Rebel Heart

by Barbara McMahon

  Her heart ached for the bleak picture his words painted. She longed to learn more, find out how he’d managed, what help he had had. Where were his brother and sister now? Did they still have a place on that ranch or had he left it behind to ride the circuit?

  Before she could ask, however, she became aware of his fingers pulling off the elastic band that held her braid, threading through the plaits, releasing her hair.

  “Don’t,” she said softly, her heart thudding in her chest. It was too intimate, they had to keep to a business arrangement. She needed the distance.

  “Your hair is so soft,” he said, ignoring her protest. “Like fine silk or soft, baby duck down.” Combing through the soft tresses with his fingers, he rubbed a strand between his forefinger and thumb, let it slip through. Again and again he threaded his fingers through, letting the soft, dark hair cascade across his palm, slip through his fingers. Slowly Jase brought his head closer, until his breath mingled with hers, softly wafted across her cheeks.

  “It’s as soft as your lips,” he whispered, touching his to hers lightly. He moved back and forth, barely touching her, the light caress as potent as the kiss they’d shared in the office.

  Shannon began to shiver in anticipation. Business, business, business echoed in her mind as her mouth opened to his sweet assault. While intellectually she knew there was no future between them, her body craved his touch like a rose craved the sun’s. Just for a moment she’d give in to the craving, then resist. One last kiss, just for a moment.

  The kiss deepened and Jase braced them against the fence, his mouth roamed over hers, then left her warm, swollen lips to trace tiny kisses across her satiny cheeks, along her eyelids, to bury against her neck and trail hot kisses to the pulse point of her throat.

  “You, darlin’, pack more kick than a Brahma bull,” Jase said against her skin. “I thought we were going to keep this businesslike.”

  “We are.” She pushed back, hoping desperately that her gaze didn’t look as starry-eyed as she felt. Her blood raced through her, her breathing came hard and fast. She tested her knees to make sure they’d hold her before pulling out of his embrace.

  “We are,” she repeated, trying to convince herself.

  “Yeah, I can see that.” He grinned at her. “Want to go riding?”

  “No! And you’re not going, either. Someone has to think of your ribs. If you won’t, I will.”

  “I’ll be fine. Sitting up on Shadow’s no more dangerous than sitting in the chair in your office. Probably a sight more comfortable. Relax, Shannon. I won’t ride tonight. But tomorrow, I’m riding out. You can come with me or let me find things on my own.”

  “All right, bossy. I’ll go,” she said petulantly.

  He chuckled, rubbing his knuckles across her chin. “You stick that out all the time. What are you trying to prove?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s right, Half Pint, you don’t have anything to prove.” He put his arm around her shoulders and turned them toward the ranch house.

  Shannon walked along, seething. Her hair swirled around her, unconfined in the evening breeze. His hand was heavy on her shoulder, sending tingling shafts of electricity surging throughout her. Walking wasn’t easy as they moved together, his steps made smaller to match hers.

  “Jase, you have to stop touching me all the time,” she said once she thought she could control her voice. “I’m not some doll for you to play with.”

  “I never thought you were. We’re business partners, right?”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t include touching.” She tried to make her voice firm, certain.

  “Don’t you like my touch?”

  “Yes…no!”

  That was the whole problem. She did like his touch. She more than liked it. He drove her crazy with yearnings she’d thought long ago buried. She had standards that were important to her and he tried her at every turn. He had to stop!

  “I like touching you. I like it when you touch me,” he said slowly, the words seeping through her like a soft caress.

  “But it can’t go anywhere,” she said softly.

  “So we enjoy what we can. Lighten up, Shannon. It’s only kisses.”

  Only kisses. She felt every one to her toes. She almost melted in a puddle whenever he was around. She’d only known him for two days, for goodness sake. What was the matter with her? She was an adult. She could handle it.

  He pulled open the door to the kitchen and ushered her in.

