, but his preference seems to be for Lester. Matthew’s smart enough to use that.”
“And Lester’s obviously having the time of his life.”
“Yeah.” Tucker grinned. “If he keeps this up and becomes Houdini’s best friend, he’ll probably end up with a job here once he’s old enough.”
“I’m gonna get a job here when I’m old enough,” said the boy standing closest to Tucker.
Aurelia recognized Gary, a chubby boy with brown hair and freckles.
Gary’s comment was followed by the others piping up with “Me, too.”
“It’s a great place to work,” Tucker said. “I’ve been here since last fall, and I love it.” He pointed to the black and white Paint in the corral. “Fortunately that horse didn’t cost me my job last Christmas.”
That got everybody’s attention. Aurelia and the boys listened in fascination as Tucker described Houdini’s Christmas Eve escape from the barn right before a blizzard.
“It was my fault that he got out, so I went after him on a snowmobile, which I wrecked, but I caught the horse. Then the blizzard hit.”
Gary was wide-eyed. “Then what?”
“An angel rescued me and Houdini.”
“A real angel?”
Tucker laughed. “I think she is, but she claims she’s not. Her name’s Lacey, and we’re getting married this Christmas Eve.”
“Wow.” Gary glanced into the corral. “You should probably invite Houdini to the wedding.”
“I probably should at that. Now that Matthew and Lester are teaching him manners, I might be able to find a way to work him into the celebration. There’s no doubt that horse was our matchmaker.”
“Then I’m glad he’s being trained,” Aurelia said. “Maybe Matthew should see how he does with a sleigh if you’re having a Christmas Eve wedding.” She leaned against the top rail of the fence as she pictured a romantic ceremony with pine boughs and mistletoe.
She hoped to have a romantic wedding someday, but she hadn’t met the man she�
��d want to spend her life with. Well, except maybe the man in the corral, but he was out of the question. For the first time, though, she admitted to herself that she wished their circumstances were different.
“A sleigh would be cool,” Tucker said. “And I really am glad Houdini’s going to be a permanent part of the ranch. Until they decided to hire Matthew, they considered selling him.”
“That would have been a shame.” In more ways than one, she thought. Houdini had brought Matthew here.
“They don’t give up on people and animals that easy around here,” Tucker said. “That’s why it’s called the Last Chance.”
“They gave up on Jeff,” one of the other boys said.
“Not exactly,” Tucker said. “You can’t keep a boy around who would throw a rock at a horse. Jeff wasn’t ready to be here. But Pete, I mean, Mr. Beckett, is getting Jeff some help. They haven’t totally given up on Jeff, either.”
“Think he’ll come back?” Gary asked.
“Not this summer. But maybe someday. I’m sure Mr. Beckett will keep track of him.”
“Look!” Gary pointed toward the corral. “Lester’s putting the saddle on Houdini!”
With that, everyone seemed to forget about Jeff as they watched Houdini being saddled for the first time since he’d arrived at the ranch. Matthew stood at his head, holding his bridle and talking to him while Lester kept up a steady stream of conversation as he tightened the cinch. Houdini turned to look at the boy, but otherwise he didn’t seem particularly worried about having the saddle on his back.
“Tighten it, and wait till he lets out some air,” Matthew said. “Then tighten it some more. Don’t want it swinging around under his belly.”
Lester followed Matthew’s directions to the letter. “I think that’s got it, Mr. Tredway.”
“Ready to climb on?”
“Yep.”
“I think we could use another helper. Gary, how about you?”
“I’m on it, Mr. Tredway.” His chest puffed out with pride, Gary slipped through the rails into the corral. “Whatcha need?”
“Lace your hands together and give Lester a leg up while I keep a hold on Houdini’s bridle.”
He was so very patient. Aurelia couldn’t help thinking what a great father he’d make, but a wife and kids didn’t fit his current lifestyle. She’d be doing both of them a disservice if she started weaving fantasies about Matthew as a family man.
She had trouble not doing that, though, as she watched him work with Lester.
“I think it’s Lester’s voice, too,” Tucker said. “You see how Houdini’s ears are always going, picking up the sound. I don’t know what he’ll do once Matthew climbs on.”
“Is he going to do that today?” Aurelia felt a shiver of dread. She knew Matthew risked his safety all the time while working with horses, but she didn’t have to like the idea of him being thrown.
“Not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But eventually Houdini has to accept the weight of a grown man. He won’t always be ridden by a kid.”
“I just hope he’s careful.”
Tucker glanced at her. “You like him, don’t you?”
Aurelia felt a blush coming on. “He’s a nice guy.”
“Yeah, he is.” Smiling, Tucker looked away again.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. Just that Matthew’s sleeping in Watkins’ old bunk, and Watkins was sweet on the cook. It’s just interesting, that’s all.”
“Hmm.” Aurelia had no idea how to respond. She wasn’t about to confirm or deny anything at this point.
“Yep.” Tucker nodded again, still smiling. “Interesting.”
* * *
“I’LL BE HEADING BACK up to the house again tonight around eight,” Matthew announced as the cowhands sat down to eat the tuna casserole Danny had made.
“Is that right?” Tucker exchanged a grin with Shorty. “What a surprise.”
“Well, isn’t that what we agreed I’d do? Go up there and check out the menu plans for the next day?”
“We certainly did.” Shorty took a swig of his beer. “And you’ve done an outstanding job. The chicken today was recognizable and even tasted pretty good. I made a point to tell Aurelia about it, too.”
