Capturing the Cowboy's Heart

by Lindsey Brookes

  Cade’s smile dropped down a few notches. “Yeah, that’s Burk for you.”

  “I thought you were just going to take me to the pond and then leave.”

  His blue eyes glittered mischievously. “And leave you all alone out there with wild animals roaming around?”

  It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. How long did he plan on carrying out this charade of theirs? Until they had her naked in the pond?

  Lacy feigned a gasp. “Wild animals?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, you know, bears, wolves, mountain lions. But don’t worry, Dalton, you’ll be safe with us.”

  The only wolves she suspected of being around were the two conspiring cowboys she was going to the pond with. “I never gave wild animals any thought. I’m glad you’re both going along.”

  “Hope you’re not shy,” he said.

  “Not at all.”

  His expression was priceless. “Uh, well, good.”

  “Are you?”

  “Am I what?”

  “Uncomfortable being naked around other people?”

  Before he could reply, Burk came walking toward them with the horse. “All set.”

  “Almost,” she said. “You forgot to bring clean clothes to change into after you bathe.”

  “You mean I can’t ride naked back to the house afterwards?” Burk teased.

  “Not a chance,” she told him. “Skinny dipping is one thing, riding horseback naked is another.”

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Cade threw in.

  She turned to look at him. “You’ve ridden naked before?”

  “Well, no.”

  She reached for the reins. “Get your clothes. I’ll wait here with the horses.”

  Cade returned without Burk.

  “Where’s your sidekick?”

  “He’s going to meet us there.”

  “What about his horse?”

  Cade took the reins of Burk’s horse and walked over to a nearby tree, securing the reins to one of the lower branches. Then he returned to where she stood with his horse. “Mount up, Dalton. I’ll ride behind you.”

  She eyed the horse and then turned to Cade. “Um, I think there’s something missing here.”

  “And that would be...?”

  “A ladder.”

  He chuckled. “A ladder?”

  “How else am I supposed to get up on that thing?”

  “This thing is a horse and we cowboys don’t use ladders to mount them. Come on, Dalton. I’ll help you up.”

  Cade took the rolled up towel from her and stuffed it into his saddlebag. Then he stepped behind her, placing his hands on either side of her waist. He was so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck, the sensation making her shudder.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied, refusing to let him know how being so near him affected her.

  He lifted her effortlessly onto the saddle. “Now scoot forward, so I can settle in behind you.”

  Still affected by the caress of his breath on the back of her neck, she feared how her body would react when she was seated between his parted thighs, her body pressed against his. Before she could back out, Cade was seated behind her in the saddle and they were riding away from the house.

  Despite her efforts, she kept sliding backward in the saddle. It became a constant battle to keep their bodies from touching, one she was quickly losing.

  “You keep wriggling about like that and I’ll be needing to bathe in ice water,” he whispered against her ear.

  She went perfectly still. And then, to her dismay, she felt herself sliding back into him again. The evidence of his desire pressed firmly against her backside. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think about how perfectly their bodies fit together, or how arousing the feeling of it was.

  “It’s a scenic ride out to the pond,” he drawled behind her. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”

  She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. “If you say so.” Unfortunately, she was already enjoying their ride together far too much.

  His chin settled onto her shoulder, the warmth of his breath tickling her ear. “You’d probably appreciate the view more if you opened your eyes.”

  “I like it better this way,” she said stubbornly.

  “Something bothering you, Dalton?” he whispered huskily against her ear.

  She forced her eyes open and turned to look at him, her mouth accidentally brushing across his. Her breath caught and she jerked her head away, looking at anything but the man behind her. “This isn’t going to work.”

  “What’s not going to work, Dalton?” He raised a questioning brow.

  Just then Burk came riding up behind them.

  Lacy straightened, nearly clipping his chin in the process. Then she attempted to scoot forward again.

  “You got ants in your pants?” Burk asked her with a grin as he rode up beside them.

  “Burk’s right. You need to relax,” Cade said, his arm curling securely about her waist.

  Easier said than done. “I’m trying.”

  Burk nodded. “A horse can sense discomfort in a rider.”

  “I can’t help it. I’ve never been on a horse before.” Nor had she ever imagined how sexually arousing sharing a ride on one could be.

  “City girl. I forgot,” Cade admitted. He slowed his horse. “Now relax before you get both of us thrown.”

  He knew full well it wasn’t the horse that had her squirming. “Unlike you, Tyler, I wasn’t born in the saddle.”

  Burk chuckled. “Gotta love a woman with sass. Now, if you two will excuse me, I’ll just ride on ahead and clear the pond of wild animals.”

  Wild animals. What a load of bull. But Burk’s words reminded her of her mission. To teach those two a lesson.

  “Would you like to learn to ride?”

  His offer, not at all teasing surprised her. “You’ve got your hands full taking care of the ranch and all.”

  “The horses need to be ridden, Dalton. Might as well teach you while I exercise them. Besides, it’ll give you more to write about.”

  “I’ll think about it.” That is, if she could ever redirect her thoughts from things she shouldn’t be thinking of.

  “Good. Can’t have a ranch hand that doesn’t know how to ride a horse.”

