by Sharon Sala
The horses neighed at her arrival. Their panic matched Jesse’s own as she quickly circled the young horses, turning them to run blindly into the dense smoke. The wind blew madly down through the draw behind the pond and carried tiny bits of still-burning embers with it, feeding the already bottomless maw of blaze that kept threatening to swallow Jesse and the horses.
Suddenly, the young horses saw the break in the fire. They needed no further urging than Jesse’s shout. They erupted as one into the narrowing path and ran in headlong flight, heads up, manes and tails flowing out behind them like the tails of kites caught in the whirlwind.
And then they were through the smoke, the threatening blaze now at their backs, taunting and teasing with imminent disaster as the strong winds kept blowing the fire across the prairie. There was nothing left for Jesse to do but outrun it. She bit back a sob of panic as a strong gust of wind pushed the fire almost beneath her horse’s feet. She felt him jump and surge forward, felt the massive muscles bunch beneath her as she wrapped the reins around her wrists and leaned almost full-length across Tariq’s powerful neck.
“Okay, boy,” Jesse yelled in his ear. She kicked him sharply. “Take us home.”
The great stallion leaped forward, his haunches bunched as his hooves dug into the dry, burning earth. And he ran as he’d never run before. He was running for his life, and taking Jesse with him.
* * *
King knew the fire had jumped the creek by the direction of the smoke. His stomach roiled and a pull in the depths of his gut told him what his mind refused to accept. He was going to be too late to help Jesse. Whatever happened was happening now, and he was helpless to stop it or aid her in any way. He was too far away. He hit the steering wheel in frustration with his fist, and pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor.
* * *
The fire break was completed. Turner and Charlie had headed back to the ranch when Turner saw the gathering smoke billowing across the grass land west of the ranch.
“Charlie! It’s jumped Salt Creek,” Turner yelled over the tractor’s noisy engine. “We’ve got to hurry!”
His words were no sooner said then he saw something else that made fingers of fear crawl down the neck of his shirt and grab at his heart. The big wooden gate in the pasture above the barn was wide open, fastened back against the fence to keep it from blowing shut. The only time they ever did that was when moving livestock. Turner knew what had happened without a second thought. Jesse had gone after the horses. He pushed the throttle forward on the big John Deere tractor, and headed for the ranch, bouncing the raised plow behind him in wild abandon. King would kill them all if anything happened to that girl.
Turner had no more than reached the machine shed when he saw the Jeep hurtling down the long driveway. He knew, somehow, that King was already aware of Jesse’s danger.
The Jeep skidded sideways, sliding precariously through the loose dirt and gravel, before it finally came to a halt just in front of the corrals.
King vaulted from the Jeep, and Turner knew by the look on his face that he was almost out of his mind.
“She’s gone, hasn’t she?” King yelled, his voice cracking from smoke and stress.
“Boss, I didn’t even know it until minutes ago when I saw the open gate. Did she go after the horses?” he asked.
“Hell, yes,” King shouted, and turned around wildly, as if looking for an answer to his fears. “And I as good as told her to go. If anything happens to her, it’ll be my fault.”
His voice broke, and his dark eyes narrowed in frustration and fear as he watched the huge clouds of smoke the winds were pushing over the crest of the hill. There was no hesitation in his movements. He started toward the corral gate with every intention of taking the Jeep into the fire. But the volunteer fire-fighters’ arrival momentarily stopped his progress.
“Looks like your firebreak might stop this, King,” one of the men yelled as he jumped from the back of a pickup truck and waved a group of men into position, just in case the fire jumped the wide strip of plowed ground. Then he saw King McCandless running toward the gate leading into the fields. “Where are you going, man?” he yelled. “Don’t be foolish. That firebreak will hold.”
“Jesse,” he yelled hoarsely, pointing toward the now visible flames behind the blowing smoke. “She’s in there…somewhere. I’m going to get her.”
