Hunted Love Box Set: Big Game, Bounty, Captured (3 page)

Early morning sun cut through the thin lace curtains and fell across the bed, just like it did every morning, and woke Kate, same as always. She allowed herself sixty seconds to stretch, then rolled out to head for the bathroom. Her bad hip was a little stiffer than usual on that particular morning, an unwanted reminder of the big chunk of the day before spent in a chair. Shouldn't be a problem though.

The shower warmed up while she mentally went over the coming day. There should be time to work her morning string before the hunter showed up, then all her duties would go on hold for the duration of the hunt. No stranger was going traipsing around her land on his own, especially not with a mountain lion with a taste for horseflesh on the prowl.

Pounding hot water worked out most of yesterday's kinks, and a liberal dose of horse liniment took care of the lingering soreness in her upper thigh. All during her teen years, the doctors swore she'd soon pay for all the punishment she put her body through by remaining active despite the old injuries, but they'd also sworn she'd never walk. She stopped going when she was seventeen, after informing them her body would tell her in no uncertain terms when it was time to sit down. In the meantime, she had too much work to do to sit still. Stomping into her boots, she grinned at the memory of her dad's expression when she told the last doctor she was done. He hadn't known whether to restrain her or applaud her. He settled for following her out of the office and down to their truck.

Heading for the kitchen, Kate twisted her hair into a knot and secured it with an elastic band where it would be safely out of the way under her hat. The first sip of coffee sent energy coursing through her system and she fished a Danish from the box in the fridge waiting to be warmed in the microwave. It was a far cry from the breakfasts Mandy always fixed, but marginally better than nothing. Hopefully when she came back from the hunt, there would be a nice selection of qualified people interested in the job waiting for her to choose from.

Coffee and warmed Danish in hand, she went to stand by the window, continuing through her mental ToDo list for the morning. A horse switched its tail and stomped, a sound that rarely traveled far enough to be heard at the house. Loose horse? She leaned to search for the culprit and nearly dropped her coffee.

There in her driveway, by the house, stood a shiny black dually pickup, hitched to a beat-to-hell four-horse rig, with the stomping tail switcher tied to the side of the trailer, beside another horse munching hay from a net. What the hell? Who was stupid enough to park a rig and tie horses next to the house? Besides, no one was expected.

The half-empty mug and half-eaten Danish miraculously found a spot on the counter as Kate passed by at a half run, bound for the door. Momma dog peered up at her sleepily as she hurried past without leaving breakfast. Outside, she approached the rig cautiously, not wanting to panic the tied horses or get anyone hurt.

It was impossible not to pause and admire the unfamiliar animals, even though they weren't the type of stock she was used to seeing in the area. Slender builds and relatively light haunches stood in stark contrast to the stocky quarter horses with massive hindquarters she bred. It also confirmed the horses didn't belong to anyone she knew. A glance at the other side of the trailer revealed a third horse of the same type, and a mule, also similar in build. Who the hell hauled a mule around?

Continuing her wide circuit of the rig, Kate's attention fell to the custom crates built into the bed of the pickup. That explained it. Dog kennels meant the hunter had arrived hours earlier than she expected. But why bring his own horses? As far as she'd heard, most only brought their dogs, and the rancher was expected to provide whatever transportation the hunter preferred, whether it was horses or ATVs. She'd already had two heavy duty ATVs prepared, packed with provisions and extra fuel, in expectation.

And where was the hunter, anyway? Turning, she looked down by the barn, expecting to see a stranger poking around. Nothing. Puzzled, she examined the truck closer. Surely he hadn't slept in it? No one deliberately slept in a truck the night before hitting the trail with days in the saddle ahead. And yet, where else could he be?

She approached the driver's door carefully and stretched to try and see through the dark tinted window. Nothing visible, of course. A tap at the window should wake anyone inside, so she gave it a try, and stepped back to wait.

A heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder and she jumped hard, biting back a surprised yelp, and swung, her knuckles landing solidly on a hard jaw.

The deep male grunt confirmed she'd landed a good blow. Long fingers circled her wrist in a grip that promised to easily crush the small bones if she resisted.

Frozen in place, Kate glared up. And up, past a strong throat, beard-shadowed jaw, unsmiling mouth, and straight nose to meet a startlingly green glare. "I'll let go if you promise not to hit me again."

Kate nodded willingness to comply and took a fast step back as soon as she was free, while her lower body clenched in sudden tense awareness. "Who the hell are you? And why are you parked by my house?" Dammit, she sounded flustered and breathless, rather than stern and commanding. Damn hormones picked the most ridiculous and inconvenient times to wake up and kick her ass.

