Wishing on a Rodeo Moon (Women of Character) (10 page)

"Geez,
Jake, don't do that ― it’s dangerous to sneak up on people."
Amy playfully slapped her brother's arm.

Tye took
in his grass-stained T-shirt with cutoff sleeves, and the rip in the knee of
his faded old jeans. Close-fitting, they hugged his legs, drew her eyes along
their length. Her eyes lifted quickly to his face, and she found him watching
her intently. She all but melted under that gaze.

"Has
Amy revealed all the family secrets?" Jake asked.

He
probably wouldn't like to hear his sister's theory about his love life or lack
thereof.

"If
Tye's going to live with you, she needs to know what goes on around here,"
Amy said, lifting her chin.

"For
the record, squirt, she's not living with me." Jake ruffled Amy's dark
curls with a gentle hand. It was a simple gesture of affection, but it reminded
Tye of the old Jake.

As he
looked down at his sister, Tye gazed at his strong, decisive face, honesty and
caring personified. She wondered how she’d had the strength to walk away
from him. She was older now and maybe a bit wiser or maybe not. She had wanted
to succeed at rodeo ten years ago, and she still wanted the same dream. What
had really changed? She had had plenty of opportunity to do as she pleased, but
Jake hadn’t had that. His life had been mired in duty, and her life had
had a definite lack of it. Tye swallowed hard.

"I
promised to help flip hamburgers." Amy’s voice broke into her
thoughts. "Will I see you later, Tye?"

Tye
hesitated, staring from Amy’s bright eyes to Jake’s watchful gaze.
"I’ll be here for a bit," she said.

"Great."
Amy waved and walked to the other end of the food table, where the barbecue
grills were set up.

Tye
stared at Jake. His gaze made her want to melt in a heap. She wondered if she
was crazy to stay here. She didn’t know Jake anymore, but the old
emotions seemed to be there, right under her skin. Being away from him all
these years and not knowing about his life had been easier than being in the thick
of his life now. What if she saw women at his house, staying the night? She
couldn’t bear the pain. It would be worse than leaving.

With the
hair falling over his forehead and five o'clock shadow darkening his jaw, Tye
wondered how she had ever had the temerity to think Jake could be boring. The
man exuded raw energy, oozed sex appeal as if he had invented it. What she
found really scary was the fact that although he had always seemed unaware of
his attractiveness, she wasn't.

"Looks
like you've had a rough game," she said huskily.

"All
in fun." Jake lifted a brow and his mouth curved with amusement.
"What about you, Tye? Are you having fun?"

She
enjoyed the trickle of sensation making its way across her shoulders.
Jake’s intense gaze made her feel as if she were the only woman for a
mile. "You know me, Jake, I never deny myself fun."

"Maybe
I can add to it," he said softly, reaching out to pull her closer.

Tye
tensed with a mixture of desire and disappointment when his arm settled
platonically on her shoulders. Surely she didn’t want him to kiss her
again?

"I’m
glad you decided to join us," he said. "Come and meet my
friends."

"I
couldn't resist coming over." Tye smiled with real amusement. "I had
to see if you played football in a suit, since I’ve rarely see you in
anything else these last few days."

Jake’s
grin made Tye want to lean forward and kiss his mouth. "You sound like
Amy. She thinks all I know is work. I'm surprised her skill at digging until
she hits a nerve hasn't scared you away."

"She
thinks you need a love life."

Jake
looked startled, then a guarded expression came over his face. "So she's
been telling me."

"The
consensus is you're secretly pining for someone." Tye had always been one
to stir up trouble. She couldn’t stop the words.

Jake’s
light eyes pinned her. "Are you asking?"

"Yes,
I guess I am."

Jake
shook his head. "You were never one to back off, were you, Tye? I have
women friends." He stared at her as if gauging her reaction. "Some
more special than others. Do you have a specific reason for asking?"

Tye
straightened her shoulders and gently twisted out from under Jake’s arm.
"Just curiosity," she lied, telling herself she didn’t need to
know more about him. "After all," she added lightly, "we have
ten years to catch up on."

"Curiosity."
Jake nodded his head, but his eyes seemed to be telling her something else. Tye
felt a leap of emotion. What did he really think about their past relationship?
"What else could it be? We’ve been apart too long to go back."

