by Cora Seton
“Okay, head me in the right direction and I’ll help you scout for downed fence.” Makenna squeezed her knees together the way Titan had shown her and was rewarded when the horse began to move in the right direction. “Yay!” she said. “If I make it today, I want some boots to go with this hat.”
Titan smiled indulgently, enjoying the sight of her ass as she sat in the saddle. Her jeans were just tight enough to distract him. “What color boots would you like to have?”
As if the idea required pondering, she considered it. “White, I think.”
“White?” Titan asked, giving Valiant the lead so he could guide Makenna’s mount toward the right path. “Doesn’t sound very practical.”
“Maybe not.” Not wanting to scare him, Makenna didn’t tell him about the wedding fantasy. “I saw an ad in a magazine at your house this morning. This girl was wearing white cowboy boots. She looked happy.”
Hearing the wistfulness in her voice, Titan vowed to check out the ad. “Which magazine?”
Makenna cast him a sideways glance. “One with a very politically incorrect title.”
“Ah, I know what you’re talking about. That’s my sister’s magazine, Cowboys and Indians.”
Forgetting all about the boots, Makenna honed in on the sister part. They had left the barn, ridden through the paddock and were now heading up a small incline behind the house. “You have a sister?” The idea brightened her day. “Will I get to meet her?” Damien had limited her contact with other people so severely, she had no friends until Allie moved close and he limited Makenna’s contact with her. He’d always insisted on being present and that made a girl’s night out fairly awkward.
“Sure.” Titan watched her face. “I’m sure you two would get along great. The woman loves to shop.” When she didn’t respond to his comment, he broached an uncomfortable topic. “Wade didn’t give you money for clothes, did he?”
His statement made Makenna jerk in the saddle and her horse reacted, dancing sideways. She panicked, gasping as her horse took off down the hill at a fast clip. Her riding skills weren’t up for this. The angle was steep, her foot slipped from the stirrup and Makenna found herself tumbling headfirst off the horse Titan called Luna.
“Makenna!” Titan was off his horse and running toward her in a heartbeat. “Are you all right?”
With no breath to answer, she just lay there. The sun was so bright it hurt her eyes. And then it disappeared to be replaced by the silhouette of broad shoulders and a cowboy hat. Gentle hands began to rove over her body, which was good until he felt down her ribs and she started to giggle. “I’m okay, I just knocked myself silly.”
Titan’s breathing was as erratic as hers. “When I saw you fall, I almost died.” With ultimate ease, he stood, lifting her up. “From now on, you’re riding with me. Valiant can handle us easily.”
“Maybe I should walk,” she said, but quickly changed her mind when he placed her in the saddle. Once he joined her, his big body fitting close behind her, the only place she’d felt safer had been her mother’s arms.
“I like you here, should’ve done this to start with.” Titan kissed her on the top of the head. When his chest rumbled against her back, she knew he was laughing. “I can’t believe you just fell off like a sack of potatoes.”
Instead of being offended, she joined his merriment. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not very graceful.” Not waiting for him to protest, she covered both of his hands with hers. He was holding the reins just below her waist, so she pressed their weight into her middle. “The answer to your previous question is ‘no’, he didn’t give me money for clothes. I remember seeing you pass by when I was coming out of the Goodwill store, so I know you realize that’s where I shopped, which is embarrassing. The people there thought I was picking up bargains for fire victims, which I did sometimes. But that’s where my wardrobe came from. The only money Damien gave me was for groceries and I had to account for every penny. If I did a good job bargain hunting and had a few dollars left over, I could spend them on myself.”
Titan cursed under his breath. “Fuckin’ son-of-a-bitch.” He swore to remedy that situation ASAP. Thinking about what they’d done this morning and her putting him off, he decided to broach the subject gently. “Makenna, did he ever hurt you during sex?”
Makenna wanted to cry. Instead, she swallowed hard and answered, “Yes. But I don’t want to talk about that.” She gripped his hands hard. “Ever. What he and I did doesn’t exist in the same universe as what you and I do.”
