A low growl rumbled through his chest. “I think I found your G-spot.”
Another gust of laughter escaped her. “You even know what that is?”
His eyes narrowed. “I may spend most of my days ridin’ a horse, but I do know my way around a woman’s body.”
“Think you know where it is?”
He shifted on the mattress. “I’m grazing it now, aren’t I? Your eyes just got that smoky look.”
Her hips rolled upward, taking him deeper, helping him angle his cock just right. “Cowboy, do it again.”
Brand rose on his arms and tunneled inside, circling his hips as he drove deeper. His jaws clamped shut, and muscles rippled along his shoulders and biceps as he rocked hard against her.
Lyssa wrapped her arms around him, lifted her legs to ride his narrow hips, and gave herself over to his mastery. So, he hadn’t said he loved her, but he was certainly attentive to her pleasure.
Good enough for now.
7
Lyssa squinted at the sky from beneath the brim of her cowboy hat. A turkey buzzard circled in the distance, its black, ragged-edged wings stretching to scrape the wide blue sky.
The heavy clouds keeping the weather unseasonably cool the past few days had been swept away during the night when the winds changed course from the Gulf and drier air blew in from the north. Heat intensified as the sun slid higher in the sky, promising a scorcher of day.
Not too hot for a picnic just yet.
The thought made her smile. An action she’d been repeating all morning long. Her ranch foreman, Santiago, had been giving her quizzical looks, making her wonder if she usually rode around with a sour expression on her face. Or whether he could see the pink surrounding her mouth—whisker-burn she’d done her best to hide with a little foundation.
Maybe the makeup made him wonder. Most days she never bothered.
Another glance at the sky had her sighing. They’d been looking for stray cattle, so Lyssa pulled the reins to the side and gave her horse a nudge to follow the scavenging bird.
Santiago, who rode on the opposite side of the small herd of lowing cattle they’d gathered, lifted his chin in question.
She pointed upward, held up her hand with all fingers spread to indicate she’d only be gone for five, and left him and the cattle behind.
They’d been riding in and out of gullies all morning, retrieving bawling calves. The buzzard hovered above another dry creek. She hoped she wasn’t already too late.
The hard work was welcome, keeping her mind off the anticipation humming through her. Brand had promised to meet her later for lunch—a picnic on a hilltop between both ranches. A surprisingly romantic gesture after the too efficient way he’d hustled her out of his house in the early morning hours.
He’d set an alarm, waking her with a gentle shake after letting the shower run long enough to heat the water to just the right temperature. He’d held a towel and cup of steaming coffee when she stepped out.
She’d hoped for at least a kiss, but he’d dressed quietly and waited for her at the door. Dressed in his customary blue work shirt and jeans, her heart did a little flip-flop at the sight of him.
Now she knew exactly what the chambray and denim hid.
How she would have loved smoothing her hands around his trim waist and leaning close to nuzzle his neck, just to breath in his scent, but he seemed remote, a different man from the one who’d loved her with a wild, unrestricted roughness throughout the night.
Wondering if he was having morning-after regrets, she’d bit her tongue and followed him out, remaining quiet until he’d pulled his truck up in front her home.
Then, feeling awkward and disappointed, she yanked on the door handle, only to pause when his fingers wrapped around her forearm.
He’d leaned toward her, pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and issued the invitation, his dark eyes filling with their own brand of smoky desire.
“Thought you were giving me a brush-off,” she whispered when they drew apart.
His masculine grimace did a lot to dispel her doubts. “Had to get you out of my bed quick,” he said in low, growling rasp.
Lyssa tilted her head, glancing up from beneath her eyelashes. “Why’s that?”
“I woke up before you did. Watched you sleeping.”
Her lips twitched. “Did I snore? Drool?”
He cleared his throat, and a faint grin curved the corners of his lips. “Just a little. Knew if I didn’t get moving right away I’d keep you there all day.”
