by Leanne Banks
More, more, more. She wriggled against him and lifted her hands to slide her fingers through his hair.
She felt his thumb move closer to her nipple and a wild, carnal need ricocheted through her like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. Touch it, touch me.
He moved his thumb away and she couldn’t quite swallow the whimper crowding her throat.
“Oh, you like that,” he muttered against her mouth. “You want more.”
He rubbed his palm over her nipple and she shuddered.
He swore. “I didn’t think you would be this hot.” He French-kissed her again, still rubbing his palm over her breast. “All it takes is a touch and you kiss me like you’d spread your legs and let me take you right here, right now. I bet you’re already wet.”
Lori felt her cheeks heat at his words. He was right. She was wet and wanting, but she didn’t want him to know. It wasn’t fair that he still sounded in control when she was hot and bothered.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled away from him. She cleared her throat. “That was educational. Now that we’ve done that once, we won’t need to do it again.”
He gave a nonchalant nod. “If you can control yourself.”
His attitude nettled her. “I didn’t start it.”
“The way you look at me started it. You look at me like you want to rip my clothes off and indulge your darkest, baddest thoughts.”
“I do not,” she lied. “You have an inflated opinion of yourself, but that’s no surprise. Your arrogance isn’t the least bit seductive.”
“Well, something about me works for you, because you were begging me to kiss you and touch you. You were begging for more.”
“Don’t take it so personal,” she said, feigning a breezy air although she still felt jittery. “It’s been a while for me. I’m going inside to see Virginia.”
Frowning, Jackson watched Lori get out of the car and walk across the rough parking lot. Although she wore jeans, she also wore heels, which were impractical as hell. The heels, however, did things to her gait that kept his gaze fastened to her backside.
He remembered how she’d felt and tasted and grew hard again. Swearing, he adjusted his jeans and narrowed his eyes at the woman who, just minutes ago, had acted like a scorching man-eater determined to consume and be consumed.
Kissing her had been a mistake. Knocked sideways by the strange conversation they’d shared about their families, he’d told himself and her it was just that once.
But now he knew how she felt and tasted. Now he knew she was hotter than black pavement in Dallas in August. He had the unsettling feeling that he’d opened Pandora’s box by kissing her.
She’d seemed cool as a cucumber when she’d stepped out of the car and left him with a lingering whisper of her French-perfumed scent, but the way she’d responded to him made him doubt her easy dismissal of her reaction to him.
“Actions speak louder than words, princess,” he muttered. No matter, he told himself, his arousal finally starting to wane. If she was determined to be Miss Cool, then all the better. As long as she didn’t toss him those I-want-you-now looks, then they would be just fine.
Lori climbed the slanting wooden steps of the large farmhouse. The house needed a new coat of paint and a few repairs, she noticed as she felt a board wiggle beneath her foot. As she approached the screen door, however, she smelled the scent of a fresh-baked pie. She inhaled and closed her eyes. Cinnamon, apples… Eager to see Virginia, she knocked on the door.
A moment later, a beautiful young Mexican woman, with long dark hair and a scar that slashed across her cheek, stood at the door. “Good afternoon,” she said and studied Lori for a long moment, her eyes hinting at disapproval. “You must be Lori Granger. I’m Maria. Come in. I will tell Virginia.”
Lori stepped inside the foyer while the woman disappeared to the back of the house. She heard a low voice followed by a peal of delight and immediately smiled at Virginia ’s response.
“Lori,” the older woman said as she rounded the corner, dressed in an apron, with Maria following slowly behind her. “You came! It’s been too long, sweetheart.”
Virgina’s hair contained far more gray than before, and she was thinner. Her eyes held a combination of sadness and weariness, but her wide smile was still full of magic. Lori immediately rushed into her open arms. “ Virginia, I’m so glad to see you. And I’m so sorry about Skip.”
