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  The horse slowed and came to a stop inches from Matthew. His sides heaved as he blew out through flared nostrils.

  “Good boy.” Matthew took hold of his bridle and patted his neck. “Good boy.”

  “That was awesome.” Lester’s grin took over his entire face.

  Matthew glanced up at him. “Ready to come down now?”

  “Sure.” He sounded nonchalant about it, but he was trembling.

  “Need help?”

  “Nope, I’m good.” But when he hopped off, he staggered, as if his knees weren’t quite up to the job of supporting him. “Just a little wobbly, I guess.”

  “Adrenaline can do that to you,” Matthew said.

  “Yeah, that was a rush, man.” He straightened and walked to where Matthew stood. Then he wrapped his arms around Houdini’s neck. “Thanks for not tossing me in the dirt, buddy.”

  Matthew put a hand on Lester’s shoulder. “Great riding. Couldn’t have done better myself.”

  Lester gazed up at him, hero worship shining in his expression. “Thanks, Mr. Tredway.”

  “Let’s take Houdini back to his stall. I think he’s had enough training for today.”

  “And he needs a good rubdown,” Lester added as he ducked under the horse’s neck and took hold of Houdini’s bridle on the other side.

  With Matthew on the opposite side, they headed toward the gate. Emmett still had a firm grip on Jeff’s shoulder, but one of the other boys rushed to open the gate for them.

  As Matthew passed Aurelia, he gave her a tight smile. “Quite a show, huh?”

  “It was.” She could tell his anger at the boy who’d thrown the rock simmered under the surface of his apparent calm.

  When he passed Jeff, he paused. In a low, icy tone that was far more devastating than yelling would have been, he let Jeff have it. “Anyone who could throw a rock at a horse, especially in a situation like we had today, has no business being on a ranch.”

  “Don’t worry,” Emmett said just as quietly. “Jeff won’t be staying. I’ll take him to see Pete and Sarah to let them know why.”

  Jeff stared at both of them in disbelief. “But it was just a little rock!”

  Matthew’s words were laced with fury. “And because you threw it, somebody could have been badly hurt, maybe even killed.”

  “And that’s the crux of it,” Emmett added. “You’ve lost your privilege to stay here.” He glanced at the other six boys. “You all get that, right?”

  Eyes wide, every boy nodded vigorously.

  “Good. I know you’re always hungry, so maybe Aurelia will take you to the kitchen and find you a snack.”

  “I’d be glad to.” Aurelia noticed that the boys didn’t leap at the suggestion, probably because they were afraid she’d offer them something they didn’t want to eat. “Come on, guys,” she said. “I have some leftover brownies in the kitchen.”

  Their cheers were filled with relief as they ran toward the house.

  She followed at a more leisurely pace and took a moment to look over at the touching picture Matthew and Lester made as they took Houdini back to the barn. Matthew had turned Lester into a celebrity today, and the boy would never forget it. Besides being gorgeous, Matthew was good with both kids and animals. From what she’d seen so far, she was going to have to work extra hard not to fall in love with him.

  6

  MATTHEW ATE A halfway decent-tasting plate of spaghetti with the guys in the bunkhouse, although he couldn’t help imagining how Aurelia could have improved on the basic recipe. But he was a guest in the bunkhouse, and he wasn’t about to complain. It had been Shorty’s night to cook, and spaghetti was his usual contribution.

  A bottle of wine would have been nice, but the cowhands weren’t into it, so Matthew drank the beer they handed him.

  “So where did you come from originally?” Tucker asked Matthew as they finished up the last of the spaghetti.

  “I was born in Billings,” Matthew said.

  “You still have family up there?”

  “Not anymore.” Matthew hadn’t been lucky in that respect. His mom had died when he was seven, and his dad, who had sold the ranch after she died, had never recovered emotionally from her death. He’d passed away two years ago, leaving Matthew pretty much without family connections since he had no brothers or sisters and hadn’t ever been close to his aunts and uncles. It was a sad little story, and since Shorty didn’t press the issue, Matthew chose not to tell it.

