Pioneer Passion (7 page)

Still not positive if he was playing with
her, she gulped down some air, stiffened her spine and turned. Guy
sat, grinning at the berry pie and her heart quickened at the
boyish look on his face. He was much more handsome when the lines
of his countenance softened. If he knew anything, he didn’t show
it. All she saw was merriment in those dark blue orbs. She forced a
smile, saying, “I baked it to celebrate the rain; sorry you got
caught in it. Supper will be ready soon,” she informed him while
setting the table. “Did Mr. Brown say anything about me? I mean
anything in particular?” She prayed her secret was safe. Guy gave a
negative shake of his head, making her hold her breath.

“Like I said, I didn’t go into details about
how I acquired this place, so I made sure the conversation was not
prolonged.”

Phew! Rusty breathed a sigh of relief which
helped her heart return to a natural beat. Her secret was still
safe and she prayed her uneasiness went undetected. After the meal,
the cowboy smacked his lips at the second piece of pie and had to
admit it was delicious. “My compliments to the cook; you know, kid,
you’re going to make some girl very happy. There aren’t many boys
that can cook, not to mention bake.”

Rusty didn’t miss his lips spread in a
masculine smile and self-conscious, she turned with the empty dish
so her uneasiness wouldn’t give her away. She cleared her throat
roughly, saying, “Well, being the youngest brother growing up with
no ma, someone had to cook. I had an aunt,” she lied, “who stayed
with us for a spell, but she died within a year. She was a great
cook and insisted I learn. I didn’t want to at first but auntie
said some of the best cooks are….” her voice trailed away as she
felt his presence but kept her back to him.

“You don’t have to apologize, I was only
teasing. I think it’s great, especially since I’m fond of cooking
myself. And, besides, maybe someday you can help out on a cattle
drive.”

He gave her slouched shoulders a squeeze and
Rusty prayed he didn’t feel the quiver under his touch. His hot
hand branded her shoulder and stirred funny feelings in the pit of
her stomach. Filled with shame and fascination, she moistened her
lips, and let out a shaky breath, wishing he wouldn’t stand so
close. She loved his manly scent, but right now she wanted the
floor to open and swallow her. Her mind was in complete turmoil and
she was totally distracted from her chores.

“Some men are coming tomorrow to start
building,” he told her.

The door slammed before she had a chance to
reply and she was glad to be left with her private thoughts.
Relieved that the men were coming, she hoped it would cause a
distraction keeping them busy and maybe away from each other. She
would be busy with her own life tending her crops. The new trees
were still small, so it would be a time before signs of her hard
labor showed. But flowers on the mature trees were turning into
small fruit.

As Guy walked to the barn he wondered why
Rusty was so interested in what had been said and had that funny
feeling in his gut again but ignored it. When he talked about his
day he wished the jittery kid, sitting across from him, would
relax. And he wished he didn’t have to stare at that dumb hat all
the time. No kid could be that timid to keep his head down so much.
He would like to get a good look at the face without that oversized
hat shading it. Every so often he would get a glimpse of big green
eyes, but as of yet, he hadn’t seen any laughter in them. But then,
what did she have to be happy about? Hopefully, in time that would
change. Putting that notion in the back of his mind, he gave
Blizzard a well needed rundown hoping the exercise would release
some of his frustrations.

As time lapsed Rusty watched him standing
proud as the land took on a new image and things began to take
shape. It didn’t take long before the new barn was completed and a
skeleton of a large house sat imposingly on a hill waiting to be
finished, looking majestic at sunset.

She stood from a distance daily, watching the
new house take on a different look as the days passed. The place
was busy with men coming and going; banging, sawing and cussing
were a daily routine that amused her. It certainly wasn’t lonely
anymore. But, for her it was touch and go in her orange grove with
dry spells, and she prayed the rains would come in time. Now, it
wasn’t bad enough that Mother Nature frustrated her and that her
farm, as she had known it, was changing before her very eyes, but
it seemed the commotion of workmen gave her few chickens a heart
attack because within days of each other, they all expired. Of
course, this was what she was told when she discovered one of her
hens roasting on a spit. She couldn’t prove it, but she wouldn’t
put it past those workmen to have wrung their necks. Guy had to
keep from doing the same to the men seeing how upset this made her.
All she had left was Biscuit but to her dismay, the animal expired
shortly after. It was a good thing that mules were not eatable or
she might have suspected more foul play. Guy had his men bury the
animal. Now, she was completely alone; could life get any worse?
You had to think that!