“Good. I’m sure she appreciated that.” Matthew dug into his tuna casserole but thought about the steak with shallot-red-wine sauce waiting for him up at the house, and the woman who’d offered to serve it juicy and hot. Tuna casserole didn’t stand much of a chance against that, but Matthew planned to eat enough to be polite.
“Apparently it takes a lot of discussion to plan something like that chicken dish,” Tucker said.
“I was thinking that, too.” Behind his wire-framed glasses, Bob’s eyes reflected amusement. “You must have to do some tough negotiating.”
Matthew shrugged in an attempt to act casual. “Not really. I mean, she suggests something, and then we figure out how to make it a little less gourmet. It’s a process.”
“A long process,” Shorty said.
“Unusually long,” Frank added as he forked up a bite of the casserole. “Hell, I think I could hammer out the Treaty of Versailles in the time it takes you two to come up with a roasted chicken recipe.”
“And dinner tonight for the kids. We had to discuss that.” He had an uneasy feeling about where this conversation was leading.
“You must really be into it,” Shorty said.
Tucker nodded in agreement. “Yep, that menu-planning must be absorbing your interest, big-time.”
“Not really.”
“Must be,” Shorty said. “I figure it’s on your mind 24/7.”
“Of course it’s not. That’s ridiculous.”
Shorty leaned back in his chair with a smile. “I don’t know how else to explain the fact that you were moaning and calling out Aurelia’s name in the middle of the night.”
Not much could make Matthew blush, but he felt his ears getting very warm. “You’re making that up.”
“No, he’s not.” Bob picked up his bottle of beer. “I heard you, too. At first I thought you were in pain, but then I realized it was a different kind of pain.” His lips twitched. “The pain of true love.” He took a drink of his beer.
“Oh, for God’s sake.” Matthew blew out a breath. “Okay, I find her attractive. I mean, who wouldn’t?”
“Hey, we totally understand,” Shorty said. “In fact, we’re only telling you this because if you’re going to keep us awake at night with your moaning and groaning, we’d like to suggest that you just spend the night with Aurelia. With our blessings.”
“It worked for Watkins,” Danny said. “He got to where he just kept his clothes here but he spent the night up in Mary Lou’s apartment. And you’re in Watkins’ bunk, so why not follow in his footsteps?”
“Yeah, but Watkins ended up married,” Matthew said. “This thing between Aurelia and me is temporary. Neither one of us is thinking long-term.”
“That’s fine. Your business.” Shorty pointed his fork at Matthew. “But, that’s even more reason to spend the night up there. Make the most of the opportunity.”
Matthew picked at the label on his beer bottle. “I’ve been wondering something. She’s a beautiful woman, so how come one of you didn’t make a move before I got here?”
“I wouldn’t have,” Tucker said. “I’m engaged.”
“The rest of us talked about it,” Bob admitted. “But none of us felt like we could flirt with her and then turn around and complain about her food behind her back. It took somebody like you who actually likes her food to make any headway. So we’re happy for you.”
“And we’ll be even happier if we don’t have to listen to that lovesick caterwauling we heard last night,” Shorty said.
“Sorry about that.” Matthew’s ears still felt warm, but the guys had done him a favor. Assuming Aurelia would let him stay, he could spend the entire night enjoying her many charms. That was worth a little embarrassment.
As he had th
e night before, he played cards with the guys until just before eight. They kept getting in digs the entire time, but he didn’t care. The only person who could rain on his parade at this point was Aurelia, if she refused to let him occupy her bed.
He didn’t expect that, so when he excused himself from the game, he went over and pulled his duffel out from under his bunk so he could stuff several condoms into his pockets. He tried to be subtle about it, but apparently he didn’t succeed.
“Be sure you take enough,” Shorty called out.
“Yeah, it’s hell to run out,” Danny added.
The guys were still laughing when he grabbed his hat from the rack by the door and pushed through the screen door. Then he thought of something and turned around.
“What did you forget?” Shorty asked, pulling his cigar out of his mouth as Matthew came back in. “Your sex toys?”
“No. I forgot to warn you bozos that if a single one of you makes an inappropriate remark to Aurelia about any of this, I will personally wipe up the floor with you. You can kid me all you want, but leave her alone.”
“We’re all good cowboys,” Danny said. The laughter had faded from his eyes. “And a good cowboy doesn’t insult women. And while we’re on the subject of Aurelia, we all think she’s a nice person. Weird cooking, but a nice person. Don’t break her heart.”
“I don’t intend to do that,” Matthew said quietly. “We’re both going into this with our eyes wide open.”
Tucker gazed at him, his expression doubtful. “You may be, but take care with her, okay?”
Matthew bristled at the suggestion that he wouldn’t, but he tamped down that spurt of anger. They were being protective, and there was nothing wrong with that. He touched the brim of his hat. “Understood. See you boys in the morning.”
As he walked up to the house in the apricot glow of a midsummer twilight, with crickets chirping and an owl hooting from the top of a spruce tree, Matthew thought about what Tucker had said. Tucker and Aurelia had spent some time talking this afternoon beside the corral.
Matthew hoped to hell Tucker hadn’t told her about him talking in his sleep last night. Or more accurately, moaning in his sleep. Dear God, had he really been as pathetic as the guys had made him sound? Probably not. They were laying it on thick because they hadn’t been able to resist.
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