But her knees just wouldn’t lock in place, and her heart was dancing wildly in her chest. Her face was so hot, she was sure that it would appear flaming red on film.
She slowly moved away from him surprised to see that he looked as shocked as she felt. Then he broke into a sly grin, the same grin that had charmed many a high school girl and scores of buckle bunnies. That Dustin Morgan grin was a killer, both boyishly charming and highly masculine at the same time.
He must be playing with her. Well, maybe the kiss didn’t mean a thing to him, but it meant everything to her.
“Cut!” shouted Skip. “I like the kiss. It works. Dustin, put more passion into it. Everyone, let’s take it from the top again and really give me passion.”
Jenna tried to feel confident as she pasted on what she thought was a sexy smile. Her heart pounded as she slipped her arms around Dustin and ran her hands down the smoothness of his chest, then his arms. Jenna had always known that his arms would be thick with muscles and sinew, but she wasn’t prepared for the rush of excitement that vibrated through her body at the feel of her skin against his.
She didn’t know what had made her touch Dustin in such a way, but she figured that she might as well make the most of this opportunity. When the film crew left, it would be back to normal for them both—Jenna longing for Dustin, and Dustin treating her like a sister.
She watched as a smile teased his lips, but it wasn’t his usual easygoing grin. Then Dustin’s lips covered hers, lightly at first, then harder and more demanding.
Too soon, the kiss was over, and Jenna couldn’t move, couldn’t think. All she could do was remember that the camera was still on them. Excitement shot through her like a jolt of electricity, hot and shocking.
Dustin ran a finger down her cheek. They both leaned toward each other, touching foreheads, waiting for one of them to react. It was as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened and neither could he.
“Cut!” yelled Skip. “That was terrific!” He turned toward the cameraman. “Tell me that we got that, kid.”
“Got it, boss,” said the cameraman.
“We’ll add the voice-over in the studio,” Skip said, checking his watch. “I can’t believe how quick that was. Great acting! You should be a professional, Jenna. Any time you want a job, just call me.”
I wasn’t acting, Jenna thought.
She tried to reestablish eye contact with Dustin, but he was buttoning his shirt.
No matter what, Jenna knew that she’d never forget this day. The way he’d just kissed her…well, he was the one who should become an actor, because he’d almost had her fooled into thinking that he wanted her.
“I’ll show you the way out, Skip,” Dustin said, walking him toward the kitchen door.
As soon as they all left, Jenna eyed the pool. She wanted to go in—it had gotten pretty hot—but then her makeup would be gone along with her great hairdo. She wasn’t ready to stop being Cinderella at the ball.
Then she sighed. Why should the hair and makeup matter when Dustin was just acting?
She walked to the diving board, hopped up, took four quick steps and did a perfect jackknife into the pool.
As she surfaced and began doing laps, she remembered how he’d bent his head toward hers and they touched foreheads. Was he as unaffected by the moment as she thought?
Hmm… She didn’t have much experience in seduction, but even she could tell that he’d felt a spark, too.
Now she had to figure out how to turn it into an inferno….
Dustin couldn’t wait until Skip and his crew were gone.
He’d certainly made a mess of things with Jenna.
He could attribute the first kiss to the fact that a beautiful woman was only inches away from him, a woman that he’d longed for most of his adult life. And what a sweet kiss it had been, made all the sweeter because he’d waited years to kiss Jenna. And he wasn’t disappointed.
Both kisses had rocked him to the soles of his feet and all the places in between. He’d wanted to wrap his arms around her and crush her body to his. He’d wanted to take her into his bed and make love to her.
He sighed. He’d just have to live with the memory of Jenna’s kisses, but that galled him. After tasting her sweetness, he wanted more.
Looking out the window to the backyard, he watched as she swam laps, the water sluicing over her shapely curves.
Jenna didn’t need that silly magazine article. Nor did she need to be made up for a TV commercial ever again. Her natural beauty and personality were just fine. Perfect, in fact.
