Maverick Wild (Harlequin Historical Series) (10 page)

“Do you two have any idea what you look like?”

“This is your brother’s dirty work,” she said, struggling onto her knees.

“She started it.” Chance nudged her shoulder.

Cora pushed away from her muddy opponent and got to her feet. Chance grabbed the back of her dress and tugged her into the mud as he stood.

“Oops.”

“You big—”

“Here, let me help you up.” Chance grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. His green eyes shone with laughter.

Startled by a sudden stir of awareness, Cora’s breath caught. Even coated in grime, he was breathtaking.

“You’ve both lost your minds,” said Tucker, shaking his head as he turned away. “I hope you don’t plan on walking into the house like that. Skylar’s likely to have heart failure at the sight of you.”

The house
. Cora glanced down at her mud-soaked dress. “Oh my goodness.”

“What’s the matter? You just realize you’re too filthy to get to the tub?”

“I don’t see what you’re grinning about,” she said as she trudged her way to a patch of semidry ground. “You are just as muddy.”

Chance was beside her in a few easy strides. “You still know how to swim, don’t you?”

“I suppose I—” His arm closing around her cut off her words.

“Good,” he said, cradling her against his chest.

“Chance!” Her arms locked round his neck. “Put me down!”

“In a minute.”

“I’m too heavy!”

He jiggled her, making her cling to him. “Are you calling me weak?”

His wide smile mesmerized. Her heart started that wild cadence. “No,” she said, her gaze locked with his. “Never that.”

She could feel the ripple of his muscles as he moved. A shudder stole through her. It wasn’t fear. Surprisingly, it felt quite nice to be wrapped in his brawn, the intensity of his eyes stirring a warmth deep inside her. She felt as though she were melting into his embrace. His face moved closer, and Cora’s breath stalled.

“Cora?”

“Yes?”

“Hold your breath.” With that, he
dropped her
.

She splashed into the pond and the bite of freezing water. She came up shivering and sputtering for breath. “You…are the biggest…
bully!
”

“Am not.” He dove off the end of the dock. A moment later he surfaced beside her. “I’m just helping you get cleaned up.” He reached for the wooden deck above them. Muscles flexed, and he was standing on the dock. He turned, smiling as he crouched low. “Give me your hands.”

She reached up. The warmth of his fingers clasped over hers. With one tug she was out of the water and colliding against his firm chest. His arms banded around her to keep her from falling back into the pond. His body gave off an amazing amount of heat.

He turned her toward the center of the dock, then gripped her shoulders and set her roughly away from him.

“No hard feelings?” he asked, his expression wary.

“
You’re
the one with hard feelings.”

Chance couldn’t deny it. After the way she’d looked at him before he’d tossed her into the water and rubbed against him just now, his hard feelings were about to bust through his fly. A condition that only worsened as Cora Mae reached back to gather the length of her sopping hair.

Her dress clung to every dip and curve in her body. The light gray fabric did little to hide the rosy-tipped evidence of her chill.

Desire swept through him.

Cora gasped, just before she wrapped her arms around her chest, hiding those hard peeks.

“
Chance
. I can’t go up to the house like this.”

“No, you can’t,” he said, taking in the curvaceous view that was guaranteed to keep him awake for nights on end.

“Chance!”

His gaze snapped up to Cora Mae’s wide eyes.

“Stop gaping and get me something before I freeze!”

He turned away before she could see the proof of his stray thoughts strained against his britches. He stepped into the boots he’d taken off before diving off the dock and went to fetch a blanket from the clothesline.

When he came back, Cora Mae was shivering beside the tree a few yards beyond the dock. She flashed a timid smile, and he couldn’t help wondering if she’d taste as sweet as she looked.

He swung the blanket around her shoulders, then used it to pull her against his body, and she let him, pressing flush against his chest.

“Thank you,” she said, a sigh breaking from her lips.

He tried to tell himself she was cold and was only seeking his warmth, but his body wasn’t listening.

“Cora Mae—”

“Cora,” she corrected automatically, taking a small step back, making him wonder if she’d just noticed the intimacy of her body pressed to his. He smiled, and felt a shudder sweep through her that had nothing to do with being cold. He saw desire in those brown and copper depths.

