by Leslie North
Heading back, she opted to skip dinner and dove into bed. She had missed working outside, but right now her muscles weren’t thanking her any.
The next morning, she rose early. Her stomach grumbled about missing dinner, so she pulled on her work clothes and headed for the kitchen. She found Zach sitting at the kitchen table, eating alone.
Pulse quick, Lucy moved to pour herself a coffee and act like no big deal—like she hadn’t seen Zach gambling last night. “Where’s Charlie?”
“She said to tell you she had to go to the store. She also packed us a picnic lunch. I told her we’re going to take the horses out today.”
“Horses? Charlie has horses?”
He pushed back from the table. “She left you pancakes on the stove. And the horses are mine. We need to ride the whole fence line.”
Grabbing a plate, she went for the pancakes. “What—you got tired of walking?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. And how unfair was it that the guys with all the charm were the ones you had to watch out for. She ate fast and drank back her coffee. Charlie had packed the picnic in a basket, but Zach moved the food to a saddle bag. They headed out to the pasture behind the farm house.
The horse trailer looked new and expensive. Lucy’s mouth dropped a little. A deluxe model, the trailer boasted a tack room, changing room, stalls to carry four horses, and room left over for feed. “You rodeo?” she asked.
“What—no. Did a little in college.”
Eyebrows raised, she stared at him. He was a college kid? A dropout? A graduate? How did that fit with him being a drifter? A cowboy who moved from place to place?
His two horses stood near the gate, looking expectantly at him. One nickered softly. Zach pulled out hay for them from the trailer and Lucy could see why the horses hung around—even with all that pasture, they were greedy, always wanting more. She grabbed a halter and asked, “Which do you want me on.”
“I’ll take the paint. You ride the sorrel.”
She nodded. The sorrel mare had soft, kind brown eyes. The paint looked like more trouble to her, with a direct challenging stare. She watched Zach catch, halter, brush down and saddle his paint, and she started to frown.
He didn’t move like a guy who’d done this a thousand times. He was too...careful. He did everything right—but it was all too right. All the cowboys she knew—herself included—tended to run a hand over a horse’s back, and unless there was mud to brush off, that was good enough. Blanket, saddle and bridle got thrown on fast. When you’d done that too many times, you just tended to cut corners.
Zach didn’t.
He wasn’t a greenhorn, but he sure wasn’t an old hand either.
He seemed to notice her watching. He gave her back a hard stare and she looked away. She stepped up onto her own horse.
Riding fence line took up most of the day. Zach had brought wire and tools to repair downed lines and patch holes. They’d ride a stretch, stop, mend fence, mount up and ride again, eyes on the fence line. The sun beat down hot and Lucy envied Zach his Stetson. She was going to have to invest in a hat sometime—sometime when she had more than twenty dollars in her pocket.
After Zach put the last mend in the barbed wire fence, he swung up on his horse. “I’m going to feel this tomorrow.”
“Not used to being on a horse all day,” she asked.
He smiled. “Let’s go find a picnic spot.”
Chapter Five
She led him out to the old pond on Charlie’s farm. It sat back from the road not far from the horse pasture. They’d kept their halters on the horses, so they tied them to a tree and Zach pulled out the food.
Lucy sat down on the grass. “Oh, man! Charlie outdid herself this time.”
It seemed like Zach just kept pulling food from his saddle bags. Fried chicken, biscuits, cheese and crackers, strawberries, even a bottle of wine and paper cups. He cracked open the wine—a twist-top, thank you, Charlie—and poured. “An excellent vintage, I see.”
“Hey, don’t knock the convenience.” She leaned back on her elbows, sucking a strawberry into her mouth. The sweetness exploded and she closed her eyes and hummed. She looked up again to see Zach staring at her so intently that she had a hard time breathing. When his eyes dipped to her chest, she wondered if he could see the outline of her bra and breasts. His eyes darkened.
She caught a breath.
She didn’t want this—but she did. She knew he was trouble—he wasn’t the kind of guy she wanted. But he was what she needed right now.