But obviously Jenna was trying to change herself for someone—someone who didn’t appreciate her as she was. Just thinking about the ignorant fool who’d captured Jenna’s attention made his blood boil.
What kind of an idiot was this guy?
Then it hit him. Could he dare hope that he was the one that Jenna was trying to seduce?
Nah.
But could he be the one?
If he was, he was one lucky cowboy—and there wasn’t another with a thicker skull.
He watched as Jenna executed a perfect jackknife. Damn, he was hot and sweaty, and the cast was itchy. What he wouldn’t give to join Jenna in the pool.
But maybe…
No.
Okay, so maybe Dustin did have a well-deserved reputation for being a ladies’ man for a few years. And maybe that reputation had followed him into the present due to the inordinate amount of buckle bunnies who always hung around him.
Maybe he should have a talk with Tom and tell him that he’d like his permission—and blessing—to date his sister. But if Tom told him no, then what? Would he date Jenna anyway? Would that be the end of his friendship with Tom?
Or maybe he was completely mistaken that he was the object of Jenna’s attention, and he was hoping against hope.
But just the idea that he was the one sure made a cowboy feel good, even if it did pose a whole new set of problems that he’d have to deal with sooner or later.
After leaving the pool and managing to avoid Dustin, Jenna changed quickly into a pair of white twill pants and a royal-blue tank top. She slid back into her flip-flops and grabbed her keys. She was going to pick up Andy at school and talk to his summer school teacher, Mrs. Cummings. She wanted to know if there had been an improvement in Andy’s reading and math work.
Besides, she had to get away from Dustin for a while and think.
As she drove, she thought about how his bare, muscled chest had felt beneath her hands. She’d known he was in good shape, but she hadn’t been prepared for the heat that coursed through her body at the touch of his warm skin.
Jenna found a parking space in the front row of the parking lot and hurried into the school. The buses were lined up, and she wanted to catch Andy before he boarded.
St. Margaret’s Grammar School was the school she and Tom had attended from kindergarten through eighth grade. The sisters were strict, yet caring, and they taught more than just the three R’s.
She headed for the office and wasn’t surprised to find Sister Elizabeth John still there. Her eighth-grade teacher was now the principal.
Sister was surprised to see Jenna. “What brings you here? It’s lovely to see you.”
“I came to talk to Mrs. Cummings and to give my nephew, Andy, a ride home.”
“Go right ahead. Fifth classroom on the left by the cafeteria.”
“Got it.”
Jenna peeked through the class door and saw Andy sitting in the front row. Mrs. Cummings was going through a decimal problem on the blackboard, and called on Andy to answer.
He sat up straighter, then grinned as he figured out the answer.
“If my dad rides his bull for 2.3 seconds, Uncle Dustin rides for 7.35 seconds, and Adriano rides for 4 seconds, the total seconds are 13.65. The average of the three rides is 4.55 seconds. A little over half of what they need for a full eight-second ride.”
“Excellent, Andy! Excellent.” Mrs. Cummings clapped. “O
f course, the problem is not about bull rides, but your answer is correct. Bravo!”
Bravo to Dustin, too, Jenna thought. It was Dustin who had figured out how to make learning fun for Andy, whereas Jenna had just bored her nephew senseless.
She remembered Dustin hunched over, intent on helping Andy with his math. It was quite the picture—a big cowboy helping a little boy. What a sweet man.
“Aunt Jenna…hi!”
As the classroom emptied out, Andy’s voice penetrated her daydreams.
“Hi, honey. I heard your answer to that problem, and I’m so proud of you!”
Andy grinned. It warmed Jenna’s heart to watch kids regain their confidence after a setback.
Mrs. Cummings walked toward them. She shook her head, smiling. “There’s great improvement in Andy’s math skills.”
“How’s his reading coming along, Mrs. Cummings?”
