The Cowboy Code (8 page)

Maggie turned on her flashlight and started up the path. Even before she left New York, thoughts of the cattle drive were on her mind. She didn't know if she had the pluck to ride a horse all day, camp out at night and keep up with her chores. But if it would keep Danny in her custody, she'd ride a horse to the moon and back.

“It'll be fun, you'll see.” Joe put his hand on the small of her back to guide her over an uneven patch of land, and her mouth suddenly went dry.

“The trail is pretty easy and straightforward,” he continued. “No surprises. As you already experienced, animals can be unpredictable, but all of my staff will be on high alert at all times. I want everyone back safe and sound.”

“I second that.”

They reached the front porch, and Maggie suddenly remembered the night before, when Joe seemed like he was about to kiss her. But that must have been her imagination.

As she turned to unlock the door, his calloused hand wrapped around hers. She met his dark, smoky gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.

His lips looked warm and inviting, and they curved up into a sexy grin.

Her common sense was at war with her heart. She liked him—a lot—but that didn't matter. There could be no future for their relationship. Even if they did start something, she didn't want to be hurt down the line. Also, Danny and the rest of the participants were already on high alert waiting to catch them in a compromising situation, and the last thing she wanted was to do more damage to her already fragile nephew.

She dropped his hand, and unlocked the door
before she changed her mind. “Good night, Joe. I'll see you bright and early.”

He held her gaze, and she couldn't ignore the heat in his eyes. “I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Maggie.”

Escaping into the house, she closed the door and leaned on it, willing her pulse to stop racing.

She had a feeling that things weren't going to go exactly as planned.

T
wo days later, Joe stood next to his horse at the flagpole and smiled at the yawning boys standing next to their horses. Maggie was with Lady.

“Hope you're all well rested, because we're about to start our cattle drive. We're going to move the Silver River cattle from their lower winter grounds to their higher summer grounds. We'll brand those that need to be branded and separate any Gold Buckle Ranch cattle that got mixed in and drive them to Jake Dixon's summer pasture.”

Quint had advised him about the high level of excitement in the bunkhouse last night. Even a couple of their least responsive boys were showing signs of life. Joe wanted to keep that excitement going.

Danny looked like he was about ready to jump out of his skin. So did Maggie, though he suspected for different reasons.

Maggie.
He'd wanted to kiss her the other night.

After watching her at the campfire, seeing how the moonlight and the firelight played across her face, he'd longed to feel her lips against his.

She'd been the strong one before, the one who'd terminated whatever was happening between them, and brought him back to reality.

She was probably worried about what Danny would think.

As they all gathered and prepared to leave, Joe surveyed his crew. Cookie was at the one o'clock position, perched on his authentic chuck wagon with a team of horses. It was packed with provisions, first aid kits, water and extra gear.

A covered wagon sat at three o'clock, loaded with sleeping bags, tents, rain gear and other supplies. Quint sat in the so-called driver's seat, holding the reins.

Ronnie was the wrangler in charge of the remuda. He'd see that the horses were taken care of, along with their tack, food and water. Everyone would look after his or her own horse, but Ronnie would supervise overall.

Joe stole a look at Maggie. She looked just like a cowgirl in her white hat. She was listening
attentively to instructions from the various team leaders, while maintaining a steady grip on Lady's reins.

Everyone was fed, the horses were saddled and everything was loaded. It was time to go.

Ronnie gave Joe the thumbs-up sign.

“Westward ho!” Joe yelled, pumping the air with his fist.

“Westward ho!” yelled the crowd, pumping the air in return. Though some of the boys snickered as if they'd just done the stupidest thing, their excitement was palpable, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

Joe looked at Maggie. Her cheeks were pink, and she seemed ready for the challenge of a forty-mile round-trip cattle drive. He'd plotted out the easiest route possible for Cowboy Quest beginners, complete with swimming holes and some of the best scenery that Wyoming had to offer.

Maggie mounted her horse with only a couple of hops, and he rode up to her on Checkmate. “You sure you're ready?” he asked.

She smiled. “I'm as ready as I'll ever be. And I think Danny's raring to go. I've never seen him this excited!”

Joe laughed. “Good. I want to keep the excitement up and keep them busy. Then they won't even have time to think about getting into trouble.”