Chapter Nine

Rusty’s curiosity peaked. When she thought no
one was looking, she sneaked up the hill to take a closer look at
Guy’s new house. She glanced around nervously then stuck her nose
inside past the oak door and looked around. Her eyes grew wide with
awe and she gasped at the spaciousness of the front room. Never in
her life had she dreamed of anything so big. Overhead, a pallet of
colors danced in the ceiling as sunlight reflected off crystal
teardrops that dangled from a chandelier.

A highly polished wooden floor lay before her
like a frozen pond and she imagined that she might fall if she
ventured across it. Not taking any chance, she placed each foot
down with caution and she couldn’t control her burst of laughter at
each step. Her footsteps led her into a kitchen that took her
breath away. A huge black stove stood in the far corner and rows of
shelves hung on the wall and many windows let in the sun. Through
an open door, she saw a small pantry. A bright red pump filled her
unbelieving eyes with astonishment. She envied the woman who
someday would be mistress of this wonderful house. Rusty turned,
not wanting to see anymore, chiding herself that she should care
who lived here one day.

Like hell you say! Miserable, she ran back to
her own place, teary-eyed, regretting her charade.

Rusty began taking early morning baths before
everyone was up and began her chores before the men slowly drifted
to work. One lovely morning, she dallied at the pond. Her mind and
nerves had been so jumbled lately, more so, since she had gone into
that large house. She sat, going over her life since that handsome
cowboy had come into it and sooner or later the truth had to be
revealed. But it wasn’t so much about her sex that filled her mind,
it was Guy.

Guy, the way his muscles rippled over his
back and arms when he chopped wood; Guy, his sometimes boyish look
and half-crooked smile when he talked; Guy, the sparkle in those
blue eyes when his temper flared. Guy, the way that one curl hung
lazily over his forehead no matter how many times he flicked it
away.

Guy. Guy. Guy.

“Oh, phoo!” she grumbled and kicked a stone
then gathered her things too preoccupied to hear the activity
coming from her house. Rusty walked and replayed her thoughts over
and over but it got her nowhere except feeling like her worn-out
pants. Into herself, she departed from the thickets, still unaware
of the commotion until she almost fell over one of her kitchen
chairs.

“Hey!” Rusty shouted. “What’s going on here?”
Astounded at what she was witnessing, she stood paralyzed with
shock. It felt as if flames leaped to her face when she realized
that someone was ransacking her home, all hell broke lose. Her legs
flew to the porch and she was nearly knocked down by another
kitchen chair that hurled through the door to land next to the
table. She swore, ducked and ran through the door before anything
else flew out.

“Stop!” she shrieked, but none of the men
acknowledged her presence. She was practically knocked over when
they carried out her bed and tossed it roughly into the yard,
adding to the pile. “What’s going on?!” she railed as her hands
flew around like a windmill. Her face felt flushed as the veins in
her temple pulsated. With a strength she didn’t know she had, Rusty
flattened a startled man up against the wall. “Tell me, mister,
what’s going on here or I’ll....”

She had taken the workman by surprise, and he
swallowed tightly, trying to find his voice. “I-I’m j-just
following orders, son.” He gasped. “Damn, you’re strong for a wiry
boy.”

Outraged, Rusty let her prisoner go. The man
slid to the floor, wiping his sweating brow with the back of his
hand. She spun around in a huff, knowing all too well who was
behind this. Revulsion ran rampant through her veins as she ran up
the hill, calling Guy every name she could think of. “Don’t think
you can get away with this! Where are you, you son of a she-wolf?!
You stinkin’ pile of horse manure. You can’t hide, you… you
polecat!” Pure rage stiffened her spine.

She nearly pulled the front door off its
hinges. “Guy!” Her eyes scanned the large room as she tried filling
her burning lungs with much needed air.