She saw a moment of hesitation from the teacher. “Andy’s much improved in his reading, but we’re going to continue to work on it.”
“I’ll work on it more with him at home, too. Thanks for everything,” Jenna said.
As they walked on the gleaming floor with light green lockers on both sides, Jenna turned to Andy. “I think this great report merits some ice cream. Don’t you think, Andy?”
“Sure!”
Jenna drove to an ice cream stand. They both ordered chocolate cones with sprinkles and ate them in the car, talking and laughing. When she pulled into the driveway of the Bar R, she saw Andy scanning the area. She was almost positive that Andy was looking for Dustin, just as she was.
Jenna forced herself to concentrate on parking the car, but then Andy let out a hoot when he spotted him.
“There’s Uncle Dustin sitting on the porch,” Andy said.
Jenna had seen him, too, and her stomach did a little flutter. She remembered how his lips had felt on hers—warm and tender—and she wanted more.
When she turned the vehicle off, she heard the click of Andy’s seat belt. He grabbed his backpack and ran in the direction of the porch.
She saw the two of them speak, then Andy pulled a book out of his backpack and handed it to Dustin.
Jenna could hazard a guess by the color of the book’s cover that it was Andy’s reading book.
Was Dustin going to try to make the next reading lesson fun for Andy?
She hoped so.
Jenna felt a tug of jealousy. Here she was a professional teacher, and a cowboy without any teaching credentials was able to help Andy more than she.
As long as Andy was learning, what did it matter?
It didn’t, she resolved, walking up the porch steps.
“Gentlemen, dinner will be ready in an hour, give or take.” She was going to make burgers.
“Sounds good,” Dustin said. “Can I help?”
She didn’t know if she could be with him in the small confines of the kitchen. Didn’t know if she was ready to inhale his masculine scent, or feel his wary gaze on her.
“No, you stay here and hang out with Andy. I have everything under control.”
If only she did…
Chapter Six
Dustin rifled through Andy’s reading book, but his mind was on Jenna. She was completely unaware of how beautiful she was.
“There’s good stories in your book, Andy,” Dustin said.
“Nah.”
“Really. They look interesting,” Dustin stated.
“Humpf,” was Andy’s reply.
Dustin figured that Andy would come around if he didn’t push too hard. Sure enough, Andy soon got curious, and by the time Jenna announced that dinner was ready, Andy had read a story about saguaro cactus aloud to Dustin. They had a lively discussion about it at dinner.
But all the while, Dustin’s mind was really on Jenna and the kisses that they shared. It was difficult being natural when all he wanted to do was to kiss her again. He tried to concentrate on Andy, but his gaze drifted to Jenna’s lips.
It seemed that Jenna was focused on teaching Andy, but on several occasions, she turned to him and nodded, flashing him a big smile.
Damn. It made him happy when she smiled, made his day brighter.
As far as Jenna was concerned, if Dustin could get Andy interested in reading about saguaro cactus, then he could do anything.
As they were finishing dinner and Andy was excused to go play basketball, Dustin leaned over the table. “While you were visiting Andy at school, I found a magazine by the pool that I think might be yours. I put it on the coffee table in the living room.”
“Magazine?” Her stomach churned. “Oh, yes. Thanks. I never finished reading it.” She waved at the air, as if dismissing the importance of the magazine.
“Uh, Jenna?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“You looked great today. You know, during the taping of the commercial.”
That was nice of him to say. She stopped in mid-bite. “I felt a little…odd, getting all fussed over, but it was interesting and a lot of fun. I can’t wait until the commercial comes out.”
“It was fun.” He paused, as if working up enough courage to continue.
She waited, her stomach in knots.
“And Jenna?”
“Yes?”
“About that kiss…”
Her mouth went dry. “Yes.”
“It was just part of the commercial. It didn’t mean anything,” Dustin said, his blue eyes locked on hers.