  “I’ll be in the office. There are more of those feed invoices to verify. Once that’s done, we’ll get an accurate tally and be ready to start making some plans.” The quick change from teasing to business was startling. Shannon envied him the ability.

  “I’ll do the dishes and then come in.”

  “If you want. But I can manage on my own if you have something else to do.”

  She nodded, glad for the reprieve. She needed to spend some time alone, get herself under control lest she throw caution to the wind and give in to his blandishments.

  “Then I’ll see you at breakfast,” she said, refusing to meet his eyes. She could only stand so much in one night. Maybe tomorrow things would settle back to normal.

  Shannon heard the jingle of spurs outside while she was flipping hotcakes the next morning. Glancing out the window she saw Jase heading for the house. When had he gotten up?

  “Morning,” he said, stepping inside.

  “Take those spurs off. I don’t want this floor marked,” she commented, flipping another hotcake. She hadn’t heard him this morning.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He grinned at her and tiptoed to the table. Sitting carefully, he removed the spurs, rising to put them by the door.

  “You’re up early.” She turned back to the hotcakes, her heart beating double time. He looked gorgeous. His hair was slightly tousled when he took off his hat, the blue shirt that stretched across his broad chest gave a smoky tinge to his eyes. His faded jeans molded his thighs and hips like a longtime lover. She kept her eyes resolutely on the pan, afraid of where her thoughts were leading. Men should not be allowed out in public looking like that. It made a woman’s concentration extremely difficult.

  “Enough?” she asked as she handed him a plate piled high with pancakes. She put a platter of sausage in the center of the table and turned to get the coffee.

  “Enough to start,” he mumbled, already pouring syrup over the stack.

  “You’ll get fat.” It gave her an excuse to trail her eyes over him. There wasn’t an ounce of spare flesh anywhere. He had a long long way to go to get fat. For an instant she remembered his hard chest as she’d seen it in the hospital. When her eyes came back up to him, she flushed at the daring in his gaze. His smile caused her to lose her breath, he was so masculine!

  “What got you up so early?” Shannon asked as she sat opposite him and began eating her much smaller stack.

  “Just checking on the horses we’re riding this morning. I wanted to make sure they were fed well before we left. Shadow’s ready to ride, getting antsy just standing around in the corral. I work him most days to keep him in top condition.”

  “He’s a good cutting horse, is he?”

  “He’s got the potential to be a great one.”

  “Oh? I didn’t see you compete that event at the rodeo. I arrived shortly before the bronc riding event.”

  “We won,” Jase said simply.

  “Is that normal?”

  “Yep. He’s one of the best cutting horses I’ve ever seen, a natural at it. But I have to keep working him. He’s the one that’s been making the big money so far. Using him, I hope to make the finals this year, go on to Las Vegas to compete for best all around.”

  “Ambitious at the best of times. Bobby never came close, yet he thought he did all right in the standings.”

  “Yeah, well, I want to go all the way.”

  “Hard to do if you’re out six weeks.”

  “When I’m ready to go again, I’ll enter twi
ce as many rodeos as before, that way I can increase my points fast enough to have a shot at the finals.”

  “As long as you’re good.”

  “Oh, darlin’, I’m good.”

  Shannon stared at him, the double meaning sinking in. She knew he’d be good at anything he did, including loving a woman. Blinking, she dragged her eyes away. She thought she had herself under control today.

  “So we ride after breakfast?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And your ribs?”

  “When they start to hurt, we’ll come back.” He dismissed her concern.

  “What do you want to see?”

  “Where the main body of the herd is, some of the range, the watering holes, where you think the best place to grow hay would be, things like that. We probably won’t see everything today, but I want to see as much as we can to start.”

  The morning was beautiful. The sky a clear azure blue, no clouds in the vast dome. The grass was drying, the rain had been scarce lately. But it was good grazing, the kind to build meat on beef cattle. The main herd wasn’t too far from the homestead and they reached the rise that overlooked the range less than a half hour after they left the barn.

