Counterfeit Cowboy

by Gail MacMillan

  “See ya, Travis.” He watched him go, then turned to Shelby. “Kitchen all spick and span, ma’am.”

  “Thanks, but you didn’t have to clean up, not after being sick today.”

  “I’m fine now. If I stay away from junk food, I’ll be okay.”

  “ I’m watching the news. Care to join me?”

  “Sure.” He took a chair across from where she was curled up on the couch. “By the way, this is a great house.”

  He looked around the room with its polished oak floor, comfortable chintz-covered furniture, knotty-pine walls, and cozy fireplace.

  “We’ve always liked it.” Shelby hunched her shoulders. “It’s cozy on cold or rainy nights with a log fire blazing. By the way, that will be one of your chores…keeping the woodbox over there filled.” She pointed to the container to the left of the hearth.

  “Will do. So that’s horse-turning-loose, manure shoveling, and wood provision.” He stretched his legs in front of him. “Just keeping a mental note of my duties.”

  “More importantly, you have to appear to know what you’re doing.”

  “Point taken. You and Travis will have to give me a crash course.” He grinned over at her. “I’m here to learn.”

  “Have you ever ridden…at all?” She settled herself comfortably.

  Man, she’s pretty. Hard to believe she’s a vet, patching up animals, operating…

  “Draft horses, when I was a kid, but they never went beyond a plodding trot. And actually that was only a few times.”

  “So we’ll start from scratch.” She returned her gaze to the television and snapped on the sound. “Oh, my, look.”

  He did and saw a film clip of him and his band performing.

  “Ann Wise, agent for county music superstar Jordan Brooks, announced today that her client will be taking a six-week hiatus from the stage. Brooks will be resting at a private estate in Bermuda, as a guest of friends. Recently, there’s been speculation that Brooks is suffering from stomach ulcers, but Wise has refused to confirm the rumors. Her only comment is that he will be back in the limelight this fall and on the road well before Christmas to promote his new movie.”

  “Hell!” Jordan snatched the remote lying on the coffee table and snapped off the television. “Now where did that pile of garbage get started?”

  “You mean the bit about you being in Bermuda, or the stomach-ulcer part?”

  “Both, but it’s the last that’s eating me. I don’t like lying to anyone. Fans deserve better than that junk. Sure, I can see the part about my being in Bermuda…helps my cover here. But now cards and e-mails and all kinds of stuff will start pouring in because people feel sorry for me and are concerned about me. That’s not fair.”

  “I guess that’s the price you pay for having a high-pressure agent.” Shelby stood and stretched.

  “Hey, sorry.” He turned the television back on. “Didn’t mean to make you miss the rest of the newscast.”

  “Not a problem. I have paperwork to do in my office before bed. Watch TV as long as you like. Just make sure you’re able to get up in the morning, ready for a full day’s work.”

  “Give me a chance. I might surprise you.”

  At the door of her office she paused, then turned slowly back to face him.

  “You could spend the night in the guest room. You’ve had a rough day, and it will be more comfortable there.”

  Damn, it was tempting, with those wonderful emerald eyes so soft and warm, that pretty face and sweet body. Too tempting.

  “I’m fine now.” He stood. “I’m not about to start taking liberties with my position here. I’m Jake Banks, hired hand, and my place is in your bunkhouse. But thank you. I appreciate the offer.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  I’m not sure, but I know it’s the right thing to do. “Positive.” He turned and walked out of the house.

  He paused, before starting down the lane to the cabin, to look out over the bay resting in a flat calm, tinted with the reds, pinks, and purples of a magnificent sunset. A small fishing boat heading inward broke the surface sending out multicolored ripples in its wake.

  A lobster boat? Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a fresh boiled lobster. Wouldn’t that go a long way to fixing me up…physically and mentally.

  He watched until the little boat disappeared into a curve of the shoreline, then turned, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and headed toward the cabin, whistling.

  Never mind the lobster. I’m feeling a lot better already.

