Cowgirl Up and Ride (23 page)

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Cowgirl Up and Ride

Later the next following morning, AJ’s mother said, “You’re gonna wear yourself out.”

“Probably. But I’m used to working hard around here and it has to be done. I’m about finished with the bedrooms.”

“What’s in those boxes?”

“The clothes going to the mission on the reservation.” AJ dropped the box and dust shot up, making her cough. “Three more and I’ll take a break.”

Ten minutes later she carried two glasses of iced tea into the front room. “I might curl up beside you and take a nap this afternoon.”

“I’d welcome it. I used to love that you were such a cuddler when you were a little girl. Jenn never was. You would crawl right up on my lap.” Her mom fussed with the straw in the glass. “That was about the only time you were allowed to be a kid. I’m sorry we relied on you so much later on. Neither your daddy nor I wanted to admit his health was failing. For him to go from being so robust, to so frail.”

Mostly for him to spend years pretending not to be either.

AJ loved her dad, but like most tough Wyoming men, his pride overrode his common sense. From her thirteenth birthday until her father died when she was eighteen, she—in essence—had been their hired man. She’d done the chores in all seasons, except for haying, which they’d always hired out. She, her mom, and dad managed to muddle through that first calving season of her dad’s weakened state. At least he’d realized she couldn’t handle the livestock, so they’d quietly sold off all their cattle a few cow/calf pairs at a time and began renting sections to the McKays for grazing.

Yes, Floyd Foster’s reputation as a keen rancher had remained intact until the day he’d died.

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Amy Jo Foster’s reputation in those years was nonexistent. She stopped participating in school activities, as she went home directly after classes ended to do chores. She’d morphed from an outgoing girl to a withdrawn young woman with more responsibilities than what clothes to wear to the next rodeo dance. Her classmates—including Keely McKay—believed she’d become a goody-goody, when in truth, AJ’d been too tired to
be
anything. She worked like a dog and she’d had few friends besides her horses.

She didn’t complain. It was tough on her mother taking care of her ailing father and the household, plus keeping a false face to the community. Jenn was too busy raising three kids by herself to help.

But Jenn had no problem demanding you drop out of school and come back here to
help her.

AJ knew Jenn felt guilty about asking AJ to temporarily withdrawal from school, but the bottom line was AJ was here right away after her mother’s injury. Once again she was a daughter who did the right thing out of love. For her family. As she’d continue to do.

“You’re awful quiet. Is everything all right?”

“Just thinking, which always gets me into trouble. Can I get you more tea?”

“No.” Florence kept fiddling with the straw. “Since you were home last night, will you be out whoopin’ it up tonight during happy hour at the Golden Boot?”

“Maybe. We’ll see. I’m supposed to be helping Liza with her bachelorette party so I might head to her place to see what’s up.”

You’re going to Cord’s to see what pops up on him.

He’d be a little anxious after not seeing her for a couple of nights.

On second thought…“A nap might not be a bad idea.”

A few hours later, after she’d packed the ranch truck with boxes for donations, her cell phone rang. Caller ID said
Cord
.

“Hey, AJ. How are ya?”

“Good. You?”

“Lonely and lookin’ forward to tonight.” Pause. “You are comin’ over later, right?”

Cord sounded…anxious. She smiled. “Far as I know. Why?”

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“Just wanted to make sure you wear boots and long pants. No, baby doll, you don’t get to ask why.”

She paused.

“I’m sure hopin’ I hear a ‘but’ in your response someplace.”

“Don’t you think I learned my lesson last time?”

“I sure as hell hope not.”

Her belly fluttered. “Anything else?”

“No. Except to apologize for bein’ a jackass last night when you called.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Good enough. See you at six. Got somethin’ special planned.”

Lord. She hoped it wasn’t another one of his penalties.

Yes, you do.

***

Soon as AJ pulled into the yard, Cord didn’t cool his bootheels in the house like usual; he bounded out like an eager pup. He bent down and kissed her soundly, a mixture of sweetness, heat and gratitude.

