A Country Girl’s Heart

by Dena Blake

  Since Arizona died, Kat had been dealing only with the present, struggling through each day as it came. The idea of loving someone again or any speculation of what the future might hold had long since left her thoughts. Working with DJ today had been easy. Easier than it had been with anyone in quite some time. Being close to her hadn’t felt strange like it had with other women. With DJ it felt natural, like coming home, but Kat knew deep down inside it wasn’t realistic to hope for something with a woman playing ranch hand for only a few days.

  Chapter Nine

  DJ yanked at her jeans. They clung to her like a wet suit. The denim material raked at her legs, pinching every hair along the way as she peeled them off. She flipped on the shower and closed her eyes. DJ thought about what Kat had said earlier as they watched the mother tend to the calf they had rescued. How could cattle have such strong family instincts? Why had those instincts changed in Kat’s family? Thoughts of her own home filled DJ’s mind. Not her current home in Austin, but her childhood home near Johnson City. The sight of the wedding-ring patterned quilt had brought those to the forefront of her mind today. Her mother and sister used to make similar quilts and sell them in specialty shops to help earn a little extra money for groceries. DJ’s heart raced and her muscles tensed. She should’ve turned around and left this place the first day. It was too much like home. Hell, it was only fifty miles from her family’s farm.

  The last time she’d seen her sister, Marilyn, she’d shown up in Austin at her office unexpected. She’d begged DJ to come back, said their mom missed her terribly. They’d had a long discussion about what went down when DJ left, and Marilyn had tried to convince her that it hadn’t been her mom’s decision. She could see her point. Her dad had pushed DJ out, but her mother had let it happen. She shook her head. She didn’t want to revisit that wound. Instead, she focused on the beautiful woman she’d spent the day with, who was nothing but confusing.

  Her mind fogged with the warmth of Kat’s body, sucking her deeper into this cowgirl’s paradise. Kat was much more vulnerable than she’d expected, and the lines were clearly becoming blurred. DJ still couldn’t shake the physical resemblance between Kat and her sister, Rebecca, but now she was beginning to realize that they were two very different people. The past few days, Kat had acted as though it pained her just to acknowledge DJ, yet she’d purposely set DJ up to work alone with her on the fence today. Earlier, as she’d watched Kat pop grapes into her mouth one by one, Kat had given her a soft smile, and something in the pit of DJ’s stomach had twisted. She was every cowgirl’s dream. Smart, beautiful, and tough enough to handle any job on the ranch. DJ was afraid Kat was beginning to handle her as well. She needed to back up and remember why she came.

  After having a bite to eat, DJ wandered into the bar. The usual slow, even pace of her heart raced at the thought of seeing Kat again. She’d been close enough today to notice the delicate woman buried deep inside the tough exterior she donned. She couldn’t shake the feel of Kat’s warm mouth and soft skin now embedded in her mind. There she sat at the same corner table as the night before, looking through another endless pile of papers. DJ stopped by the bar and ordered two shots of Tuaca before she headed over to see her.

  “Hello there.” DJ smiled and let her voice rumble with subtle seduction.

  Kat popped forward in her chair and glanced up. “Good evening, Ms. Callen. I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.” Her voice was cool and detached.

  DJ noted and ignored her distance. “Surprised I survived again?” she asked, smiling as she sat down and slid a shot across the table in front of Kat.

  “No. I just thought after a day like today, a city girl would probably be in bed by now.” Kat smiled at her, raised the glass to her lips, and took a sip.

  DJ locked her gaze for a moment. Her eyes sparkled even more tonight, the deep red of her V-neck cotton shirt intensifying the electric blue in them.

  DJ downed her shot. “I’m tougher than you think.”

  Kat raised an eyebrow. “Should I schedule you again tomorrow?”

  DJ let out a low, grumbling sound. “If you need to.”

  Kat looked over the schedule for a minute. “Looks like I have some new guests coming in the morning, so you’ll have to find something to do on your own instead.”