Virginia sighed and gave her a squeeze. “You’ve had a tough time, too, sweetie, with your daddy passing.” She pulled back and looked at Lori. “We’re pleased as punch to have you, but I didn’t quite understand what that Jackson man was telling me. Your visit needs to be confidential? You’re not running from the law, are you?”
Lori laughed. “No, nothing like that. Jackson ’s just being protective.”
“He’s a bodyguard?”
Lori shook her head. “Not exactly. My accountant,” she said.
She noticed Virginia looking past her outside the door. “That’s your accountant?” she said in a lowered voice, and Lori didn’t have to turn around to know that Jackson was climbing the steps of the porch. Lori noticed Maria staring with an assessing expression that made Lori feel, well, weird.
The situation was strange enough, and she didn’t want Virginia or anyone else to pick up on the dynamics, whatever they were, between her and Jackson, so she took the high road of civility. “Virginia and Maria, this is Jackson James. He’s my accountant and advisor. I’m sorry we didn’t give you much notice for our visit, but both of us would like to help while we’re here. And if you don’t have room, I’ll totally understand.”
“Nonsense,” Virginia said. “Of course we have room. We always have room for you. And right now, I can offer you pie.”
Jackson entered the house and Lori introduced him to Virginia and Maria. He greeted each of them. “Thank you for letting us come on such short notice.”
“Lori is always welcome here. We loved her from the first summer she spent here at the ranch. She was great with the horses and the kids.”
“Really,” he said, surprised by the woman’s assessment of Lori. It was tough for him to visualize Lori doing such hard physical labor. “I’m hoping we won’t need to stay long.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Now, as I was saying,” Virginia said. “The pie is ready. Would you like a piece?”
Jackson inhaled the mouth-watering scent. “I never turn down just-baked pie,” Jackson said as the four of them returned to the kitchen.
Virginia urged Lori and Jackson into kitchen chairs around a small breakfast table. “Do you have any campers?” Lori asked. “Are they out on the horses or resting?”
“We’ll have campers in a couple days,” Virginia said as she served the pie. “I’m low on staff this summer, so you can be sure we’ll be busy. Thank goodness some family members and counselors will come with the campers and serve as helpers.”
“I can help,” Lori offered.
Jackson nearly choked on his pie in surprise.
Virginia ’s eyes rounded with excitement. “That would be fantastic. The campers will love you, and we have some new horses that you will love.”
Jackson watched Lori bite her lip. “I’m a little rusty with the horses. Maybe I could help in the kitchen or with the housekeeping duties.” That made sense, he thought. No heavy lifting for the princess.
Virginia paused, then gave a slow nod. “That will work, too. I just thought you would enjoy working with the horses more.”
“Oh, I’m sure your routine is different now. It will be easier for me to jump right in with helping in the kitchen.”
“Okeydoke,” Virginia said. “Two more hands. Maria, the jackpot arrived at our front door, didn’t it?”
Maria gave a neutral smile. “We’re always grateful for volunteers.”
Maria was no fool, Jackson decided. He suspected the striking Latino woman had already rendered judgment on Lori as useless. Which wasn’t completely true. Even though Lori ha
d been a major pain in his ass, he knew she had a good heart.
“If you have any repairs you need done on the house, I can help with those,” he said to Virginia.
The older woman lifted her hand to her throat. “Oh, stars, you have no idea what you’re offering. I hate to take advantage of you, but I’m desperate enough to do just that. There’s a loose board in the front porch.”
“I noticed that,” he said. “I could probably take care of it this afternoon.”
Virginia beamed. “Well, isn’t this too good to be true? Jackson, you can work on the house, and Lori, Maria can get you started on some casseroles and cutting and chopping of vegetables. We like to do as much ahead of time as we can, since things get so hectic when the kids are here.” She smiled at Jackson. “You want another piece of pie?”