  Frank picked up a paper napkin and wiped spaghetti sauce from his mustache. Apparently Sarah’s rule about paper napkins didn’t apply down here. “Everybody’s talking about that kid riding Houdini,” Frank said. “Who would have thought that horse would let a kid get up on him?”

  “I think it was real smart.” Bob sat back in his chair and adjusted his glasses. “Risky, but smart. That boy’s lighter than any of us, and putting him on bareback meant bypassing the saddle issue.”

  “But you’ll have to deal with the saddle issue sooner or later.” Shorty stood. “Everybody done here? I’m ready to clear the table and play some cards.”

  Matthew stood and picked up his plate. “I’d like to find an English saddle. Start with that.”

  “It’s a good idea.” Danny scratched one of his oversized ears. “That way you give him something that doesn’t feel much like the one that scared him before. I’d check with Sarah, see if she knows anybody who has one. I’ll bet she does.”

  “I’ll ask her.” Matthew stacked his plate on a couple of others and walked into the kitchen.

  “Pete took that Jeff kid back to his foster home tonight,” Tucker said as he opened the dishwasher.

  Matthew inhaled a deep breath. “I can’t say I’m sorry.”

  “Nobody is.” Shorty located a cigar and stuck it behind his ear. “Pete being Pete, he’s getting the kid into counseling, but we can’t have that kind of behavior around here.”

  “No.” Every time Matthew replayed the scene in his head, it ran in slow motion as Jeff leaned down, picked up a rock and hurled it at the horse. If it really had been in slow motion, Matthew could have intercepted the rock. In reality, the rock had been airborne before he could move to stop it.

  From that point on, he’d had to clamp down on his anger so that he could be the voice of reason for Lester, who had been terrified at first. The fact that the incident had ended with no injuries didn’t change the way Matthew felt about Jeff’s behavior.

  “So.” Shorty grabbed a dish towel and wiped off the table. “I hope you’re all prepared to lose tonight, because I’m feeling extremely lucky.”

  “I can play for a while,” Matthew said, “but I’m going up to the house a little before eight.” Now he wished Aurelia had said seven, which was only about fifteen minutes from now.

  “For what?” Jeb asked.

  “I’m going to help Aurelia plan some menus for you guys.” It was the story he would stick with until someone figured out there was more going on than menu-planning. They probably would sooner or later. He helped Tucker finish loading the dishwasher and returned to the table.

  “Right. Menu-planning. That’s a good thing.” Jeb set the cards and a tray of chips on the table. “Her speech today was encouraging, but I’m glad you’re going to supervise. Don’t let her give us any more innards, okay?”

  “I won’t.”

  “Or eels,” Tucker said. “That was a really bad day.”

  Matthew winced. It would be a rare cowboy who would get excited about having eels for lunch.

  Jeb divided up the chips. “I heard her say something to Sarah about squid, too, but I guess that didn’t fly, because we never did get squid for lunch. Probably too expensive. From what I gather, Aurelia’s made friends with a chef in Jackson who helps her find bargains on this stuff.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect your interests,” Matthew said.

  “I’ll drink to that,” Shorty said. “Who wants another beer?”

  “No, thanks.” Matthew
returned to his seat and arranged his chips. “I need to keep a clear head if I’m going to fight the menu wars.” He made it sound like a chore that he’d taken on to be noble, when it was anything but.

  He was counting the minutes until he could walk up to the house. He’d showered and changed clothes before dinner, but he’d made sure he wasn’t too duded up, which would arouse suspicion that this was more like a date than an obligation. Nobody at the table had to know about the condom he’d tucked in his pocket, either.

  “See that?” Jeb said. “He’s sacrificing his drinking time so that he can do this for us. That’s what I call dedication.”

  “Yeah,” Bob said. “Thanks, Matthew.”

  “Don’t mention it.” And if they continued to praise him for his sacrifice, he was liable to start feeling guilty. “Glad to help out.” They had no idea how glad.