He tugged her to the corral. “Come on. We’re goin’ ridin’. Mick put new shoes on the horses today. I haven’t been as vigilant about exercising them as I usually am.” His hot gaze flicked from her red ropers to her pink face. “Had more important things on my mind lately.”

“I haven’t put Lucy through her paces since that day—” She looked up at him.

“Say it.” He scooted closer and stared at her lustful mouth. “The day I…?”

“Tied me up in the barn and screwed me silly.”

“Complainin’?”

“God no. The way you make me feel, Cord, hot and needed—” She hastily added,

“Sexually speaking, of course.”

Cord wondered why she felt the need to qualify that?

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Because this is a sexual relationship, dumbass. You shouldn’t be taking her riding.

You should be riding her.

“Come on, let’s get saddled up.”

“Did you pick a horse for me?”

“Nah. You had a chance to ride them all when you watched Ky, so you know which one you like better than I would.”

AJ picked Nickel, a quarter horse retired from barrel racing. Which just proved he’d been right in letting her choose her mount because he would’ve saddled up Borneo, a much older and gentler horse than Nickel.

“Whose saddle is this?” She walked behind Nickel to his right side and reached under his belly to fasten the cinch.

“I bought it for Marla right after we moved back here.”

“That’s why it still looks new?”

Cord grinned. “Uh-huh. Might be a little stiff.”

“I like stiff. I can work with stiff.”

Surely she hadn’t meant…he glanced over at her to see a big ol’ smile on her not-so-innocent face. “And I used to think you were so sweet.”

“
Used
to think?”

“Now I know under that sweetness is a wickedly naughty streak.”

“Complainin’?” she mimicked.

“God no.”

She returned to Nickel’s left side, unhooked the halter and let it dangle while she slipped on the bridle. Damndest thing. Nickel, who didn’t allow just anyone to slip a bit in his mouth, opened right up. She talked to him, slipped the bridle over his ears, undid the quick release knot on the leadrope and draped both over the hook on the fence.

“You gonna get the gate?”

He’d been so engrossed with her horsewomanship that he hadn’t readied his own mount. Cord followed AJ into the pasture. She’d climbed on while he’d closed the gate.

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Damn. He’d wanted to see that very fine ass of hers in the air as she threw her long leg over the saddle.

Cord mounted up. “I thought we’d ride to the butte.”

“Okay. Fast or slow?”

Soon as
fast
made it out of his mouth, AJ took off. She handled Nickel like a pro, giving him his head but staying in total control.

He caught her, but he suspected she’d let him catch her.

AJ faced him and her smile rivaled the radiance of the sun. “These horseshoes seem to be fine.”

“Smarty.”

They ambled along through the sagebrush and rocks. Letting the horses lead them around scrub cedar and stunted pines.

She sighed. “I love how every time I ride through the fields some new wildflower has popped up.” She pointed. “See? That one wasn’t out two weeks ago.”

“Guess I hadn’t noticed.”

She reined her horse to a stop.

“What?”

“Cord McKay. How can you be out here all the time and not notice the flowers?

Can’t you see the daisies? The wild roses? The tiny purple starflowers? The yarrow? The lavender heads on the milkweed?”

“I see weeds. You see all that?”

She nodded. “Nothing on earth is as pretty as Wyoming wildflowers.”

“Oh, I’d beg to disagree, baby doll.”

AJ looked up and saw him staring at her. “You know what I meant.”

“And you know what
I
meant. You’re beautiful, AJ. Wild and free on the back of that horse. The wind in your hair, the sun glowin’ on your face, miles of blue sky behind you. Wish I had a camera.” To show her how stunning she looked because he didn’t need tangible proof. The image of her would be burned into his brain forever.

Those sharp gray eyes narrowed. “Did you hit your head in the last couple days?”

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“What do ya mean?”

“First an apology? Then a horseback ride? Now you’re tossing me compliments like poetry? You gonna whip out a guitar and serenade me with cowboy love songs next?”

“No. Next, I’m gonna…” He spurred Jester in the sides and yelled over his shoulder,

“Race you to the butte.”

He heard her laughing and knew his playful side surprised her, hell it surprised him too, but he didn’t let the reckless feeling deter him from winning for a change.