“Okay. Agreed.” He pulled back on the reins and Valiant came to a stop.
Makenna tried to glance behind them, but he was too tall. “Is Luna okay?”
“She’s following along behind us. Look.” He disengaged their hands so he could point. “There’s my herd.”
Sitting up straighter in the saddle, Makenna gazed out at the grazing cattle. “They’re beautiful. What kind are they?”
“Black Angus and red Hereford.” He knew there was a hint of pride in his voice. Titan had worked hard for what he had. “I run about three hundred head. That bull over there, he’s purebred. He makes the best calves, they’re not too big but they gain weight fast.”
“Can we get closer?”
“Sure.” He gave Valiant his head and they made their way down the hill, the horse picking his way between the cactus and the tree roots. When they reached the bottom, she could see the terrain changed to lush grazing grass. “This ranch used to belong to my uncle. I’ve made a lot of improvements on it, built that windmill over there for one thing.”
Makenna let her eyes survey the view before her, from horizon to horizon. Two ponds and a good-size lake were nestled between small hills and everywhere she looked, the landscape was dotted by shiny fat cattle. “You must be very proud.”
“Yea, I guess I am.” Nudging his horse with his knee, they moved closer to the fence. “Now we ride the perimeter and watch for downed wire or a post out of place.”
As she rode, Makenna noticed a few horses. “Cattle, horses, goats, what else do you raise on Skyview?”
He snuggled her up, loving the feel of her in his arms. “I have a few rescue animals. A couple of donkeys and an emu or two.”
“An emu, like a big bird?”
“Yea, and in the barn is a mama cat and four kittens.”
Makenna turned her face to kiss him, their mouths fusing for a few seconds. “You’re a sweetheart. I love that you are so strong, yet so gentle.”
Titan didn’t know what to say to that, so he just kissed her again for good measure.
“I guess I need to start making plans,” Makenna announced out of nowhere. Seeing Titan’s spread and all he owned made her uncomfortably aware of how little she possessed. Nothing but a few clothes and those had come from a bargain bin.
“What kind of plans?” Curiosity killed the cat. He hoped it didn’t do him in.
Makenna grew serious, her mind going back to what Damien had made her say. I am nothing. No one wants me. “When you were asking me about where I shopped, it dawned on me—I don’t have anything, no savings, nothing to sell. I need to get a job.”
Titan was taken aback. He wanted to take care of her. Didn’t she understand that? Were they on different wavelengths? Carefully, he asked, “What kind of job were you thinking about?”
“I don’t guess you have any openings for a ranch hand.” She tried to make her voice sound teasing. Instead, it came out sad.
“Well, actually, I do have an opening.”
She whirled around, conking him in the nose with the brim of her hat. “Really? Is it something I could do, like shovel poop or run behind cows?”
“Easy, honey.” Titan held on to her tightly. “Holding on to you is like wrangling a bar of slippery soap in the shower.” When she’d quieted, he spoke into her ear, “I’m sure you’ll be a great asset on the ranch someday, but right now I know you’re more than qualified for this job.”
“What is it?” She pres
sed, excited.
“My girlfriend.”
Whoa! For a second or two she was speechless. “Oh, Titan.”
Her shoulders slumped and Titan thought she was going to turn him down. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“Yes, I do,” he said simply. “I have thought of little else.”
“Even if you ignore the problems with Damien, there’s the sad fact that I don’t have anything.” She spread her hands. “I can’t bring anything to this relationship but…me!”
Titan took her hat completely off, hanging it onto Luna’s saddle horn. “I have everything I want…but you.” Setting Valiant on a path across the grazing pasture, he handed Makenna the reins, then picked up her hair and moved it to one side. “You are the missing piece in my life.” Scattering kisses down her neck, he began to undo the front buttons of her shirt. “You’re all I want.”
“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.
“Loving on my girlfriend. Is that okay?”
