Part 13 (1/2)

After a dozen laps, she brought the horse to a stop next to J.T. She couldn't see his face in the darkness but she could feel his gaze.

”Good job. How's the ankle?”

”Fine,” she lied.

”Right. Better call it a night.”

A twig cracked off in the woods behind them. The horse shuddered. J.T. brushed her leg as he steadied the horse.

”Okay, let's see you get off by yourself,” he said quietly as if he was listening to something beyond them. ”Think you can get down and unsaddle him?”

She nodded. The horse felt warm against her calves. She reached down to run her hand over his neck. Nice boy. It surprised her. She didn't want to get down yet. The truth was, she didn't want this time with J.T. to end.

”You never told me how he got the name Killer,” she said, remembering just what she was sitting on.

J.T. drew his attention back to her. ”His full name is Lady Lady Killer.” Killer.”

”Why would you- You were just trying to scare me?”

”I was angry with you for taking off by yourself. I was trying to teach you a lesson.”

”I'm sorry.” She really meant it. ”I didn't realize when I talked Buck into hiring me as your camp cook the trouble I was causing.”

”I know.”

”I know you're worried about Buck,” she said. ”Can't you ride down and check on him?”

J.T. shook his head. ”I can't leave here.”

”But don't the men know what to do while you're gone?” She could feel his gaze on her. She knew what she was suggesting. If he went, he'd come back with a four-wheel-drive truck and insist she leave. Any chance she had of talking him into the commercial would be over. ”I'm worried about Buck, too.”

J.T. THOUGHT she couldn't surprise him. He looked up at her. She didn't look afraid of the horse anymore. She seemed to have forgotten that she was even on it. But he feared there was much worse in the night to be afraid of.

She swung down out of the saddle and reached for the ground with her foot, the one attached to the sprained ankle. The moment it touched earth, she fell backward.

He caught her, his hands curling around her waist, keeping her close. Past her, he could see the campfire through the pines but no one around it. Earlier all five men had been standing around it. The fire had burned down to glowing coals now. Everyone had gone to bed. Maybe.

”If I left and came back with a truck you'd be free to go search for another jeans model,” he said quietly as she turned in his hands to face him.

She shook her head and smiled ruefully. ”Anyone else would just be settling.”

”I thought this was your big chance, that it meant everything to you.”

”There'll be other commercials,” she said, her voice wavering a little.

He wanted to believe her. ”This cowboy thing was your idea?”

She nodded. ”Most of our models are professionals who look like...models.”

He knew without asking. ”You have a deadline coming up soon?”

”It doesn't matter.”

Of course it mattered. He got the feeling that if she blew this a.s.signment, it would have very bad consequences on her career and he knew how much her career meant to her. Everything, she'd said.

”Ride out in the morning,” she said now. ”I can make breakfast for the men. Hey, I might surprise you.”

He could count on that. He laughed softly and pulled her closer. ”I can't leave you here,” he whispered against her mouth. ”It's too dangerous.”

REGINA THOUGHT she heard a noise in the darkness over the trees. It sounded like the crack of a twig, only this time it was closer. Much closer.

He must have heard it, too. He drew back. ”Go to the cabin.” He dropped his voice. ”Keep the door locked.”

If he was trying to scare her, he was doing a darned good job of it. She hurried back to the cabin, taking the path on the campfire side this time, her ankle aching badly now. She heard the murmur of voices in the cowhands' wall tent, but saw no one.

The porch side of the cabin was dark. She hurried along the worn boards to the door. She'd left the lantern on in the cabin and was welcomed by its warm glow as she rushed inside. Because the cabin was small and only one room, she saw at a glance that it was empty. Hurriedly, she locked the door behind her and stood for a moment trying to catch her breath.

J.T. said he couldn't leave because of her. Because it was too dangerous. dangerous. What did he mean by that? Surely he wasn't just trying to scare her into giving him the distributor cap from the truck. She wouldn't put it past him. After all, he'd told her his horse's name was What did he mean by that? Surely he wasn't just trying to scare her into giving him the distributor cap from the truck. She wouldn't put it past him. After all, he'd told her his horse's name was Killer. Killer.

But they'd both heard something out in the woods. And Luke's horse had come back, his saddle and gear stuffed in a box outside the cabin to make it look as if he'd left. Had that been Luke out there spying on them? Listening?

She touched her tongue to her lips and hugged herself, still excited by the horseback ride and the kiss. She must be losing her mind. But then so must McCall. How else could she explain the kiss? How did she explain any of J.T.'s kisses, she thought with a sigh.

With only towels on the windows, she felt too vulnerable with the lantern on. She went to the bunk, found her small flashlight and extinguished the lantern. For a few minutes, she stood in the dark, watching the gap between the window frame and the towel. Nothing but tree limbs moved beyond the gla.s.s.

She turned on her flashlight and put more wood in the stove. She wasn't tired at all-not after that long nap she'd had.

Was she really resigned to finding another model for her jeans commercial? If she was trapped up here much longer it wouldn't make any difference. Unless she had a model by the end of the month, she could just kiss the promotion goodbye. But so much more had been riding on this advertising plan. She tried not to think about it.

She couldn't search for another cowboy posterior until she could get off this mountain. But she knew what she'd told McCall was true. She'd just be settling if she chose another cowboy. She would always know that she'd gone for second best-and that had never been her style.

So why wasn't she in a complete panic? She told herself it was because there was nothing she could do, but she knew there was a lot more to it. McCall had changed everything. The six-foot-four man with blond hair and blue eyes and the best behind she'd ever seen had spoiled her for another cowboy. Or another man.

She listened, hoping she would hear his footfalls on the porch soon. She was worried about him. If Buck didn't return soon, what would J.T. do? She knew he was trying to get as many cattle rounded up as possible but he seemed...scared. Not for himself but for her and his cowhands. And she knew him well enough to know that J. T. McCall wouldn't scare easily.

She thought about everything that had happened at the cow camp. None of the incidents should have had him that frightened. There had to be more going on than he'd told her.

J.T. WALKED the perimeter of the camp, telling himself the sound he'd heard was a deer or an elk. He circled back to the corral, the camp quiet, and unsaddled his horse and carried the saddle to the big tent.

On the way, he looked in on the cowhands.

All five cots appeared to be occupied. He closed the tent door, sure at least one of men had seen him checking on them. Will Jarvis. Was he awake because he'd just climbed into his sleeping bag?

The campfire had burned down. No light burned in the cabin. Maybe Reggie's walk had been good for her, made her too tired to do any roaming tonight.