by Joanna Blake
I guided my horse to the stables attached to the barn. I removed his saddle, which I knew must be chafing by now. I went to grab some hay to rub down his coat when a hissing sound brought me up short. Wouldn’t you know it, her fleabag of a cat was curled up behind a bale of hay!
“Peyton? Oh my God, Peyton you scared me half to death!”
I tossed her a chamois cloth and grabbed one for Tucker. She swaddled the wet and angry cat up like a damn baby, cradling it against her chest and cooing. The little pussy got squirmy in her arms then, probably because cats don’t like that kind of baby-coddling affection. It did a spiral turn with its body, landing on the ground with all four paws. He padded over to the hay pile, curling up into a ball as though the place was his bed. I had to admit, the little furball was kind of cute.
“You saved him. Thank you, James.”
I scratched my jaw. Seeing how I was the one who let the thing out, it didn’t seem right to take credit. Even in the way too large slicker and her wet hair, she looked so beautiful standing there. I tipped my hat and stepped closer.
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
Her lips parted when she saw my intentions. I grinned and leaned closer, determined to get a taste of those pretty lips.
12
Kate
James kissed me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Peyton curl up against the hay pile again. He was safe. Thank God. And now, this man who’d avoided me for three months had his hand buried in my hair and was stealing my breath. His rough, demanding kiss made me forget all about his lack of attention, and made my body yearn for a repeat of our night together.
Right here and right now.
I didn’t want him to turn his back on me again, or to ask him to make love to me, only for him to turn me down. While his lips were still tight against mine, I reached my hand down between us and let it come to rest over the hard bulge of his jeans. Just touching it made my panties drench as much as the slick raincoats between us.
Not caring that we were standing in the middle of a barn, I pulled from our kiss and peeled off my slicker. He did the same, his eyes piercing mine. Any of the ranch hands could’ve walked in, but it didn’t much matter to me then. Finding and unclasping his belt buckle, he lifted me into his arms, wrapped my legs around his waist, and took a few steps until my back was pressed up against one of the wooden stable doors.
He gripped the hem of my skirt from the back and dragged the fabric up until it was bundled around my waist. With rough, callused hands, he cupped my ass cheeks and squeezed a palmful of each one, causing my pussy to pulse with need.
“We should...probably...talk,” I heard myself moan at his ear as he devoured a spot along my neck and pushed my panties to one side.
“I’m done talking, Kate.” His tone was final, and I wasn’t about to object, not when the truth was I didn’t care to use this time to talk either.
His mouth covered mine again, and his tongue invaded my lips, tangling with my tongue as our teeth clinked from his urgent kiss. I locked my ankles around his waist, pulling our bodies closer. He positioned his cock, and with a sharp tilt of his hips, James sank into me in one sure movement, all the way to the hilt.
“Fuck,” he grunted against my lips, still anchored deep inside me. “You’re so fucking tight.”
I loved the full feeling inside me, the way every thick, veined inch of him pressed against my inner walls, stretching that space within me that I’d never known had been there. I rolled my hips a bit, relishing the way his lower belly made contact with my clit. That small move was all it took for James. He tightened his hold around my waist, and as our tongues dueled, he pistoned in and out of my pussy with a wildness that ramped up my arousal.
Gosh, he felt so good. Every square inch of my body buzzed from pure need and satisfaction that expanded and grew by the second. All I could do was hold on and enjoy the ride, and boy did I ever.
James pulled from our kiss then, still impaling me with his thick, hot, pleasure-creating spear. He bit a spot on my earlobe. “Tell me whose pussy this is,” he demanded at my ear and pulled his cock all the way out, resting the tip at my folds.
His words took me by surprise. I couldn’t form a response fast enough.
“Tell me,” he repeated.
“Yours,” I whimpered. “It’s yours, James.”
“Hell, yeah,” he said, burying inside of me again. “All. Fucking. Mine.”
“Yes.”
“Come for me,” he commanded.
As surely as if those words were hard-wired to my core, my desire overtook my senses, causing my inner walls to clench against his cock, blinding me from everything else around us as I reached my peak and crashed over the edge of it. With three rough, deep strokes, James came too, spilling his seed, planting it so deep inside of me.
We stayed there for a few moments, panting to catch our breaths, bodies still connected until I felt wetness trickle from me.
Lowering my legs to the floor, James kissed me one more time. As I straightened my panties and skirt, he tucked himself back into his boxers and closed his zipper.
“You should get that cat back inside. He’s shivering in the corner there.” He turned and walked toward the barn door. “See you at dinner. Got things to finish.”
Really? That was it? He’d fucked me in a barn, ordered me to admit I belonged to him, and now he was leaving again. He’d gone right back to ignoring me. My mind was scattered and my body was on fire yet again.
Scooping up Peyton into my arms, I found the raincoat and covered him up. “Let’s get you inside, Pey,” I muttered then ran from the barn to the house as quickly as I could.
If James believed he was the only one who knew how to give the cold shoulder, he was dead wrong.
I made us dinner but took mine up to my room before James returned from his work outside. No way was I about to look at him, talk to him, or let him use my body again. No matter how much my body craved him.
