Ring of Fire Book Two of the McKay's (5 page)

Of course some of the outfits she wore
seemed to demand her dress that way. Never had he seen a woman dress is so many delightful ways. From blue-jeans to evening gowns, the woman was at home in clothes. Did she know how beautiful she was? He doubted it. Conceit was not part of her make-up. Self-confident, yes, but no conceit. He learned that fast. Despite what he had heard about Letty, he quickly formed his own ideas after meeting her.

There she was posing for pictures, earning money, and yet she didn't have to. He respected that. She wasn't just a loafer. He liked that about her.

She hadn't a clue as to how she affected him, thank God.

And that night, in bed, he closed his eyes and envisioned how his callused hands would hold her lovely buttocks and
how he'd caress them with his hands and lips, too. He'd take his time, and kiss every inch of her, making sure he lit a fire under her too. Although, he knew he'd probably never get the chance to in real life, it certainly did no harm to dream. Cowboys were full of dreams.

Dear God, he was in lust with Letty McKay. He was a pervert. He had to be, he couldn't get the image of them together out of his mind. How he would make love to her tossed in his head like a ping pong ball.
He suddenly realized he would be in physical pain until she left the ranch.

He closed his eyes with force, and willed her away from his dreams. It was the only way to get any rest.

Two days later, he had convinced himself he had swept that day under the rug. He was sure he had control of the matter. Pretty butts were just that, pretty butts. However, when he stared at the backside of a cow too long a cowboy punched him in the ribs.

"Hey Hank, got somethin' on your mind?"
The young cowboy grinned.

"No….I don't
," Hank replied gruffly.

"You better ride back to the house and get another cup of coffee
; you're grumpy Hank," Jay Merrill said with a grin.

"Merrill, I can still out do you, without coffee
." Hank laughed.

Then
one afternoon as he was stowing his gear, he saw her on Thunder and he was miserable again. Nothing was more beautiful or appealing to Hank than watching a lovely woman on a horse with spirit. The wanting of her started all over and he was angry at himself that he couldn't get rid of the yearning.

He even stood there in broad daylight and imagined riding the horse with nothing but a thong on, and falling from the horse onto him on the ground where they made torrid love for hours.

He glanced around him as he shook the feelings away. Had he lost his mind?

He groaned.
Maybe he needed to start thinking about getting a woman of his own. It wouldn't be Letty, but surely he could find someone that was better suited. Still, deep within, he knew that what he wanted was not for him. And what he wanted was Letty McKay.

Besides, he had other things to worry about right now.

His grandmother, whom he saw on weekends, needed him more and more as her sight began to fail her. Her glasses weren't helping any longer and she forgot where she laid them half the time. He'd taken care of her ever since his folks died. She had no one else, all the other kids had moved off and it was too hard for them to be there when she needed something, so Hank had dedicated himself to seeing after her.

She was first in his life and would be until the day she died. That thought didn't bring him any
comfort, so he switched back to Letty who continually tried to ride Thunder, and continually got pitched. After watching her land in the dirt several times he chuckled to himself; she sure was a hardhead, he thought as he walked away from the corral. He heard the thud of her hitting the ground again, and the slight groan she made, but he determined he would not turn around and help her. That would be downright dangerous.

S
omehow he was going to stop his all-male reactions, he just hadn't figured out how, yet!

***

"Ya just can't let him alone, can ya?" A voice that shocked Letty as the horse twisted in midair, throwing her to the ground once more. "That horse ain't for you, girl…"

That voice again. Where was it coming
from? It had to be real. It had to belong to her father, but then…he was dead!

Letty
handed the reins to a nearby cowboy and walked around the corral and into the barn. Had she lost her mind? Her father was dead. Gone. And just that one thought had tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. An emotion she had forced to the back of her mind and heart now seemed to pour out.

The smell of hay after a rain could be overpowering sometimes and
Letty sneezed.

There was no one there but Caleb and he had his back to her again. She glanced at him
. "Did you see anyone out there just now?" she asked him.

Caleb half turned and
looked over his shoulder at her. "Nope…been in here. Why?"

Letty felt silly for thinking she heard her father once more, but wanted to be rid of the ghost.

"I know it sounds strange, but I could have sworn I heard my father just now," she admitted.

The old man turned away and finished his task. "That's not unusual to hear the voice of a loved one after they die.
I heard tell it's a normal thing. Heard my missus for months after she died. Kinda spooky, huh?"

"Yeah, kinda." Letty twisted her head. "How long ago did she die?"

"Been over ten years now. Ever now and then I hear it again, but it don't spook me no more. I find it kinda comforting knowing she's about." He laughed.

Letty smiled
. "I guess it is…isn't it? Comforting, I mean. It just happens when I try to ride Thunder."

"That horse is dangerous, Miss Letty, you shouldn't be trying to ride him."

"So I've been told. But I rarely do what I am told. Besides, it's the most exciting thing on this ranch."

"Exciting can kill, ya know?"

"You really do sound like Dad now. He used to drive me nuts telling me I couldn't do something. I'd try to do it anyway, just to show him. The funny thing is, if I succeeded no one was happier than him…"

Caleb cast her an amused glance over his shoulder and s
hrugged. "Sounds like you listened to him a lot. You recall a lot of conversation between ya? Well, I wouldn't worry about it. You must miss your father a lot. That's all."

