Revenge (42 page)

“Oh, no—” Beth protested.

“Of course you are.” Resting both hands on her cane, Mavis beamed while Virginia's eyes slid away to stare out the window at the darkening countryside.

“Glad to have you,” Max said, though his smile seemed a little forced.

Outside, Jenner moved quickly, and Beth, protecting Cody's face with her body, dashed across the parking lot. Rain splattered against the pavement and pounded on her head as she ducked into the barn. Jenner switched on the lights and the fresh scent of rainwater was overcome by the odors of horses, dung and dust.

“We used to let the cattle in here, but until the new stables are built, Max keeps only the most valuable horses inside.” Where there had once been a large area for the cattle to mingle and feed, there were now new stalls constructed out of fresh lumber, individual boxes that broke up the large space. Horses snorted and hooves rustled in the straw.

“Lots of horses!” Cody said, his eyes round with wonder.

Jenner paused near a small box with a palomino gelding. “This guy—” he hooked a thumb at the horse “—isn't worth all that much, but he belongs to Hillary, Max's daughter. Docile as a lamb. Come on, fella, let's give you a thrill.”

Rather than protest, Beth relinquished her baby to the strong arms of his father and watched as Jenner, without his crutches, opened the stall gate, braced himself on the rails and limped through. He placed a beaming Cody on the palomino's bare back and was rewarded with a grin that stretched across Cody's face.

“Hang on... and be careful.” Jenner kept a firm grip on his son's back. “Now, don't kick old Cambridge.”

“I ride, Mommy!” Cody announced proudly.

“You sure are.”

“Take a handful of his mane—this stuff—so you won't fall off. There ya go.”

“I not fall!”

“I've said that before and been wrong. Got the scars to prove it.”

All of Beth's apprehensions fell away. Jenner's hands were always on the boy, and the horse was calmer than any she'd ever seen. Cambridge's eyelids nearly drooped and one back leg cocked as Cody sat, short legs barely able to straddle the gelding.

“What you need is a pony,” Jenner said.

“And a puppy!”

“That, too.”

“Wait a minute,” Beth said, though she couldn't help the warm feeling in her heart as she watched Jenner smile at his boy. “My apartment barely holds the two of us. I don't think it could handle a dog or a horse. Besides, the manager might object.”

“I want!”

“I should strangle you right here and now, Jenner McKee,” she said, but she couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from twitching into an unwanted smile.

“Like to see you try,” Jenner drawled, his gaze suddenly intense enough that she could barely breathe and the large barn seemed to close in. “The results could be interesting, but you might get caught,” he warned.

“Caught?”

“Mmm. By the law.”

She couldn't stop the pulse at her throat from fluttering. “Justifiable homicide,” she said quickly. “Any mother on the jury would agree with me.”

His lips curved into a sexy smile.

“Ride outside!” Cody said.

“Not now. It's raining.”

“Ride outside!”

“Tell ya what.” Jenner's attention was focused on his boy and Beth thought her heart might break as she watched father and son communicate. “You come back here tomorrow, and if the sun's out, I'll see that you ride outside.”

“Now!”

“Can't happen now, cowboy,” Jenner said. “This here horse's tired, gonna take himself a nap. But when he wakes up tomorrow, he'll be roarin' to go. Then you can ride him.”

Cody might have argued his case longer but the door to the barn swung open, and Casey, along with Hillary, hurried in. Wind whipped through the building, scattering loose hay and dust.

“Hey! That's
my
horse,” the five-year-old proclaimed, her face knotting into an angry scowl. “Cambridge is mine. My daddy gave him to me.”

One of Jenner's eyebrows rose. “And now you're sharin' him for a few minutes.”

“I don't wanna share him!”

“Hey, Hillary, is that any way to act?” Casey said with a mock frown. “You're a big girl. You can share.”

“Not Cambridge!” she said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the usurper astride her horse.

Jenner lifted Cody from the gelding's back. “Haven't I shared my horse with you?”

