Текст книги "Slow Ride"

Автор книги: Cathryn Fox

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 7 страниц)

Chapter Three

Holy shit…

Julia’s stomach plummeted as she stared at the very familiar man lounging beneath the towering oak tree to the left of the tarmac—a handsome man she knew all too well and couldn’t believe she was coming face-to-face with after all this time. At least this time she had her clothes on.

When his jaw dropped, understanding hit harder than a judge’s wooden gavel. Her legs weakened, and moisture pebbled on her forehead as she realized what a colossal mistake she’d made.

Embarrassed and feeling like a complete and utter fool, Julia locked her knees to keep herself upright. She took a tentative step back, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

Good God, what the hell am I doing here?

With her mind spinning a million miles an hour, she berated herself for actually getting on the plane. But when she found out her case was no longer going to court, only to go home to see the invitation glaring at her from her garbage can, taunting her to go and see what this vacation was all about—and discover who had sent it—she went ahead and did just that.

She’d found herself maneuvering her car down the highway, heading toward the airport. As she drove, she worked to convince herself the short journey was for information purposes only—to discover the sender’s true identity. Since impetuous behavior was completely out of character for her, she was pretty damn certain she wasn’t going to step foot on the jumbo jet that took them to Alberta, or the small Cessna that just delivered them to the ranch—which was why she hadn’t bothered with a suitcase.

But when she ran into Alix Harris and Jess Gray, two girls she recognized from high school, and they all stood around the gate and compared notes, curiosity got the better of her. Perhaps it was the lawyer in her, or perhaps it was the woman. Either way—luggage or not—she’d decided that, for once in her life, she was just going to act on impulse and see where the adventure led her.

And where it led her was straight to a dude ranch where the guy who’d seen her at her most vulnerable was standing in the shadows and likely waiting for her sister!

As her world tilted on its axis, the crowd dispersed, and she faltered backward. Her mind raced as the female ranch hand guided her off the small airstrip. She followed along numbly, forcing one leg in front of the other and wondering if she could jump back on the plane and get the hell out of Dodge before anyone realized the screwup. She turned at the sound of the engine roaring back to life, and sweat broke out on her skin when she spotted the small plane getting ready to taxi back down the short runway.

Feeling dizzy, she pinched her eyes shut, groping for something—anything—to grasp on to, when she felt a strong pair of arms slip around her waist to help balance her. She didn’t have to turn around to know who those strong hands belonged to.

“You okay?”

Oh God, that voice. So deep. So sexy. So achingly familiar.

He tightened his grip, and she didn’t dare open her eyes as she thought about those big, competent hands of his. Thought about how many times she had wished they were on her body, touching her, caressing her, making love to her. Her panties grew damp, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stifle the moan climbing from the depths of her dry throat.

Okay, so it was a lie. A complete and utter lie. She’d been jealous of Mari and Coop’s relationship all along. And yes, she’d love to be wild and carefree like her sister for one day, mainly because it was the only way the boy from her fantasies was ever going to notice her. But he never bothered to give her the time of day before, which meant she was far better off without him in her life. Right?

So why then, after all these years, did his touch reduce her to a giddy schoolgirl? One who wanted him now as much as she ever did?

God, I am so pathetic!

Warm hands gripped her shoulders to spin her around. She opened her eyes and wished she hadn’t. When her glance locked on his magnificent baby blues, there was no stopping her knees from wobbling. He pulled her closer until their groins meshed, and she could feel every striated muscle in his rock-hard body, specifically the one between his legs as it pressed against her.

She melted into his body, which could satisfy the most insatiable. What would it be like to have his work-roughened hands all over her, removing her clothes and touching her in the most erotic ways? Her lids fell shut as a myriad sinful thoughts tormented her suddenly overactive libido.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked again.

His voice jostled her back to reality, and she remembered it was Mari he’d been waiting for under that oak tree, not her nerdy sister Julia. And the truth was, she wasn’t about to offer herself to a man who didn’t want her, no matter how much her body begged her to do just that.

Julia called on every ounce of strength she possessed, marshaled her wayward thoughts, and forced her voice to work, but for the first time in her life, words failed her. “I…uh…thirsty.”

He gestured with a nod over his shoulder, and genuine concern laced his voice when he said, “Come on. It’s scorching out here. Let’s go inside for a cold drink.”

Julia gave a quick shake of her head, and her voice came out far too breathy for her liking. “No. I should probably go.”

Something that resembled heat flashed in his eyes, and it was all she could do to ignore the hunger bombarding her hormones. “Where?” he asked as they both watched the plane take to the sky. His sexy voice left her warm, wanting, and detesting him as much as she detested her traitorous body.

