Cowboy Country (71 page)

  She worked with Othello every day to get their routine down and rewarded both of them with a run through the meadow after each workout but she knew her emotions were compromising their work. After a frustrating day, she decided to hit the meadow first and then work on the piece. She hoped the change would pull her out of her funk and when they made their way into the indoor arena, she felt hope. The fresh air had been a nice change before having to concentrate on their sketch. She was pleased that both of them fell into their movements easily and without the frustration she had felt earlier. They flowed through the number flawlessly and she felt a surge of accomplishment. She moved him through the prologue a second time and again enjoyed the thrill run through her body, knowing they had it down. They were going to be ready for the world championships and she believed their showcase was going to knock the audience and the judge’s socks off.

When they completed the second performance, clapping at the far end of the arena startled them both. Both she and Othello jerked their heads towards the sound, having been so lost in the routine that neither one had heard the intruder walk in and stand at the arena railing, watching.

She saw Luke standing at the gate and sucked in her breath. She wanted to rub her eyes to see if he was an illusion or not but then decided she would rather have the illusion. She clucked Othello into a gallop, racing across the arena to greet him. She had a moment’s panic thinking he might be here to change his mind about his song but the smile on his face and the look in his eyes told her he hadn’t.

She felt amazed that with just that look from him, her body flooded with desire, thoughts of other women and his fans relinquished their hold and she knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Luke gazed at her as she rode closer, her hair flowing as she was astride this massive, black beast. He thought he had never seen anything lovelier. He’d expected her to be cold, unhappy with his unexpected visit but the smile on her face was genuine. She nimbly leapt off of her horse and allowed the reins to drop to the ground. As she ran to him, he opened the gate to greet her and as she flung herself into his arms, he felt that all was finally balanced in his world.

He’d tried so hard to push her out of his mind, to concentrate on his work but she crept into his thoughts. He began to lose sleep, wondering what she was doing. He wanted to call her, to share his experiences with her and listen to what she was doing but because she had left so abruptly and wouldn’t return his calls, he had left her alone. He’d been home for three days on his break when he couldn’t take it anymore. He decided to fly out, confront her and
make
her tell him what had happened. He’d gone through the different arguments he imagined she would present and thought he was prepared for anything. Seeing the passion on her face was his undoing and all of his mental arguments disappeared like smoke. He breathed in the scent of her hair before he pulled back and met her lips with his own.

She wrapped herself around him tighter, savoring his taste and his embrace. She was surprised at the depth of her emotion, of how much she had missed him. Othello snorted and she pulled away reluctantly. She didn’t want to stop kissing Luke but she had to take care of her stallion.

She gazed up into Luke’s green eyes and smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi yourself. I wasn’t expecting that kind of reception but I really liked it.” he grinned, his dimples flashing.

“I wasn’t expecting to
see
you.” she answered shyly. “But I’m glad you’re here. I need to take care of Othello before he chills. Can you give me thirty minutes?”

“Rebecca, I flew out from California, I can give you all the time you need.” he said soberly.

She felt tears well up in her eyes and quickly kissed him again.

Luke turned towards the massive horse. “I take it this is the other man in your life?” he joked.

“Yes, he is. Luke, meet Othello. He’s the one who is going to be performing to your song.” she laughed as she walked over to her horse.

Luke tentatively followed her, surprised that the animal still stood in the same spot. “Why doesn’t he go anywhere?”

“He’s trained to ground tie. That means that when his reins are on the ground, he’s supposed to stay put.”

“That’s incredible.” He reached up and touched the powerful neck, the muscles quivering under his touch.

“It’s critical when you’re dealing with cattle. You never know when you have to get off in a hurry to pull a calf, help a trapped cow, or even if you fall off. You don’t want your mode of transportation running away.” she explained.

“I didn’t know you had cows.”

“I don’t. My dad is a rancher. He has about five thousand head of Angus but when you grow up that way, it’s really ingrained into your head so all of my horses are trained to ground tie.” She gathered the reins and patted Othello on the neck. “I’ll just cool him down and we can go into the house.”

She quickly unsaddled the stallion, put his halter on and put him on the hot walker. The gears groaned slightly as it began to move in a circle, walking the big animal as he cooled down. While he walked, she quickly moved through the barn to feed the other horses and put her tack away.

Luke stood back and watched her as she moved from one stall to another, feeding, petting and talking to each animal. He could see how much she enjoyed being there, it was obvious she was in her own element and he felt his first pang of guilt as he realized how much
out
of her comfort zone she’d been when she had flown to New York to watch his concert. Maybe it had been too much for her and that’s why she had fled.

She raced through her chores, worrying that Luke was bored and would soon say that he needed to leave. Having seen his life, first hand, she couldn’t imagine that hers was very appealing. She was surprised when, as she was leading Othello back to his stall, Luke walked along side.

“So can you introduce me to all of your kids?”

“Oh my gosh.” she thought to herself. “I’m in trouble. He’s going to make me fall in love with him even more than I already am.”

After Othello was in his stall, they walked to each stall as she named each horse and gave its background. She tried to keep it as simple as she could and move on but he stayed at each stall, petting the velvety muzzles and asking questions. When they reached the last stall and he loved on the last horse, she watching him, taking in his gentle nature.

He turned and looked at her, smiling. “I can see why you love it so much. They are beautiful creatures.”

She leaned over and kissed him, overwhelmed by her emotions. “Thank you.” Aware she probably smelled like horse, sweat and hay, she pulled back and took his hand. “Let me take a shower and I’ll make us dinner if you’re hungry.”

“I would love that.”

