“No problem. Come on, then. Let’s get started.”
Michelle followed him outside and stopped short. “What are those?” she asked, nearly choking on her last bite of breakfast.
“Horses.”
“Well, I mean, I know that, but what are they doing here?”
Brent tilted his head and grinned. “This is a ranch.” He was quite handsome when he smiled, she mused. “This big guy right here is Triple Crown. We call him T.C. He’s a gelding. That means he’s had his—”
“I know what it means,” she laughed.
“Anyway, he’s mine. I’ve been riding him since I broke him more than ten years ago. I was just a kid then. We kinda grew up together.” Brent moved to a dappled grey horse that was a couple of inches shorter than T.C. “And this little girl is Bethany. She’s yours.”
“Huh?”
“You’re going to ride Bethany.”
“Seriously?” She wasn’t getting anywhere with Mr. Personality if he thought she was actually going to ride all morning. Her ass already hurt at the thought.
“Don’t panic. She’s tame and very well-mannered. Practically has one foot in the grave. But if you want to see the ranch, we’ll have to go by horseback. Unless you’d prefer to get a hundred pictures of the fence line, because that’s the only place the road really goes.”
“I guess not.” She bit her lip and took a step forward. “No, I can do this. I mean, how hard can it be, right? I went horseback riding in Hawaii when I was a kid.”
The huge beast turned toward her and blew a wicked breath out of its flaring nostrils. It shook its mane and stamped one foot.
Right. Famous last words.
Kendra squatted next to the new blood trail.
At least they’d found the carcass this time. The animal had died more than a few hours ago. Probably just before dawn.
While Kendra had slept.
“What do you want us to do with the carcass, boss?” Carlos mounted his horse and crossed his arms over the horn, reins falling over his fingers.
“I’ll send one of the guys back with a trailer. I want Mac to see this.”
The gun-shot wounds in the animal’s flank and one in her neck already festered in what promised to be a scorching sun. And it was only ten in the morning. She pulled her hat off and wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of one long sleeve.
The sound of hoof beats came from the south and she turned. She didn’t have to watch very long to recognize the riders. Brent, she’d know anywhere. The novice next to him, the one gripping the saddle horn for dear life and not doing a very good job of it, could only be Michelle Loving.
She needed her around right now like she needed a shot of turpentine.
They reined in next to Carlos. Rather, Brent reined in. The woman practically fell ass-over-applecart right out of the saddle. If it weren’t for the dire circumstances, it would have been cute as hell, too.
“Another one?” Brent took off his hat, wiped the sweat from his brow, and put it back on. Damn, he looked just like Dad.
“Another nine.”
“Another nine what?” Michelle’s voice sounded odd in the landscape usually dominated by men. The hair on Kendra’s arms stood up at the sound.
“Another nine of those,” answered Carlos, indicating the carcass with a coiled rope. He tossed the rope and Kendra caught it with one hand.
Michelle’s face paled in the morning light when her eyes fell on the dead cow.
“What happened?”
“She’s been shot, Miss Loving.” Kendra turned away. If she didn’t look at her, she wouldn’t have to think on how beautiful she was. She wouldn’t see the light dancing off her hair, blinding her. Instead, she tied the rope around the cow’s hind legs and double-checked the knot. She would drag the carcass into the shade of a nearby stand of Joshua trees before running home to call Mac.
Michelle appeared at her side, a camera clutched in her slender fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to photograph this.”
“What the blazes for?” She tightened the knot.
“If someone shot your cows, don’t you have to have a record of it? I mean, that’s not legal, is it? This is a crime scene.” She focused her camera and snapped a picture of the wounds on the cows flank.
Kendra shook her head. “These should make some pretty awesome images for that website of yours,” she mumbled. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “No. It’s not legal. And someone didn’t shoot them. Harold Mason did, or he hired someone to do it, at least.”
Michelle lowered the camera and stared at her with a determined gleam in her eyes. “He’s the man who came to the house yesterday.”
“One of them.”
“Casey filled me in on some of the more gruesome details.” She repositioned the camera and took a few more pictures. “I had no idea it was so bad.”
“Then we agree. This is more dangerous that my little sister let on, and I can’t blame you one bit for heading home, quick fast and in a hurry. This is bigger than anything a little computer file can fix.”
Michelle stood straight, turned and fixed her gaze on Kendra’s face. “I disagree.”
“Excuse me?”
“I disagree.” Michelle paused and took a step closer to Kendra. “I believe I can be of great help on the political activism and campaign side of the things. Therefore, I disagree.”
Kendra stood motionless for more than a moment, unable to make her feet move; caught in the uncanny and amazing gaze of this … woman. This obviously straight woman.
Finally, she forced herself away and strung the rope to the back of her saddle. She secured it, trying to ignore that Michelle Loving was hot on her heels, standing just a few inches away. Preakness lurched and then settled again.
She launched herself into the saddle and murmured, “Somehow, I figured you would say that.”
