JC’s pulse leapt in her veins and her body hummed with the thought of him fondling her, teasing her senses to life, overwhelming her with his vital masculinity. He took off his hat and set it on the console then raked his fingers through his wavy hair leaving it tousled as if he’d just crawled out of bed. Her skin suddenly felt hot despite the frigid air blasting from the air conditioner. Why was she putting Rafe and bed together in the same sentence? She had to get her mind on the job at hand and off what this man could do with his hands.
“You’re pretty,” Molly said from the back seat jerking JC from her thoughts. “My mommy was pretty too, but she died. Daddy says she’s in heaven watching over me now.”
Tears stung JC’s eyes but she blinked them back. She thought the same thing about her own mother. “I’m sure she is.”
Molly pulled a picture book from her backpack and flipped through the pages, a slight smile curved her mouth, the moment forgotten.
Rafe kept his eyes fixed on the road but a muscle worked in his clenched jaw.
“I’m sorry about your wife,” JC said quietly.
He heaved a deep breath. “Thanks. Me too.”
***
Rafe pulled the truck into the ranch house’s driveway, an expanse of brick that curved around in front of the house. The site of the house, built of stone, wood and glass never failed to impress JC. The structure rose from the solid, Texas earth, a monument to the McCord family’s history and success.
He stopped by a black Lexus and cut the engine. Molly sat up suddenly in her seat and looked out the window. “Uncle Linc’s got Lucy.”
Molly unsnapped her seat belt, scrambled down from the truck and hurried toward her uncle who rode a stunning Palamino and holding the reins of a white pony.
Linc climbed from the horse, helped Molly into the saddle on her pony amidst a stream of giggles then walked toward JC and Rafe. Molly rode down the end of the driveway then headed back again, the pony’s hooves clicking on the pavers, Molly patting the pony’s neck chattering away.
“Hey, Brother. Hi, JC. I’m making shrimp on the barbie, Texas style, tonight with roasted corn on the cob, salad and peach crisp for dessert.” He looked at JC with blue eyes similar to his brother’s but with a hint of green. He was handsome but he couldn’t begin to compare with Rafe’s killer good looks. “Would you like to join us? I’ll even open a bottle of wine from my private stock.”
“What’s the occasion?” Rafe asked. He looked at JC. “He rarely pops the cork on a bottle in his private stock.”
“The return of Jennifer—I mean JC—to Salvation.”
“Temporary return,” JC said.
“After the town spruce up you might decide to stay,” Linc said glancing from her to Rafe and back again. “Lots of people need events planned around here.” He glanced at Rafe. “Among other things. And it would be real nice to see your pretty face around town again. Right, Rafe?”
Rafe shot Linc a glare then turned to JC with a smile, the harsh look he’d given Linc gone from his startling blue eyes. “Sure, why not?”
With that one look she was pulled in. Those eyes of his made her wonder about the life that Linc held like a brilliant diamond sparkling in a ray of sunlight before her. One brother made her hot and needy inside, while the other brother ensnared her within a net of kindness.
No.
No way.
JC had dreamed those dreams before and they had gotten her nowhere. The heat in Rafe’s eyes only meant he was feeling the physical attraction she felt. There were no happily ever afters in real life, no fairytale endings. Fairytales and dreams were just that—fairytales and dreams. They weren’t real, they didn’t exist. She would finish up her community service and go back to Shreveport, to the good life she’d made for herself. Dreaming about Rafe was a dead end.
What she really wanted to do was to spend the evening and the rest of her stay in Cade’s cabin to put some much needed distance between her and Rafe but that was impossible now with the repairs being done. “So, when you’re not handing out sentences you’re a gourmet chef?”
Linc smiled. “Not a gourmet exactly but I enjoy cooking. Rafe’s culinary skills aren’t half bad either when he puts his mind to it.”