His words melted her irritation. Lyssa decided to forgive him. “Not so bad, was it? Sleeping with me?”
An indrawn breath lifted his deep chest. “Pure hell. I feel as ornery as an old mule right now.”
Lyssa lifted an eyebrow and slid her hand up his thigh. “Cowboy, I wouldn’t have minded helping you take the edge off.”
His hand closed over hers, halting her just short of her destination. “You ready to announce to the world you’re steppin’ out with me?”
“Why not? I think it’s a little late to keep it a secret.” She pointed a finger over her shoulder. “Juanita’s probably got her nose pressed to the window.”
“Let’s give her a little more to gossip about.” He pulled her across the leather seat, and a thickly muscled arm swept her close for a kiss that stole what was left of her breath.
When they both came up for air, Brand kissed her forehead and let her go. “See you later. Keep an eye out for trouble.”
“Yes, sir,” she said with just enough starch to remind him she remembered her lessons.
Heat banked in his brown eyes. “Think you’ll be able to sit on a horse?”
She snorted. “I’m a Texas girl. I can ride all day and night.”
His lips stretched wider, and he shook his head. “Get out of here. Quick.”
The memory of his expression, at once amused and pained, had kept her smiling to herself.
At that moment, she’d known exactly how he felt: aroused and wishing he hadn’t been so quick to leave his bed. But he’d probably anticipated exactly how uncomfortable she’d grow in the passing hours and thought it a just “punishment.”
Sliding into her saddle that morning hadn’t been something she could take for granted. She’d lost count how many times she stood in her stirrups to ease the delicious ache between her legs. An ache intensified with each jounce of her tender bottom against the hard leather saddle.
Perhaps she’d let him rub the hurt away during their “picnic.”
Gravel scraping down the side of an embankment drew her attention.
She clucked at her horse, tapped his flanks, and entered a copse of mesquite and tall buffalo grass that rimmed the edge of the steep-banked creek. Careful of tall prickly pear cacti, she wove through the vegetation, searching the embankment until she found an eroded edge and steered her horse into the arroyo.
Her first indication that something wasn’t right was the tension in the horse’s neck as he fought the bit and snorted. Then his ears pricked forward, and he started to back up. But with his hooves already sliding in caliche, it was too late.
From around a bend at the bottom of the deep, dry creek, two men stepped out, pistols pointing in her direction.
“So, big brother, was that really little Lyssa McDonough I saw you hustling into your pickup this morning?”
Brand gritted his teeth at his brother’s cheerfully drawled comment. “Don’t you have anything better to do right now? Like get your résumé ready?”
“Just trying to get my mind around it,” Danny said, a wicked grin sliding across his lips. “You and Lyss. Who’d-a thought?”
Discussing Lyssa with his little brother wasn’t something Brand was willing to do. The memories of how he’d spent his time with her were still too sweet, too raw. “Why aren’t you ridin’ herd on the other side of the fence today?” he muttered. “The McDonoughs hardly need us both over here.”
Danny sat relaxed in his saddle, his gaze follow
ing the rutted trail along the fence line. “Thought you might like the company.” He flashed Brand a teasing glance. “You look a little worse for wear. Gettin’ a little old for an all-nighter?”
Brand cut him a blistering sideways glance. “We’re not talkin’ about this.”
Danny’s brown eyes danced with ill-concealed humor. “Am I supposed to pretend I didn’t hear a whole lot of commotion coming from your bedroom last night?”
“Thought you would have stayed a little longer in town,” Brand growled.
“I did. How was I supposed to know you’d just be gettin’ started when I rolled in?”
“Danny…” Brand pushed his lips together.
Soft laughter shook his brother’s shoulders. “Can’t help it. It’s too damn funny. You should see your face. You look ready to spit nails—and you’re blushing.”
“I don’t blush.”
“Sure you don’t. And you’re not so eager to see her again you’re makin’ up excuses to ride her side of the fence.”
“I don’t need an excuse. I’m just checkin’ up on her, like Mac asked.”