She shrugged and shot him an expression that conveyed it meant even less to her. “Of course. It didn’t mean a thing. It was just acting.”
She got up and started washing the pots and pans in the sink, scrubbing them within an inch of their lives.
Didn’t mean anything? Wasn’t he the one who kissed her first, when it wasn’t in the script? Wasn’t he the one who ran his finger down her cheek? That wasn’t in the script, either.
That wasn’t an act. He’d wanted to kiss her.
Jenna stole a glance at Dustin, but he caught her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly.
“Um…I just thought of something I forgot to do,” she lied.
She tried to think over her wildly pounding heart.
Could Dustin possibly be lying to her, too? And why would he do that?
After the meal she’d just made, Jenna decided that she could use a little exercise. She missed doing her yoga routine. She hadn’t done it since she’d arrived at the Bar R.
Changing into a pair of black yoga pants and a black sports bra, she grabbed her yoga mat and went outside to find a place where she could exercise without being disturbed.
She noticed Dustin talking to Andy and a couple of the ranch hands on the front porch. Jenna wondered if there were any issues about the ranch that she needed to address, but it seemed that Dustin was handling things. Good.
She noticed Andy walked toward the bunkhouse with the ranch hands, bouncing a basketball, probably hoping for a pickup game. Dustin settled into his favorite rocking chair on the porch.
Jenna decided that doing yoga by the pool would be the best place, so she cut through the wooden door that led to the backyard.
Facing the setting sun, she began her exercises with long, languid stretches—and then launched into several yoga positions.
She tried to concentrate on what she was doing, but she kept rehashing the commercial shoot.
Over by the lounge chair was where he first saw her in the colorful bikini. Over by the palm was where she first kissed Dustin. On the second shot, they’d kissed again.
She tried to clear her mind and concentrate on her stretching and breathing, but Dustin—the way he looked without his shirt on, the way he’d kissed her with contained passion, his smile, how he helped Andy—well, she just couldn’t keep him from intruding on her thoughts.
She stood tall, starting the Salute to the Sun series, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of metal.
Crutches.
Dustin.
> She turned to face him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wanted to ask you something, but it can wait. Please continue.” He walked over to a lounge chair and slid into it.
He didn’t look sorry at all. Matter of fact, he was grinning.
But how could she continue with him watching her?
She couldn’t.
Woman’s Universe would advise her to take advantage of the situation, but that just wasn’t…her.
Jenna rolled up her yoga mat and walked over to where Dustin was sitting.
“Believe it or not, I do some of those stretching exercises before every event. The PBR had a yoga instructor do a presentation with the thought that it might help us limber up, reduce injuries.” He knocked on his cast. “Cowabunga had his mind set on running me over, so nothing could have helped me.”
“You ran and dodged him as best you could, but he was like a freight train bearing down on you. And when he rolled you around on the dirt with his horns…” She shook her head, remembering how scared she’d been.
He raised an eyebrow. “It almost sounds like you care.”
“Of course I care, Dustin,” she snapped. Why couldn’t he see that she’d always cared about him?
His eyebrows raised, just a little. “Well, thanks. And thanks for helping me out.”
“What did you want to ask me?” she said.
“I’m so damn bored. I want to do something—anything.”
“Like what?” she asked. “Like paint?”
“I wouldn’t mind. It would keep me busy.”
“I’d be happy to get your supplies from your apartment.”
“Thanks, but—” He shrugged, then looked in the direction of the ranch hands.
“Are you afraid that they’ll think you’re not a real cowboy if you paint?”
“I just like being anonymous,” he said quietly.
She shook her head. “Then paint in the kitchen. No one will know except Andy and me. Make me a list of what you’ll need.”
“Okay.”
Jenna handed him a sheet of paper and a pen, and Dustin listed the supplies that he’d need, but his heart wasn’t really in it. He could think of better things to do with Jenna than paint!
How to Lasso a Cowboy Page 7