“Oh God,” she croaked out.

As she stared into his bedroom blues, another shudder ran through her, and she briefly wondered if she’d read him wrong. Maybe he didn’t know the nerdy twin had boarded the plane. Then another more devious thought hit. If he didn’t know, did she have it in her to pretend she was her sister? Just for one glorious week? Talk about the perfect opportunity to walk in her sister’s shoes. As her mind warmed to the idea and her body stirred from his touch, she brushed her tongue over her lips and thought about where such a deceitful little lie would land her.

Right in his bed.

His perfect white teeth flashed as he smiled down at her. “Julia, are you okay?”

Okay, so much for that naughty plan. He obviously knew it was her. Too bad, really, because he was so damn hot.

No man should ever be allowed to look that good.

She extricated herself from his arms. Stalling, she brushed her hand over her blouse and form-fitting work skirt, smoothing out the wrinkles as she considered her next move. “Yeah, I’m just warm.” She gave a casual shrug and decided to try to play off her unease. “I guess the invitation was meant for my sister.”

Coop mimicked her easy shrug. “Yeah, but that’s okay,” he said lightly, a strange gleam in his eyes that piqued her interest. “You’re here now, and I really want you to stay and enjoy yourself.”

She studied his body language for movement—a skill she’d learned in law school; he was up to something. Crinkling her nose, she shaded the sun from her eyes and said, “Are there any car rentals around here?”

“Come on, Julia,” he said. “You don’t have to do that.” He gave her a sexy, somewhat devious smile, and once again she couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on here. Why had he invited Mari to the ranch after all these years? From what she knew, they’d lost touch after high school and Mari had been with many men since. The paparazzi loved to splash her face, and her antics, all over the rag mags. He likely wanted in on a little of the action. What other explanation could there be?

He gave a wide sweep of his hand. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. I have a room ready for you and a week of fun planned.”

“No, Coop,” she corrected, his words hitting like a hard slap. “You have a room ready for my sister and a week of fun planned for her.”

He frowned, and when he hooked his thumbs in his belt loops, Julia tried not to notice the way his jeans rode low on his hips. “I didn’t mean—” he began.

She held her hand up to stop him. The last thing she wanted to hear was that he didn’t mean that she, Julia Blair, could take over where her sister had left off. No, she really didn’t want to hear that it wasn’t her he wanted.

“It’s okay. I need to get back anyway.” She attempted a smile. “Especially since I boarded the plane on a whim and didn’t even bring any luggage.”

Coop went quiet for a long moment, and she wondered what was going through his mind. Finally, he broke the silence and said, “I’m not going to keep you here if you don’t want to stay. There’s another plane tomorrow at dinnertime. But until then you’re kind of stuck.” He stepped closer, his scent overwhelming her senses when he pitched his voice low and said, “Just don’t make your decision until then, okay?”

“Why?”

“Because I think you might actually like it here.” He held out his hand, and his grin turned mischievous when he started ticking things off on his fingers. “We’ve got a guest pool, great food, horses at your disposal, groomed riding trails…”

As he continued to list the amenities, Julia’s gaze panned the estate and studied the old farmhouse, which had been restored to a quaint country inn. She took pleasure in the sight of the beautiful horses running inside the corral and the magnificent mountains off in the distance. It really was quite breathtaking.

“And, Julia.”

She looked back at him. “Yeah?”

His eyes darkened, and his voice dropped an octave when he said, “I really am glad you’re here.”

Even though she didn’t believe him, everything in the way he looked at her had her body trembling.

Must be the heat.

She shot another glance around the ranch. It was nice, and she didn’t have much of a choice.

“So what do you say?”

She gave a resigned sigh, but deep down couldn’t deny that she was a bit excited by the prospect of hanging out at the dude ranch. The thought of being on a horse again was very alluring. She’d just be sure to keep her distance from Coop until the plane came back to rescue her.

After a quick consultation with herself, she answered with, “I guess if I’m stuck here for the night, then I might as well enjoy the place.”

He flashed a wide grin. “Good. Come on. And I’m sure I can find spare clothes for you.” He grabbed her hand and pulled, and she wished he’d stop being so considerate and sweet. It made it too hard to hate him. “You look to be about the same size as Tessa.”

She wondered who Tessa was, but resisted the urge to ask. Instead, she noted the way he’d angled his head to get a better glimpse of her. She could feel his eyes studying her, taking in her navy pencil skirt, starched white blouse, and sensible pumps. She felt completely out of place standing next to this sexy, laid-back cowboy. Then again, they’d always traveled in different circles.