  Jase drew rein and sat, surveying the polled Herefords that grazed placidly before him. The herd was large, the cattle healthy and plump. Slowly he counted the steers, took in the grass available and the limitless water from the river that edged part of the property.

  “You’ve got a good setup here,” he commented as they urged the horses closer. He wanted to see some of the calves up close.

  “We were lucky. The man who owned this before had no family. When he died, the state just sold it at a very reasonable price. And it was a year Bobby had done well. With his winnings and insurance money I had left from my folk's passing, we were able to buy it.”

  “Now you need to hold on to it. You’ve got a fine spread, Shannon. You can parlay it into a great one.”

  She flushed with pleasure at his assessment. She trusted Jase in business matters. And she was determined to hold on to her ranch, make it profitable, expand when she could, keeping her reputation growing even after Jase left.

  Would he come back from time to time to check up on her? She’d like that. She’d like to see him again, beyond their six weeks together.

  Or once gone, would he forget all about her? Forget about teaching her how to run a ranch and move on with his life as a rodeo rider? He’d had enough responsibility thrust upon him with raising his younger brother and sister, she totally understood his reluctance to have any further long-term responsibility toward anyone or anything.

  She was on her own. Once he taught her how to run the ranch, he'd have no further need to keep in contact.

  Suddenly the sun seemed dimmer. Some of the beauty went out of the day. She was struggling to learn about cattle, about growing hay, marketing techniques, and long-range planning for a long and lonely future. The ranch was all she had.

  Maybe someday down the road she’d look for a mate again. But she’d make sure she chose someone more stable than Bobby had been. More stable than any rodeo cowboy looking for a good time could be.

  She wanted a husband who would be home nights. She wanted someone to love, who would love her, who wanted to share the ranch with her. Someone whose kisses would excite her, whose love would warm her through the rest of her life.

  How she wished that someone could look and be exactly like Jase Hart.

  Chapter Four

  Jase spent the next several days studying the range and Shannon’s cattle. He spent hours with Dink and Gary, learning how the original owner had managed the spread, how Bobby Blackstone and then Rod Thompson had handled things.

  Each morning he rode out early, getting a feel for the place, ignoring the injuries that had sidelined him from the rodeo circuit. Shannon accompanied him again the second day, but on the third, she remained home to work on the books and records. There wasn’t much she could contribute to the rides. Gary knew all the answers to Jase’s questions better than she did.

  Jase already knew more about cattle than she. Her time was better spent gaining knowledge of her business from the records side.

  Afternoons, Jase worked with Shadow, practicing cutting techniques, in the corral or out in the range with the cattle. He was tireless. The honed skill of the horse and rider were obtained only after endless hours of practice and he was faithful to that end.

  Shannon watched on occasion, fascinated as the horse and rider seemed one being, working flawlessly with one another to achieve the fluid perfection. No wonder he won competitions with Shadow, they were terrific together.

  Jase continued to heal. Except for an occasional catch in his breath if he moved suddenly, Shannon wouldn’t have known he was still pained by his bruised and cracked ribs. She didn’t know if his arm ached as it healed, he never complained and she never again mentioned he should slow down. If he wanted to push himself, it was his concern.

  She had enough trouble trying to keep the interaction between them on a business footing. He was the most annoying man. Every time he came close to her, he touched her. A light caress on her arm, a brush of fingers against her cheek, a gentle tug on her braid. It was as if he couldn’t keep his hands away from her. Something she was not used to. Neither her father nor her husband had been overtly affectionate.

  She wanted Jase to stop. Not because she disliked it, but because she liked it too much. With the other stressful events present in her life, she didn’t need his constant attentions stirring her up.

  After dinner on the third evening, she escaped to feed the horses, glad for a respite from Jase. Being around him had her senses spinning. She didn’t know whether to slap him down, dodge out of reach, or just endure the touching until he got tired of his little game and left her alone. She desperately needed some time alone to keep things in perspective.