Word spread through the crowd of men like the wild fire itself. A woman was trapped in there. They each watched in mounting horror at the wall of smoke that came rolling down the hill toward the barns. There was no way on earth that she’d live through that.
Suddenly, a sound came riding on the wind, stopping each and every man in his tracks. All eyes turned toward the hillside.
“Boss!” Turner called out, and pointed wildly in the direction of the fire. “Open the corral gates. She’s bringin’ em’ in.”
The wild thunder of horses’ hooves and the occasional fear-laden whinny could be heard, along with the crackle and roar of the prairie fire. Then they burst through the smoke, running on the hands of the wind, toward the gleaming white walls of the barn and safety.
“There she comes! By God, there she comes!” he heard Turner shout, and King felt the bones in his legs turn to jelly. Fear for Jesse’s safety expanded as he watched her tiny figure plastered to the back of his stallion.
The horses were crazed by the fire and the wild race against time. He knew it would take more than a miracle to stop the stampeding herd. He shook off his terror, his eyes fixed on Jesse and his horse. King pushed open the gates to the corral and then began to run.
* * *
Jesse didn’t even know when they finally cleared the wall cloud of burning prairie and began the descent toward the ranch. Her arms and hands were nearly numb just from trying to stay mounted. So much smoke and ashes had blown into her eyes that they were pouring tears. She could only see through a watery veil, and heard the wild cheers of the men congregated at the edge of the plowed strip of ground before she saw them. When she did, her heart skipped a beat. She bit her lower lip to keep from screaming.
We made it! She could see the wall of white below, and the gate to the corral being pushed open to receive the thundering herd. Then, as quickly as her elation had soared, it now gave way to total terror. She’d made it out of the fire, but she knew she’d never be able to stop Tariq. A tiny moan slipped through her tightly clinched lips. She almost lost her seat as her concentration slipped.
King saw her falter, and terror such as he’d never known gave strength to his arms and legs.
The herd of horses had swerved toward the opening in the corral as surely as they’d run through the opening in the fire. But Tariq ran on, heading for the rails of the fence in wild abandon. He was going to jump…and when he did Jesse would be lost. King stood his ground and met the fear-crazed stallion head on.
King heard the pounding hooves coming nearer and nearer, heard the harsh, panting gasps of Tariq’s tortured lungs, saw the horse’s wild, red-rimmed eyes roll frantically at the man standing in his flight path. Just as the horse came thundering down upon him, just before he would go under the powerful hooves, King reached out, grabbed the side of Tariq’s bridle, curled his fingers around the metal attached to the bit in the horse’s mouth and hung on for Jesse…and for dear life.
Jesse only saw the top of his head, and then it looked as if he’d gone under Tariq’s hooves. He disappeared from view. Jesse screamed, trying with all her waning strength to pull back on the reins wrapped tightly around her wrists.
The horse tried to rear, pawing wildly at the air with his front legs, but there was an unfamiliar weight tugging at his tender mouth and his struggle was unsuccessful. He fought and jumped, trying to dislodge the weight from his mouth and neck, but it was too much effort. Exhaustion finally took hold as he side-stepped across the plowed stretch of field and ran full tilt into the outstretched hands of the fire-fighters. He stood, head down, foam-flecked and singed, and b
egan to shake, his tired muscles reacting violently to the sudden stop.
Jesse slumped over the saddle horn, and would have fallen onto the plowed ground had strong arms not reached out to catch her. She felt the tight strips of leather being gently unwound from her wrists. Her hands tingled and then began to ache as circulation began to flow.
The men were cheering and laughing, relieved at the happy ending to what had seemed certain disaster. Jesse’s wild ride and bravery were nearly overshadowed by the life-threatening sacrifice King had made. They’d all witnessed him catch a stampeding stallion with his bare hands and pull him to a halt with sheer strength.
