Country Heat (King Creek Cowboys Book 1) (8 page)

“Lots of history and tales about the Superstitions.” Carter nodded in the direction of the mountains. “The tales they could tell.”

“Isn’t there a legend about a miner or something?” she asked.

“There are quite a few legends involving the Superstitions.” He was so relaxed and at home in the saddle that she was envious. “The “Lost Dutchman Mine” is one of the most popular of them all. You’ll find dozens of books and plenty of stories involving a prospector named Jacob Walz. He wasn’t actually a Dutchman, he was born in Germany in the early 1800’s.”

Carter went on to tell her the tale about the mine, or a version of one, since there were so many. Listening to him took her mind off of her fear of riding because the way he told the story made it so fascinating.

He told her a few popular tales of what was actually one mountain, a collection of rough terrain with thousands of mesas, plains, peaks, cliffs, bluffs, and plateaus. Many had gone into the mountain never to be seen or heard from again, and much of the area remained unexplored.

Kit let her gaze drift over the land.
I could learn to love this land.
She glanced at Carter.
I think I already do.

A
droplet
of water landed on Kit’s nose and she wiped it off. She started to say something when more drops sprinkled down on her and the horse. She looked up at the sky, the sun still shining with the closest clouds appearing to be miles away. A drop landed on her cheek, another on her forehead, and one on her eyelid.

“The devil’s beating his wife.” Carter caught her attention.

She looked at him with curiosity. “What?”

“That’s what my grandma always says if we have a sunshower.” Carter glanced up at the sky and looked back at her. “When the sun is shining and it seems like rain comes out of nowhere.”

“I’ve never been in a sunshower.” Kit shook her head. “What does the saying mean?”

Carter pushed up the brim of his hat. “The raindrops represent the wife’s tears.”

“Well, that’s cheery.” Kit smiled and realized no more drops were landing on her. “The rain stopped.”

“Sunshowers are usually brief.” He adjusted his hat again. “So how are you feeling about the country life in your first week here?”

“I’m enjoying it.” She shifted in her saddle as LJ picked his way through the brush. “It’s so different than L.A., which is superficial compared this lifestyle.”

“I can’t imagine living in a place like L.A.” Carter shook his head. “I’ve visited a few times and visiting is more than enough for me.”

Kit realized she was feeling comfortable with the rocking motion of the horse’s stride and she didn’t feel nearly as nervous as she had.

“It’s no place to raise a family, as far as I’m concerned,” Carter said. “Do you want kids someday?” His question came out of left field.

Kit snapped her attention to him. “I like kids.” She swallowed. “But I’m unable to have any.”

She knew she should tell him the rest, but the pain of guilt and regret burned deep inside.

His look softened. “Are you all right, Kit?”

She nodded. Her throat was thick and ached.

“Not everyone can who wants them.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Adoption is always an option. Plenty of children out there in the world who don’t have parents and need a good family.”

She knew that better than anyone. She should tell him about Michael. Now.

“Phoenix has a homeless shelter who could use a cook now and again.” Carter took her off guard again. “I volunteer once a month. If you’d like to go next Sunday, you’re more than welcome to join me.”

“I’d like that.” She found herself looking at him with new eyes. He kept surprising her. “I’ve worked with the homeless in L.A.”
And I lived with them in San Francisco.

“I don’t think enough people appreciate what they have.” He spoke in his slow, thoughtful drawl. “So many ignore the plight of people who need a second chance.”

“My mother, sister, and I were homeless.” Kit blurted out the words. “When my sister and I were teenagers, after our father died. It was the kindness of strangers and my mom’s hard work that finally got us off the street.” As she spoke, she was afraid he would look at her differently now.

“That’s why you were upset when my sister blundered onto the topic at dinner,” he said quietly. “She’s kind of like a bulldozer sometimes—just plows down anything in her way. Jill doesn’t mean anything by it. She just doesn’t always have a lot of tact.”

“It’s all right.” Kit looked ahead as LJ and Heidi started heading up an incline. “Most people are fortunate not to have had any experience with being homeless or having a relative who is.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through it,” he said. “Look how far you’ve come. And you said your mom owns a bookstore coffee shop.”