“What?” she asked and shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze.

“I was just wondering.”

“Wondering what?”

“What exactly is it that you need to hurry back for?”

She thought long and hard before answering. “Nothing now, I guess,” she said honestly, having no reason to lie to him, other than the fact that she didn’t want him to know her life was as boring as her clothes, and that unlike her twin sister, Julia Blair was all work and no play. But he probably already knew that.

She kept pace with his long strides as they walked the gravel path to the ranch. “Then why didn’t you pack?”

Julia adjusted her purse over her shoulder. “I wasn’t planning on coming.”

“Then why did you go to the airport?”

She gave an uneasy laugh, and instead of telling him that her curiosity got the better of her, she said, “I don’t remember you being a man of so many questions.”

He gave her a crooked sideways grin that fluttered her heart, not to mention other parts of her body.

“So what do you remember about me?” he asked as he hurried his steps, moving ahead of her slightly.

Everything.

From his gorgeous body and handsome, boyish face to the way he played the field, and she wasn’t talking about the soccer field. All the girls had lusted after him while she watched from the sidelines.

“Nothing,” she lied.

“Good.”

Julia arched a curious brow. “Good? Why good?”

His mouth turned up at the corner, and his sexy smile warmed her right to the tips of her toes. “Because I was a bit of a cocky prick back in the day, don’t you think?”

“I hadn’t noticed.” The truth was, he might have been self-centered, out for his own pleasure like every other teen boy she knew, but he did have qualities that drew her to him. That day he’d found her in the closet, it might have hurt her feelings when he said he would never want to walk in on her naked, but he’d been a gentleman, respectful, and went to lengths to protect her from his friends. Rumor had it that later that night, he kicked the shit out of Jag and Mac for laughing at her.

“Maybe that’s because you were too busy studying,” he said, which raised the question, what did he remember about her?

As she took pleasure in the sight of his hard body, she noticed the new crook of his nose—how did he break it? Her gaze left his face to take in broad shoulders that tapered to a trim waist, long, hard legs, and a gorgeous ass that looked so damn good in his worn, low-riding jeans.

When his hand tightened over hers, his rough calluses scraped against her palms, there was nothing she could do to ignore the tremble moving through her.

As they approached the front entrance of the lodge, she was about to ask what he remembered about her, but he moved close, too close. Her brain stalled, and her body temperature ramped up a few degrees

He dipped his head, and for a moment she thought he was moving in for a kiss. He tipped his hat, pulled open the heavy door, and in a sexy drawl that nearly had her melting like a summertime Popsicle, said, “After you, ma’am.”

Rattled by his close proximity and overwhelming ruggedness, she berated herself for her foolish thoughts. Of course he wasn’t moving in for a kiss. She forced herself to grin at his playfulness. Careful not to touch him, she walked into what appeared to be a replica of a nineteenth-century saloon.

The cool interior helped push back the heat, not to mention the lust, and cleared her head. She glanced around the nearly empty watering hole and smiled as she took note of the decor. Coop tipped his hat to the woman behind the counter.

“I’ll have a beer,” he said, and turned to Julia. “What would you like?”

Julia swallowed, and even though she wasn’t much of a drinker, she looked at the draft tap and was sure she could use a cold one right about now. “Same,” she answered.

Coop pulled a chair out for her. Who knew he’d grow up to be such a gentleman? Well, maybe she did. He straddled the seat to her left, and she glanced around. How did Coop and his two best buds end up on a dude ranch?

She’d recognized Mac and Jag. What were the three of them up to? They had caused enough trouble in high school to last a lifetime, but obviously, they were up to their old antics. Why else would they have gifted her—well, her sister—and the other two girls with an all-expense-paid vacation to the ranch? They were obviously living out some wild, youthful fantasy.

God, would the three hellions ever grow up?

Coop adjusted his hat on his head, and she watched the muscles along his arm tighten.

She cleared her throat. “A cowboy, huh?” Julia asked.

“Yeah, when the mood strikes.”

She wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but when he didn’t bother to elaborate, she said in a low voice, more to herself than to him, “I never would have thought.”

“I guess you never know what kind of curveball life is going to throw at you.”

He had a strange, vulnerable look in his eye. What had been thrown his way? What events led Coop here, to a dude ranch in the middle of nowhere? Because quite honestly, she’d never taken him for a ranch kind of guy. But she guessed he’d simply taken his playboy antics from the soccer field to the corral. Heck, what girl didn’t love a cowboy, right? There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with such a profession. It was a respectable job, but in senior year she overheard him talking about a career in sports medicine.