His lip quirked a little, as if he could read her thoughts as clearly as the newspaper. "Sorry to startle you, ma'am. I'm Jakob Barger. We spoke yesterday evening I think?" He waited for her nod of recognition. "I pulled in after two and didn't want to disturb your stock, so I parked up here. I hope that's okay?"

The combination of gravelly voice and contrite attitude set more hormones on the rampage by way of thundering her pulse through her pelvis. "Kate Holt. Sorry for the… uh," she brushed a hand over her own jaw to indicate the reddening mark on his. "I don't normally go around hitting perfect strangers."

The same long fingers that had circled her wrist gently probed the red mark. "Couldn't prove it by me." A sudden sheepish grin broke the tension. "I don't normally go around startling harmless women either, so I guess we're even. If you'll show me where to park my rig, I'd like to let my animals stretch their legs while I get everything ready."

"Of course. Can I hitch a ride? I'll help you unload." No way he'd get that big-ass rig parked without someone directing him either, but she didn't say that.

"Thanks." He efficiently loaded his animals back into the trailer, then rounded the front of the truck in long easy strides and opened the passenger door and stood waiting. Evidently he meant to hold the damn door for her to climb in.

Kate gave a little shrug. Whatever floated his boat, as long as he caught that lion, made no difference to her. Except he stood there watching her. "You know you don't have to hold the door for me, right? I can manage that little task for myself." Annoyance crept into her voice.

Reacting to what he probably thought was her resistance to being taken care of in any way by a man, Barger raised his hands and stepped away from the truck. "Suit yourself." He crossed back to the driver's side.

Kate took advantage of his attention being elsewhere to get to the passenger door. Now why the hell did she need to hide her limp? She never bothered with it, and he would see it sooner rather than later anyway, while she helped him park and unload. Certainly not vanity—she'd long ago given that up, settling for neat and clean, or hardworking when that wasn't possible.

So what on earth had her hiding her weakness from Jakob Barger? It wasn't like she had even a remote chance in hell at getting his attention, or even truly wanted to, despite the uproar he'd put her hormones into. Still, it might be nice to have a man like him of her own. Tall and solid with muscle, handsome in a rough sort of way, and evidently quick witted.

Kate shook the nonsense from her head and climbed into the passenger seat of his truck, realizing the error too late. The warm musky scent of healthy male blended seamlessly with horse, leather and hay, and stood up to introduce itself, much to the delight of her libido. Oh shit, she was in serious trouble here. Thoughts of a week or more on the trail alone with owner of that scent did something funny to her stomach.

He climbed behind the wheel and started the truck, and blasted the interior of the truck with a combination of hard beat and screaming guitar. He hurried to turn the volume down. "Sorry, forgot it was so loud."

At least his scent no longer consumed her awareness. "What the hell was that anyway?"

Jakob glanced at her as he backed the trailer slowly toward the split in the driveway. "What do you mean? You've never heard Metallica?" When she shook her head, he stopped the truck a moment to fiddle with the CD player. "This is called 'Enter Sandman'. One of my favorites. Listen?" When she nodded again, he turned it up to just above normal listening volume for her.

The catchy tune quickly gave way to the hard beat from earlier, and a growling voice blended perfectly. "Say your prayers little one, Don't forget my son…" Kate listened, captivated, as something in that voice reached into her and gripped a part of her she hadn't known existed. By the time the last notes trailed away, she knew without a doubt, she'd found something entirely new and unexpected.

Jakob watched her, not hiding his knowing smile. "Gotcha." His exact duplication of the growl on the CD sent a shiver down her spine. "Not what you expected?" His voice had gone back to normal, but her newly trained ear picked up the sinister growl hiding within the gravelly tones.

The shudder of appreciation wasn't easy to conceal, but Kate thought she managed it fairly well. "Not at all. I've never been interested in that kind of music. Always just turned the dial as quickly as possible."

"Hang around me a while. I'll show you something far more interesting than what you're used to." The way his gaze swept over her features, paused at her breasts, and continued downward said he fully intended the double meaning.

Okay, she really needed to change the subject. The lane to the barn appeared, offering the perfect opportunity. "Go forward and bear left here. You'll round the barn to the right and pull around back. I have a shed back there if you'd rather park under cover, or you can park just to the side of the shed."

The truck stopped and Jakob nodded once before putting it in gear and following directions. "Do I get an answer now? Or do I have to wait until I catch you a lion?"

