Page 63 of A Cowboy's Trust
Well, except one thing at the immediate moment. He undid her button and zipper, jerked her pants down far enough he could slide his fingers between her folds, and went to work on her clit.
“Damn it, Jake. Anyone could walk in.” A protest, except she wasn’t moving away from him, she was rocking her hips in double time, twisting her head as if asking for his mouth to get back to where she loved it most.
“The way I’m standing, all they’ll see is me kissing you.” He put a foot between her feet and forced them farther apart so he could slide his fingers into her wet heat and work his thumb over her clit.
“You’re far more of a brat now these days than before,” she said between gasps. “Spontaneity looks good on you. Oh yes, that.That.”
“I had a good teacher.” He took her lips, kissing her deeply until it was time to swallow the gasp of her orgasm. Her sex convulsed around his fingers and he slowed, bringing her down as gently as he could until suddenly the fire alarm went off and they finally clued in that smoke was billowing from the pan on the stove.
Jake scrambled for the pan as Tansy dealt with her pants.
By the time supper rolled around and they were gathered at the table, the scent of smoke was mostly gone.
“If anyone says anything, I’m throwing you under the bus,” Tansy informed him on the sly as he helped carry plates of Mexican rice, the second batch of enchiladas, and the rest of the meal.
“Worth it.”
The only one who seemed to suspect was Aiden. His brother eyed his dinner plate, glanced at Tansy, grinned at Jake, then wisely held his tongue.
The table was nearly full to capacity. Him and his brothers, plus Petra, Tansy, Jinx, and Kevin made seven. The current round of ranch hands, which included their first women guests, May and Helen, added six more.
The delicately featured blonde May sported a black eye, courtesy of her soon-to-be ex-husband, but she’d held her head high and said she needed a spot to breathe for a few days before heading back to deal with the rest of the divorce. Helen was an older woman in her early sixties who hadn’t said much, but quietly stepped forward to help every chance she got. The two of them shared the final room in the house.
Three other men had arrived the previous week—Scott, Jon and Erik. Logan had moved into the men’s quarters, and with Kevin in the fifth room, High Water was full inside and out.
Scott planned to leave in a couple days, Jon the week after, so the ebb and flow of the ranch had begun to fall into place.
Halfway through the meal the conversation turned to plans for the next day.
“We’re all invited to Red Boot ranch tomorrow,” Petra announced. She made it an open-ended offer. “It’s Tansy’s day off from cooking, so if you want to stay home, you’ll have to fend for yourself. But if you feel comfortable joining us, it’s a safe spot. My sister-in-law’s baby is due this week, but the doctor has informed her that she’ll definitely go late. She wants distracting, so my brother Zach has invited us all out for the afternoon and a barbeque. It’s a quiet place with even better views than we have. Their foreman, Cody, says you’re all welcome to try your hand at roping or to take a trail ride.”
Jinx turned to May. “Red Boot is great. They have more horses than we do and a couple of really pretty colts that were born right after Christmas.”
The young woman nodded slowly. “I’d like to go for a trail ride if someone comes with me.”
“Aiden and I will go,” Petra offered. “Jinx?”
“Sure. Can Dixie come?” Jinx’s shadow sat at her feet as usual.
Declan snorted. “I don’t think we could pry her off you with a crowbar. She’s a well-trained animal. Zach won’t mind.”
Which meant after lunch the next day the entire bunch ended up at Red Boot ranch. Cody took one look at the ranch hands and immediately set up a barrel racing course. Most of the group went to the barns, but Tansy headed straight to Julia’s side.
Jake walked slower, keeping pace with Logan. The kid refused to use a cane, but he was strong enough again to make the long trip from the parking lot to where Julia and Zach had a comfortable seating area around a firepit.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” Logan grumbled.
Jake lifted his face to the sun and continued at his slow but steady rate. “It’s my afternoon off, kid. Stop trying to make me work harder than I have to.”
A snicker of amusement rose quietly from his side. “You’ve got some good friends,” Logan offered.
“Some of the best. I never expected it, but I really hoped for it.” Jake waved a greeting at Zach, who had just put a glass of water beside his very pregnant wife. “You want to relax for a while?”
Logan pointed to the chairs ahead of them and nodded. “Someday I’ll get back up on a horse, but for now, my bones still ache.”
It was a small group around the fire pit. Tansy pulled out a deck of cards and started playing crib with Julia. Logan put his feet up and closed his eyes, face upward as he soaked in the sunshine. Helen pulled out a sketchbook and began to draw.
At the railing, Zach was watching the crowd of men gathered in the arena. A smaller group were already on horseback, Dixie dancing at their heels as they headed out for their trail ride.