JC looked at Rafe. A corner of his sexy mouth pushed upward and heat immersed every cell in her body. Her heart tripped into over-drive. She pictured Rafe in the kitchen but he wasn’t slaving over a hot stove. He was naked except for an apron tied around his waist and a come-hither grin on his lips.
“Uncle Linc, let’s go riding.”
At the sound of Molly’s voice, JC snapped out of her sensual haze. “Dinner sounds great, but I’d like to help.”
“Terrific. You’re in charge of the salad.” Linc gathered up his reins and climbed back on his horse. “See you later.” He turned his horse and trotted toward Molly.
“Come on,” Rafe said and gestured toward the house. “I’ll show you to your room.”
What else could he show her? She pushed the thought from her mind. She had to stop thinking of Rafe in sensual terms. With a little luck her room would be located far away from his.
Chapter Three
JC followed Rafe down the ranch house’s wide second floor hallway with honey colored oak floors and a navy and maroon runner at her feet. His tall presence and all-man scent made her insides jittery. They passed a small study with a stone fireplace. The furniture, a mix of leather and fabric, composed two cozy seating areas with book shelves lining two walls and a desk and chair situated in front of the floor to ceiling window. After passing several bedrooms, the first of which was decidedly masculine in décor, JC breathed a sigh of relief. That room was obviously Rafe’s. Thank goodness her room would be quite far from his. Luck was on her side. He stopped at a closed door, opened it and gestured for her to step inside.
The room was lovely and inviting, everything a guest room should be. The walls were painted in pale blue with white trim. A charming four-poster bed, covered in a magnificent quilt in shades of every blue imaginable, stood against one wall. A dressing table with mirror, a high boy and a window seat in a blue and white striped pattern completed the room.
“You’ll be staying here. I hope you like it,” Rafe said at her back.
She turned. “I’d be really hard to please if I didn’t.”
He smiled. “I’ll leave you alone to get settled. My room’s across the hall if you ever need anything.”
Her heart pounded a tattoo in her chest and slid up into her throat. If she ever needed anything? She could think of a lot of things she needed from Rafe and none of them included an extra blanket or pillow. He couldn’t be across the hall. What was she going to do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had no choice. There was nowhere else for her to stay.
He put his hat on and said, “Need to get down to the barn.”
“Right. See you later.”
So much for luck.
***
“Dinner was delicious, Linc,” Jennifer said. “And the peach crisp practically melts on my tongue.”
The words melting and tongue in the same sentence caused sensual visions of Jennifer in various states of undress to flicker through Rafe’s brain. He ignored the images and tried to focus on his own dessert. What was wrong with him? He’d been acting like a teenager with raging hormones since he’d clapped eyes on her. What would Cade think? Cade wouldn’t think. He’d rearrange his face first then ask questions later. Good thing he was out of town for a couple more days. It would give Rafe time to rein in his lusty responses to Jennifer.
“I’m glad you like it, JC. It’s my mom’s recipe.”
Jennifer spooned up another bite of dessert and made a groaning sound deep in her throat. “The peaches are so sweet and juicy.”
Sweet and juicy. Her words made his skin hot. The light fixture over the large maple table cast a soft light enhancing her cheek bones, whiskey colored eyes and lips. She’d changed out of her suit and put on jeans and a white tank top. A gol
den heart on a big, linked chain nestled in the valley between her breasts. Each time she made the slightest move, the front of her top opened a little, giving him a peek-a-boo glimpse of the slopes of her breasts.
Under the table he curled one hand around his knee and squeezed to distract him from the way she licked her lips. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail and a few blonde wisps tickled her slender neck, where the skin appeared soft and touchable. Yearning, encased in a deep, peaceful exhale, spread through Rafe’s chest, a kind of longing he’d never experienced before with any woman and it scared the bejeezus out of him. Deep inside, in the most secret place in his heart, he knew he should squash these feelings before they had a chance to take root because the last woman he wanted to put at risk to his emotional blunders was Jennifer.