  Chapter Eight

  “Put your fingers back behind her teeth.” The next morning Shelby watched as Jordan struggled to get the bridle on Cinnamon Candy. At eighteen, Candy, the farm’s oldest and most childproof mare, had seen it all, from ten-year-old novices to fifty-year-old grannies. Country music’s superstar would be perfectly safe around the old girl.

  “There!” he said finally, stepping back triumphantly. “Got it.”

  “Well, it is in her mouth, but…” Stifling a chuckle, Shelby pointed at the mare’s ears. One was inside the bridle strap, the other out.

  “Ah, man!” Jordan stepped back and slapped his hands onto his hips. “Sorry, girl,” he addressed the mare. “I bet this is one of the worst days you can remember.”

  As he moved to rectify the situation, the bridle fell off into his hands.

  “Sh-… Sorry, Doctor. I’ve been around four kids who only seem to be able to communicate in street lingo for too long.”

  “Come on, let’s try again.” Swallowing her amusement, Shelby took it from him and eased the bit into Candy’s mouth. She’d seen lots of novices in her time but none that struck her as funny as this handsome “cowboy,” dressed for the part in jeans, plaid shirt, and riding boots, struggling with the docile mare. “See? She’s not going to bite.”

  “Okay.” He heaved a deep breath, then rubbed the mare’s nose. “Bear with me, darlin’. I’ll get the hang of it sooner or later.”

  Candy nuzzled him.

  Now he’s charming my mare. Isn’t there any living thing, human or otherwise, that doesn’t love Jordan Brooks besides me?

  A moment later he threw up his hands, cowboy-roper fashion. “Yeah! Got it!”

  Candy snorted and pranced.

  “Easy, girl.” He moved to comfort her. “Sorry about that. Saw it in a movie. What’s next?” He turned to Shelby.

  “Do it again.” She slid the bridle off the patient mare and handed it to him. “Until you’re comfortable with it.”

  “You’re one tough teacher, ma’am. Blame her, Candy, if your mouth is sore tonight.”

  As he worked the bit back into the mare’s mouth, his concern for Candy’s comfort impressed her. A slow, warming sensation began to slide over her.

  Enough. She wasn’t about to become one of Jordan Brooks’ enamored fans.

  “Okay, let’s give Candy’s mouth a rest,” she said after he’d had a second success. “She hasn’t been groomed in a couple of days. I’ll show you how to put a halter on her, fasten her in the cross-ties, and use the brushes. This afternoon you’ll saddle her and take a ride.”

  “Moving kind of fast, aren’t we?” He looked over at her, blue eyes so serious she felt her heart hiccup. What would it be like if he was saying something important…like that he loved her?

  Crazy. You’re absolutely crazy, Shelby Masters.

  “We can’t waste any time.” She shoved away her ridiculous thoughts and reached for Candy’s halter. “Six weeks isn’t long to get you riding like a pro.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  The sound of a car gunning up to the stable took her attention. Shelby recognized it immediately.

  “Not her again!” Shelby dropped the halter back onto its hook and headed out of the barn, annoyance grating through her like steel wool. “Put Candy into her stall, Jake,” she called back over her shoulder. “We’ll take a break. There’s something I need to get rid of.”

  She stepped outside a
s Michelle emerged from her vehicle. Designer jeans hung low on shapely hips, and the red blouse tied under Michelle’s breasts left a long section of midriff bare.

  “What do you want?” Shelby faced her, feet planted firmly apart, arms crossed, jaw set. “I’m busy.”

  “Just wanted to take another gander at your oh-so-sexy farm hand.” She shoved her sunglasses up into her hair and smiled over Shelby’s shoulder. Turning, Shelby saw that Jordan had followed her out of the barn and was standing a few feet behind her.

  “Ah, yes, definitely.” Michelle strolled over to him and circled slowly, taking him in from all sides. “I thought so. Tom said I was crazy, but I knew I was right. Jordan Brooks, I do believe.”

  Shelby suppressed a gasp, wet her lips, and forced what she hoped was an expression of utter contempt and disbelief.

  “Jordan who? What are you talking about, Michelle?” She faced the woman.