“Cora,” he said, making sure he got it right, just before he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She stiffened. His hand slid into her hair, preventing her from pulling away. She gasped and he deepened the kiss, gliding his tongue across hers in a fleeting caress, drawing a sugary sweetness into his mouth, and the faint taste of lemon.

Dear God. She tasted better than in his dreams.

He returned to the satin sweetness of her mouth for a full sampling. She stood in the circle of his arms, letting him kiss her, but not quite participating. Coaxingly, he flicked her tongue.

Kiss me back, Cora Mae
.

She shivered against him. Her tongue moved lightly against his, and passion burst through him, dragging out a groan of suppressed desire.

The blanket dropped away as he smoothed his hand down her back. The most arousing sounds rose from her throat. Every timid stroke of her tongue kissed him into oblivion.

By the time he drew his mouth away from hers, she was relaxed in his arms, her breathing as sporadic as his own. He smiled into her wide, passion-filled eyes and pushed a long auburn curl away from her face, tucking the damp strands behind her ears.

“Chance?” Cora tried to catch her breath, her mind a haze of confusion as she blinked up at him. How could her muscles have turned to melted butter while her heart raced fit to burst? “I’m dizzy.”

He hugged her close and laughed against her lips. “Me, too.”

Cora leaned into his soft lips, eager for the closeness they’d just shared. She reached up, her fingers twisted into his hair, holding him closer as his taste and the heat of his embrace surrounded her.

He lifted her against him. Her wet skirts didn’t hide the ridged evidence of his masculine body. He shifted again, and the feel of his body pressed so intimately to hers ignited a hard surge of panic. Her mind flooded with the memory of being held down, the sharp stab of pain between her legs.

She shoved against him.
He…he wouldn’t.

His grip tightened, his hand flexing on her buttocks, trapping her against the bruising strength of his body. Fear streaked through her, overpowering a rush of wild sensation.

With a shriek of protest, she wrenched herself away from him and stumbled back.

“Cora.”
Chance moved to pull her soft warmth back against the fire twisting through his body. The stark fear in her eyes stopped him.

She backed away, her narrowed eyes hazing with tears. “How could you?”

“Cora Mae—”

She turned and ran toward the house.

Chance stood there in stunned silence. What the hell had just happened?

He licked his lips, her taste still lingering there. He slumped against the tree and glanced down at a body honed to do a lot more than just kiss. He’d been ready to throw her to the ground and relieve the desire that had been pulling at him since she arrived.

Good God—
He’d all but attacked her.

He scanned the ranch, making sure no one else had witnessed his lack of restraint. He didn’t see anyone. The shock and betrayal in her eyes filled his mind.

What have I done?

She wasn’t some promiscuous widow out getting her kicks; she was
Cora Mae
, and he’d just scared her half to death.

Damnation
. He’d scared himself.

T
he chair beside Chance sat empty. He didn’t have to look up from his plate to feel the angry glares aimed in his direction. Skylar had already cornered him in the kitchen, asking if he knew why Cora had run into the house in tears and hadn’t been downstairs since. He’d lied straight to her face, claiming he didn’t have a clue.

When Skylar walked into the dining room with a plate of lemon cake, the thought of Cora Mae’s lemon-tinged tongue rubbing against his had him out of his chair in a heartbeat. He headed for his study, hoping to find some peace and solitude.

Over an hour later he sat in the solace of the one room that didn’t bear any hint of her presence, yet all he could see as he stared at his ledger were Cora’s wide frightened eyes gazing back at him.

He eased back in his chair and blew out a pent-up breath. He wasn’t sure if he should go to her and say…
something
.

The door squeaked open, letting in the sound of a fussing baby. Chance straightened in his chair as Skylar stepped inside, a crying bundle in one arm, a carrying basket in the other.

“Shhh,” she soothed, patting the swaddled baby on her shoulder as she kicked the door closed behind her. “Hush now, Em. Don’t wake your sister.” She glanced up and drew to a halt. “Oh! Sorry, Chance. I didn’t—”

“Come on in,” he said, rising from the cushy chair she clearly needed more than he did. “I was just heading out.”

“Tucker fell asleep on our bed while reading to Joshua. We came down here so we wouldn’t wake them.” She slid the basket onto the desk. “I know it’s just after seven, but you’ve all been working so hard.”

