How to Rope a McCoy (Hell Yeah!) (12 page)

“Oh,
I see. You are bad.” Cato imagined that Pepper and Ryder kept Heath and the
other brothers on their toes.

“No,
I’ve been around those hard-headed men all my life. If they won’t listen,
sometimes you just have to show them what they need. Philip would never eat
asparagus until we roasted it in thin strips of bacon.”

“Ha!”
Cato laughed hard. “Okay, so you think I’m what Heath needs even though I may
not be what he wants.”

Pepper
raised an eyebrow and looked wise beyond her years. “I’m sure you can show him
that you’re exactly what he needs.”

“Oh,
you’re crafty.” She took a drink from a passing waiter. “So tell me about you
and Judah.”

“What
do you mean?” Pepper turned several shades of pink. “He’s a friend of Jimmy’s
and I’m a fan. Is that what you mean?”

“No,
not exactly. So, he isn’t one of the eligible men you invited for yourself?”

Something
told Cato he was the only one that mattered. “No…” Pepper crumbled. “Oh, all
right. I think he’s wonderful and we’ve talked a few times. I wish there was
more to it than that, but it’s not.”

“Well,
don’t give up. He’s cute.”  

“I
think the food is ready. Let’s go eat.” Pepper appeared shy about it, so Cato
dropped the subject.

The
girls stood and began to walk toward the tables. Pepper touched her shoulder.
She looked up and saw a swarthy, handsome man had fallen in beside them.
“Caesar, this is Cato Vincent.” Noticing that she had missed something he said,
Pepper volunteered. “Cato is hearing impaired, Caesar.”

“
Hello,
Miss Vincent
.” Caesar signed to her.

“Hello
,”
she greeted him, signing back.

Pepper
got in on the act, she wasn’t perfect, but Cato thought she did a pretty good
job.
“Caesar
Arness
owns a spread not too far from
here. He, like my brothers, is into cattle and oil.”

Cattlemen
and oilmen, Cato felt like she had stepped onto the set of
Dallas.
The
man was attractive in anyone’s estimation with a heavy gold chain around his
neck and a gold nugget ring as big as a walnut on his finger. But so not her
type. She signed back, enjoying that someone took the time to carefully speak
to her.
“Hello, Caesar. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

“Cato
works for the Texas Cultural Society.”
Pepper offered, then promptly left
them when it appeared there was a crisis at one of the serving tables.

“How
interesting.”
He sidled up next to her and Cato swore her skin crawled a
little.
“Tell me more.”
Now, he was speaking out loud as well as
signing.

“I
recently did some research on the preservation of the
Dorbandt
house up near Marble Falls. It’s one of the most photographed homes ever
because in the spring it sits in the middle of acres and acres of bluebonnets.
I also investigated Dead Man’s Hole.”
He smiled politely, but she saw his
eyes glaze over. Okay, she’d finish quickly.
“And I’m also accumulating
information on lost silver and gold mines.”
To say his whole demeanor
changed would be putting it mildly.

“You
are fascinating.”
Caesar put his arm around Cato and led her to one side,
then continued signing.
“Why don’t we leave and go someplace where we can be
alone and talk more in depth?”

Heath
didn’t hear anything but the last sentence out of
Arness’s
mouth, but that was all he needed to hear. Walking up beside Cato, he made sure
they both understood what he said. “No, I don’t think so. Cato has other plans
tonight. Sorry,
pardner
.”

“Oh
really?” He looked at Cato. “
Is that right, Miss Vincent
?”

Ah,
opportunity and a way out. She signed to Caesar.
“He’s right, Mr.
Arness
. I apologize.”

Heath
couldn’t resist, he turned so Cato couldn’t see them speaking. “Besides, what
would the Hollings heir have to say about you keeping company with another
woman?” 

“I
keep company with many beautiful women, Mr. McCoy. Some of us…have the touch.”
With that parting barb and a nod, he left them.

Turning
to face Cato, Heath gripped his hands into fists. “What did you say to him?”

Was
he jealous? Cato wondered. Probably not. “I was agreeing with you, grouch.” He
had the good grace to look sheepish, so she asked what she was dying to know.
“Care to share what my plans are?” God, Cato loved looking at him and what she
saw on his face gave her hope. He was so intense, his eyes were hooded and
staring straight at her. If he didn’t want her, then she had no idea how to
tell when a man did.

“
Arness
is bad news. You need to steer clear of him.” Heath
studied her face. She was gazing up at him with trust and a hopeful look in her
eyes. The way she chewed on her bottom lip made his cock sit up and take
notice. It was time to level with her. “Look, I just said that to get rid of
him.”

