Nothing But Trouble

by Lisa Mondello

  He nodded. “There’s a water hole just a few hundred yards. The horses can get some water and we can rest. Maybe we’ll even get lucky and find those strays.”

  They rode the rest of the way in silence until they reached a small swampy pond located a little ways off the trail they’d been riding. They dismounted and the horses led themselves to the water without any coaxing.

  The sun was starting to sink in the sky, painting soft shades of pink and gray and amber over the mountains. Long shadows stretched across the meadow on the far side of the pond where Melanie walked, picking cornflower blue wildflowers.

  He watched her, like he had so many times during the day, wondering what she was thinking, and how she’d managed to land herself here on Black Rock. Sure Gerald Hammond had a hand in sending her his way. What most men would consider a blessing--having a woman as pretty as Melanie for a whole month--Stoney considered a curse. How the hell was he going to keep his mind out of the gutter when the woman had legs that went on for miles and sun kissed lips he couldn’t help but want to devour?

  “We’d better be getting back,” he called out to her.

  She swung around, and his breath caught in his throat just looking at her softness. He didn’t like the way it made his body respond. He had no business having a fling with a high society gal like Melanie. Seeing her like this, all untamed and pretty like she was part of this life and the land itself, as if she’d always been here, made him forget just what kind of expectations a woman like she had. Expectations he could never live up to.

  He swallowed hard, trying not to think about how the setting sun made Melanie’s hair look like midnight and gave her smooth skin an exotic air.

  Wild sex. A fling. Yeah, he could handle that. Right now that was all he had to offer. It was what he was used to on the rodeo circuit. But he could tell that Melanie wasn’t the wild fling sort of woman. She was the forever kind, and that meant hands off. He had nothing to give a woman like Melanie Summers. Nothing but trouble and hard living.

  * * *

  Melanie tossed her hair back over her shoulder with one hand, her fingers lightly grasping a bouquet of flowers in the other. “So soon? I thought you wanted to look for stray cattle.”

  Stoney cleared his throat. “I’d be worried if it was one of the cows were ready to calf. Mitch can take care of it.”

  “Give me a minute. These daisy and wild irises are just too beautiful to pass by.”

  Melanie lifted the bouquet to her nose, and closing her eyes, drew in a deep breath of the light sweet fragrance. Bending down, she plucked a few more of the yellow flowers she didn’t know the name of and added them to the bunch she had already gathered. She’d have to remember to ask Adele the name when they got back to the house. Then she wrapped the flowers together with a green stem so as not to bruise them on the ride back. “I thought Adele might like some flowers for the dinner table. Does your mother like flowers?”

  “What woman doesn’t? It’s been a long time since she had fresh flowers set on the table. She’ll be pleased.”

  “Pretty aren’t they?”

  “Yeah,” Stoney said.

  He cast her a long glance, his eyes dark with heat and then suddenly black with annoyance. Abruptly, he turned away and mounted his horse.

  Now what was that all about? Cowboys. Where they all so complicated or was it just Stoney? One minute he seemed like he was actually beginning to enjoy her company, the next he acted like he hardly wanted her around.

  It didn’t matter if Stoney Buxton enjoyed her company. She needed Stoney to help guide her through the next month. It didn’t matter if they were best friends or not. It may make it more pleasant, but they didn’t have to like being together.

  She pushed aside her hurt feelings and carefully secured her bouquet in the saddlebag before mounting Dolly. Although the air was cooling off with nightfall just around the corner, Melanie felt beads of sweat trickle down her chest and the side of her face. She quickly wiped her forehead with a shaky hand.

  Her blood sugar must be low after all the exercise she’d done earlier, she realized. She’d always been so regimented about exercise and eating on schedule to keep her diabetes under control. She’d have to watch it more carefully from now on. That was the whole reason for this trip. To prove she could handle herself despite her medical condition.

  She wished she’d remembered to toss a small can of juice in the saddlebag before they left the ranch. She’d need to get back quickly and have something to eat before her sugar got too low.

