Pioneer Passion (18 page)

Annoyed, he found it hard to swallow his
food, watching his brother make a complete fool of himself. Kyle
would stare at Rusty until he thought his brother’s eyes would fall
into his plate. A disgusting display, he thought; a man would have
to be plumb loco to act like such a love sick puppy. Well, Guy
would never let a woman control him like that. No sir! But it
galled him to see the attention bestowed on the little chit. This
would never do. He didn’t like Kyle falling for her. He must
convince his little brother that, although she looks like a lady
under those fancy dresses, Rusty was a mule headed, hot tempered,
temptress. And most of all, still naive! Those were the reasons he
told himself, that he had to save Kyle from her. She needed someone
like him to tan her hide, keep her in line. He shook his head.

Where in hell did that notion come from?

Damn! Guy had spent a little time with
Cynthia Winthrop, hoping to get the little red headed cat out of
his mind. He couldn’t. Cynthia was more beautiful than he
remembered. On their first meeting, his mistress had told him what
her name meant. “Goddess of the moon,” she declared with pride, and
gave the impression that she was. Not too tall, but she had a
figure every man lusted after, and he assumed every man did. She
had hair the color of a pale moon and eyes the color of amethysts.
Chiseled cheekbones and a thin proud nose led to heart shaped lips.
Yes, she was all any man would want, as he had in the past.

Now, he saw her beauty as superficial, for
she was extremely vain and made herself available only to rich men.
Had she always been like that? He had taken her to bed many times
before he left his father’s ranch and had seen her that second day
back, but was soon bored with her. Oh, she was good in bed but now
she clung to him after hearing his plans to be as wealthy as his
father. When he tried to leave, the woman threw her arms around
him, weeping at how much she missed him and he had to practically
tear her from around his neck. Why did she ruin what they had? She
no longer stirred his manhood the way that, that woman/child did.
He no longer denied the fact; he wanted Rusty and by God, he’d have
her. She had bewitched him. Maybe if he made love to her once, he’d
get her out of his system. But would once be enough for him? For
his own purpose, he had informed the family he was with Cynthia,
but after his one-time visit, he had spent most of his days on the
range or playing poker in town.

It wasn’t until the wee hours of the morning
that he finally staggered to his room. Even though he had consumed
a great deal of liquor, Guy still couldn’t get a good night’s sleep
because a young beautiful face with an alluring woman’s body kept
appearing in his dreams. He would roll over moaning, and then stare
into the dark room. Kyle’s words repeated again and again in his
foggy brain.

Brother! You should get your head and eyes
examined.

Maybe he should, his head anyway.

Chapter Nineteen

Rusty slipped her exhausted body into bed,
but as tired as she was, sleep eluded her for a long time. Her mind
was plagued with thoughts of the two brothers. The one she loved
treated her like a child and the other was falling in love with
her. What a complicated mess. The only happy thought was that Guy’s
lady friend didn’t show up at the party. Whether the woman was
invited or not was of no consequence to her; she was just glad she
hadn’t come. When sleep finally overtook her, a handsome cowboy
invaded her dreams. In the morning, with little sleep and a lot on
her mind, she went downstairs to eat the midmorning meal prepared
for guests that liked to sleep late.

Claire, Skye and Robert were already there
looking tired. Skye was yawning widely and playing with her food,
looking none too interested in eating. Robert, although
sleepy-eyed, was clean-shaven and dressed neatly as always. Hal
opted to skip this meal and Rusty suspected he had a big head. She
had noticed he’d been drinking more than his share at his
daughter’s party.

Guy and Kyle were also missing, which didn’t
surprise her; she had the feeling Guy didn’t want to be in her
company after last night. Again, she wondered what happened between
the two that bothered Kyle so and made Guy disappear all evening.
There was no fretting over a matter she had no control over so she
brought her attention back to the company, such as it was.

Conversation was at a minimum which suited
Rusty fine since she was in a lousy mood herself. Soon one by one
the family excused themselves, leaving her sitting idly alone, not
noticing the table being cleared. Sighing, she decided to take a
good run on Butterscotch, the horse which had been given to her for
the stay. A ride always helped clear her head. She changed into a
coffee-colored riding outfit and a cream blouse, and opting to let
her hair hang loosely, tied it with a ribbon. Anyway, she had no
other choice; she could no longer find her hat. The hat was her
father’s and it was the only thing she had of his to hold on to,
something of her past. She made a mental note to ask about it.