King couldn’t think past the fact that he and Jesse were still alive. He held her cradled in his arms as if she were made of glass, and began to walk through the dry clods toward the barn. The fire would soon be out. The firebreak had stopped it. The horses were safe, milling about in a tight circle inside the corral as they calmed down.
Turner led the big white stallion past King, as he walked on, silently carrying his precious burden. Turner looked quickly away, ignoring the tears running down the big man’s face, plowing little clean tracks through the dust and ashes coating his skin.
“Boss,” he called back, without turning around to see if King was listening. “I’ll tend to clean-up around here. You take her on to the house. See you tomorrow.”
King heard, but could not acknowledge, the extent of his old foreman’s thoughtfulness. He only knew he was never going to let Jesse out of his sight again.
Jesse felt his heartbeat, wild and erratic beneath her cheek, felt him shudder and then gather her closer. She sighed with relief and weariness, then closed her burning eyes. King was taking her home.
CHAPTER 11
The house was quiet—a cool, clean haven from the world outside that had nearly gone up in flames. Silence lengthened between King and Jesse until she could stand it no longer.
“King,” she began, as he carried her through the living quarters toward the bedrooms. “I can walk, I think. Why don’t…”
“No,” he muttered, kicking open the door to his bedroom. “I may never put you down, Jesse Rose. I know I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” His voice broke as he sank down on the bed and propped Jesse against his lap.
“King,” she whispered, slowly sliding her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for this to happen.” She leaned her face into the curve of his neck and kissed a muscle twitching uncontrollably in his jaw. “I thought you were…I thought you fell under…”
Tears of relief kept threatening to erupt, but she couldn’t cry. The tears were frozen in the horror of the last few minutes when she’d imagined King dead.
“Hush,” he whispered, and pulled her across his lap, dangling her legs on either side until she was facing him.
He cupped her face in his hands, leaned forward, and pulled Jesse toward him. Not an inch of her face escaped the branding touch of his lips as he lay claim to the woman he’d so nearly lost.
Jesse’s heart soared. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. Instead, she pulled him closer and captured his next kiss with desperation. Every taste, every pull of his lips against her skin sent pinpoints of heat shooting to the center of her being. She felt King thread his fingers through her hair as he, once more, captured her lips. It wasn’t enough and he clasped her roughly under her arms and pulled her closer, moaning in response to her mouth that was opening slowly beneath his touch.
King’s breathing was coming in harsh, hurtful gulps as he struggled with the need to breathe and have Jesse all at the same time. Finally, he reluctantly pulled away, and gently ran his thumb across her lips.
“My God, Jesse Rose. I nearly lost you today. I nearly lost you,” he whispered huskily, running his hands gently over and over her body, not believing that she was still in one piece. “Nothing would have mattered to me if I’d lost you, baby. Don’t you understand that?” He leaned his head forward until their foreheads were gently touching, and gripped her firmly around the waist, “I love you, Jesse. I love you so much it makes my teeth ache. I watch you laugh, and forget what I was going to say. I watch you walk, and forget what I was going to do. I watch you sleep, and know that nothing in my life is worth keeping unless you’re beside me.”
Then his voice broke, and Jesse felt him shudder and begin to tremble beneath her.
“I need to love you, baby. I’ve held back too long now. I want you, Jess.” His eyes darkened with emotion and he bent down and buried his face in the valley between her breasts. “If you don’t want this, you’re going to have to stop me, because I don’t think I can stop myself.”
Jesse slid from his lap and began to walk away.
King numbly watched his world coming to an end. He couldn’t think as he watched her leave him.
Dear God, no! he thought. It felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach.
Jesse reached out and turned the lock on his bedroom door. She pivoted around to face him with tears in her eyes, a smile on her lips, and began to unbutton her dust-coated shirt and jeans.
“Bath…or shower?” she whispered, as she walked out of the pile of blue denim at her feet and let her shirt drop beside it.
She was in his arms and off her feet, as King whirled her around the room.
