Chelsea’s expression was animated. “Have you sent out demos?”
“I have, but no takers yet from the studios. I hoping for a big break eventually, but in the meantime I’m giving private voice lessons, mostly to kids. That’s fun.”
“I’ll bet it would be,” Phil said. “I love hearing little kids sing. Warms my heart.”
“Mine, too.” Amethyst smiled as she thought about Jenny, her favorite. “I have one little eight-year-old who has real promise. Cute as a button and that girl can sing. I can’t wait to see what happens with her. Then there’s a little guy who’s only five but he really belts out those tunes. It’s adorable. He could go places.”
“I wonder if singing is like acting,” Chelsea said. “You have to actually be in LA or New York in order to make something happen. Or Nashville if you’re doing country.”
“Maybe. I’m pop, not country, so it would be New York or LA for me.” Amethyst always grew uneasy when this subject came up. “And I would go if I had some interest from one of the major studios. You know, a serious nibble. Moving to the city without that seems pretty darned risky. Sure, I could wait tables, but those are pricey places to live. I’d go through my savings in no time. At least here the cost of living is lower so I can support myself between the gigs I pick up and the private lessons.”
“It is risky.” Rosie got up to bring them all more coffee. “I was worried sick about Finn when he took off for Seattle to open a microbrewery. He didn’t know a soul, but he’d researched the market and was convinced that was the best place to be.” She gave Chelsea a fond look. “Then he met the right woman and it all worked out.”
“He was really lucky,” Amethyst said.
“So was I.” Chelsea leaned back in her chair. “I’m grateful that he took that risk. I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“Finn’s not the only one who’s done that kind of thing,” Rosie said. “One of my boys is out in LA right this minute trying to make it as an actor.”
“Oh, yeah?” Phil looked over at her. “Who’s that?”
“Matt Forrest.”
“I remember him from high school!” Amethyst put down her mug and stared at Rosie. “He was a skinny kid one year behind me.”
“Well, he’s not skinny anymore,” Rosie said. “Got a growth spurt, filled out, took some acting classes at the community college. Then he headed to LA. He’s been there almost three years now. Like you’d expect, he’s had to wait tables and take jobs making commercials. He had one bit part in a small-budget movie and I guess somebody from a major studio liked what they saw. The other day he called to say he was up for something much bigger.”
“Wow, I hope he gets it. He seemed like a nice guy the few times I was around him.” Amethyst cradled her mug in both hands as she imagined buying a one-way plane ticket to LA or New York and toughing it out for three years. She just didn’t like the odds. “What I’m hoping is that I’ll have some talent scouts in the audience one of these times. Entertainment folks often vacation in Wyoming.”
“They do,” Phil said. “They even buy homes here. Damon and I have done some renovations for some Hollywood types. Behind-the-camera people, not anyone you’d recognize.”
“I’ve had some celebrity spottings in Seattle,” Chelsea said. “It’s always a thrill.”
After that the conversation turned to actors, movies and which ones might win an Oscar, but Amethyst kept thinking about Matt Forrest. Maybe she was making a big mistake by not relocating to LA and hiring an agent. New York seemed like a different country to her, but LA wasn’t that far from Wyoming.
“Sleigh’s ready!” Cade came into the kitchen grinning. “Come on down!”
Amethyst glanced at him. “So where’s Jake?”
“He’s still fiddling with it, but Damon has declared it operational and Finn’s hitching up Navarre.”
“Then let’s go take a look.” Phil groaned as she rose from her chair. “At times like this I wish the stork brought the kid, after all.”
Cade helped her on with her coat. “Aw, Phil, last I heard you loved being pregnant.”
“That was last month. I’ve revised my opinion.”
Once they were all bundled up, they walked down to the barn. Finn was hitching a brown horse to a sleigh that Amethyst thought didn’t look half-bad. The rack Jake had been holding in place when they’d pulled in was gone and the dust and grime had been wiped away. If the sleigh didn’t exactly sparkle, at least it looked clean.
Blankets had been piled onto the seat and allowed to spill over the edges, which covered some of the more faded parts of the chassis. Damon and Jake crouched near the back, each with a screwdriver as they tightened the struts attached to the runners.
Damon stood as they approached. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”
“It’s a huge improvement.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for all the hard work.”
“It didn’t take much to make it serviceable. Making it pretty will require a lot longer.”
“But we’ll do it,” Cade said. “Before we’re finished you won’t recognize this sleigh.”
“We could put the Academy students to work on it,” Rosie said. “That’s if Damon or Phil would be willing to supervise.”
“What a brilliant idea!” Phil beamed at her. “I volunteer to supervise. I’m going crazy sitting at home while Damon does all the fun stuff.”
Damon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she is. Great suggestion, Rosie.” Then he turned back to the sleigh. “Your passenger has arrived, Ramsey. The runners are fine for now.”
“Just making sure of that. Don’t want us taking a header into a snowbank.”
“You won’t if you drive slow and easy.”
Cade laughed. “You don’t have to worry about it. Enter the word cautious into your browser and Fireman Jake will be staring back at you.”
