Your'e Still the One (10 page)

“I’ll meet you at the truck.”

She just nodded and took off.

He walked with purpose, head down, straight to the truck. Moments later she joined him. She opened the passenger door and hopped in, her face flushed, her hair a mass of sexy curls, her eyes sparkling like it was Christmas.

“What took you so long?” Matt inserted the key sitting uselessly in his hand and ignited the engine.

“I was less than a minute. Jeez, I didn’t even brush my hair or grab my purse,” she said, grinning. “Or put on my jacket.” She tried to now, arching her spine as she pushed her arm into one of the sleeves.

His gaze moved over the thrust of her breasts, and without thinking he touched one through her sweater.

She froze, but didn’t push him away. She looked over at him, the desire in her eyes matching his own. He indulged himself a moment longer, felt her nipple harden through her bra and the soft wool. How long had he wanted to see her naked, feel her body hot and needy moving beneath his.

No, he hadn’t thought about her steadily over the past decade, but the years didn’t seem to matter once he’d laid eyes on her again. Right now it felt as if Rachel had always been the woman he truly wanted. The ache in his belly and the longing in his heart made all the others seem like substitutes. He hadn’t used them. They were all more than willing. Some of them too willing to slip between the sheets of a bull-riding champion. That aside, he hadn’t once understood his yearning to find a surrogate for the woman he’d never be able to have.

“Oh, boy, we really should go.” Rachel’s chest heaved unsteadily beneath his hand. “Like five minutes ago.”

The truck was idling. Good thing the engine was quiet, although who knew what kind of attention they’d drawn. He lowered his hand and glanced around. No one in sight. Cold temperatures kept most of the men inside the barns and stables, or readying the calving sheds. And his windows were heavily tinted, but no need to feed speculation.

He reversed the truck, and noticed Rachel scanning the front of the house, probably hoping no one saw them.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have touched you like that. Not here.”

Laughing, she finished shrugging into her jacket. “Thank you for the qualification.”

“Full disclosure, darlin’.” He turned his eyes to the driveway and away from temptation, before he made a complete ass out of himself. “I’m touching you again. You can count on it.”

10

R
ACHEL
ADJUSTED
THE
VENTS
, aiming the heated air away from her face, away from her, period. Her cheeks were flushed since she couldn’t stop thinking about him touching her, and her body was still throbbing where he already had. She shivered anyway.

“Cold?” He reached for the controls.

“No.” She swatted his hand. “I’m roasting, thanks to you.”

He smiled slyly. “Should’ve left the jacket off.”

She groaned when she saw that she was hugging the quilted down fabric to her chest as if it would protect her from him. “And I forgot my gloves. I assume we’re getting out at some point.”

“Take mine.” He indicated a pair sitting on the console. Definitely not work gloves. These were made of fine brown leather, and not something one found in Blackfoot Falls.

“They’re too big. Anyway, you should be wearing them.”

He just shrugged. “We can go back for yours.”

“No way. I was lucky to escape the first time. So, where are we going?”

“Up to Weaver Ridge. I want to have a look at the cabin and piece of land my mom left me.”

“Oh.” She vaguely knew the area. His mother was a Weaver and the land had been in her family forever, just like the McAllisters’ and Gundersons’ land. “Too much snow, don’t you think?”

“Only four inches last night.” He waved at the driver of the oncoming truck. “I think that was Roy Tisdale. He still a deputy?”

“Yes, he’s been investigating the thefts around the area.” She sighed. “Our missing horse trailer among other items.”

He shot her a glance before negotiating the curve that would take them west to Weaver Ridge. “Your trailer was stolen?”

“The big one. An Exiss.”

“Damn. When?”

“Last August. Since then other ranches have reported missing equipment and saddles. And the strange part is that it all started with Mrs. Clements misplacing a four-wheeler. She called Noah—” Rachel turned to look at him, her breath catching at his rugged profile, the way his light brown hair curled at his collar. He used to wear it so short she’d thought his hair was straight. “Did you know that Noah Calder is our sheriff?”

“Yeah, I heard he came back. He worked as a cop in Chicago, right?”

She nodded. “I don’t know how he did it. First the army, then college, a job in Chicago...he was gone a long time. Coming back had to be quite an adjustment. Blackfoot Falls is still...”

“Blackfoot Falls,” he finished when her voice trailed off, his attention firmly on the road ahead. They were approaching the foothills. He needed to focus on driving, yet she sensed his mood had shifted. Did he think she was dissing Blackfoot Falls? “Tell me more about the thefts,” he said. “Was anything recovered?”

“Yes and no. Some things showed up a few days later in a field or near the property where the item was taken. Initially Noah thought someone might be messing with him.”

“How could anyone take a trailer that size from the Sundance without being seen.”

