Cassie's Hope (Riders Up) (8 page)

Her father smoothed
out the blanket covering his lap. “I imagine near-death experiences are wake up
calls for most folks.” He turned to look at Cassie. “I’d like to see you
settled and with your own family before I die.”

“That sounds like
another pipedream, Dad.” Cassie swallowed. “I’m not sure it’s any more
realistic than dreaming that big stakes horse. And I’m not even certain I share
the dream. I haven’t had the best of luck with men. I thought I had a pretty
good life going in the city. Of course, you and Hope turned that world upside
down...for the moment. She shrugged. “But I don’t know. I do like kids…”

“A man comes in
handy if you want kids. And you’re not getting any younger.”

Cassie laughed. “You’re
really on a tear this morning, aren’t you? I should have plenty of child
bearing years left. I’m only twenty-seven.” Cassie scrutinized her father. He
clearly didn’t think
he
had that many years left. Sobered, she said, “I’ve
even thought of being a foster parent. I see plenty of kids coming through the
group home who need foster placements or permanent homes.”

“Foster kids.” Tug
scratched his chin. “That’s good. Doubt it’s the same, though. They come and
go. Just when you get attached, they leave.”

A sudden chill
niggled at Cassie. Being a foster parent appealed to her precisely because
there was no expectation of permanency.

Her father had
become quiet. Was he thinking about children—or maybe about mothers who abandoned
their children? Soon he snored lightly.

He’d seldom talked
to her about family. It wasn’t a forbidden topic; it just wasn’t talked about. The
same was true of talking about her mother.

Cassie stood and
tiptoed toward the screen door. Outside, she walked to the old tire swing suspended
from a tall oak tree. The chain attaching it to the tree limb, although rusted,
was still strong. This was a place she’d often done her best thinking and
dreaming when she was a young girl in pigtails.

She climbed easily
into the tire. The chain complained, but held. She hugged the old rubber
treads.

There was no
turning back. She would take Hope to Wyoming. But that was almost secondary. Taking
care of Hope and preparing her for the next race would be a snap. Handling
Travers might prove more difficult. She had no game plan for dealing with him.

Couldn’t she have a
two-week fling and be okay with that?

But he wanted to
show her his world, if she wanted to see it. Did she want? That didn’t sound so
much like a fling.

Just maybe, she
deserved an exciting adventure. When was the last time she’d even taken a
vacation? She was merely an adult female having an affair with a very sexy man
in a very out-of-the-way place. And hadn’t he said he had no grand designs? She’d
peek at his world and then return to her own familiar world—hopefully
unscathed.

CHAPTER FOUR

Where had this
nervousness come from? One minute Cassie sat in the single chair in the motel
room trying to read a novel; the next she was up pacing back and forth in front
of the dresser. The trip had gone smoothly. Hope had settled in nicely and was
well prepared for Saturday’s race.

Well, okay, her
anxiety had little to do with Hope and her race. It was Friday. Clint Travers
was due any minute. He’d called from the Salt Lake City airport some ninety
miles away to confirm that his plane had landed. Probably he’d called to
confirm she’d  made her way to Evanston without taking a detour.

She peeked at the
clock again. They’d agreed he’d pick her up and they’d try a local restaurant. She’d
dressed casually—that was really the only style appropriate in Evanston,
Wyoming. She wore a denim wraparound skirt and a pink tank-top. Nothing too
seductive, but he wouldn’t mistake her for one of his cowhands, either.

So how was she
supposed to greet him when he knocked on her door? Should she kiss him? Should
she apologize again for running out on him the last time? What did he expect?

- o -

Clint Travers
parked his truck in front of the Early Bird Motel. He rubbed his chin and
combed his fingers through his hair before replacing the Stetson on his head. Now
what?

The red-headed
vixen of his night dreams was somewhere in the motel. What did she expect? Would
she prefer a kiss, a hug, a handshake? Should he apologize for how he left so
abruptly the last time?

Just go do it
Travers. You’re both adults. You’ll figure something out
. He picked up the
flowers lying on the passenger’s seat and headed toward the room number she’d
given him.

- o -

Cassie jumped at
the soft rap on the door. “He’s here,” she muttered. She moistened her lips and
moved slowly. No need to appear too eager. She opened the door wide and Clint
Travers stepped back into her life.

He was as
commanding a presence as she remembered. She’d made the correct decision to
return. “Hi, are those for me?” She pointed at the yellow roses squeezed in
Clint’s hand. “Come in.”

Clint walked into
the room and Cassie closed the door behind him. He turned and held the roses
out to her. “Yes, they’re for you—sorry.” He grinned and cocked his head to one
side. “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered.”