  Relieved, DJ shifted gingerly in her chair. “Whatever you say.” She wasn’t as young as she used to be, and her body was shouting that fact loud and clear. “How about another drink?”

  “Sure. Why not?” Kat finished the last of her Tuaca and handed DJ the glass.

  DJ went to the bar, then returned with two more shots. She slid into the seat next to Kat this time and draped her arm across the back of her chair. “So, tell me a little about this situation with your neighbor.”

  “You don’t really want to hear about my problems.”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” DJ sipped her drink.

  Kat let out a short breath and dragged her teeth across her lower lip. “She thought it would be the perfect plan if she and I got married.”

  DJ shifted, removing her arm from Kat’s chair. “I take it you didn’t agree.”

  Kat shook her head. “Nope.” She sat back against the chair and crossed her arms. “She figured our properties would merge and we’d own this whole territory together. She said she’d take good care of me.” She flattened her lips and rolled her eyes. “She wasn’t too happy when I told her I wasn’t interested.” She locked her simmering blue eyes with DJ’s. “If I want to be with someone, when and where will be my decision.”

  DJ grinned. She could see Kat didn’t need anyone to take care of her. Wanting someone was a different story. “What’s her name again?”

  “Victoria Maxwell.”

  “How long has she been your neighbor?”

  “She showed up about two years after Arizona and I started the ranch.”

  “Just like that, out of the blue?”

  “Yeah. At the time I thought it was kind of strange.” Kat frowned. “I was pretty sure my grandfather owned all the land in this area.”

  “What’s your grandfather’s name?”

  “Francis Montgomery.”

  “Do you think your grandfather may have sold it to her?”

  “That was my first thought.” Kat reached across her chest and kneaded her shoulder with her fingertips. The river must have taken its toll on her as well today. “I checked the county records, and they show Maxwell’s family has owned it for more than fifty years.”

  “What about before then?”

  “The county records don’t go that far. They had a fire a few years ago that destroyed all the archives.”

  “Have you checked the ones in Austin?”

  Kat crinkled her nose and cocked her head curiously. “Which ones in Austin?”

  “Whenever someone files papers with the county, a copy usually goes to the land office at the state capital as well.”

  Kat widened her eyes. “You know, you’re right.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.” She smiled broadly, picked up her glass, and clicked it against DJ’s. “Thank you, Ms. Callen.” She threw back the shot, then slapped the glass to the table.

  DJ chuckled at her continued attempt at distance. “After this afternoon, I think we know each other well enough for you to call me DJ, don’t you?”

  “All right. DJ it is.” Kat’s voice was low and silky. “If you insist.” Her lips curved into a reluctant smile.

  The sound of her name rolling off Kat’s tongue made the swirling in DJ’s belly resurface like a raging twister.

  “So tell me, DJ. What do you do when you’re not out saving calves from the river?”

  DJ settled into her chair and took a long, slow drink. “I’m sure we can find something more interesting than me to talk about.”

  Kat reached over and slowly traced the back of DJ’s hand with her fingertip. “I’d really like to know.”

  The memory of Kat�
��s skin and the taste of her lips flashed through her mind. Soft and yielding, her sweetness still lingered on her tongue. DJ’s pulse quickened, and the storm inside her raged out of control again. DJ shifted in her chair and struggled with what to tell her as she tried to clear the images of Kat from her mind. Images that were producing physical reactions she’d rather Kat didn’t discover at the moment.

  “What do you think?” DJ didn’t want to lie, but tonight would be the end of it if she told Kat the truth. At this point she couldn’t risk that, not professionally or personally.

  “To be honest, when I first laid eyes on you, I figured you were some kind of yuppie corporate raider.” Kat laughed, sitting back and crossing her arms. “But now that I’ve seen you in action, I’m not quite sure.”

  “You’re close.” She chuckled. “I’m an attorney.”

  “Where did you learn so much about horses?”

  “I grew up on a farm just outside of Johnson City,” DJ said hesitantly. The last time she’d felt comfortable enough to tell a woman about her family, she’d run for the hills.