“They’re Texas grown,” Linc said.
“Peaches are my favorite,” added Molly.
His too, now that he’d witnessed Jennifer closing her lips around them.
The minutes crawled past slower than a snail climbing a slick log, as he watched Jennifer devour the cobbler. Finally, she consumed the last bite and laid down her spoon.
Sweet relief gushed through him. Hallelujah, the meal was over but his torture had only just begun. She would be living here for an entire month. Jennifer had grown into a sexy, attractive and successful woman. It was only natural he’d feel this way especially after having been in her company an entire day. At least that’s what he told himself as he watched her take a sip of wine and smile at his daughter.
They were going to be working closely together which meant she’d be in his life for the foreseeable future which wouldn’t help his unwelcome attraction toward her. He would just have to make sure their relationship stayed on a business level and didn’t stray into something personal. In thirty days she would leave Salvation and go back to her life and he would get back to his.
While Jennifer was talking with Molly, Linc winked at him. His stomach clenched and irritation two-stepped down his spine. Whenever his brother gave him the secret wink, he knew disaster was galloping down the pike at break-neck speed and there was little he could do to stop it. Rafe almost imperceptibly shook his head and mouthed ‘no’ trying desperately to discourage Linc from playing whatever game he had in mind. Ever since Linc realized Rafe was attracted to Jennifer, he knew he was in trouble because his brother was like a starving coyote fighting over scraps when he sunk his teeth into something.
He’d attempted to rope and tie him into a relationship barely a year after Caroline’s car accident. A woman was the last thing Rafe wanted or needed in his life right now. He and Molly were doing fine.
“JC, would you like to take a look at the ranch? Things have changed since the last time you were here,” Linc said.
Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”
“Great, Rafe will show you around while Molly and I clean up.”
Rafe sent his brother what he hoped was a death glare but Linc only smiled and gave him back an innocent look. He would kill his brother later.
When they stepped on the back porch, the sun, a bright orange ball glowing behind a swath of clouds, lounged on the horizon. The piercing rays washed the ranch and Jennifer’s hair in golden, late day sunlight. The thunderstorm that hit earlier had left the air heavy with humidity but dropped the scorching temperature down to tolerable. The light glinted on Jennifer’s blonde strands and illuminated her skin. A light breeze blew her honey and vanilla scent past his nose. Without even thinking about it, he inhaled her feminine aroma deep into his lungs. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sun with a contented smile on her lips. His heart nearly stopped. He hadn’t seen her do that since she was a kid. But she was no longer a kid. Jennifer Barrett was all woman from the top of her gorgeous blonde head to the tips of her red-painted toes.
“I love this time of day,” she said softly without opening her eyes. “It’s like the world breathes a sigh and snuggles in for the night.”
Why did she have to talk about sighing and snuggling? He remembered sitting on the porch in the glider with Caroline shoved up against his side, her finger twirling in his hair, her soft whiney voice begging him to spend less time tending to the ranch and more time tending to her. He shook away the memory. “Come on, I’ll show you the horses.”
When he opened the barn door, Jennifer’s eyes widened at the long rows of stalls lining each side, with a freshly swept brick alleyway.
“The barn is much bigger than I remember. Very nice.”
“Yeah,” Rafe said, resisting the urge to puff out his chest. “We redid it from the ground up. It holds three times as many horses than it did a few years ago.”
A few horses poked their heads out and pricked up their ears curious about their visitors. One of the barn cats, who was perched on a bale of hay grooming his paws, hopped down to the barn floor and rubbed his golden-colored body against Jennifer’s leg. That cat didn’t like anybody.
Jennifer leaned over and scratched the old tom behind his ears. The cat’s purr increased to a satisfied rumble. Her jeans stretched around her perfectly shaped rear and the tail of her top pulled upward exposing an expanse of skin. His fingers itched to touch her there and find out if her skin was as soft as it looked. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans instead.
