Somebody Like You (14 page)

“That right?”

“Yes.”

“Why should he?”

“Hire me back?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Because I give him a hundred percent. Because I know horses. Because he’s a good man.”

He drew in a breath. “You’re hitting below the belt on that last one.”

“Stating the facts.” She rubbed her temple. “I know I…didn’t tell the whole truth about a few things.”

His brows shot up.

“Okay, okay.” She rolled her eyes. “So I misled you. On purpose—at first. Guilty as charged. But I had a legitimate reason.” She paused, laid a hand on his chest. “My response to you the other night, though, was real. I didn’t fake that. I couldn’t.”

Cash pinched the bridge of his nose and swore again. “
Really
low blow.”

She met his eyes, didn’t waver.

The silence stretched. “Maybe I can put in a good word for you with the boss.”

“I wish you would. This job’s important to me.”

“Why?” He hesitated. “I still don’t get it. You could do what you came to do and get the hell out of Dodge. Why would you want to bust your back working here at Whispering Pines? It defies logic, Annie.”

“Because…” She hesitated, considered. “How did you feel when you were away at university, Cash?”

“I missed the ranch, the horses. I missed the smell of the barn, the smell of the air after a good rain. My family. Not that I didn’t like college. Don’t get me wrong. I had a good time. Got a first-rate education. Learned skills I’ve since put to use here.”

“But while you were at school, you did pretty much what you wanted?”

He shrugged. “As long as I kept up my grades.”

“See, that’s the thing.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of sugar cubes. Absently, she held up her palm, let Shadow lip them, heard Cash’s nervous intake of air.

“I’ve never had that freedom, Cash. Never been free to be me. Never been free of family responsibilities and expectations. Until now.” She wiped her hand on her jeans. “I’m not ready to give it up. Not yet.”

She pulled at her ponytail. “Actually, when it comes right down to it, I’m still not entirely free. But this thing with Grandpa is because I love him, not because of duty. I’m working a couple of angles there.”

He looked at her questioningly.

“I can’t say anything else yet. Trust me. Please, Cash.”

He scowled. “You’re playing me like a fiddle.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.” He huffed. “Still, Hank needs the help. I suppose you can stay till I find your replacement.” With that he turned and stalked out of the barn. “Staubach,” he called. “Let’s go.”

The dog slowly rose to his feet and started to the door. He threw one last pathetic look over his shoulder as he trotted out of the barn.

Annelise stood where she was, tears stinging her eyes. “Need You Now,” a country song she recognized from yesterday, drifted from Hank’s radio. Dropping to the straw-littered floor, head cradled in her arms, she listened while Lady Antebellum put voice to
her
feelings.

Under different circumstances, she and Cash could have been so right for each other. If only their paths weren’t so disparate—he a down-to-the-bone cowboy, and she a filthy rich city girl.

Cash went over the figures a third time, then rested his elbows on the big cherry desk in his grandpa’s office and scrubbed his hands over his face. The coarse stubble on his jaw reminded him he hadn’t bothered to shave this morning. He supposed he could run the electric razor he kept in the top desk drawer over his face, but what the hell. It didn’t make two cents worth of difference.

He looked back at the computerized list on his monitor and swore. The supply order had to go in by tomorrow, but he couldn’t concentrate on muscle liniments, horseshoe nails, or oats and barley. The price of a new currycomb and the number of vitamin pills needed for the stock didn’t seem relevant. He couldn’t focus on anything except Annie. Make that Annelise Montjoy.

In a few short days, she’d gotten under his skin. Crawled right in and taken up residence. Enough so that he hadn’t been able to stay away yesterday. He’d woken up wanting to see those eyes, that hair. Needing to taste those lips. Hear her laugh. He was enough of a realist to understand the lady was totally out of his league. Whatever fantasies he’d been dreaming up about him and Annie needed to be swept up and dumped in the trash can. Any involvement between them was over, finished, and done. Hell, it had never started. Not really.

