Way Out West (2 page)

So, she must be the
Callie the office had paged and this motorcyclist was someone she was avoiding.
Rand watched as the bearded rider raced along outside the fence, searching
among the groups waiting to board the coaches, barking out Callie’s name.

Unable to find her, he
rolled back toward the way station, but stopped when he saw Rand near the
stable. “Hey, dude, is anyone left in there?”

Rand
steadied his nervous horse then glanced back,
detecting a hint of yellow tucked behind the gray weathered door. “Nope, just a
couple of old mares and one filly.”

The biker impatiently
jerked his head toward the way station. “Is everyone out of there?”

The stallion
sidestepped, anxious to get away from the noisy machine. Rand patted the sleek
black neck for assurance. “Yep, I was the last one out. I like to ride into
town. You looking for someone in particular?”

“Yeah, my woman,” he
answered gruffly. “Skinny thing, long blond hair. Name’s Callie. You seen her?”

Rand
lifted his hat. “Can’t say that I have.”

A sound like that of a
disturbed bear escaped the bushy mouth. “I checked at the office but they say
all guests’ names are confidential and she didn’t answer her page.”

“Looks like you came all
the way out here for nothing, then. Unless you want to sign up for a weekend
stay, check out the town for yourself. It’s a great escape vacation.”

Another animal sound
preceded his response. “Bah. Her dimwitted roommate probably got it all wrong.”

“Well, if I run into her
I’ll tell her you were here.”

With a grunt, the biker
revved up the engine and sped off. As the dust of his trail disappeared on the
horizon, Rand tapped a heel into his horse’s side, and trotted to the stable
door.

“You can come out now.”

Callie took a few
uncertain steps out, then quickly ran to peer over the fence. Rand’s gaze
easily followed her movements.

“He’s gone.”

“No thanks to you.”

“I beg your pardon. I
told him you weren’t here.”

“And you also invited
him to stay for the weekend.”

Urging his horse close
to the fence, Rand chuckled lightly and crossed his hands atop the saddle horn.
“Just a little reverse psychology. Clearly he had no intention of staying.”

Her attention turned to
the departing coaches way off in the distance. With clenched fists on her
shapely hips, she grumbled, “Great. Now how do I get into town?”

He shifted in the creaky
saddle. “Ride in like me.”

She stamped her foot and
scowled. “I can’t ride!”

Rand
pushed his hat back above his forehead. “It
doesn’t look like you have much choice.”

“I’ll just stay here and
wait for another coach.”

“There won’t be one. This
is Friday. They’ll stay in town until the next group of guests leaves on
Sunday.” Rand bit back an odd mixture of mirth and irritation. “This isn’t an
amusement park where you wait in line for the next ride. It’s an
honest-to-goodness real life town and the sooner you get used to that idea, the
better off you’ll be.”

“Then, I’ll walk.” She
defiantly turned her head in the direction of the narrow road.

He shook his head. “It’s
at least three miles of bumpy, rocky, rut-filled dirt road peppered with horse
droppings as big as land mines.” He looked down at her shuffling boots. “Ought
to do wonders for your aching feet.”

“What am I supposed to
do?” she pleaded. “I can’t ride.”

His smile came easily. “My
offer is still open. I’ll be glad to assist you.”

She glared at him but
flinched when the horse’s tail twitched near her face. Grimacing, she turned a
delicate heel and walked around them.

“Fine, I’ll get a horse.”

Rand
slid down from the saddle, pulling the mount
behind him, and caught up with her as she tromped toward the stable. “Haven’t
you ever been on a horse?”

She stared straight
ahead. “Yeah. On a merry-go-round.”

He laughed out loud. “Seriously.
You’ve never ridden?”

“Seriously, no!”

“Not even on a pony ride
when you were a kid?”

She stopped and glowered
at him. “We lived in the city. Pony rides weren’t a major attraction.”

Rand
surrendered, raising up his hands. “Didn’t mean
to pry. Like the manual says, you don’t have to divulge your private life.”

He continued behind her,
leading his horse in silence. Her hips swayed as she moved with purpose in her
step. He studied the tight-fitting dress and knew she’d never get in the saddle
that way. This should be interesting.

“What are you smiling
at?” she asked when they reached the stable.

He adjusted his hat. “Just
wondering how you’re going to manage that skirt.” He tied his horse and went
into the stable, leaving her staring down at her dress. “Slim!” he called
ahead, “You got a nice quiet mare for this lady?”

She waited outside,
remembering how the smells inside had almost taken her breath away when she hid
from Spider.

So did the sight of Rand, for that matter. The man was positively...masculine. She’d felt his eyes on her as
she walked ahead of him. He was a gentleman in character, yet there was a
subtle undercurrent that oozed with every move and word.

She wondered where he
came from and what he did for a living. She sure couldn’t picture him at a
desk. He seemed too physical to be tied to an indoor job. Yet, he looked
comfortable in a suit and his manners were practiced.

Maybe he was just good
at role playing, like her. Heck, she’d played a perfect daughter, a studious
college student, an attentive fiancée. She’d even pretended to enjoy riding on
the back of a motorcycle.

No reason she couldn’t
pretend she liked this job.

Rand
emerged with a tired-looking horse. She laughed
at the sight of the determined man pulling the reluctant beast.

“What did you do, wake
her up?”

“Now, now. Old Sally’s a
fine animal. Aren’t you girl?” He patted the hanging head. “Come on, I’ll hoist
you up.”

Callie suspiciously eyed
his cupped hands waiting to take her foot. “I don’t know if that’s such a good
idea.”

