by Mary Leo
Her face turned crimson as she held up a hand. “Not your semen. I need your stud horse semen...for my mares.” She pulled in her chin, and slowed down. “What I’m trying to say is, if your stud offer is still good, I’d like to try it...on my horses.”
She shuffled her feet and resettled Punky on her right side.
“I’m sure my stallions would be more than happy to oblige. But why the change of heart?”
“It has nothing to do with my heart, and everything to do with the faulty shipment.”
“What happened?” He knew he had to tread lightly here, but he simply had to know the reason.
“The shipment arrived thawed and dead, according to Coco.”
Yes!
“Too bad. I hope you can recoup your money. Are you sure you don’t want to simply order it again? Maybe from a more reliable source?”
“Haven’t had time to think of any of that yet. Besides, I don’t want to wait until my mares come into season again. I need them in foal now.” She let out a short sharp breath. “I was thinking that maybe we’d start with just Morning Star and my mare, Sweet Girl. We could supervise.”
“I’m sure they can handle the deed on their own. Both my stallions understand the difference between working under saddle and the freedom to breed when they’re in pasture. Here’s my suggestion. Let’s give each of my stallions five mares in an enclosed pasture for the next few days. Unless any of your mares are sick, or simply refuse my studs, you’ll have the results you’re hoping for. I guarantee it.”
She thought about his offer for a moment. “But I won’t know for sixteen to twenty days after you and your stallions leave whether or not any of my mares will foal.”
“It’s the same outcome with artificial means. At least this way they’re all having a good time. You’ll need to put them out today. They need time to get to know each other. Do you have two empty pastures where they can stay out all night?”
She shook her head. “That’s where I draw the line. They come in at night, especially since Sweet Girl’s accident. No way will I leave her out.”
No matter what, she still had to have the last word on the subject. He thought it was simply wasted effort, but at least she’d agreed to the fenced pastures.
“Your call, but I don’t recommend it.”
She didn’t seem to want to give in on this issue. “I know my mares. They’re used to their stalls at night.”
Jake shrugged, giving in to her demand. “Okay, then let’s get started.”
“My hired hands and I can work it just fine, thanks. You go on ahead with Joel. Nothing can go wrong for my parents’ anniversary. This family has had its fill of wedding, birthday and holiday disasters. This anniversary party has to happen without a hitch.”
“I’ll see what I can do to help.”
“Thanks,” Kenzie said, “and thanks for your stallions. When my mares foal next year, please feel free to select whichever one you want. I’ll even drive it up to your ranch once it’s weaned.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I insist. It’s only fair.”
Jake knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Then sure. Thanks.”
Punky barked a couple times, as if agreeing with everything that had transpired, then Kenzie walked over and hopped back into her sister’s SUV. They drove away leaving Jake mystified by the entire turn of events.
* * *
“I DON’T GET HER,” Jake said as he and Joel worked on erecting a traditional arched, five-foot-wide arbor that Joel had ordered online. It had been a challenge to put any part of it together with keystoned elements and formal style rafter tails, but between the two of them, they were able to figure out what needed to be done and in what order. Once it was standing in the proper place, Zoe, with the help of little Emma, were anxious to add flowers and whatever else Zoe had in mind.
“Who?” Joel asked as he positioned another piece of the puzzle. They’d been at it for almost three hours and they’d hardly seemed to make a dent in the construction.
“Kenzie.”
Joel nodded as he drilled in a quarter-inch flathead stainless-steel wood screw. Both men sat or knelt on the ground as they worked. “If she’s anything like Callie, it’ll take you a while. I found it’s best not to underestimate the Grant women or they’ll surprise you every time.”
“No truer words,” Jake said, grabbing a smaller drill bit off the blue tarp that held all their supplies. “She’s been nothing but a thorny cactus ever since we were kids. Nothing’s changed. And that winning tie we had at the Cowboy Days only made things worse. Maybe if she’d won...and this morning, well, she seemed different. Almost happy that I wasn’t leaving.”
Joel had carefully laid out all the pieces for the arbor in an organized manner, including every imaginable tool they might need in order to assemble the massive decoration. How Joel thought he could undertake this project by himself was a wonder to Jake. Even with both men working on it for at least four or five hours every day, it was going to be nothing short of a miracle if they got it done in time for the wedding.
The two men worked in a lush grassy area next to the barn. Jake noticed that the barn had been recently painted a deep red, and the ranch house sported not only a beautiful gray-colored tiled roof, but also the house looked as though it had been recently painted as well. He didn’t know much about Joel, but from what he could tell, Joel took a lot of pride in his ranch.
Joel stopped working and gazed over at Jake, smirking. “You’re falling for her.”
Jake didn’t particularly want to acknowledge how he felt about Kenzie, not yet anyway.
“She’s as ornery as a bull and I’m just now getting over a hurtful divorce. I don’t need to jump right back in the frying pan this quickly, but yes, I’m falling for that sweet cactus, hard.”