Steam swirled inside the walls of the shower, coating the sliding glass doors until Jesse’s vision was nearly obliterated. The water ran in a warm torrent down her body, washing away the remnants of her wild ride through the burning prairie. She reached up to the shelf above her head for the bottle of shampoo. Her hands came away empty. King’s deep, husky voice behind her stopped her search.
“Let me, honey,” he coaxed, and pulled her away from the water’s swift flow.
She smelled the sharp, fresh scent of the lemon shampoo permeate the enclosure, and felt his hands begin to knead through the smoky tangles of her hair, working the shampoo into a rich, cleansing lather. She sighed, and leaned back against his chest, letting those talented hands work their magic on her tired, aching body. Her eyes closed in reflex as his hands continued down the back of her neck, then around, cradling her breasts in each hand as he captured stray bits of lather.
“Feel good?” he whispered against her ear, and was rewarded with a tiny moan of pleasure that fired an answering echo within himself.
He didn’t know how Jesse felt, but she felt fine to him. He stepped forward, placing them both under the pounding force of the spray. Lather ran between their bodies, swirling around their feet, before it disappeared down the drain. King quickly repeated the process on himself, closing his eyes against the treacherous soap, and nearly lost his footing when Jesse’s hands began an intimate foray that sent good sense down the drain with the shampoo.
“Wait a minute, sweetheart,” he begged, grabbing at a towel as he turned off the water. “You don’t know what you’re doing.” He smiled seductively at the blue-eyed nymph with the curious hands.
Jesse leaned back against the door of the shower and let her eyes continue what her hands began.
“Oh,” she drawled, as she watched his body tense and harden with desire, “I think I do.”
King’s sharply indrawn breath and the fire that kindled in his eyes were Jesse’s only warnings. He had her out of the shower and dry before another thought had time to form.
“So,” he whispered, as he laid her down in the middle of his bed, then stood back and feasted his eyes on the tantalizing thought of crawling in beside her, “you think you know what you’re doing?”
“No,” she answered quietly, and her honesty shook his resolve. “But I know what I want you to do, King.”
Breath constricted in his throat as he knelt beside her and ran his fingers around the instep of her foot, then let them travel the inside of her leg, up…up…until he paused at her threshold, his dark eyes promising passion.
Jesse shuddered, and shifted uneasily on the bed, mesmerized by the touch of his hands and the k
nowledge that this magnificent man with the magic touch was finally going to make love to her.
“I know what you want, baby,” he groaned, stretching full length beside her. “That’s what I want, too. I promised, remember?”
His mouth captured a rosy nub, and his hand another, as he began a journey across Jesse that would culminate in a promise kept.
His hands, his mouth, and the weight of his body on hers drove sanity and reason away. Jesse wanted to touch him. She needed to watch him watching her. But she knew if she opened her eyes, or turned loose of the bed beneath her, or moved an inch away from the seeking, pulsing pressure of his body, she’d fly away so far she’d never come down.
Every promise he whispered in her ear would then come true as he stroked and touched, nipped and tasted. Spasm after spasm of building heat waves made an ache so fierce that Jesse begged for release she didn’t know how to achieve.
“King, please,” she moaned, “tell me what to do.”
She moved beneath him, seeking, pushing, yearning for something. Then she felt her lower body lift off the bed as King’s hand dipped past a boundary no man had ever passed.
She gasped, let loose her grip on the bed, and dug her fingers into the still-damp tangles of his hair.
King’s breath was coming in quick, painful draughts, as he struggled to hold back an overwhelming need to disappear inside the woman beneath him. The softness below would soothe his own aching body, but still he waited as he teased at the throb beneath his fingers.
“Tell you what to do?” he asked, and took the question from her lips with one swoop of his mouth. “You don’t need to do anything. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, baby,” he whispered against her lips. “I’m going to make you forget every man you’ve ever known, every man who’s even crossed your path and wished. I don’t want anyone in your life now but me.”