Her twenty-four hundred square foot home wasn’t as extravagant or expensive as his but she loved it. It was a brick ranch with a walk-out basement, a large deck wrapped around the front, overlooking her barn and her pastures. The dirt road wound its way up the property, first turning into the barn, then continuing on up to the house. There were tall stairs leading up to the deck with a landing mid-way, creating an L shaped structure. The sliding glass door leading into the basement she used during the winter months when the snow and ice built up dangerously on the stairs but during the summer months, she enjoyed the climb, knowing that when she reached the top, she could oversee her land and everything she had built. The back of the house backed up to an aspen grove that sheltered the house from the cold, northern winds and blinding snow, while providing cool shade and sweet earthly smells in the summer.

The interior was warm and inviting, with beige, soft blues and occasional moss greens. Everything, furniture and paintings alike, were bought with the intention of creating a cozy and embracing atmosphere. She knew she had succeeded, visitors often commenting on how at home they felt.

Her bedroom was the only room in the house that was unadorned and sparse. Kip had always complained that her house was always that,
her
house and that he felt like a roommate as opposed to her husband so she had told him that he could decorate their bedroom anyway that he liked. He never decorated it, white walls were bare and a simple, gray comforter covered the king sized bed. Off the bedroom was a large bathroom that had her favorite feature of the house, a large walk in shower with two shower heads. There were many nights after doing chores in the bitter cold that she stood in the steaming heat, allowing the water to warm her body as it flowed over her.

She wasn’t going to take the time to enjoy it tonight. She had left Luke in the living room with a glass of wine while she excused herself to take a shower. She flipped through her dresser, picking out the cutest undergarments she had and threw them on her bed. She would figure out what she would wear while she was in the shower. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she soaped and shaved as quickly as possible, nicking both of her knees. After she rinsed her hair, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a large towel around her body. Blindly racing out of the bath, she started flicking through the clothes in her closet. She spun around, grasping her towel at her breasts when she heard Luke clear his throat. He was standing next to her bed, staring at her with a sultry look on his face.

“I couldn’t wait for dinner.”

Heat and tingles flowed through her body and the clothes were forgotten as she moved towards him. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, her towel dropped and he groaned.

“Oh, God, I missed you.” he growled and he buried his face in her wet neck.

“I’ve missed you too. I tried not to but I did.” She nipped at the exposed flesh on his chest, thrilled when his body shuddered.

He pulled her to the bed, the towel forgotten on the floor and no other words were needed.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

She felt so relaxed, so sexy, that she felt she could live her life in her bed as long as he was with her. She refused to think of New York but as they lay there, Tonya’s words crept like a weed into her thoughts. Eventually the images of the women at the concert also caught seed and she fought to keep them all out. She didn’t want to think of them, she wanted to focus on the love they’d just shared and she closed her eyes against the intruding thoughts.

He couldn’t stop stroking her soft skin and delighting in the heat of her body next to his. Every time they were together he found he wanted her more instead of less. He tried not to compare her to the other women he’d been with because she was so different but it was those differences that made it impossible for him not to compare. She was loving, attentive and wanted to please him. She didn’t race out of bed after making love to make sure her hair and make-up were perfect. She stayed with him, touching and kissing him as if he was the only thing that mattered. She’d been that way when they had made love this time, too, for a time, but he felt her body tense and though she didn’t move to get up, he knew something was bothering her. He make the first move, gently propping himself on his elbow to look down at her. She was so naturally beautiful, her lips dark and swollen from their kisses, her hair spread out on the pillows, her eyes a brilliant blue. He wasn’t blind to see the trouble that brewed behind her eyes and he felt pained that he was the cause of whatever bothered her.

“Rebecca, we can’t work through a problem if you run from me and don’t talk to me. You have to tell me what happened so we can fix it.” he spoke gently.

She closed her eyes, knowing they would have to talk but realized this could be the moment they would part ways. “It’s nothing you can fix, Luke. We are so different, have such different lives. I can’t,
won’t
, ask you to change yours just as I wouldn’t want you to ask me to change mine.” She knew her explanation was vague and he wouldn’t accept it. He deserved to know the truth; she just didn’t know how to put it into words.

Uncomfortable with bearing her soul, she got up and got dressed. She had to be busy as she told him everything and fixing a meal was a perfect distraction for her. She was relieved when he didn’t push and followed her lead, getting up and getting dressed. He followed her to the kitchen and sat down at the table while she began to prepare their meal.

“You live a very fast-paced life.” she started lamely and decided the facts would be easier than trying to let him down gently. “You have women who throw their undergarments at you, that fight to get up on stage to sleep with you. You have your choice of women and I’m sure they get younger every year but I keep getting older. I’m not going to stay young forever, and Tonya said…”

“Tonya said what?” he cut her off, the anger raging in his voice and she turned to face him, refusing to be scared of another man.

“Don’t you yell at me.” she said hotly

He sighed and put his hands up. “I’m sorry, I’m not mad at you but I’ve had problems with Tonya before.”

She took a deep breath to calm down and went back to cooking. “Tonya said you tend to trade in your girlfriends for younger models and that I should be appreciative for the attention you’re giving me now because it won’t last.”

She jumped slightly as she felt his arms wrap gently around her waist. He put his head on her shoulder and touched her cheek to his. “Is that what’s bothering you? That you’re worried that I’m going to leave you for a younger woman?”

She felt the tears fall from her eyes and nodded. He turned her into his arms and looked into her eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m getting older too. I want someone who gets to know
me
, who loves me,
all
of me, gray hair, morning breath and all. I don’t want someone who’s immature, who could be young enough to be my daughter. I want someone who’s stable enough to
have
my daughter or son, whatever God gives us. I want to grow old with the mother of my children, to play with our grandchildren. And I’m not saying that you are that woman,
yet.
But I
am
saying that you are the first woman who has made me think those thoughts.