Chance McCall (6 page)

“That’s not Cheyenne,” she said.

“No, ma’am, it’s not.”

They stared, man to woman, appraising the other’s determination in this issue.

Jenny shrugged. She hated to admit it, but she’d been apprehensive about riding the stallion anyway. She’d seen the look on Henry’s face. She’d just been too stubborn to admit she was wrong. Chance had called her bluff.

“Doesn’t much matter,” she mumbled, and reached for the reins.

“Come here,” he said, and cupped his hands to give her a leg up on the horse. She vaulted into the saddle.

She stared down into his eyes. The sounds around them muted and faded until Jenny forgot everything and everyone but the man who was gazing up at her. He was so familiar, and yet such a stranger.

Who was this man, Chance McCall? Why did he shun her when every other man in the area would give his eyeteeth to bed her? Her silent questions went unanswered as Chance handed her the reins. Their hands touched, inadvertently, and then with purpose. His thumb rubbed across her knuckles as he pulled absently at the stirrup.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Jenny felt like crying. She knew he was trying to get past the truck washing incident and reestablish a line of communication. It was obvious to her that Chance was as miserable as she.

She nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Riding anywhere special?” he asked softly.

“Just riding,” she answered, willing silently—almost begging—that he would accompany her.

But he shrugged and then stepped away. “Be careful.”

His eyes devoured as his voice seduced. Jenny shivered.

“As always,” she answered, and watched him walk away.

3

Chance stared down
at the dust on the floor of the corral and tried to ignore the circle of people outside the arena. He’d been given orders to parade Marcus’s latest acquisitions before the crowd, and that’s just what he intended to do. But from the way some of the younger men were ogling Jenny, he felt like he should rope and halter her and lead her around with the horses. She was the one Marcus had put on show. It made him mad as hell.

She perched on the top rail, ignoring most of their catcalls and jests, giving them only the attention that manners demanded. Her cool, touch-me-not demeanor only intensified their behavior.

Jenny heard the young men’s teasing invitations, but she wasn’t interested in them. Her sole interest in the proceedings lay in Chance’s reactions.

Her father’s announcement had been cool. Inviting some horse buyers out for an afternoon showing of some of his newest purchases and then following that up with some of the stock he had for sale was not out of the ordinary. But Jenny saw through his plan. It was solely for the purpose of assembling as many eligible men as possible at one time, and she knew it. What other explanation could there possibly be for the fact that most of the prospective buyers were under the age of thirty?

“Chance!” Marcus called. “Bring that mare that just foaled. Run her and the baby out here and let these men have a look-see at the latest results of our breeding plan.”

He nodded. Henry led away the horses that had been on display as Chance went to get the mare.

She whickered a hello as Chance entered her stall. “Come on, momma,” he said softly. “Some VIPs want to look at you and your baby, here. If you play your cards right, you might wind up eating your oats off of china instead of out of a feed bag.”

His sarcasm was lost on the horse. She led easily, a gentle, docile horse with clean lines and a strong build. The foal stole the show as it nickered and kicked, its stubby tail flying high behind long, delicate legs as it ran short, nervous circles around Chance and its mother.

Jenny laughed. She clapped her hands at the foal’s spirit and quickly forgot the reason why she’d intended to remain aloof. The baby was too dear to resist.

She vaulted down from the fence and walked into the arena. Her hand slipped into her pocket and then she was holding it out in front of her, calling softly in a quiet, crooning tone.

The foal stopped short, its tiny ears upright and dark eyes watching nervously as the stranger came close. The mare whinnied softly as Jenny’s familiar scent reached her nostrils. Her muzzle extended as she reached hungrily for the treat she knew was waiting.

Jenny smiled, one eye on the baby, the other on the mother, whose soft nostrils stroked her palm as the mare delicately nibbled the sugar cube out of her hand.

The foal was curious. Jenny could see its interest from the corner of her eye. Slowly she slid a second cube out of her pocket and extended her palm. The foal sniffed the air, and then made one quick sidestep, just to remind Jenny who was in charge. But the smell was enticing and curiosity won out. Jenny’s heart thumped as the foal walked toward her on those matchstick legs. She held her breath, and as the crowd watched, her patience overcame the foal’s fears. The sugar cube disappeared into the tiny mouth.

