Texas Twist (Texas Montgomery Mavericks) (8 page)

“He is,” Caroline said then laughed at her husband scowl. “He’s tall, dark and handsome. And…” she nudged Travis’s shoulder, “…he’s single.”

“You’re taken,” he said around a mouth of steak.

She laughed. “You know what I should do? I should introduce him to Paige. I bet they would hit it off.”

“Why?” Cash snapped. “What do they have in common? Plus, he’s probably too old for her.”

“Don’t think so,” Caroline said, her gaze on him. “He’s only about thirty-two or so. I’ll have to make a mental note to tell Lydia to introduce them since I won’t be in the office for a while.”

The conversation moved to the campaign of Sheriff Danny Bell for reelection and how this would probably be his last term. Cash stopped listening. Thinking about Paige with another man, especially with the two of them sharing a house, had his mother’s delicious food tasting a lot like sawdust.

Paige was already home and in her bedroom when Cash rolled in from his brother’s house, which was probably a good thing since he hadn’t yet told her about Buster. But the puppy was only temporary.

Plus, she had Ruby and they hadn’t discussed that, so she shouldn’t have a problem with Buster. And since she was probably already asleep, it wouldn’t be right to wake her up to tell her about Buster. This would all have to wait until morning.

That she occupied so much of his thoughts made him itchy. She was off-limits…way off-limits. However, the revelations about her at dinner had generated a litany of questions. Since he always saw her at breakfast, he could introduce her to their temporary dog and then ply her with all the questions pinging in his head.

He and Buster made their way to the back bedroom and collapsed into deep sleep. His plan for a breakfast session with his roommate didn’t pan out as he’d intended. By the time the puppy woke him up to go outside, it was almost eight a.m. After letting his temporary dog into the backyard, Cash stumbled toward the coffee pot and realized that Paige had already left for work.

He’d never been a morning person and doubted he ever would be. After downing his required cup of joe, he remembered the plumber had an appointment to be there between eight and noon. He hurriedly dressed and was just shoving his feet into boots when he heard the knock at the door.

Two hours later, the plumber had gone. Water flowed to the upstairs bath. Cash could do the work required on the half-bath at some time in the future.

Although he hated leaving Buster alone, he had to go to town. He erected the kennel upstairs in one of the extra rooms, shoved a dog mattress that was nicer than the one he was sleeping on into the cage and locked Buster in. The sad-dog eyes almost had him grabbing Buster’s lead, but he stayed firm.

After changing clothes, he headed into Whispering Springs to Hodges Fine Furniture, the only furniture store in town, to find something to sleep on that wasn’t a rock-filled mattress. It’d cost more to go there, but it was worth giving his business to a local.

He was surprised to find Paige home when he arrived at four.

“Hey.” He gave her his standard greeting, hoping she wouldn’t notice the inane grin on his face. “How did the new job go?”

“Hey, yourself. Do I hear a dog whining?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe, my eye. I let him out when I got home. He’s in the backyard. Probably about ready to come in. When were you going to tell me you got a dog?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t exactly get a dog. Some bastard beat him and dumped him here yesterday. I’m trying to find him a home. And I was going to tell you this morning but you left too early.”

“Hmm. That kind of pisses me off. Not you having a dog,” she hurried to add. “But at the jerk who would do that to such a cute puppy. The dog have a name?”

“Buster.” He started toward the door to let the pup in and stopped. “Ruby and Buster?”

She smiled. “Big buddies.”

The relief that flooded his system at her words surprised him. “Good.” He opened the back door to find Buster sitting there waiting to come in. “How was work?”

“Great. Loved working with Lydia and the office staff was so nice.”

She lowered into a squat and held her hand out to the puppy. Then Cash realized Paige was holding out a piece of a hot dog, which meant Buster dumped him and went immediately to Paige. He couldn’t blame the dog. He understood Paige’s appeal even when she wasn’t holding out a hot dog.

She stood. “I thought I’d cook up a nice dinner to celebrate. Interested?”

“Are you kidding? A dinner that I don’t have to make? I’m all over that.”

