Part 10 (1/2)

He swore under his breath. She seemed way too happy to see him-even for a lost city girl. This had been his ”audition” for the TV jeans commercial he wasn't going to do. Not that that made any difference to Reggie. Not even the arduous job of camp cook could dissuade this woman. And from the radiance of her smile, he'd lay odds that he'd pa.s.sed her screen test.

So why did he get the feeling she wanted more than him in a commercial? His cattle? He couldn't see her throwing her lot in with rustlers, but what did he know. If not his cattle, then what?

”Stay here,” he ordered her. ”Don't move until I come back. Do you think you can do that?”

”I wouldn't know where to go and my blisters hurt too much to move and I can barely walk on my ankle.”

”Great.” He drove the cattle on down to the herd in the pasture. When he rode back, he was surprised to find her sitting where he'd left her, as good as her word, and he'd realized he'd ordered her just as he had his dog Jennie. His face burned in shame that he'd been insulted because she'd originally thought Jennie was his wife and he'd ordered her to stay in the truck.

Her conception of Montana cowboys would be based on him. He groaned inwardly at the thought and wondered what to do with her now. He'd thought things couldn't get worse but Reggie was proof they could.

As he dismounted, he noticed that her face was flushed. She'd never looked so beautiful sitting there in the sunlight. He saw a fire burning in her eyes. d.a.m.n. She hadn't given up on him doing her commercial. If anything she looked all the more determined, he thought as he joined her under the wide sweeping arms of the pine.

The day was hot, the sun nearly at its apex. Rays of heat cut through the not yet bare aspens, making the fallen leaves s.h.i.+mmer beneath their feet. The leaves overhead rattled like dry paper.

She started to get up. ”McCall, I need to tell you-”

He nodded, reached down and pulled her to her feet. Determined not to let her get in another word about that d.a.m.ned commercial or whatever she was after, he pulled her to her feet and kissed her, successfully shutting her up.

And being a man who liked to finish what he'd started...

It wasn't until he'd thoroughly kissed her that he realized the folly of his actions. By then he'd completely lost himself in the sweet, soft pliant warmth of her lips, in the deep, dark, wet secrets of her mouth.

All he knew was that it felt good and right and, if he was being honest, something he'd wanted to do since he'd seen her on the highway.

When he finally came to his senses, he jerked back. What had he been thinking? Had he lost his mind?

He had to hold her to keep her from slumping to the ground, having forgotten about her twisted ankle. She reached up to touch a finger to her lips and took a ragged breath that made her chest rise, her body tremble. Then ever so slowly, she smiled.

d.a.m.n, he thought. He'd just done the worse thing he could have.

REGINA HAD ALWAYS prided herself on her quick recovery rate. But it took a moment to get her feet back under her after that that kiss even without a sprained ankle. kiss even without a sprained ankle.

”What was that about, McCall?” Not that she was complaining, mind you. It was just such a surprise. The kiss. Even more surprising, its effect on her.

Her heart still pounded fiercely and her limbs felt like running water. Good thing he was still holding her. What had he put into that kiss? She felt almost...intoxicated as she met his equally stunned gaze.

”It was just a kiss,” he snapped, as if the kiss had had no effect on him.

”You just keep telling yourself that, McCall.” She'd like a replay just to see if it had been as amazing as she thought. But then another kiss like that would only lead to trouble. ”Unless that kiss was your way of saying yes.”

”What?” J.T. said, letting go of her and stepping back.

”Your way of saying yes to the commercial.” She laughed so he'd know she was just trying to lighten the mood between them.

He didn't seem to get the joke. ”How could you possibly get that out of one silly little meaningless kiss?”

”I was joking. joking.” Silly, little, meaningless kiss? He was starting to irritate her, but she knew she was more upset with herself than him. She didn't fraternize with blue jeans models. Even those who hadn't given in yet.

”I would think a woman like you would have kissed enough men to know that was just a kiss, nothing more,” he said, shoving back his hat in obvious frustration.

She'd been kissed by a fair amount of men. But none of them had kissed her like that. that. Nor had she kissed them back like Nor had she kissed them back like that. that. Maybe she'd been dating the wrong men. Wait a minute. Maybe she'd been dating the wrong men. Wait a minute. A woman like you? A woman like you? What was that supposed to mean? What was that supposed to mean?

”In my experience, McCall, a kiss, no matter how small, means something, something,” she snarled, now clearly more irritated with him than herself. She brushed past him and headed off through the trees in what she hoped was the direction of the cabin, limping and in pain, but determined to walk all the way back without his help. He could just stuff his forgettable kiss.

She took a couple of steps and stumbled. Unfortunately, her legs hadn't forgotten that d.a.m.ned kiss either.

”You can't walk all the way back to the cabin with a sprained ankle and blisters,” he said and cursed as he grabbed her to keep her from falling. ”Come on.”

She barely had time to cry in protest before he swept her up into his arms. At first she thought he planned to carry her back to the cabin. But then she realized what he had in mind was much worse.

He whistled and his horse trotted over to them. ”You can't walk so you have to ride.”

The beast looked even larger close up. ”Not a horse. horse.”

”A horse is your only only option. I'm not going to carry you. Anyway, Killer isn't just any horse.” option. I'm not going to carry you. Anyway, Killer isn't just any horse.”

Killer? ”Really, I can walk. I'll just-” Before she could say more, he tossed her up into the saddle like a sack of potatoes. She grabbed the saddle horn, afraid she'd go right on off the other side. ”His name is Killer? Why would you name him killer unless-”

”You'll be fine,” J.T. said, humor back in his voice.

She looked down at the man as she teetered precariously, miles from the ground, straddling a wild brute named Killer on the slipperiest saddle on earth. J.T. was enjoying her discomfort. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

If she'd felt weak at his kiss, it was nothing compared to being on his horse. ”You forget,” she said a little breathlessly. ”I don't know how to ride.” Did she dare mention her fear of large animals?

”Do you know how to sit?” he inquired. ”Because that's all you have to do.”

Before she could answer, he swung up behind her on the horse. The horse shuddered under them and took a step. She let out a shriek.

Killer seemed to roll his eyes at her. He obviously wasn't any happier about this than she was.

”How did...Killer get his name?” she asked.

”You don't want to know,” J.T. said and nudged the horse with his heels.

The horse began to move. Regina felt as if she was going to slide off. She clamped her legs tight around the beast. Killer jumped forward.

”Easy,” J.T. said, wrapping an arm around her as he worked the reins and the horse settled back down. ”Unless you'd like to get us both bucked off I'd suggest you not do that again.”

She barely heard him over the pounding of her heart.

”Maybe now you'll have the good sense to stay at the cabin until Buck comes back for you,” he said.

She would have sworn she heard him chuckle to himself. Well at least someone was enjoying this, she thought, as she clung to the saddle horn and tried not to look down.