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Mirabelle chuckled, and if Keena wasn’t mistaken, it seemed a bit forced. Had they been talking about her? No, she was being paranoid. Then again, she had spent the night in the woods with Ryan, and although he said he wouldn’t get into trouble, Mirabelle had admitted the staff liked to gossip.
“No, of course not,” Mirabelle assured her. “How are you this morning, Keena? Heard you didn’t go with everyone to the campout yesterday.”
Her mention of it was so pointed, Keena picked up on the subtle attitude. Was she pissed because she thought Keena was chasing Ryan because she wanted to protect him, or her? Either way, it was none of her business. They were both adults, and if they decided to become lovers, it did not involve the entire ranch.
Keena reared back on her heels and crossed her arms. “Yes, my understanding was that every activity is voluntary. We can participate or not.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” the man rushed to say. He stuck his beefy hand out. “I’m Jeb. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you when you arrived. I was away on business. The livestock side of things, buying, selling. You understand.”
Keena nodded. So he was the owner. She remembered from the ranch’s Web site that they weren’t just a guest ranch but a working ranch. Some of the guests got involved with all the work of running a ranch, including tending to the longhorns. Something about it appealed to her. With the grit and dirt that stuck to everything, being outdoors with the fresh air and the jingle of harnesses in the distance or the clop of horse’s hooves, it seemed right.
When Mirabelle excused herself to get back to preparing lunch, and Jeb had said he had business to attend to, Keena wondered what she could do to distract herself until it was time to eat. Mirabelle was still irritated with her and refused assistance.
Keena wandered down toward the general store and remembered that her time was drawing short here and she still hadn’t bought Aunt Delores a souvenir. She stepped up onto the porch leading to the building but paused when Jeb, Ryan, and Jade came strolling around the corner of the next building. Jade was saying, “Daddy, stop checking up on me, for fuck’s sake. I’m a grown woman.”
Shocked by the slut’s words, Keena darted inside the store before they could spot her, and stood just out of view, watching them pass. As usual, Jade’s clothing stretched too tight and revealed too much, but at least right now, she clung to her father’s arm and not Ryan’s. Keena chewed her lip. What was Ryan doing with them? Was the witch lying on him, trying to get him in trouble, or had Mirabelle told him about Ryan shirking his responsibilities by being with her all night? She considered going out there and setting things straight, but hesitated.
If Ryan wasn’t afraid to get into trouble because he knew all he had to do was charm the owner’s daughter, then that left Keena feeling like a fool for sleeping with him. Talking to him yesterday had made her believe that he wasn’t that type of man, but then men who were good at seducing women never revealed what they truly were. That’s why they were considered good.
As they passed, Ryan glanced up to the door as if he knew she was there, although Keena was well hidden behind a rack of clothing. Ryan’s expression showed confusion, but then Jeb caught his attention, and he turned to answer something the older man had asked him. When they were out of sight, Keena relaxed. She browsed the collection of Native American jewelry. She’d thought the last time she was in here that she might buy her aunt the turquoise toggle watch made as a bracelet, but the price was steep, and her mind was too filled with thoughts of Ryan.
They were lovers, nothing more, and she didn’t want to jump to conclusions. After all, she’d seen nothing just now to make her suspicious of his actions, his motives. She should ask him straight out and make it clear that, for the time she was there with him and having sex with him, he shouldn’t sleep with Jade as well. After she was gone, he could do what he damned well pleased.
She nodded. Yeah, that’s what she would tell him. And yet, the thought of leaving and going back home made her ache all over again. She didn’t want him to want Jade, let alone touch her. Gripping the side of the counter with her eyes shut, she considered what the feelings meant. It didn’t take a lot of thought to figure it out. She was not the kind of woman who could get involved with a man for physical reasons alone and have it stay that way. If she broke it off now, before she left in a week, no one would get hurt, most of all her.
A hand slid down over her ass and squeezed. She yelped and looked to her right. Ryan stood beside her pretending interest in one of the Stetsons. This one was coal black as opposed to his usual dusky grey. The description read “full grain, oiled cowhide.” The brim had wire running through it to make it shapeable. Even with her limited knowledge, what she’d observed in the few days she’d been here and reading up on the cowboy lifestyle before she came, she could spot a sweet hat—that and the fact it cost almost a hundred dollars. Keena winced at the price.
Linda started over. “Everything okay?”
At Ryan’s curt nod, she stopped, gave a slight smile, and turned away. Keena looked from one to the other, and again the doubts rose in her mind about Ryan’s position at this ranch. These weren’t olden days or a foreign country where people were promised to each other. He had no obligations to Jeb to take his skank of a daughter off his hands, did he? Or owe him a lot of money?
Ryan took the hat down from the hook, strolled behind her, and brought it down over her head. He leaned around to whisper in her ear. “Come with me somewhere private.” The suggestion in his eyes told her exactly what was on his mind.
She smiled and ducked her head so he couldn’t see her face. “We just got back, and lunch is going to be on soon. Didn’t you get enough wearing me out all night?”
He nibbled
on her ear. “Never enough.”
She wiggled away from him and put the hat back. Even though she used her savings for this trip, extending the trip to two weeks rather than one like most people, she couldn’t bring herself to blow the money it would take to buy the hat, one she’d never use again. Deciding she wasn’t ready to get the watch yet either, she moved on down the counter to see if there were cheaper items, but Ryan grasped her hand. He threaded his fingers between hers, and she looked back at him.
“We won’t do anything. Come, walk with me.”
She followed him out, not daring to catch Linda’s eye when she passed by, and they fell into step side by side. Keena did disentangle her hand from his once they were out in public. “You didn’t get in trouble, did you?”
He cast a confused glance in her direction.
“Jeb. I met him today, and I was wondering if someone turned you in, told him that you had disappeared with a guest when you were supposed to be working.” She laid a hand on his arm. “I’ll talk to him if you want me to, tell him I forced you or something.”
He grinned. Since she and he had been spending more time together, he’d been doing a lot more of that, had warmed up and was less the cold, quiet observer. She liked to think she’d influenced him in that way and that he had been able to let go of some of the pain Anne had caused him. She hoped he had done the same for her. Only when she was back home and that fool Steven showed up would she know for sure. Right now, her feelings seemed jumbled between the two men.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.” When they came to an opening between two buildings, Ryan snatched her into the narrow space and dragged her close to his chest. He kissed her briefly. “However, you can make it up to me by easing my pain.”
He placed her hand over his erection. Desire snaked along Keena’s belly. “You’re insatiable. And you promised we were just going to walk, not have sex.”
He groaned. His eyes had grown dark, but she forgot about them as her eyes drifted closed at his nibbling kiss on her neck. Ryan’s hand came up to cup her breast. He pinched at her nipple, kneaded it until she was ready to come hard right there. Her breath caught in her throat, and she struggled against her need.
“Ryan, not here. Please.”