She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a package of meat. “It’ll take a couple of hours to cook this roast, but it’s still early. We have time.”

“Sounds good. Wait.” He frowned. “Time for what?”

She turned to face him, resting against the counter. “To go riding. I checked in on Caroline and the babies today. I mentioned how much I missed riding. Travis called later and invited us over to ride this evening.”

Cash didn’t say anything. He hadn’t been on the back of any living creature in six months.

“It’s a horse, Cash. Not a bull.”

His spine straightened in offense at her words. Was she implying that he was scared?

“Why not?” he said. “Sounds like fun.”

Except it didn’t. It sounded like one of the rings of hell.

Dinner in the oven, Paige hustled him to her car. Buster was back in his kennel and Ruby had been secured in Paige’s bedroom so not to torture the dog through the bars of his cage.

“I’ll drive,” she said, opening the driver’s door.

“I can drive you know,” Cash said in a derisive tone.

“I know, but I’m betting my car is cleaner than your truck.”

She had him there. His truck was always in a needing-to-be-cleaned-out state and with the addition of Buster having been in the seat, it might be a little worse than usual. He climbed into the passenger side, deciding that saying nothing was the best answer. Damn, she was right. The floors of her SUV weren’t littered with fast-food wrappers, crumpled receipts or even a layer of dirt. Plus, it smelled better than his.

“When was the last time you rode?” he asked.

“Been a while.” Paige looked to the left and then pulled onto the road. “I don’t have a horse anymore, and it’s sort of rude to call people and ask if you can come over and ride their horses.”

Cash chuckled. “I guess so. What happened to Lady Jane Grey?”

She gave him a wide-eyed stare. “I can’t believe you remember the name of my horse.”

Heat radiated up his neck. “Can’t imagine why I do either. So, where is she?”

“When I left for college, Uncle James came and got her. Told me he had a great home for her. Broke my heart, but I understood. She was only five so she still had a lot of years left in her. Plus, she so loved being with people. It would have been cruel to just stick her in a pasture.”

“Why haven’t you tried to find her?”

“It wouldn’t be right. It’s been seven years. I’m sure the people who have her love her as much as I did.”

“Well, Travis has a stable full of horses that need exercise. You’re doing him a favor today. Trust me.”

“I am so excited.” She glanced over at him and smiled. His heart skipped. Her jade-green eyes sparkled with anticipation. “I hope I don’t fall off immediately.”

He laughed. “I doubt you will.”

She turned into the drive and followed Cash’s instructions to the stable. When they climbed out, Eli Elliott, one of Travis’s cowboys, walked over.

“Hey, Cash. Ma’am.” He touched the brim of his hat and gave a dip of his head.

“Eli, my man.” Cash and he shook hands. “Been a while.”

“Yes, it has. Travis told me you two were coming. I’ve got a couple of nice ones saddled and ready to go. Both of them need the exercise, so they might be a little frisky.”

Cash looked at Paige. “See? Told you so.” He looked at Eli. “I told her on the way over that Travis always needs help getting all his horses exercised.”

“You got that right. If you’ll wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Shortly, Eli led a grey mare from the barn, saddled and ready to ride. “I believe this one is yours, ma’am.”

Paige froze. The color drained from her face, leaving red dots of blush on her cheeks. Her mouth dropped open. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth.

“Oh my God.”

Chapter Six

Cash looked over at her when he heard her gasp. Tears trickled down her cheeks. “Paige?”

“Lady Jane Grey?” Paige’s heart pounded so hard and so loud in her ears she could barely hear. She took one step forward.

Eli nodded. “Yes, ma’am. That’s her name.”

She felt the wetness on her face but she couldn’t stop. Her uncle had brought her horse here. Lady Jane Grey had been here all along.

“Lady?” she said.

The horse turned her head toward Paige’s voice and then stepped in that direction. Paige ran over and threw her arms around the horse’s neck.

“Oh my God. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she said, stroking the horse with long tender touches. “You are beautiful.”

“Do you need help getting on?” the cowboy asked.