He couldn’t get the picture of her out of his mind. Annie in the canoe, moonlight bathing her features, highlighting her high cheekbones, that aristocratic nose. Annie in his living room all but naked. The smell of her. The touch and taste of her. Those soft little sighs way down low in her throat.

Shit!

He leaned back in the chair.

Well, Miss Annelise Montjoy could stay till he figured out what to do about help for Hank, but from now on, Cash Hardeman intended to draw the line between personal and professional and stretch it tight. As tight as any barbed-wire fence on the ranch.

Good luck with that, cowboy
.

The thing was, Annie was so damned unpredictable. He’d left her place yesterday, fully expecting never to see her again. Then, he’d walked into the barn this morning and there she stood, bold as brass, even after he’d sacked her. She and Hank had been in the middle of some serious discussion from the looks of it.

Sweat glistened on Cash’s forehead simply remembering the picture she’d made. That tiny red tank top hugged her breasts, molded her waist. Toned, tanned arms all but begged a man to touch. She’d looked tired, though. Walking away from her had been tough. Then, when he’d made it to the barn door, “Need You Now” came over Hank’s old radio, and he’d nearly turned around.

But he hadn’t. He’d somehow managed to escape. Now if he could only manage to scrub all traces of Annie from his mind.

She’d infiltrated too deeply. Way too deep.

He drained the coffee mug Rosie’d filled for him and saved the mess he’d made of the ordering sheet. Maybe he’d take a ride. That would help clear his head. But that meant heading back to the barn, to Annie. Well, nothing said he had to stop and visit with her, now did it? She was one of his hired hands. Period. Nothing more, nothing less.

And if that wasn’t the biggest bunch of BS he’d ever heard, he didn’t know what was. Feeling surly and more than a little mean, he stormed out of the house.

The screen door slammed shut. He was halfway down the stairs when Rosie hurried out. Standing on the porch, drying her hands on a worn dish towel, she asked, “Where are you going, Cash? Lunch is ready. I’m minutes from putting it on the table.”

“I’m heading out for a ride. I’m not hungry.”

“Let me pack you a lunch.”

He rounded on her. “I’m not five years old, Rosie. I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” She lifted a brow. “So which of the barn cats do you intend to kick?”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When his eyes met hers again, he saw concern. “Look. I’m in a rotten mood. I know it. I need to get away. Be by myself for a bit.”

Vivi sauntered onto the porch. “I’d be more than happy to keep you company, Cash.” Dressed in Daisy Dukes and a white halter top, she pursed Marilyn-Monroe-red lips.

“Oh, lordy,” Rosie muttered.

“I appreciate the offer, Vivi. I truly do.” He rubbed at the headache skewering his brain behind his left eye. “But like I told Rosie, I’m after some alone time right now. Be best for everybody.”

Pouting, Vivi wrapped her arms around the porch banister. “You don’t do anything with me anymore.”

“Honey, you and I never have done anything together. You’re my grandpa’s widow, so you’re part of this family. I owe
him
that. But, you and me? Ain’t gonna happen. We have less than nothing in common.”

“I’m gonna go get that lunch together for you,” Rosie interrupted. “I’ll have it ready by the time you’ve got that rascal Moonshine saddled up.”

When he opened his mouth to object, she shook her head. “Huh-uh. You’ll thank me for it later.”

He tipped his hat to her. “All right. Thanks, Rosie. I’ll stop by the house and pick it up.” He swiveled on his boot heel and headed across the yard, leaving one steaming mad woman behind and anticipating another in the barn. He mentally girded his loins, gearing up for the next face-off with Ms. Hogwash Montjoy.

Damn it. Try as he might to think of her that way, he couldn’t. She wasn’t Ms. Montjoy. She was Annie, pure and simple. Shit!

The barn, after the bright outdoor heat, was dim and ten degrees cooler. Several large overhead fans stirred the air. He stood motionless in the doorway, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

He heard her first. Annie’s clear, true voice whispered in song to Shadow—in his stall. Cash’s heart nearly stopped, but he fought back his initial reaction, didn’t run to yank her to safety.