  “Oh, my, you’d never make an actress, sweetie.” Michelle paused between them, tossing back her long mane of black hair in shampoo-ad fashion. “And you’ve never been a decent liar. I thought I recognized something familiar about him the first day I was here. Then when Tom took out a bunch of his favorite country CDs and started boring me silly with them, I amused myself by looking at the covers. Some good-looking talent there. And there, lo and behold, was your farm hand, grinning that world-famous, heart-throb grin. Well, of course, I just had to sashay on over here and introduce myself.”

  “Sorry, ma’am, but I’m just plain old Jake Banks.” Jordan faced her, grinning innocuously. “I can understand you thinking I’m that singer. I’ve been mistook for him before.”

  “Oh, yes?” She circled him again. “Hmmm. I think you’re lying through your teeth, Jake Banks. I’m as good a judge of male bodies as I am of horse flesh, and, trust me, my instincts are good on this one.”

  “Come on, Michelle.” Shelby threw her what she hoped was a disparaging, mocking look. “What would a superstar like Jordan Brooks be doing working on a little horse farm in New Brunswick? Those guys go for five-star accommodations only.”

  “You’re not convincing me, Doctor.” Before Shelby could stop her, she’d pulled out her cell and snapped a picture. “For future reference.”

  She jumped into her car as Shelby lunged for the phone and missed.

  “My, my, seems you’re putting a lot of effort into getting back a photo of a farm hand,” she smirked as she started the engine. “See you two later…and that’s a for sure.”

  She gunned the engine, spun the wheel, and tore off up the drive in a cloud of dust.

  “Well, that’s a fine mess!” Shelby rounded on Jordan and slapped her hands onto her hips. “She’ll have that picture circulated on the wire services within the hour.”

  “Maybe.” He turned and headed back into the barn, whistling.

  “What do you mean, ‘maybe’? Of course she will.” She followed him, anger at his nonchalant attitude spilling over. Here she was about to lose money she’d been counting on to save her business, and all he could do was whistle.

  “A woman like that doesn’t react the same way as that stable hand who sold her picture in a tabloid for a few bucks.” He picked up the fork and re-entered the stall he’d been cleaning. “She uses everything she’s got to the best advantage.”

  “And just exactly what do you see as being to her best advantage?” Shelby stood in the stall doorway, arms akimbo.

  “Blackmail.” He paused to lean on his fork and look over at her. “Didn’t you say she’s been trying to get onto the big screen for years now? Well, everyone knows I’ll be appearing in that movie premiering just before Christmas. In show biz circles, that means my agent made the deal. I’m betting she’ll be back with an offer to keep her mouth shut if Annie can get her a motion picture contract.”

  “Oh, come on. Farfetched or what? Get real! Our contract has just been blown right out of the water, and you know it.”

  She turned and strode toward the barn door, a sinking feeling so intense she could barely walk holding her in its grip. Involved in her dilemma, she didn’t notice a hose lying to one side. Her foot caught in it, and she would have gone sprawling if a pair of strong arms hadn’t caught her.

  “Careful, ma’am.” She looked up into Jordan’s grinning face and those resolve-melting blue eyes. Pressed against his chest, feeling the heat of his body against hers, any defenses she’d had against the man and his charm crumbled. Locked in the power of his charm and physical attractiveness, she didn’t pull away.

  “Hey, Jake, you got time to help me with some feed…” Travis’s voice trailed off as he entered the barn and saw them.

  Shelby jerked away and Jordan turned to retrieve his pitchfork from where he’d dropped it.

  Shelby felt a hot blush pouring up her neck as she met her brother’s puzzled, suspicious look.

  “Come on, little brother, let’s get back to work. Jordan’s about to learn how to groom a horse. Want to take over the lesson while I head up to the house to get lunch?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Travis looked uncertainly between them again, then headed into the barn. “Come on, Jake. I’ll teach you what brush does what.”

  Chapter Nine

  “You remember what we talked about at the restaurant in town, don’t you, Jake?” Travis sat on an upturned bucket and watched as Jordan brushed Candy.

  “Sure. We talked about music, about maybe jamming sometime.” He looked over the mare’s back at the younger man.

  “Come on, Jake. You know what I mean. About Shel. I thought I could trust you, but what I saw just now doesn’t make me feel real easy about the situation.”