Makenna shivered, lying back against his hard chest. “Yes, I think so.” She blushed furiously as he spread open her shirt, baring her lace-covered breasts.
Titan adjusted his seat in the saddle. “Glory be, woman, just look at you.” The luscious mounds of her breasts caused him to stare, desire rising in him like a flood. “I have to touch you, Makenna, please.”
Feeling a little lightheaded, Makenna reached behind her back and unlatched the clasp, letting the bra fall into her lap. Then, she just rested back against him, waiting to see what he would do. At first she thought he’d changed his mind, but then she heard his breathing become hard. “You are so beautiful,” he growled.
And then he touched her. The sight of his big hands sliding up to cup her breasts sent frissons of excitement skittering across her skin. Gently he raised them, his fingers caressing the underside. As she watched, he plumped them, letting his hands come up and over, caressing. Makenna couldn’t hold back a whimper. If he would just touch her…there…
“What is it, love? What do you want?”
Makenna pressed harder back against him, arching her back, pushing her breasts up and out. Wordlessly she was trying to coax his fingers to go where she needed them.
Round and round he caressed, teasing. Finally, she coaxed, “Please, Titan, touch me.”
He chuckled, the vibrations of his chest sending tingles through her body. “I know what you want.” With thumbs and forefingers, he clasped both nipples and she stiffened, going completely still. Her breath hissed out and Titan understood that she’d been hurt in this way in the past. “Oh, baby, I won’t hurt you. I swear.” Delicately, he caressed her. Softly. Flattening his hands over her breasts, he rubbed his palms over her nipples till they were diamond hard. “See? I only want to bring you pleasure.”
“I trust you.” She stilled his hands. “Touch me like you were going to do before.”
Her confidence was his reward. With reverence, he brought his fingers to her nipples and gently plucked. He wanted to show her the difference between erotic play and hurtful abuse. “Kiss me.” While he ate at her lips, he tugged at her nipples, milking them until she gasped and moved her hips back and forth on the saddle. “Oh, you like that, don’t you?”
“Uh-huh,” she answered, twining her arms over her head and around his neck.
Titan loved what he was doing. Cupping and kneading her tits brought him as much pleasure as it did her. “Wait till I get my mouth on you.”
“You’re hard,” Makenna whispered. She could feel the thickness of his cock pressing against her hips.
“Yea, I am.” He slowed his movements, finally just holding the weight of the globes in his hands. “But the next one in this relationship who’s going to have an orgasm is you.”
“Oh.” She bit her lower lip and smiled while he buttoned up her shirt and picked up the reins. “I look forward to that.”
“You should and it’s going to happen sooner than you might think.” With that promise he headed the horse on down the fence line. They rode, but found nothing. “Let’s head over to that ridge.” Titan pointed. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Okay!” She loved surprises. Letting out a long breath, Makenna smiled, feeling content. “This is so peaceful. On days like today, it’s hard to realize what floods and fires can do.”
“True.” Titan leaned his cheek on the top of her head. “I won’t compare it to what happened on the Blanco, but the creek flooded on my land. When I finished working rescue with the unit, I had to come home and herd thirty head of cattle out of the creek. They were up to their neck and one had already been washed over the fence. Valiant and I were riding through four foot deep water. I didn’t lose any, but it was a wonder.”
Lifting her hand, she rested her palm on his cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to you.”
“Now you know how I feel about you.” Titan closed his eyes, thinking life couldn’t be much more perfect.
They rode over the rise and Makenna saw a small house ahead, nestled in a small grove of scrub oaks with a couple of outbuildings nearby. “Does someone live here?”
“No, it’s mine. The cabin belonged to my uncle. It was his man cave in a way, a place he came to when he had to get out of the house and couldn’t afford to leave his land.”
She could see they were headed toward it. “Are we going to stop?”
“Yes.”
Makenna was curious. “What do you use this place for?”
