Send Me a Cowboy (5 page)

Katie ignored the throbbing in her ankle and
the sarcasm in his voice. “I needed you to look at the report I’d
revised so I could go home.” She wondered if the bull had eaten the
paper. No wait, that was goats. God, her ankle had started to throb
like the dickens.

She was distracted from the pain as he
removed her other shoe and sock. His hand was warm and comforting
on the back of her calf. “Get out of those pants.” He stood,
towering over her, making her feel small and feminine. “I’ll send
Marcia up with an icepack while I get the vet.”

So much for feeling small and dainty. “I am
not
being examined by a vet, John Kinkaid.” She took one of
the pillows from the bed and threw it at his head as he walked to
the door. She missed.

“Wanna bet?” He looked over his shoulder and
grinned before closing the door behind him.

Katie was in tears by the time she removed
her jeans. The straight legged boot cut might be sexy, but it was a
damn nuisance trying to ease stiff denim off a swollen limb. Maybe
she should have asked John to help her remove them. It’s what
Jessica would have done. Or Marcia. But there was no way Katie
would. Especially not after he’d seen her display of athleticism
and her fat rolls bouncing all over the place.

A knock sounded on the door and she quickly
pulled the comforter across her thighs to cover herself. She sighed
in relief when Marcia stepped through the door. She was not letting
a vet look at her ankle.

“Oh, Katie, I heard what happened.” The woman
was all sympathy as she clucked and fussed over Katie. It was kind
of nice. Other than Jessica, she didn’t really have anyone in her
life that really cared about her. Her mother and father, well,
those relationships were better left for brief visits during the
holidays.

Within minutes, Marcia had her settled in the
bed, stripped of her grass-stained sweater and dressed in an
oversized t-shirt that she had brought in with her. When Katie
asked whose it was, she grinned and told her John had given it to
her along with the icepack he’d promised.

“John’s just gone down to fetch, ah, Dr.
Anderson.”

Katie grimaced. “You don’t have to tiptoe
around it, Marcia. I know I’m about to be examined by a large
animal doctor.” She moved her foot gingerly. Marcia had propped it
up on a pillow and wrapped the icepack around it. “I guess it’s
poetic justice since a rather large animal caused my injury.”

Marcia laughed, then sobered. “I’ve never
seen John so upset. James had to calm him down. He was ready to
ship Big Ben to the slaughterhouse.”

“What? Oh, please tell me I didn’t cause the
bull to hurt himself?” Katie wailed. It was bad enough that she’d
almost gotten John hurt. She knew how touchy ranchers were about
their livestock.

“Goodness, no.” The other woman squeezed her
shoulder. “He was angry the bull had almost hurt you.”

To say the words shocked Katie would have
been an understatement. She was saved from trying to reply to the
mind-numbing comment when a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.” Marcia called, eyeing Katie
strangely.

The door opened and a tall, older man walked
inside carrying a large black medical bag. “Hello Marcia, is this
my patient?”

Marcia performed the introductions then stood
aside to let the vet step up on the bed. His smile was infectious
and Katie liked him immediately.

“Let’s see what damage you’ve done, little
lady.” He efficiently removed the icepack and began his
examination. Katie was biting her lip by the time it was over. The
man had twisted her limb in ways she’d never moved it before. Even
though his touch was gentle, by the time his examination ended, she
really hurt. He patted her knee under the cover once he’d settled
her foot back on the pillow and reapplied the icepack.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any pain medication
to give you, Miss Lenard. I’m sure John has some aspirin, though.
That should help take the swelling down and relieve the pain.”

Katie leaned against the pillows as the pain
settled back into a steady throb. “I bet I’m the first patient
you’ve ever told to take two aspirin and call you in the morning,”
she murmured, closing her eyes.

The man laughed. “That’s true, young lady,
but you’re also the prettiest patient I’ve had the pleasure of
treating.”

“If you’re through flirting with my guest,
Sam, I’ll see you out.”