“You clean up
pretty good yourself, cowboy. Let me get a glass and set the flowers on the
dresser; they are quite stunning.”

“Not nearly as
stunning as you.”

“My, you are full
of compliments,” Cassie teased, holding her arms out to him in invitation.

He took her in his
arms. She tipped her head up to meet his lips. He tasted masculine. She chewed
on his lower lip. His hands cupped her rear and pressed her body tight against
his. His arousal didn’t surprise. She was as excited as he was. It must have
been caused by all the waiting. Cassie chuckled against his mouth. Maybe dinner
could wait.

“What’s so funny?”
he murmured.

“I’ve been anxious
about how we’d reconnect. Whether it would feel natural to kiss you when you
arrived or if that might be better put off until after dinner.”

“And?”

“We’re doing just
fine,” she said, then slipped her tongue between his lips to greet his.

He worked a hand
between them to cover a breast. She moaned her pleasure, then broke their kiss
and leaned back, giving him more room to roam across her breasts. With both
hands, he lifted them and grazed a nipple with a thumb.

“Oh my,” Cassie
moaned. “That feels so good.”

Clint lowered his
head and laved a breast through the light tank top.

Cassie jerked her
head back and pushed her breast forward, wanting more, demanding more. The fabric
was getting in the way. She needed to feel his mouth on her skin.

She pulled away
from Clint and smiled at his immediate distress. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’m
not going anywhere. The restaurant is open late. I checked.” She tugged the
tank top over her head and quickly dispensed with the bra. “There. Free at
last,” she said, fondling her breasts. “Nibble away, cowboy. And these are only
appetizers, I promise.”

“Damn it, you are a
firecracker,” he said, lowering his mouth to a breast and backing her against
the bed.

She collapsed on
the mattress and grinned as he worked to stay in contact with her breasts. They
settled on the bed and he drew as much of one breast into his mouth as he could
manage. Cassie shuddered. She ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair and
down his back. His shirt needed to go, but she was enjoying his mouth too much
to complain.

 He continued to
swirl his tongue around her breast at the same time she felt his hand working
its way up her thigh. It caressed gently and moved slowly, never diverting from
its target. She spread her thighs. His palm settled over her mound. She closed
her eyes, silently encouraging him not to stop.

She lifted her
buttocks slightly. He didn’t disappoint. He slipped aside the bikini panty far
enough to slide a finger inside her heat. “Oh,” she moaned, opening her eyes to
meet his steady gaze. He shifted his angle until he could move freely.

She closed her eyes
again and savored the sensations. Even the yellow roses paled in comparison to
how he stimulated all of her senses. He plied her sex, clearly confident where
he was taking her, and she followed greedily. Soon, too soon, she left him to
race after that elusive rapture she didn’t want to miss. There. There. She
sighed.

- o -

Clint held her
close, waiting patiently for her orgasm to subside.

Finally she opened
her eyes and gave him a lazy smile.

“Welcome back to
Wyoming,” he said with a wide grin.

“You sure know how
to make a girl feel welcomed,” she crooned. “How set are you on dinner out?”

“Furthest thing
from my mind.”

“Thought it might
be.” She gave him a sly smile. “Why don’t you get out of those clothes so I can
give you an appropriate party favor?”Nodding, Clint stood and reached for his
belt. The woman loved to tease. He wasn’t complaining. He shucked his clothes
and watched her undo the wraparound skirt and skim the panties off. Her gaze
fixed on his straining cock.

“My, my, I thought
maybe I’d exaggerated his size in my hazy memory. I didn’t. You’ve done most of
the work so far,” she said, curling a finger at him. “Why don’t you lie on your
back and let me see what I can do to please you.”

He scooted up on
the bed, lay on his back, and watched her auburn hair cascade over his chest,
hiding her intentions from him. Her lips grazed his nipple and then her teeth
fastened on it gently. Her fingers wrapped around his cock. They squeezed lightly
and glided over its length.

His heart skipped a
beat when he saw that mass of auburn hair moving lower. Her breath warmed him. He
kept his hands by his sides, letting her stay in control. She lowered her mouth
onto him, shifting her shoulders until she had the right fit. Waves of auburn
bobbed up and down slowly. She took in half of his shaft before pausing. She
swept her hair back from her face and winked at him before sinking further,
taking nearly all of him in her mouth and throat. She cradled his balls in one
hand and bobbed slowly up and down.

Clint clutched the
sheet with both fists.

She stopped and dropped
him. “Do you like?”

“You’ve got to be
crazy. It’s exquisite.”

“Good. Then I guess
you wouldn’t mind a little more attention.”

