Part 3 (1/2)

Grandma's cabin, which was known locally as Flora's Place, was about twenty minutes out of town. Family tradition demanded that the oldest daughter inherit the property. It had been left to Rachael's mother many years ago, who in turn had signed it over to Rachael on her twenty-first birthday. Colin had been using it occasionally and keeping an eye on the place. He took Rachael to see it when she suggested she might want to live there.

The cabin sat in twenty acres of woodland that had a stream running through it. It was old, but had been upgraded in a manner sympathetic to the original design. Instead of small pokey windows, it had gla.s.s doors that opened onto a veranda. There was a large combined kitchen-dining-living area, open to the rafters, s.p.a.cious and light. There was a sleeping-storage area in half of the rafters, and the main bedroom was situated at one end of the cabin. It contained a big, beautiful four-poster bed that had been there as long as anyone could remember. Unfortunately, the mattress was almost as old and needed replacing. A modern bathroom had been tacked on at the back of the cabin and was accessible through a small hallway leading off the main room and to the back door. It was in need of a little sprucing up, but she loved it, especially the location amid the trees and next to flowing water.

Over the next few days, she worked tidying up the cabin. She found the physical activity to be therapeutic and let her thoughts 28 wander over the landscape of her life. She'd had a good run of it so far and didn't take it for granted. Her parents had provided a happy, stable home, and she loved her family. She thought about Shannon O'Reilly, her Irish best friend and ardent environmentalist. They'd met at university and forged a friends.h.i.+p that Rachael knew would stand the distance and time apart. She was confident that when they met up again they would easily pick up where they left off. Shannon travelled, sometimes internationally, advising on projects, improvement schemes, and management of the environment. She seemed to thrive on meeting new challenges. Seeing this had galvanized Rachael into action.

Despite her relatively content life, she hadn't been too successful on the romantic front. Rachael had always been a little disappointed that she easily got her own way and that men tended to defer to her.

As a consequence, she became bored quickly. In all honesty, no challenge for dominance had led to a lack of interest. She hadn't found a man who made her feel fulfilled, particularly in bed. She had briefly considered being more promiscuous; it would improve the odds of finding someone more s.e.xually compatible, but she'd dismissed the idea because it seemed shallow and she wanted a connection with her partner.

She had dark fantasies which ranged from being forced into s.e.xual submission to being the one doing the dominating. It confused her. In the rational light of day, such desires seemed at best kinky, and at worst base and perverse. She couldn't deny it to herself but kept these urges locked up and had never met anyone she could trust with the key.

She mused that it would be nice to have another person whom she could occasionally rely on to come home after a day of being in charge at work and hand over the reins, to not to have to make all the decisions all of the time. Her thoughts meandered in the direction of Joshua Ryden. She couldn't imagine anyone bossing him around.

What was going on there, with the phenomenal level of attraction

29.

she'd experienced? She sighed. The problem was that she didn't know what she wanted. What was the missing ingredient? Maybe Joshua Ryden had it, or perhaps that was just a recipe for disaster.

When Thursday came around, she was almost as anxious to see him as she was to prove herself to be a good vet. Colin and Rachael drove out to Sweet Water Ranch in the morning with the equipment.

Mark had ensured that the probe had been air couriered in time for the job. They parked near the paddock where the bull was tied to a post.

James and Joshua were both leaning against the wooden fence, waiting as she exited the truck. They looked too gorgeous to be legal, but it was the dark-haired, bigger man who attracted her. She noticed his clenched jaw and wondered if he was more worried than she was.

Taking off the light jacket that she had worn against the early morning chill, she noticed about twenty men lined up along the paddock fence, all looking her way. Colin explained that the bush telegraph had been working well. Word of the procedure had gotten around, and a few of the neighboring cattlemen and nearly all of the Sweet Water ranch hands wanted to watch.

Slightly annoyed at the unexpectedly large audience, she nevertheless smiled and nodded in their direction, and then stretched and warmed up the muscles on her arms, neck, and shoulders in preparation for the work ahead.

