Cowboy's Bride (7 page)

Kalli listened with half an ear, wondering
why Josh had looked so worried.
Was there more to Trace's riding
the rodeo than they wanted her to know?
She was intrigued.

What other aspects of her foreman should she
be aware of?
Or were they wondering if she knew who he was?
That he
was the one offering to buy her out?

She wished she could have seen him at a
rodeo, all cocky and arrogant, strutting around like the cowboys
she'd seen.
She'd only been to a couple of rodeos in her life and
had found than fascinating.
She would make sure she went to any
held in the area.

"Daydreaming again, Boss Lady?" Trace asked
as he pushed his horse against hers, his hard thigh brushing
hers.

She looked up.
Jose and Josh were already
several dozen yards across the section, heading up a steep incline.
Trace watched her with those dark eyes, his look holding hers.

"I was thinking about rodeos," she admitted
reluctantly.
"Are there any around here?"

"Will be later on.
Jackson has a big one
later in the summer.
If you're still here, I'll take you."

"If I'm still here?
Oh, I assure you, Trace
Longford, I'll still be here whenever it comes to town." She tilted
her chin and kicked the side of her horse, moving to catch up to
Jose and Josh before Trace could stop her.
How like him to tell her
she'd go with him.
Maybe she'd find another date.
Or maybe...

Maybe she would go with him.
Her heart sped
up a little at the thought.
Who better to escort her than someone
who knew all about rodeos?

It was early afternoon by the time they
returned to the homestead.
Kalli was so tired and sore she could
scarcely stay in the saddle.
Yet every time she felt Trace's eyes
on her, she made an effort to sit up and look at ease.
She wouldn't
admit to any weakness before him.
He already didn't think she'd
make the grade.
She refused to give him any ammunition to
strengthen that belief.

But when they pulled up by the corral she
looked longingly at her house.
Would it be possible to ride the
horse up to her bedroom window, flip open the screen and fall
directly into bed?
She wasn't sure she could walk the distance.
She
hurt!

Trace, Jose and Josh quickly dismounted,
tying their horses to the rail and loosening the cinches.
Trace
slapped his mount on the rump and walked over to her, eying her
suspiciously.

''Going to stay on the horse all day?"

"I thought I would," she said, slumping a
little.

"Tired?" He rested his hand on her thigh.

Kalli felt it like a brand.
She stared at his
tanned skin, the long fingers, the strong wrist.
The heat from his
palm seared her.
She flicked a look into his eyes and thought she
detected a glimpse of sympathy.

"Actually, I thought I'd ride over and get a
better look at the mountains.
Maybe see how high the horse could
climb-"

She gave a shout as he reached up and pulled
her down.

"Trace!"

Once on the ground she sagged against him,
her legs like rubber.
He held her easily, turning to call to
Josh.

"Come get her horse and turn him loose after
you unsaddle him.
She's not riding any more today." He leaned over
a bit and swept her up into his arms.

“
Trace, put me down." But
her arms encircled his neck and she held on for dear life.
Fighting
the urge to lay her head against his shoulder and close her eyes,
she glared at him instead as he marched determinedly across the
yard toward the back door.

"I thought you said you'd been riding since
you learned about inheriting the ranch," he said.

She was impressed he could carry her so
easily, talk in a normal tone and not be out of breath.

"I did.
But only a couple of hours a week.
In
a ring.
How do you do it day after day?"

"Practice.
We've been riding since we were
kids.
And this is an easy day.
Some times during roundup or bad
weather, we're twelve, eighteen hours in the saddle."

He opened the screen door and set her on her
feet.
"Can you manage a bath and then bed, Boss Lady?" he asked,
his hands still on her shoulders, giving her support.

"Let's get one thing straight here, Trace.
My
name is Kalli.
Calling me Boss Lady won't cut it.
We both know I
haven't called a single shot since I arrived.
“Fix me something to
eat, let's go riding, go do the accounts!” You're the real boss of
the Triple T, and until I learn lots more I guess it’s going to
stay that way."

He smiled into her glaring eyes.
"Yeah, I
guess it is."

His eyes warmed and the rough planes of his
face softened just a little with the smile.
And Kalli lost her
train of thought.
He was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen, and her
heart began pumping hot blood through her veins.
She stared,
mesmerized, longing for more, knowing he had to get back to work.
Knowing she was probably no more than an amusing incident to him.
But it didn't matter.
Her gaze dropped to his lips and her body
shivered traitorously.
She wanted--

As if he could read her mind, his mouth
covered hers in a hot kiss.
His lips moved persuasively over hers
until she opened at his silent command and welcomed him.
His tongue
slipped in, tracing her teeth, moving beyond to tease then dance
with her tongue.

Blood roared in her ears, and her breathing
became labored.
Kalli pressed closer, feeling weak and feminine and
invincible and desirable.
Her hands gripped his arms, holding on
lest she float away in a cloud of sweet delight.

He pulled back and stared at her, gently
wiping her lips with his thumb, the hard calluses lending an erotic
roughness to his touch.
Again he traced her lower lip, his thumb
exquisitely gentle.

