The Cattle Drive [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic) (6 page)

Rachael watched Chris smile as he leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek. It was in that instance that Rachael knew she felt nothing. She was once again that frozen piece of nothingness, as if her heart had evaporated, removing all sense of feeling.

“I know, Rach, but someone has to keep you in line, and the town has given me that job. So behave, and I will see you tomorrow.” She watched Chris shake Michael’s hand one more time, get in his squad car, and drive away.

She stood there with Mystic’s reins in her hands when she felt Michael walked up behind her. He was close. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and he hadn’t even touched her yet. Her emotions were going haywire. For the longest time, that was the one thing she was able to control. And now, she couldn’t even stop her own body from responding.

“Thank you for coming, Rachael,” he said in a soft whisper. Rachael slowly turned around and realized that he was a lot closer than she thought.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “It was my pleasure.”

Michael smiled and replied, “I just realized, I don’t even know your last name,” already knowing but wanting to keep her there a little longer. Why, he didn’t know. It was just something, a feeling inside him. He wanted to know her. Quickly shaking off the feeling, he tried to pay attention.

“It’s Mason.”

“Like the sheriff’s?” he questioned.

“Chris is my brother-in law,” she answered.

“Ah…I see.”

Rachael quickly turned to climb onto Mystic. Michael reached out for her hand, and when he caught it, she stopped and turned to face him once more.

“I am so sorry, Rachael. I didn’t mean to bring it up again,” he said, putting both hands on her shoulders.

Rachael looked up at him and smiled. “It’s okay. It’s been a long time,” she said, moving closer to him.

Standing there, looking down into her abyss of emerald-green eyes, a little voice inside him said,
“Don’t do it!
” but the other said,
“Oh hell yes!”

It had been a very long time since he’d had a beautiful woman this close to him, even longer with the feelings he was feeling at this very moment. Her hand was light as a feather against him. He liked the feel of her touch. Before he knew what was happening, Rachael put her other hand on his chest and slowly raised herself toward him. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and bent his head down to her wanting lips.

Not saying anything, he watched as Rachael softly ran her hands over his chest. He felt the surge of electricity shoot through his system. His breathing quickly increased, making his heart pound.

She was soft as silk and tasted like honey. She was so sweet. The fire burning under her hands quickly ran through him like quicksilver.

He was once again alive.

He held her tightly as he softly kissed her lips. The craving ran deep within him, and he wanted more. Michael couldn’t stop himself. With the tip of his tongue, he slowly parted her moist lips, taking her mouth. Inhaling all of her, he moaned. He tasted her soul as she gave it all to him. Rachael felt from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, she was warm. The cold and bitterness evaporated, filling her entire body with the intensity of his touch. A need she hadn’t felt in years had wrapped itself around her in a blanket. Raising her hands up around his neck, she felt him gently pull her closer to him. She was in his arms.

It had been so long since Rachael felt the touch of another man, let alone allowed herself to be free. But the moment her lips merged with his, all her dormant senses awakened within her.

His lips were soft yet masculine. His touch tender but firm. He controlled the kiss, taking from her what he needed, but allowing her the time to open up freely. His soft scent of sandalwood enveloped her, sending her senses into a tailspin of wonder and enlightenment. She craved more. She wanted more. He was more that she bargained for, and now, she was desperately falling fast into the unknown.

Dizzy from the taste of him, Rachael released him.

“I better be gettin’ home,” she said, gasping for air.

Michael slowly lowered her back to the ground, removing his arms from around her. He stood there watching her mount the Appaloosa. When she turned, she whispered, “Thank you, Michael. I had a nice time.” Before he could respond, she gave the horse a swift kick, and soon she was flying across the field.

Michael stood there for the longest time. The realization of what he had just done angered him. He started shaking his head, and it didn’t take long for him to kick himself. “What in the hell are you doing?” he muttered to himself. “Couldn’t just say good night, could ya? Oh no! You had to go and kiss her. Way to go, moron.”

Turning back to the house, he still cussed himself for what he had done.

Never in his thirty-five years had he ever acted so foolishly.
Damn it, man! You’re not a teenager.
What irked him the most was how his body had responded to her. Hell yes, she was beautiful, and boy did she taste good, but that was still no excuse for what he did.

You’re supposed to be the practical one, the responsible one, not the impulsive idiot. That was Mitchell, not you. Hell, you know better. If your brothers were here, they would never let you live it down, and thank god they weren’t. He could just hear them now. “Not Mikie! He doesn’t even know how to handle a woman. He’ll mess it up. He’s too sensitive. She needs a real man, not some car salesman!” He just shook his head, trying to forget the whole thing, but as he licked his lips, he tasted her once more.

Crap!

He wasn’t going to be able to forget it, and he knew it.

All through dinner he sat there, watching her. The way she sat, talked, and smiled intrigued him. He knew she enjoyed herself. Hell, she’d even laughed a couple of times, which, when she did, set off several bells within him. Her laughter sounded like angels singing. But what affected him most was her attentiveness to Henry. She seemed genuinely immersed with everything he said. She showed interest when he talked about school and some concern when he mentioned never riding a horse before.

Just being near her did something to him. He had to force himself to not reach out to her, but when she moved her hair to the side, he literally had to sit on his hands to keep from touching her. The air around swirled around him with her scent, vanilla and lilacs. A clean, fresh scent that he was quickly getting drunk on.

But damn, that kiss!

One thing he was sure of. She was going to need his help, and for some perverse reason he really liked this woman. He didn’t know how he was going to help her, but he did know he wanted to know more about her.

