Meeting Her Match (5 page)

She was nervous thinking about it. Really, did she just go up and say, “Hey, I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend.” No, too pathetic.

Besides that, he'd just give her that you-poor-goose look then walk away as if she were a pain in the neck.

Still, if this was going to work she had to ask him for his help, didn't she?

Lost in thought, she turned onto the dirt road. Maybe there was a way to get him to cooperate without really telling him what she was doing.

Nope. She couldn't do it. She had to tell him what her plan was. Explain her reasoning and persuade him that he would be doing all the happy single people of
Mule Hollow a favor. That was the only honest way to go about it. That meant she had to go see him.

She stopped at her driveway and stared down the road toward his place.

Sheri squared her shoulders and drove forward. The worst Pace could do was say no. Right?

O
kay, so she was doing it again.

Sheri wasn't exactly certain why she was hiding behind Pace Gentry's tree-limb-lined horse pen spying, ahem,
watching
him work. She was not a Peeping Tom! She was a woman of action. She'd come here to do what she needed to do, but he hadn't heard her drive up and well, there he was working…and she couldn't very well interrupt him. She could just see the fireworks that would ignite. He'd probably get so irritated that she wouldn't be able to ask him anything.

So here she was peeking through the cracks feeling like a loser but mesmerized all the same.

No, not mesmerized. Entertained.

Okay, she was mesmerized.

The guy had a way with a horse. She never knew something like that would captivate her as it did, but it did. The man could be a real winner if he put a little of that sweet, gentle way of his with a horse into his rela
tionships with people. She had to admit, she could handle some of the attention he was giving that horse. What woman couldn't? Maybe she could make him a deal that if he helped her, she'd help him learn how to treat a lady.

She bit her lip and placed both hands on the wooden fence in anticipation when she realized he was about to step into the saddle. It was unbelievable. How could he be ready so soon to hop on the mustang's back? The fact that there was a saddle on the horse had shocked her when she'd arrived. Now he was testing the stirrups in a way that looked, even to Sheri's untrained eye, as if he was about to swing up there and hang on for the ride.

No, now was definitely not a good time to interrupt him. She needed him to be in a halfway decent mood when she asked him to play the part of her boyfriend. Besides, she wanted to see him ride this wild horse. She felt as though she were about to get the prize out of the Cracker Jack box as she waited with bated breath.

All she needed at the moment was a bag of popcorn and she was set for the show.

The horse's eyes widened as Pace kept his left boot on the ground and used the right boot to put pressure on the stirrup. Skittish, the horse jerked its head and backed up a few steps. Pace stayed with her, talking softly to her and doing a little one-legged hop as he steadied himself by holding on to the saddle horn. When she stopped moving he let her calm down by planting both feet back on the ground. At the same time he kept the hand holding the reins on the saddle horn and continued to talk to her.

It was amazing what a little sweet-talking could do. Would Sheri be able to sweet-talk him?

Sheri could tell by the horse's eyes that she remained a bit uncertain about what was going on, but for the wild mustang that she was, even this much cooperation was nothing less than impressive. As Sheri watched, Pace slipped his boot into the stirrup again. Sheri assumed they'd go through the same routine a few times.
Wrong.
In a swift, fluid motion Pace stood up, keeping all his weight on the foot in the stirrup. It was similar to that first day she'd seen him step into the saddle—only this time he didn't throw his left leg over the horse. Instead, he just stood there, right boot in the stirrup, left boot relaxed beside it, resting against the horse's side as he leaned his torso forward slightly over its back.

Inconceivable! The horse didn't bolt; it just stood there for a moment.

Sheri hadn't meant to make a noise. She'd just been so surprised and awed by what she'd seen that the gasp just happened. It just whooshed out and carried like a shot echoing through the calm evening air, startling both the horse and Pace. In no time the horse whipped its head toward the sound, jumped sideways and kicked its back legs straight out and up, sending Pace flying.

Sheri watched, horrified, as Pace flew through the air and hit the dirt with a thud followed by a grunt. As luck would have it, he landed flat on his belly looking straight at her eyeball blinking at him through the peephole.