  She needn’t have worried. The ride back to the house took half the time it had taken them to get out to the pond.

  When they made it to the stables, Melanie quickly dismounted Dolly and put her in the stable, saddle still on her back. “I need to get something to drink. I’ll be right back in a few minutes to take care of Dolly.”

  Stoney’s hard gaze sliced through her as she walked away at a quick pace. Her hands were shaking bad, and fatigue was setting in. She didn’t have time to test her blood. If she didn’t get some sugar into her system, she was going to pass out, and then all hell would break loose. Her expedition into the wilderness would be over before it even began.

  Fifteen minutes later, after a glass of orange juice and a few crackers, she was feeling like herself again. She rounded the corner to the stables where she found Stoney. He didn’t look at her, just continued to brush down Dolly’s coat.

  “I told you I didn’t want you to pamper me.”

  His voice was biting. “The horses get taken care of first.”

  “I told you I’d be right back. I would have done that,” she said, reaching for the brush to stop his brisk motion.

  The instant their hands touched, she felt a disturbing jolt of electricity. It would have been easier to think that it was her anger waiting to be unleashed at Stoney’s inference that she abandoned Dolly’s needs. Anger like she always had when her diabetes kept her from doing something that was important to her.

  But anger had nothing to do with the surge of sensation racing through her, making her senses come to life. It was the mere presence of Stoney standing close to her, their skin singing with a single touch.

  His hands were rough and callused against hers, proof of the hard work that drove him on a daily basis. A shiver of sensation tantalized her when she thought of what his hand would feel like on her neck, against her breast. He didn’t move his hand, and she wondered if he felt the same surge of desire that had taken hold of her. She lifted her gaze to his face. The answer was clear.

  Stoney’s eyes were dark and full of thunderous excitement. He just stared into her eyes as if he could read her thoughts. Only she didn’t want him to know her thoughts. Thoughts of wild abandon and lust. Yes, lust, she realized. That’s all this is. Pure physical attraction.

  It was bound to happen with a man like Stoney. His rough edged exterior lent itself to the kind of danger and excitement she’d been shielded from her whole life. He was everything she was raised not to want. The exact opposite of what her father would approve of and suddenly, everything she wanted.

  Stoney’s gaze dropped to her lips. Melanie wet them involuntarily, knowing she’d chewed her lipstick off after a day of working the horses. For a fleeting moment, she thought he would kiss her. Her pulse pounded and to her utter amazement, that was exactly what she wanted. She wanted his mouth to devour hers until her knees fell weak, until she couldn’t remember her own name. She had the feeling that dangerous wild abandon lurked just beneath the rough exterior of this cowboy. And she wanted to know that danger, feel that excitement full force.

  But that was the last thing she needed. She had to stay focused on the reason she’d come to Wyoming in the first place. She needed Stoney’s help, not a quick tryst in the stables with a cowboy to mess up her plans.

  As quick as Melanie had seen the undeniable desire in Stoney’s eyes, a cold cloud covered his features. His expression tightened until his expression was closed off compl
etely. “I kept the flowers you picked in the saddlebag. You better get them in water before they die. I’ll take care of the horses tonight.”

  He didn’t want her there, she realized. Not because he was angry with her for leaving Dolly behind to get a drink. He was angry for feeling the same raw desire that flooded her. And for some reason, that made it all worse.

  “Thank you,” she said softly, not able to take her eyes from his. She finally turned and walked away, feeling as shaky as she had before she rushed into the house earlier. Only this time, it had nothing to do with her blood sugar. Her blood was racing with a raw sense of desire for a dangerous man she’d just hired to be her companion for a whole month.

  She reached for the screen door and withdrew her hand, placing it over her beating heart. A whole month alone with nothing but a drop dead, sexy cowboy and the Wyoming wilderness. Lord help her.