  “Really?” Kat’s voice rang with obvious surprise.

  DJ nodded. “I started working the horses when I was ten. By the time I was eighteen, I thought I was going to be a rodeo star,” she added uneasily.

  “From what I saw the other night, you probably could’ve been.” Kat’s voice was soft and reassuring.

  DJ smiled lightly. “Those were the dreams of a young girl who didn’t have the slightest idea what the real world was like.”

  Kat relaxed in her chair and crossed her legs. “That sounds a tad cynical.”

  “Just being realistic.”

  “I don’t know about that. I’ve always believed if you try hard enough, any dream can become a reality.” She lifted her hands. “This ranch was my dream.” She let her hands drop to her lap. “Mine and Arizona’s.”

  Obviously the only thing missing from that dream now was Arizona, and those were big shoes to fill. “Maybe the rodeo just wasn’t my reality.”

  “Don’t you ever regret leaving it behind?” Kat seemed genuinely interested, which made DJ want to tell her everything.

  “All the time,” DJ said matter-of-factly. “I never wanted to leave in the first place.”

  Kat’s brows drew together, creating a tiny crease in her forehead between her eyes. “Then why did you?”

  “My father insisted.”

  “Oh?” Kat’s voice faltered, and DJ wondered why. “Do you mind if I ask why?”

  “Before I left, a fire burned through the wheat crop and part of the barn.” DJ rubbed her neck. “It was my fault.”

  Kat propped her elbow up on the table, supporting her chin in the palm of her hand. “How so?”

  “I was off messin’ around at the arena when it happened, and the fire was in full force when I got there. If I’d been home, I could’ve helped. We could’ve put it out sooner.” The guilt rushed DJ as if the fire had happened only yesterday.

  “Well, I don’t think you can take the blame for that. It’s not like you started the fire.”

  “I might as well have. It was bad enough that the barn burned, but my pop was hurt too. The next week he sold my horse, said we needed the money to fix the barn. I didn’t give him any trouble for doing it, but after that I was gone.” She shook her head. “Didn’t go back until I’d finished law school.”

  “I bet he was proud of you then.”

  “I guess so. I offered him some money, but he wouldn’t take it. Stubborn as a mule.” Her stomach rushed to her throat. If he had, the farm wouldn’t be in the financial situation it was in now. “My father worked that farm from the day he was born until the day he died.” She stared out onto the dance floor, trying to conceal her emotions, but they still came through loud and clear. “I got my education. That was my obligation to my father.” DJ absently circled her finger around a knot in the table. “He made sure I had the opportunities in life that he didn’t.”

  Kat shifted in her chair. “How come you never moved back?”

  “After he died, my brother took over.” DJ hesitated, embroiled in thought for a minute before sipping the last of her Tuaca. “I’m not really needed there anymore. He and his wife take good care of my mom.”

  Kat touched her hand lightly again. “What about you? What do you need?”

  DJ directed her gaze at Kat. She sucked in a deep breath, then leaned forward and took Kat’s hand. “All I need right now is a smile from you.” She curved her lips into a grin. Kat’s cheeks reddened, and DJ’s heart quickened. “Tell me about you. Do your folks live around here?”

  Kat slid her hand from DJ’s and tucked it under her leg. “They live in Austin. I mean, my mother does. My father passed away recently.”

  DJ noticed a sadness in Kat’s voice she hadn’t heard before. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Kat smiled slightly and let out a short breath. “Thanks,” she said as she fiddled with the empty shot glass in front of her.

  “Were you and your father close?” DJ already knew some of Kat’s family history from her conversations with Elizabeth, but she wanted to hear more from Kat.

  “Not really. I haven’t heard from my parents at all in the past ten years.” Kat took in a deep breath. “I guess you could say we had a falling-out.”

  “It’s hard sometimes when things are left unsaid.” DJ understood her plight and tried to lighten her burden, but it didn’t seem to help.