“I deserved that.” She urged Nickel to the left to skirt the base of the butte as she shaded her eyes and looked up. “You ever climbed to the top of this?”

“Long time ago. Why?”

“How far can you see?”

“Pretty far. Not like on that plateau by Devil’s Tower where everything is spread out for two hundred miles.”

“There’s a butte on our place—well, your place now—that I used to climb. Never imagined when I climbed it two years ago it’d be the last time.”

They rode in silence until Cord realized it was an unnatural silence.

“I’m really gonna miss all this like crazy.”

I’m really gonna miss you like crazy.

Cord checked his watch. “We should be gettin’ back. I’ve gotta call Ky pretty soon.”

“He ready to come home yet?”

“I have a sneakin’ suspicion he ain’t completely unpacked.”

AJ smiled. “Last year when I watched him he showed me his ring bearer outfit for Macie and Carter’s wedding, complete with ‘packin’ leather shoes. At first I didn’t know what he was saying. When I figured out
patent
leather, I’ll admit I asked him to repeat it a couple of times because it was so damn funny. I didn’t laugh at him, but that kid cracks me up.”

He grinned. “Me too.”

“Channing said she wasn’t picking out girl’s names because she knows she’ll have a boy.”

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“Sometimes I wonder how many brothers I’d have after Carter if Ma hadn’t broken the hunnerd year drought and birthed a girl McKay.”

“Lots of girls in my mother’s family. When I loaded up boxes today I found a whole bunch of pictures and letters. Was weird to think of them as relatives. Even weirder to think there’s a whole bunch of family history I wasn’t aware of. It’s gonna be fun going through that stuff later, but packing has been a lot harder than I thought.”

“Physically?”

“No. Emotionally.”

They’d reached the backside of the fence. Cord dismounted and led Jester to the side closest to the barn. He didn’t offer to help AJ; she knew her way around.

After she’d hung up her borrowed tack in the barn, she carried out two buckets of oats as he brushed the horses down. Once Nickel finished his portion, she gave Jester his bucket. She rested her butt on the fence and gazed across the horizon.

Cord wrapped his arms around her from behind and set his chin on her shoulder.

AJ snuggled into him. “Mmm.”

“Whatcha lookin’ at?”

“The sunset.”

“Gonna be a pretty one tonight.”

“It’s pretty every night. I love the sky as it starts to fade from light blue to indigo to purple to black. You’d think I’d get tired of it, but I never do.”

How many times had he sat out here, content to watch the sunset? He never tired of it either.

Tonight he’d forego Mother Nature’s display because he wanted,
needed
to be with her.

“AJ. Come inside. I’m dyin’ to put my hands on you.”

“Don’t you have to call Ky?”

“Yeah. It can wait a bit.” Cord buried his lips in the slope of her shoulder. “Please.”

“Well…since you asked so nice.”

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He hopped over the fence. They kissed all the way into the house. All the way up the stairs. All the way down the hall to his bedroom. Sneaking kisses as they undressed each other. Cord laid her on the comforter and lowered his body over hers.

“Baby doll, what’s wrong? You’re trembling.”

“You always make me tremble.” AJ’s eyes were bright with something resembling…lust. Had to be lust because he couldn’t fathom what that look on her face really meant.

Rather than dwell on it, he focused on mutual slaking of need. He groaned softly when the head of his cock brushed the wetness coating her sex. Sometimes he forgot she wasn’t as experienced as her body indicated. Cord eased into her on a slow glide. Once he was fully seated he looked at her.

“Go slow like that again.”

He’d never shown her the sweeter, slower side of making love after the first time?

Not really.

What a selfish prick. He’d make it up to her starting now.

“As slow as you want.” He kissed her mouth. That sassy mole. The curve of her cheek. Her temple and her eyelids. Her mouth again. All while leisurely rocking in and out of her body.

Her strong hands drifted up and down his back to his ass in a teasing caress.

Cord nibbled the line of her jaw. Her delicate earlobes. The muscles straining along the side of her neck. His tongue flicked across the pulse point at the base of her throat before dipping into the hollow. It took effort, but he managed to hold off on his climax when her first one ripped through her like wildfire.