The Reluctant Rancher (9 page)

“
I wish I could ride.
”

“
Have you ever ridden?
”
Luke moved closer. So close that his breath stirred the fine tendrils of hair
at
the nape of her neck and his lungs filled with her soft lemon scent.
 
Despite his suggestion, she’d pulled her
hair in a ponytail once again.
She looked cute and sassy.
 
And desirable.
 
Damned desirable.
 
Like a bolt of lightening he realized he wanted to make love to this woman.

Make love hell, Tanner, his libid
o shouted, you want to have sex. Hot, raw sex. And not just to prove you could
.
 
Making love required a commitment of emotion, something he shied away from giving.
 
That brought him up short.
 
Had his heart betrayed his body?
 
Had he lost the ability to be a man through his unwillingness to admit to being human?
 
To acknowledge the fact that he needed the warmth and closeness of someone other than himself?

“
No,
”
Mary answered, breaking into his thoughts.
 
“
I never learned to ride.
 
My family never stayed in one place long enough to own a house, much less a horse.
”

“
You should have gotten one of the boys to teach you last year at that camp,
”
he said.
 
He knew she’d been there but hadn’t spoken to her.
 
They few times he’d gone out to the site she’d been surrounded by children.
 
And now that he gave it some thought, he realized
that
he had never seen Mary on a horse during the month and a half she’d been on the ranch.

The look she threw him spoke volumes.

“
What?
”
he scowled darkly.

“
I didn’t want to find myself hanging at the end of a rope, strung up for being a horse thief,
”
she replied tongue-in-cheek.

“
Very funny,
”
he said, his brows drawing together even more.
 
“
I did not say that.
”

“
Whatever you say, Mr. Tanner. Whatever you say.
”
 
Her smile lit up her face and Luke felt the kick all the way to his soul.

“
Well, since you didn’t take advantage of my kindness last summer, I’ll give you a lesson now.
 
If you want,
”
he offered.
 
He could picture Mary riding across the open range, her long hair whipping about her like a silver mane.
 
The picture brought a rare smile to his rough features.

“
Oh, Luke, would you really?
”
 
With a squeal of delight, she grabbed his hand and pull
ed him inside the barn.

Luke followed
,
savoring the unexpected feel of her hand i
n his.
 
Once inside, he
reluctantly l
et her go
and headed to the nearest stall.

“
This is Lady Jane.
”
 
He rubbed the patch of white on the nose of a beautiful sorrel mare.
 
“
Come get acquainted.
”

“
She’s beautiful.
 
Aren’t you girl?
”
 
Mary cooed.
The large wet nose nudge
d her hand and she laughed as she opened
her hand to show the animal it was empty.
 
“
Not today.
 
You had your treat yesterday.
”

“
So you’re the one who’s been spoiling my prize ponies.
”
 
Luke’s voice held a teasing note as he handed her a chunk of carrot. He watched as she fed the mare her treat, feeling his gut tighten.
 
She looked right at home in his barn.
 
In his ho
use.
 
In his bed.

“
Guilty as charged.
 
Joseph and I give them
a treat on the mornings we walk
.
 
But I really want to feed
him
. You’re both always
gone when we walk.
”
 
She started toward the black stallion housed apart from the others.

Luke moved with surprising swiftness for a man his size to come between her and the horse.
 
“Stay away from Lucifer,
”
he ordered, a
ll traces of teasing erased from voice.

He had been out early, sleep eluding him yet again.
He’d come back to the house for more fencing supplies.
The great stallion
snort
ed
and paw
ed
the hard
packed earth beneath at the sound of his owner’s sharp tone.

“
Take it e
asy, boy.
”
Luke soothed the anxious horse.
 
He took the bridle in a firm grip and reached into his pocket.
 
Withdrawing another large chunk of carrot, he hesitated before feeding the animal.

“
Well, don’t just stand there.
He motioned her forward.
Since you’ve already spoiled the others, you might as well learn how to feed him.
”

Mary eagerly held out her hand.
 
“
I thought you said to stay away from him?
”

“
Only when you’re by yourself.
 
And don’t get smart with me, lady.
”
He straightened out her fingers and placed the carrot in the flat of her palm.
 