“Yes, but—”

“We've been riding and I never complained, did I?”

“It's not the same!” Hillary said, her little lips tightening over her teeth, her eyes sparking with fire. “He should have asked.”

“That's right and it's my fault. I apologize,” Jenner said. “Next time I'll ask.”

“Hey, come on, let's not get into a tiff.” Casey smiled at Beth and rolled her eyes. “Hillary and I thought that Cody might want to see the new kittens.”

“Kitties?” Cody asked.

“Yup. Five of 'em. On the back porch.”

“I see!”

“But you have to promise not to touch them, okay?” Casey said gently. “The mama cat, she can be mean when she wants to and she won't want you to disturb them. They're only a few weeks old.”

Cody squirmed out of Jenner's arms, much to Hillary's obvious relief. She stopped glaring at her uncle as Cody's feet touched the floor and he raced out of the barn.

“Hey, wait up!” Casey took hold of Hillary's hand and they ran from the barn together. Beth started after them, but Jenner clamped a hand over her arm, forcing her to spin up against him.

“Wha—” she said as his head lowered quickly and his lips captured hers in a kiss that seemed to draw the breath from her lungs. When she lifted her head, her heart was knocking and her bones felt weak. Jenner, as he braced himself against the wall, pulled her closer still, so that her legs fit between his. “But Cody—” she said, motioning toward the door.

“Will be fine. Casey's got a way with kids.”

“He doesn't know her very well.”

“Won't matter.” He looked at her long and hard. Her insides seemed to melt under his direct gaze and she licked her lips. With a groan, he kissed her again, his arms wrapping around her, his mouth branding hers with his own unique taste. The floor seemed to shift beneath her feet and she sagged against him.

But she was already involved. As much as she wanted to deny what she felt for him, it was impossible. His lips were hungry and hard, his hands flat against her back. The outside of her legs rubbed against the inside of his, denim moving against denim, creating friction, creating heat.

Beth closed her eyes as he drew her shirt from the waistband of her jeans, and his fingers crawled up her ribs, searching and exploring. In frustration, he worked at the buttons of her shirt, parting the soft flannel and reaching inside to cup both breasts in his palms, pushing them upward so that they nearly spilled out of her bra. Groaning, he buried his face in the deep cleft he'd created and his breath was hot and wet against her skin, causing a tingle to race through her nerves. Her insides turned to molten wax.

He kissed the top of each mound while his thumbs, through the lacy fabric of her bra, teased her nipples. Inside she was burning, and when he touched a nipple with his tongue, her back bowed, her fingers twined in his hair, and she drew his head closer still, cradling him against her, feeling his tongue and mouth suckling through the lace.

“Beth,” he growled, “sweet, sweet Beth.” He found the clasp of her bra, unhooked it, and let her breasts swing free. With eager haste, he pulled off her shirt and the flimsy scrap of lace, then began his ministrations again. This time he kissed her, flesh against flesh, wet tongue on anxious nipple, hands splayed over her spine, one between her shoulder blades, the other at the small of her back, his fingertips brushing under the waistband of her jeans.

A sensual, moist heat swirled inside her and she rubbed against him, wanting more, needing to feel all of him. Her fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt and soon she'd discarded it onto the hay-strewn floor with her blouse. His hands burrowed lower, past her waistband, to her buttocks, and she gasped when he reached into her panties, delving to the moist cleft that awaited him.

“Beth...” His finger plunged deep into her and she was on her toes, bracing herself with her hands on his shoulders. “Make love to me.”

“Here?” she whispered, vaguely aware that it was dangerous, that anybody could come along and open the door.

“Anywhere.” His mouth found hers and cut off further protest as his fingers delved and retreated and delved again, and she moved against him, wanting more, images of their sweaty, naked bodies swimming in her mind. He touched her in that oh so sensitive spot and she bucked, arched against him, rubbed her jeans against the bulge in his. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as her body, like a tightly coiled spring, suddenly found release in a burst of ecstasy that brought beads of perspiration to her face. Her mouth found his and she kissed him hard with a fierce abandon that she couldn't deny.

