Sneak Peak of The Black Thunder Series, The Taming

He was a one night stand kind of guy… She was a forever kind of girl.

Kate Harris was starting over. After a failed marriage, she was leaving Santa Cruz and moving to Virginia City to work on the fifty acre horse ranch before taking a teaching position in the fall. She needed to find herself again, but that was before she met the wild stallion, Black Thunder, and the overbearing Jack McBride.

Ranch owner, Jack McBride was a man’s man. He was arrogant, rugged and liked giving orders.  His passion was possession and his craving control.  He wasn’t about tomorrow mornings, never feeling the need to make it permanent…that is until he met Kate.  Now he wanted her, all of her, his obsession sparked by her refusal. 

Sexy and very addicting, the Black Thunder Trilogy is a masterfully woven tale about one man’s journey to abandon his past and seal his future to the one woman he must possess.

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

K

ate Harris stood on the front porch and watched the movers place the last remaining box into her new place. She would have liked to call it home, but it wasn’t.

Her home was Santa Cruz, a place where it was warm and the sun always shined with boardwalk strolls and long afternoons on the beach. She was native to California, and although Nevada was the state next door, it seemed like worlds apart. Instead of palm trees lining the streets, there was an array of tall peaked mountains, winding roads, old abandoned mine sheds, and a vastness that even Butch Cassidy could get lost in.

Kate sat on the porch swing and watched the moving truck depart, creating a cloud of dust as it rumbled along the dirt road and disappeared from view. She stood and entered her new dwelling, a converted carriage house made into a halfway decent living accommodation with its living quarters on the main floor and a loft to house her bedroom and bath. It wasn’t fancy, but with a little effort she had no doubt she could make it a home.

She worked most of the day unpacking boxes. It wasn’t in her nature to let things sit. When she finished downstairs, she moved to her bedroom. There was one box remaining, and she sighed knowing what it held.

She sat on her bed and like a zipper, peeled away the clear line of packing tape from the box. She pulled out a stuffed brown bear and held it in her hands, running her fingers along its fuzzy ears and down across its tiny black nose. She pressed her eyes shut at the memory of carnival lights flashing against the black sky and she could still hear organ pipe music drift through her mind. A wash of melancholy rained on her mood as she circled the clumsy scribbling of P&K Forever in the center of its heart.

The little bear was a prize he had won for her. She felt special back then. Kate released a despondent sigh and set the bear aside  on her bed. She rummaged through the box until she found the photograph. She stared at the picture of the perfect couple.

The woman was dressed all in white with long flowing hair the color of the sun, mingling with a string of pearls and lace. A thin veil caressed the soft features of her feminine face, and her blue eyes sparkled like the ocean. The man was dark-haired and handsome with his finely sculptured black suit. They looked so happy and in love.

But he had devastated her, shattering her world like a piece of glass. He had fallen in love with someone else. The illusion fell apart five years to the day as betrayal became her reality. It was your fault the voice echoed. You drove him into the arms of someone else by your preoccupation to become pregnant.

It was a mistake to bring this box, she thought as tears filled her eyes. She placed the picture and the stuffed bear back in the box then resealed it and moved it to the rear of her closet, determined to start over.

Kate went downstairs and made herself a cup of tea before walking out onto the front porch. She leaned against the porch rail staring out across the Virginia City sky. The familiar smell of coconut oil and the Pacific sea air was replaced with the sweet pungent fragrance of sagebrush and dirt. Not like home, she thought as she took a sip of her tea.

She placed her cup on the railing and walked down the porch steps. She wandered along the dirt path heading into the foothills, treading cautiously not to step on a rattlesnake, or something worse. Her friend Clara had warned her about the dangers of high desert living.

She should probably call her and tell her that she arrived safely.  It was Clara Barton and her husband Adam who found the carriage house and the part-time job for Kate until the teaching position opened up in the fall. She was to clean the bunkhouses situated on this fifty-acre horse ranch in exchange for living in the carriage house.

She met Clara in college, and they became instant friends, best friends to be exact. But after school Kate returned home to Santa Cruz, and Clara back to Virginia City. They remained close over the years, and after Kate’s divorce Clara convinced her to come out and try her town, get away from the rat race and find solace in a place where you can connect to yourself again. That’s why Kate agreed. She couldn’t deny there were wide open space and a solitude here that could beckon anyone to begin hearing their own voice again.

Kate continued on the path entering the mouth of the canyon. She navigated the walk through sagebrush and rock when a slippery reptile, looking more like a dragon than a lizard, scurried across her path. She came to a dead halt and screeched. The lizard, startled, darted back into the sagebrush, acting more scared of her than she was of him.

She forged deeper into the canyon, climbing the sloping terrain. Rocks slipped under her sandaled feet and Kate thought that maybe she should turn back. But just then she felt a low rumble sending tiny pebbles across her feet. She stopped, feeling the vibration beneath her soles. A tremor, she thought. She was all too familiar with earthquakes, but never having lived in Nevada, she wasn’t certain if they experienced the same earth movements like California.