“It was the first theft, and it happened at night. We’d officially opened for guests a couple weeks earlier, so we were busy and not paying attention.” She really did like him with the black Stetson. He looked so damn sexy with the brim pulled low that she shivered. “Avery Phelps, along with a few others, were not happy with us bringing in tourists and tried to blame the Sundance for the thefts.”

“Figures. I bet Wallace was one of the bellyachers.”

She didn’t respond, unwilling to enter a discussion about her brothers’ suspicion Matt’s father was somehow involved. “I think Noah came back because his sisters left and his parents were here alone, but now that he has a girlfriend in New York, I don’t know how that will play out. He was gone a lot through the holidays.”

“New York?” Matt’s brows went up. If he’d noticed she’d purposely changed the subject, he didn’t let on. “How did that happen?”

“The evil McAllisters and their dude ranch happened.”

“Ah.” He smiled. “Another guest? First Cole, then Jesse and then Noah. You’re an evil woman.”

“Wrong order. Noah bit the dust before Jesse. Technically Alana never really made it to guest status. He headed her off in town. And excuse me, but I take no responsibility, so don’t ‘evil woman’ me.” She shifted, angling more toward him, then laid her cheek against the seat back so she could stare at him. “Although I do take credit for getting my brothers off their butts and into serious relationships.”

He lifted a brow at her in amusement.

“What? Somebody better get moving and give my mom a few grandbabies.”

“So you elected Cole and Jesse.”

“Trace, married? Come on.”

“And you?”

The idea startled a laugh out of her. “I was holding out to be Mrs. Gunderson.” It was a joke, of course, though not one she would’ve made had she stopped to think.

Matt narrowed his focus on the road. He actually seemed afraid to look at her.

“I was kidding, Matt. Jeez, you know how girls are when they’re sixteen.” She decided she was better off not staring at him, and swung her knees front and center.

“Can’t say that I do.”

“Quit being ornery.”

“Hell, I’ve never figured out a female yet.”

She bit her lip. “You know I had a crush on you and like a typical teenage girl, I daydreamed about getting married and having kids and all that nonsense.” She waited for a reaction, which he stubbornly refused to give. “Don’t worry,” she said, sighing. “That was ten years ago. Now all I want is your body.”

He actually blushed. “Dammit, Rachel.” Chuckling, he rubbed the back of his neck, something he’d always done when he was caught off guard. “You’re still a handful.”

“Um...” She was about to say something else she really shouldn’t.

“Yes?” He slid a look over her mouth, then lower to her breasts.

He sure had recovered quickly, and now she was the one squeezing her thighs together, praying her cheeks were just warm and not pink. God, she hoped the cabin was accessible. It would be dusty and stuffy but as long as it had a roof and walls to give them privacy, they could air out the sucker, light a fire, and she’d be happy.

They veered left then started to climb. It had been ages since she’d been anywhere near Weaver Ridge but she knew they were close. Unfortunately, there was considerably more snow up here than around the Sundance. Not horrible for February, but still. “What do you think, ten minutes away?”

“If memory serves.” He nodded slowly, clearly not thinking about their ETA. “Might as well get it over with.” The same edginess in his voice she’d noticed earlier made her sit straighter. “I had a long talk with Lucy yesterday. Wallace is dying.”

“Matt, I’m sorry.”

He snorted. “You think I give a shit?”

“Yes, he’s still your father, and you’re not like him. You’re human.” She drew in a harsh breath. Second time today she’d spoken without thinking. “That last part...completely uncalled for. I apologize.”

Reaching over, he laid a hand on her thigh. “Hey, you know better than anyone how much I hated the bastard. All the crappy stuff he did and said, I eventually let roll off my back. But the way he treated my mother...”

She pressed her palm to the back of his much-larger hand. His tan couldn’t hide the small scars that came from working a ranch and riding bulls. “Do you still hate him?”

He hesitated, returning his hand to the steering wheel. “No. I don’t feel anything.”

Though unconvinced that was true, Rachel kept her opinion to herself. “Have you told Nikki?”

“Not yet.”

“How do you think she’ll take it?”

“Can’t say. We knew he was either sick or headed for a drunk tank before the trip.” He steered them onto a gravel road covered with snow, and shifted gears. “Even then, she ran hot and cold about coming.”

“How did you find her?”

“My mom.”

Rachel gasped. “She knew? For how long?”

“Twenty years, maybe.”

“Oh, God.”

“Yep. Never said a word to Wallace.”

“But she told you.”

“Only because she was dying. Took me another year to get over it and look up Nikki.” He glanced at her, his mouth drawn tight. “Not proud of the year-long sulk, by the way.”

“Jeez, your mother had just passed away. Cut yourself a break.”

He smiled a little. “I made her a promise to prove Nikki is a Gunderson and included in Wallace’s estate. But keep that between us. Nikki doesn’t know and she’d be pissed. She doesn’t want anything from him other than closure. I’d like to see her eventually take over the Lone Wolf.”

Rachel sure hadn’t seen that coming. Nor did she see Nikki living here. “Does that mean you’re through with ranching?”

