by BJ Wane
A smile of relief touched Theresa’s mouth. “He is eye-catching, isn’t he? And Devin is just as easy on the eyes.”
Kelsey whipped her gaze toward Theresa in surprise. “Huh? You mean he’s one of the retired agents you asked to put me up?”
“Yes, dear. Who did you think would pick you up today?”
Certainly not anyone who looked like the man walking across the tarmac toward them. “I don’t know. Maybe one of their employees.”
“No way.” Jordan grabbed her bag and looked down at her with a frown. “We wouldn’t turn you over to just anyone, not even an employee of someone we trusted. Besides, their ranch is small compared to most resorts. There’s only an older couple that takes care of the cooking and reservations and the stable manager who live on site. A few cowhands are there throughout the day. Greg,” he held out his hand to Kelsey’s host as he approached, “I can’t thank you enough for doing us this favor. This is Kelsey. Kels, Greg Young.”
“Welcome to Wild Horse, Kelsey.” Greg tipped his hat and Kelsey’s pulse spiked at the shrewd look in his moss green eyes. Oh, dear. This was not a man who missed much. It was a good thing he couldn’t see her toes curling inside her sneakers.
Smiling, she hoped he wouldn’t notice her sudden nervousness as she shook his hand. “I would repeat Jordan’s thanks for having me, but since I don’t see the need for this trip away from home, I won’t bother lying.”
Jordan rolled his eyes. “She’s not happy with us, but I promise she’ll be no trouble. Isn’t that right, Kelsey?”
Jordan only used her full name when he wanted to make a point. Feeling like a chastised teen again, she shuffled her feet and twirled her thumbs, wishing she didn’t always feel so guilty when either McAllister showed even a hint of displeasure with her. “Of course not. You won’t even know I’m around, Mr. Young.”
Cocking his head, Greg thumbed his hat back, giving her a crooked smile that brought about a quick spasm between her legs. Crap. Her instant attraction meant it would either be a very long, frustrating few weeks or a very enjoyable short vacation. His response tipped the scales toward the latter.
“Call me Greg and let’s hope that’s the case, Kelsey. I had enough trouble getting my partner to sign off on this favor.” He switched his gaze to Jordan. “Inside is a pretty decent snack bar. Why don’t we wait with you while your plane is refueling?”
Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief she wouldn’t have to be alone with this man just yet. Every time those piercing eyes swept her way, the warm rush spreading through her body grew hotter and she didn’t know which urge tempted her the most – to sidle closer or inch further away. When he turned his full attention to Jordan and Theresa as they sat down to eat hamburgers inside the terminal, she found herself growing irritated because he wasn’t paying attention to her. Yep, it was going to be a long few weeks.
Less than fifteen minutes later the ground crew signaled they were done refueling the jet. “It looks like our plane is ready and I imagine you need to get back, Greg.” Jordan rose and held his hand out to Theresa. “Ready?”
A wave of uncertainty assailed Kelsey, a sense of abandonment she knew was ridiculous. She wasn’t a scared five-year-old found walking alone in a strange neighborhood again. The landscape now surrounding her might look foreign, but the McAllisters would never leave her someplace unsafe or with someone they didn’t trust. But it wasn’t home and she wanted to be here no more than this man’s partner wanted her to be.
Theresa stood with Kelsey and wrapped her in a tight embrace. “Try to have some fun, okay? Look at this as a vacation and we’ll have you back in no time.”
She sighed. How could she let them leave thinking she was unhappy after all they’d done for her? “I’m sure it’ll be quite the experience.”
“A good one.” Jordan hugged her and then turned back toward the plane with a hand on his wife’s lower back.
Greg reached to clasp Kelsey’s elbow while taking her suitcase from Jordan with his other hand. “Relax, little bit. I don’t bite and I won’t let Devin try. She’ll be in touch.” He nodded to the couple and waited with her while they re-boarded the plane. Puzzling as it was, she found comfort in the nearness of his big body and the snug grip of his calloused palm against hers as he slid down her arm to grip her hand. He might be a stranger, and she might be feeling an irrational qualm of abandonment, but she couldn’t deny the escalating urge to press against that ripped body and lose herself in mindless, sweaty sex.