Once more the earth started to rumble, and a loud sound like thunder was heard in the distance. It was coming straight toward her. Kate looked to the left and then to the right, searching for a safe place to hide. She ran up along the rocks and situated herself on a boulder as the roaring sound whistled through the canyon like rushing wind. She stretched her neck to get a better view at what caused the thunderous sound ricocheting off the canyon walls. Mounds of dust appeared from nowhere, blinding her as the maddening train sound roared closer.

And then she saw him, emerging from the canyon, nostrils flaring and eyes as black as night. A stallion, coat as dark as his eyes, a magnificent breed, and behind him a herd of ten or more mustangs following as they charged through the canyon road that only moments before Kate had been traveling. They forged into the foothills, hooves scraping on rock.

The stallion paused and bid his herd to fall back and graze. He lifted his head, the wind billowing through his black mane and snorted a cry. His ear perked sensing a presence. He turned in her direction and stood on his hind legs while his front legs struck the air with strong pride.

Kate couldn’t move, she was frozen to the rock. Their eyes met and he motioned in her direction. Once more several loud snorts escaped through the large black nostrils, moving in and out in rapid succession. Like steam pouring out of a locomotive, his breath escaped his indents. Kate’s heart beat rapidly in her chest and she felt her face wash white.

The magnificent beast reared up again and issued a warrior-like cry. His hoof scraped along the ground, creating a cloud of dust at his feet. The stallion trotted alongside her as if he were parading his magnificence before her. He stopped in front of her and snorted, spraying her with a mist of his scent. Then he bolted, heading back into the canyon and taking his herd with him.

Kate sat frozen, fingers scraping against rock, blinking in disbelief. Slowly she began to breathe again realizing she’d been holding her breath the whole time. Never before had she seen a horse up close, much less a wild one, and this one was magnificent. No, more than magnificent, he was majestic, almost regal. A fierce warrior, and Kate had the feeling he could have crushed her if he wanted to.

She slid from the rock, her legs still shaking. She glanced into the canyon and wondered if it was safe to move away. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and felt for any movement then breathed a sigh of relief feeling none.

She made her way out of the base of the canyon and onto the leveled path, then she high-tailed it out of there, running as fast as she could back to the carriage house.

  

          

One 

Cowboys And Barbie Dolls

W

hat did you say?”  Kate leaned forward trying to hear Clara over the crowd and noise.

They were celebrating Kate’s arrival, and there was no better place in Virginia City than The Bucket of Blood Saloon.

The elongated bar was filled with tourists along with the locals; Nevada men, rugged and wild wearing cowboy hats, spurs, and cigarettes rolled up in their sleeves. Two bartenders wearing old-timey shirts and red garters on their arms kept up easily with the crowd’s demands. They were large, like bouncers, and Kate had a feeling they would have no trouble handling a rowdy patron and tossing them out on their ear. Kate and Clara sat along the wall, having found a table before it got too crowded.

“So what do you think?” Clara yelled over the loud roar of patrons, country music, and the jingle of slot machines.

“It certainly is different than going to the Martini Bar back in Santa Cruz,” she returned a shout as a long haired cowboy with handle bar mustache bumped into her chair.

“Sorry darling,” he slurred with a sloppy grin, holding her shoulder a little longer than she liked as if for support.

Kate nodded and watched him stagger on then gave her friend a worried look. “Relax,” Clara laughed. “He’s harmless.”  Kate wasn’t so sure as the intoxicated man slung himself onto another woman and kiss her. “Are you excited to start work on Monday?” Clara asked pulling her friend’s attention back to her.

“I guess so,” said Kate wondering what she had gotten herself into. She saw a group of bikers enter the bar and followed them as they stationed themselves at the bar top. “They look scary,” she whispered loud.

“You’ll get used to it after a while. Here, finish your beer. It will make you feel better.”  Clara pushed the drink into her hands and wasn’t satisfied until she finished it.

“Have you heard anything from the school board?” Asked Kate, gaining the courage from the gold liquid warming her belly. She didn’t want to become a nuisance, knowing Clara had helped her with that too, but it was the reason why she moved out to this desolate brown town to begin with.

“Adam says they’re still reviewing the applications. But he put in a good word for you and they were impressed with your résumé.”

“I hope so. I need that teaching position Clara.”

“You worry too much.”  She brushed off her fear knowing her friend already had the job and the interview was just the formality. “You always did have to have everything tied together in a nice neat package. Sometimes you have to go with the flow.”

“I don’t work that way.” Kate stated as her eyes popped an anxiety blue, thinking about her summer job. “And I never thought I would be here housekeeping for a living.”