Again, her auburn
mane kept him from seeing what she was doing. But every other part of his
sensory system worked overtime. She bobbed. She twisted her hand. She left no
doubt about her purpose. He felt her lips surround the base of his cock.

It started
somewhere between his toes and his knees. His balls tightened, signaling the
end was close. He heard her chuckle as she increased her pace. And then he
exploded. He came and she never left him. In his climactic fog, he was
surprised by that. But she’d never failed to amaze him before, so why should
this be any different? She swallowed repeatedly, continuing to draw his essence
from him until there was no more. Her warm mouth soothed him as he drifted.

Perhaps seconds,
minutes or hours later. Clint cranked an eyelid open. Cassie was still there
nestled in his arm. She played idly with his chest hairs.

“You’re awake,” she
said, with a smile. “That must’ve been powerful for you, too.”

“Amazing. You’re an
amazing woman.”

“Glad you think so.
I don’t know about you, but this amazing woman is famished. How about I order
some pizza so we don’t have to go out at all?”

He laughed. “Sounds
good to me. Make mine sausage.”

She scowled at him.
“Are you laughing at me?”

He leaned on one
elbow and grinned. “Not at all. It’s just that you are so expressive. You can
be angry as hell. You can be depressed, almost vulnerable. You can be thrilled.
And you can be a dynamo when it comes to sex.”

“Are you
complaining?”

“Not at all. Maybe
I’m trying to explain it.”

“Don’t try.” She
chuckled. “It’s simple. I enjoy uncomplicated sex. Always have, since I first
discovered its potential. Don’t mean to suggest that I’m highly promiscuous. I’ve
had a few longer term relationships. When sex gets problematic is when guys
want to make more out of it than it is. Can’t a woman enjoy sex as much as a
man without the guy immediately ringing wedding bells?”

Clint’s felt his cheeks
burn. “Don’t get your dander up. As I said, I’m not complaining. And I don’t
hear wedding bells ringing in my ears.”

“Good. That settles
that.” Cassie clapped her hands. “I’ll order pizza and then we can consider a
range of dessert possibilities. Right now my tummy needs filling to restore my
energy.” She winked and cupped her mound. “My pussy will need filling soon
after, if you think you can get up for that.”

His cock sprang
upward. “Don’t tease me, woman, or you may never get that pizza call made.”

Cassie scrambled
off the bed and reached for a robe and the phone. “Patience. I really am
famished. You must be, too.” She blew him a kiss. “My pussy’s not going to
evaporate in an hour or so.” She nodded at his arousal. “Down, boy. You’ll get
your reward. Soon. Sooner, if I can make this call.”

Less than
twenty-four hours later, Cassie stood in the winner’s circle at Wyoming Downs
patting Hope’s neck. Once again, she’d run a quality race. Two California
shippers had dueled with the chestnut filly, but Hope prevailed easily.

Cassie beamed at
the rancher from Utah who walked beside her as she led Hope out away from the
stands and back toward the barns. “She couldn’t have run better. Thought maybe
she’d get hemmed in there at the top of the stretch.”

“No way, she had
another gear left,” Clint said. “She’s one smooth-running filly.”

She appreciated
Clint’s admiration. Clearly, he knew a lot about quality horses. “At least with
those two California horses in the field, the bettors got better odds on Hope.”

“Two to one is not
great.”

They walked off the
track onto the roadway leading to the test barn. “So why did you tell me about
this series, if you were so uncomfortable with outsiders coming in for these
races? If I remember correctly, you didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet the
last time I was here.”

“No, don’t suppose
I did. This was different. We knew horses were coming in from California and
Washington. The local boys weren’t going to win anyway. By nominating for the
first race, you’d nominated for all three even if your dad didn’t explain that.
So it might as well be you who won.” Clint pulled his Stetson lower over his
eyes. “Of course, that wasn’t the only thing I was thinking about when I made
that call.”

Cassie brought Hope
to a halt, looked up, and pulled down Clint’s sunglasses. “Were you imagining
some of the things that we did last night?”

“Could be. That and
some more, maybe.”

“Good. Once we have
Hope bedded down and your friend has his instructions on what Hope requires for
the next several days—maybe then we can explore some more of your imaginings
without interruption. Maybe.”

“Winning only makes
you more saucy, lady.”

“Of course.” Cassie
flashed her eyebrows. “Horny, you mean, don’t you? What did you expect?”

- o -

“Wow!” Cassie
exclaimed, sitting on the edge of the pick-up seat with her nose nearly
touching the windshield. “It’s so expansive. From this high it looks like the
valley goes on forever.”