He leaned over her, his mouth hovering close. All she had to do was push him away. All she had to do was crack a joke about employee harassment. All she had to do... god, he had beautiful eyes, the blue framed by thick, dark lashes.
He turned his head and kissed the crook of her neck. The warmth of his mouth undid the last of her good intentions. “Zach.” His name slipped out on a whisper.
He pulled back. “Ask me.”
She stared at him. “Ask you what?”
“Ask me to kiss you.”
She shook her head. “Not a good idea.”
“It’s not a bad one. One kiss—what’s the harm in one kiss?”
“Oh, I can think of a lot of harm.”
He leaned closer. “Ask me anyway.”
His eyes were her undoing. They teased her, light danced, tempted, promised, and she asked him by wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and pulling his mouth to hers.
She opened her mouth to him, to that kiss, to the need for him, raw, pure and simple. He pushed her down to the ground and she spread her legs so he could settle himself. She hadn’t been with anyone like this since high school. She could feel his hands searching for a way under her shirt, a way to get to skin. She knocked off his Stetson and tangled her fingers in his hair.
A horse whinny pulled her back to reality—to what she was doing.
He pulled back and she sat up, pushing at her hair—he’d pulled it out of the pony tail. “That was some bottle of wine.” She tried for a smile, but the joke fell flat.
“Lucy—”
She held up a hand. “One kiss. That’s what you asked for—what I asked for. Best we leave it there.”
“But—”
Pushing up to her feet, she stared down at him. “I can’t quit. You don’t want to fire me—not for that. So let’s be smart about this.” Bending down, she started to pack up the food. “Now we should head back, shouldn’t we, boss? We’ve got clouds coming in and rain with ‘em.”
He shoved a hand into his hair and grabbed for his Stetson. “Don’t think that leaves either of us satisfied.”
Lucy pressed her lips tighter.
It didn’t take long to pack the saddle bags, untie the horses and ride back. The wind picked up and the horses jogged, eager to get back to their pasture. At the trailer, Lucy focused on brushing down the mare, not on watching Zach—and not remembering that kiss. So what if he left her dizzy. So what if she’d been wet in five seconds. So what if she wanted to go back and grab him and kiss him again.
That was the trouble with guys like him—they spun your world around and then if you were fool enough to hook up with them they just kept on spinning you. Her daddy had been a man like that. Well, no thank you, sir. She wanted a hard-working man. She wanted a regular guy.
Zach headed into the trailer to put away his saddle.
That was when Lucy heard a sharp jingle and a bark. Fear ran up her back.
Chapter Six
Zach heard the scream. He scrambled out of the trailer’s tack room. For a second he didn’t see Lucy, but then he heard her panting breath from above him. He looked up and saw her standing on top of the trailer. “What are you doing up—?”
“Dog!” She jabbed a finger. “Watch out!”
He glanced down and a shaggy head pushed into his hand. Zach knelt and ran a hand over the brown coat, pulling out a few twigs. “There you are! We’ve got to have a talk about you running off to chase cats!” He stoo
d up. “Lucy, meet Sunny.”
Sunny boomed out another bark.
From on top of the trailer, Lucy let out another yelp. “You could have told me you had one of those things.”
“This?” He waved a hand at Sunny’s friendly face. “You’ll take on a drunk in a bar but you’re scared of dogs?”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “I’m terrified of them. Haven’t you ever seen Cujo—or read the book? Or don’t you read much.”
“Nope. Don’t get the chance much. Come on down. He won’t hurt you.”
“And if I get fleas? Or rabies?”
“You can’t stay up there all night.” He could see her actually thinking about that. She chewed on her lower lips. He looked at Sunny. “Sit, Sunny.” Sunny wagged his tail. “I said sit!” Sunny’s tongue lolled out of his mouth. Giving up, Zach went into the trailer and pulled out a hunk of cheese from the picnic food. He threw the cheese and Sunny went after it. “Best get down before he gets back.”