“
Feed him like this. Otherwise you might end up missing a finger or two. Lucifer likes to bite.
”

He stroked the velvety muzzle as the horse picked the treat from her hand.
 
“
Did grandpa tell you about the accident?
”

Mary shook her head, giggling as the horse’s lips tickled her palm.
 
Despite Luke’s warning, Lucifer ate with surprising delicacy.

“
He
came out to feed this
beast and got
pinned against the
stall.
 
He’d fed him a hundred times before, but Lucifer is unpredictable at best.
”
 
He looked her straight in the eye and said again,
“
S
tay away from him unless I’m with you.
”

Their eyes
held for long seconds until she
nodded in agreement.
 
“
Which horse can I ride?
”

Taking a blanket from the wall, Luke saddled the red sorrel.
 
“
We’ll go with Lady Jane for now.
 
If you’re a very good girl, I might take you out on Lucifer someday.
”

“
Oh, goody, goody.
 
The master has spoken,
”
she muttered under her breath.

“
What?
”
Luke asked, having heard
 
every word.

“
Nothing,
”
she said, smiling sweetly
.

He threw her a knowing look and
positioned the left stirrup.
“
Put one foot
here and swing yourself over her
back.
”
 
He gave her a boost
. H
is hand
 
linger
ed
 
a bit longer than necessary on
the soft curve of her derriere.

“
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
”
 
Once seated, Mary clutched the saddle horn with both hands and he saw a small glimmer of fear appear in her gray eyes. He paid no attention to her protest and led
the horse slowly from the barn.

“
Relax, sweetheart.
 
Feel the movement of the horse.
”
 
He watched as she accusto
med herself to Lady Jane’s gait.
They took several turns around the corral before Luke let out the rope, spurring Lady Jane into a faster rhythm.

Before long, the rain which had threatened all morning came with a vengeance
.
Luke reined in Lady Jane
and
help
ed
Mary dismount.
 
His fingers gripped her waist
and her
loose
 
shirt bunched beneath his hands.
 
He frowned as he realized she used her clothing as a shield to hide herself from the world.
 
And
 
from him.
 
Instantly he imagined her draped in something clingy and silky.
 
Revealing.

“Come on.
”
He pulled her
into the dryness of the barn. Within min
utes he had Lady Jane unsaddled, rubbed down
and back in her stall.
 
He leaned against the rail as he removed his hat. A quick shake of his head dispelled the drops of rain that had gathered. Outside, the rain fell in sheets
,
hitting the metal roof of the barn.
 
The hay in the loft muffled the sound, cocoonin
g them in a world all their own.

He watched
for several minutes as she rubbed her arms against the chill in the air.
 
Finally he tugged her into the V of his splayed legs and moved her hands out of the way.
His body tightened as he noted the contrast of the color of their skin and the compatibility of their sizes.
 
He had always felt uncomfortable around Debbie and most of the other women he dated.
 
As if at any moment he might break them in two if he held them too hard.
 
He had never once allowed his passion to become uncontrollable for fear he would hurt them.
 
With sudden insight, he knew those feelings had contributed to his performance – or lack thereof
–
on his wedding night.

But with Mary he could see himself completely losing control.
 
His instincts told him she would be the perfect lo
ver in so many ways.

“
You’re going to freeze to death,
”
he muttered as he briskly rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

“
Oh, why did it have to rain?
”
Mary’s voice held a breathless quality which he hoped resulted more from his touch than the short ride.

“
It’s just as well,
”
he answered, his own voice a husky drawl.
 
“
If you’d ridden for much longer, you’d have been too sore to move in the morning.
”

Instantly they both became aware of the double entendre and his fingers tighten
ed on her waist.

“
Don’t look at me like that,
”
he demanded
.

“
Like what?
”

He stared at her until bright red color flooded her face, his eyebrow arched.
“
You don’t know much about men, do you?
”
Luke
muttered as he
tugged at the clip that bound her hair, freeing it to his touch.
 
The long, blonde strands fell in waves about her shoulders. He wanted to bury his face in the silky softness.
 
Instead he trailed his
fingers through it
and r
elished the shudder that
run through her frame.
 
“
I think I deserve a thank you for teaching you how to ride, don’t you?
”