Fascinated in spite of himself at the way she’d coaxed the mare and foal to her will, Chance couldn’t resist the dig.

“You have them all eating out of the palm of your hand, don’t you, girl?”

Jenny looked up. He said one thing, but she knew he meant another. His remark referred to the men outside the corral, not the horses.

“Not all,” she answered. “Not yet. But I’m not about to quit trying. Sometimes…the ones hardest to get are the best. And if I can’t have the best”—her stare made him forget what he’d been about to say—“then I don’t want anything at all.”

He was speechless. He watched her walk away and resume her seat on the fence as the crowd clapped and cheered in appreciation of the impromptu show. The noise sent the foal running to the opposite end of the corral. The mare nickered nervously and Chance quickly led them both away.

“Well, hell,” he muttered, as he fastened the mare and her foal back into their stall. “That was futile for the both of us, lady. Your baby showed off…and I got put in my place…as usual.”

The only problem is, I don’t know where my place is. I know what I want, and I know what I can’t have. And I’m expected to exist somewhere in between. That’s not existing, that’s hell
!

He slammed the latch shut and pushed his Stetson down tight on his head. Dust billowed beneath his boot heels as he stomped back out into the arena to see what his boss wanted of him now. But he knew it didn’t much matter. As long as that line of men was waiting to get their hands on Jenny, his life wasn’t worth a damn.

The men were given free rein to wander the horse barns. It was Marcus’s way of letting them talk among themselves and come to a decision about whether or not to purchase some of his stock. He didn’t much care. He wasn’t particularly wanting to sell. He’d staged the entire event for Jenny’s sake.

After she’d finally agreed to meet
one
young man, he’d been inspired to try bigger and better things. This horse showing was simply a means to an end. One never knew what would strike sparks between a young man and woman.

A few months ago it had dawned on him that she had little to no social life. He’d been dumbstruck. The only explanation he could come up with was that she had to be lacking in opportunity. Therefore, he’d decided he had to provide.

In the past, he hadn’t given Jenny’s welfare much notice. But when it had finally occurred to him that Jenny should be thinking about settling down and raising a family, he’d clung to the idea with bulldog tenacity. He had no idea that his daughter was using his lineup of possible suitors as a means of making his foreman jealous.

“Look, son,” Devlin Walters said. “It can’t hurt to be nice to her. Hell, it shouldn’t hurt at all. I’d be proud to call her daughter.” And then he grinned and nudged his son as they pretended to look over a herd of geldings in a side corral. “I’d be even prouder to get her daddy’s money in my pocket. She’s pretty as they come and built like a brick…”

“That’s entirely beside the point,” Jason Walters said.

His father was like a broken record. He’d been pushing him to marry for a year. And when they’d gotten the invitation to come out to the Triple T, his father had lost all reason. It wasn’t that Jason didn’t like Jennifer Tyler. Any man who deserved to call himself a man would like to take that female to bed. She was pretty and rich—a deadly combination.

The problem was, she wouldn’t have any of it. He’d spent the entire day giving her the best of his male repertoire and all he’d gotten for his troubles was a sorry-ass smile. Half the men here had at least gotten her to speak. If she wouldn’t even talk to him, how the hell did his father expect him to get to first base…let alone farther?

“Look, Jason,” Devlin said, “you’re a good-looking boy. You take after your mother’s side of the family…and God knows they’ve got more looks than brains.” He blushed as he realized what he’d just implied, but continued as if it didn’t matter. “What woman could resist you if you gave it your all?” He lowered his voice. “Get her interested…and then get her pregnant. It’s the surest way I know to snag a reluctant woman, and that’s a fact. Give it a try. It can’t hurt.”

Chance couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Fury boiled in him as he dropped the saddle he’d been carrying and walked around the corner of the corral. The two men jumped as if they’d been shot, and looked at each other in guilty silence.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Walters.” Chance’s drawl was deceptively soft.

The younger man shivered. He saw pure, unadulterated anger boiling behind those dark eyes and wished he’d stayed at home.