Lucy scrambled down and started to run for the house. Sunny saw her, let out a bark and chased after her. Zach would have laughed, but Lucy looked pale with real fear.
Running after her, he caught her up in his arms and held her still. “You want a dog to run, then you run. You want to make friend, you’ve got to hold still.” He took her shaking hand.
She clung to him with her other hand and just about tried to crawl up his body. “He’s going to kill me!”
“Maybe with love, not much more.” Holding her hand he moved it over to Sunny’s shaggy head.
Sunny took a long swipe of her hand with his tongue.
Lucy closed her eyes. “Yuch—dog spit!”
Zach felt the tension eased from her. He laughed. “Scratch his ears. He’s a sucker for that.”
Slowly, Lucy reached out and touched Sunny’s ears. “They’re...soft.”
“There—was that so bad now,” he said. And it wasn’t so bad to have her in his arms like this. He liked this feeling. He loved how she tucked right into his hold, coming up to his shoulder and fitting just right. He could stand like this all...
A drop of rain hit his nose. Grabbing Lucy’s hand, he pulled her with him. “Run for it!” Sunny gave a bark and chased them. Lucy ran at his side. They just made the porch when the downpour started.
Lucy stomped mud off her boots and looked up. She started back to the trailer. “The horses. And I didn’t get my saddle in.”
“Stay put,” he told her. Zach headed back into the rain, head bent. He got the horses into the pasture, the saddle put into the trailer and splashed back through the mud.
Back on the porch, Lucy straightened as he approached. Her hair had gone wild on her in the damp, curling around her face. She looked stubborn—and adorable. “I could have done that. That’s an hour’s less pay for me.”
He stared at her, rain dripping off his hat brim. His good mood vanished. Money—that’s what she was thinking about. “I won’t short you on your cash. If that’s all you want.”
She stood still, staring at him, shivering slightly. The rain pelted down around them. From inside the house, Charlie called out, “You two coming in for a hot meal or just standing out there all day?”
A car pulled in the gravel drive, the tires crunching. Zach turned to look at it. Long, black and sleek the Lincoln town car seemed out of place on Charlie’s farm. Next to him Lucy dropped her hands to her sides. He glanced at her. He’d swear he saw more fear in her eyes now than he’d seen when Sunny was chasing her. From the porch Sunny let out a low growl. Zach put a hand on his head.
Voice tight, Lucy said. “I gotta take care of something. Go on in.” She glanced at Zach. “Well, go on.” She took off, heading around the back of the house at a fast walk.
Zach shook his head. Sometime they were going to have to have a talk about what the word boss really meant. Inside, he found Charlie on the couch. Something dark lay on her lap. He looked again and made out the lines of a pistol—a Colt .45 if he wasn’t mistaken. Charlie sat where she could see out the window to the drive.
“What’s going on, Charlie?”
Outside, a man in a dark suit got out of the car. Zach knew the look of hired muscle—the bulge of a gun under the man’s suit. The man’s blank face. The man held open the car door on the back passenger side. From behind the house, Lucy walked out to the car, the rain flattening her hair and darkening her shirt. She ducked into the car.
Charlie sat up, her stare focused on the car and nothing else.
Zach looked from her to the car and back again. “Charlie? What the hell is going on? That guy outside looks dangerous and if he doesn’t have a gun, I must be going blind.”
“They are dangerous.” She turned to look at him. “I am sorry, Zach, but it’s Lucy’s story not mine. She’ll have to tell you—if she wants to.”
Chapter Seven
Lucy had been hoping Martino wouldn’t show up, but it really wasn’t that big a surprise since she’d hadn’t paid him yesterday. Heading to her room through the back of the house, she grabbed the pack of bills she had read and made her way to Martino’s car. Mud splashed onto her boots and rain soaked her hair and shoulders. She didn’t care. The driver held the car door for her and she slipped inside. If Martino minded her dripping onto the expensive leather he didn’t show it.
He smiled at her. “Lucy you are late. You know there are consequences for being late.”