Sometime after eight in the evening, James knocked on my door.
“Kate,” he hollered.
I walked over to the door but didn’t open it. A door was exactly what we needed between us. Or a wall. Something, anything to help me hold onto my will so I wouldn’t end up succumbing to temptation. “What do you want now?”
“Thanks for making dinner.”
“You’re welcome. Good night.”
“Make sure you keep that cat on a leash or something. Ain’t got time for me or my men to be traipsing around the ranch searching for it again.”
Seething, I gripped the doorknob and hauled open the door so hard that the hinges creaked. “No one keeps cats on a leash!” I shouted, and instantly hated the quiver in my voice. It always shook when I lost my temper, which was a rare thing for me. But this man, well golly, he had a way of stepping on my last nerve. “Why do you hate Pey so much?”
“I don’t hate the purring little bugger. I’m allergic to it, and like I said, a ranch is no place for it to roam around in the middle of a rainstorm.”
“I can’t justify keeping an animal cooped up inside. Cats go where they please. They’re usually good at fending for themselves outside.”
His jaw tightened and his eyes squinted at me. “Is that the reason you came rushing out looking for him a few hours ago? Because he’s good at fending for himself?”
“Is being mean your default setting or something?”
“No, I’m just asking a question.”
“You’re not. What you’re doing is pushing my buttons.”
He raised his eyebrows as his eyes traveled down my body, blazing a hot invisible trail with just his stare. “Trust me, Kitty. When I start pushing buttons, you’ll know it...you’ll feel it...everywhere that it matters.”
“You’re impossible, you know that?”
“I have a ranch to run, and like it or not, the work I do around here is important. Important enough for your uncle to give me half of everything.”
“Is that what this is about
? You somehow feel that being mentioned in his will gives you the right to tell me what to do?”
“I’m just stating the facts.”
“No, you’re being a big ole mean son of a bitch, that’s what you’re doing! I can’t stand the sight of you!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, slamming the door in his face.
My blood was boiling and my stomach was in knots, skin tingling from the heat of anger. I stormed over to the armchair near one of the windows but was too riled up to sit. Pacing around the room, I tried to get my temper in check. Uncle Hank’s will had thrown us together. For three months we’d been butting heads one second, James icing me out the next, my letting him fuck me—twice—when we couldn’t seem to have a regular conversation. And we still had three months to go? Well, my uncle’s wishes aside, this was no kind of life.
When my breathing was back in check, I stood at the window, looking out at the pouring rain. Even with the window closed, I could hear the ruckus as the downpour crashed against the metal roof above, yet out in the distance, it seemed to melt with the rolling hills, soaking into the earth so peacefully.
James and I were like the rain on metal. I couldn’t stand the push and pull between us. Why couldn’t we be more like the rainfall out on the horizon? Seamless. Calm. Easy.
Maybe that was asking too much.
I gazed down at my truck parked near the side of the house. Was moving here the dumbest thing I’d ever done? As I contemplated an answer, I caught sight of James. He had a large satchel thrown over one shoulder. The top was open, revealing bundled up plaid and denim, and a boot stuck up out of one side of it. Were those his clothes? He jumped into his truck and drove a few hundred yards, stopping in front of the first structure along the first of four rows of ranch hand cabins.
Was he moving out?
I got my answer when he dragged the bag out and shoved open the front door, disappearing inside.
13
James
The wind howled in the eves of the cabin. I turned to one side and then the other, unable to get comfortable. I missed my bed. I missed the smells and sounds of the main house.
And damn it, I missed her.
I didn’t want to admit it, but my cock wasn’t so shy. It was pointing right back to the house, where I wanted to be.
In her bed, buried between her luscious thighs and drilling for oil.
Hmmm… that sounded real good right now.
I gave my shaft a halfhearted stroke. It just didn’t scratch the itch, no matter how many times I handled my own business. Only Miss Kate would do.
I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, circling my hips. If only she wasn’t so persnickety. If only I knew how to ask for what I wanted. Hell, if only I knew what I wanted.
Except that I did. No matter what lies I told myself in the light of day, it was real hard to deny this sort of thing at 2:00 am when your aching cock was keeping you awake.
I wanted her. In my bed and by my side.
But I just wasn’t the settling down type. There was no escaping that fact. I’d grown up an unwanted poor relation on my aunt and uncle’s farm. No parents, and not a whole lot of love.
Just hard work and mediocre food. Things had changed a bit when I learned how to cook. My aunt had been glad for a reprieve. And my uncle had a grudging respect for my strong back and my way with the animals.
They weren’t bad people. They just didn’t know what to do with the scared little boy who got dumped on their doorstep. They weren’t warm, but they weren’t cruel to me either. They’d fed and clothed me and taught me the value of a hard day’s work.
All the same, it hadn’t done much to teach me about love or marriage. How to talk to a woman was beyond me, other than sweet talkin’ one into my bed for a quick roll. For the first time in my life, I wanted more.
But Kate had no desire to give it to me. She barely gave me the time of day. Yes, we were damn good at running the ranch together. But that’s as far as it went. We barely spoke when we crossed paths, and I was pretty sure she was doing her best to avoid me altogether.