The large stable was on a hill, quite a
distance from the house. She didn’t mind the walk; the fresh air
filled her lungs with the sweet smell of flowers that grew
alongside the hill. Wild daisies were in abundance and she picked
one, and then frowned, feeling sad for killing the lovely plant. It
was that damn mood she was in that made her feel melancholy. The
stable boy stood by a stall, feeding and talking to one of the
beautiful horses. She watched and listened a moment not wanting to
intrude.

“Hey!” the lad snapped with laughter in his
voice. “Take it easy old girl. Too much hay and you’ll get fat in
the rump.” He patted the mares golden nose. The animal snorted,
shaking its head. “Oh, so you don’t agree with me, my little
glutton. Well, you just mind your manners or I might just...”
Rusty’s giggle startled him and the boy turned and blushed.

“Sorry, miss.” He lowered his eyes and
murmured, “I didn’t know you were standing there. You must think
I’m touched in the head talking to a dumb animal like that.”

Rusty, sorry for making the lad
uncomfortable, replied, “No! I’m the one who should apologize for
ease dropping. I admire anyone who takes a liking to animals.” She
came forward and patted the mare’s neck and smiled. “I love horses
myself. Though, I had owned just a mangy old mule and a few scrawny
chickens, I treated them as if they were my friends. My name is
Rusty.” She extended her hand.

The stable boy looked at it for a moment and
she wondered if he would accept the greeting. He gulped, wiped his
sweaty palm on his thigh, and shook with nervous vigor. A wide grin
appeared on his face and she offered a smile of her own. The horse
snorted and nudged the boy to tell him he was acting foolish. He
seemed to have gotten the message and grunted, “My name is Buddy,
Buddy Williams, Miss.”

“Glad to meet you, Buddy.”

Buddy smiled and swallowed hard.

“I’d like to take a ride; that horse will
do.” She nodded to the golden sorrel. Buddy swallowed again, his
eyes nearly bugged out and she had to stifle a giggle.

“Oh, no, ma’am,” he gulped. “I mean you
shouldn’t go riding alone, the master wouldn’t like it.”

“Now, Buddy,” she purred, “I thought we were
friends.” She formed her lips into a pout, feigning disappointment.
Rusty hated taking advantage of the boy, seeing how flustered he
had gotten over her nearness, but she had to get away for
awhile.

Buddy cringed, but, nevertheless, he saddled
Butterscotch, all the time talking under his breath that she
shouldn’t ride alone. Rusty insisted she could take care of herself
and patted the small gun she owned that was safely tucked in her
split-skirt pocket. “I’m not a piece of fluff,” she barked over her
shoulder, ignoring the stable boy’s meek protest and rode out on
Butter-scotch. She felt he would inform his master and was sorry
for the trouble she would cause him.

The day was warm. The sun brightened the sky
making it a ceiling of clear blue and the flat lands of blowing
Nevada grass stretched out before her. The warm breeze kissed her
lips and Rusty wished she had her hat to protect her delicate
complexion. The little fancy hat with silly plumes didn’t do
anything but decorate one’s face. The horse trotted and she felt
alive, despite all that had happened to her and how complicated her
life had gotten since Guy entered it. When she reached the open
land, she gave Butterscotch her head.

Rusty’s hair waved wildly, giving her a sense
of total abandonment. She rode the sleek animal, feeling at one
with the beast, and taking in the sensation of being in timeless
space. If only she could remain there. The racing breeze
invigorated her. The silly hat and all her problems were blown away
with the wind. Spirits renewed, she galloped on, gulping unspoiled
air cleansing her soul. So into her thoughts she didn’t hear the
hoof beats of another horse until the rider was almost upon her.
Turning, her eyes widened to see someone gaining on her but her
hair obstructed her vision and she couldn’t see clearly who was
barreling down towards her. Fear circled her heart, and she bit her
lip until it throbbed like her pulse. Before she could get her
weapon, strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist like a
vice. Rusty found her body lifted from the saddle into contact with
a hard chest.

Guy? her mind screamed.