Her stomach flipped as his eyes darkened and his lips flattened into a thin, straight line. Unable to move, Sheri watched him as he slowly pushed up off the ground,
dusted off his chest, and—without ever breaking eye contact—crooked a finger at her.

Ha!
As if she was dumb enough to go in there.

Oh, nooo. She took a step back and watched him come toward her. She thought about running into the woods, but he knew where she lived so she scrapped that plan and held her ground, heart pounding, pulse racing.

“What do you think you're doing?” he rasped, his voice low, his eyes sparking with anger.

“I…” she started, but words failed her when her gaze locked with his. She thought she would be frightened. Instead, she couldn't help thinking that Pace was mighty cute when he was angry.

“Trespassing. That's what you're doing.”

“No—”

“Sure looks like it to me. I work with horses alone for a reason, so people like
you
don't come along and destroy an entire afternoon's work. Like you just did.”

“Look, if you'd just let me explain—”

“What? That you were spying on me? Lady, I knew from the first moment you came meddling around here that you were going to be trouble. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll thank you very much to turn around and get off my property.”

What a hothead! They were at a standoff, only inches from each other with their eyes locked, breath mingling. Sheri hadn't been so mad since the day the posse told her they were taking over her life. But the posse didn't look like Pace Gentry. They didn't smell like Pace Gentry and they certainly didn't make her heart act as if it were going to explode…. Whoa, girl! Get a grip.

Pushing aside her attraction to his good looks, Sheri laid her palm against his muscled chest. It was a reflexive action, like a shield to prevent him getting any closer. But then she felt the beat of his heart against her open palm…. Startled, she yanked her hand away and stumbled back, twisting out of his hold. Instantly, her foot hit a dip in the ground and she yelped in pain as her ankle buckled and she began to fall.

Pace caught her around the waist and swung her back to her feet. One minute she was scrambling to get away from him, and the next she was held securely in his embrace.

Sheri wasn't sure where all the air had gone, but it evaporated the instant his arm wrapped around her. Finding herself being held so close, so carefully by Pace, shook Sheri as if she'd just driven her Jeep over the edge of a cliff. She had never felt anything like it.

She didn't
want
to be this attracted to the man, didn't need to be this attracted to him.

Totally flustered, she pushed away from him. He was standing ramrod straight, his expression mirroring hers for an instant before he once more stared at her accusingly.

“I…I wasn't spying on you,” she managed to get out, her voice breathless, her brain struggling to form a coherent thought.

“Yes, you were. Why else would you be here?”

“No! I came because I need a boyfriend,” she blurted out because she was so shook up. The second the words were out Sheri wanted to kick herself.

Talk about kissing a good plan goodbye.

In the blink of an eye Sheri saw her master plan disappear into thin air.

 

Pace studied his neighbor with a fair amount of confusion. He hadn't slept well the night before because of her. He knew she was the kind of woman he wanted to steer clear of, but he couldn't help thinking about her. He knew she wasn't the one for him. When he was ready for marriage, he wanted it to be a commitment for the rest of his life with a woman who shared his faith. Not that anyone would know by his short temper sometimes that he had any faith. Still, from everything he knew of Sheri, she didn't fit his requirements. Besides, he was still trying to find out what the Lord wanted him to do with his life.

Even knowing all of this hadn't stopped him from thinking about his sassy neighbor. Looking at her now chafed him more than he could understand, especially thinking about how she'd felt in his arms. The fact that he was noticing how pretty she looked with her warm, golden eyes like fire in the afternoon sunlight wasn't helping him. The woman was trouble. The last thing he needed was Sheri… Wait…what did she just say?

“You need a boyfriend,” he repeated, puzzled. “I thought a girl like you could have your pick of the county.”

She tucked her hands in her pockets and surprised him when she nodded in agreement. “I probably could, in all honesty. But I need a special boyfriend, and I think you're my man.”

“You're wrong.”

Her eyes flashed, and her shoulders stiffened. “You
really know how to hurt a girl.” She laid a hand over her heart in mock despair.

Pace didn't say anything. Instead, he headed back to work.

“Look,” she said, falling into step beside him.

“Would you please hear me out?”

“Lady,” he said, not breaking step, not trusting himself at the moment. “I'm not interested. Now, if you don't mind I'd like to get back to work.”