  She forked down the hay into the corral then spread it for the horses who jostled her, trying for a mouthful. Putting grain in the trough, she watched to make sure Bugle didn’t hog all of it from the less aggressive horses. The routine of the chores soothed her, brought her ragged senses under control.

  “Did you already feed Shadow?” Jase asked, materializing beside her at the corral fence. The late afternoon sun was slowly sinking, its waning rays bathing everything in soft golden light.

  She jumped, startled. “Yes. And gave him grain. I fed him in his stall so he wouldn’t have to share with these guys.”

  Afraid to look at him, she watched the horses eat, content in the constant activity of the ranch. It had a timelessness, a continuity that she cherished. It was so different from her life before.

  “We need to talk about the ranch, Shannon,” he said, resting one boot on the bottom rail, resting his arm against his bent leg, staring down at her.

  “We’ve been talking about it since you got here. What specifically?” She wanted to step away, being so near him was disturbing. But she held her ground, watched the horses, conscious of Jase’s steady gaze.

  “You have a mortgage payment coming soon, ranch hands to feed and pay, and some horses needing to be re-shod.”

  “I know.” Fear clutched her. She knew all this. She’d been worrying about it for weeks, ever since Rod had vanished with her money. Where would she get the necessary funds? “I guess I have to sell some cattle, don’t I? Liquidate some assets, so to speak?”

  “It’s a bad time for it. If you sell now you’ll sell at a loss.”

  “But at least I’ll get some ready cash to tide me over.” Damn Rod Thompson and his thieving heart!

  “True.” He hesitated, watching her intently as if trying to gauge her reaction. “There are other ways to get money.”

  She turned then to face him, anger spilling. “I told you before I don’t want to borrow. The mortgage is bad enough. I can’t encumber the place with more debt. Maybe I should try for a job in Tumbleweed.”

  “What do you plan to do, work all
day then come back here and work all night to keep the place going? I don’t think so.”

  “No one set you up as my boss. I only asked for help on learning about ranching, not on how to run my life.”

  “Yeah? Well the first thing to learn about ranching is that it’s a full-time, hard-as-hell job. To do it right doesn’t give you any time for anything else, much less a full-time job elsewhere.”

  “I—”

  His hand cupped her chin, his thumb covered her lips, stopping the words that would have spilled out.

  “And I wasn’t talking about a loan. I think you could use an influx of capital. I’m offering to buy in as a partner.”

  She stared at him, dumbfounded. He wanted to buy into her ranch? To become her partner? Was he crazy?

  Or did he think she was?

  She twisted her face away from his grasp. “You’re nuts. Why would I sell part of my ranch to anyone? If I can just get by this temporary bind, I’ll make it.”

  “In the meantime this temporary bind could set you back so far you’ll never dig out. Listen, Shannon. I know a lot more about running a cattle ranch than you’ll learn in six years, much less six weeks. I was born on one, raised on one, ran it for a long while. I’ve lived, slept and breathed beef cattle until I have probably forgotten more than you know right now.”

  “But I can learn!”

  “Sure you can, but in time to save this place? You’re in a crisis situation here, sweetheart. You don’t have the luxury of unlimited time to dither around and wait for the pot at the end of the rainbow. You have to get some cash and fast.”

  “So I’ll sell some cattle. But I’m not selling my ranch.”

  “I didn’t say sell the ranch. I want to buy in. I have some money sitting in a bank, why not help you out on the Bar Seven?”

  “No. I’m not interested.”

  She turned and headed back to the house. Fear grew with each step. Big words, refusing his help. What was she going to do? She knew she needed a lot of money and soon. If she sold cattle now, she’d have a smaller herd, which would take longer to build up. But to sell part of the ranch, to no longer own it totally, was unthinkable. She especially did not want to give up part ownership to a disturbing cowboy who was only staying temporarily.