Instead, he stood at the ready and watched and listened. While she sang, Annie brushed the currycomb over the horse’s flanks.

Sensitive animals, horses didn’t suffer fools gladly. Often used in rehab situations, they picked up on a person’s inner feelings and needs, intuiting the sincere from the disingenuous.

His eyes widened when Shadow, this monster horse, turned his head and actually nuzzled Annie, bumping her shoulder with his muzzle. While he watched, she laughed and slid one of those long-fingered hands over Shadow’s forelock.

Cash hardened with need. Cursing every god he’d ever heard mentioned, he lamented that, of several billion women in the world, it was this one who held such power over him.

She went back to grooming the horse. Steady, long strokes. Her voice, soft and sensuous, curled in his belly.

“J’espère, j’espère, oh oui, j’espère.”

Unable to fight it, he added his baritone to her quiet voice. “Oh, yes, I hope.”

Startled, she swung around. The comb slid from her fingers. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“No. I don’t guess you did.” He nodded toward the comb. “Careful. Your boss doesn’t like his things damaged.”

“Oh? He tell you that?”

“Damn tootin’. You speak French well.”

“I spent some time in Paris.”

“Of course you did.”

Her blue eyes iced. “We have an office there. But I don’t seem to be the only one who speaks French. Apparently you do, too.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Not really. You picked one of the few songs I know.”

She smiled slowly. “I love the melody.”

“Me, too.” And he was glad, since he figured he’d hear it in that sweet voice of hers over and over tonight while he fought for sleep. “I never did ask. Where’d you learn your way around horses?”

She laughed at his abrupt change of subject. “My mother, never easy around them, insisted I take riding lessons. She had me in a saddle by the time I turned three. Despite the enormous amount of money Dad paid for my lessons, Duncan, my instructor, insisted I groom my own animal when we came back from a ride. He said that was a huge part of being a horse person. So, I learned at an early age how to brush down my horse and clean his hooves. How to saddle my own mount. Duncan did a good job. I owe him a lot. He taught me responsibility along with the love of riding.”

“Guess so.” Grabbing his saddle, he moved across the barn to Moonshine’s stall. “Have you ridden Shadow?” He turned and locked eyes with her. “The truth.”

Chin rising defiantly, she said, “Yes. I have.”

“I figured as much watching the two of you together.” He shook his head. “He ready to ride with another horse?”

She nodded.

“Okay. Saddle up. Show me.”

She gaped at him. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“Yes, sir, boss.”

“Don’t get cheeky on me.” He opened Moonshine’s stall. “Rosie’s putting together a basket lunch. We’ll stop by the house on our way and pick it up.” And he knew exactly where they’d share it. He had the perfect spot.

“That sounds wonderful.” Annie threw a heavy wool, red-and-black plaid blanket over Shadow’s back, then lifted the saddle in place. She reached beneath his belly, attached the girth strap, tightening and then rechecking to make sure it was secure.

Cash watched her work. Watched the way her efficient fingers ran over Shadow. She talked to the horse the entire time. Cash figured she’d forgotten he could hear as she rubbed and cooed to him.

“You had a rough start, hmmm, pretty boy? That’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re okay. You can trust Cash. He’ll take good care of you.”

W
here are we going?”

Standing in his stirrups, Cash pointed to a group of trees on a rise in front of them. “Right on the other side of that cedar break.”

“Are you going to dock my pay, boss?”

He laughed. “Nope. We’re exercising the horses. It’s part of your duties.”

“Okay, then.” She reached back and removed the band from her hair, loosening it. Shaking her head, she laughed. “It’s beautiful here, Cash. I can see why you love it so much.”

And it was. Rolling hills, green meadows filled with brilliant red and blue and yellow wildflowers, and thick groves of trees. A feeling of belonging. He had it all right here.