“You can nurse those angels anywhere you please,” he said, glancing into the basket at Grace wrapped up tight in a new pink blanket. “I see Grace’s color is now pink.”

Skylar smiled as she eased into his chair. “I had planned yellow beforehand in case these two were boys. Luckily Cora had a supply of pink yarn and ribbons.”

Of course she did.

Emily let out a sharp cry from beneath the blanket draped over Skylar’s shoulder, just before she found her source of nourishment. That was all it took to initiate a similar protest from the basket. Skylar released a hard sigh and rocked the basket while cradling Emily against her with her other arm.

“Can I hold her?”

“Yes. Thank you. They’re such piglets.”

Chance lifted his fussing niece and tucked her into the bend of his arm. A few gentle pats on her bottom and she quieted, cuddling against him. He picked up his ledger and took it back to the bookshelf.

“You certainly have a knack with babies.”

All females should be so simple
, he thought, sliding the ledger into place. “Can I get you anything, Skylar?”

She glanced up from her daughter and smiled in appreciation. “A glass of water would be grand.”

He and Grace left the study and returned a few moments later with her drink.

“Thank you,” she said as he set the glass on the desk. “I feel like a permanent feeding station. I’ve been so thankful for Cora’s help. I would have gone mad this past month trying to adjust to feeding schedules and keeping up with Joshua and everything else.”

Chance sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk and kept his gaze on Grace.

“She’s agreed to watch the girls and Josh for a couple of hours tomorrow. My horses have probably forgotten me.”

“Not likely.” Skylar was one of the finest horse trainers he’d ever seen, when she wasn’t heavy with child. But she and Tucker seemed to have their own selfish plans to fill this house up with kids. Damn cute ones at that, he thought.

He sure hadn’t planned on children running through this house when he’d built it. He and Tuck had had a plan: start a horse ranch and avoid the marriage trap. He figured Tuck must have been out of his mind when he’d fallen for Skylar. But Chance had to admit, life hadn’t been bad. Skylar settled his rambling brother and brought a level of comfort to their home. Joshua’s arrival had been like a miracle. The boy knew how to hit every soft spot left in Chance’s heart.

He brushed his finger across Grace’s plump rosy cheek. Kids were something special. Maybe his brother had it figured out.

Or maybe Chance just needed to remind himself that Tucker had a way of coasting through life on God’s graces, whereas he tended to trip over them. Disrespecting Cora Mae the way he had certainly hadn’t been a smooth course of action, and damn sure wasn’t going to earn him any graces.

“I hope my girls aren’t keeping you awake at night.”

Chance glanced up. “No.” The only girl keeping him awake was the one upstairs wishing him to the devil.

A smile eased across Skylar’s lips, making him wonder if she could hear his thoughts. “Want to talk about it?” she asked.

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.” She stood and placed her sleeping infant in the carrying basket. As if on cue, Grace began to fuss in his arms.

“Piglets,” said Skylar, grinning as she approached him and relieved him of her fussing daughter.

“Can I take this bundle upstairs for you?” he asked, looking into the basket at Emily.

Skylar settled back into the soft desk chair. “Yes, thank you.”

He lifted Emily from the basket and started for the door.

“Chance?”

He paused in the doorway, glancing back at her.

“Whatever your grievances are with Cora, I hope you two can work them out. I’d hate to see her go.”

“Did she say she was leaving?”

Skylar nodded, her expression heavy with concern. “At the end of the week. I don’t think she has anywhere else to go.”

“Did she say that?”

“No. But she’s a lot like you in that respect.”

Chance frowned. “How do you mean?”

“She doesn’t share her burdens.”

Problem was, Chance knew he was one of those burdens. “I’ll talk to her.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

He nodded and headed for the stairs.

It wasn’t hard to see that nearly everyone on the ranch preferred Cora Mae’s company to his. He’d be a selfish bastard to chase off Skylar’s first real friend.

He stepped lightly into Tucker’s bedroom. His brother was asleep against a stack of pillows, an open book on his chest. His son slept soundly beside him. Tucker woke as Chance laid Emily in the cradle.

“Playing nursemaid?”

“Seems that way. Sky’s downstairs with Grace.”

Tucker leaned over the side of the bed and smiled at his daughter. He reached over and stroked her soft tufts of blond hair.