He slapped his thigh. “Well, let's rock and roll.
I'm going to ask Danny if he'd like to ride in the lead with me. Ronnie will ride next to you. Tell him if you need anything.”

“Got it.” She hesitated—obviously she wanted to say something. He waited. “Joe?”

“Yeah?”

“I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done. You're a great…um…”

“Trail boss?”

She laughed. “Yeah. A great trail boss.”

He glanced down at her butt. “Thanks, but you might be singing a different tune after a day in the saddle.”

 

Joe was wrong. Maggie was singing the blues after just seventy-four minutes in the saddle; she couldn't imagine what a whole day would be like. She was using muscles that she didn't even know she had.

Thank goodness someone called for a break. It was a relief to be able to stretch her legs. She waved to Danny, and he slowly walked to where she was standing.

“What do you think, Danny? Pretty cool?”

“It's cool.” His words were blandly delivered, but his eyes sparkled.

“I'm glad you're having a good time.”

“Joe picked me first to lead the way with him!”

“I know. Another cool thing, huh?” Maggie
asked, careful not to say or do something that would clam him up.

“Danny, come over here,” Brandon called.

Danny turned to walk away from her, but Maggie put her hand on the boy's shoulder. “Danny, you don't have to do what he says. We were having a nice conversation, and—”

He moved away from her grip. “I gotta go.”

She sighed. They'd been sharing a great moment, at least until Brandon called him over.

If only Danny would stick up for himself. If only he'd realize that he didn't have to be a follower, but that he had a mind of his own—a
good
mind.

If only she knew how to reach him….

Looking up, she noticed Joe walking over to the huddle of boys, and she wondered if he caught that little scene between Danny and her.

“Any problems, cowboys? Any questions I can answer?” he asked.

“Yeah, where's the nearest mall?” one of the boys joked.

“Over in Casper. If you get walking, you could make it there in a couple of weeks.” Joe laughed. “Time to mount up. Anyone want to take a turn leading the way?”

More silence. Joe turned to Danny, “Dan, looks like you get to go again. How about it?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so.”

They walked their horses for two more miles,
following the Silver River. Maggie enjoyed the scenery—the vast blue sky dotted with cotton candy clouds, and the green grass peppered with wildflowers, their colorful heads bowing to the breeze. She noticed spots of the river where the current rushed and spun almost like a whirlpool, and she longed to sit right in the middle of the water and soothe her aching muscles.

Joe was talking to Ronnie, who rode on his right, and Danny was listening to his friends, who had caught up with him. All around her, the cowboys and kids kept up an easy banter, with the possible exception of Brandon, Rick and Danny. Brandon's scowl was becoming more pronounced as time went by, and Maggie noticed that most of the kids were giving them all a wide berth. Danny was nodding his head, looking as if he was agreeing with whatever Brandon said.

Why can't Danny stand on his own?

Lunch consisted of hot dogs and beans and handfuls of potato chips and big McIntosh apples. Cookie fried the hot dogs in a big cast-iron pan as Maggie stirred the beans that she'd placed in two Dutch ovens set on the propane camp stoves they'd hauled in the chuck wagon.

In between stirring, she set out the utensils, metal plates and paper napkins on the back of the wagon. Everyone could help themselves when they were ready.

Maggie made up a plate for herself and went to eat in the shade of a maple tree. The leaves were a brilliant shade of green, and the air smelled fresh, clean—so different from the exhaust-filled air back home. Her butt and legs were killing her after four hours in the saddle, and she couldn't imagine what she would feel like in the morning.

Suddenly, Danny walked over to her, carrying his plate.

“Hey, Danny. What's up?”

“Just thought I'd sit with you for a minute.”

He flopped down on a patch of ground next to her, watching the action.

They ate in strained silence until Brandon and Rick sat down nearby and began looking over at them.

“What's that about?” she asked Danny. “Why the laughing and the faces at us?”

“They're just fooling around.” He shrugged, obviously trying to play it down.

“They don't seem to like anything, but I know that you liked leading the wagon train with Joe. I'm sure you got teased about that.”

“Yeah.” Another shrug.

“Come on, Danny. No one's listening, it's just you and me. Would it kill you to admit that you're having a great time?”

“So you can remind me that I should be glad that I'm not in an institution?”

The hurt in his tone stunned her for a moment, and she struggled to find her voice. “Daniel Turner, I wasn't going to say that at all. I just hoped we could have a few minutes together like we had the other day while we were picking up litter.”