That afternoon, Maria gave Lori the recipe for a chicken-and-stuffing casserole. Lori hit a little snafu when she overlooked the instruction to precook the chicken and chop it into pieces. Not understanding the use of soups, she prepared them according to the instructions on the can. When she pulled the huge casserole out of the oven, it was a mess.
Maria stared at her in chagrin. “You could not read the recipe?” she asked. “You did not see that you are supposed to cook the chicken first? And the soup?” She shook her head and went off in a spate of Spanish that Lori couldn’t interpret word for word. She got the gist, however, that Maria was pissed.
“I’m really sorry,” Lori said. “I’ll pay for the ingredients. I’ll-”
Virginia entered the kitchen, and Maria immediately began talking to the woman in excited Spanish. Virginia looked at the casserole and grimaced, then looked at Lori.
“Carrots,” the older woman said. “We need chopped carrots, potatoes, and onions. And after that, you can snap beans. Maria, why don’t you take some of the horses for a ride?”
Lori meticulously chopped carrots until dinnertime, when Virginia appeared again. “Oh, my, you didn’t get to the potatoes yet, did you?”
Lori felt a sinking sensation at the surprise in the woman’s tone. “Was I supposed to chop them first?”
“No,” Virginia said. “I just thought we might use some of the vegetables for dinner tonight.” Virginia paused. “But you know, it’s so hot, I think sandwiches and chips would be a great idea for dinner.” She squeezed Lori’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, are you sure you wouldn’t rather work with the horses tomorrow?”
“Oh, no. I’ll get faster,” Lori said. “I just haven’t done much cooking lately.” Or ever, she silently added.
Maria swept into the kitchen and glanced at the bowl of carrots. “Carrots? She has only sliced the carrots?”
Virginia gave a determined smile. “I’ve decided on sandwiches for dinner. Everything okay with the horses?”
“All good,” Maria said. “Holt and I took them for rides.”
“Holt?” Lori asked.
“He’s a neighbor who helps part-time when he can. Used to ride the rodeo. He’s great with the horses,” Virginia said. “Maria, let’s put some sandwiches together.”
“I’ll help,” Lori offered.
“That’s sweet. Would you mind setting the table?”
The following morning, Lori was put on housekeeping detail. She dusted and mopped the floors of the two cabins, and cleaned bathrooms and windows. She even vacuumed the curtains the same way she’d seen her housekeeper do. Exhausted by the end of the day, she returned to the main house.
She smelled something delicious baking in the kitchen and walked inside. Jackson sat in a kitchen chair, chatting easily with Maria and Virginia. She felt a twinge of jealousy at how quickly the women had accepted him. Maria shot him a teasing smile, and Lori felt the twinge turn to a stab that went deeper. Frowning at the feeling, she brushed it aside.
Virginia looked up at her and smiled. “There’s our little cleaner. Come on in, sweetheart. The cabins all spick-and-span?”
“Both of them sparkle,” she said, proud of herself for doing a good job.
“Both?” Virginia echoed.
“Both?” Maria repeated. “You only did two of them?”
Lori blinked. “There are more? There were only two when I was here before.”
Maria sighed. “Ay caramba…”
“No, hold on just a minute, Maria,” Virginia said. “Lori is right. We built the other two cabins the spring after she worked here.”
Maria tossed her dish towel aside and met Lori’s gaze. “All right. I will finish the other two cabins and eat my dinner later.”
Lori felt her pride roar to the surface. It was as if that dish towel was actually a gauntlet. “Oh, no,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
“It will take you all night,” Maria said, shaking her head as she moved away from the counter. “The cabins have to be ready for the campers tomorrow.”
Lori stepped directly in Maria’s path. “I said I would do it, and I will,” she said firmly, then glanced at Virginia. “ Virginia, would you toss me one of those apples? That should get me through.”
“Of course, dear, but you don’t have to-”
“Excuse me, but yes, I do,” Lori said and surprised herself when she caught the apple. Maria made her feel small and inept. That was bad enough, but the fact that she did it in front of Jackson made Lori understand the concept of catfight. Which was crazy. She shouldn’t and didn’t care that Jackson viewed her as vapid and useless. If she kept telling herself that, she would believe it.