“Nope.” She put her left foot in the stirrup and slipped onto her horse’s back like it’d been seven hours since they’d been together instead of seven years. She took the reins and walked her mare around.

Lady Jane Grey was fidgety, shaking her head and neighing loudly. She was ready to run.

“Go on,” Cash said. “I’ll catch up.”

Paige pointed to a tall tree in the distance. “See that pine? I’ll see you there.”

She tapped gently. “Let’s go, girl.”

Lady Jane Grey leapt forward, racing through the field. Paige’s red hair tugged at her scalp as it streamed out behind her. Loud laughs and shouts pent-up for so long demanded to be released, so she laughed and yelled and cried all the way to the tree.

She couldn’t decide if she would kill Uncle James for not telling her he’d sold her horse to the Halo M ranch or kiss him. It didn’t matter. She and Lady Jane were back together, and for the first time in ten months, her world was tilting back into proper alignment.

Paige never looked behind her for Cash. Either he was with her or he wasn’t. Whether getting him out of the house and onto a horse was a great idea or the worst one she’d ever had, she would soon know. As she neared the tree, she slowed. The sound of a horse galloping through the tall grass finally reached her hearing. With a quick glance, she saw Cash astride a large chestnut-brown horse. And surprise, surprise. A wide grin split his mouth, his white teeth clearly visible in the late-afternoon sun.

Reining Lady Jane to a stop, she allowed him to catch up. While she waited, she ran long strokes along Lady Jane Grey’s neck. When Cash slowed and stopped next to her, he wore a smile she hadn’t seen in years, one that went from his luscious lips to a devilish sparkle in his eyes. Without doubt, it was this expression that had so many women wanting Cash Montgomery in their beds. Not his fame, or his money, or even those huge silver prize buckles. It was the man himself.

“Looks like you haven’t lost it,” he said, reaching up to resettle his hat on his head.

“Thanks. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.” She leaned over and hugged the horse’s neck. “And her.”

“She’s a beauty. What is she now? Sixteen?”

“More like twelve. She was five the last time I rode her and the gal’s still got it.” She continued stroking the horse. Lady Jane Grey looked wonderful. Healthy coat. Strong legs. Whatever Travis had been doing with her seemed to work.

“C’mon over the hill. There’s a place where we can let the horses get a drink.”

He turned to the left and cantered over the hill. Paige followed, still enjoying the fresh air and the feel of a strong, muscular horse between her legs. Lady Jane Grey followed Cash’s gelding until Paige trotted up along aside.

“This is beautiful land. All Travis’s?”

“Right now, we’re passing onto my parents’ land. Their property and his butt together. Dad uses a lot of Travis’s land for cattle grazing.”

“Well, that’s nice of Travis.”

Cash chuckled. “Travis uses Dad’s cattle to train his cutting horses, so it’s a win-win for both of them.”

They topped a hill and stopped. Below was a large lake. The afternoon sun sparkled on the water top. A breeze sent ripples rolling through the water.

“This view is breathtaking. How big is the lake?”

Cash shrugged. “It’s a couple of acres, I think. It’s fed by an underground spring, so even when we don’t have much water, there will be some here. It’s pretty deep too, so that helps keep a nice water level. Let’s ride down.”

They rode down the hillside, stopping at a hand pump with a spout over a large tub. Cash slid off his horse and led him to the tub. She tried not to notice his grimace when his left leg took his weight. He grabbed the handle and pumped water into the trough. Paige followed his lead, dropping from her horse and letting Lady Jane Grey drink.

“Why doesn’t someone have a house here?” She turned in a full circle. “It’s a perfect spot.”

“There was one once. C’mon. I’ll show you.”

They tied off the horses and walked to another small hill. From the perspective, Paige could see the remains of a burned-out house, an old barn and a couple of outbuildings. Visually, that’s what she saw, but mentally, she could picture an old house, chickens in the yard, kids running around the house. It was a pleasant vision.