“It won’t be so bad. You have a measly five bunkhouses to clean on the ranch. You’ll be done by noon and then you will have the rest of the day to do what you want.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”  She fumbled with her empty glass. “What am I going to do with all that free time?”

 “Be adventurous for once in your life,” encouraged Clara. “Live a little. Do something spontaneous for a change.”

“I can be spontaneous,” she said defensively.

“Really?”  Clara lifted her brow and tilted her head.

“Okay, so I like my life planned out. It gives me a sense of security.”

“You can’t plan everything darling. That’s when life backfires on you.”  Clara had a point. Her planning had backfired on her big time, and now her head was spinning. “Quite thinking so hard or you’ll give yourself a migraine.”  Clara eyed her friend shrugging off her rising anxiety. “I think it’s time for another round.”   She stood from her seat, ignoring Kate’s protests. “I’ll be right back. Don’t run away, yah hear?” 

Clara sauntered up to the bar, shimmying herself between two ruggedly handsome men, local cowboys smelling of earth and beer. She leaned her elbow on the bar top and called out to one of the bartenders above the crowd. “Two more of everything Frank.”

“Coming right up Clara,” he called back.

Clara turned her head and looked at one of the cowboys. He was tall, rugged, and definitely all male. From under his cowboy hat a lock of dark brown swept low over the arch of his brow as cactus green eyes caught sight of her feminine frame. “Hey there Clara.”  His lips parted to show a perfect set of teeth.

“Hey yourself stranger,” Clara smiled at her old friend. “I didn’t think I’d see you here tonight.”

“Needed to unwind a spell. You here with Adam?”  He glanced around the room for her husband.

“No, I’m here with Kate.”

“Who-” He asked returning his attention back to the short red head.

“Your new tenant and employee.”  Clara shot him a dirty look.

“Oh, her.”  He shrugged as if he didn’t like to pay much mind to such matters, which he didn’t. He let his ranch manager take care of those details.

“You have met her, haven’t you?” She lifted a curious brow.

 “Been too busy,” he said as a pretty little brunette caught his attention and an admiring smile formed on his face, watching her leave the saloon.

 “Jack McBride, I swear you have the manners of a mule.”  She scowled and smacked him on the arm regaining his attention.  “Well, she’s over there if you want to say a friendly hello.” She pointed toward her friend.

Jack didn’t want to be bothered, he was here for one reason only and it wasn’t to make small talk with Clara and one of her friends. He worked hard today and was ready to play hard tonight with some sweet thing of his choosing but he found himself looking anyway just to appease Clara knowing she would not relent until he did.

He saw a woman with long blond hair sitting alone at a table. He did a double take and his breath caught in his chest. Her arms were lean and long and Jack found himself wondering if her legs matched. His stomach did a little flip noticing that she was pretty. He couldn’t help staring at her curled up nose and how her hair hung around her shoulders and over those nice full breasts. He glanced at his hand and thought they would fit nicely. A slow grin formed on his face.

His thoughts were broken as the bartender placed Clara’s order on the bar. “I got it,” said Jack tossing a wad of cash onto the bar. “After you.”  He picked up their beers and headed for the table where the sweet blonde sat. Clara quickly scooped up the two filled shot glasses and ran after him.

“You can look, but don’t touch,” she whispered to Jack.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said displaying a salivating grin as if he’d chosen his night’s thrill.

Clara stopped. “I know you Jack McBride,” she warned taking his arm. “Kate isn’t like the women you know. She’s a nice girl, get the picture?”

He nodded but still strode toward to the table, green eyes honing in on the blond.

Clara just rolled her eyes and followed after his pursuit. She took her seat and placed the shot glasses on the table. “Kate, this is Jack McBride,” she said trying to maintain a semblance to the introductions. “Jack is the owner of the ranch where you’re staying.”  Kate looked over at the brown haired man outlined in jeans, boots and hat and gave him a welcoming smile. “Jack, this is Kathryn Harris, but everyone calls her Kate.”

“Hi.”  Kate held out her hand to shake his. Jack set the beers down and shook her hand, melding it’s smallness into his large strong palms.

“Always a pleasure to meet a pretty filly,” he said holding on longer than he should before taking the seat next to her. “So you’re the one who moved into the carriage house.”

“I am,” she said nervously as she rubbed her now tingling palm.

The air seemed to cling with charged electricity. Maybe it was from the several slot machines that rang loud from simultaneous payouts while blinking red and yellow lights or maybe it was the unsettling man seated beside her.

“You’re going to be working for me too I take it.”  He took a drink of his beer but his eyes never left hers.

Kate shifted in her seat, watching his stark green eyes roam over her body. Her throat grew instantly dry and she took a sip of her beer and nodded. There was something about this man’s intensity that made him a bit intimidating, and she found herself peering over her glass, almost flustered by his ruddy good looks.

“So what exactly have I hired you to do?”  He asked straight out but didn’t wait for her answer. “Are you the new guide for the horseback riding tours?” 