Tye
forced herself to nod. "That’s right, Jake. It’s been too many
years. We both agree on that." For a moment she wished she could go back,
could erase the old hurt and pain. From time to time she could still see it in
Jake’s eyes ― the memories, the truth between them.

Just
when she thought she would learn something from him, he pulled back.
"Never repeat mistakes," he agreed, his voice hard. He lifted his
gaze to her. "Come on. It's quite painless, meeting my friends. Not as bad
as a trip to the dentist."

Tye
hesitated. "If you recall, we more or less agreed not to invade each
other's privacy."

"Sure.
But one little barbecue doesn't mean we’re sleeping together,"

Jake’s
derisive tone made the color flow into Tye’s cheeks. The words conjured a
surprisingly sensuous picture in her mind. But the derision hurt.

She
found her reaction alarming. Strange sensations assaulted her. The thought
insinuated itself that Jake as a lover would be exciting and unpredictable. A
shiver worked its way across the back of her neck. Don't go there, she warned
herself. Trouble. Delicious trouble.

"Come
on." Jake held out his hand to her.

Tye drew
a fortifying breath. Slowly, she reached out and took it. Feeling his wide palm
engulf hers, his fingers close gently but firmly on her own became quite an
intimate experience.

"On
one condition," she said, holding back a moment. "I'll stay for a
little while, then I’ll leave."

"Done."
His big hand squeezed hers. The smile he gave her warmed her from head to toe.
They walked toward his friends, and Tye knew it was his ingrained consideration
that made him slow his steps to match hers. She held her hand stiffly in his,
all too aware of the trembling of her arm. She had never felt such a sensation
of walking into quicksand in her life, and all because a man was treating her
carefully. A man she still loved, but who no longer saw her as anything but an
old acquaintance.

Tye knew
then and there, for the first time in her life, that she would have to watch
her step. Jake Miller was a dangerous man. A man who could hurt her, if she
were careless. He cared about her getting well, but that was the extent of his
interest. If she wanted to remain whole, she had better remember that.

Around
eleven that night Tye sat on the stone wall in front of the house with Jake
beside her. She waved as the last car drove away, the red taillights
disappearing onto the highway.

Jake
turned to her, one brow lifted, a satisfied smile curving his lips. "So,
on a scale of one to ten, how did meeting my friends rate?"

Tye
deliberately put her nose up in the air. "For such a pushy guy, you have
amazingly nice friends."

Without
thinking about it, she jumped off the low wall, then let out a muffled groan as
her leg began to collapse. Jake took a quick step forward and gripped her upper
arms to support her.

"Easy
there, or you’ll end up in the rose bushes."

Tye
jerked her arms away. "I’m fine." Carefully, she walked
sideways down the steps to the blacktop drive.

"Tired?"
Jake asked.

Tye
nodded stiffly, frustrated by her lack of control over her own body. "When
I've been on this leg too much, it gets a bit sore. I've only been working with
this a short time ― my permanent limb. By that I mean my prosthesis.
Negotiating this ramp sideways takes longer, but it's easier when the leg
bothers me." It was the most explanation she’d offered to anyone
since losing her leg.

Once up
on the porch, Tye turned and looked back at him. "Thanks, I had a good
time. It almost felt like . . ." She paused, biting her lips. She had been
about to say like old times, but that description might ruin the easy
camaraderie they’d found.

"Home?"
Jake suggested.

Tye
nodded. She was no longer the naive innocent of a decade ago. Jake wasn’t
the same man, either. There was a hardness to him she couldn’t get past.
It scared her, that shield he put up against her. Perhaps it was for the best;
it kept them both on safe ground.

Jake's
barbecue hadn't been anything like the parties she was used to. Today there had
been a homey, festive air, despite some good-natured bickering.

Tye
turned back to Jake. "G'night. Thanks, Jake."

Jake
walked toward her. "I always see a lady to her door."

"Really,
Jake, I can manage."

"I
know. Call me old-fashioned."

Tye
looked up at his face, but the clouds passing over the moon kept him in shadow.
She bit her lip again, then blurted, "Listen, Jake, about the rude things
I said the other day ―"

"Which
time?"