Joel sat back on his haunches. “Is the feeling mutual? Or don’t you know?”
Jake pounded in a nail, then stopped working to try to answer Joel’s question. He wasn’t exactly comfortable with this conversation, but he also knew that was one of the biggest issues of his marriage: his inability to talk about his emotions. Sure he had feelings for Kenzie, big time feelings, but he wasn’t ready to take it to the next level, whatever that might be, at least not until they got to know each other better. And under the current circumstances, getting some alone time with Ms. Kenzie Grant, might be as elusive as a white bull.
“I think she has feelings for me, but I can’t be sure about anything with her. One minute she wants nothing to do with me, my way of ranching or my stallions. And just when there’s no chance, not only does she ask me to stay until Saturday for the anniversary, but she’s now willing to couple my horses with hers.” Jake put the cordless drill down and readjusted his hat. “Here’s the thing—I have a ranch to run in Montana. My brothers are depending on me, especially Lucas. Besides, my dad already has one son off in Portland rebelling against ranching, so he sure doesn’t need another son contemplating a move to Idaho.”
“Who’s to say Kenzie wouldn’t consider Montana?”
For all that Joel seemed to know about the Grant family, he sure didn’t know Kenzie. Jake was 100 percent certain that Kenzie would never leave her family ranch. That land, that ranch was in her blood, just as certain as his family ranch was in his. They were dedicated, Joel didn’t understand that yet. Jake’s parents had told him that Joel was relatively new to ranch life. He needed a few more years to understand the deep attachment.
“I appreciate the thought, but I could no more move Kenzie off her family ranch than I could move those mountains.” He nodded toward the Teton Range that surrounded the valley. “Any man who got involved with her would have to honor that.”
It was the first time Jake fully realized what he was up against. It wasn’t natural ranching that Kenzie had be
en fighting, it was him and all that she stood to lose if she’d let that kiss and her feelings go any further.
Everything suddenly became crystal clear. Their attraction to each other had to stop. It was no good. It would only lead to broken hearts.
“You’re probably right on both counts,” Joel said, “but from my experience, love has a funny way of making everything work out.”
“Wait a minute. Hold your horses, partner. I didn’t say anything about love, and especially not for Kenzie Grant. Even if it came to that, which it can’t, the two of us could never work something out.”
“Then tell me, why didn’t you leave early this morning?”
Jake wasn’t sure how to answer that. He’d dragged his feet, yes, but he’d never really analyzed why. “I had things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Like this arbor. I knew you needed help. You told me so last night.”
“Are you sure? ’Cause I don’t remember mentioning anything about it.”
“You’re right. It was Carson. He mentioned something about you needing help with a project. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t in any big hurry this morning.”
Joel reached for another long screw. “You know, you might be right. I may have mentioned it to Carson then. There was a lot happening, seemed the whole town was at Belly Up at one point or another.”
“See, I knew it. No way I would have hung around if I wasn’t giving you a hand. And there’s no one I’d rather help out than the Grants,” Jake said, confident now that this was the reason he hadn’t packed up and drove on out when he’d had the chance. It had nothing to do with his growing feelings for Kenzie...at least that was what he chose to believe.
* * *
“HOW’D THEY ALL do out there today?” Jake asked Kenzie as she closed the gate on the last stall. All the horses had settled in for the night. Sounds of content animals echoed off the walls, with the occasional nicker and hooves scrapping against their bedding. It had been a long day, and Kenzie was really feeling it. She couldn’t wait to wash up, change and sit down for a relaxing dinner.
“Contrary to what you may think, my mares don’t seem to like your stallions. Try as they may to herd them, the mares were having none of it. Not much wooing going on out there. More like booing if you ask me.”
“Don’t tell me you watched for the entire time?”
She turned off the lights and they strolled out together, leaving the large doors open. Kenzie noticed the bandage wrapped around Jake’s thumb.
“Not the entire time. I had other work to do, but for the hour or so I was there, all my mares did was try to escape your studs. It would’ve been funny if I wasn’t so desperate for them to foal.”
“The watched kettle,” Jake said, walking right next to her, heading for the main house.
“What about it?”
“You know...the watched kettle never boils.”
The sun hung low in the sky, ready to drop behind the mountains. Everything had a golden glow to it, including Jake’s face. The man could look so gorgeous at times that he caused her insides to quiver.
She sighed. “I sure hope you’re right. Did you have dinner? My mom roasted a couple chickens, and made a fresh blueberry pie. No one makes a better blueberry pie than my mom. Although, I have no idea if those blueberries are organic or not.”
“And we were getting along so well.”
She stopped, slipped her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and turned to him. “You’re right. Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“I can tell,” he told her, as he gently brushed a smudge off her cheek. “You seem to be wearing it.”
She took his hand in hers. “And it seems you are, as well. What happened?”
As soon as he touched her and she him, a rush of warmth dusted her insides, causing her to take a step in closer to him. It was some kind of chain reaction she had no control over. His hand covered hers, sending a shiver down through her. She wanted to fall into his arms and never leave.