The visual of long legs astride a saddle brought him instant pleasure and he grazed his front teeth over his bottom lip as if to savor the thought.

“Oh God no,” Kate nervously laughed and shook her head.      

“You do ride don’t you?” His brow arched in innuendo form as his mouth clicked into a giddy up kind of grin.

“No, sorry- I don’t ride,” she said not sure how to take his question.

“Somehow I doubt that.”  He looked her up and down thinking he wouldn’t mind testing her riding skills. Jack took another drink of his beer, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Kate’s going to do the housekeeping,” interjected Clara as she kicked Jack under the table.

Jack gave Clara a cross look then returned his attention back to Kate.

So this pretty thing was going to be cleaning for him. It would be a welcome sight to see someone with a nice ass for a change. “I like my place tidy and my bedroom spotless. You do know how to maneuver between the sheets, don’t you?”

Kate choked on her beer.

“Kate isn’t cleaning your place,” Clara barked at him. “She was hired to clean the bunkhouses.”

Disappointment washed over him then his spine prickled at the thought of having this delicious woman interacting with his ranch hands. They would be all over her like bees on honey. The idea of her taking an interest in anyone but him grated on his nerves. It was primal, his need to possess. It bordered on a little crazy considering he just met her, but when Jack McBride got something in his head, it wasn’t something he could let go of easily.

“The bunkhouse is out of the question,” he ordered. “You’ll clean my house, and that’s that.”

“Mr. McBride, I appreciate your offer, but if it’s all the same to you, I would prefer to clean the bunk houses. Besides, it’s only temporary through the summer.”

“What you mean temporary?” His eyes narrowed.

“I’m a teacher. I am hoping for a position in the fall.”

“What do you teach?” he snapped.

Kate looked over at Clara and frowned. He was arrogant and used to ordering people around. Kate didn’t work like that. As a matter of fact, she was beginning to think it was a mistake taking the job. But she was stuck now seeing as her living accommodations were connected to her employment. She may have to put up with him, but she didn’t have to like him, and she was beginning to think that she did not care for Jack McBride at all.

“I teach grade school,” she stated firmly.

“In Virginia City?”

“Hopefully, yes,” she nodded.

“So, you don’t have the job yet,” he said with an air of smugness.

“Kate has her application in with the school board,” interjected Clara.

“Well, good for you!”  He leaned back in his chair and finished his beer.

“What does that mean?” Kate’s eyes narrowed a bit.

“It means don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched, baby,” he said with a grin. “You may be working for me longer than you think.”

Kate bit her tongue. He was too sure of himself, and his confidence bordered on arrogance. He irritated her to no end, and it took all of her strength to remain civil toward him.  “I’m a good teacher, and I’m sure the school board will recognize my contribution,” she said politely.

“Why do you want to teach when you have a good job already?” he stated crossing his arms over his chest.

 “Mr. McBride, do you have something against teachers?” Kate fought back her temper.

“Not in particular,” he grinned seeing that he had gotten a rise out of her. Oh she was simmering beneath those pretty blue eyes and that sweet pursed mouth, and for some reason it turned him on. “It’s as good a profession as any, if you like that sort of thing.”

“As opposed to ranching I take it?” she said abandoning her politeness.

“Ranching is a man’s job, and mighty respectable at that,” he stated proudly.

“I guess if you like to sit on top of a dumb animal and show tourists around all day.”  It was Kate’s turn to lean back and cross her her arms. “But who am I to judge.”

“You’re not from around here are you, baby?” His eyes narrowed ready for a challenge. “Where are you from? Northern California, or maybe southern?”

“Santa Cruz.”  She boasted proudly.

“I should have guessed.”  He laughed and shook his head. “You’re a sun-worshipper by the look of your tan Barbie doll!”

“I am not a Barbie, and don’t call me doll!” He was really pissing her off now.

“Oh, you are a California plastic Barbie all the way down to your skimpy bikini and your fake tits.”  He grinned from ear to ear. “Tell me, how much did they cost you?”

“These are real I’ll have you know,” she brimmed angrily from his insult.

“You want me to tell you if they’re real?”  He leaned forward in his seat.

“Don’t you dare!” she gasped seeing a devilish twinkle in those deep green eyes of his.

“Jack!” Clara scowled and slapped him on the shoulder. “He’s needling you, Kate. Don’t pay him much mind.”

He laughed and sat back in his chair. He was toying with her and it made her mad. God, he was going to enjoy having her work for him, sparking that little temper of hers whenever he wanted. Just thinking about it made his pants tight and he adjusted himself in his seat.

“I have no intention of letting the likes of him get to me.”  Kate sat up straight and lifted her chin high in the air.

“Well I’ll be, Californiacator Barbie is snooty to boot,” he laughed. “You’re probably one of those Valley divas.”   