  “Plenty was said between us before I left.” Kat’s voice trailed to a whisper as she stared into her glass.

  “Ten years is a long time, Kat. People change.” That hadn’t been the case for DJ, but she’d always prided herself on being the exception, not the rule.

  “You don’t know my mother.” Kat shook her head. “She’s a very stubborn woman.”

  “She’s probably a lot like you,” DJ said, her voice guarded.

  “Probably.” Kat flattened her lips. “For better or worse, I’ve acquired many of my mother’s traits.”

  “Has she tried to contact you since your father died?” DJ continued her charade, still not knowing how she was going to tell Kat the truth about why she was here.

  “Yes, but I don’t want to hear what she has to say. Apparently, she hasn’t received the message. Her lawyer won’t leave me alone.” The shot glass flipped out of Kat’s hand and across the table. DJ quickly scooped it up before it crashed to the floor.

  “Sorry.”

  “No problem.” DJ slid it across the table to her. “What does she want?”

  “I’m sure it’s something about settling my father’s estate.”

  DJ looked around the room, noting the wear on the dance floor and the old wooden tables surrounding it. “You could probably use a little extra money around here.”

  Kat launched out of her chair. “I don’t want their money. They couldn’t let me live my life the way I wanted then, so I’ll be damned if my mother is going to try to manipulate it now.” Kat gathered her papers into a chaotic pile. “Nothing from my parents ever came without strings.”

  DJ knew that for a fact from her own situation with Elizabeth. She followed Kat as she headed across the dance floor and down the hallway. In one swift move, Kat turned the knob, used her shoulder to push through the office door, and then tossed her papers across the desk.

  DJ stepped into the office behind Kat and observed the wide variety of books, including horse care and finance, that filled the shelves behind the desk. Pictures covered the rich wood-paneled walls. Many of them included Kat, Virgil, and a tall brunette woman, whom DJ took to be Arizona. DJ fixed her eyes on Kat again, and she followed the long raven hair draped across her back. The straight-cut ends hung halfway down the snugly fit, red cotton shirt she had tucked neatly into her jeans. Her body tensed as she thought about what was underneath the well-fitting denim surrounding Kat’s curvaceous hips. DJ sucked in a deep breath and calmed herself. This wasn’t why she’d come. She should leave righ
t now. Kat turned around and she couldn’t.

  Kat peeked over her shoulder and caught DJ’s assessment of her backside. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest as she turned slowly and cleared her throat, demanding DJ’s attention upward. When their eyes met, Kat saw the desire in DJ’s eyes. DJ wanted Kat as much as Kat wanted her. She wished she could forget DJ was a guest, if only for one night. These feelings had to stop, or she would soon be left used and brokenhearted.

  “I’m sorry,” DJ said, looking up at Kat. “I didn’t mean to hit a nerve.”

  “No, I’m sorry.” Kat leaned against her desk and kneaded her forehead with her fingertips as a rush of confusing emotions hit her. “My parents just aren’t a good subject to discuss.”

  DJ took Kat’s hands in hers and coaxed her from the desk. “Dance with me. You’ll feel better.” She whirled her around the office to the country music emanating from the bar.

  DJ was wrong about that. This wasn’t making Kat feel any better. It was making her realize what she no longer had in her life. Someone to listen, to lean on, and to love her when things got rough.

  Kat pushed out of her arms. “I’m not really in the mood right now.”

  “Well, then let’s change that.” DJ used Kat’s resistance along with her own momentum to throw her out for a twirl and snap Kat hard against her.

  Kat knew DJ was only trying to help, but the erratic thud in her chest told her she shouldn’t be nearly this close. With her hand on the small of her back, DJ tucked Kat in tight. The warmth of her strong, firm body pressed hard against her, Kat could feel DJ’s heart thundering against her chest. She was undeniably aroused, and Kat’s newly rebellious body reacted in turn. She looked up into DJ’s simmering green eyes and wished she hadn’t let her touch her. Then she wouldn’t be here, dangling helplessly, begging for her to do more.