“Do you want to try
climbing up on your own?” His gaze skimmed her dress again.

She tried spreading her
legs to see how far the skirt went, but it wasn’t far enough for her to get her
foot in the stirrup. She took a step closer to Rand.

“Okay, but you better
not drop me.”

“Ma’am, I’d just as soon
stomp on my hat than drop you.”

She frowned. Was that a
good thing? She placed an unsteady foot in his palms and one hand on the horse.
Rand started lifting her but her leg wobbled.

“Lock your knee,” he
instructed.

When she did, she felt
herself sail through the air and she grabbed for the saddle. Unfortunately, she
landed with her stomach across the curved leather and knew if she moved she’d
do an unceremonious slide off the snorting animal.

“Help me!” she said with
a grunt.

“Sorry, ma’am, but you
were supposed to land on your backside, not your stomach. You can’t very well
ride like that.” She heard the laughter in his voice, but all she could see was
the hard, dusty ground far below her.

“I know that. Help me
down.”

Strong hands grabbed at
her waist. They held her for a tad longer than seemed necessary before guiding
her down the side of the saddle and gently setting her on her feet.

Callie looked up at the
brown eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat, eyes that shimmered with amusement.
Pushing back a few strands of hair, she felt a flush on her face and knew it
was as much from his touch as from being upside down.

“Okay. Let’s try that
one more time.” She breathed heavily. “This time tell me when you’re lifting.”

“Gotcha. I’ll count to
three.” Rand poked his hat back. “Put your hand on my shoulder to steady
yourself.”

She had a feeling he was
getting far too much pleasure from this, but she did as he said and lifted her
foot to his hands.

“One, two, three.”

She sailed into the air
again, this time landing on her bottom with her legs dangling off one side. But
the awkward shape of the saddle made her squirm and she wobbled uncertainly.

“Grab the horn,” Rand yelled.

“What?”

“The horn, hang on to
it.”

Horn? What horn? She
turned to look for something to grab and when she did, she began to slip down. Instantly,
he was at her waist again, his hands guiding her to the ground once more.

“I can’t do this! It’s
impossible in this dress.”

Rand
looked around. Everyone had gone. They were
alone. “Look, forgive my forwardness, but perhaps if you hiked up your skirt we
could get your leg over the saddle.

Callie narrowed her eyes
and stood with her hands on her hips for a minute, allowing her frustration to
settle. Letting out a huff of air, she bent down to her calves and lifted her
hem, not at all sure why she listened to him. She brought the skirt knee high,
straightened up and looked him in the eye.

“Are you sure there’s no
other way into town?” she asked skeptically.

“Positive.” His mustache
twitched as he hid a smile.

Rolling her eyes in
despair, she lifted the skirt higher, testing to see how far she could spread
her knees. By the time the skirt was at the middle of her upper legs, she knew
she’d never get them far enough apart without revealing a whole lot of flesh. Watching
Rand raise his hat and mop his brow on his sleeve, she knew he’d come to the
same realization.

She quickly dropped the
hem. “This isn’t going to work.”

Rand
let out a breath. “Don’t you have bloomers on?”

“What do I need bloomers
for? These clothes are hot enough without more underneath.”

“A proper lady always
wears bloomers.”

A proper lady? Was he
joking? “And what does a proper lady do when she can’t get on a horse and ride?”

Rand
stared for a minute, letting his brown eyes
pierce her gaze with that knowing, mirthful look. Callie bristled at his
delayed response but warmed to the appreciation in his eyes.

“Why, she allows the
gentleman to take her on his horse,” he said, mischief tainting his mellow
tone.

Turning, she stared at
the large black horse that stamped impatiently and the saddle that didn’t look
big enough for one, let alone two.

But what choice did she
have? They could stay here all day, trying to get her up on her own saddle. If
they succeeded, there was no guarantee she’d stay on it for the three-mile
ride. And even if she did, she had no idea how to steer the thing!

She swung back to face Rand, her arms folded across her midriff. “Okay, let’s do it. I’m getting tired of standing
out here in the hot sun.” She nodded at the mare. “So is Sally.”

Flashing a broad smile, Rand led Sally back into the stable and emerged a moment later with a distinct strut. With
his black tailored suit and self-assured carriage, he was a perfect match for
the magnificent stallion. She handed him her parcel, which he slipped into the
saddlebag.

“It won’t be the most
comfortable ride,” he said, almost apologetically, “but at least you’ll be
safe.” He slapped the saddle. “Are you ready?”

“How are we going to do
this?” She bit her lip nervously.

“With your permission, I’m
going to lift you onto the saddle sideways. Then I’ll mount behind you.”

Her eyes widened. “How
come you didn’t lift me before?”

He shrugged casually. “Would
you have stayed on?”

Good point. “Okay. Just
don’t let me fall.”

Rand
read the trusting plea in her eyes as he bent
down to cinch her waist. His fingers felt the softness of her curves and the
warmth of her skin through the light cotton fabric. His throat went dry, parched
like the land they were about to travel.

His legs as shaky as a
colt’s, he lifted her featherweight form up to the saddle and held her steady. The
beauty of her face melted his reserve as she blinked with relief that she’d
made it up safely.

“Now, grab the saddle
horn and hold on.” Rand removed his hat and mopped his brow again. This was not
what he’d planned for the week. He’d come to get away from his hectic life. A
saucy lady wasn’t in his cards.

He placed his hat back
on his head, laced the reins over the horse’s mane, and grabbed the horn. “Hang
on,” he warned as the saddle shifted with his weight in the stirrup. Before she
could lose her balance, he’d settled himself behind her and snaked an arm
around her middle.