Katie’s eyes flew open at the tone of John’s
voice. He sounded…angry. But why? It had been his idea to have the
vet treat her in the first place. His face was a dark mask and she
could have sworn she saw a muscle tick on the side of his jaw. He’d
changed into another western shirt, clean jeans, and nice boots. He
looked just the way a fantasy cowboy should. Heart clenchingly
sexy.

Dr. Anderson fastened his case before
answering. “I can see myself out, John. Why don’t you find some
aspirin for Katie. I’m sure her ankle is starting to bother her
something fierce by now. Tomorrow you can wrap it in an ace bandage
and she can get up for brief periods if she can tolerate it.”

“Tomorrow?” Katie couldn’t keep the note of
panic out of her voice. “I can’t stay here tonight.”

“Yes, you can.” Both men answered at once.
John frowned and Sam just grinned.

“No, I can’t.”

“Is someone expecting you home?”

Again, that strange look crossed John’s face.
“No, but...”

“Then it’s settled. You really can’t drive
with that ankle, Miss Lenard,” the vet stated. “And you don’t need
to be by yourself tonight. The best thing to do is stay here and
let John take care of you.”

Katie waited until the doctor and Marcia had
left the room before she looked at John. “I can’t stay here.”

“Why not?”

“Because, well, I just can’t.” She crossed
her arms over her chest. “I’m a big girl, Mr. Kinkaid. I’ve made my
own decisions for quite some time now.”

He snorted. “Yeah, and this one is right up
there with taking a walk through a corral occupied by a two ton
bull.”

“I didn’t see him.”

He laughed out loud and her face flushed. She
could hardly tell him her attention had been too focused on
him.

“You’ll be spending the night at the Triple
K.” When she started to protest, he touched her lips with his
finger. “Think of it as a trial run.”

She resisted the temptation to lick his
finger with the tip of her tongue–barely. For the sake of her
sanity, she leaned her head back against the pillow. “So we’re
spending the night at the homestead?” she asked.

“No.”

His intent stare was making her nervous.
“Then it’s not a trial run and I’m going home.” She attempted to
move her foot and bit her lip at the shaft of pain that sliced
through it. “I’ll just rest here for a little while. I’m sure I’ll
be fine in a few hours.”

“You are not going home tonight.”

He spoke through gritted teeth and Katie knew
she’d upset him. Again.

“Now, listen...,” Katie began hotly, only to
get sidetracked by the sexy picture he made standing there with his
arms crossed, muscles straining his t-shirt.

“No, you listen. I’m your boss and I say you
stay.”

“Does Marcia ever spend the night?”

“Yes, when she works late.”

“Oh.” That took the wind right out of her
sails and she wondered why she’d even asked the question. When she
opened her mouth to protest again, he made a slicing motion across
his throat.

“End of discussion.”

*****

John went to his office, trying not to think
about his reasons for insisting that Katie spend the night. Marcia
could take her home, or even one of the hands. Hell, he could take
her himself. He wasn’t about to dig too deeply into the why of it,
but he wanted her under his roof, plain and simple.

Unfortunately there was nothing plain or
simple about Katie Lenard.

She might be ordinary to look at, but she was
beautiful to behold. Her eyes were the darkest brown he’d ever
seen, bordering on black, but so warm and inviting a man wanted to
keep on looking. Her mouth sported a cupid’s bow on her full upper
lip and her bottom lip begged to be bitten. Her complexion was
clear and unblemished, free of all but the lightest makeup. Her
beauty was natural. Her hair color wasn’t from a bottle either. She
thought of herself as a little brown mouse. John thought there was
absolutely nothing mousy about her.

She was more like a kitten. Soft and cuddly,
with sharp little claws that came out at the damnedest times.

Taking a deep breath, he eyed his desk. He
couldn’t think about the situation with Katie any longer and he
damn sure wasn’t willing to dwell on just how right it felt to have
her in his house. He had a mountain of work to do. He’d closed
three deals in less than twenty-four hours and the fees would add
another zero to the Triple K’s bottom line. The breeding program,
along with the oil and gas that had been discovered a few years
back, insured his future. And his brother’s.