“Oh,
okay.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment from him.

Heath
hated to hurt her, but this needed to be said. “I guess I should be completely
honest with you. I think you’re great. You’re beautiful and everything a man
would want. But I can’t get involved with you. I don’t date women who expect
more than I can give.”

Cato
stiffened her back. This was it. “You have no idea what I expect, Heath. What
can you give me?”

Her
words surprised Heath. “Not what you need. You deserve romance and moonlight
walks and everything that comes after.”

“I
don’t remember asking you for any of those things.” She took one finger and
touched his chest, tracing a pattern over his hard
pecs
.
“I bet we want the same thing, Heath.”

“I
doubt it.” He tried to swallow, but she aroused the hell out of him. Just
looking at her made him feel alive again and it would be so easy to get used to
that feeling, in spite of the possibility that it could end up leaving him wide
open to being hurt again.

“If
you’ll give me a chance to explain, I bet I can change your mind.” To say Cato
was winging it was putting it mildly. This was what women said who were on the
make, wasn’t it?   

What
was she talking about? Heath wondered. All he could think of was how good she
might be with that full, pouty mouth of hers. “You can try, I guess.” Almost
instantly he was consumed by a fantasy—Cato naked, kneeling in front of him,
his fingers tangled in all that hair as his rock hard cock slid in and out of
her sweet lips.

For
a few moments, he looked lost in thought, a dreamy expression on his face. She
used the time wisely. Cato weighed her options—take a risk or play it safe,
take a risk or play it safe. Her inner bad girl said…go for it! “Okay, let’s
take a walk so we can be completely alone.” She put her arm through his. “I
have a proposition for you.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Heath
never knew he was a weak man. He’d always prided himself on his strength of
body and strength of character. Yet six words from one small woman almost
brought him to his knees. “What kind of proposition?”

Just
like a lamb led to slaughter, he’d followed her down to the stream below the
house.

“Dang,
it’s hot. Isn’t it?”

Mesmerized,
he watched her pull her shirt out of her pants and unbutton the bottom three or
so buttons, then tie it into a knot under her lush breasts. The action exposed
the soft curve of her belly. In the moonlight that sliver of pale exposed skin
looked like velvet. It was all he could do to keep his hands to himself.

“What
kind of proposition?” he repeated himself. Licking his own lips, he
acknowledged the need to kneel in front of her and rub his face against her
warm, exposed skin, memorize the scent of her very essence.

“I
can’t tell what you’re saying. Come closer.” She pulled him to a stone bench at
the water’s edge underneath a gas lamp. A tingle of awareness rippled across
her body, caressing like an ocean breeze, making her nipples pebble. Cato felt
the weight and heat of his gaze. She returned it, getting near enough to see
his lips. To think some woman had broken his heart made her ache for him. She
wanted to rain soft kisses on his face to make up for the pain he hid behind a
rough façade. Cato reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. “Tell me. I can
see you now.”

“Sorry,”
was all he could think to say at first. Her nearness was playing havoc with his
heart rate. Her lips looked so soft and kissable, he really couldn’t resist. “I
need to kiss you, Cato.”

“Please
do.” She waited, holding her breath. Nothing else existed in the world but this
amazing anticipation. But instead of kissing her, he buried his face in her
hair.

She
wanted to wrap her arms around him, but she wanted to talk more. Cato needed to
understand what was happening. “Heath?”

He
raised up, keeping his face close to hers. “You smell so good.”

“I
don’t know why, I’m not wearing any perfume.”

“I’m
glad. That fake stuff covers up the true scent of a woman. I like this much
better. You’re warm and sweet, like a flower kissed by the sun.”

“You
have the soul of a poet.” Cato was shaking. She had daydreamed so much about
this man that she feared her imagination had taken over. Most likely she was
lying in her own bed alone, not really here with Heath at all.

“No,
don’t build me up to something I’m not, sugar. I’m a man who wants you, but not
a man worth wanting. I have nothing to offer a woman like you.”

She
wanted to tell him he was wrong. Instead, she was determined to show him. “I
told you I have a proposition…”

Heath
didn’t let her finish. He closed the distance between them and touched his lips
to hers, just a touch, like he was testing the waters. Cato didn’t want to
wade, she wanted to plunge in and swim deep. Taking the initiative, she moved
her mouth back and forth, rubbing her lips across his. She loved the feel of
him, the smell of him like leather and fresh mown hay. Feeling brave, she
licked his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue.

Heath
groaned, unable to hold back any longer. He pulled her to him, one arm wrapped
around her waist and the other hand holding her still, his palm cradling her
head with one thumb caressing the silk of her cheek. A man’s hunger can only go
unappeased for so long. He bent his head and captured her lips.