  “Those brownies were outstanding.” Shorty lit his cigar. “See if you can talk her into making something like that again. Chocolate always works. Mary Lou has this chocolate cupcake recipe that always went over big. And chocolate pie with whipped cream’s another winner. Which reminds me, what we got for dessert?”

  Jeb started dealing the cards. “Double Stuf Oreos.”

  Shorty pushed back his chair. “I’ll get ’em. They may not be homemade, but they beat the hell out of roasted figs.”

  As the poker game got going, there was more talk about the bizarre food Aurelia had insisted on fixing for a solid week, until Matthew had arrived to save the day. He blamed part of this situation on Mary Lou, who should have been clearer about what cowboys would and wouldn’t eat. But Mary Lou had been preoccupied with other things, apparently, like getting married and taking the first cruise of her life.

  Playing cards helped fill the time until Matthew could leave, but it wasn’t fascinating enough to make him forget that he would soon have Aurelia within kissing distance. Whenever he thought about that, he inevitably threw away a winning hand because he wasn’t paying attention.

  Finally Bob commented on his lack of concentration. “Listen, I hope you’re not putting pressure on yourself about this menu business. We can survive another two weeks of her cooking, especially if she does what she said and makes the kind of desserts we’re used to.”

  “I know you can survive.” Matthew looked up at the battery-operated clock on the wall and saw with immense relief that he could finally leave. “But I’ll give it my best shot.” He stood and pushed his chips toward Jeb, who was the banker tonight. “You can divide these up.”

  “I’ll hold them for you,” Jeb said. “I figure you’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Matthew didn’t think an hour would be nearly enough time for what he had in mind. “Go ahead and divide up my chips. That way if I’m making progress I won’t feel like I have to rush back to the game.” He couldn’t believe he actually said that with a straight face.

  “Okay, your call. And good luck.”

  “Thanks.” Grabbing his hat from a well-used rack on the wall, Matthew pushed open the screen door and stepped into the night. As he walked up to the main house and breathed in a lungful of cool air, he wondered if Aurelia had been anticipating their meeting as much as he had. His ego wanted to believe that she had.

  This morning when he’d gone looking for Aurelia, he’d come in through the front door because that’s how he’d entered the house the night before. But later he’d realized that the back door made more sense. No reason to tromp through the house in his boots and alert everyone that he’d arrived, or conversely, that he was leaving, especially if he left on the late side.

  So he bypassed the steps leading up to the front porch and circled around to the rear, where he easily found the back door marked by a yellow porch light. A small deck fanned out to the left, with two rattan chairs inviting anyone working hard in the kitchen to take a break.

  Climbing the steps, he rapped on the wooden frame of the screen door. By his calculations it was exactly eight o’clock.

  Light footsteps approached from inside, and Aurelia peeked out. “Oh! You came around this way!” She pushed open the door in welcome.

  “It seemed to make more sense. I didn’t want to make a grand entrance. Or a grand exit, for that matter.”

  “Tonight it doesn’t matter. Sarah and Pete took the boys to the movies in Jackson. They won’t be home ’til late.”

  “Oh.” That was welcome news.

  Whatever room he was walking into was lit only by the porch light from outside and a shaft of light from the kitchen beyond. It was enough for him to see that her luxurious golden hair curled around her shoulders instead of being caught up in a ponytail as it had been earlier today.

  She’d changed clothes, too. Instead of a T-shirt and jeans, she had on a lacy blouse and capris. She’d even abandoned her running shoes for cute little sandals. Maybe she’d done all that for him. He hoped so.

  “This isn’t a bad plan,” she said. “But it means coming in through the laundry room. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Nope.” As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he noticed a couple of large washers paired up with companion dryers. The air smelled of warm fabric and soap, as if the washers and dryers had been used recently. But he also picked up the scent of warm woman.