He kneed his mount and took the lead. For the hundredth time, she wondered why no woman had claimed him. Cash Hardeman was every bit as beautiful as his land. On the back of a horse, reins held easily in those big, strong hands, he made her want things. Things she’d never considered important.

This man rang bells and set off feelings she’d never experienced. He made her want to pull him from the saddle and tumble on the ground with him.

Her mind flitted to Douglas DeWitt, her parents’ last attempt to set her up. Around them, he played the perfect suitor. In truth, he was cold and self-absorbed. The very antithesis of Cash. She wouldn’t think about him today. Not with the sun on her face and Cash beside her.

When they made the top of the hill and rounded the trees, she gasped. A pond, as still and cool-looking as glass, lay in front of them in the middle of a lush field of green, green grass. Texas bluebonnets and yellow and white daisies bobbed their heads in the slight breeze. A stand of cattails clustered near the far bank. The outstretched branches of a huge lone oak shaded one side.

“Cash, this is incredible.”

“It is, isn’t it?” With his thumb, he nudged back his hat brim. “When I was a kid, I spent a lot of summer days splashing around in this water. Now, well, I rarely make it here. Always seems to be too much to do.”

He dismounted and reached up to help her down. Pulling her close, her body slid down the length of his till her booted feet touched the ground. Heat built in her. And, she noticed, in him. He held her close for several seconds, then stepped back.

Her heart hammered so loudly she figured he couldn’t help but hear it.

Removing his Stetson, he swiped the back of one arm across his forehead. “Wish this heat would break. It’s so damned hot, Paco said the hens are laying hard-boiled eggs today.”

She swatted at him. “I have my doubts about those chickens of yours, but I sure can’t argue the heat. It’s brutal.” She looked longingly at the water and wondered if she dared go wading.

“Ever been skinny-dipping?”

Her eyes widened. “No.”

He undid his first button.

She stared at it. “You can’t be serious.”

“Sugar, it’s a hundred in the shade. There’s cool, spring-fed water in that pond.”

“I can’t—”

“Sure you can. Come on.” He reached for the hem of her tank top. When his fingers curled beneath and touched her bare midriff, a shiver went through her.

She shook her head and backed up a step.

“Let your hair down, Annie,” he whispered. “Come swimming with me. You know you want to.”

“It’s the middle of the day, Cash. Somebody will see us.”

He made a face. “Annie, we’re smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. Not another soul for miles and miles. It’s just you and me.” His voice had grown husky.

“I can’t.” Her gaze moved to the trees, the surrounding fields.

“Okay.” He released his hold on the hem of her shirt and yanked his own over his head.

She almost swallowed her tongue. The sun turned washboard abs golden. He undid the button on his jeans.

“Change your mind? I’ll tell you again. There’s no one else anywhere around, Annie.”

A delicious thrill ran along her backbone. He was right. They were alone. No one to spy on them, to sell their secret moment. She and Cash, all alone beneath this gorgeous Texas sky. Did she dare grab this gift and enjoy?

“Annie?”

Her glance landed on his hands as he reached for the zipper on his jeans. A trail of dark hair led from his chest and disappeared into his jeans. The male. What a phenomenal animal, so different in all the best possible ways.

Flustered, she bit her bottom lip.

“Okay, darlin’. But I’ve gotta be honest. I’m not gonna turn my back on this.” He nodded toward the pond. “You can stay right here on dry ground and watch me enjoy it.”

Her hand snaked out, touched his, then jerked back as she realized where his hand rested. Where hers had gone. She wet her lips with her tongue. “Can I leave my underclothes on?”

“Technically, that’s not skinny-dipping.”

“Cash—”

“Okay, go ahead. It’ll make for a soggy ride home, but sure, if that’s what you want to do.”

“Will you leave yours on?”

“What makes you think I wear any?”

Her mouth dropped open.