Cato
was in heaven. This was no mere kiss. Heath was devouring her mouth—hot deep
kisses even more wonderful than she’d dreamed. She gave herself over to him. He
was addictive.
intoxicating
and she wanted as much of
him as she could get. He was voracious, demanding, taking what he wanted
without apology or permission. Heath ate at her mouth and she relished the
taste of him, the feel of him. Cato would’ve crawled into his lap and ripped
his clothes from his body if they’d been in private. “Heath, let’s go inside.”
She didn’t want to wait anymore. She’d waited too long already.

Heath’s
heart was hammering. She was delicious and he wanted to gorge himself on her.
And if she were just any woman, he would have. But Patrick’s words came back to
haunt him. Cato was a good girl who deserved more than just a roll in the hay.
“No, wait. We have to stop.”

Cato
didn’t see him speak. She was too close. Rubbing her face against his jaw,
roughened by a scruff of beard, she sighed. “I want you so much.”

Heath
took her by the shoulders and set her back a scant few inches. “We can’t. You
deserve more than I can give you.”

Game
on. Cato steeled herself to make her move. “Before you decide, let’s talk. I’m
not what you think I am. I’m not looking to settle down right now. I’m not
asking for a ring and a promise.” This was true, although she could picture
Heath as her forever love. Cato wanted what she could have of him now, let
tomorrow take care of itself. “My life has been so empty. I won’t explain
because it would just bore you. But I don’t want to waste one more day not
knowing what I’ve been missing. So, I’m not asking you for forever, I’m just
asking you for the here and now.”

“What
are you saying, exactly?” Heath made his hands into fists, anything to keep his
hands off of her, where they wanted to be.

Plunging
in, she just said it. “I’m talking about sex.” Cato spread her hands, appealing
to him. “I just want to spend time with you. My proposition is that we have an
affair, a fling, a no-strings relationship that has a set beginning and a set
time to end. You can say how long it lasts and I can say when it starts – and I
want to start now.”

Wrapping
her arms around him, she held him close. Heath could feel her tits rubbing
against his chest and he thought he would explode. Heath came nearer to
shooting off in his jeans than he had since he was sixteen years old. God, she
was something else—eager, hot, bold. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted
anything in his life. She was kissing his neck, licking and scraping her teeth,
driving him mad.

Jesus,
how could he deny himself? He wanted to take what she was offering and to hell
with the consequences.

But
he couldn’t, he wasn’t that type of man. Heath McCoy was responsible and honest
and upright—or he tried to be. He was a gentleman and gentlemen didn’t take
advantage of good women. Cato wasn’t the fling type. She should have a man who
would cherish her and he wasn’t that man. His heart wasn’t whole. He didn’t
have the capacity to love nor trust—not anymore. “Cato, no. We can’t.”
Untangling himself from her sweet body, he stood up. “You’ll thank me for this
after you’ve thought about it.”

Heath
had rejected her.

Her
heart hurt and she was embarrassed, no use to lie about it. Mortified, Cato
fought the urge to take off into the darkness and hide. But she didn’t. Raising
her head, she looked Heath in the eye. “I don’t think so, but I understand. I
can’t really blame you, I guess.” After all, she knew her limitations.  

“Fuck!”
Heath spat out a curse. “Look, I’m trying to be honorable. I believe in family,
I’d die for mine. You work to preserve the past and I’m trying like hell to
preserve the present—not only my family but the very land
we
live
on. I fight to preserve the climate and our water. Hell, if someone
found that damn mine on my property, I’d fight anyone who wanted to tear up
Highlands to get it out. So, I’m not a jerk. I just know what I can and can’t
do.”

“You’re
a good man, Heath. Why wouldn’t I want to be with you?” When he didn’t say
anything, she continued, trying to smile. Cato didn’t want to give up—not yet.
“Can I reserve the right to try and change your mind?”

He
shook his head. This woman was beyond his scope of experience. “You want to
play games with me?” The idea shouldn’t have excited him, but it did. God help
him, it did.

The
sweet siren licked her lips. “More than anything.”

His
hand moved to his Stetson and he tipped it toward her, all gentlemanly like.
“May the best contestant
win.
”

Cato
didn’t miss a beat. “I intend to.”

*  *  *

Well,
that hadn’t gone exactly to plan. Cato flopped over on her bed and sighed.
Heath had turned her down! Grabbing the pillow, she buried her face in its softness.
He’d kissed her like he’d wanted to make love to her. Or had that been her
imagination? Maybe he just felt sorry for her.

Poor
deaf girl.