  This morning she’d absorbed all the fragrances of the kitchen at breakfast time, a combination of coffee, hot buttered toast and bacon. He’d enjoyed that, especially when he’d kissed her. At lunch she’d brought all the ratatouille herbs and spices with her when she’d leaned down to set his plate in front of him, and he’d wanted to taste her instead of the food.

  But tonight her aroma reminded him of a mountain meadow filled with wildflowers, which meant she’d showered before this meeting, same as he had. His heart rate picked up as he came to the obvious conclusion that tonight was significant for her, too.

  Coming in through the back door and standing with her in the subdued light of the laundry room created a feeling of intimacy and stealth, as if they’d planned a secret rendezvous. His body stirred. He’d always been a sucker for atmosphere.

  She turned and started into the kitchen. “I have all my cookbooks spread out on the table. I have an idea about what to serve, but you can tell me if it will work.”

  He hadn’t realized that he’d reached for her until he made contact. His hand closed over her shoulder and she went very still. Then a fine tremor ran through her.

  His throat was tight with longing. “Aurelia.”

  Slowly she turned back to him. “I think…” She swallowed. “I think we should plan the menu before…”

  “You’re right.” Tossing his hat on the nearest dryer, he stepped forward and drew her into his arms. Because she was so much shorter than he was, he had to lift her up onto her tiptoes. “You’re absolutely right.” Giving in to the needs that had tormented him all day, he captured that full, sweet mouth in a kiss that made his ears ring.

  She tasted of mint toothpaste and he quickly decided it was his favorite. Their first kiss had been hard and fast, with no time for him to use his tongue. But this time…her mouth softened under his as if she wanted his invasion.

  Groaning, he thrust his tongue into the moist, minty recesses of her delicious mouth. The contact made him dizzy with wanting her. She was heaven in his arms, her lush, rounded body pressed against his with no sharpness, no angles, just a banquet of enticing female curves.

  Sliding her hands up his chest, she linked them behind his neck and wiggled closer. The movement drove him slightly crazy. Before he realized it, he’d pulled her blouse up and unfastened her bra.

  When it came loose, she stopped kissing him for a moment and leaned back. He paused, worried that she’d ask him to stop. The pressure building behind his fly would become a major problem if she did.

  “Matthew?” She gulped for air.

  “Yes?” His breathing wasn’t all that steady, either, and his heart galloped like a runaway stallion.


  “Does this mean we’ll do our menu-planning later?”

  He choked out a laugh. “I hope so.”

  “In that case…” Unclasping her hands from around his neck, she stepped back. Grabbing the hem of her blouse, she pulled it over her head and lobbed it onto one of the dryers. Then she stripped off her bra and sent that sailing after the blouse. “Better?”

  He nodded mutely, transfixed by the glory that was Aurelia. Even in the shadowy light, his first glimpse of her breasts nearly made him come. Full and perfect, they trembled delicately with each quivering breath. Beneath his gaze, her nipples tightened, and his mouth grew moist with a basic need to savor what she offered.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m too bold.”

  “How could I? I started this.” And their spontaneously chosen location was brilliant, he realized now. Spanning her waist with both hands, he lifted her on top of the nearest dryer.

  Her breasts swayed, and as he cupped them in both hands, he drew in a quick breath, overcome by the sensuous delight of holding her. “You’re magnificent.”

  She arched into his hands. “I’m glad you’re pleased.”

  “I want to please you.” Cradling her breasts, he stroked his thumbs across her nipples. “Tell me what you like.”

  She covered his hands with hers. “I like the erotic feel of your big hands, calloused with work, stroking my skin.” She closed her eyes. “While you’re touching me like this, I can imagine all the ways you use these strong, hard-working fingers, and all the ways you could use them to bring me pleasure…squeezing gently, kneading…that’s so good, Matthew. Mmm. So good.”

  Leaning forward, he nibbled her mouth. “I should have known.”

  Her response was throaty, seductive. “Known what?”

  “That you’d be like this, so sensual.” He continued to massage her breasts as he nuzzled her throat. “So ready to be loved.”

  She tilted her head back, giving him greater access. “Why?”