“Oh, please. That was just a bogus job made up by Joe so we could talk.”

“Who said that?”

Silence.

She tried again. “So what if it was a bogus job? We did talk, and I think it was good for us. What happened between then and now?”

Danny pulled up a clump of grass and shot it in front of him. “Nothing. Nothing's happened. Why do you say that?”

She'd bet a paycheck that something was up. He was too defensive, too secretive, even for him.

He scrambled to his feet. “Anything else?”

“No. Go back to your friends. Sorry that I bothered you.” She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Two steps forward, ten gallops back.

Disheartened, Maggie got up and went to the chuck wagon to help with the dishes.

Cookie had put big pots of water on to boil. The dishes would be washed, dried and packed for the next leg of the ride. Cookie had explained that they didn't use plastic or paper plates on the trail so they'd keep their trash to a minimum. Whatever
trash was left, they'd bring back to the Silver Ranch and dispose of it properly.

But she wasn't needed to do the dishes. Two of the boys were assigned to that chore.

She walked over to where Joe stood with Ronnie. She wanted to let Joe know that something seemed to be going on with the boys, but she didn't have any hard facts or solid evidence—just a hunch.

Besides, she had to admit that Joe could read the signs of upcoming trouble just as well as or better than she could.

She was going to butt out. She ought to give Joe more credit for knowing what was happening in his own program. “Um…I just wanted to know if there's anything else I can do to help.”

“Nothing, but thanks,” said Joe. “Just get ready to go. We'll leave in ten minutes.”

“Okay. See you both later.”

As she turned, she noticed all the boys staring in her direction, shooting daggers at her. They thought she was a snitch—which was ridiculous since she didn't have any specific information. But
something
was up, and her nephew was in the thick of it.

Her stomach roiled. Didn't he get it? Didn't he know what was at stake?

J
oe popped the snaps of his cuffs and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. If ever he hated a job, it was putting together a tent. Right now, it looked like orange-and-yellow roadkill.

Looking over at Maggie's space right next to his, he noticed that her tent was lopsided. A slight breeze would render it uninhabitable. She'd obviously missed a step in the directions.

She held the directions close to her face, mumbling to herself. “I can do this. I can do this.”

The boys were busy putting up their tents, too. They were sleeping four to a tent, plus a cowboy with them to chaperone. He assigned them carefully,
trying to break up some of the cliques that had already formed. At least they were working together as teams, helping each other, figuring out the directions.

But Maggie was alone, and she'd have to bunk alone. Joe had purposely picked a spot near hers, just in case she needed something. Cougars and bears, along with other potentially dangerous wildlife, roamed here.

Who was he kidding? He just wanted to be near her.

He touched the gun that he carried concealed on his side and felt for the bowie knife that hung from his belt buckle. Both were the cowboy's best friends when in a jam, and nothing was going to happen to the thirteen people who were in his charge.

He looked over at Maggie and realized that he was
always
looking at Maggie. When she wasn't nearby, he'd look for her to appear. Somehow, in the short time he'd known her, she always made his day brighter.

Her tent looked much better now. Maybe he ought to offer her a bribe to put up his!

But he didn't have to. She walked toward him, smiling, her hips swaying, her hair blowing in the breeze. He could look at her long legs all day, every day.

“Need help, Joe?”

“Sure.” He didn't, but he wanted to be with her. “Would you put that center pole together for me?”

“I'd be delighted.”

She bent over to pick up the poles, and her jeans pulled taut over her backside. He let out a puff of air, and forced himself to concentrate on laying the nylon flat on the ground.

When she handed him the pole, his hand closed over hers. She jumped slightly.

Had she noticed the spark between them, too?

She diverted her eyes from his and went back to the pile of poles. “I'll connect the rest,” she said, bending over again.

He wanted to make love to her.

The thought rushed into his consciousness and caught him unawares.

But it was true. He wanted to make love to Maggie, but he couldn't. He wasn't the type to have casual flings and walk away. When he made love to a woman, it meant something.

He thought it had meant something with Ellen, but apparently she hadn't felt the same. She'd hurt him…badly. And just when he thought he'd recovered from her betrayal, in walked Maggie McIntyre, Broadway star and guardian of one of the boys in Cowboy Quest.