  #

  Chapter Four

  Six a.m. came earlier than Melanie would have liked. Sleep had eluded her with stirring thoughts of Stoney sleeping in the room just next to hers. She listened to the quiet, wondering if he was sleeping soundly, wondering if he was the kind of man who slept in pajamas or stripped down to nothing. She tortured herself thinking about him, if he still felt the same heat she’d seen in his eyes when they were together in the stable. The same heat she still felt.

  Memories of Stoney’s hand burning hers merged with dreams of him running his callused fingers through her hair, kissing her until her body responded in her sleep. She woke several times during the night in a hot sweat with the white percale sheets wrapped around her body and the cotton blanket thrown to the floor.

  She usually slept so sound, her bed virtually tidy in the morning. But if this kept up, if she couldn’t rid herself of these strange feelings of longing she had whenever she thought of Stoney, she’d be too sleep deprived by the end of the week, she’d never make it a month.

  The sound of male voices talking and laughing just beneath her open window caused her to finally pull herself out of bed. She recognized the deep timbre of Stoney’s voice talking to Wally and someone else. Another man. She guessed the third man must be Mitchell Broader, as he was due at Black Rock sometime this morning. Good. The sooner they left for the hills, the sooner she could go back to Long Island and tell her father she’d fulfilled her end of the bargain. He’d have no other choice than to let her go with the rest of the team to Kenya.

  Wasting no time and knowing they had a long day ahead of them, Melanie quickly showered and dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a cotton shirt. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she followed the sound of laughter until she found the three men sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

  She was immediately struck by the easiness between the men they talked and joked. It almost made Melanie feel envious. When she and Stoney were together, he was always on edge, as if he were angry. Maybe it was his reaction to her for taking him away from Black Rock. Then there were those times when his eyes met hers and his gaze was so powerful, she swore he would eat her alive.

  Wally lifted his eyes to her and cleared his throat as Melanie entered the room. The laughter silenced.

  “You must be Mitchell,” Melanie said, extending her hand as the only man who was a stranger rose to his feet.

  Mitch tipped his hat and smiled. She guessed he was the same age as Stoney, fair-haired and fair-skinned as if he burned in the heat of the sun instead of getting a bronze tan like she suspected Stoney would. His features were almost boyish, even as a man. But he had a kind face. His appraisal of her, however, was typically male.

  “Yes, ma’am. You must be the Ms. Summers I’ve been hearing about.”

  She nodded her head graciously. “Please call me Melanie.”

  “Stoney’s been filling me in on all your plans.”

  “I’ll just bet he has.”

  He thumbed toward Stoney, who was now hoisting a duffel bag to his shoulder. “You’re sure you want to spend a whole month with the likes of him? I’d be mighty happy to take his place if you’re willing.” His eyes twinkled and his smile was flirtatious.

  A hard look passed between Stoney and Mitch, as if Stoney were staking claim on her and giving Mitch a hands off warning. The air in the room suddenly turned frosty.

  Mitch apparently got the message that it was time for him to leave.

  “I guess I’ll make myself useful and load the horses into the trailer.”

  Turning to Melanie, he tipped his hat in a cordial cowboy gesture before heading out the kitchen door.

  “If you’re still planning on getting up in the mountains any time today, it’s time we got a move on.” Stoney’s stare was almost accusing.

  Melanie clenched her fist, feeling her long fingernails dig into the soft flesh of her palm. What right did Stoney have to be irritated about her talking to Mitch? She was simply being nice, meeting the man for the first time.

  Avoiding his unmerciful gaze, Melanie turned her attention to the duffels and saddlebags on the porch and realized Stoney had been busy packing all their gear. Without her. He’d gotten started without her! She didn’t bother to keep her irritation in check any longer.

  “I told you that I would do my share of the work. I didn’t hire you to carry me the whole way.”

  Stoney kept on packing the canned goods that were spread out on the counter into a bag without giving her a response.

  “You didn’t have to treat him that way, you know,” she huffed.