“I think you’ve been kicked one too many times in the head Cowboy?” She re-coiled.

“I ain’t been kicked yet but fondling is another matter,” he winked at her. “And a little kiss now and again on both ain’t too bad neither.”

“Well that’s not going to happen,” she laughed despite the red flush to her freckled cheeks.

“Who said I was asking?” Jack leaned back and folded his arms over his chest.

Kate wanted to smack the smirk from his face. He was infuriating. “Don’t you have somewhere to be other than here with us?” She fumed.

“Not at the moment,” he said with such arrogance Kate just wanted to scream. “But I’ll let you know if I change my mind. Not too often I get a chance to mingle with princesses.”

Clara watched the two go back and forth swapping insults like ping pong balls in a match of wits. After several more rounds Clara had enough.

“I need another drink,” she stated and stood. “When I come back you two better have squared off and resolved your differences because quite frankly, you are killing my buzz!”  With that Clara left them alone at the table as she made her way to the bathroom and then the bar.

“So, do you even know how to clean?” His jaw tightened.

“I am not going to justify that with an answer.” Kate crossed her arms over her chest.

“Just asking,” he said. “You don’t seem like the type that is used to hard labor.”

“As opposed to you?” She frowned.

“Well isn’t it apparent?”  He opened his arms and displayed the rippling muscles of his chest and arms.

“Humph,” she snorted. “I’m not impressed.”  But her eyes showed otherwise.

“You aren’t?” He moved his chair closer to her. He straddled the chair and leaned in mixing his earthly scent with her own delicate fragrance of lavender and vanilla. “You haven’t done your shot, Barbie doll.”  He moved the glass closer to her as he filled his lungs with her heavenly balm. She looked at the shot, then at him and frowned.

“I don’t want it,” she said feeling his pheromones oozing all over her.

“You’re a lightweight, Kate,” he goaded her.

She ground her teeth together and shot him an evil stare. She snatched the glass and drank it, then slammed it back on the table.

“You sure you don’t want to choke or anything, seeing as your face is turning a pretty shade of pink?”

“I’m fine!” She choked back the coughing spasm forming in her throat. He was the most infuriating man she’d ever met.

“You want another one?” he practically whispered in her ear. “It might help you relax that uptight ass of yours.”  He leaned over and tapped her on the edge of her freckled nose.

Kate bat him away as if he were an annoying fly which only made him grin wider. He was toying with her, and he laughed seeing her face shift an angry red highlighting the darkened speckles of brown spots across the rim of her nose and cheeks.

Fortunately, Clara returned and Jack moved his chair back seeing his friend’s scowl. Kate breathed a sigh of relief.

“So, have you two worked out your differences?” she asked as she pushed another shot toward Kate.

“I wouldn’t say that exactly,” she frowned.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that Barbie doll here doesn’t know a thing about hard work.” He gave her a needling smile.

Her eyes narrowed into sharp dark blue glass. “And I’ve concluded that Mr. McBride doesn’t have a brain in his head.”

“Then you have reached an understanding,” Clara laughed.

“We agree to disagree.”  Kate took the shot and downed it. This time she didn’t feel the need to choke.

“Want another one?” Jack leaned over to her. “Maybe I should order us a bottle so we can work on loosening you up, baby.”

“No,” stated Kate emphatically to Clara’s simultaneous, yes.

“What are you ladies drinking?”

“JD,” said her friend.

“Well ain’t that fitting,” he laughed. “Two women sipping on liquid Jack. Sounds like a threesome to me.”  Jack didn’t wait for a response. He flung his leg over the chair and sauntered to the bar. Kate stared after him in disbelief.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” She frowned. “Now he’s never going to leave.”

“Oh, Jack’s all right,” said Clara. “He’s just a little rough around the edges that’s all.”

“Well I’m getting chaffed by all that roughness.”

“You can handle it,” she laughed. “Actually, I’m having a good time watching you give it to him. It doesn’t happen often to a man like Jack McBride.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t.”  She spoke her thoughts aloud as she took a quick glance at the bar and watched in disgust at the not too subtle exchange between the infamous Mr. McBride and a female patron. “He’s awfully arrogant, don’t you think, and crude?” she huffed and returned her attention back to her friend. “If he thinks I’m cleaning his house, he has another thing coming. I was hired to clean five rooms, no more, no less.”

“Good for you, Kate stand your ground,” she nodded.

“I will,” she said then caught sight of his rugged male frame turn from the bar, leaving a disappointed female in his wake. “I mean I am.”

A smirk crossed her friend’s face catching sight of the same exchange. “I think you intrigue him.”

Before Kate had a chance to respond, Jack strode up to the table. He moved his chair closer to Kate and straddled it. He leaned his arms on the back of the chair, holding the bottle of whisky in his hand. Without so much as an offer, he opened the bottle and filled each shot glass.

“Drink up ladies,” he commanded.