She reached for his zipper, but he grabbed her wrist. “This...isn't enough,” he said, his eyes mirroring her own feelings. “I want more.”

“I—”

“I want all of you, Beth.” His voice was a raspy whisper that seemed to echo in her soul. “I want to make love to you. All night long. Over and over again until we see the morning together.”

She sagged against him and pressed her lips to his neck. “I want it, too.” Though she knew she was playing with fire, that she most certainly would be burned, she couldn't resist.

“Soon,” he promised, kissing her crown. “Very soon.”

 

“You know, I'm looking for another nurse at the clinic,” Skye said, her smile infectious as she stared across the table at Beth. The entire McKee family was seated around the long dining-room table, which was laden with roast pork, potatoes, squash, beans, fruit salad and fresh hot rolls. Max sat between Skye and Hillary, across from Jenner, Cody and Beth. Virginia and Mavis were seated at opposite ends of the table and Casey was wedged between Hillary and Kiki, who, as Beth understood it, was considered part of the family. Reaching for her water glass, Skye continued, “I thought you might be interested in the job.”

Conversation and the ever-present sound of flatware scraping against plates seemed to stop. Beth felt Jenner's gaze move toward her. “I don't know how long I'll be in Rimrock,” she managed to say. “I've got a place in Oregon City.”

Skye lifted a shoulder. “No law says you can't move. I pay the same scale as the city, but the cost of living is cheaper out here.” She winked at Beth. “You might want to apply.”

From the corner of her eye, Beth saw one of Jenner's eyebrows rise in expectation. “I'll think about it,” she said, “but Cody and I are pretty settled.”

She couldn't read Jenner's expression, but she felt his hand slide over to grip her thigh.

Virginia seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Rimrock's a good place to raise a family,” Mavis interjected. “A nice, quiet little town where everyone knows everyone else by their first name. Not like the city all full of strangers, where you really don't even know your neighbors. And there's so much less crime.”

“Unless you want to talk about murder and arson,” Virginia countered. Her eyes never warmed as she glanced at Beth and Cody. “And sometimes small-town gossip can be cruel.”

Beth didn't need to be reminded; she'd grown up knowing about the ravages of gossip and she'd promised herself that she would never put Cody through the same agony she'd experienced as a child. Suddenly her appetite waned, and the home-cooked meal, which had smelled so wonderful, seemed to congeal on her plate.

“More 'tatoes!” Cody demanded, and though she was a little embarrassed by his outburst, Beth was grateful for an interruption in the conversation.

“You like them, do you?” Mavis asked the little boy propped on two pillows in his chair.

“Like 'tatoes!”

“Well, come on, Virginia, pass them along, will you?”

Grudgingly Virginia grabbed the bowl of mashed potatoes and handed them to Jenner, who scooped a dollop onto Cody's plate.

“My guess is you'll need this, too,” Skye said, picking up the gravy boat as her eyes lingered wistfully on the boy.

Somewhere Beth had heard that Skye, though she adored children, could have none of her own. Beth didn't remember where she'd heard the rumor, and now, as she drizzled gravy over Cody's potaotes, she chalked the information up to small-town gossips with wagging tongues. No, Rimrock wasn't the place for a boy whose rich family wouldn't recognize him, who would be considered a joke, a bastard, Jenner McKee's mistake, for all the years he attended school.

Cody deserved better. As for her relationship with Jenner, she had to face the fact that it would always be just what it was—lust. Even now, with his hand resting on her thigh, she felt it—that slow-burning ember that could ignite into a hot flame with just a look, a movement, a touch.

Somehow she finished the meal, then packed Cody up and said her goodbyes. Jenner walked her onto the porch and she knew by the look in his eye that there was unfinished business between them. There always would be. She'd never been a slave to her passions except where Jenner McKee was involved and whenever he was around, she seemed to lose touch with what was important.