But he never felt like it would be enough. He
still remembered those dark days right after his parents were
killed and he’d realized he was going to be responsible for his
younger sibling. They came from an average, middleclass family with
two working parents. There had been no savings, no extra insurance
money. John’s father had been estranged from his family for years
and his mother had no living relatives. By the time social services
had tracked down his grandfather, John and James had been placed in
separate foster homes. John had vowed that would never happen
again. It had taken weeks before the old man had been located. And
a few more before he’d agreed to take on the responsibility of a
sixteen and twelve year old.

From the very first day at the ranch, John
had worked tirelessly to prove himself indispensable. He’d learned
everything he could about ranching and breeding. He’d planned on
going to college to study animal husbandry and business management,
but that had been nixed when his grandfather passed away
unexpectedly four years later.

Thankfully, his hard work had already started
to pay off and he’d had enough money to basically buy himself
custody of James. From that point on, he’d vowed never to be that
defenseless again. Safety necessitated money. And money equaled
power, which bought safety.

He’d taken night courses and on-line courses
and earned a degree in business and learned all about ranching the
hard way. He’d thrust his way into the business world and he’d
proven himself a success. The discovery of oil and gas was his
security. His fall back plan. But he’d never allow himself to live
off the royalties. Everything was reinvested, building his wealth.
He knew how fragile security and safety really were.

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting his
thoughts. “Come in,” he called.

“I hear we’re having an overnight guest.”
James opened the door, smiling as he stepped inside.

“Leave her alone, James. She’s here to work.”
He’d left Katie in the capable hands of his housekeeper, hoping her
good manners would prevent her from continuing to protest. It
wasn’t unusual for Marcia to spend the night when she worked late.
There was nothing wrong with Katie doing the same.

James laughed. “Better take your own advice,
brother. Or was she working on the staircase the other day?”

Damn. He didn’t think his brother had seen
them. Not that he cared for himself, but he didn’t want Katie
embarrassed.

“Look, James…”

“No, you look big brother.” James walked
closer to the desk, his usual easy-going demeanor absent. “Katie
seems like a nice girl. Don’t hurt her.”

John sighed. Maybe his brother was interested
after all. It didn’t matter, not really. As much as he loved his
brother, the fact remained that Katie was his. He’d recognized it
the instant he’d turned and seen her in the path of Big Ben. And
when he’d held her afterwards, he hadn’t wanted to let go. The feel
of her against his body, the sound of her heartbeat echoing the
fierce tattoo of his own, had knocked the breath out of him. “I
know–”

“You don’t know, jack. Katie looks at you
like you’re the flavor of the month at Ben and Jerry’s–”

John growled, stepping around the desk to
face the younger man. If that was a slight about Katie’s weight,
he’d deck the man, brother or no brother.

James waved his anger aside, not intimidated
in the least. “You break that girl’s heart and you’ll answer to
me.”

John frowned. “I have no intention of
breaking her heart.”

James walked to the door and turned, giving
his older brother a sage look. “No one ever does, do they?”

******

Katie was surprised when John brought her a
tray a half hour later. She’d been settled in a room that was
bigger than her whole apartment. It was definitely better decorated
in warm, earthy colors of golds, rusts, and browns.

“Ms. Carter was going to feed you some beef
broth and crackers but I talked her out of it. A growing girl needs
something more substantial.”

Katie wanted to bury her face in her hands
and cry at his flippant comment. Was that his way of saying he
thought she was fat? And that such a simple meal would never be
enough for someone her size? She willed her stomach not to growl
when she caught a tantalizing whiff of grilled steak. She was
starving. “I’m not hungry, but thank you.”

John’s eyes narrowed at her words but he
didn’t say anything. Instead, he put the tray on the bedside table
before turning to face her.

“That was not a comment about your
weight.”

Katie couldn’t meet his gaze. Having this
conversation with him was even more mortifying than having him
think
she was fat.

When she didn’t respond, John ran an
impatient hand through his thick hair. “It was a comment about your
age, damn it. You’re only twenty-nine.”