“Yeah, good ol’ Mac….” Danny waggled his eyebrows. “Wonder what he’s gonna say—”
“Do you want me to pull you out of your saddle and beat that smile off your face?”
Danny lifted his hands in mock surrender. “All right, I’ll lay off.” Only a moment passed before he turned in his saddle again. “But I don’t think Mac will have a problem with it. He’ll know for sure Lyssa trapped you good.”
Brand gave him a sharp glance, wanting to ask what he meant but still irritated enough to not want the conversation continuing.
Danny shrugged. “Mac knew before he left that askin’ you that favor would put you squarely in her path. She’s his sister—he wants her happy. You’re his best friend. He’ll want to knock the shit out of you when he sees you, but he’ll still be glad you’re part of the family.”
“You couldn’t have clued me in earlier he had an ulterior motive?”
“And spoil the fun? He wants all the details, by the way.”
“Some things he’s best not ever knowin’.”
“Oh, I don’t know. He’d probably give you a medal for the spankin’.”
Brand issued a low, vicious curse, but Danny kicked his horse into a gallop, laughing as he pulled ahead.
They left the grassy plain, heading toward a line of mesquite and cedar trees along a creek. They saw the dust rising before they found the cattle herd and a lone cowboy.
“Santiago!” Danny called out. “Hola, amigo. Qué pasó!”
Brand cast a glance around, knowing Santiago was supposed to be shadowing Lyssa that day. “Dónde está Lyssa?”
Santiago shrugged. “She left a little while ago. Gone into the creek looking for more vacas. Grass is drying out. We have fresh hay and need to keep them together.”
“Which way?” Brand asked.
Santiago pointed, and Brand didn’t wait to extend more pleasantries. Lyssa knew she shouldn’t be alone.
Danny caught him before he reached the stand of trees. “From the scowl on your face, looks like the honeymoon’s already over.”
“She’s reckless. Damn stupid when it comes to her own safety.”
“She’s competent. Been on a horse as long as I have.”
Brand’s fist ached from clenching the reins. “There have been signs of intrusion all over this spread. A little caution isn’t too much to ask.”
“Did you ever do that? Ask? Or did you just tell her how it would be?”
Brand’s lips firmed into a stubborn line. “Have you ever tried to reason with that woman?”
“That why you spanked her? Trying to get the message branded on her sweet little ass?” Danny’s eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. “Doesn’t look like the lesson took. Might need to repeat it. ’Course, I’m not sure how Mac will feel about you turning her over your knee.”
Brand listened, but his attention snagged on signs pressed into the dirt. He leaned forward in his saddle to study footprints in the sandy soil.
Though he was no trained tracker, he could still tell that a couple of individuals had passed through here on foot.
Mules, then. He’d been right. Drug runners had cut across her property on their way toward some pickup along the highway farther north.
Brand held up his hand for silence and drew back on his reins. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.
Danny shook his head, but his expression tightened, and he cocked his ear toward the arroyo.
Brand pulled his rifle from its scabbard and dismounted. “I heard scuffling.” He crept toward the edge and then knelt in the tall, dried grass to peer into the gulley.
What he saw caused his heart to clench in his chest.
Three people were in the center of the creek bed. There were two men, one older and with a stocky build, the other much younger, maybe in his late teens. Both wore bulging packs strapped to their backs.
Both held weapons.
Lyssa knelt on her knees in front of them, her head bowed and hands tied behind her back.
The older man stood behind her, arguing with his companion, his gun jerking in the air to emphasize his fury.
Danny settled beside him on his belly, pushing aside tall blades of grass with the barrel of his rifle to get a look. “I tied the horses off,” he whispered.
Brand breathed deeply to slow his heart’s frantic pounding and lifted his gun and set the stock firmly against his shoulder.