Ever since I’d moved out two weeks ago, I didn’t get a chance to bump into her in the hallway, fresh from the shower and smelling so sweet it made me think of birthday cakes and Christmas dinner.
Of course, I’d never had a birthday cake in my life. But she smelled just the way I’d imagined them all these years. She tasted good too. Everything about her reminded me of food.
Creamy skin.
Strawberry red lips.
And a sweet pussy that tasted like honey.
I cursed and flipped over again.
I was never going to get to sleep at this rate. I grabbed my cock and spat on my palm, then got to stroking. My eyes closed tightly, remembering that first night. Her so soft and willing in my arms. Her innocence. Her breathy moans when I’d made her come.
In my fantasy, I kept her up all night. We did it on the floor. In the shower. Hell, I even imagined us riding bare ass naked as I impaled her in time with Tucker’s galloping stride.
Picturing her like that, wild and free, sent me over the edge. I fell asleep with a big smile on my face, and my cock still in my hand.
In the morning, I overslept for the first time in my life. It was nearly 9:00 am when the phone woke me.
“James?”
I sat up at the unfamiliar voice.
“Hello.”
“This is Russell Edwards, Hank’s lawyer. We met a few months ago at the reading of the will.”
I rubbed my eyes.
“Yes. I remember.”
“I’m just calling to give you a heads up.”
A chill went down my spine.
“You need to get a lawyer, son.”
“What? Why?”
“Because Hank’s niece is contesting the will. She wants you out, I’m sorry to say.”
I started seeing red. Katie was trying to cut me out?
“Look, Hank’s will was explicit. He wants you both to have it. It might not reach the litigation stage, but if it does, then you need a lawyer in place. I can give you some recommendations.”
I cupped my head in my hands. This was not a good way to wake up. And that little lady had some explaining to do!
I listened numbly while the lawyer read me a list of local lawyers, minus the one Kate was using, of course. I jotted a few names and numbers down. But the truth was, I was heart sore.
“Thank you, sir.”
“You have a good day now.”
I nodded absently and hung up. My mind was already onto my prey. Katie had a lot of explaining to do. I had a mind to turn her over my knee and get to spanking.
My cock lurched in response.
“Not now. You are going to have to wait.”
I took an ice cold shower and dressed, not even bothering with coffee. I had a bone to pick with one feisty lady, and I couldn’t spare the time.
I found her in the kitchen, working on her laptop and sipping coffee. She looked startled when I barged in, and just a little bit hopeful. Damn her, I couldn’t unsee that tiny spark in her eyes when she saw me.
“You have a lot of nerve, lady.”
“Excuse me?”
“You trying to push me out?”
“Oh. The lawyer called you. I’m sorry, James, but it’s not right. You aren’t kin.”
“Yes, I am! That man was like a father to me!”
“You have a real father!”
“Woman, you are wrong on that account. I’m a damn orphan.”
I was gratified to see her face pale, but I couldn’t stop now. I was on a roll, and I was madder than hell!
“Hank was there for me, and I was there for him. We didn’t hear a damned peep from you other than a Christmas card for a damn decade!”
I pointed at her.
“If you think you can run this place without me, have at it! But I am not giving up without a fight and I am NOT leaving!”
I smiled, an idea coming to me. It was a stroke of genius.
“In fact, I’m moving back in!”
I almost laughed at the shocked look on her face. I went to grab my gear and was back in my room before she could think to lock me out. I’d show her! She would have a hell of time running this place without me.
I planned to spend the rest of the day in Hank’s easy chair, nursing a beer or twelve. And just to keep things fun, I decided to do it shirtless.
14
Kate
I’d forgotten all about it. My request to Mr. Edwards about contesting the will was something I’d asked about during the first and only meeting I’d gone to at his office during the reading of the will. The lawyer had mentioned he’d look into it. That had been months ago and today was the first time he’d gotten in touch with me about it, and from the way James was carrying on, Mr. Edwards had reached out to him too.
At this point, I would’ve been content with Uncle Hank’s decision to split the ownership of the ranch between James and me, but only if James and I could keep our distance. We’d stayed out of each other’s way for two weeks since he moved back to his ranch hand cabin. I wouldn’t have called it living harmoniously, but more like letting bygones be bygones.
Until the lawyer phoned James and riled him up until he was angrier than a rattlesnake. And now the gruff cowboy was back in my homestead. Every evening, he sprawled out in my living room after dinner, shirtless. He did everything shirtless, including cooking, getting his laundry cleaned, and fixing stuff around the house.
He insisted on taunting me without words, to make his presence felt. To show me that in no uncertain terms, he wasn’t stepping foot off this ranch.
I couldn’t believe how stubborn this man was.
At least he kept the ranch thriving. One thing was for sure. James wasn’t afraid of hard work. He was out with the ranch hands for most of the daylight, only stopping when it came time to deal with suppliers and the businessmen he traded with. He was honest too. My handling of the books showed me that not a penny was unaccounted for, and the management of our cattle headcount was precise. So, although he was more than a handful to deal with, he ran the business superbly.