When his horse, Silver Bells, who he affectionately called Possum, stuck his gray head over the stall door, Jennifer rubbed his neck and muzzle while he blew softly over her fingers, his eyes half-closing in adoration. She used to be afraid of horses. Jennifer crooned to Possum and the big lug couldn’t take his eyes off her. I know how you feel, pal.
Molly’s pony, a dainty white mare stuck her head over the low stall door with her ears pricked and soft whickers issuing from her muzzle. Jennifer swept her hand over the pony’s neck and the animal closed her eyes as if to sleep.
“She likes you,” Rafe said.
Jennifer smiled. “She’s a sweetheart.” She looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the soft light of the barn, her lips slightly parted. His gaze slipped to her mouth and a vein thrummed in his neck. “Remember that day you started teaching me to ride?”
How could he forget? She’d been shaking like a bare branch in winter, her face pale, her hands gripped the saddle horn until her knuckles turned white. She’d pasted on a fake smile to try and hide her fear, but he’d seen through her.
“Yeah, I remember. You were terrified at first but after a few turns around the paddock you started to relax.”
“While I’m in town, would you consider continuing those riding lessons?”
No, Rafe screamed inside his head. Teaching Jennifer to ride meant spending even more time with her outside of their working relationship. He wanted nothing to do with the temptation standing before him. Forget about touching her, McCord. He imagined helping her onto a horse for her first ride, her sparkling eyes and perfectly shaped lips tempting him. Not to mention her sweet butt as it settled into the saddle. He wouldn’t stand a chance. At the moment he couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse. “Sure, if we find ourselves with some free time.”
She rubbed the pony’s silky neck. “Great, I have some friends who are members of a riding club and I’d like to join.” She fixed her gaze on his. “You know it really wasn’t the horse I was afraid of. It was you.”
Shock bucked around inside him. “Me?”
A light blush climbed her cheeks. She shrugged and focused back on Lucy. “What I mean is I had a terrible crush on you.” She glanced at him and started laughing. “Don’t worry, I got over it.”
***
Sweet jiminy Christmas. She’d never gotten over it.
JC walked beside Rafe toward the house wondering why she’d gone temporarily insane and admitted that to him and asked him to give her riding lessons too. Maybe it was the quiet atmosphere in the barn or the way the light fell across his handsome face. Or was it his smell of soap, shaving lotion and hay that had scrambled her brain? H
is tanned face had paled slightly when she’d admitted her secret crush. She wanted to take the words back but she couldn’t.
He hadn’t uttered a word since they left the barn and she needed to smooth things over and get them back on solid, friendly ground again. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
He gave her a quick glance and said, “You didn’t. Just surprised me that’s all.”
“I think I surprised myself. I hadn’t planned on ever admitting that to you.”
He cut his blue gaze to her and tipped a corner of his mouth upward. Every time he looked at her she got this fluttery feeling in the center of her chest.
“I hadn’t planned to tell you about keeping my Eagle Scout badge either. That makes us even.” He arched a brow. “Unless you have another secret you’d like to tell me?” His voice ended on a quiet, husky note.
Only that he was blazing hot, set her nerve endings on fire, made her pulse tap dance and her knees weak. God help her, she had to remember the reason she was here in the first place. “No more secrets.”
***
When they reached the ranch house, Linc was lounging on the front porch holding a copy of The Secret Garden with Molly beside him. “Rafe you should take JC over to The Roundup,” he said. “It’s a great little Honky Tonk, JC.” His brother’s gaze shot to Rafe. “I’ll stay here with Molly. What do you say?”
Molly looked at him with sleepy green eyes. “Can I go too? Please,” she said on a yawn.
Every muscle in Rafe’s body tensed like a bull stuffed into a chute with a bucking strap squeezing his gonads. “You need to get to bed and Jennifer and I have—”
“Great, it’s settled then. You two better hurry along.”
The Rancher and The Event Planner (A Salvation Texas Novel) Page 3