After donning their white coats, Rachael and Colin walked over to Joshua, James, and George, the ranch foreman. She swept her gaze across them all before focusing on Joshua.

”Do they want popcorn and sodas?” She jerked her head in the direction of the men.

”It's not a procedure we've used before. They're curious. A few neighbors want to see how this technique works,” Joshua said. ”Does it bother you?”

Not as much as you do. ”No, just as long as they're quiet and don't disturb our boy here.”

30.

As she walked into the paddock, she said good morning to the men, and they each raised a hat and mumbled, ”Morning,” back.

Aware that she was under close observation, she turned to the foreman and began issuing instructions.

First, Rachael checked the ground to make sure that it was flat and that the bull would have a good footing. Then, she inspected the pen to ensure it was as she'd specified. She had the foreman lead the bull into it and fit bars behind so that the animal was restrained and couldn't move either side to side or back and forth. When this was done, she donned a plastic sleeve and safety gla.s.ses and commenced with an internal examination of the bull's organs.

With her arm deep inside the big animal, Rachael gently ma.s.saged and spoke soothingly to help it relax. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a lot of s.h.i.+fting feet and fidgeting at the fence. Because the bull was so big, she had ordered the largest rectal probe. Any quiet conversation between the men stopped completely as she slowly inserted it. They were watching with rapt interest. She softly described how she was commencing stimulation on the lowest power level and that a steady rhythm was required by turning the probe on and off every few seconds. Slowly, she increased the power level, explaining that soon the p.e.n.i.s would protrude and seminal fluid would appear. From that point on, it was simply a case of rapidly increasing the power until the point of e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, when Colin would collect the sample. The procedure went perfectly to plan without a hitch.

”Well, I'll be d.a.m.ned,” someone muttered.

She carefully removed the probe and eyed it thoughtfully for a few seconds before looking pointedly at Joshua and James.

”Judging by that look, I don't think she's happy about the size of the audience.” James winced.

31.

”She'll get over it,” Joshua replied.

”Well, I'd say she aced the test.” James grinned.

At first, Joshua didn't speak, which was unusual for him when it concerned anything about the ranch.

”Itashe a was satisfactory,” he finally said. ”That's why she won't be annoyed. It will be good for her reputation.”

Truth be told, he was very impressed and not just a little relieved by her competence and the commanding, yet calm and respectful, way she'd directed his men. He had suffered all morning from the warring feelings of apprehension and excitement. He'd wanted her to do well because he wanted to see her again, but his bull was an expensive animal and there were a lot of people watching.

James chuckled. ”I don't think there is a more envied critter in the whole of Texas than that bull today. Satisfactory doesn't cut it.”

”She was effective.”

”h.e.l.l yeah, but I won't go on because I'll sound like a pervert.”

He affectionately punched his brother's arm.

”You are a pervert.” Joshua snorted. ”I'm checking the bull.”

”It takes one to know one,” James called after him.

Rachael was aware of the imposing figure of Joshua Ryden strolling toward her as she stripped off the arm glove, turning it inside out in the process, and placed it in her bag. Her heart thumped in her chest, her cheeks flushed, her palms became cold, her mouth watered, and b.u.t.terflies fluttered in her stomach. Jesus, she'd better pull herself together and concentrate on the bull and business rather than contend with the physical reactions that merely this guy's proximity seemed to create.

”He responded well to the procedure. He'll just need to rest in a quiet place for a short while.” She spoke clearly and slowly, focusing 32 on breathing normally and trying not to look like a silly schoolgirl or a s.e.x-starved spinster.

”You give a good demonstration. It was well done. I'll take him to the barn. I think that a few people want to speak to you.” He indicated to the men leaning against the paddock fence.

Rachael nodded, trying to appear natural and nonchalant, but was unable to resist looking up into those piercing blue eyes. They held each other's gaze for much longer than necessary. b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, get away. Too intense. Move, d.a.m.n it! She spun on her heel and walked quickly in the direction of the other men, when all she really wanted to do was rub herself all over Joshua Ryden's big, hard body and give him a demonstration of an altogether different kind.