“Mighty presumptuous of you,” Kate grumbled.

“Thought you said you could handle it Barbie doll.”

“I can,” she said drinking the shot with Clara. “And quit calling me Barbie doll!”

“Why?” he asked with a smug look on his face. “It suits you.”

“Just as Cocky Arrogant Bastard suits you!”

“I’ve been called worse.”  He shrugged then lifted his glass and downed the shot. He filled their glasses again. “I’ve been thinking,” he continued their conversation. “You told me earlier you don’t know how to ride.”

“Nope,” she said emphasizing the ‘p’.

“Well it’s time to learn, baby. Can’t have you working on a ranch without knowing how to ride.”

There was that innuendo again hanging in the air and she frowned.

“I don’t want to learn to ride,” she said vehemently squashing any of his hope. “Besides horses make me nervous.”

“Horses make you nervous?” He looked at her and raised a questioning brow.

  “Kate hasn’t been around horses much,” said Clara giving Jack fair warning.

“Everyone has been around a horse at one time or another.”  He brushed off her comment.

“Not me,” said Kate. “Contrary to popular belief, there are some of us who have never seen a horse up close.”

“And you being one of them?” He stared at her like she had three heads.

“Yes-” she said then paused. “Except maybe for today when I took a walk.”

“You were by the corral?” He rubbed his chin. “Been there most of the day, and trust me I would have noticed a Barbie doll like you wandering around.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She rolled her eyes. “I went for a walk up in the canyon and I saw a group of horses that I presume are wild.”

The smile left Jack’s face and was replaced with a serious frown. “That’s not the smartest thing to do considering you aren’t familiar with these parts,” he scolded.

“I didn’t see the harm in it.”

“They could have trampled you!” He was practically yelling at her. “They aren’t called wild for nothing. For the time being you shouldn’t wander alone unless someone like me is with you.”

“I think I’ll take my chances alone with the horses, thank you very much.”  Kate reached for the shot glass.

“Not on my ranch you won’t!”  He grabbed her wrist and prevented her from drinking.

“Do you mind?” she growled at him.

“I do,” he growled back. “Not until I knock some sense into that thick city-slicker head of yours. Girl, you’re lucky that you didn’t run into that black stallion and his herd. He would have chewed you up.”

“But I did.”  She jerked her hand free.

“You saw Black Thunder?” Clara leaned forward in her chair as if alarmed.

“Is that his name? He’s magnificent.”

“He’s a menace,” interjected Jack. “He is a mean, crazy, son of a bitch.”

“I thought he looked regal.”  Kate defiantly flared her nostrils, much like the stallion.

“He could have killed you!” Jack got angry again seeing she was not taking this seriously.

“But he didn’t.” She looked to Clara for support. “He just stared at me for a minute then took off back into the hills with the other horses.”

“Kate, I have to side with Jack on this one,” said Clara. “You shouldn’t be walking alone. It’s not safe.”

“How many other horses?” Jack inquired.

“I don’t know,” she said. “A dozen maybe?”

“Damn menace,” he grumbled as he threw his hat on the table and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair. “Three of those mares are mine.”

“I don’t understand.”  Kate looked at Clara then at Jack.

“That magnificent stallion as you call him has been busting into our local corrals and stealing our stock. If I ever get my hands on him, so help me God, I’ll shoot him dead!”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she gasped.

“I would in a heartbeat, Barbie doll,” he said like cold steel. “Maybe it’s time for me to start tracking him and put an end to this mess. Where did you see him?”

Kate shifted her chair back and put distance between her and this cowboy. “I wouldn’t tell you even if I did know,” she said angrily. “You want to kill him.”

“You’re damn right I want to kill him.”  He matched her anger. “It’s the way of the west, and you best remember that girl.”

“You’re uncivilized and inhumane.”  Kate thundered.

He stood and slammed his hands down on the table. “Don’t be giving me that Greenpeace bullshit. You city folk and your damn causes. May I remind you it was men like me who helped tame this wild land so you could sit back and drink your lattes and cappuccinos.”

Kate stood as well, slammed her hands on the table and shouted back. “You may have tamed this land, but who is going to tame you?”

They squared off standing nose to nose, anger seeping through their pores. Jack stared into her ocean blue eyes and a quickening formed in his gut. “You wanna try, baby?”  A flicker of light danced in his eyes and he hoped she would accept the challenge. “I’d soften that sweet ass of yours.”

“You’re not my type,” she huffed and sat back down.

“So what is your type?”  Jack returned to his seat. “Some California executive all uptight like you? Maybe you should try a real man between your legs for a change.”

“Jack,” Clara shouted and kicked him again. He ignored her.

“You’re disgusting.” Kate looked away not able to make eye contact.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with a real man,” he laughed. “I know your type.”

“And what type is that?” Her eyes narrowed on him.