  “Cade...”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you think we could do some of the interview while we’re out here? You’re always so busy.”

  “Let me get this straight. You want to interview me while we’re buck naked in the pond?”

  He wished. “A journalist does what he or she has to do to get the story.”

  “I don’t have a problem with it if you don’t,” Cade muttered behind her.

  She’d see about that.

  They rode out into a clearing that circled a small pond. The water was a deep, dark blue that looked cool and incredibly inviting in the afternoon heat. A scattering of water lilies added a splash of color as they mingled with the cattails.

  “Well, well, I see you two kids made it here in one piece,” Burk called out from where he sat perched atop a large flat rock near the water’s edge.

  “No thanks to Dalton,” Cade said with a chuckle as they rode around the pond to where Burk sat waiting.

  “I wasn’t the one driving the horse,” she replied. “You were.”

  “I wasn’t ‘driving’ it,” he pointed out.

  “Fine, guiding it or whatever you cowboys choose to call it. It wasn’t exactly an easy ride.”

  “Can’t argue with you there,” he whispered against her hair. “It was a little harder than usual.”

  With his arousal still pressed against her backside, Lacy found herself blushing at Cade’s husky words. She immediately scooted forward and forced her attention to the water. He was so going to pay.

  “At least, we won’t have to share our bath with any ducks today,” Lacy pointed out as she looked out over the water.
<
br />   “Hmm,” Cade said, stroking his chin, “that’s strange.”

  “What’s strange?”

  “It’s just that there’s always at least a few ducks swimming around here.”

  Burk made a tsk-ing sound from where he sat. “Yeah, I noticed that, too. One of them Biter fish must have eaten them.”

  “Biter fish?” Lacy eyed Burk suspiciously. “Never heard of them.”

  “Believe it, Dalton,” Cade told her. “We’ve lost more ducks to the Biters. They have a thing for painted toenails, so I’d be real careful if I were you.

  She couldn’t decide who was the bigger storyteller, Cade or Burk. But it was Cade she wanted to see squirm, just as he was trying his best to make her do. “I’m not afraid of fish. Even ones that have a thing for painted toenails.”

  “Good, because being the gentlemen I am I’m going to let you go first.” Cade motioned toward the water.

  She snorted. “Funny, but I never really considered you the gentleman type.” Burk and Cade were nothing more than a couple of overgrown boys, having fun at her expense. It was time to turn the tables and give them a little taste of their own medicine.

  She wriggled about in the saddle, deliberately brushing her backside against Cade.

  “What are you doing?” he asked in a tight voice.

  “Just trying to figure out how to get off of this thing.” She squirmed a little more.

  He muttered a curse. “Swing your leg slowly over his neck and I’ll lower you down.”

  “That sounds easy enough.” She leaned back against him, her fingers clasping the top of his jean-clad thighs for balance as she raised her leg and swung it over top the horse’s head.

  He lowered her to the ground as if she weighed nothing at all. The grassy bank felt cool beneath her bare feet as she turned to look up at him. “Thanks.”

  He gave a nod and then reached behind him to retrieve her things from the saddlebag. “You’ll be needing these.”

  She took the bundle and carried it over to the edge of the pond where she tossed it onto the ground beside her. Then she turned, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun as she looked back at the two grinning cowboys. Let the fun begin.

  “I don’t know about you boys, but I’m really looking forward to this. It’s so hot out here.” That said, she dropped her hand to the waistband of her shorts and undid the top button, revealing a section of lavender lace.

  Cade’s eyes rounded and his mouth dropped open. “Uh, Dalton...”

  “Ladies first.” She spun around to face the water and eased the body hugging tank top up over her head, tossing it onto the ground next to her.

  Cade cursed behind her.

  “Lacy’s right,” Burk joined in. “It’s hotter than hell out here.”

  Her back to them, she continued her little striptease show, pushing her shorts down over her hips until she could step out of them. Then she moved closer to the water’s edge and bent to scoop up a handful of water, splashing it onto her face and neck. “Ah, this feels so good.”

  She stood and turned to find both men watching her, mouths agape. Lacy couldn’t help but grin. Cade’s jaw was practically resting on his saddle.

  “Cade?” she said sweetly. “Is something wrong?”

  “Looks just fine to me,” Burk mumbled.

  “That’ll be enough of that!” Cade said, his head snapping Burk’s direction.

  “What?”

  “Staring, damn it! It’s not polite to stare at a woman that way.”

  “Is that so?” Lacy replied, folding her arms. “It sure looked to me like you’re doing plenty of the same yourself, Mr. Tyler.”

  “I wasn’t staring.”

  “Oh, then there must be something behind me that caught your eye?” She pivoted to look out over the pond. “A turtle, perhaps?”

  She was killing him.

  Cade was still in a state of shock at Dalton’s little strip show she’d just performed. It had all been a joke. At least on his and Burk’s end. Never in a million years had he expected Lacy to start taking off her clothes.

  His eyes widened as Lacy reached for the strap of her bra. “Aren’t you boys hot?”

  Only in my jeans!