“You know, I totally understand why you lived in the backwoods all alone,” she said, halting behind him.

“You have the manners of a goat.”

Pace stopped walking and shot her a look of scorn. “You ever thought it might be nosy busybodies like you who drive a man to the woods?”

Her eyes got all squinty and flashed fire again.

“Good riddance is the only comeback I can come up with,” she snapped. “You need to go back to the woods and stay.”

“Then you won't mind if I get back to work and you go on your way.” He could feel the darts of her scorn hitting his back as he walked away from her.

The last thing he heard was an exasperated huff and the sound of her boots retreating across the rock drive.

As he took the reins of Cinder, the name he'd given the mare that had tossed him, he couldn't help chuckling.

Sheri Marsh did have a way about her, a way he'd do well to stay clear of and stop thinking about.

Still, he was curious as to why she'd come in his direction looking for a boyfriend. He was sure it was only a matter of time before he'd find out.

 

What
had she been thinking? Sheri fumed all the way home. The man irritated her through and through. They'd had only one semidecent conversation to date and that had ended with him riding off into the sunset leaving her with her mouth hanging open.

The man was a buzzard!

Trespassing, her foot. Hadn't the Neanderthal ever heard of being neighborly? Evidently not.

There was no reason whatsoever that he had to be the man for the posse plan. He was right; there were plenty of cowboys around Mule Hollow who would step up for the job. Of course, none of them made her pulse skip as it did when Pace was around. But maybe that was a good thing. She wasn't even going to think about how messed up her head had gotten when he pulled her into his arms. Nope, she wasn't going there.

Boiling with anger she whipped the Jeep into the driveway and slammed on the brakes when she saw Esther Mae's car sitting next to her house. Esther Mae was poking around in the flower beds near the birdbath.

Groaning, Sheri pulled the car into the carport and hopped out. “Esther Mae, what brings you all the way out here?” She tried to force her tone to sound cheerful.

Esther Mae dusted her hands off and smiled. “I brought you some of my iris bulbs. I thinned mine this morning and remembered you said you like them.”

“Oh, thank you,” Sheri said, spying the bucket filled with bulbs. She hated being wary of Esther Mae and the other ladies, but she wasn't buying this. Normally she really enjoyed visiting with them, but with them stuck
on fixing her “broken” heart she just couldn't let her guard down for a moment. Pace said she was nosy. He should just wait. It was only a matter of time before the posse zeroed in on him. Then he'd head for the hills. Good riddance.

“I think this would be a great place for them,” Esther Mae was saying.

“Sure,” Sheri agreed, still on her guard, waiting to hear the real reason Esther Mae had driven all the way out to see her. She could have left the iris bulbs at the salon on Monday.

“Honey, are you okay?” Esther Mae said, startling Sheri by laying a hand across her forehead. “You look a tad flushed. Why, your cheeks look like the cherry cobbler I just took out of the oven. Are you feeling all right?”

“Yes. I'm fine. I'll cool off in a few moments.” But Pace waltzed across her memory, and she felt her temperature rising.

“I'm singing in the church service tomorrow,” Esther Mae said, clapping her palms together, eyes bright.

“You are?”

“Yes. Now I know you haven't been coming to church lately, so I just wanted to come by and invite you to come give me your moral support.”

Sheri had not been born yesterday. “Well, I don't know—”

“Sheri, I don't want to hear excuses. We have missed you at church on Sunday mornings. It is just not right looking out there from the choir loft and not seeing you sitting there.”

“I—”

“No. I will not take excuses. I am singing tomorrow, and I will take it as a direct insult if you do not show up to hear me. I am your friend, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts. Friends support friends.”

Sheri groaned. How did she get out of this one? They were not fighting fair at all. “Okay,” she said. “I'll come.”

What a pushover she was.

 

Sheri arrived at church the next day feeling unsettled and preoccupied. She realized that Pace, in all probability, would also be there.

In fact, the second she parked she spotted Pace. The man was just too good-looking, and he was surrounded by the women of the church's greeting committee, including the posse.

She noticed with a wicked bit of satisfaction that he looked dazed and uncomfortable. Had the posse already started in on him?