“Let’s see if I get it right,” Jack leaned back in his chair and rubbed his firm jaw. “Raised in an upper-middle class family, goes off to college and probably loses her virginity to some college boyfriend. Marries him, buys a house in the suburbs, two cars, maybe a dog. And by the time you reach thirty your little baby time clock is a ticking…” Tick, tick, tick, tick, his mouth clicked to the rhythmic sound of a clock. “You got your whole life planned out to the tiniest detail.”

 “That’s not true,” she whispered, though she knew it was.

“So did you leave him, or did he leave you?” he asked smugly. Kate stared at him and just blinked as her eyes grew moist with hidden tears. “He left you, didn’t he, Barbie doll?”  He laughed seeing the truth in her eyes. “You made so many plans he couldn’t fit into them so he left. Is that it?”

The realization that he was right left him with the sweet taste of victory. Top that Kate, he thought and inwardly awarded himself the winning point.

But Kate was no longer enjoying the game. Like an arrow hitting a bull’s eye, he struck her right where it hurt the most. She could no longer hold back the tears and they fell like large droplets upon her cheeks. Humiliation washed over her knowing it took him less than an hour to deduce who she was, reducing her to something pitiful and small.

“Excuse me.”  She barely got the words out as she stood from her chair and ran out of the bar leaving a speechless and bewildered Jack in its wake.

Clara glared at Jack and slapped him across the back of his head. “You’re an ass Jack, did anybody ever tell you that?”

“What did I say?”  He seemed confused by the whole female display.

“He left her, Jack. He left her for another woman.”

Jack finally understood and swallowed the bitter taste of his under-handed victory. Clara was right. He was an ass, and he felt terrible for being blind and insensitive toward the woman who did strange things to his insides. “Maybe I should go and talk to her,” he said as he stood from his chair.

“I think you’ve done enough damage for tonight.”  Clara pushed him back into his seat. “I’ll go talk to Kate. You just stay away from her, yah hear?”

Clara left the table and exited the bar. She found Kate several feet away leaning against the exterior. “Kate honey, are you okay?”  She placed her hand on her shoulder as a stream of tears cascaded down her friend’s cheeks. “Don’t let Jack get to you. He’s an arrogant asshole.”

“Yes, he is,” Kate sniffed. “But he’s right about me.”

“No, he’s not!”

“Oh, yes he is Clara,” Kate shook her head. “I had it all planned. Career, husband, three bedroom house-children-”  Kate’s voice cracked.  “Everything in a neat tiny package until he left me for-”  Kate couldn’t get the words out as a sob escaped her lips. “Now here I am cleaning for some arrogant bastard in some godforsaken place. How did it all go so wrong?”

“How do you know it went all wrong?” Clara lifted Kate’s chin to look at her. “Maybe it went all right. What if this is the start of what your life is supposed to be?”

“Then I’m in hell,” she laughed through her tears.

“Oh Kate, it’s not so bad.” Clara gave a nurturing smile. “Give it a chance. You may find that you like it here after a while.”

“Not likely with that man lurking around.”

“You have to tell yourself it is only for a summer,” she reminded her. “Come this fall you’ll be teaching.”

“If I get the job.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re the best teacher I know,” exclaimed Clara. “The job is practically yours.”  Clara was trying her best to cheer her up. It was working. The tears dried and Kate wiped away the remaining with her hand. “You want to go back inside or do you want me to take you home?”

“I think I’d like to go home if you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind,” smiled Clara. “I think we’re done for tonight.”  With that Clara folded her arm in Kate’s and together they walked along the wooden planks of the main street and headed for the car.

Two 

Dulcet Dreams

H

e’d dozed off into a blissful sleep dreaming of sweet parted lips, pretty blue eyes and kissing tiny freckles along the top of her nose and cheeks. She smelled like lavender and vanilla, and her skin was caressingly soft. So soft he couldn’t stop touching her. It was heady and sensual, losing himself in her soft moans and her sweet beckoning of him, only him.

Jack woke with a start, sitting up in bed, his eyes adjusting to the dark-filled room. Traces of the dream lingered in his belly making his stomach clench and his arousal strong. He laid back and closed his eyes absorbing the remaining essence of the dream, re-experiencing the lingering portions.

It was her, the woman he met last night at the bar. Kate, he whispered remembering her name. He felt intoxicated by his slumbering fantasy, almost hypnotized by its seduction. He wanted to fall back asleep and continue to dream of her, but it was too late, he was awake, though the memory lingered with him.

He visualized her soft blond hair caressing his cheek. Her body covered in his sweat. Her fleshy ripe breasts pressed in his hands and the sweet wetness between her thighs. It was a gift from the gods, dreaming about her; a goddess created by his subconscious. It had been a long time since he dreamed about a woman. He searched his mind, but he couldn’t remember ever dreaming so vividly about one particular female. They were all the same to him. No faces, just bodies; bodies made to satisfy one particular need.

