Her surprised intake of breath was followed by a sigh as she responded to his kiss. Her hands rose to rest upon his on the arms of the chair, then moved to his upper arms and finally around his neck. He’d only intended to have a taste, but realized in an instant, one taste was not enough. She was intoxicating. Innocent, yet knowing, making him want more. Without taking his lips from hers, he slowly brought her to her feet.
She came willingly, pressing her body close to his, sharing her warmth as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer still. He deepened the kiss as he slid his tongue between her lips and explored the warm recesses of her mouth. He tasted mint mixed with her sweetness.
As much as he wanted to kiss her until dawn streaked the sky with its brilliant colors, he couldn’t. Ending the kiss, he took a step back. “Good night, Miss Evie.”
He walked away, while he still could, knowing that if he stayed there, holding her, tasting her mouth, he’d never be able to stop. Not that he wanted to stop. He didn’t. There was something more, something he couldn’t explain even if he tried. He’d noticed it earlier. This only confirmed the notion.
He let himself into the bunkhouse and headed straight to his bunk, aware that Emilio and Cesar watched him intently. The other men were asleep or on their way to dreamland, Grub’s mumbling in competition with Oscar’s. He waited for one of them to say something, but neither did as he stretched out on his bunk, folded his hands behind his head and purposely closed his eyes. As soon as he did, a kaleidoscope of images flashed before his eyelids: Evie riding out to the summer pasture, looking magnificent on horseback; Evie gardening, a big floppyhat protecting her from the sun; Evie walking toward him, a beautiful smile on her face.
The images weren’t going to stop, and he accepted the inevitable. He smiled to himself and let the visions in his head lull him into sleep.
Evie stood right where Jake left her and watched him walk away until the door to the bunkhouse closed. Well, he didn’t actually walk. He swaggered. Yes, that’s the only word she could think of. Swagger. She admitted, as he disappeared from view, that he had the nicest backside of any man she knew.
She brought her fingertips to her lips. That kiss, so tender, so gentle, was more devastating than the one earlier today. She could still feel the touch of his lips as well as the heat of his embrace, his strong arms surrounding her, pulling her against the hard muscles of his chest, the clean scent of soap in her nostrils.
A light went out in the bunkhouse, then another, until nothing but darkness spilled from the windows, and still, she didn’t move. She pictured him stretched out on his bunk, his hands folded behind his head, long legs crossed at the ankles. Or maybe his arms were crossed over his chest. “Oh, I am in trouble,” she whispered to the empty garden.
“Are you all right,liebchen?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine, Hilde.”
“Why are you in trouble?”
“I’m not.”
The older woman grunted then tugged on her earlobe. “Then my hearing must be going because I distinctly heard you say youwere in trouble.” She chuckled as she moved a little closer. “It’s that Jake Hannigan, isn’t it?”
“What makes you say that?”
“I saw him kiss you and then I saw you just standing here, not moving, staring at the bunkhouse. If looks could burn a house down, this whole ranch would go up in flames.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Embarrassed, her face on fire, Evie denied the truth, the second or third time she lied when it came to Jake Hannigan, which wasn’t like her at all. She never lied and here, she’d done it again.
“You can lie to yourself all you want,liebchen, but I have eyes in my head, and I know what I see. You’re attracted to him. You can admit it.”
Evie shook her head. “I will admit no such thing.” She stared at her companion. “And I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Of course you don’t want to talk about it, but in my opinion?—“
“For once, Hilde, I can do without your opinion. Good night.” She let herself into the kitchen before Hilde could respond and closed the door firmly, though she didn’t slam it. She headed up to her lonely bed with the thought that it didn’t need to be lonely.
CHAPTER 8
Jake stepped out of the barn to see the ranch hands riding into the barnyard with whoops and hollers. It was early, too early, for the men to be coming in from the summer pasture. He pulled his pocket watch out and snapped open the cover. Only four o’clock. “What’s going on?” He caught Slick slipping from his saddle, puffs of barnyard dust billowing around his feet.
The man grinned. “It’s pay day. Come on over to the bunkhouse. Antonio will be handing out our envelopes in about an hour.” He wrapped his horse’s reins around the post. “If’n you’re plannin’ to head into town, now would be the time to get cleaned up. You don’t want those pretty ladies at the Spur to be wrinklin’ their noses ‘cause you smell like a horse.”
Cesar rode up beside them and dismounted, joining the conversation before his feet even hit the ground. “Come down to the river.”
“The river?”
“That’s where we go to get ourselves all spit shined and polished before we head into town. Helluva lot better than washing up at the barrel.” He nodded toward the barrel of rainwater at the edge of the bunkhouse porch, then rubbed hishands together with obvious glee. “I got me a brand-new deck o’ cards and I’m feeling lucky!”
“No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself,” he said as he wrapped his horse’s reins around the post in front of the barn, hitched up his trousers and headed toward the bunkhouse. He came out a few minutes later with a bundle of clean clothes—at least, Jake thought they were clean—and headed behind the barn.
The rest of the men followed, laughing, and pushing at each other, all carrying a clean set of clothing, and the barnyard grew quiet, but the quiet didn’t last. Teddy, who still managed to give himthatlook at least once a day, if not more often, rode in, followed by his brothers. He dismounted in front of him and tossed him his horse’s reins. “Jake.”