The waitress came with their drinks, and Julia took a big gulp and placed her frosty mug on the table before her. The cool liquid went down so nice and smooth that she continued to drink until she quenched her thirst. When she began to feel the effects of the alcohol—compliments of an empty stomach—she sipped slower and inched back on her chair to let loose a long, slow breath. Truthfully, until she stepped into this saloon, she hadn’t realized just how tightly wound she’d been.

The place was nice, comfortable, and designed to put its patrons at ease. After working hard for the last few months, perhaps a night at the ranch was just the thing she needed. Too bad she couldn’t stay longer. Sure, Coop had put the offer on the table, but she was intelligent enough to know that he was just being polite, trying to salvage a bad situation and make the best of it. He didn’t really want her here.

“I never took you for a beer-drinking kind of girl.” Coop gestured to the waitress for another, and Julia fought down the burst of heat creeping toward her face when she noticed that her mug was nearly empty.

Trying for casual, she said, “There’s probably a lot you don’t know about me.”

He leaned toward her, and his mouth was so close that if she inched forward their lips would be touching. “So where should we start?” he asked.

“Why should we bother?”

“Why shouldn’t we?”

She really didn’t have a good answer for that. When she didn’t respond, he continued. “So what do you do for a living, Julia?” She was taken aback by his question, as well as the genuine interest in his eyes. She really thought he’d spend the night grilling her on Mari, and was actually a little shocked that he wanted to know more about her. She decided to play along, since she had nothing else to do and nowhere else to be.

“I’m a lawyer,” she said, and waited for his eyes to glaze over. When they widened with interest, it caught her off guard.

He gave a slow nod. “Beauty and brains,” he murmured, giving a slow appreciative nod. “I’m not surprised, really. You always were smart.”

He thinks I’m beautiful? Probably just being nice.

She sat there staring at him, taking in the thoughtfulness on his face, and strangely enough, the admiration in his eyes when he spoke about her didn’t make her feel that she was being judged. As a teen, she’d shied away from such blatant observations, hating that she was the smart one and her sister was the fun one, but this time, she could feel a measure of pride welling up inside her.

“My turn,” Julia said, no longer wanting to talk about herself.

He gave a mock shiver. “Let the interrogation…er…I mean questions begin.”

“First, let me say that you weren’t always a prick. I remember the time you saved Davy Brown from the bullies.” Julia wasn’t sure why she’d brought up that particular incident. Maybe it was that vulnerable look she’d spotted in his eyes when he talked about life and its curveballs, or maybe it was because that was the day she’d fallen for him.

He gave her a coy look and teased, “I thought you said you didn’t remember anything about me.”

“Well, maybe I remembered a few things.” He gave her a knowing grin. “But there are still a few things I’d like to know.”

He leaned forward until their knees bumped under the table, and he pitched his voice low when he asked, “What do you want to know, Julia?”

Her heart lurched at the deep, suggestive tone of his voice. And oh, the way he said her name. How would it sound whispered against her lips as he made love to her? She shifted in her chair, crossed her legs against the pressure building between them at the thought.

Clearing her throat she asked, “Why a dude ranch?”

He got quiet for a moment, then gave a light shrug and leaned into her, his breath warm on her face. “Isn’t it every boy’s dream to grow up to be a cowboy?”

She noticed the careful way he sidestepped giving her a direct answer, but for some inexplicable reason, the lawyer in her—or maybe it was the woman—wanted to know.

“Yes, but most don’t go on to realize the dream. So why this old ranch? Why here?” She paused to wave her hand around. “In the middle of nowhere.”

She expected him to come back with some smart-ass comment about getting the girls, but when he sat back, lowered his head, and frowned, his guard slipped slightly. Her heart tightened. This was something personal. Someone or something had hurt him. She always thought of him as such a happy-go-lucky guy. Humor disappeared from his eyes as turbulent waves of emotion rolled across his face. He quickly tamped them down, cleared his throat, and smiled, his guard firmly back in place.

Returning to playful mode, he looked at her pointedly and flashed his perfect white teeth in a smile. “It was the right thing at the right time.” He grabbed his glass and held it up to her, but this time his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Now come on. Here’s to friends. Old and new.”

She clinked glasses with him, appreciating how smoothly he evaded certain questions and redirected the conversation. Clearly, he was keeping something from her. Not that he owed her any details—he didn’t—but she still couldn’t help but wonder what these guys were up to.

The lawyer in her itched to dig deep to get to the bottom of matters, and oddly enough, the woman in her wanted to take him into her arms and kiss the truth free. Which one would win?