He wasn’t about tomorrow mornings. He was for the night and the partaking of carnal pleasure. It wasn’t that he was hard or indifferent, he just never felt the need to make it permanent. He wasn’t knocking the whole relationship thing, though in truth he didn’t understand it. It was fine for other men, just not for him. Never for him.

Jack sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He ran his hands through his sandy brown hair. He started to stand but a hand reached out and brushed his arm.

“Where are you going? a feminine purr whispered along the bed sheets.

“I gotta go,” he said and stood. Jack found his shirt and jeans crumbled on the floor and dressed.

“Do you really have to leave so soon? Stay the night with me and tomorrow I’ll make you breakfast.”

Jack didn’t answer. He sat back down on the bed and put on his boots. The woman slinked through the sheets, her naked body beckoning him to return. Once more Jack stood from the bed. He grabbed his Stetson and placed it on his head.

“It has been a pleasure my dear sweet Irene.”  He grinned then leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

“Call me,” she said as Jack headed for the door not answering her. “You have my number, right?”

He got her number all right, he chuckled to himself and left.

Jack climbed into his truck and headed for home as thoughts lingered in his head about the dream. It had aroused him again and now he was wondering if he should have stayed and had Irene take care of the problem but he didn’t want to kill the buzz of that glorious dream. He kind of liked hanging on to the stirrings and visions still playing in his mind and body.

He wondered if Kate was anything like his dream. Would she lose herself to him, wrapping their bodies together till they were tangled in fleshly sweat and moans? Was she a goddess made from the sensual wells of desire, or was she merely just a pretty woman who caught his fancy?

He would need to tread carefully. Feel her out. After all, she was now his employee, and he didn’t want to cross the line again. His manager would have his hide if he went through another one. At the bar, he told her he wanted her to be his personal housekeeper, but now thinking about it, it probably wasn’t such a good idea. He doubted Kate took him seriously. Actually, he got the impression she didn’t like him at all.

He couldn’t blame her. He’d been a downright ass making her cry and all. He hadn’t meant what he said. He was just trying to ruffle her feathers a bit and knock her down a peg or two from her high Californiacator ideals. But he had to admit, their sparring was quite stimulating, watching her get mad and up in his face, but he hadn’t meant to hurt her.

He pulled up in front of his house and climbed from the truck, heading up the porch steps to the front door. He paused and turned in the direction of the carriage house and spotted a light through the trees. His feet started to move him away from the house and down the porch steps, heading in the direction of her house. He wasn’t sure why he was doing it other than his feet were taking him in that direction.

He stopped just shy of the porch. Through the window he could see the room was dimly lit. There, sitting on the sofa, was the woman from his dream. His eyes drifted upwards from her sleek bare legs right to where the tail of her shirt covered those sweet delectable hips exposing a pair of brown colored panties that almost matched the tan of her skin.

Jack took a few steps closer to get a better view. Her head was buried in her hands and she was crying. It startled him. Her sobs filtered through the open window. Her sweet sounds of grief seemed to pull him in and he pictured himself sitting beside her, holding her and wanting to kiss her tears away.

It was not something he was used to feeling. Actually, he had never felt like this before. He was not a man who succumbed to the frailty or plight of women, always thinking it to be the key weakness in their nature. But now watching her, it didn’t seem weak at all. He almost admired her strength to pour out her heart in the privacy of her own home.

Jack felt a twinge of guilt for spying on her and he wanted to walk away, but something drew him in. He watched as the sobs diminished, now more like intermittent gasps catching between breaths, as her hands fell to her side. She leaned her head back against the couch and spread out her legs onto the floor. Jack’s eyes fell again to those long legs, curved nicely all the way up to her tiny panties. He felt a quickening in his belly remembering the soft feel of her skin in his dream.

As if he were still dreaming, he blinked when he saw her reach to the place where her lean legs ended. His eyes grew wide and intense as he witnessed her need to feel better and ease the loneliness. Soft intoxicating whimpers replaced her sobs. He was transfixed in a state of blissful arousal; seduced by this goddess filling her sadness with something else. It was sweet and feminine, and he wished they were his fingers rather than her own, comforting her, soothing her soul. He heard her light moan, her hand digging into the plush material of the couch; her face more beautiful than before.

Jack ran his fingers through his sandy hair his breathing building in his chest. It was at that moment he knew he wanted her, needed to have her. Like a man possessed, he had no desire to exorcise her from his body or his thoughts. He continued to watch her until she lay on the couch, covered herself with a blanket and turned off the light.

He stood there staring into the window though he could no longer view her, a plan forming in his mind. When Jack McBride got something in his head there was nothing anyone could do to stop him, and he wanted her, all of her. His feet began to move again, sending him back in the direction of his house.

If you enjoyed the first few chapters please read on by visiting Amazon.com on June 12th!