"An answer to what?"

"Will you hang around me enough for me to show you some interesting things?"

Oh…boy. Every more severe epithet she'd ever known fled right out of her head. So much trouble. "That—" She had to pause and clear her throat to get the breathy, wanton tone out of her voice. She tried again, "That depends." Better.

"On what?" The grin he flashed her way said he knew all about the pulse that suddenly pounded her core.

"I haven't decided yet."

It was a good thing he'd stopped the truck behind the barn, waiting to see where he should go next. She opened her door and bailed when self-preservation demanded she get the hell away from all that overwhelming maleness. The man absolutely oozed sex at the moment, and she wasn't equipped to deal with that sort of assault on her senses. Nothing in her life had prepared her for that.

Limp on full display, Kate crossed in front of the truck. "We can unload your animals here. The corral should suit the horses, and there's a pen over there for the dogs." Rather than wait for an answer, she headed to open the corral gate.

Jakob already had the first horse out when she returned to the trailer. He passed her the lead on the bright sorrel and white paint. After a quick pat to introduce herself, she started forward, surprised when the horse's big head went impossibly high. She stepped back, prepared to wait out a rear, but the horse just calmly followed. Okay, then.

Apparently witnessing her discomfort, Jakob spoke, "Sorry, I forgot to warn you. These are Tennessee Walkers. Their head carriage is naturally far higher than a Quarter Horse's."

In short order, the four horses pranced around the corral with excited, exaggerated movements, nostrils fluttering to take in all the unfamiliar scents. Surely he didn't mean to take those high-strung animals on the trail? That was a recipe for disaster.

The dogs, big hounds, white with black patches on their bodies and tan over their heads, came eagerly out of the truck kennels, whining and pulling at their leashes. Jakob made no attempt to bring them to heel, instead letting them half-drag him to the designated pen.

Every second undermined her faith in him as a hunter. If he handled his own animals that way, and made such poor choices before leaving the barn yard, what would he be like on the hunt? A sitting duck for a clever mountain lion, no doubt.

The tasks of unloading occupied only part of Jakob's mind. The rest he turned toward the puzzle of Kate Holt. She presented an odd mixture of strength and vulnerability, experience and innocence. The instant her little fist connected with his jaw, he'd been fascinated, attracted beyond belief. Lust had never hit him so hard or so fast. There for a second, while his fingers clutched her fragile wrist, he'd been hard-pressed to rein in the instincts that demanded he take her, right there in her own driveway.

Thankfully, common sense prevailed and insisted he at least find out if she was married. Then she'd climbed into his truck and Jakob was pretty sure her own instincts made some pretty strong demands. When she actually appreciated Metallica, he decided to find out her relationship status at the first opportunity, because as long as she wasn't attached, he meant to have her. Preferably before he left to hunt the lion. And when he returned.

The pronounced limp she displayed when she got out to help him unload certainly changed nothing about his intentions. If anything, it intrigued him more, though it could explain the lack of experience he sensed in her. People with physical issues often hesitated to put themselves out there emotionally, afraid of rejection, often with good reason. A badly timed remark from one jerk, or a pair of popular girls, could easily mess up someone's head for the foreseeable future. 

With his animals safely unloaded and the truck parked beside the shed to leave his gear readily accessible, Jakob strolled up to where Kate leaned on a corral post watching his horses. Uncle Frank's spotted mare sidled up to Kate, muzzle outstretched in interest. Kate clucked softly and offered an open palm for the gentle mare to check out.

"Her name is Whiskey. She was Uncle Frank's favorite."

"Was?"

"He passed away a couple weeks ago. That's why I was at his place, came in to start settling his affairs. Otherwise I wouldn't have got your call."

Kate rubbed Whiskey's head and looked at him appraisingly. "So you aren't actually a hunter?" Her carefully neutral tone said far more than her words.

Jakob grinned. "I grew up hunting with Uncle Frank, then joined the Army and went to hunt terrorists. Yeah, I'm a hunter." The damn mule darted in and made a grab for his hat in its never-ending game of snatch-and-run. He managed to duck back in the nick of time. "Bastard." He growled, low and threatening, so the mule could go into the run phase of the game. "So, I need a topo map, if you have one, where we can mark what your crew knows about this mountain lion. I'd also like to talk to anyone who's seen the cat's sign or knows anything about it. I'll head out in the morning, right at first light. My animals will be well rested then and I'll make a hard push straight for the lion's range."