Tye
gritted her teeth but then went on. "When I kind of implied you were
boring by teasing you about your box manufacturing business ―"

"Are
you going to take it back?"

"Will
you let me finish?" she said between clenched teeth. He was treating this
as a joke, and she felt only embarrassment over her behavior.

"Sure."
The moon shone through the clouds, and Tye caught his smile as he looked down
at her. She was used to being at eye level with most men, but not Jake. She had
always looked up to him. He managed to make her feel protected.

Tye
turned away abruptly and walked to her door. "Anyway, I'm sorry for what I
implied." Tye stopped by her front door.

Jake
leaned one hand on the dark siding of the house near her head. "What made
you change your mind?"

Now why
did he have to ask that? Tye thought, not having seen the trap. She was no good
at this man-woman thing. Give her a fifteen-hundred-pound bull or a wiry
mustang and she knew what to do. A man she loved, had never stopped loving
― that was another story.

"I
didn’t say I’d changed my mind, well I guess I have. I'm
sorry," she snapped, not used to being twisted up in knots. Jake never
used to act this way. Sexual tension rippled through Tye. She clenched her
fists.

"Apology
accepted." He said with a smile that wasn’t all mockery. Tye just
wasn’t sure what else was there. Perhaps a hint of tenderness? No, she
was probably wrong.

She drew
a deep, fortifying breath. Damn, he was handsome.

Jake ran
a fingertip lightly across her cheekbone, leaving a trail of fire. Tye almost
jerked her head back in surprise, then closed her eyes a moment.

"Since
we're doing apologies, I'm sorry for riding you so hard by the pool last night.
You’re right, you’re not seventeen anymore. I was out of
line."

Tye
shrugged awkwardly. "Maybe it was something I needed to hear. I'm not
saying it was," she qualified as she saw his slow grin. "I'm saying
maybe. I'm still mulling it over."

"Then
I'd say we're even and should call it a night before we disagree and get into a
fistfight or something."

Tye
watched his face come closer, part of her afraid, the other part making her
inch just the tiniest bit forward. This couldn’t be happening again.

Gently,
almost tenderly, Jake's lips touched hers, then slid away. The contact felt
like a jolt from an electric fence. Before she could recover, his arms lightly
enclosed her, his chest against her suddenly aching breasts. Tye felt lost in
the sensation, aware only of the feel of Jake’s mouth on hers. So light,
then deeper, his tongue swirling against her teeth, touching the inner softness
of her mouth. The short bristle covering his jaw rasped across her skin, the
slight sound pleasing, the contact sensuous. Jake began to pull away, his lips
leaving hers slowly.

Boldly,
Tye pulled his head back down, her fingers clasped in his dark, silky hair. The
only thing that mattered was having him close. All the years of loneliness, the
pain of walking away, it all dissolved. Tye wanted more from Jake. Her body
trembled, but she was barely aware of it.

"Jake."

"Shh."
His finger touched her lips where his mouth had caressed. Tye touched his
finger with her tongue, and he stepped back. She tried to breathe normally, but
felt as if she had run a marathon. He took another step back, his face devoid
of emotion. Tye dropped her arms slowly. Awkwardly, she rubbed her palms down
her jeans.

"I
guess this is where we say good night," she murmured lightly, throwing him
a smile as she turned and pushed the door open.

"Tye."

She
ignored him this time. Slowly, she closed the door on him and collapsed into
the nearest chair.

How had
that happened? One minute they were almost friends, the next, close to taking a
step toward an intimacy they had no right thinking about.

Tye
groaned, trying to think straight, but it felt impossible when she thought that
Jake might be just outside her door.

She
jumped up and paced the living room, an excess of energy gripping her. She felt
keyed up. Tye touched her fingers to her lips, closing her eyes as a shivery
sensation fanned across her midsection. Why had Jake kissed her? More
disturbingly, why had she let him? Did either one of them want to retrace old
history?

Tye
shook her head quickly. It was crazy to worry about a little kiss. People
kissed all the time: it meant nothing. It would never mean anything because
they had nothing in common any longer. Maybe they had never had anything in
common.