A shiver racked her body as he turned and tugged her toward the truck. “Why Wild Horses?” she asked as he opened the passenger door, tossed her bag in the back and hoisted her up onto the seat as if she weighed nothing.
“We named our place after the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range, which lies south of us about sixty miles.” Kelsey held her breath as Greg reached in front of her and drew the seatbelt across her lap and chest, his rugged face close to hers, his arm pressing against her abdomen. “They’re a sight to see, if we get the chance to take you down there. Sit tight.”
He slammed the door and she exhaled on a whoosh and a delicate shiver. They just didn’t make them like him in the northeast, at least none she’d ever met. She shifted on the seat, the glide of her silk panties over her bare flesh causing those distracting, warm tingles again. If her wayward thoughts and heated reaction to Greg’s nearness, slight touch and/or look continued, she might fare better letting her pubic hair grow back to help lessen the effects of her stirred-up libido.
“Do you ride?” Greg asked, sliding behind the wheel and starting the massive truck.
A rueful smile curled her mouth. “I ride the subway, does that count?”
He chuckled, the amused, deep rumble curling her toes again. If this kept up, she would need to see a podiatrist when she returned home. “No, that doesn’t count. We have a horse clinic next week and if I have time, I’ll take you up. You can learn a lot in those few days.” Changing gears, he turned onto a long, barren stretch of highway and veered from the subject as easily as he shifted the truck’s gears. “Tell me about the attack on you. Are you sure he didn’t say anything that would give you a clue to what he wanted? Where were you at?”
Surprised Jordan didn’t tell him, Kelsey slid her gaze out the window to hide her expression. “Other than calling me a name, he didn’t say anything. I was at a client’s office, working on the books,” was all she said about that.
“That’s what Jordan said, but sometimes, after the adrenaline has settled, small things pop up in your recollection. If you think of anything else, let me or Devin know right away.”
“I thought your friend didn’t want me here.” She didn’t know why that bothered her; she didn’t even know the man.
Greg shrugged, the move drawing her eyes to his broad shoulders. “Doesn’t mean he won’t keep you safe, if need be.”
Kelsey shook her head, returning her gaze out the window and on the blur of wide-open prairie whizzing by. “There won’t be a need. I’m no one of importance, just someone who seems to draw the crazies.” She didn’t see his sharp look, or the frown tightening his eyes.
Chapter 3
Greg couldn’t wait to see Devin’s face when he got his first look at Kelsey Hammond. While he was a connoisseur of all body types, his partner possessed a special fondness for the petite ones, and Kelsey was about as small as they came. Her head barely reached his chest as they were walking to the truck, putting her around five foot two, and if she weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet he would eat his hat.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her changing expressions as they neared the ranch, those he could see with her face pressed to the window. She appeared even unhappier about being here than Devin was, but after catching the look in her face-dominating blue eyes as the McAllisters hugged her goodbye, Greg felt a tug of sympathy for the girl. There were issues there, maybe more than just getting over an assault and dealing with a possible threat against her. Devin might be a sucke
r for the long blonde, almost white hair and diminutive body type, and Greg already felt compelled to help her cope with her current circumstances, but that would be as far as their association with their temporary houseguest would go. They’d made the mistake of getting physically involved with a woman they were assigned to protect once, and her death still haunted them.
Kelsey sat up straight with a gasp, pointing out the window. “Those aren’t cows.”
Greg smiled at the surprised accusation in her voice. “No, that’s a herd of bison. Never seen buffalo before?”
She turned and looked at him with wide eyes that could deliver a sucker punch if he let his guard down. “Not out my window. Shouldn’t they be… contained or something?”