It was one hot day. The sun was beating down on her as she sat atop Mystic. Sweat dripping down her back, her hat hung low to shield her eyes from the blazing sun. She tried hard to tune out the two bickering ranch hands.

She had enough to deal with, with the upcoming cattle drive. Miles and miles of fence to scour and mend, cattle to sort, orders to get ready, new ranch hands to train…add the fact that she had no sleep whatsoever last night, and she was in one of her wonderful foul moods.

Closing her eyes, trying everything she could to tune out the bickering men, she tried to forget what had been on her mind the whole night.

Him!

Rachael had met some ballsy men in her life. Hell, she even married one, but for a complete and total stranger to kiss her like that was inexcusable. What pissed her off even more was the way she reacted.

Shit, girl!
You damn near jumped him right there with his teenage son only fifteen feet from you, she thought to herself.

Yes, it has been a very long time since you had a man’s hands on you, let alone his lips, but damn, you’re married. You can’t go around kissing every male thing on the planet like that, even if it did taste good. It isn’t right, let alone decent.

Then it hit her.

Like a force known only to God, the air was ripped out of her. She wasn’t married anymore.

She was widowed.

She was alone.

There was no husband waiting for her at home. There was no one.

For the last two years she had held out for the hope that the accident was a bad dream, some nightmare that she would soon wake up from. She waited for the day that she would walk into her bedroom and there would be Robert, waiting for her. But he was never going to be there. He was gone. The rush of emotions flooded her like a tsunami slamming into her heart. As the realization hit her, a door closed within her, signaling the end of a chapter in her life. She was single once again, and there was nothing that she could do about it.

Her head was throbbing, the pressure pounding against her temples. Realizing the finality of her husband’s death and listening to the bickering men was too much. She needed to get away. She quickly looked for an escape. She wanted to be alone. Besides, she just wasn’t in any mood to deal with Kenny or Justin, her ranch hands that had worked with her from the very beginning.

The day was one complication after the other. Adding to her frustrations, Kenny had just informed her that Justin left the corral open.

Lowering her head, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she listened to the men.

“I think I know how to lock a corral,” Justin firmly said.

“Yeah, just like you know how to saddle a horse,” Kenny replied.

“That was only one time, ’cause I was too hungover to even walk.”

“And what about sorting the herd?”

“How was I supposed to know I needed glasses? Besides, I wasn’t the one who drove the truck into northeast fence.”

“It was dark, and the lights weren’t working!”

Rachael shouted, “Enough! You two are driving me nuts.”

“Sorry, boss lady,” they both said in unison.

“Stop calling me that!”

Together they looked at each other and smiled. “Yes, boss lady.”

Rachael ran her hand down her face out of annoyance, when she heard a truck approaching. Sitting on the saddle, she turned and saw Henry slowly driving across the range. Instantly looking to the sky above, she whispered, “thank God,” and turned Mystic and rode out to meet him.

“Hey, Henry, what brings you out here?” she said as she came to a stop near the truck.

“I’m looking for a summer job. I heard that you are looking for some summer hands to help you here on the farm?” he asked, getting out of his old beat-up ’57 Chevy.

“Well first, this isn’t a farm, it’s a ranch. I raise cattle for breeding and for beef. Have you ever worked a cattle ranch before?” she asked, amused at the shock on his face.

“This is a cattle ranch? I have been here almost two months, and I have never seen one cow.”

“Longhorn, Henry. They are called Texas Longhorns.” She laughed.

“Well, I still want the job if you are still looking,” he said.

“Well, I don’t know. Since you have never worked a ranch, you would have to be taught everything, and if I remember correctly, you don’t even know how to ride.”

“You are correct.” He laughed.

“Well how about this. School isn’t out for another two months. In that time, you come out here after school and learn the ropes. At the end of two months, we’ll have this discussion again, deal?”

“I can do that,” Henry said, starting his truck. “Thanks, Rachael.”

“Oh, Henry,” Rachael said, getting the kid’s attention. “Next time you come out here to talk to me, make sure your butt is sitting on a horse,” she said, turning Mystic and laughing.

* * * *

The town of Cedar Creek was just a little thing. Compared to most rural towns in the south, this had to be the smallest town in Texas. Mostly ranches and a few farms, Cedar Creek consisted of one main road, a post office that doubled as the local feed store, a simple courthouse, and a small grocery store. The town’s sheriff’s office also housed the local volunteer fire department, mainly three men and one of those men was the sheriff.

The town of Cedar Creek took care of its own.

They had fought many times to keep their small town as simple as possible. Even when the big Walmart chain wanted to build in Cedar Creek, the whole town of over five hundred voted jointly to object to the move. It has been that way for years, and the townsfolk preferred it that way.

Michael liked the feel of the closeness of the tight-knit town. Never once living in Illinois did he ever feel welcome and appreciated for living somewhere, but the town had opened their arms and welcomed him and his son. The feeling of belonging was new to him.

Always the outsider, Michael liked looking at everything from the outside. He preferred it that way. The quietness was what really appealed to him the most. The hustle and bustle of the big city was gone. Now a slow pace eased the tension within him, and soon he found himself relaxing and taking his time. If nothing, the town helped him to realize that there was nothing that important that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow, and he liked that.

Enjoying the ride into town, Michael looked over the passing farms as the day’s hot sun shone through the window. It was going to be another scorcher. He had heard of hot days before, but living in south Texas, this was hot. After living in Illinois, he thought he would never again complain of what he believed to be hot summers. He would give anything for a cool breeze off of the lakes right about now.