Rusty was stunned momentarily as the rider
reined his horse to a halt. Released, not too gently to the ground,
she stumbled backwards. Gasping for breath, she landed with a thump
on her backside. Her sore rump made her forget her fear; now she
was spitting mad, saw red, and cursed a blue streak as she stood,
wiping the dust from her smarting buttocks. It was her anger that
prevented her from crying with total frustration and she continued
to curse in an unladylike fashion brushing off her skirt. She was
pissed for having the daylights scared out of her by of all
people...him! After the initial shock wore off, she found her voice
and spat back calling him every name she had heard her father use
when he didn’t think she was around.

“Of all the stupid, foolish, nit-wit things
to do!” he reprimanded, glaring angrily and then he slammed his hat
to the ground. The irate cowboy bent to retrieve his crushed hat,
punching it back into some kind of shape and slammed it on his
head.

“Me? Foolish indeed!” she answered in a silly
squeal. Her lungs still burned from riding hard. His harsh words
inflamed his throat. “What did you think you were doing?” She blew
at her annoying hair that stubbornly fell over her face. When it
just fluttered and fell back in her eyes, she swatted it away with
her hand. “You came up from behind, grabbed me from my horse for no
reason at all! Are you crazy?!” she snorted. Now that was an
asinine question.

“No reason?” he scoffed.

“You’re damn right!” she countered.

“You could have broken your neck riding like
that. That’s the thanks I get for saving your pretty fanny. Or
should I say foolish hide?” He snorted, and then hissed between
gritted teeth, “And furthermore, if anyone around here is crazy,
it’s you!”

Her eyes widened with injustice and she
wasn’t finished lecturing him.

“Foolish hide! You nincompoop! I was in total
control all the time,” she informed him in an indignant huff,
swatting again at her unruly mane. With her hands on her hips, she
spat, highly insulted, “I’m an expert rider. I was riding before I
could walk.”

She suspected she looked like a wild woman
because she surely felt the part. Backing up a few steps, he
grabbed her wrists and pulled her back into the circle of his arms
until his face was inches from hers and Rusty drew in a sharp
breath; her legs turned to jelly. Her nipples strained against her
blouse causing weird sensations in the pit of her stomach. She
blanched, her anger crumbling.

Would he kiss her?

She proudly thrust out her chin, taking in
such a deep breath that her breasts threatened to pop a button on
her blouse, a sight that didn’t pass Guy’s notice as his gaze
traveled boldly over her. She felt naked under his scrutiny and she
trembled seeing the lusty gleam in his eyes.

He’s going to kiss me. Well, he better!

She wanted the kiss, but recalled his lover
and stiffened, not wanting to feel this way. She shouldn’t let him
kiss her after spending his time in another woman’s arms. Oh, but
he smells so good; brown soap, leather, and himself. Any words of
protest were lost in her tight throat. What was she objecting to
again? Oh, yes. His whore! She hated Guy.

Why didn’t he kiss her?

Her pulse quickened and she felt as if she
should run but her legs didn’t move. There were too many
conflicting sensations accosting her senses and she blinked into
his hooded gaze wondering what he was waiting for. She licked her
lips, knowing what eternity felt like. Then, he kissed her and it
was nothing like she thought it would be.

It definitely curled her toes! A low moan
escaped and she felt an excited wave of passion that was completely
foreign. Her senses reeled beneath his ardent kiss.

When had Guy dismounted, he was amused at the
wildcat he rescued. Her green eyes were ablaze with flying sparks.
She kept swatting at her unruly hair and he wanted to rub it
between his fingers. God, she’s so sensual when she’s mad, he
thought and he couldn’t help but chuckle even though he wanted to
tan her hide for putting her life in such danger. With mixed
emotions, he remembered the moment he had seen her racing across
the terrain looking like a bronzed goddess her red hair flying like
a flag.

He had roused early to take one of his
father’s horses on a good run to forget the memory of the fight
with his brother, but most of all, to wash away thoughts of a
certain green-eyed devil from his mind. He could do neither. At
first sight of her, he thought she was a mirage, an illusion from
too little sleep and too much drink. When he realized she was
indeed real, his heart stopped thinking her horse had run away with
her and she was in trouble. He goaded his mount to a gallop,
praying Rusty would not break her neck, he wanted the pleasure of
doing that deed. That damn kid was nothing but trouble ever since
that cursed day he laid eyes on her. Seeing her safe now, his
temper rose and he was determined that she wouldn’t go unpunished
for scaring the hell out of him.