“This horse needs to understand that she can get as much or more done by relaxing a little. She’ll stir up the cows less and end up having the time to think out what she’s doing.”
Alexandria knew he was talking about her as much as he was talking about the horse, but her renewed cool dictated that she ignore the double meaning. “Would it help to make deep cuts into the herd instead of shallow ones? I mean, will having more cows sift by her teach her to be patient?”
Jackson pulled up and let the cow return to the herd. “Sometimes,” he said as he selected another cow, “but it will frustrate her to do that all the time; you have to be aware of how your horse reacts to everything you put in front of her. You never want to bore an animal by doing the same thing all the time. That was part of what was going wrong with you earlier. You didn’t feel the horse’s frustration.”
“I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to feel it as easily as you do.”
He rode to her side, patting the palomino mare on the neck. “It is easy when you take your time and think. Go on out and try for that black cow with the white face. She’s pretty slow so you’ll have plenty of time to figure out where you belong.”
Alexandria had no problem separating the black cow from the herd, but on the first cut, she allowed her gelding to get long, ahead of the cow, and was left behind as the cow turned back and loped to the herd.
“Go back and get her,” Jackson ordered. “You weren’t thinking.”
Alexandria tried to do as she was told, but continued to ride long.
“What are you thinking about?” Jackson called out. “You’re not focused; you’re way late.”
Irritated by her inability to catch up and angry with herself for making mistakes that she hadn’t been making lately, she spurred and punched the gelding up, and lost the cow again.
“Where’s your mind?” Jackson said, his voice clearly indicating his disappointment. “Try it again. That horse knows what to do, and you’re not letting him work. You’re back into this control thing we fought the first day. Let him work.”
Alexandria took a deep breath, swallowed a scathing retort, and headed into the herd, choosing a smaller red cow. Forcing herself to concentrate on the cow and her position, she made the first several cuts. Tormented and annoyed, she quickly reminded herself it would only be a matter of time before Covington was putty in her hands.
Immediately, as if the cow knew her mind had turned elsewhere, it ran past her. Irritated, she pulled up and slumped in the saddle.
“No!” Jackson said, his tone punishing her. “Don’t ever do that. The horse was still working the cow, and when you pulled him up and let the cow back to the herd, you taught him to quit. It’s called a hot quit and costs you five points. You taught him to take the easy way out when it gets a little rough.”
Alexandria had had enough of him, the cows, and even herself. “There are good days, Jackson, and bad days.” She dismounted. “This has been a bad day, and I’m done.”
Jackson dismounted and stood before her. “Hot quit for you too?”
She stopped and glared. “I never quit. I’m not making any progress today, and I know better than to keep making mistakes.”
“I still think it’s a hot quit.”
“I don’t care what you think.”
“You’re paying me a lot of money to tell you what I think.”
“Well, today is your day off. I don’t want to hear—”
“Hear this. You are the most stubborn, disagreeable woman I’ve ever met.”
“So what’s your point? Liking me was never part of the deal.”
His eyes grew dark and brilliant. He shook his head, and when he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. “No, it wasn’t part of the deal at all.”
“Well, maybe you—”
Jackson smiled as he silenced her by touching a finger to her lips. That maddening flutter deep in her belly hit as soon as she knew his touch was imminent and grew into a blinding sense of radiating heat.
From her lips, his hand stroked her cheek and she swore he’d branded her. The heat grew. Alexandria tried not to lean into his caress.
Jackson stepped closer, cupped her face between his fingers, and pulled her to him. His lips on hers were electric. Strong, possessive, commanding.
The only thing on Alexandria’s mind now was Jackson Morgan. The pressure of his mouth backed her against the horse’s hot side. A primitive yearning, deeper and more intense than the heat that was already overwhelming, drove Alexandria to the brink. He was like a storm, promising a wild ride, and sure to deliver satisfaction.