Martino looked more like an accountant than anything. The black hair receding from a high forehead, wide-spaced dark brown eyes, and olive complexion spoke of an Italian heritage. Sharp cheekbones, a thin build, and a perfectly cut suit spoke of someone who cared about details. A diamond ring sparkled from the little finger of his right hand and he wore a gold ring on his wedding finger. He looked smooth—and rich. Lucy hated both those things.
She pushed the envelope of cash at him. “I tried to pay yesterday but you were not at the casino.”
“And why not leave it?”
“So your men could take the money and tell you I never paid? The deal is I pay off my dad’s debts—to you.”
He waved for her to drop the cash on the seat between them. Unbuttoning his suit coat, he let it slide open. Lucy glimpsed the gun in a shoulder holster. Her mouth dried. Martino smiled. “If I am not at the casino, find me. Or do you want me to add interest to what your family owes my family?”
“I’m paying you what my dad owed. That’s it. You keep changing the deal, and you don’t get anything.”
His smile widened. Leaning forward, he allowed his suit to fall open even more. She stared at the gun. Martino patted her cheek. “So like your father—he got pushy too. You saw how that ended for him. I have been very patient with you, Lucy. Don’t make me regret that patience.”
She pulled back. “Just remember—I can’t pay if I’m not working. So let me get the hell back to work.” Pushing open the door, she headed back to Charlie’s house. Heat burned on her face, but she could feel the chill of the rain soaking her. She heard the car start up and pull away. Clomping onto the porch, she kicked off most of the mud and pulled off her boots, leaving them outside so she wouldn’t track in mud.
Dragging in a breath, she stepped inside, ready to face the next ordeal—Zach and Charlie.
Charlie stood, shook her head and headed to the kitchen. Lucy didn’t miss the gun she carried with her. She turned to Zach. She knew he’d have questions.
He crossed his arms. “Some social call. Just what are you mixed up in?”
“Nothing that has anything to do with you, Zach.” She turned to walk away.
He snagged her arm and spun her around to face him. “You’re working for me. If there’s something that could change that arrangement, I want to know about it.”
She stared at him. “It’s none of your damn business.” Jerking free, she headed for the kitchen. She found Charlie making soup.
Waving a spoon, Charlie gestured to the back door. “Use my boots and rain slicker. Get yourse
lf a shower and get yourself back here for a hot meal.”
“I’m not—”
“If I hear the word ‘hungry’ coming from you we’re going to have words about lying, missy.”
Mouth pressed tight, Lucy did as she’d been ordered—Charlie could get away with that, but not Zach. The hot water of the shower did feel good, and eased both her knotted muscles and the chill in her bones. She dressed in a sweater and a jeans skirt and used Charlie’s rain gear to head back to the house. She found Charlie in the kitchen, but no sign of Zach.
Charlie waved her into a chair and served up soup and cornbread. “No, you didn’t drive him off, but not for trying. He said he had to take some calls, so he’s up in his room doing that. Guess he’s got some other business going, by the sound of it. His brother left a half dozen messages for him.”
Lucy nodded and poked at her soup. Sitting down opposite, Charlie took up her spoon. Lucy looked at her. “What? No lecture?”
Shaking her head, Charlie spread butter on her cornbread. “Honey, you don’t need me telling you what you need to do. You know it. You need to find a way to make Martino back down—that kind of bully is trouble until the day you stand tall.”
“If it was just me...” Lucy poked at a carrot in her soup. “You know I have to think of my mom.”
“I know you need to start thinking straight. Now eat up. You need something warm in you.”
That was one order Lucy could obey. She ate fast and borrowed Charlie’s rain gear to get back to her room. For the rest of the night, she read in bed until she fell asleep.
***
She woke and rose early the next morning and headed to the kitchen. Dawn warmed the eastern sky. The mud had mostly dried. Inside the kitchen, she hung up Charlie’s rain gear and flicked on the light. Charlie hadn’t come down yet, so Lucy got the coffee brewing.