"I guess so, it just seems so strange to me. I mean, I don't believe in ghosts.
But the voice…it was so clear, so close, as though he was right out there and trying to warn me. It distracts me so, I get thrown every time," Letty insisted, watching the old man work. "I shouldn't bother you with it, it's just that somehow I keep hearing him. It startles me. Father and I rode together many times; it was the only thing on the ranch I took an interest in. He seemed to indulge me. It was like our time together."

Caleb reminded her of her father, but this man was mo
re stooped and his voice sounded more coarse and deeper than her father's. Still she reasoned they probably would have had a lot in common with each other, especially the way Caleb spoiled the horses all the time.

He took so much care with them.
Obviously, Wade and Cade appreciated how well he handled his job though, and everyone on the ranch seemed to know and love Caleb.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" she asked him.

"Never thought about it. What is, is. Can't explain everything in life you know," Caleb insisted, sounding almost put out at her probing him.

"Of course, you're right
," Letty agreed and turned to leave. "I guess I just miss him a lot."

The old man glanced at her again
. "He thought a lot of you girls. He missed you too."

"
How do you know that?" Letty probed.

"Bein' close to the same age, we talked a lot.
He always told me and the boys how proud of his girls he was. Every one of you."

"
Yeah, I can see where you would talk a lot. I guess you and Dad had a lot in common."

"Yeah, I reckon we did.
He wanted only the best for you. But I think in his older age, he grew to realize that he couldn't completely control you and that you would have to learn about life by yourself. He said that was a hard lesson for him to learn."

"Yeah,
but me and Julie, we left, and we didn't come back. We didn't even visit. Julie has a good reason, but I…well, I was trying to make it on my own so to speak. I have an independent streak, and with Dad, well, independence wasn't possible. He controlled everything here."

"Yep, I've heard he ruled with an iron thumb
," Caleb remarked.

"
Yes, I have to agree with that. He did. He was the boss, the ramrod, the one you better listen to. I wanted to make him proud of me…but in the end, I'm not very proud of staying away so much. I loved him more than he knew. Now that I've quit school…well."

"Quit school?" Caleb's voice raised and he shot her a frown over his shoulder.
"That don't sound like a McKay. McKay's don't quit." Caleb turned to stare at her a moment, then turned away. "At least, I didn't think they did."

"School doesn't interest me any longer. You know,
I didn't even know he had a heart problem," Letty cried. "That's how much I knew about him in the last years."

"Maybe the old man didn't want you to know
," Caleb reasoned. "Strong men, and your dad was a strong man, don't always like showing their weaknesses."

"Maybe…"
She stared at him. "Sounds like something my father would have said. I guess that's why I like talking to you Caleb, you remind me of him so much."

"
We were from the same time, growin' up and all. What we had in common was horses. He was too busy a man though. Could have led him to his ill health. Miss Letty, you can't change the past, but you can work on the future."

Letty nodded.
"I guess you are right. And you might say I've changed my future, to some extent." When he didn't say anything, she added, "Guess I ought to go inside now."

The old man half turned to look at her.
"You've changed your future? You mean by moving home for a year?"

"
No, I mean I quit law school."

"Why?"
The old man's voice sounded incredulously loud again.

"It's not the direction I want to go any more.
I've lost my passion for it."

"Because of the inheritance?" the old man questioned as though he had every right to ask.

"It's not like I thought it would be. It's too political. So much pressure, competition. There's no pressure here, just life. And I'm ready for a little life, and another future."

"Ain't that kinda fickle?"

"Maybe, but it's also very me."

He nodded and fell silent.
"Forgive me, Miss Letty. I don't have much education, cain't imagine someone just stopping. Some would give their eye teeth for a chance to go to college."

"S
ometimes, education is just living."

Letty
pondered her conversation with Caleb and wondered why the old man reacted to her quitting law so strangely. What difference did it make to him? She shrugged as she walked back to the house. Several had responded with shock when she told them, even her family; she guessed Caleb would be shocked too. Not a lot of people went to college to learn law and then quit.

She had been shooting for a
week with Mike and was exhausted. Although it looked easy, the job of modeling was anything but. Still, she had to admit, she enjoyed it. The work that demanded concentration, and gracefulness and neither of those things bothered Letty. Some things came natural and modeling was one of them. Letty had always been comfortable with it, even though the camera was constantly in her face, she treated it like a man, and seduced it like a woman. Although she knew she would never be a top model, she didn't want that either.

She wanted a nice peaceful life, with small pressures, not big ones. She wanted to go to sleep at night and not worry all night over a client that might or might not be innocent. Law was a good thing, it had taught her a lot about life and people, but she'd had enough. Funny how her quitting up
set some people though, Wendy and Caleb for example. But neither of them had been there, and they just didn't know what it was like.

She thought about what Caleb said and believed he was right about her father. They must have been good friends
or her father would never have confided so much in Caleb. Somehow that knowledge comforted Letty.

She laid
on top of her bed and reflected on the past few days. She'd only been home a few months but every day there was change.

T
he minute she closed her eyes, Hank's face and body came to life before her and covered her. She could feel the weight of him on her bed, the cowboy smells of him, fresh hay, leather, and that manly sweat that reeked from a hard day's work. She even felt the pressure of his kisses and the urgency of his body. Drowning in his love-making she didn't want to wake up.