“Hey kid, don’t shout, I’m right here,” she
was simply informed.

Rusty didn’t take long to reach his side.
“You… you,” she yelled, with fists flaring under his nose. “What
the hell are you doing to my home?” She asked the obvious but
feared his answer. And he answered her by folding his arms lazily
across his chest. She didn’t miss the amused gleam in his eyes as
he shook his head.

So he thinks this is funny. Let’s see if he
can laugh over a split lip!

“Calm down kid, why all this to-do over a
run-down shack?” Her temper was soaring like never before. “You
didn’t really believe I’d let that eyesore stand on my ranch after
I built this beautiful house. Did you?”

“You’re mistaking if you think you can treat
this matter so lightly!” she warned. When he went to put his arm on
her shoulder, she was so irate, she swung it away roughly and
cuffed him on the nose.

“Ouch!” Stunned, Guy touched his sore nose.
“Shit! You could’ve broken it.!”

She was sorry it wasn’t, but it bled.
Pressing a bandanna to the injury, he cursed and Rusty smiled
believing that his pride was damaged more than his nose.

“Dammit kid!” His voice cut like whiplash.
“You’ve got a hefty punch for a skinny runt.” He frowned, dabbing
at the blood. “And that was a lucky punch!” he added.

“Lucky?” Rusty fumed and came at him again
but this time the cowboy was quicker and grabbed her wrists. “I
wouldn’t do that again if I were you,” he snarled.

“What’s the matter?” she retorted, “afraid to
fight? Well, I’m not!”

Guy sucked in his breath looking more annoyed
than angry. “Look, we both know I can whip your pants off.”

“Coward!” Rusty yelled and kicked him in the
shins.

“Ouch! Cut that out!” he yelped, jumping
aside to avoid another assault. Still holding onto her wrists, he
danced around her swift kicks and tightened his hold trying to
avoid more damage to his shins. She heard him curse under his
breath, then not suspecting the quick turn of events, swept her
over his shoulders. Rusty, squirmed, howled and pounded Guy’s back
with her fists. Outraged, she fumed, “Put me down, you bully!” His
shoulder dug into her mid-section and her backside burned from the
sharp smack of his hand. She groaned realizing that he was taking
her outside and she wanted to murder him hearing the workmen
laughing as the cowboy carried her down the hill into the wooded
area. Blood rushed to her head and her stomach churned with the
rocking motion. She called him every name in the book but her bad
mouth only rewarded her with another smack. Mortified, she swore
when she got her hands on him she’d do more than bloody his nose
and kick his shins. She promised herself that the area that
received the next blow would be between those two points.

“Put me down, you freakin’ bully! You better
not be doing what I’m thinking or else…Yikes!”

Rusty felt herself being tossed and went
underwater with a whoosh. She came up gasping, choking and
sputtering, madder than an itchy snake. “Damn you!” she spat out
water with an oath. Her throat and nose burned as she ranted and
raved. Guy had already turned to walk out of the woods, which riled
her to no end! Staggering out of the water, her hair hung unbridled
to her waist, plastered to her wet shirt, she ran clumsily after
him; a feat she found most difficult in her soggy boots. When a wet
body slammed into his back, knocking the wind out of him, Guy felt
dirt come up and hit him in the face before he had a chance to
break his fall. Feeling the kid on his back it took some effort and
a moment to catch his breath.

She-e-e--t! It’s time to tan that brat’s
ass!

Now he was completely frustrated, he was
tired of struggled with the short-tempered adversary. His shoulder
hurt from hitting a sharp rock and his chin burned from kissing the
ground none too gently. He was determined to whip the pants off
that brat once and for all.

I’ll show him who’s the boss and who’s the
juvenile.

He had enough of the kid’s temper; the little
whelp wasn’t the only one with feelings around here. He turned on
the rebel, with every intentions of putting the disrespectful youth
in..?

Stunned at first to see so much red hair
fanning around the pert face, he stared. Then realization leaped
into his brain. He’d just received the shock of his life and also
some relief. If he weren’t so taken aback, he would’ve laughed his
fool head off.