Apparently ignoring her comment, Michelle continued. “I’ve taken some great shots of the herd and the ranch this morning. I have a few ideas about the site and I’ll have something for you to review this afternoon. Once you understand the concept better, perhaps you’ll be more inclined to support it.”
“I’m not available this afternoon.”
“Well, when will you be available?”
Never.
She stifled the sigh threatening to leave her lungs. Instead, she mounted her horse and used her knees to turn him in the direction of the trees. She didn’t have time for this. She urged him forward.
A few minutes later, Michelle rode beside her.
This time, Kendra’s sigh escaped without warning.
“When will you have time to look at the site? And we’ll need to put together some information on the history of the ranch, your family, and I’ll need to scan some of the photographs I’ve seen around the house. If you have any shots of old goings-on, that would be great, too.”
Now that took things too far. She turned in the saddle, hoping the expression on her face would tell Michelle exactly how she felt. Kendra leveled her eyes on hers with the same look she gave the big Brahma she kept in the back corral because everyone was so damn afraid of it.
Michelle Loving didn’t so much as flinch. “What?”
“You’re not putting anything about my family on the Internet.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“Because it’s nobody’s business, that’s why. I watch the news. It’s not safe.”
“I think you’re missing the point. I’m not going to publish your bank account numbers, for crying out loud. Just short biographies about your parents and your grandparents. We need to convince everyone that you belong here. That you represent a way of life that isn’t so easy to come by, these days.”
“A way of life?” Kendra wanted to yell, but years of dealing with her siblings gave her the control she needed to maintain a low tone. “This isn’t a ‘way of life.” It’s not some story that
city folks tell around a camp fire in an RV park. This is my life, Miss Loving, and I’d appreciate it if you’d stick to business.”
Silence hung in the air for a brief second, punctuating her insistence. Michelle’s tongue darted from between parted lips and moistened the bottom one. Kendra’s body hardened, the blood rushing to her groin making her throb with wanting. Did she do things like that on purpose? Did she know what kind of affect such a gesture had on her? Probably not.
“This is my business, Ms. Williams. I’m only trying to do what you are paying me to do. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and the fact is that this is a family ranch. Generations have lived and died here to secure it and I personally don’t think it’s fair for Harold Mason to force you out. Now, the publicity campaign is only a part of an overall plan to save this place. The other part includes using the law. I don’t know what your part is, but a little bit of co-operation won’t hurt.”
“I already told you. Count me out.”
“But you’re the biggest source of information. Lacey can barely remember anything. I need your help.”
Kendra saw the pleading in her eyes and suspected that she didn’t do it often. She looked away, focusing her attention on a dust devil swaying the desert brush as it moved across the plateau. Destructive and beautiful at the same time, like a small tornado.
“How about this,” Michelle offered quietly. “I’ll design the site. You help me – when you can,” she stressed, “and if you don’t like it, I won’t publish it.”
“And I have final say on what stays and what goes?” She ran a hand over her face and grimaced. Kendra couldn’t believe she was about to agree to help her.
“Of course.”
Kendra glanced back at Michelle’s face as the cheerful tone in her voice washed away a small lingering doubt. She looked like a typical woman who had just won some kind of battle. Except there was nothing typical about the way Kendra’s heart raced when she came within ten feet of her, or the way she lost her breath when she so much as thought about her. She felt like a little kid with a crush.
Michelle settled into her saddle. She straddled the cushioned suede in skin-tight blue jeans that hid... nothing.
Kendra calculated the distance from the ranch and guessed she’d been in the saddle for more than three hours or so. Her citified behind must be plenty sore right about now. She was tough. Kendra had to give her that much.
“Fine. You win this round,” she acquiesced. Kendra had other battles to fight at the moment. And one of them involved keeping her head screwed on straight whenever Michelle Loving so much as breathed in her direction.
Michelle clicked on the image in the upper right corner of the lap-top computer. Rolling hillsides covered in dark green brush and dotted with purple and yellow wild flowers leapt to life, covering most of the screen. This image would become a common theme throughout the site. She’d already modified it once, created a rustic edge treatment and positioned it in the center of what would become the home page.
She glanced at the clock again. She’d been working for five hours and had accomplished far less than she’d hoped. Kendra should be arriving any moment to check her progress, as they’d planned earlier in the day. Michelle wanted to impress her, but had, instead, spent most of the afternoon daydreaming about the domineering cowboi.
For some reason, it mattered to her what Kendra thought of her and her work more so than with other clients. Maybe it was because Michelle and Lacey were so close. Or maybe it was because Kendra represented something mysterious.
She glanced at the snapshots scattered on the surface of the dining room table. One, in particular, caught her attention and she picked it up.
The twins sat double on a reddish colored horse. A younger version of Kendra held a rope hooked beneath the horse’s chin. Kendra’s eyes stared back at her, full of wanting. She seemed so alone in the photograph, taken just months after her parents had been killed, according to the date scribbled on the back.