  “Shelby tripped. I caught her.” He stopped brushing and looked over at Travis, hoping he appeared as serious as he felt. “I’m not coming on to her, trust me.”

  “Yeah, well, just see that you don’t. Like I said, I won’t have her hurt, not even by Jordan Brooks, you hear me?”

  “Loud and clear. Now how about that hoof pick? You were going to show me how to use it without getting kicked.”

  ****

  “Annie?” Jordan waited until Travis had gone up to the house before he pulled out his cell and made the call. “Just had a small incident here. Hope you can take care of it for us. Do you know a Michelle Latton? Her agent Tom Hadly? Well, find out about them and get in touch. I need you to do some negotiating faster than immediately.”

  He described the encounter with the soap star, then listened as his agent fumed for a few moments and then, as he knew she would, went into damage-control mode.

  “I’ll get in touch with her and search out the situation, ferret out just how sure she is you are Jordan Brooks. If she threatens to go to the wire services with any pictures she managed to take, then I’ll have to negotiate some sort of stalling tactic that will keep her involved until the end of August…like maybe the producer of your movie is out of the country and he’s the only one I’m on a first-name basis with. Leave it with me and get on with your lessons, Jordan. You do your part and you know you can trust me to do mine.”

  “Sure do. Thanks, Annie. Sorry about this mess.”

  “Not your fault, sweetie. You’re just so adorable you’re recognizable almost anywhere. But keep that stubble on your face, that hair short and black as ink, and don’t socialize with the locals anymore than necessary.”

  “Will do.”

  “How are the lessons coming along?”

  “Got a bridle on a mare this morning, and this afternoon I’m going to climb onto her back.”

  “Great. Hope you’re riding a full gallop within a couple weeks. We’ll talk later.”

  ****

  “Pull the girth tight…no, tighter than that. Put some muscle into it.”

  Jordan sucked in a deep breath and gave the saddle strap another tug.

  “No, no. Let me show you.” Shelby stepped forward and yanked it taut, then proceeded to fasten it in place. “I can’t believe you don’t have the strength to do
that.”

  “I do, but…” He ran his hand over the cantle and looked over the mare’s back across the barn.

  “But what?” She turned to face him squarely, and he couldn’t lie.

  “I don’t want to hurt her.” He looked down at his boots and shuffled them on the cement of the barn’s walkway.

  “You won’t.” Her voice was soft, and he glanced up to see emerald eyes soft with appreciation. “I’m glad you care about Candy’s comfort, but, believe me, I’ll let you know if I see you doing anything not in her best interests. Okay?”

  “Sure.” He let a slow grin curl his lips.

  “Now.” She handed him the reins. “Lead her into the arena and mount her on the left side.”

  ****

  An hour later Jordan dismounted and patted Candy on the neck.

  “Thanks, girl. You’re one patient lady.”

  “You did well.” Shelby came to stand beside him. “Tomorrow we’ll try a trot. But right now you have to unsaddle her and rub her down. Although she didn’t work up a sweat with an hour’s walking, you still have to learn how to put her away properly. Later, when you’re loping, you’ll have to learn how to cool her down, as well.”

  “Lots to learn.” He started to lead the mare back toward the stable area. “But I’m going to enjoy it.”

  His cell rang. He shot Shelby the question in a look.

  “Go ahead, take it. Just don’t make Candy wait too long.”

  She leaned on the fence as he pulled the phone from his pocket.

  “Joe, how’s everything? Boys behaving?” He paused and listened. Gradually a frown and then a storm cloud engulfed his features. “Damn it, what’s wrong with them? Are they with you now? Good. Put me on speaker phone.”

  Shelby had never seen him angry. In fact, she hadn’t thought this affable man had it in him.

  “Now, listen up, you guys. One beach party with booze is one beach party with booze that can land you all in the can for a long, long time. Joe, Annie, and I have put our asses on the line for you sorry bunch, and you’re not going to let us down, understand? Joe, do you still have your old four-wheeler? I think an hour-a-day run behind it for a week might wear away some of their energy.”