“Okay, okay. I get the point.” Jake stood and walked over to Damon. “Here’s your screwdriver, bro. Thanks for stepping in.” Then he turned to Amethyst. “Ready?”
“You bet.” She let him hand her into the sleigh while everyone stood around watching. She had the oddest feeling, as if they were a newly married couple leaving on their honeymoon. To her great surprise, she wasn’t horrified by the image.
When he walked around the sleigh, climbed in next to her and took the reins, the feeling grew stronger. This was only a sleigh ride, she reminded herself. They’d be back in an hour or so.
“Have fun!” Rosie called out as Jake slapped the reins against the horse’s rump and the sleigh began to move.
“We will!” Amethyst turned and waved, and they all waved back. She waited until they’d gone through the pasture gate and were far enough away that no one could hear before she spoke. Even then she kept her voice down. “Just so you know, we can’t have sex on this sleigh ride.”
He chuckled. “Is that so?” He kept his eyes on the path ahead. “Why not?”
She forced herself to resist that sexy chuckle. And the way his gloved hands on the reins reminded her of how he’d touched her last summer. “I’m not going right home afterward. Phil suggested I stay for the Christmas Eve celebration.”
“That’s great, but what does it have to do with anything?”
“If we have sex, I’ll get all rumpled and kissed-looking. I’ll have no way to repair the damage. When I walk back into the ranch house, everyone in your family will know what we’ve been doing.”
“And you’d be embarrassed. I get that.”
She sighed in relief. “Good. Because otherwise I’d want to.”
“That’s nice to hear.”
“But I like the sleigh ride. I’ve never had one before. Cozy.”
“Mmm.”
“Thank you for going to so much trouble.”
“You’re welco
me.” He drove the sleigh in silence for a little while. “What if I told you we could have sex and you wouldn’t end up all ‘rumpled and kissed-looking’? Would you want to?”
“How could you manage that?” Her body began to hum.
“Trust me when I say I could. I learned early how to cover my tracks.”
Her heartbeat accelerated. “I see.”
“Kissing is fantastic, especially with you, but it’s not a requirement for what I have in mind.”
“I suppose not.” Moisture dampened her panties.
“Well?” He glanced at her. Although his hat cast a shadow over his green eyes, the heat shimmering there was unmistakable.
She swallowed. “I think I’d be a fool to say no.”
5
JAKE HAD BEEN hard as an ax handle ever since they’d gone through the pasture gate and escaped the watchful eyes of his family. He hadn’t expected Amethyst to lay down a no-sex rule, but once she’d explained her reasons, he’d understood. Then he’d set to work figuring a way around the issue.
Not kissing her as a warm-up would seem strange, but he’d forgo that if it meant he’d be able to make the connection his body had ached for since she’d driven away from Jackson Hole. He’d considered asking someone else out. After all, he hadn’t known whether he’d ever have that experience again with Amethyst, which made celibacy ridiculous.
But that red-hot memory had seared itself into his brain and he couldn’t imagine taking another woman to bed until he knew for sure Amethyst was lost to him. Turned out she wasn’t the least bit lost. She was right beside him and as eager for him as he was for her.
Fortunately smoke alarms hadn’t been the only thing he’d picked up during his quick trip to town. After discovering that she was willing to make time for him, he’d added a quick trip to the drugstore. He’d tucked a condom in his jeans’ pocket this morning to make sure he didn’t forget.
As the sleigh’s runners whispered over the ice and snow on the Forest Service road, he listened for any signs that the struts weren’t holding. So far, so good.
But one question nagged him and he finally had to ask it. “Have you dated anybody since Jackson Hole? If you have, that’s fine. It’s been six months and I can’t expect you to—”
“Nobody, Jake.”
Music to his ears. “Me, either. Please don’t think I’m trying to turn this into a commitment because we were both clear on that.”
“There’s no commitment,” she said softly. “But, face it, that night was crazy. I couldn’t imagine duplicating that with anyone else. So I didn’t bother looking around.”
“Neither did I.”
“But you’re gorgeous and you must have women who—”
“First of all, thanks, and second of all, none of them interested me. I know we’re not making any promises, but compared to you, everyone else is boring.”
She laughed. “Every woman wants to hear that at least once in her life! I appreciate the sentiment more than you know. But, Jake, what if even we can’t duplicate what we had in Jackson Hole? What if that was a special time that will never happen again?”
“I don’t believe that.”
“And I certainly don’t want to, but think back to August.”
“I do. All the time.”
“We hadn’t seen each other in years and suddenly we’re fulfilling all of these fantasies. Maybe that’s the best it’ll ever be.”
“You’re depressing the hell out of me, Amethyst. No wonder some of your love songs are so sad.”
She laughed again. “I just wonder if we should be realistic about this.”
“You go ahead and be realistic. At the moment my cock aches so much that I don’t care whether the sex is good or bad. I just want to have it.”
“Wow, okay. I’m fairly desperate myself.”
“You are?” He took heart from that. “Then help me look for a road that goes off to the right. It goes down a ways and then there’s a wide spot where I can turn the sleigh around. We don’t want to get stuck.”