Waves
of remorse and regret washed over her. “
Arg
!” She
pulled the pillow over her head and relived the moments they’d shared. Cato
could still feel the power of his kiss, how he’d held her, the feel of his
strong body as he pressed her against him. “I don’t know what to do!”

Cato’s
heart and stomach ached, but everything within her said that Heath McCoy was worth
fighting for. What her battle plans were, she didn’t know yet. But she wasn’t
giving up. Rising from the bed, she went to the closet to strip and hang up her
clothes. A shower would make her feel better. Then she’d go to bed and decide
what her next move would be.

A
little later…in the adjoining room, Heath pulled back the covers and lay down,
stretching out on his king-size bed. Running a hand down his body, he realized
how tired he was. The day had been a success and tomorrow would be full of
activities. He’d intended to camp out with everyone else, but something had
drawn him back to the house. Probably the woman who now lay in her own bed just
next door. He massaged his poor neglected cock, cupping his balls. How had he
turned her down? God, he was nuts. But the fact that she thought she could beat
him made him smile.

“Heath…”

What
the hell? He’d heard his name called clear as day. Heath sat up. It was almost
like Cato was in the room with him.

“Oh,
Heath…”

Heath
jumped up. The noise was coming from the walk-in closet directly in front of
his bed. This wasn’t the one he used for his clothes, he used the one connected
to the bathroom. This one had been transformed into a media center, including
all of the left-over equipment from when the wing was used by his father.
Throwing open the doors, his eyes immediately went to a monitor that was on and
displaying a scene right out of his dreams. Somehow Cato had activated the
cameras and he had a complete and full view of her bed.

“You
just wait, Heath McCoy. I’m
gonna
show you how
irresistible I can be.” Unbuttoning her blouse, she threw it over a chair.
Thinking back to a few hours before, she remembered how he’d walked off and
left her. She’d sulked for a while but eventually she’d returned to the group,
filled her plate and had supper seated between a WWF wrestler and an Oscar
winning actor who owned a cattle ranch near Llano. And she’d held her own too.
Not once had she gone all fan-girl. Cato had talked cattle with the rancher and
the stock market with the wrestler. Now if she was so inclined, she had an open
invitation to visit the set of the actor’s new movie being filmed in Austin and
she had a pass to any WWF match she wanted to claim—all she had to do was call
the number on the card he’d given her.

Yet
despite the attention from a number of men, celebrity and otherwise, she had
eyes only for, “Heath McCoy.” She breathed his name like a prayer. Running her
fingers under her hair, she lifted her arms over her head, pushing her fingers
over her scalp and stretching.

On
the other side of the wall, Heath backed up and sat down heavily on the bed.
“Cato! I can see you!” he yelled, not loudly, realizing instantaneously that
she couldn’t hear his words. The gentlemanly thing to do would be to go into
her room and let her know, and turn off the damn cameras. But when she smiled
at the camera, leaned over to tousle her hair, stretched and came back up
throwing that wealth of dark curls behind like a waterfall, he was lost. Did
she know he was watching?

Damn,
he didn’t know how these cameras were set up. Was it two-way? Could she see
him? He tested it, walking right up to the screen and giving her a hard stare
so she could read his lips. “What do you think you’re doing?”

But
she didn’t reply, she didn’t even react like she could see him. Maybe it wasn’t
his face she was looking at. The idea made him hard—immediately. So he stepped
back, grabbed his crotch and thrust his hips forward in an age-old provocative
move designed to cause women to lie down and part their legs in invitation.

Nothing.

Heath
didn’t think Cato was that good of an actress to not react to him at all. So,
he had to conclude she couldn’t see him—but, God, could he see her. She was
stripping, not like a dancer, but like a sensuous woman who enjoyed her body.

He
could sympathize.

God
bless the man who made tight jeans. Cato pushed a hip to the right and tugged,
then to the left, peeling them off like a second skin. And every glorious inch
of flesh she revealed had Heath leaning closer and closer to the screen. Look
at those curves!

Kicking
off the denim pants, Cato wished she were sexier. She didn’t have a lot of
erotic moves, never needed them until now. At least she had on some sexy
underwear, lots of good it had done her. She frowned at the wasted opportunity.
Usually she wore serviceable bras which kept her secure and contained, but
tonight she’d worn a plunging barely-there red lace bra and a tiny pair of
bikini panties. All dressed up and nowhere to go. Cato couldn’t help but laugh
at her own predicament. Pretending, she ran her hands down her body and did her
best to sound sultry, or at least she hoped she did. “Touch me, please. I ache
for you.” Cupping her breasts, she ran her fingers over her nipples, moaning at
her own touch. “I know I’m wet.
Wanna
see?”