“There’s plenty of land for them to roam free, at least around here. You can join one of our trail rides while you’re here and get a closer look. Here we are.” He pulled through the wooden arched entrance, never tiring of seeing the low-lying acres, rolling, tree-lined hills and rough-hewn buildings he and Devin had put so much effort into. Nodding to the left, he said, “That’s the social hall. Mary and Les Ingram do all the cooking for the daily buffets and tend the reservations desk. Feel free to walk over this evening and introduce yourself. They know you’re coming. There’s a pool table and game table, if you play.”
“I do, but it’s been a while.” She blew out a breath, the heavy sigh a sign those entertainments weren’t enough to appease her. As he continued driving down the unpaved road, he saw her frown at the three stables off to the right.
“What?” he asked, pulling to a stop in front of their two-story, log cabin home.
“Is this it?” Kelsey waved a hand toward the window with a shake of her head. “I didn’t see a nearby town between here and the airport.”
“Because there isn’t one. We lie north between Willow Springs and Billings, both about a forty-minute drive from here. People come to the ranch to get away from everyday life, which is why the McAllisters think it’s a good place for you to stay until they can learn more about who your assailant was after. No one knows you’re here or that we’ve stayed in touch with our former boss.”
Shaking her head, her tone laced with disbelief, she asked, “What the heck do you do all day and night?”
His mouth curled in amusement. She was such a city girl. “This time of year, we work twelve to fourteen hours a day except Sunday. Camping season lasts from May through mid-September and once we close the ranch activities for the winter, we still rent out the cabins for those who want more privacy and a rustic retreat while here to ski, or just a quiet winter getaway. Devin and I also spend a few months visiting our families during the worst of winter. From the look on your face, you’re not an outdoors person.”
She lifted one slim brow. “Only to walk from store to store when I’m shopping.”
He shrugged, unconcerned with the stark differences in their daily lives. She would have to make the best of what they offered for the time being. “Sorry, no shopping around here. We can take you into Billings one day, if we can spare the time.” He slid out of the truck, not surprised Devin wasn’t around to greet them. Grabbing her suitcase from the back, he jerked his head toward the front door. “Come on in. I’ll show you your room and you can get settled while I check in with Devin.”
Kelsey’s jaw almost dropped as she entered Greg’s home. The tiled entry gave way to the largest, two-story room she’d ever seen in a house. A place like this would cost in the millions in Philly and there was something appealing about the wooden beams above and the floor to ceiling rugged stone fireplace in front of them. She tried to keep up with his long-legged stride as he led the way past the open kitchen sporting a hanging rack of copper pots and pans dangling over a gray concrete counter-topped island but didn’t mind the view of him from behind. The man looked as good going as he did coming, making her warped mind wonder what he looked like when coming in an altogether different way.
Pull your head out of the gutter, girl. Even though Greg had shown her every courtesy on the long drive out here, he hadn’t expressed a hint of interest in her other than as a temporary guest. Since she was currently dealing with worse things, that didn’t bother her.
“My rooms are on the opposite side of the house and Devin’s quarters are upstairs,” Greg said as he veered down a long hallway. “There are two guest rooms separated by a bath at this end. You can pick either one.” He set her bag down in the hall and lifted his hat to run his fingers through his hair before settling it on his head again. The girls and slutty bitch tingled with warmth and Kelsey decided she must be in desperate straits over being stuck here if she found even that simple gesture sexy. Settle down! she scolded her happy places as her body seemed to dance a jig at the thought of spending time in the wilds with nothing to do but ogle the man doing a favor for her foster parents. Cocking his head, those moss green eyes turned sharp and assessing without warning. “What’s wrong?”
She wasn’t dumb enough to ask him what he meant. “Nothing, just jet lagged.” She waved a hand toward the first room. “This will be fine. Go on back to work. I take it I’m not a prisoner and can walk around and acclimate myself.”
“So long as you stay within close proximity to the house where one of the hands can see you from the pastures or the barns you can go where you please. Let someone know if you want to hike through the woods, then stay on the paths and don’t venture far enough you can’t see any of our buildings. Don’t bother the guests and don’t enter any of the enclosed pastures or corrals. We have livestock that aren’t broke in yet.”