  “I’ll treat him any damn way I please.” That got his attention, but he still didn’t stop his quick and continued to pack the duffel. “I hired him to work at Black Rock, not cast a roving eye all over you.”

  Melanie had to laugh at that. “I didn’t hire you to fend off men, thank you very much. I can handle myself just fine.”

  He shot her a sardonic look. “So you keep telling me. We’ll take a third horse for our gear,” he said, changing the subject.

  She folded her arms across her chest. “You know, just because I’m paying you to be my trail guide, doesn’t mean you have to order me around.”

  He swung around to meet her head on, seemingly trying to intimidate her with his size. But she held firm in her place.

  “What you’re paying me for is to keep your little hide safe while you get your fill of whatever pipe dream you have. Let’s just get this straight so we know where we stand. You listen to what I say, do what I tell you to do, and we make it the whole month. You go against my word just once, and we turn around and head out of those mountains so fast you won’t even know you were there at all.”

  “Are you always so...intense?”

  He threw her a wry grin, but his features were still tight. “You just bring out the best in me.”

  He tossed her two empty canvas bags.

  “Anything you’ve decided is an absolute must for this trip you can pack in here. We’ll be on the road in half an hour.”

  Adele appeared at the doorway, carrying a duffel bag that appeared to overpower her small form. Stoney immediately gripped the handle and hoisted it over his shoulder.

  “That’s filled with as much of the dried goods I could fit in it. I’m not sure if it’ll last you a month, but it will hold you for a while. I added some of those peach chips you and Joshua love so much.”

  Stoney smiled warmly, his anger gone as quickly as it came. Then he grabbed one of his bags and headed out the kitchen door, nodding a thanks to his mother, but virtually ignoring Melanie.

  Melanie let out a sigh of defeat when the screen door slammed in his wake. “Is he always this delightful?”

  Adele took Melanie by the hand and held her back from walking out after Stoney. “Only when he doesn’t have the upper hand.”

  “Is that how he sees this?”

  Adele shrugged slightly. “Don’t let him get to you. He gets grumpy and he growls a lot, especially when he doesn’t get his own way. I suspect you’ll see a lot of his charming ways over the next
month.”

  “Lord help me,” Melanie said under her breath. Heat flamed her cheeks when she remembered she was talking to his mother.

  Adele gave a hardy laugh. “You’ve got to cowboy up, girl. When he starts growling, growl back. Show him you have your own two feet to stand on. He can be hard, but he’s fair. He’ll ease up on you. You’ll see. Some men aren’t happy unless they’re met head on with a good challenge.”

  “And I’m his challenge?”

  Adele nodded, amusement filling her face.

  Melanie drew in a deep breath and let it out slow. How in the heck did Adele survive all alone on this ranch with the likes of grumpy old Stoney Buxton? “He really doesn’t want to do this, does he?”

  Adele eased out a sigh, the lines around her mouth seemed to deepen, making her look older than what she probably was. “It’s been a rough year for him. He wasn’t here last year when the fire broke out and he’s worried about leaving us this way. This ranch means a lot to him.” She plucked the coffee cups from the table and dropped them in a tub of suds in the sink. “But don’t you worry. Once he gets a whiff of that clear mountain air, he’ll be just fine. I suspect he needs this trip as much as you do.”

  Melanie hadn’t told anyone the real reason for hiring Stoney. Truth was, no one had asked. Although Adele had divulged some information about the fire, she suspected there was a lot she didn’t know about Stoney’s reasons for agreeing to be her guide. Especially since his actions made it clear that it was the very last thing he wanted to do.

  The bottom line was they needed each other. They may not like it, but they’d get through it.

  Even if it killed her.

  * * *

  Once the horses had been unloaded from the trailer, Melanie and Stoney quickly worked to saddle Thunder and Dolly, and then packed Chester, the gray and white quarter horse they’d use to hold their provisions. Melanie was determined to keep up with Stoney at all cost, although she kept trying to tell herself she shouldn’t care what Stoney thought one way or the other.