“This was the original homestead. My great-great grandparents settled here. After they died and my great-grandfather married, he and Helen—that was my great-grandmother—lived here until the house burned. As nice as the area is, Helen was superstitious about rebuilding here. Plus, electricity was coming and she wanted to be closer to the road so they could get that new invention.” He rolled his eyes, and they both laughed. “I know. I can’t imagine no power. I mean, how could they charge their smartphones?”

“Smart ass,” Paige said with a grin.

Cash slapped his rear. “Behave.”

Paige just shook her head at his comedy routine, although she did have to admit, the man had a mighty nice butt. All those years of riding had made it firm and tight, and she’d love to get her hands on it one last time, not that that was going to happen.

“Anyway, Dad and Travis use the barns and outbuildings for storage.” He backed toward the horses. “Ready?”

“Sure.”

They got back to where they’d left the horses. Paige swung onto the back of Lady Jane Grey and watched Cash. The muscles in his jaw tightened when he put pressure on his left leg to lift his body into the saddle.

“Hurt?”

“What? Oh the leg? Nah.”

Liar, liar. Pants on fire
. But what would be the point in confronting him? So she let it drop.

“There’s a loop around the lake. Ready?”

“Sure,” she said. “Lead on.”

They started out in a walk that quickly progressed to a fast trot. The constant movement of her horse as well as the off-and-on contact with her saddle had Paige’s libido climbing. Being with the only man who’d truly held her heart might have been a contributing factor. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit that or continue to pretend it was the riding.

They didn’t talk as they rode. The silence could have been strained with anyone else, but today, in this setting, the quiet was relaxing.

She kept her eye on Cash, trying to ascertain if the riding was too much for his injuries. If not, he needed to be pushed to do as much as he was physically capable. Plus, having more to occupy his time might keep him away from the booze.

“By the way,” she said, riding up next to him. “The back steps are awesome. Nice job.”

“Thanks. All that wood was rotten. No telling how long it’d been there. Travis said to do whatever we wanted with the place and send him the bill.” He looked at her with a totally evil grin. “I have plans.”

She laughed. “Planning on bankrupting him?”

“Nope. But seriously, the exterior of the house needs painting and those steps were far from the only rotten wood I’ve seen.”

“How do you know what to do? I mean, I wouldn’t begin to know how to build stairs and stuff.”

“Really? And you were doing so well with that hammer and nail.”

She snorted.

“In the early years, when I wasn’t cowboying somewhere, I worked construction crews. Good pay and the hard work kept me in condition. Back in the beginning, I didn’t win enough to put gas in my truck to get me to the next rodeo. So I’d pick up jobs here and there.”

“Oh. I forgot to ask. Did the plumber come today?”

“Yep, and everything’s fine, except that back bedroom half-bath. It’ll need a little work.”

“So the plumber’s coming back out then?”

“Bite your tongue. Of course not. I’ll fix it.”

She nodded, but inside her head, she grinned.

“I plan to paint the back steps and porch tomorrow, so don’t use the back door.”

She stopped her horse and waited until Cash stopped beside her. She leaned over, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him across for a kiss. The kiss was supposed to be a friendly, quick brush of her lips. It wasn’t supposed to almost knock her off her horse, but Lord Almighty, the man still had the ability to melt her bones with a simple touch.

When she broke the kiss and pulled away, he shoved his hat up with a thumb and grinned. “What was that for?”

Turning Lady Jane Grey toward the barn, she smiled. “For fixing the back steps so I wouldn’t trip.” She urged her horse into a trot.

“Can’t wait to see what you’ll reward me with for a new whirlpool tub.”

She flashed him a wicked grin. “I guess you’ll have to put one in and see.” Then she charged away in a gallop.

When they got home, the aroma of roasting meat filled the house. Cash’s stomach growled in anticipation.

“What can I do to help?” he asked, in a hurry to dig in.

“Wash up and then set the table, please. Oh, and let your dog out.” Paige pulled the roast from the oven, the surrounding brown liquid bubbling around the potatoes and carrots. “I’ll throw some biscuits in the oven while it’s hot.”