“Yeah.” Kit’s heart felt like it weighed ten tons. “But my sister is still on the street. Mom and I have tried to give Sarah jobs, a place to live, and help to get her off drugs, but she still ends up strung out on crack and living in the shelter.”

“Damn.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry to hear that. Anything I can do to help?”

The fact that he’d just offered to help Sarah, melted Kit’s heart a little. “Thank you, Carter. I brought her to L.A. to live with me a couple of years ago, but then she disappeared. I was frantic until Mom said she’d shown up back in San Francisco, asked Mom for money, and went back to the street.” A deep feeling of sadness for her little sister penetrated Kit’s bones. “Maybe I need to get her completely away from California and help her start a new life.”

“Sarah is welcome here.” Carter’s serious tone told Kit more than his words did. “I can find her a job here, at another ranch, or in town.”

The backs of Kit’s eyes ached, as if she might cry. “You’re a good man, Carter McLeod.”

He shook his head. “I’m just a man who believes in doing the right thing.”

She smiled. “My mom would like you.”

“I’m betting your mom is a great woman.” He smiled. “Mine thinks you’re terrific. Not to mention your cooking. Should have heard her raving to the neighbors when I visited her the other day.”

“I enjoyed meeting your whole family that first night.” Kit couldn’t believe it was only just over a week ago—it seemed much longer. “They’re a lot of fun.”

“I like to think so.” Carter moved easily with the horse as Heidi continued up a steeper incline. Kit wasn’t feeling quite as confident on the back of LJ as Carter clearly did on his own horse. It was easy to see that he
had
practically been born in the saddle.

“I can’t see you wanting to be a ranch cook for the rest of your life.” Carter looked at her as though trying to figure something out. “What is it you want in the long run?”

“Who says I don’t want to stay a ranch cook?” She laughed. “Okay, one day I do want to own my own restaurant.” She tilted her head to the side. “I could start out slow, with a great dining experience for patrons in a smaller town, like King Creek. After time, I could sell it and move on up to a more upscale location, possibly Scottsdale.”

“So you intend to stay in Arizona?” he asked.

“I’ve always liked my visits to this state.” She looked ahead as they continued into the Superstition Mountain foothills. She glanced back at him. “Yes, I think I’d like to stay here. You’re right about L.A., and it’s a rat race I don’t want to go back to.”

A sexy smile curved his lips. “That means we get to keep you.”

She grinned. “Not sure how the men are enjoying what I make. They seem to be choking it down.”

Carter laughed and shook his head. “Those men are so spoiled now that if you try to leave I think they’d rope you and keep you tied up in the kitchen.”

“There’s an image.” Kit pictured herself hogtied on the kitchen floor. “How would I get anything done?”

“I’m sure they’d let you free long enough to cook.”

She laughed and surprised herself with her next question. “So why aren’t you married and raising a houseful of kids?”

His voice dropped an octave. “Up until now, I haven’t found the right woman.”

A thrill rolled through her belly as he looked at her in a way she had never been looked at before. Wanted, desired, needed…and more.

She wanted to tease him, to get him to say more, but she was afraid she was venturing into dangerous territory.

Yeah, she should definitely change the subject about now. She shouldn’t have gone there to begin with.

She looked down at the pommel she gripped while still holding loosely onto the reins. “Where are the best places to eat in King Creek?”

“Depends on what you want,” Carter said. “If you’d like home cooking and a good fish fry, that would be Mabel’s Diner. The best barbeque in Arizona is Jake’s Longhorn Steakhouse. Los Dos Vaqueros can’t be beat for Mexican food.”

“I’ll have to try them all.” Kit gave a firm nod. “I’m in the mood for Mexican sometime soon.”

“I’ll take you.” His easy response made her feel it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be taking her out. “I haven’t had Mexican food for a while.”

She smiled. “I’d like that.”

“We have an annual barbeque out at the ranch every summer.” Humor lit his eyes. “Are you up to fixing dinner for a hundred or so of our closest friends?”

“Only a hundred?” She waved it away. “No problem. I happen to make a mean barbeque sauce, too. Jake’s Longhorn may make the best in Arizona, but I make the best in the west.”