He laughed and chucked her chin. “Kidding, Annie. Yeah, I’ll leave my boxers on if it’ll make you feel better.” He stepped out of his jeans and kicked them off to the side. “Last one in’s a rotten egg,” he yelled over his shoulder.

She watched as he splashed his way into the water. Taking a deep breath, she shed her jeans and tank and joined him.

The water was warmer than she’d expected. The soft, slimy bottom gushed between her toes. Flopping onto her back, she let go of the day and floated. Overhead, huge fluffy clouds drifted across a brilliantly blue sky.

Could it get any better than this?

From the oak, a bird serenaded her, made her think of Cash in the barn earlier. The man had a beautiful singing voice. Husky. Sexy. A bedroom voice that made her think of rumpled sheets and candlelight.

She heard a splash behind her a second before Cash’s hands caught her around the waist and pulled her to him, her back against his front. His callused hands, so different from Douglas’s soft ones, sent tingles through her. Goose bumps danced over her skin. Here was the spark, the sizzle that had never been there before, not with Douglas or any other man.

One of those oh-so-male hands moved from her waist up her torso, skimming the side of her breast with a feather-light whisper. Annelise didn’t even try to stop the small sound that forced its way out of her.

Moving his hand to her neck, Cash brushed her hair aside and dropped soft kisses on the back of her neck, trailed heat around the side to her ear and nibbled the lobe. She sank into him, fitted herself to his rock-hard body. Every inch of it. His male hardness pressed against her backside. This man was killing her slowly.

The water rose and fell against them, warm, soft velvet.

When his hand moved from her neck to her front, the thin camisole provided no protection, no barrier. Her nipples stood at full attention, aching for his touch. His other arm encircled her, his big hand resting on her stomach.

He curled his fingers over the edge of her camisole. “This is wet. You should get out of it before you catch your death of cold.”

“You’re probably right.”

She lifted her arms in invitation, and Cash, inch by inch, removed it, tossing it to the grassy edge. His boxers landed beside it.

When he reached for her panties, though, nerves got the better of her, and she splashed away from him.

“You okay?”

She pushed the hair from her face and looked over her shoulder to where he stood. The water lapped at his waist; the sun bronzed his skin. And she realized she was okay. Very okay.

Suddenly feeling very light-hearted, she laughed. “I am. I think, though, that maybe you should have to work a little harder for this last little bit. If you can catch me…”

A lazy smile on his face, he watched as she played in the lake. Feeling like a kid, she sent a spray of water in his direction. He disappeared beneath the surface and swept her off her feet. In seconds, her panties joined her camisole in the grass.

“Annie, you’re perfection. You take my breath away.” He caught her hand in his and entwined their fingers, turning her till they faced one another. With his lips a breath away from hers, he asked, “You gonna kiss me?”

Her gaze moved to his eyes, back to those sensual lips, then returned to those green eyes, gone dark now with need. She answered, not with words, but with lips that ached for the touch of his, hungered for everything he offered.

His hands slid down her body, touched the spot between her legs, and she bowed back. He fed on her breasts, tasted her body. Her hands roamed the length of him, touching everywhere.

Annelise decided it was a good thing they were in the water. Otherwise, they’d have certainly set off a brushfire with the heat they created.

When she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, Cash swooped her up, hand behind her knees, and headed for the bank. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him hungrily.

Reaching the grassy bank, he slowly lowered her to her feet, never taking his mouth from hers. Then, drawing back, he ran a tanned finger over one ivory breast. “Hot-damn but you’re beautiful, Annie.”

He left her for a moment to remove a quilt from his saddlebag. With one fluid motion, he spread it on the ground, then crooked a finger at her. He lay down on the cool cotton, and she joined him.

Within minutes, she was smoldering again. The man had magic hands. And his mouth—oh!

When he reached in his jeans and pulled out protection, Annelise stiffened. The moment of truth.

Oh, God.

She pushed on his chest. “Wait.”

He groaned and dropped his forehead to hers. “Not again. Please.” The words were hardly loud enough for her to hear.