"I have the map, already marked. Brady, the hand who found the kills and sign, will be in for lunch. I agree, we should head out first light. We can use ATVs, or I have plenty of riding stock that might be a little more suited to the terrain than your animals."

Jakob held up a hand. "Wait. We?"

"Yes, of course, we. I'm going with you. I can handle horses and guns, and I'm a good shot and a good tracker. Besides. You don't know the terrain here, and I have a thing about strangers wandering around my land unaccompanied."

"Okay, point taken. But I move fast, sometimes on foot. You prepared for that? And what's your husband going to think of it?" Of course she wasn't. Whatever caused that limp wasn't going to let her keep up with him on the trail. If need be, he'd let her ride out a couple hours, and send her home when she got tired.

She shrugged, the movement tightening her shirt across generous breasts, and reminding him of the potential benefits of playing nice. "I'm prepared. We'll see if you can keep up. And I don't have a husband or boyfriend to get upset with me for going after a lion. ATVs? Or should I have the men catch up some more horses? Of course, your horses will be well cared for while we're gone."

Bingo! No significant other to worry about. Jakob let himself relax a little against the rails to work out his course of attack. "I have no doubt. But truthfully, not only are my horses trained to work with the hounds, they're rock-steady in gunfire, or with predators nearby, and they're surefooted as mountain goats. And they'll run your cowponies into the ground in both speed and distance."

His bold claims brought a derisive little snort. "Right. They're high-strung, better suited to the show ring than a hard trail with real horses. And what the hell is with the mule?"

Her question caught him by surprise. "Jack? Besides being an excellent riding animal, he's even tougher than the horses, and if all else fails, he'll kick the lion to death. He's also along for entertainment value." As if aware he was being spoken of, the long-legged mule twisted himself into an impossible contortion to bite at an itch inside his hind leg. "See?"

Kate's face lit up with her smile and took his breath away. Makeup would have marred her natural beauty. Full lips begged him to lick and nibble. "So I see. The fact remains, these animals aren't suited to this terrain."

Inspiration struck. "Wanna bet?"

The tempting smile turned into a calculating grin. "What do I get if I win?"

The urge to tell her, in explicit detail, nearly prevailed, but Jakob caught the words back in the last instant. "My Metallica CD?"

Her quick nod betrayed her relief. "And if you win?"

Jakob paused as if searching for something worthy. "You listen to my Metallica CD. With me. While we have dinner together."

Kate extended a small hand to confirm the wager, and Jakob closed his much bigger one around it. "I'd rather seal the bet with a kiss."

Thick-lashed blue eyes went wide with alarm, but she quickly regained her composure and mischief turned the corners of her lips upward.

"Miss Kate? You doing okay?" An old timer rounded the corner of the barn.

Every hint of anything more than business disappeared from her face like a switch had been flipped. "Of course, Ray." She started toward the old man, clearly expecting Jakob to follow. "Ray Johnson, Jakob Barger. He's come because Frank couldn't."

Jakob extended his hand. Apparently it was up to him how much he wanted to tell about Uncle Frank. No use hiding it. "Ray, good to meet you. Uncle Frank spoke of you often. He passed away a couple weeks ago."

"You're little Jake? Hell boy, you could walk right under them crazy horses of his last time I saw you. I hate like hell to hear Ol' Frank's gone. He was a good man."

"Yes he was." Relief settled in. Apparently he'd passed that test too. "Ray, tell me, what do your men know about this lion? Miss Kate has told me a little."

"Join us for some coffee, Miss Kate?" The old man led the way into the cool dimness of the barn. Part of a cross-alley had been commandeered to serve as a break-slash-loafing area for the men. A pair of worn bench-style truck seats flanked a narrow table laden with a coffee pot, transistor radio—the necessities for rainy afternoons mending tack, or gathering to receive the day's orders.

Kate followed them, and dropped to a seat rather than offer to take the female role and pour coffee. With a hidden grin, Jakob ignored his own inclination to be polite, and sat beside her. The way his size dwarfed her on the old narrow seat was impossible to ignore, though, and sent all sorts of scenarios racing through his mind. Combined with the way she caught her lower lip between her teeth when she didn't know he was looking, he'd be lucky to manage not to shoot his foot off.

Ray passed him a Styrofoam cup filled with muddy looking sludge that might or might not be coffee. A horse kicked at its stall down the alley and the old man frowned. "Miss Kate, will you come look at the bay with me?"

"The bay? What's wrong with him?" Her genuine surprise made Jakob take a closer look at the old man, but the wizened face gave nothing away.