“Gee, I’m glad I’m free to roam around,” she drawled with as much sarcasm as she could muster up. “Do you honestly think there are worse hazards and risks out here than in Philly? I thought you lived there when you were working for Jordan.”
“Devin did. I was in Albany until we were paired up on a case, and yes, there are wilderness hazards a city girl like you could fall prey to. Here.” He pulled a pre-paid cell phone from his back pocket and handed it to her. “Stick close and you’ll be fine, but if you need help, I’ve programmed my, Devin and our stable manager, Tom Weston’s phone numbers in there. Tom lives in the apartment above the largest barn and is always around when Dev and I are either out for the day with guests or away from the ranch.”
Something akin to panic dug its claws into Kelsey’s abdomen at imagining him leaving her alone here for so long. It was a struggle, but she managed to fight off the need to beg him not to take off anywhere without her. That alone was a testament to how much out of her depth, alone and abandoned she felt in this place. At home, she was comfortable spending time alone, even going to movies or somewhere to eat by herself when she wasn’t with friends, coworkers or the McAllisters.
“Hey.” Greg reached for her and wrapped a thick, muscled arm around her shoulders. Naturally, the girls and the slutty bitch took the friendly hug to heart and reacted to the press of that large body and the steady thud of his heart beneath her ear by going all warm and tingly. “Relax and let yourself enjoy this time. Who knows, you may end up liking it here enough to book a vacation next year.”
Kelsey huffed a laugh and stepped back, both surprised and a touch piqued when he released her immediately. “Let’s not get ridiculous. Go away. I need to get settled and send a note to my boss. You do have internet out here, don’t you?”
He tipped his hat down and started back up the hall, tossing over his shoulder, “Why, no ma’am, we still use smoke signals to communicate. Didn’t Jordan tell you that?”
“Moron,” Kelsey muttered, her lips twitching as she heard the front door close. She wondered if Devin Fisher was as sexy and easy to be around as Greg.
An hour later, she discovered Devin was nothing like his friend and business partner. Her bedroom window offered a stunning view of the mountains and tall pines as well as the barn closest to the house. Putting away her clothes in the small dresser next to the four-poster bed, she caught a glimpse of another
tall, broad-shouldered man leading the biggest horse Kelsey had ever seen into the stables. Ink black hair brushed the back of his neck below an equally dark Stetson.
“Oh my,” she breathed as her traitorous body sat up and took notice when he turned around and her eyes were automatically drawn to the way leather chaps framed his pelvis. If all the men around here were that panty-melting, she wouldn’t get bored, just needy for a diversion from all this space and quiet. “Behave, damn it,” she scolded herself out loud. “I’m not some horny hussy lusting after every man I see.” But if she became desperate, she suspected she could easily become one.
Turning from the window, Kelsey set up her laptop on the desk and sent her boss a quick e-mail stating she would get back to her accounts tomorrow, once she acclimated to the time change, and all the other differences from Philly she was stuck enduring for the next month. The good news was she wouldn’t have to give up her daily walking regimen. Instead, she would have to adjust to stumbling her way over forested terrain instead of strolling city blocks window-shopping fun stores calling her name. If the jerk that accosted her weren’t already dead, she would be tempted to go back and kill him for that alone.
The mid-afternoon sun shone high in a cloudless blue sky by the time she left the house to stretch her legs. Curiosity pulled her toward the barn, and the man she’d spotted entering a short time ago. She’d seen a few other cowhands milling about, two riding out in a field where a small herd of black cattle grazed. Two horses, both sporting coats in varying shades of reddish brown that reminded her of Greg’s hair, were busy chowing down on a bale of hay in the corral next to the largest barn. Even from several feet away they appeared huge, with rippling muscles every time they shifted their long legs. She had to admit they were beautiful creatures as she entered the stable and took in the tall, regal equine heads hanging out the long row of half doors to their stalls.