“Nope. I’ve got money set aside for a spread. I can’t rodeo forever. As a matter of fact, I don’t see myself doing it too much longer.”

“But you’re popular and winning titles like crazy. Frankly, I don’t understand why you’re not up to your neck in endorsement contracts.”

“Don’t want ’em.”

Rachel let out a short laugh that ended in a sigh. She was a little jealous of his earning power. Not for herself, but for the Sundance. Her family would be worry-free with the kind of money he could make in two months. “You can’t find one product you agree with?”

“Guess I’m not the mugging-for-the-camera type. That’s what the companies all want. If I had kids to put through college maybe I’d give in and invest the money for them.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I haven’t been too stupid about saving. I might be a hot ticket now, but the fame will dry up the day I leave that chute for the last time. So will the money.”

She didn’t agree. He could hang on to endorsements for quite a while. Rodeo fans were loyal, and from what she’d seen online, everybody in that world loved him. On top of that, he was good-looking. What she really wondered was why he seemed willing to give up the lifestyle.

A horrible thought occurred to her. “Did you lie yesterday when I asked if you were all right? Are you hurt?”

“What?” He frowned at her, then turned back to the gravel road. The snow was deeper out here, still dripping from spruce branches and climbing a foot up the aspens. “No.”

“Maybe we should turn around,” she said, hearing the grind of snow in the wheel wells while the truck struggled for traction.

“We’re okay. It’s not far. Why did you ask if I was hurt? Is that what the media is saying?”

“No, but most guys in your position would be dreading the day they had to leave the circuit. When they do, isn’t it mainly because of age or injury?”

“Usually. I want to raise rodeo stock. Might as well get a ranch going while I’m young and healthy enough to enjoy it.”

She smiled. Matt was still the same in many ways. Sensible, sensitive, even-tempered, an all-around good guy. He hadn’t let fame or money go to his head. Or let his troubled relationship with his father make him bitter. She was really curious about why he wouldn’t take over the Lone Wolf, since he wanted to raise livestock. But she wouldn’t ask now. Driving was tricky and she needed to let him concentrate.

The one thing that had gotten her a bit down was his wanting Nikki to run the operation. Although Rachel couldn’t see it, she had nothing against his sister taking over. It was more personal. Rachel had to face the fact that Matt had only wanted to stick around to give Nikki a chance to assimilate. It had nothing to do with Rachel.

“You worried about my driving?” he asked. “I can still handle snow.”

She shook her head. “I was just thinking...”

“Oh, man. You used to get me in trouble by ‘just thinking.’”

“Hey...who kidnapped who this morning?” Catching a glimpse of the cabin, she straightened. The area didn’t look too bad. Yes, lots of snow, but much of it had blown past the clearing. “When was the last time you were here?”

“After Mom’s funeral. I have two generations of great-grandparents buried in the back.... I came by to tell them I was sorry she was put in the same cemetery as the Gundersons and not with them.” His mouth twisted in a self-conscious smile. “Funny how you do weird crap after someone close to you dies.”

“I know.” She laid a hand on his thigh, and he picked it up and kissed her palm.

“Yeah, you do.”

The truck bumped over a rock that had him pulling his hand back to control the wheel. They both knew what it felt like to lose a beloved parent. Matt had been there for her when she was fourteen and her father died of cancer. Now that she thought about it, their relationship had begun the day Matt had found her angry and crying in Elk Valley a week after her dad’s funeral.

She’d swiped Cole’s rifle, believing that target practice would help ease her pent-up grief and rage at the unfairness of life. Without knowing where she was headed, she’d ridden her horse as if the devil himself were after her. She’d gotten off a shot at a tree branch when Matt appeared out of the woods. He was a senior, and she and her friends thought he was cute, but she hadn’t known him, not really. No one did. He’d always stuck to himself and gone straight home after school.

Remembering that day made her shudder. If she’d been aiming lower...if he hadn’t let her know he was there...

He stopped the truck, turned off the engine. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, crap.” She frowned at the front of the cabin. “Look at all the snow blocking the door.”

“Must’ve been windy up here last night.”

Shade from the towering pines didn’t help. The snow hadn’t had a chance to melt and had accumulated. “We won’t be able to get inside.”

“Maybe there’s a broken window.” He lifted the brim of his hat, squinting at the two-story log cabin. “When I was a kid I thought the place was gigantic, but it can’t be more than two thousand square feet. Seems to be holding up well. You too cold to get out?”

“Pfft.” She waved a hand. “I’m a hearty Montana woman. You think a little snow is going to stop me?”

Grinning, he lifted the door handle. “I’ll remind you of that later.”

She beat him out of the truck but couldn’t compete in racing him to the cabin. She hadn’t exercised in a while and it showed. The snow was deeper than she’d imagined, swallowing her footfalls, making each step so heavy and awkward that she felt like a total klutz.