“I...um...I hit it with a hammer.”
“Ouch,” she said, then gently pulled his hand toward her, wanting to kiss it to make the hurt go away.
But he stopped her, quickly slipping his hand from hers.
“Maybe I should pass on that dinner,” he said, changing the subject and standing directly in front of her, his eyes searing into hers.
She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.
“Don’t be silly,” she said. “You have to eat.”
“I still have Lucky Charms back at the guesthouse.” His voice was low and sexy. I’ve been thinking about that box of cereal all day.”
“With desire or guilt?”
“One hundred percent guilty desire.”
“You know it’s not good for you, and in the long run, it can never work out.”
“Sometimes you have to take a risk.”
“But is it worth it?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, but before Kenzie could say another word, his lips covered hers with such an intensity that it threw her off balance, and she stumbled backward.
The next thing she knew, he had swooped her up in his arms and was carrying her to the guesthouse.
Chapter Nine
The guesthouse was a short distance from the horse barn, just on the other side of a bank of thick trees. All told, about a couple hundred feet. Kenzie felt like air in Jake’s arms as she hugged his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He couldn’t believe this was happening, so he didn’t want to take any chances by saying something that might pull them both back into reality.
Instead, as he stepped through the trees, intoxicated by the scent of Kenzie’s hair, by the feel of her body nestled up against his chest, by the sensual thoughts that had caused his own body to react, reality had already arrived on his front porch.
“Isn’t that your mom and dad?” Kenzie asked with a whisper.
Jake stopped dead in his tracks as he watched his dad open the front door to the guesthouse, and his mom sat down on the porch swing. “They haven’t seen us yet. We could backtrack to the barn before they—”
“Yoo-hoo! There you are,” his mom, Angie, yelled as she waved her hello. Jake’s mom wore her gray hair short, her bifocals had silver wire rims, her clothes were practical and loose-fitting, her boots were always clean and her smile was always welcoming.
Except for maybe tonight.
Jake felt Kenzie’s entire body stiffen as she quickly slid from his arms.
“Everything okay?” Jake’s dad, Will, shouted as he stepped back out on the porch and started to head down the stairs right for them.
“We’re fine,” Jake yelled back.
“We’ll be right over,” Kenzie said in her loudest voice.
“All right, then.” Jake’s dad, a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair, a stocky build and a dimple in his chin just like Jake’s, headed back up the steps, tilted a black suitcase and rolled it inside the open doorway, and within seconds several lights went on both inside and outside of the house.
“I can’t believe their timing,” Jake whispered to Kenzie.
“It’s probably for the best,” she murmured back, just as her own dad made his way to the front porch of the guesthouse with the Labs, now rushing to greet Kenzie and Jake.
He didn’t want to believe that she could let her emotions go so easily.
She stepped ahead of him, and he gently grabbed her hand, pulling her back. “You can’t mean that.”
“I don’t know what I mean, Jake, but we should let it go.”
He didn’t want to let it go. Not when they’d come so close to sharing something that might have changed both their lives.
The dogs bumped against Kenzie and Jake eager to get some loving, which they shared without hesi
tation. Once Dora and Dolly had their fill they took off to greet Will and Angie, as did Kenzie and Jake.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Angie asked Kenzie once they hugged and greeted each other. “I saw Jake carrying you. Did you twist your foot or something?”
“Yes,” Jake answered when Kenzie hesitated. Then he gave his parents each a warm hug. “She twisted her ankle.”
“You let Jake carry you?” her dad asked. “That’s a first. Nothing gets this girl down, not even when she cracked a shinbone. Hobbled all the way back to the house from the barn. Then there was the time she pulled out her shoulder and—”
“Dad, I’m fine now,” Kenzie said, as she stretched her right foot around to prove to everyone she was fighting fit. “Jake was just trying to help.”
His mom looked puzzled, but smiled anyway. She always seemed to take everything at face value, and with three sons, it was probably a blessing. His dad, on the other hand, had always been, and still was a skeptic.
“Don’t go puttin’ on a happy face for us, young lady.” His dad stepped forward. “You set yourself right down on that there swing, prop your foot up, slip out of that boot and I’ll get you some ice.”
His dad guided her to the swing, and she sat sideways, the pillows between her back and the arm of the swing as she propped up her left foot, carefully slipping off her dusty tan-colored boot.
“I’m fine. Really. Jake just overreacted.”
“But wasn’t it your right foot that you twisted?” Will asked looking down at Kenzie, grinning.
“Well that just goes to show you how better everything feels.” She sat up and pulled her boot back on.
Jake just stood back and chuckled at the whole scene, while his dad gazed over at him with narrowed eyes. Jake could hear the wheels turning and clicking into place. There was no fooling his dad on any level.
“Ya know what, Mildred is getting ready to put dinner on the table,” Henry said. “What say we all head on over to the main house before it gets cold.”
“That’s a good idea,” Kenzie said, obviously glad for the distraction.