He chuckled and she grinned. “You think I’m kidding, don’t you?”

“No, honey.” He shook his head. “When it comes to food, I think you’re damned serious.”

It was almost noon by the time they entered the shade on the outer edges of a forest.

His stomach made a loud rumbling sound as they rode beneath fluttering oak and sycamore leaves and past swaying juniper branches.

She grinned. “Your stomach says let’s eat lunch.”

He nodded and answered her grin with his own. “Couldn’t be more perfect timing.” He brought his horse to a halt and swung down so both feet were on the ground.

LJ came to a stop beside Heidi, and Kit realized now she’d have to get off. She’d become so comfortable, thanks to their talks and Carter’s easy storytelling, that she’d forgotten to be scared. He’d been right, LJ was an easy ride.

Carter appeared at her side, on the left side of the horse. “I’ll help you dismount.”

She grimaced. “It’s a long way down.”

“You’ll do fine.” He gave her a reassuring smile. He instructed her how to swing her leg over and helped her down. The moment she was on the ground, she realized two things. First, she was already saddle-sore.

Secondly, but more importantly, she and Carter were standing so close her breasts were touching his chest, and his hand was on her hip. She tipped her head back and looked into his whiskey-brown eyes that grew darker by the moment. He focused on her mouth and she could see the hunger in his expression. Hunger for
her.

Her nipples hardened to tight points and her breasts and sex ached. Her throat worked and she didn’t know what to say or do.

A long moment passed. His jaw tightened and his voice was rough when he finally spoke. “I’ll get the blanket and the insulated bag with the food. You get one of the thermoses.”

“Okay.” The word barely came out as he moved away and grabbed the blanket roll from behind Heidi’s saddle.

She let out her breath in a rush.

Dear God.

She pulled a thermos out of LJs saddlebag and wandered a few feet away. “I can tell already I’m going to be saddle-sore.” Her legs ached, especially the insides of her thighs, as she headed to a clear area beneath the trees. “How’s this?”

“Perfect.” He nodded as he walked up her side.

They moved a few rocks out of the way and he laid the blanket down on the earth that was still slightly damp. Trees and bushes surrounded them, and the air was cool in the shade.

Moments later and they were relaxing and eating roast beef and egg salad sandwiches. He shook his head. “I have never had sandwiches that taste this good. What did you put in them?”

She shrugged. “A little of this and a little of that.”

He shook his head as he finished the sandwich. “You are a magician in the kitchen.”

With a laugh she tossed him a bag of chips. “Try these.”

He raised an eyebrow before opening the bag and trying one of the chips. It crunched as he bit into it. “Homemade?”

She nodded. “You betcha.”

“You’re not just a magician, you’re a wizard.”

“So now I’ve graduated from magician to wizard.” She laughed.

“And an enchantress.” He looked at her in a way that made her warm from head to toe.

After he polished off the sandwiches and annihilated the potato chips, she handed him a large baggie with the twelve cookies she’d brought.

“You remembered the cookies.” He reminded her of a little boy as he took a cookie out and devoured it. “Damn, they’re good.” He brushed crumbs off his shirt. “There’s something different about them. Not just the toffee, but another ingredient that makes them even better. What is it?”

She gave a mischievous smile. “Super-secret recipe.”

He responded in a low, sexy drawl as he set the baggie of cookies down. “I bet I could tickle it out of you.”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Noooo. Not that.” She was as ticklish as hell.

She started to scramble away, but he moved toward her too fast. He grabbed her arm and rolled her onto her back before he pinned her body by straddling her hips. She gasped as he gripped both her wrists in one big hand and pressed them against the blanket, above her head.

With his free hand, he tickled her beneath her arm and she squealed with helpless laughter. She squirmed in his hold, giggling so hard tears flowed from her eyes as he searched for ticklish places on her.

She cried, “Mercy, mercy.”

Carter stopped tickling her. “Are you going to give me the recipe?”

Kit’s heart thundered as she stared up at him. Not just from the bout of tickling, but from the desire that suddenly darkened his eyes.

Her lips parted and her heart seemed to pound in a choppy rhythm.

He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers in a feather-light touch, and she didn’t think she could breathe anymore.