CHAPTER 4
Jackson couldn’t believe he was kissing her. He didn’t know what had come over him, but at this point it didn’t matter. Her soft lips and heated response to his touch was what mattered. That, and the fact that she was the most exciting, most stimulating woman he’d ever known. There were all sorts of reasons this shouldn’t have happened, but he couldn’t think of a single one.
All he could think of was her.
She was fire and honeysuckle; she was smart and strong, and he knew from the moment his lips touched hers that he had to have her.
Slowly he pulled away. His lips had barely left hers when her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him with undisguised hunger. Passion glittered in her blue eyes.
A tiny smile broke out over her face, and he knew she’d enjoyed being kissed as much as he enjoyed kissing her.
“That was…” Her voice broke and she cleared her throat. She slowly shook her head and hesitated, a little too long for his taste, as she searched his face. Then, as if she forced each word, she continued in a hoarse whisper. “As nice as that was…I can’t have it happen again.”
“Why?” he asked, still close enough to kiss her and still wanting to. “Because you don’t have control?”
“No.” She flattened herself against the horse to put even a little more distance between them. “Because I don’t want you to. I don’t want to have an affair, I don’t—”
“An affair?” He backed away a little. “I’m not looking for an affair. You may be sleeping in my bed, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only thing on my mind.”
Alexandria dropped her head and licked her lips, trying to buy enough time to tell herself that he didn’t have a kiss that turned her inside out from the toes up and that he wasn’t everything a normal red-blooded woman hungered for.
He picked her chin up and made her look at him. “I’m not sure what’s going on either. All I’m asking is that you stay around long enough for us to find out.”
“I have less than a month,” she said. “That’s not enough. You’re part of a summer dream and I realize that. You must know and understand that too.”
Each word was precise, sharp, and he knew she intended to set him in his place, but Jackson also knew he had to allow Alexandria a little freedom both on the horse and off. Despite her worldly ways and her bravado, he suspected she was like a bristly colt that needed to trust a rider before he got on and rode.
“OK. You get a five-point deduction for a hot quit, and we’ll start over after lunch.” He turned and walked away. He wasn’t going to coddle, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to beg. It was obvious she needed something besides stiff corporate meetings and CEOs. There was a softer side to her. A side that let her feel and enjoy the miracle of Mother Nature’s gift to cowy horses. A side of her that let her fall in love with honeysuckle and the way a horse nuzzled just to be touched.
The rest of the day, she worked harder than ever for him, no matter what he asked of her, no matter how hard he pushed. She was focused, determined, and nearly perfect.
It wasn’t easy for Jackson to ignore the memories of the heated kiss, and by the time he crawled into his couch bed, he felt like screaming. He wasn’t the screaming type, but Alexandria’s ability to shut down could have been listed as one of the wonders of the world.
Since the stolen kiss he’d watched her pretend nothing
had happened when they both knew better. Try as he might, Alexandria was hard to reckon with. She was one of the most savvy women he’d ever seen, and it annoyed him to see her sail through life and yet fail when it came to a personal relationship.
Once or twice in the last two days, there’d been a moment charged with electricity when, by pure coincidence, his hand had touched hers, or brushed her leg, or settled on her shoulder. Coolly, but without hesitation, Alexandria had moved away, as if the smallest sign of warmth was too much to bear. Jackson longed to take her in his arms again and explore the passion he’d seen so briefly in her eyes and felt in her kiss, but the horseman in him knew she was a lot like a skittish colt. It was vital to her spirit that he be patient and go slowly. Exactly as he would have done with that colt, he was willing to wait in expectation of the grand things the future might hold.
Just take it one day at a time. He planned his strategy to win Alexandria’s heart at the same time he planned her learning schedule. The local cutting club had a practice every Friday night in which Jackson usually participated, and he figured Alexandria was ready to go and help out. Most cutters brought their own turn-back help, riders who hung out on the edge of the herd and kept the herd together while the cutter worked, but there were always some who needed herd help from other cutters. Alexandria wasn’t ready to cut per se, but she was ready to help and could turn back while he worked clients’ horses.