Leaving the room, Chance felt a sharp stab of jealousy.

It all seemed to come so easy for Tucker—marriage, kids, ranching.

The sudden thought stunned him.

He had never begrudged the happiness Tucker had found with Skylar. He’d never wanted any such thing for himself. He only wanted to run his ranch and be left alone.

Cora Mae was driving him out of his mind!

He stopped before her room.
What the hell am I supposed to say to her? You stay and I’ll go? Give up the only life that had ever meant anything to me?

He rapped on the door. “Cora?”

She didn’t answer, but he knew she was up. Light seeped through the cracks around the door.

“Would you talk to me?”

He waited another minute.

“Please, Cora.”

Another moment passed. Something scraped on the other side of the door before it opened, just wide enough for her to peer out at him. No doubt her foot was braced against the door to keep him out.

Chance stared down at the scuff marks on the wood floor leading to the chest of drawers she’d clearly just shoved from the doorway.
Good God
. Did she think he’d attack her?

Glancing up at the caution in her darkened eyes, he assumed so.

“What do you want?” she asked, her cold tone adding to the guilt building inside him.

“To apologize,” he said, telling himself he shouldn’t notice the way the lamplight lit up the clean shiny curls of red and copper that swirled around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Cora. I was out of line.”

Tears glistened in her eyes. “I didn’t…I wouldn’t have—”

“You didn’t do anything other than trust me. I’ve been feeling lower than dirt all evening for breaking that trust.”

She sniffed, blinking back her tears. “I get the message,” she said, her tone hard. “I’ll leave.”

He stared at her a moment, stunned by the implications of her statement. “You think that’s why I kissed you? To get you to
leave?
”

“Why else? I’ve told you I have no interest in marriage. Perhaps I should have expanded that to
paramours
.”

“I admit my actions were disrespectful. It won’t happen again. But I sure as hell didn’t kiss you to try and scare you off.”

Her poignant expression didn’t change.

“I swear it, Cora Mae,” he said, the distrust in her eyes killing him. “I went too far, and I hope you can forgive me.”

“Of course. I care for you as a brother.”

His eyebrows shot up.
“A brother?”
She’d just accused him of trying to make her his lover and now he was supposed to think his actions had been somehow incestuous? “Can’t we at least be
honest
about this? The way you kissed me back was hardly sisterly.”

Her eyes flared. “I didn’t ask you to kiss me!”

“Maybe not, but after the way you kissed me, you can’t deny the attraction between us.” The memory of her tongue moving tentatively over his burned through him. She’d filled his arms perfectly, her warmth pressed against him, her softness beneath his hands. She’d all but melted into him, kissing him back with…with the inexperience of a virgin.

Hell
. Her timid exploration had set him on fire, and he’d taken her from her first taste of passion to grinding against her.

“I’m not saying what I did was right,” he said, reminding himself he’d come to her room to apologize. “I could taste your innocence, and I—”

“Good night!”

He pushed against the door before she could shut it. “Cora Mae, I’m trying—”

“I don’t want your attention,” she shouted. “I don’t want these feelings!”

The door slammed shut.

Chance shut his eyes and leaned against the door frame.

What had he expected?

Judging by the solid rise in his trousers, an invitation into her bed would have been a start. He wanted her until he couldn’t see straight.

He couldn’t have her. He
wouldn’t
take her. What was more, she didn’t want him.

At least,
not now
.

The sound of the chest being shoved back in front of the door confirmed that notion.

Damnation!

All she’d wanted was confirmation that he’d keep his hands off her, and he hadn’t been able to even give her that much.

He walked into his room, telling himself he should be thankful she had the sense to resist him.
Hell
. If Salina affected him half as much as Cora Mae, he’d have found himself standing before a preacher by now.

His skin prickled at the thought, dread overpowering every other emotion in his body. He walked across his dark room and glanced out of the window in the direction of the Lazy J.

Maybe he was just fighting the inevitable. His options seemed plain enough. Celibacy or marriage. Clearly his long bout as a celibate was driving him out of his ever-loving mind, to the point of shaming Cora Mae. Hadn’t everyone pointed out the same thing? Cora Mae wasn’t the problem here—
he was
.

He had to get out of this house.