  He forced his gaze to the ground only to have it boomerang back to Lacy. He was having a hell of a time keeping his eyes off her. Then, he glanced over at Burk and found his friend looking at Lacy like he’d never seen a woman in her undergarments before.

  Cade shot down from his horse and stomped over to where Lacy’s clothes were lying. “All right, that’s enough!”

  “What’s enough?” she asked with an air of innocence.

  He scooped up her things and stepped toward her. “This is enough!” He shoved her discarded clothes into her hands. “Get dressed, Dalton. You shouldn’t be standing there in your...” God help him, someone just turned up the heat.

  “Skivvies?” Burk finished for him.

  He turned a darkened scowl to Burk who was looking at Lacy like she was a frosty mug of beer on a Friday night. “Go home.”

  “I live here.”

  “Then go back to the ranch and clean stalls or something!” He didn’t like the thought of Burk seeing Lacy in barely more than a few pieces of thread. Hell, he shouldn’t be seeing her dressed like that.

  Burk pushed off his rock and moseyed on over to his awaiting horse. “Whatever you say, boss.” He shot Lacy a quick wink before riding off into the woods.

  Lacy tossed her clothes back down to the ground between their feet. “What is your problem? You’re like a bear with a thorn in your butt!”

  He shouldn’t be looking at her, but he was. The soft sensual curves of her body...

  “Consider yourself the thorn!” he growled, angry with himself for wanting her. “Now put your clothes back on, Dalton.” He bent to retrieve her clothes again and shoved them back into her arms.

  This time she threw the bundle at him. It hit his chest and fluttered to the ground once more. “Wrongo, cowboy. I came here to bathe and that’s exactly what I intend to do. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!”

  Heat hell. It was more like an inferno. “Look, Dalton, you don’t understand,” he told her as his errant gaze drifted down to rest on the swell of her breasts. Despite his good intentions, he found himself wondering what it would be like to peel away the lavender lace that held them and cup their fullness in his hands...

  She stepped closer, lifting her beautiful face to his. “Then make me understand.”

  She was like the desert highway after a summer rain, hot and steaming. His gaze settled on her lips. They were so close, parted just enough for him to slip his tongue between them if he wanted to.

  Lord, how he wanted to.

  “Get dressed, Dalton. You just can’t go around stripping down in front of men and not expect them to...” his words trailed off. She was so close he could smell her sweetness.

  “To what?” she demanded in a sultry whisper that stirred his blood.

  “To do this!” Grasping her by the waist, Cade dragged her up against him and captured that tempting mouth of hers in a hungry kiss.

  She didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned into his kiss with a soft moan, threading her fingers through his hair.

  Hunger was nothing. He was starving.

  He ran a flattened palm down the satiny length of her bare back. Cupping her backside, he drew her even closer to his need.

  She clung to him, grinding her hips against his thick arousal while their tongues twined.

  Her reaction to his kiss was pure torture. Cade knew he was quickly reaching the point of no return. And he couldn’t do that with this untruth between them.

  “You don’t have to bathe in the pond,” he admitted, his breathing ragged.

  She rose up to run the tip of her tongue across his lips. “Why not?”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rein in his desire. “Because it was a joke.”

  “Yo
ur kiss?”

  Opening his eyes he looked down into those same gold-flecked eyes he had dreamed about every night since Lacy came into his life. “No, that was real. I’m talking about us convincing you that you had to bathe in the pond. The hot water works at the house. You just have to fiddle with the tank to get it going sometimes.”

  “So you lied to me?”

  Hell. “Burk and I were just trying to have some fun with you.”

  Instead of shoving him away, she rose up on her toes and leaned closer to run her tongue across his lips. “So are you?”

  “Am I?” She was making it damn hard to think.

  “Having fun with me?” she repeated with a teasing roll of her hips. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

  “I never meant for it to go this far,” he admitted guiltily.

  “I don’t mind. I was hot. Aren’t you?” she asked as her hands moved down the front of his shirt.

  “Very.” He gave in to his desire and slid his hands down over her scantily clad backside. Lowering his head, he whispered, “You make me hot, Dalton.”

  “Good.” Lacy placed her hands, palms flattened, against Cade’s bare chest. Then she lifted her mouth to his, but instead of kissing him, she shoved with all her might.

  He fell backwards, arms flailing, into the pond. A second later, he came up sputtering angrily. Pushing the wet hair from his face, he looked up at her with a scowl. “What the hell was that for?”

  She stood at the water’s edge, arms crossed. “That was to help cool you off. And for your information, these aren’t my skivvies. It happens to be my bikini. So it looks like the joke’s on you, cowboy.”

  “Some joke,” he muttered.

  “Oh, dear, what was I thinking?” she said with a playful grin. “You aren’t wearing your bathing suit. Nothing worse than wearing wet jeans around.” She shook her head, tsk-ing as she did so.

  He looked up at her, beads of water running down his face and shirt. “Wet denim chafes, you know.”

  She smothered a giggle. “Sorry.”

  He didn’t appear to find the situation quite as amusing as she did. But instead of giving her a piece of his mind as she expected, Cade began to undo the last few buttons on his shirt.

  “What are you doing?” she asked as she watched his long fingers work the buttons free one by one.