That evening, the fiery red sun hung low in the sky and cast a serene glow across the hills, and Alexandria found driving along the narrow back roads of California’s gold country amazing on several fronts. She couldn’t imagine a world more different from skyscrapers, freeways, and computers, and it seemed more dreamlike than ever when she remembered that a month ago, she couldn’t have imagined herself in this truck, with this man, in this beautiful country, going to a cutting.
Jackson was next to her in the cab of the dually pickup, and at the moment his concentration was on negotiating the narrow, winding road with the truck and gooseneck trailer. Instead of the various T-shirts he’d worn ever since she’d come, he now wore a crisp, long-sleeved western shirt with tiny maroon and navy checks that made his broad shoulders and wide chest more obvious than ever. His strong, muscled hands moving on the steering wheel were a constant reminder of how good it felt when he held her and how incredibly electric his lips on hers had been.
Since the kiss, she’d been hard pressed to think of much else. As often as she’d told herself that, for her own good, she had to ignore the feelings, they returned and haunted every minute of her days and especially her nights.
She looked out the window and saw nothing but Jackson’s reflection in her window. Every nerve in her body was aware of how close he was and that they were alone. Pretending to admire the scenery beyond him, she sneaked another look at the handsome, virile man. The air-conditioned cab was cool, but a warm glow surrounded her as she thought of how much more complicated and powerful he was than she first thought. He was no ordinary cowboy, and he certainly was not an easy mark.
Jackson flicked the turn signal on, and Alexandria’s observant nature immediately assessed her surroundings. The drive they turned on was lined with tall poplar trees and a white vinyl board fence. Ahead, sprawled across a small knoll, was a magnificent house that Alexandria knew must have approached ten thousand square feet. There was a four-car garage, the fourth space being tall enough to accommodate a motor home; off to the side there was an equally magnificent barn and indoor arena.
“Nice place,” she commented as they drove in and parked next to several other large truck and trailer rigs.
“Trisha doesn’t do things halfway,” Jackson answered as he turned off the engine. “She has a housekeeper and a cook and they all live here.” He glanced toward the house. “Can you tell?”
Alexandria noted a hint of disapproval in his tone. “You don’t think it’s right to have a nice house?” she teased, thinking of her father’s estate in Newport Beach.
“None of my business,” he said stoically as he got out and closed the door.
Alexandria’s curiosity was piqued by his tone. “Then what?” She followed him to the trailer where they began unloading horses. “What is it about this place that—”
“Nothing.” He tied one horse to the trailer and began brushing. “Trisha is a very nice person; I just can’t take her collector attitude.”
“Collector attitude?” Alexandria asked as she brushed Hattie.
“Everything she sees has to be hers if she doesn’t have something better, that’s all. She collects things even if she doesn’t want or need them.”
“I see. What if she does want something? Then it’s all right?” She worked her finger through Hattie’s mane and peered over the sleek neck, still provoking him.
He brushed the horse and eyed Alexandria cautiously, as if he suspected he might be stepping into a carefully plotted trap. “Like I said earlier, it’s none of my business. Right now, I need to get two more horses saddled and ready. Finish Hattie and saddle that palomino for me, will you?”
He stepped up into the tack room, ending the conversation. Alexandria quickly saddled Hattie and started on the palomino. By the time Jackson was leading two horses toward the arena, she followed with Hattie and the other mare. As Jackson tied one horse to the fence and turned to mount the second, a stunning, dark-haired woman with a walk any cat would admire came up to him.
“Jackson, darling. So glad to see you.” She threw her arms around his neck and planted a quick kiss on one cheek, then a longer, quite possessive one on his lips. “Come see the new filly I bought,” she said as she drew back. “She’s a Doc Bar baby, and I’m just going to have to find a good trainer to start her.” She fluttered long, beautiful lashes at him and leaned seductively against his chest. “Know anybody who is really good…at training?”