Chapter Ten
“If you must do a nasty chore, listening to rock and roll will help the time pass more quickly.”
– SUNNY COLLINS
Jackson walked into the barn to check on a loose stall door and heard the scrape of a shovel from the other side of the barn. The horses were out for an afternoon ride with the campers, so he figured it was a good time to take care of cleaning stalls. He checked three of the doors and found the third one was the culprit. Pulling out his tools, he replaced the stripped screws.
Just as he finished the job, he heard a feminine voice humming. He didn’t recognize the song until the voice put words to the Justin Timberlake number about bringing sexy back. His lips twitched. If he didn’t know better, he would swear that was Lori’s voice, but she couldn’t possibly be mucking out horse manure.
He couldn’t resist a peek at the songstress, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor at the sight of Lori wearing a hat, gloves, boots, and borrowed jeans that didn’t fit. Swinging a fork and her butt, she moved in time to an MP3 player in her pocket. She was so intent on her job and the music, she didn’t notice him.
Unable to tear himself from the unlikely sight, he stared for several moments.
Lori turned around, saw him, and screamed.
Jackson grimaced and moved toward her with his hands lifted. “For Pete’s sake, it’s just me.”
She pulled earphones from her ears. “I didn’t know anyone was there.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “How long have you been watching me?”
“Not long,” he said. “Just long enough to know you’re not a contender for American Idol.”
She scowled at him. “Thank you very much. You can leave now.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “With this kind of show? No way.” He glanced at the stall. “You’ve done a damn good job.”
“Of course I have,” she said, grabbing the wheelbarrow and pushing it out of the stall.
He walked along beside her. “I didn’t know mucking out stalls was on your usual list of activities.”
“It isn’t now, but I did it all the time in college and during my summers here.” She dumped the contents of the wheelbarrow into a predetermined pile. “I’ve actually spent much more time taking care of horses than cooking or cleaning.”
“That’s right. Your major was equestrian studies. So why aren’t you helping with the campers?”
“Cleaning stalls is one of those things that comes right back to you. But I haven’t ridden in a while. I’
m rusty.”
“Why not?”
“I took a few spills, broke a bone or two. Daddy refused to let me get back on a horse.”
“Daddy’s gone now,” Jackson said.
“True,” she said and shrugged. “But if I want to be helpful, I need to stick with an area where I’m sure I’m competent.”
“I’m stunned. I never would have pictured you, Lori Jean Granger, heiress to millions, doing something like this.”
She met his gaze. “I guess that means you either underestimated me or overestimated me. I wonder which,” she said and moved on to another stall.
“You know you may need to stay here at the ranch for at least a couple of weeks before everything dies down in Dallas?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m fine with that. I’ve always liked it here. The only part about waiting is that I need to get married so I can help out Virginia financially.” She shrugged. “But I guess that’s more your problem than mine.”
“Mine?”
“Yes, you have to bring in the prospects. It might be tougher getting the right man for the job to come all the way down here.”
Jackson swore. She was right about that one.
“It wouldn’t hurt you to show a little patience,” Virginia said as she pulled hot biscuits from the oven.
Maria rolled her eyes as she packed the dinner baskets assigned to each cabin. “It would be easier if she weren’t so useless. All that food she wasted, and then she took forever to clean the cabins. I bet she doesn’t even know how to make a bed.”
“She does,” Virginia said. “It’s just been a while. If you understood how overprotective Lori Jean’s daddy was, then maybe you wouldn’t be so hard on her.”
“Overprotectiveness was never an issue with my father,” Maria said, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. Her father had been so abusive she’d repeatedly run away from home, but every time she’d left, he’d found her and beat her. She rubbed the scar on her cheek. The last time Maria had run away, she was eighteen and Virginia and Skip had intervened.