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“Morning, princess, like some coffee?” He stared openly at her, waiting for a response.
Was it her imagination or was there a hint of laughter on his lips?
“Cat got your tongue?”
“Ah…no. Yes, I mean, yes I’d love some.” She cleared her throat. “Please.” She didn’t recognize the husky voice coming from her mouth.It would be just her luck he noticed she wasn’t herself either. “Is Maribella around?” She refused to look at him and poured the black liquid into the cup he’d set on the counter for her.
“Nope. It’s her day off. I made breakfast, though. There’s plenty left. Help yourself.” He pointed toward the stove.
She didn’t comment, only sagged onto the closest chair, a two-handed death grip on her mug when she brought it to her mouth for her first sip.
“So, princess. Sleep well?”
She sputtered, choking as shock wracked her body.Oh. My. God! He must have overheard me. This is so beyond the max of humiliation.She suddenly wished she’d never come back to Rock Creek.No, that’s not true.She had been missing her daddy something awful, and his phone call was all the excuse she’d needed to come home. What she regretted was her continual confrontations with this “too sexy for his own good” cowboy.
He was at her side before she realized what was happening, holding her free arm in the air, pounding earnestly on her back. “Hey, beautiful, are you okay?”
Was there concern in his voice? He almost sounded shaky. If anything, she should be the shaky one, and vowed to make a note to herself—don’t let this man, Gentry, touch any part of my body.Her pulse had to be jumping out of her wrist where he held her.
“Ally! Take a couple deep breaths for me, sweetheart.”
“I’m fine,” she coughed out. She released her spilled cup and swatted at his hand. “And let go of me!”
Nobody ever called her “sweetheart,” not even her daddy. She liked it. It made her feel like there was some secret thing only they shared.
He grabbed the towel from the counter, cleaned up the table, righted her mug, and poured her a fresh cup.
“If you’re okay, I’ll leave you to eat. Jesse has a horse arriving this morning.” He made to leave but turned back to her again. “Hey, if you feel daring, come on out to the corral. I’m waiting on a special delivery. You can help.” And then he was gone.
She rested her head briefly in her hands. “My God, he’s so bad for my equilibrium.”
She filled a plate and ate some, but mostly pushed the food around with her fork, contemplating the situation she had unknowingly put herself in with this cowboy. He was absolutely, by any smart, red-blooded, American woman’s standards, sexy as all get out. Her history with men was less than memorable. She definitely didn’t need another—even though he did totally unmentionable things to her insides, things no man had ever made her feel.
So, here she was again. In another fine mess. A sexy cowboy with a past nobody—least of all her daddy—knew anything about, and that included a possible girlfriend or wife from the conversation she’d overheard the night before. Well, then. Decision made. Her new objective was to find out what she could about the man and any of his sleazy affairs. Jesse Kincaid was all she had, and she wouldn’t stand by and see him hurt by anyone.
* * *
As Matt stoodin the shadowed doorway of the cool barn, he drove his hand through his hair again. He was in way over his head. He had no business getting involved with Ally, even a little bit. Her kisses were so sweet, though. He’d never had this strong of a reaction to any other woman. Shit, just being in the same room with her muddled his brains, turned them to mush, and made him hard instantly.
He hadn’t been with anyone intimately in a long time. He’d intentionally stayed away from them for his own good. Especially Carol, who waitressed at the Blue Moon Café in Rock Creek. She’d made it very clear exactly what she wanted from him every time she came on to him. He really liked Bud, the owner of the Blue Moon, but lately, he’d avoided it altogether. Small towns were murder. Gossip traveled faster than a creek. She wasn’t bad to look at—nah, he definitely wasn’t interested.
Ally was different. He couldn’t stay away from her, and it pissed him off royally. He’d taken more cold showers in the last twenty-four hours than he ever had, and was quite certain his condition would continue. He didn’t want to give in, but could he really help it?Probably not, damn it.
“All right, Gentry, focus!” He had a job to do, and she was a distraction—a damn nice distraction but a distraction nonetheless. He turned his head toward the house when the front door slammed shut at the same time a Fairway Ranch truck and trailer pulled up the lane. He could tell it was gonna be one hell of a day.
Matt readjusted his Stetson and headed through the door.
“Hey, Jimmy, how’s it going?”
“Hey, Gentry, sorry about having to show up today,” Jimmy Klausen, the foreman for Fairway Ranch in Cheyenne said. “Couldn’t even spare one of the hands to drive over. We got more business than we can handle for the next couple weeks.”
“No problem. I’m anxious to get working on this beast.” He helped unlock the trailer and lower the ramp then unlatched the corral gate and swung it wide. Ally appeared at his side with a huge grin and held the gate open.
He walked back to the trailer and waited while Jimmy backed the Thoroughbred out and handed over the lead. He slowly raised his hand, giving the horse a chance to catch his scent. A prime stock stud—beautiful, and black like coal with a white streak down his nose and white boots—lowered his ears and pranced in place. He sniffed at Matt twice then nudged his hand, the horses’ ears perking back into place, and swished his tail in acceptance.
Matt grinned. The stable normally only housed riding and cutter horses, but Jesse had decided to try out a new venture. Thoroughbreds could be a good business with the right breeding. Matt considered himself a horse guy, loved all types. Sometimes, he fancied he could even tell what they were thinking.
”Thanks, Jimmy,” he said and turned to lead the stallion into the corral.