Alexandria felt heat rise in her face, but immediately rejected the idea she was jealous. “Shall I tie this mare up, Jackson?” she called out, intentionally interrupting his conversation.
He looked back to her, and she swore his expression was one of gratitude. “Yeah, over there by the round pen is good. Alexandria Payne, this is Trisha Wolcott. This is her place.”
Trisha walked up to Alexandria and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you—Alicia.”
Alexandria smiled, assessing the other woman’s qualities as she reached. “Alexandria,” she corrected. “Jackson has told me all about you, I—”
“You need to get in and warm up,” Jackson broke in with a warning glance, then turned to Trisha. “Where’s this new filly? How old…”
Trisha tossed Alexandria a triumphant smile as she took Jackson’s arm and pulled him close. They were partially hidden by the horse he led, and whatever they said became unintelligible. Alexandria stood, doing a slow burn. There was so much to dislike about the woman that she didn’t know where to start, but probably the kiss was a good place.
Well, what did you expect? He’s an attractive man. It’s perfectly reasonable and natural that he’d be spoken for or involved, as she was. She tied the palomino and mounted Hattie. Besides, it should be easy now to get back on target and forget everything about him except that he was providing a service.
She began her warm-up by trotting in slow, limbering circles. He was an employee and she certainly had no problem staying away from employees. She punched Hattie into a lope, and when the mare jumped ahead, Alexandria reminded herself the worst thing she could do now was to let her emotions run wild. It was so unlike her and so counterproductive.
Loping was relaxing for her. The cadence of the horse’s stride and the mare’s rhythmic breathing as they both settled into the business of cutting was mesmerizing.
The announcer began calling for riders to sign up for the practice and Alexandria began to wonder where Jackson was. It had been quite some time since he’d disappeared, and it wasn’t like him to be late for anything, including a warm-up.
When at last h
e appeared he was still on Trisha’s arm. Alexandria tried to ignore how Trisha smiled at him, then delivered a chaste kiss to his cheek before he mounted and rode off to warm up. Despite her resolve to remain uninvolved and emotionless, Alexandria wondered how many other kisses there’d been that she hadn’t seen.
Jackson trotted toward her, and Alexandria immediately busied herself with a flexion exercise intended to soften the horse’s neck and jaw. Sober and intent upon the warm-up, he continued past without a word.
He certainly didn’t owe her any explanations, and she had no right to expect polite chitchat when he had a job to do. Then why was she gritting her teeth and feeling like she’d just been snubbed?
Suddenly impatient, she jabbed a spur into Hattie who leaped forward and threw her head up, negating all the work she’d just done to relax her.
“What was that?” Jackson called out from a short way behind her. “That wasn’t smooth or subtle.”
She turned and looked at him as he trotted closer. “Oh yes, I forgot how much you like smooth and subtle,” she said more sharply than she’d intended, thinking only of Trisha’s smooth and not-so-subtle flirtation.
He reined in near her, a sparkle in his eye. “Am I missing something?”
“No.” She urged Hattie into a lope without looking his way. “I don’t think you’re missing anything.”
Jackson halted, dropped his reins on the horse’s neck, and smiled as he patted the glossy hide. “I swear I’m gonna figure her out.” He shook his head, picked up the reins, and moved out at a lope muttering to himself, “And when I do, it’s gonna be good.”
The evening went along well, with Jackson working several times and Alexandria turning back for him. Once, she got so involved with watching him and the beauty of a well-trained team that she forgot her job and lost the cow when it came to her in her corner. But he took it well and used it as a learning experience. Everybody there was friendly, although it was understood that each one of them was out to win, something Alexandria understood very well. Waiting on the sidelines had never been her strong suit. She could hardly wait to get in the arena and cut a cow instead of merely sitting in the corner helping.
Hot Quit Page 5