So a relationship between them—physical or otherwise—wouldn't work. No way.

It had to be business only. No more fantasies,
no more seeking her out, no more sitting by her or walking with her.

Could he do it?

 

What was with Joe, Maggie wondered as she helped Cookie serve sloppy joes and a big salad. She thought they were going to sit together for supper, but he'd left her in his dust, muttering some excuse about going over the duty roster for tomorrow.

She'd got the impression that he was only being partially honest with her.

Thinking back, he started acting strange when she'd volunteered to help him with his tent. Very strange.

And he'd abandoned the tent project just as soon as they'd started. What was so hard about sliding his main pole into the smooth opening?

Oh!

She felt her cheeks flame. Oh, no! How could she have been so stupid?

And what was with the writers who made up the tent assembly instructions? Was that their idea of a joke?

She chuckled. Then she outright laughed. Then she doubled over. If anyone was watching her, they would think something was wrong with her.

Poor Joe, she thought.

She had to apologize to him and explain that she had just been oblivious to the entire thing.

Had it been that long for her that she didn't even realize what she'd been reading?

Yes. It had been a long time—three years, to be exact—and it had been Jean-Paul Gordon, an actor she'd met in rehearsal. Jean-Paul had been climbing the ladder to success, and he thought that he could get fame and publicity by sleeping with her. They were linked in the New York gossip columns, but the news never reached Los Angeles, which was Jean-Paul's goal. He eschewed the old adage that any kind of publicity was better than no publicity at all.

He'd hurt her deeply, and as time went by, she'd healed. But his betrayal made her more cautious, more guarded and less willing to trust her heart.

She was already enamored with Joe Watley, and it wouldn't take much for her to succumb to the sexy cowboy. But she had Danny to think of—she didn't want him to think that she was rejecting him for Joe or anyone else. Besides, she wasn't the type to have a fling…or was that just what she needed?

Maybe Joe was the guy to have a fling with. But the timing was certainly off.

There would never be a good time—not when she was in Cowboy Quest, with Danny and everyone else watching their every move.

She stole a glance at Joe. With his formfitting jeans she could see his hard thighs, his taut butt and how his tooled leather belt cinched his trim waist.
He always wore a big, gold oval belt buckle, a trophy from his rodeo days.

He looked rough and rugged and…hot.

The dishes were done and put away, and she noticed everyone gathered at the nightly campfire. She walked over to join the group. A short, nervous kid with wire-rimmed glasses—Troy, she thought—picked up a lawn chair from a stack, opened it and gestured for her to sit down.

“Thanks, Troy.”

Troy wasn't one of the guys that Danny hung out with, but Maggie wished he would—he seemed to be a nice, thoughtful kid. She wondered what had happened to bring him to Cowboy Quest, but didn't ask. If they wanted to share something about their past, fine. Otherwise, she kept her conversations with the other boys light.

She accepted a marshmallow on a stick and put it over the fire. Before it finished toasting, she felt a fat raindrop hit her head, and heard more sizzle in the fire as the skies opened.

“Everyone to their tents. This rain is going to be heavy,” yelled Quint.

By the time she made it to her tent, she was soaked clear through. Turning on the battery-powered lantern, she decided to change and get out of her wet clothes.

 

Joe ducked into his tent for his rain slicker and plastic cover for his hat. He'd make the rounds to
see if everyone was okay, but as soon as he stepped out of his tent, he froze.

Mesmerized, he watched as Maggie—or rather the silhouette of Maggie—took her bra off. He could even make out the curve of her breasts and the peaks of her nipples when she moved.

Lifting up her hair, she stretched, then hung her bra over a pole in the middle of the tent.

He really should stop watching—and at least warn her that she was so visible—but his feet wouldn't move. It was as if some unknown force had glued him to the ground.

She hung her wet shirt over the end of her cot, and was slipping into a dry one. He
had
to warn her. If anyone else was looking, it would be embarrassing.

Walking to the front of her tent, he said her name as quietly as possible over the roar of the rain. “Maggie.”

“Who is it?”

“Joe. I have to talk to you.”

“Uh, wait a minute.”

He could hear rustling, as if she was pulling on clothes. He could only hope…

“Come in.”

He helped her with the zipper on the opening of the tent and entered. Thankfully, she had been assigned a tent that he could stand up in.