Staring through the sights, he ignored the sweat rolling down his forehead, stinging his eyes, and watched, waiting to see how this would play out. Hoping like hell for an opening that would put the men far enough away from Lyssa that he wouldn’t risk hitting her by accident or getting her shot by one of the armed men once they realized they weren’t alone.
He saw Lyssa lift her head and her lips move.
The one standing behind her slammed the hand holding the pistol against her shoulder. She fell sideways to the dirt.
“Fucking bastard,” Danny spat furiously beside him, rising on his elbows to point his weapon toward the men menacing Lyssa.
Brand’s whole body tightened with rage. His forefinger slid around the front of the trigger.
Lyssa struggled up from the ground, shooting a frightened glance over her shoulder at the raging man. Her lips worked again.
Damnit, Lyssa. You don’t argue with a man holding a gun!
He forced his gaze from Lyssa’s pale, stark face to the man who threatened her life. The man’s expression was cold, set, his black eyes unwavering in their intent. He wouldn’t risk leaving a witness. His arm lifted, raising the nozzle of his handgun.
Lyssa’s body stiffened, and she faced away, her eyes squeezing shut.
Brand sighted down the barrel of his weapon, fighting the tremor working through his belly. He had to get this right, couldn’t lose her now to a blown shot.
Before the man had finished lifting the barrel to point it at the back of her bent head, Brand pulled back the trigger and prayed.
8
Lyssa heard the loud report and jerked. But no searing pain from a bullet ripped through her. Something thudded heavily to the dirt behind her. Footsteps scraped and fell fast as they sped away.
Shaking uncontrollably, her ears buzzing, she opened her eyes, turning slowly to look behind her, and gagged at the sight of her attacker, his head split open by a gaping wound that bled quickly into the sandy creek bed.
Gravel scraped in a rocky fall of skittering pebbles, and suddenly a pair of long, leather chaps appeared before her.
She lifted her head, swaying on her knees, staring up through eyes so filled with tears she had to blink to clear them before she saw it was Brand, a rifle still gripped inside his fist.
He tossed away the weapon, dropped to his knees in front of her, and opened his arms.
Lyssa fell against his chest, her teeth chattering, sinking her forehead against his shoulder whil
e his arms closed around her and squeezed away her breath.
For long moments they stayed like that, Brand gripping her tightly against his chest, rocking slowly forward and back.
The buzzing in her head quieted to be replaced with Brand’s softly murmured words. “Baby, you okay? Did they hurt you?” His hands smoothed up and down her back and then cupped the back of her head as though seeking to reassure himself.
A ragged sob trembled through her, and she burrowed deeper against him, so grateful he’d found her she couldn’t speak. She shook her head.
“Shhh. I’ve got you. It’s over now,” he cooed; then he cleared his throat. “Danny, move him.” Brand’s hands continued to glide up and down her back. His cheek settled against the top of her head, and he rocked with her.
Scraping behind her didn’t startle her. She knew Danny was moving the body, and she didn’t bother to look. She didn’t need to add one more horror to her memory of today.
Instead she cried, letting Brand soothe her and himself, she suspected, from the soft shudders that shook beneath her cheek.
Fingers enclosed hers, squeezing gently, and then tugged at the ropes behind her. Finally free, she moaned as blood rushed back into her hands. She slowly brought them forward and wrapped her arms around Brand’s strong body.
“What did I tell you, baby girl?” he whispered into her hair.
“Gonna start on me now?” she grumbled.
A soft snort sounded behind her.
“Danny, get back to Santiago. Have him go back to call for the sheriff.”
“You got things handled here, brother?”
Brand’s head lifted from hers. “I’ll bring her with me. We won’t be far behind you.”
“That other bastard’s long gone.”
“He might still backtrack to get his pack.”
“Fuck, guess I’ll have to take it with me.”
Several minutes passed before Lyssa felt strong enough to lean away. She gazed up into Brand’s face and shivered at what she saw there. Anger so dark and lethal she had to glance away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see them coming until it was too late. Thought I was chasing a calf.”
Down in Texas Page 7