“He’s not my dog,” Cash protested as he headed for his bedroom. By the time Cash had the table set and Buster fed, Paige had sliced the roast and put bowls with the potatoes and carrots on the table. He grabbed the butter and jelly from the refrigerator, ready to slather the biscuits while they were hot.

“Milk, water, iced tea or Coke?” Paige asked, pulling two glasses from the cabinet.

Cash noticed the lack of alcoholic offerings. “Milk.”

She nodded and poured two large glasses. She set those on the table then retrieved the platter of hot biscuits.

Dinner was pleasant. Conversation flowed easily between them. Cash found himself watching Paige’s mouth as she ate or talked. Every time she dragged her fork between her full lips, he wanted to moan. When she darted her tongue out to lick a drop of milk off the corner of her mouth, his entire body noticed and hardened at the sight.

And no matter how many times he told himself that Paige was off-limits, that getting involved was the worst idea ever, his mind didn’t want to pay attention. It just kept producing erotic images…Paige naked in his bed, Paige’s full lips wrapped around his hard penis, Paige holding her breasts up to his mouth…

“Cash. Are you listening to me?”

Cash startled. “Um, yes, I’m listening. You were talking about some patient you saw today, right?”

Paige rolled her eyes. “Yeah, about ten minutes ago. I was asking if you’d mind cleaning up the kitchen. I’d like to take a shower and go to bed early to do a little reading.”

“Oh, sure. No problem.”

“Thanks.” She slid her chair back and stood. After scraping her plate into the trash, she set the dirty dish, utensils and drinking glass in the sink. “The plastic wrap to cover the food is in this drawer,” she said with a tilt of her head to the right. “I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks.” She headed out of the kitchen with a wave of her hand.

Cash stared at the leftover food and sighed. Standing, he began gathering up the dishes. After storing the food in the refrigerator and washing the dishes they’d used, he and Buster went outside for an evening walk. But he couldn’t get the image of Paige in the shower out of his mind’s eye or escape the erotic suggestions his mind was making.

The walk outside cleared his head enough that he was sure he could sleep. He headed back to his lumpy bed and tried to find a position that was at least tolerable. One more night with the crappy bed and then he’d be sleeping on a cloud. If only he had a drink or two to help ease him to sleep.

He tossed and turned until sometime after midnight when Buster woke him with a cold nose and a whimper. Afterwards, he decided Buster had the right idea. With the half-bath out of commission until he had time to repair it, he headed to Paige’s bathroom. Done answering nature’s call, he was headed back to his room when he heard a cry. He stepped over to Paige’s closed door and listened. It wasn’t long before he heard her sob.

He opened her door. “Paige?” he whispered. “Are you okay?”

“Mom. Dad.” Paige’s sobs grew louder. “No. Stop. Don’t die. Mom. Dad.” She thrashed around in her bed, tossing her bedcovers off. “Somebody help them. Help. Cash. Oh my God. Cash.”

Cash hurried to her bedside. “Paige. Wake up. You’re dreaming.” He touched her gently on the shoulder. “Wake up.”

She cried out again and then jerked to a sitting position. “What? Cash?” She wiped her face on her T-shirt sleeve. “Oh, I was dreaming.”

“Scoot over,” he said, hip bumping her. When she didn’t move, he bumped her again. “Scoot.”

She shifted to the right side of the bed and Cash slipped onto the left side. After pulling her sheet back up, he put his arm around her.

“Want to tell me about your dream?”

For a minute, she was rigid, and then her muscles relaxed and she sagged against him.

“It’s all jumbled. First it was their accident…Mom and Dad’s.” A shudder wracked her body. “It was horrible. The loud crash. The screeching of the metal.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. Cash wiped her tears with his thumb.

“I didn’t know you were there.”

“I was in my car behind them because they were going on up to Northern California and I was planning on heading home.” She drew in a ragged breath. “It was horrible.”

He pulled her tight against him and stroked her hair. “I can’t imagine.”

“And then…” She hiccupped a sob. “And then I saw you get stomped by that damn bull. Everybody I loved was dying right in front of my eyes.”