"Soak your muscles and then take a nap.
You'll feel better in a day or two.
In the meantime, get to work on
those accounts," he ordered.

"Yes, sir, boss," she whispered, her eyes
clinging to his.

"Hell, Kalli, don't look at me like that
unless you want to start more than I think you do."

She remembered he'd told her he wanted her.
It would be unfair to continue if she wasn't ready to take the next
step.
And she wasn't.
She'd just met the man.
It didn't matter that
he attracted her more than anyone she'd ever met before.
It didn't
matter that she felt special beyond imagination when she was with
him.
It did matter, however, that he didn't seem to like her much.
With a soft sigh, she pulled back and tried a small smile.

"Thank you for seeing me home," she said in a
throaty whisper.
She turned and limped toward the bathroom,
refusing to let her mind dwell on the possibility of the two of
than in bed together.

But her body remembered his touch--and
tingled.

Kalli soaked in the tub until she was as
wrinkled as a prune.
Slipping on a long T-shirt she'd swiped from
her brother Tony, she lay across her bed face down.
Her bottom was
so sore it hurt to lie on her back.
Closing her eyes, she relaxed
her tired, aching muscles.
It felt so good.
There was so much to
do, she'd just rest for a few minutes.
It felt so good

It was dark when Kalli awoke.
She lay in the
peaceful evening, almost too lethargic to rise.
Her stomach
grumbled, letting her know she hadn't had anything to eat since
breakfast.
Slowly she pushed herself up and padded barefoot into
the kitchen.
She ate a quick sandwich standing at the counter,
making her grocery list as she ate.
At least the day wouldn't be a
total waste, though she absolutely had to go get groceries tomorrow
or end up eating with the men.
Which wouldn't be all bad, unless
Trace was there to undermine her authority before them.

She frowned.
He wouldn't do such a thing.
He'd never hinted at any conflict before the men.
But just
instructing her on the way to run the ranch could undermine the
men's confidence in her.
They'd do better to continue to eat
apart.

Finishing that task, she wandered into the
office.
Sitting gingerly on the chair, she put the March bills and
payments in chronological order.
Restless, she pushed them away.
She wasn't up to working on the computer tonight.

She hunted up her boxes of books and rummaged
around until she found a favorite Louis L'Amour.
Taking it to bed,
she propped herself up and began to read.

When the alarm rang the next morning, Kalli
shut it off and lay back in bed.
God, she did not want to get up!
She was stiff as a board and every movement spiked pain into her
muscles.
How did Trace and Jose and Josh do it day after day?
Even
with practice, she couldn't imagine becoming used to riding for
hours at a time.

Slowly she stretched, forcing her muscles to
respond.
Sitting on the side of the bed, she wondered if she should
just throw in the towel.

The phone rang.
She jumped.
The ring was loud
in the silence of early dawn.

"Hello?"

"Kalli?
It's Trace."

"Is something wrong?" She turned to look out
the window.
It was still dark, but dawn was only minutes away.

"Yeah, problem here.
I was up all night and
I'm just dead on my feet.
I can't come by this morning."

"What's wrong?
Do you need my help?"

"No, had a mare in foal, there were problems,
complications.
The vet's been here all night, too.
Anyway, it’s all
over now.
We have a nice filly and the mare's doing fine.
But I'm
beat."

"Yeah, you're too old for all-nighters like
that," she said softly, lying back against her pillows.

"Yeah."

She could hear his chuckle across the
line.

"You up?"

"My alarm just went off.
I'm still in
bed."

"How do you feel today?"

"Older than you."

"Hell, maybe we both need a day in bed."

Together?
Kalli smiled dreamily at the
thought.

"Yeah, maybe.
Any orders for the day, boss?"
she asked.

"Catch up on the accounts.
You can sit on a
pillow in a chair."

"When do I get a day off?"

"You just got here." Just got here, he
thought.
He felt as if he'd been thinking about her all his life.
Had it only been three days?
He had it bad.
He needed to get her
out of his system and go back to ranching.
She had to sell her
place soon, or he'd go crazy.

"Trace?"

"Yeah?"

"Want to come to dinner?
After all, I'm so
used to cooking for two now that I'm sure I'll make too much for
just me." She held her breath.

"I usually eat dinner with Becky," he
said.

"Good, bring her, too.
I'd like to meet her,"
she said quickly before he could refuse.

"All right.
We'll be over around six."

"See you then."

She hung up the phone and lay back, her smile
almost gleeful.
Resetting her alarm for a more reasonable hour,
Kalli blissfully fell asleep.

She drove into Jackson later that morning.
First stop was the attorney who had handled her uncle's will.
He
had mentioned bank accounts and statements the day she'd met him.
But now she wanted to get everything cleared and established so she
could write checks on the account.

Richard Strominger happened to be free when
she arrived unannounced, and he saw her right away.

"How are things going, Miss Bonotelli?" He
was an older man, easy going and relaxed.
His casual Western attire
added to her concept of the Old West aspect still prevalent in
Wyoming.
She grinned as she shook his hand and sat gingerly in the
chair opposite his desk.