“What are you doing here?”

He didn't know how to begin. He noticed her lantern. The two of them would be silhouetted now. Not good.

“I just wanted to tell you that with the lantern, you can see every move you make in here. I saw you undressing…”

“Oh, no! Don't say any more.” She turned the knob of the lantern, and they were in complete darkness. “I didn't know. Do you think that any of the kids saw? What about the cowboys?”

“Probably just me. I was going to make my rounds, that's how I noticed.” When lightning flashed, he could see her lips, thin with worry, and it struck him that he'd like to kiss them back into a smile. Maggie looked so much younger and freer when she smiled.

She stood facing him. “That was a stupid mistake on my part. I should have realized.”

He wished she wouldn't stand so close. He could smell the freshness of the rainwater on her skin, on her hair.

“Well, I'd better get back to my rounds,” he finally said.

“It sounds awful out there.” She brushed her hair back with a hand. “Are the horses okay?”

“Ronnie has probably checked them already, but I'll double-check.”

“Let me go with you.”

“That's not necessary. You'll just get wet.”

“I don't want to stay in this tent in a storm. I'd rather be…with you.”

That was all he needed to hear. He pulled her close to him, and before he could think about it or change his mind, he tasted her lips.

She sighed softly and he took that as a sign that he should continue. Slanting his lips over hers, he felt as if he were falling over a steep cliff with no chance for survival.

 

Joe Watley sure could kiss.

Maggie kissed him with a hunger she'd never felt before. Heaven help her, she wanted to taste him—and she wanted more.

His lips were warm, sweet, and she wanted him out of the wet rain slicker. She wanted to toss his cowboy hat away so she could run her fingers through his thick, black hair.

“Take it off, Joe,” she ordered, tugging on his coat.

“Mmmm…” he said, shrugging his coat off. It landed on the beige nylon floor.

His lips never moved from hers, but he did take his hat off. It landed on top of his coat.

Running her hands over the soft flannel of his shirt, she could feel the hard muscles of his chest and arms. She ran her fingertips over his face, his high cheekbones, the set of his jaw, the arch of his brow.

And she still wanted more. She wanted to see him, all of him. Without his shirt and his snug jeans, belt and big buckle. She wanted to touch every inch of him.

But Joe was taking things slowly—and she was ready to scream.

“More,” she said. His hands moved to the hem of her shirt. “Yes. Yes.”

Was the cold air puckering her nipples, or was it the heat of his hands?

He ran his calloused fingers over her sides, her stomach and the undersides of her breasts. His thumbs rubbed her nipples until they became even harder. When his warm mouth closed over one, she moaned, a roll of thunder drowning out her voice.

It had been so long. Too long.

He pulled the shirt over her head, and teased her other nipple with his mouth and tongue. It was exquisite torture.

“I want you,” Joe said softly. He sucked on her earlobe and she thought she was going to faint right then, right there.

“Yes. Oh, yes.”

A crack of lightning illuminated the tent, and she wondered for a moment if their silhouettes could be seen.

They should stop.

But all she cared about right now was the hunk of a cowboy who wanted her, whose lips were tasting
her, loving her, making her knees weak and her mouth dry.

The whinny of a horse and another noise outside made them both stop and listen.

“Hey, Joe! Joe, are you in your tent? Joe?”

Danny.

It was as if someone had thrown a cold bucket of rain on them both. Joe quickly buttoned his shirt and slipped back into his coat and hat. Maggie tugged her sweatshirt back on.

“I'm in here,” Joe said, unzipping the door of Maggie's tent and sticking his head out. “What's up?”

“Ronnie wants you. Some of the horses got spooked and ran away in the storm,” Danny said.

“Thanks. I'll get right on it,” Joe said.

“Come in, Danny.” Maggie finger-combed her hair back into place.

“No, thanks.”

His voice was accusatory, sarcastic. He knew exactly what had been going on.

“Danny, listen to me,” Maggie pleaded, but she didn't know what to say. It didn't matter, Danny was gone.

“I have to go, Maggie.” Joe turned toward her. “I'm sorry.”

He was sorry? Sorry for what? For the best foreplay she'd ever had, or because they'd been caught?

Probably both.

She nodded. “Good night, Joe.”

As he dashed into the rain, Maggie collapsed on her cot. What a mess. What a freaking mess.