“No, not again.” She kissed the side of his neck where his pulse throbbed. “I want to do this.” She gave a shaky laugh. “Believe me, I’m more than ready. But before we do, we need to talk.”

“Talk? Now?” He groaned again, then took her hand in his, trailed it down his body. “I need you. Feel me, Annie. Feel what you do to me.”

Her sigh was ragged. “There’s something you need to know.”

“Later.” He pulled her back to him.

“No.” She shook her head. “Now.”

“Annie, you’re killing me.” He rolled off, scrubbing his hands over his face. Then he turned his head on the blanket to look at her. “What? What’s so darned important it can’t wait?”

“I’ve…” She swallowed. “I’ve never done this before.”

She swore all the blood drained from him. His suntanned face paled. But he didn’t move a muscle.

“What are you saying?”

She licked Sahara-dry lips. “I’ve never been with a man, Cash. Not like this.”

He jerked to a sitting position and stared down at her. “You’re a virgin?”

Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Don’t make it sound…dirty…or like I’ve got some sickness or a disease. There are reasons. Valid reasons.”

He shook his head. “I’m sure there are, but for the life of me, I can’t imagine what they might be. You’re twenty-six years old.”

“I know that. But you need to understand that for me, sex isn’t simple.”

“Don’t guess it should be.”

Surprised, she tilted her head. “You’re right.” She brushed back the hair that had fallen over his forehead. “School has kept me busy, then the business.”

He shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not buying that. You can always find time for…this.”

She frowned. “Okay. The biggest reason? It comes down to simple logistics. I could never figure out how to manage it.”

His brows shot up, then he sent her a slow smile that had her already racing pulse rocketing to the stratosphere. “I believe I can help you with that, darlin’. Come here. I’ll show you. I’ll be your personal tutor. One-on-one instruction.” He reached for her.

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t mean the logistics of the actual physical act. I might not ever have…you know, but I have a pretty good idea about what goes where.” Her face flamed, and she covered it with her hand.

He drew it away and laced their fingers together. “Honey, this isn’t something to be ashamed or embarrassed about. Sex is a natural act.”

“Spoken like a man. Okay. It’s—well, I’m never alone, Cash. Until now, here in Maverick Junction. Everywhere I go, my bodyguards, my driver, the paparazzi are right there. And it’s amazing how many people recognize me. I can’t check into a hotel or go home with a man. I sure can’t take them to my place, since I still live with my parents. And how pathetic is that?”

“Yeah, guess all that would present a problem.” His mouth quirked.

She nudged him in the side. “I’m serious.”

“Honey, believe me, so am I.”

She started to move away, but he reached out and grasped her wrist. “No you don’t. Come back here.” He bent over her until his lips met hers. His kisses were soft and tender.

Then he deepened the kiss till she was certain her soul was being consumed. Heat erupted, and her hand skimmed his bare thigh.

“You honor me, Annie, allowing me to be your first.”

Her first. But, even now, he didn’t want to be her last. She understood that. This wasn’t forever. She closed her eyes, determined to enjoy the moment. To live in the here and now.

“I want to make this good for you. Special.” He nibbled his way down to her belly button. “I can’t believe this, but I’m nervous.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” she whispered.

“Should be.”

“Well, I’m not.” She curled her fingers into his hair and arched her back. His arm moved beneath her, pulled her closer still.

Her thoughts fragmented when he entered her. A tiny burning sensation, then her entire world shifted on its axis. Whatever she’d imagined paled as waves of intoxicating pleasure swept through her.

They lay side by side, snuggled into each other, holding hands. The sun beat down on them, warming their skin. Cash stroked a hand over the curve of her waist, along the smooth skin, and felt the shiver run through her.

He’d practically sweat bullets. Even at fourteen, he’d dated older girls. He’d never been somebody’s first. At that initial resistance, he’d nearly pulled out. Nearly given in to his panic. But she’d moved her hips, urging him to take more. And he had. God, he had.