Did she regret her decision? She’d obviously sacrificed a lot over the years to keep her family together. No wonder she felt so strongly about not wanting to sell the ranch. A few million dollars was a lot of money to turn down. She could take the money and carry on with her life, but that would mean that her sacrifices would have been for nothing. No, she’d put her entire life into saving everyone and everything around her from certain loss. Michelle traced the lines of Kendra’s jaw on the glossy paper and frowned. Who takes care of her?
Kendra cleared her throat behind her and Michelle jumped.
“I didn’t hear you come in.” Michelle slid the photograph behind several others on the table, hoping Kendra wouldn’t notice.
“Sorry.” Kendra placed her hat on the same hook she’d used last night at dinner and took the seat next to her at the table.
Michelle stared at her, suddenly aware of the harsh lines around her mouth and the deeper sadness in her eyes than even the old snapshot had revealed. “I hope it’s okay to use the dining room?”
“Sure, it’s fine. So, what have you got so far?”
Aware her mind had wandered, she shook her head. “I have a template ready and a few images for you to approve.”
She looked back to the screen and used the mouse to highlight some words.
“Most people want to believe in something bigger than themselves. If I can create an image, a brand, for you and your family that plays on the nation’s heartstrings, we can put pressure on the powers that be to leave well enough alone.”
“I already told you I don’t want our personal lives on display.”
“You won’t be on display. I’m talking about showing people what a real, working cattle ranch is like. Very general stuff.” Her voice cracked.
Kendra didn’t answer, but focused her attention on the screen.
She stayed silent for the next ten minutes as Michelle ran through the design elements with her. She nodded once, when Michelle showed her the photograph with the flowers, but otherwise, she might as well have not been in the room.
Except for the constant erratic heart rate she caused and the rise in temperature Michelle experienced as each slow second ticked by.
Michelle glanced at Kendra once or twice and each time, she wanted to smooth the worry lines from her brow. Kendra needed to hear someone say that everything would be alright. Michelle shifted in her chair as she realized suddenly that she wanted to be that person.
The thought made her breath catch. Kendra turned her attention to Michelle’s face and she felt the impact of Kendra’s eyes to her very core. Spirals of desire formed in her gut, clenching her with a minute taste of what it might feel like to have Kendra’s hands on her. She swallowed and Kendra’s eyes danced to her throat and then settled on her lips.
Did she feel it, too? Or was it just her fanciful imagination playing tricks on her?
Any woman in her right mind would want the strong, lonesome cattlewoman who sat next to her. The same wasn’t true for Michelle. Women didn’t lust after Michelle Loving – computer geek, too plain, too smart. She’d heard it all.
But something in Kendra’s eyes called her a liar.
A small glimmer of something she couldn’t explain shone in the green depths. Something that made her hope.
Chapter Five
Damn it.
Kendra wanted to kiss her.
What the hell was the matter with her? The whole world could crash down on her any minute and she was stuck playing school-yard games with some straight girl?
“It looks fine to me.” But what did Kendra know about it? Michelle could be terrible at her job and she wouldn’t know the difference. All she cared about right now was the way Michelle’s long, black lashes framed those impossibly deep blue eyes.
“What?” Michelle’s lips trembled as her voice trailed away.
“The website thing. It looks good.” Kendra pushed herself away from the table with both hands and rose to her feet. “Show
it to Brent tonight and see what he thinks. Or better yet, ask Brad. He’s the computer genius in the family.”
“Okay.”
One word answers. Kendra didn’t know her well, but that seemed a little out of character for Miss I-know-what’s-good-for-you. Kendra frowned.
“I should have more done after dinner. Maybe we can all sit down together?”
“I’m sleeping out again tonight.”
Michelle’s scowl deepened. “Because of the herd?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t you get scared out there?”
Scared? Hell, yes, she got scared. She worried her family could be in real danger. She worried things would get a whole lot worse before they got any better. Could she handle it? Or would she make some bonehead mistake which could cost her family everything? What would it be like to have someone scared for her? Someone who could ease the stress and pain of the lonely life she’d chosen?
Kendra brushed the thoughts aside. There wasn’t anyone to fit that bill within a thousand miles. She doubted anyone existed at all, really. Certainly, not some prissy city girl.
“No,” she lied. Or maybe, she didn’t. Not really. Michelle was talking about being afraid of the dark, or wild animals; that sort of thing. No, she wasn’t afraid of the dark. On the contrary, she preferred the sky to a roof any day of the week. Now, if Michelle were under that roof...
She shoved her Stetson on her head. “We done here?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. The urge to run proved too strong. That wasn’t true. The only urge she had when in the same room as Michelle Loving had nothing to do with running and everything to do with running her hands all over Michelle’s amazing body.
Kendra shook her head and willed her body to calm. The fire in her jeans seemed to have a mind of its own and she could only hope she didn’t walk funny as she made her way to the barn.
Why had she agreed to work with Michelle directly? Brent knew as much as she did about the ranch and the problems they faced at the moment. He could give Michelle all the information she needed and then some.
Loving the Heartland Page 6