“Up till now, I’ve just used it as a rest stop when I’m working.” He chuckled, aiming Valiant toward a structure she now could see was a small barn with a corral attached. “It beats the heck out of using the bathroom in the brush.”
Makenna laughed too, not just at his comment but because she was happy. “Are we going to have a picnic?” She knew he had packed some things in the saddle bags, but she wasn’t sure what. When he’d been busy doing that, she’d been reading the restraining order that had come in the mail. The legal language had been cumbersome, but she’d understood enough to know Damien couldn’t come within two hundred yards of her. If he did, she could call the cops and have him arrested. That knowledge gave her comfort, but not more comfort than the strong arms wrapped around her did.
“If it’s all right with you, I thought we’d spend the night here. I brought provisions. We can make this our base, ride out to check fence and when we’re through for the day we can come back here. There’s a spring nearby that I want to show you. It will be like we’re camping out. Sound good?” He dismounted, held up his arms and she slid into them.
“Yes, it sounds fun.” Her eyes darted around, taking it all in. Luna was right with them and Makenna felt bad she hadn’t been able to ride her. “You’ll have to give me another chance on Luna.”
“Sure, a few laps around the corral with me walking beside you and you’ll get the hang of it. Until then, you ride with me.” She didn’t argue, riding double with him was no chore. Following him into the barn, Titan unsaddled the mare and gave her some food and water. He gave Valiant some also. “Let’s get something to drink, you can freshen up if you’d like and we’ll continue on. I’d really like to find that fence break before the day is finished.”
“Good.” She did need to use the restroom. As he unpacked the saddlebags, she stepped up to help him. “What have you got there?” She’d known he brought food, but there was more.
“I brought a few things for you, including that hot French-cut bathing suit. You’ll need it later.”
“Did you bring your swimming trunks?”
“I plan on skinny dipping.” He winked at her.
“How about the other saddlebag?” She could see it was still full.
“That has my hammer and fence mending gear in it.” With that explanation, he led her out into the sunlight, walking toward the cabin.
When they’d gone a few steps, Makenna noticed a large cow had wandered near. “Titan, we have a visitor.�
� She’d seen the other cattle from the safety of Titan’s big horse, now she was on the ground with it, up close and personal. And then there were more. Several other cows were walking up with what she fancied to be an expectant look on their faces. “What do they want?”
“Don’t worry, that’s Freight Train.” He pointed at the largest cow. “She has a crush on me.”
At his comment, Makenna giggled. “Very understandable. I’ve got one on you myself.”
Titan smirked. “I’m a babe magnet.” Coming to the porch, he set down the armful of supplies and turned to his four-legged admirer. “I raised her from a calf. She had to be bottle-fed. Her mother didn’t survive her birth.”
“So, basically, she thinks you’re her mother.” Makenna teased, admiring the gentle way he had with the animals.
“Yea,” Titan agreed. “They all want a hand-out.” He dug in his pocket and took out a few nuggets. “I’ve spoiled them.” In a few moments, two others had come forward for a snack. “What’s good about this is that Freight Train is the lead cow. When she comes, they all follow and I can get a good head-count and make sure no one is missing.”
Sure enough, Makenna looked up to see a line of cattle coming over the ridge. “I think you’re going to need more nuggets.”
Titan laughed, unlocking the cabin door. “If you’ll go on in and put up the food that needs refrigerating, I’ll scatter out a bag of nuggets and put out a little hay.”
Makenna liked the idea. Getting used to the animals would be easy, she supposed. It would just take a little time. Gathering up the items he’d placed on the porch, she opened the door and went in. Immediately, she was entranced. “Oh, Allie, wait till you see this,” she muttered. The inside of the cabin looked to be a photo straight from a magazine featuring romantic lodge getaways. There was a huge fireplace with a fluffy rug in front of it. A big leather couch sat nearby and a massive four-poster bed filled another corner. She dashed around and found a clawfoot tub and on the other side, a tiny kitchen with all the amenities. “This would be perfect for a honeymoon!”