“It’ll hurt a hell of a lot,” Chance continued. “If your son goes anywhere near Jenny Tyler, I’ll tell her what you said. And if by some wild, off-chance, you decide to try me and take her out anyway…you’d better pray to God that she comes back in the same condition in which she left.” He stared pointedly at the younger Walters and whispered, “You touch her…I’ll break your neck.”

Devlin Walters blustered. He was furious they’d been caught out, and furious that a mere hired hand was reading him the riot act. If it had come from Marcus himself, that would have been another matter altogether.

“Look here,” he said. “You have no right talking to us like that. What we said…why…it was just in jest, you understand. But that’s beside the point. Miss Tyler’s welfare is none of your business.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Chance said softly. Jenny
is
my business. Has been since she was eleven years old. And don’t you forget it.”

Jason Walters decided that if he made it home in one piece today, he didn’t give a tinker’s damn what his father wanted, he was going back to college. Another degree never hurt anyone…and it was a lot less painful than what this implied.

Devlin Walters might have tried to push the boundaries of good conscience and continue the argument, but Marcus and Jenny were coming toward them.

For one long moment, the three men stared at one another, each waiting to see if another was willing to stir up trouble.

“So, Dev,” Marcus said, as he slapped the elder Walters jovially, “I see you’ve met Chance. I was going to introduce you, but I see you’ve beat me to it.” He smiled at Chance as he continued, unaware of the undercurrents seething between the men. “He’s my other right hand,” Marcus said. “The Triple T wouldn’t be half the place it is without him. And don’t get Jenny started on his accomplishments…she’ll never shut up. She thinks he can do no wrong.”

Jenny saw the looks the men were exchanging. Something had happened, of that she was certain. But what remained a mystery.

“We introduced ourselves,” Chance said, then gave Jenny a long, telling look and walked away without looking back.

Jason Walters breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s been really nice meeting you, Jenny,” he said. “But my dad and I were just saying that Mom is expecting us. In fact, she expected us home over an hour ago. We’ve got to be going, right, Dad?”

Devlin shook hands with his host, winked at Jenny just to prove to himself that that damned foreman didn’t own all the rights, and let his son lead him away.

“I’ll be right back,” Marcus said. “I’ll just walk them to their car.”

Jenny nodded. She had no intention of following him. Her sights were set on locating Chance and finding out what had been going on. It didn’t take her long. He was slamming saddles and bridles around the tack room as if he’d just lost his mind.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jenny asked, as she grabbed a bridle out of his hand before he flung it across the room.

His hungry gaze swept over her like wildfire. Her slim waist and flared hips were nothing but a reminder of what he’d overheard. It made him crazy to think about any man putting his hands…or anything else…on her.

“Nothing,” he said, turning away.

She shoved a fist against his chest and stopped his retreat. “Bull! Don’t give me that,” she said. “I saw the looks…I heard what you
weren’t
saying. I want to know, and I want to know now.”

“Well, sometimes you don’t always get what you want, Miss Tyler.” Chance’s drawl was slow and cruel.

Jenny gasped. It was the first time in their entire relationship that Chance had ever…knowingly…insulted her. Tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked furiously, angry with herself for giving in to the feeling and angry with him for causing it.

Chance groaned. He’d seen the tears, and he knew she didn’t deserve pain.

“You don’t have to remind me,” Jenny said, and spun around, intent on putting as much space between them as possible before the tears began to run.

“Wait!”

She stopped but refused to turn around.

“What?” Anger kept her back straight and defiant.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “But there are things in my life that you don’t understand. There are things I can’t change.” The pain was thick in his voice as he finished. “I wish to hell I could…but I can’t. And as for Walters and his son…don’t mess with them…. Okay?”

Her pause showed him that she’d gotten the message.

“Okay,” she said. When she turned around, he was gone.

Jenny stuffed her hands into her jacket pocket, stepped off the porch, and wandered down toward the barns. She’d been aware of the activity in the main corrals all afternoon but had been stuck inside the house entertaining the latest of Marcus’s friends who’d come calling. The horse show had come and gone, but Marcus had obviously not given up. Neither had Jenny. She was back to her old plan of trying to make Chance jealous.