“You’re taking me to one of your old make-out spots, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You never brought me out here.” She sounded miffed about it.
“It was too far from your house. Besides, you always made me nuts. I was afraid if I brought you to some secluded place like this I’d lose control.”
“But I wanted you to! Jake, you were my choice, the one I wanted to give my virginity to.”
That stunned him. “I was?” His deeply imbedded cautious streak had drawbacks, and this would be one of them. “So who...”
“Not Eddie, the one you thought I was making eyes at. I never dated him, never wanted to. We were joking around. I heard from him a few months ago. He’s come out.”
“He’s gay?”
“A lot of us suspected it.”
“Not me.” And he’d caused her grief because he’d been a bonehead. “I’m sorry, Amethyst.”
“It worked out for the best. If we’d kept dating that could have changed—hey, is that your turnoff?” She pointed to a narrow road leading into the woods.
“That’s it.” He pulled Navarre to a stop and gazed at the snowbank blocking the road. Looked like a plow had come through recently. “Damn.”
She turned to him, her blue eyes sparkling. Today she’d worn a blue knit cap that matched her eyes. “What’s wrong with right here?”
“On the main road?”
Reaching over, she cupped his face in her gloved hands. “I love it when you get that shocked look in your eyes. Makes me want to do outrageous things with you.”
“Oh.” His breathing rate picked up and his cock pressed painfully against his fly. He remembered her seductive gaze and how effectively it could erase all his misgivings.
“No one is out here but us.” She stroked her thumbs over his cheeks as her eyes glowed with excitement. “Tell me what to do.”
He barely had enough air to speak. “Take off everything from the waist down.”
“Okay.”
The air was perfectly still, not a breeze or a bird chirping or the rumble of an approaching vehicle. The only sound was the soft rustle of Amethyst removing her clothes. Golden light filtering through the trees told him sunset was approaching.
Before he could stop himself he’d pulled off his gloves and reached beneath the blankets. When he encountered warm, silky skin, he groaned. “Hold still. Let me...”
Her breath caught. “Oh, Jake.”
“It’s been so long.” He slipped his hand between her thighs, his gaze locked with hers. “So long since I’ve touched you.”
“I know.”
“So long since I’ve made you come.” Sliding his fingers deep, he began stroking her in the sensuous rhythm he’d learned that she needed.
With a soft moan she lifted her hips, inviting him deeper as heat blazed in her eyes. “I’ve...missed you.”
“I’m here.” He coaxed her higher and gloried in the flush on her cheeks and the way her lips parted in anticipation of...yes!
She surrendered with a soft cry of release, her body trembling and her breath coming in short gasps.
He wanted to kiss her more than he wanted to breathe, but he’d promised not to muss her, so he slowly eased away. Desire rushed through him with such force that his next movements were clumsy. Somehow he retrieved the condom from his jeans before letting them fall to the floor of the sleigh. Once his cock was free he had trouble tearing the foil on the condom.
A soft murmur sounded next to his ear. “Can I help?”
“No.” He felt her body heat. Then her fingers brushed his thigh. “Don’t.”
“But I want—”
“Don’t touch me, Amethyst. I’ll go up in flames.”
“I love hearing you come, Jake.”
“And I’m really close.” He wondered if he’d ever tell her she was the only woman who made him react with such intensity. He rolled on the condom. “I should...” He paused to gulp in air. “I should sit in the middle.”
“Good idea.” She moved to the far edge of the bench seat to make room for him.
He slid over. “Now.”
“Can I touch you?”
His laughter was strained. “Gonna have to.”
“We’ll never forget this.” She turned to face him and put one hand on his shoulder.
“I wouldn’t want to.”
Her eyes simmered with passion as she slid one bare leg over his thigh. “Me, either.”
He shuddered. “I would love to kiss you.”
“I would love to kiss you, too.” She gripped his shoulders and balanced on her knees. “But I like knowing this will be our secret.”
“Yeah.”
“Grab hold of my hips.”
He closed his eyes and savored the curved perfection of her body. “My fingertips remember you.”
“My body remembers your fingertips.” Her voice was husky. “Now show me the way to my favorite place.”
He opened his eyes so he could see the response in hers. Carefully he guided her until she was poised above his waiting cock. Then he urged her downward until the tip made contact. Her pupils widened and a murmur of pleasure escaped her lips.
His heart beat like a wild thing. “You’re in charge.”
Looking into his eyes, she began a slow descent. She swallowed. “We need to do this more often.”
He nodded. Forming words at a moment like this was beyond him. He concentrated on holding back when all he wanted to do was thrust upward and claim his release. That wouldn’t be fair. She’d agreed to this crazy stunt and she deserved all the enjoyment he could give her.
By the time they were locked together she was panting. Then he felt a ripple over his cock. Thank God. She wasn’t far behind him.
“This won’t take long.” Her breathy words were followed by a groan. “Not long at all.” And she began to ride him, slowly at first and then faster.
Cowboy Unwrapped Page 5