Send Me a Cowboy (7 page)

“Let me look.” He slid the cover off her
lower leg and took her injured foot in his hand before she could
protest. Removing the icepack, he groaned when the icy water
spilled out onto his shirt. Flicking open the buttons, he lifted
the wet material away from his skin. “I’ll dry,” he muttered at her
concerned look. Lifting her foot lightly, he turned it slowly,
trying not to cause more pain. The swelling had gone down, but it
was now a deep purple.

“Oh, James.” His name came out in a husky
rush. His manipulations hurt.

“Sorry.” He stopped. “I know it’s late, but
do you feel like going over some of the plans? I have to meet with
a contractor tomorrow. Marcia said John would be on the phone for
quite some time.”

She blushed. Did they know he’d be coming to
her after his business was concluded? “Why not?”

“Thanks, Katie. I really want to get this
project up and running. As soon as you get the figures to John,
he’ll be on board. As long as it makes him money, he’s for it.” She
wondered again why James wasn’t using his own money. This time she
just asked.

“Most of it is tied up in trust. I get an
allowance every month, all my expenses are paid, but I don’t have
enough liquid capital to start the guest ranch.”

“And John does?”

James smiled. “Oh yeah. Grandfather only left
me the original homestead and a couple of hundred acres surrounding
it. John got the rest.”

She bit her lip, wondering if she should ask
her next question. “You didn’t mind?”

James smiled. “Heck no. There’s more in the
trust than I’ll be able to use in this lifetime. And John deserves
what he has and more. Not only did he keep me from foster care, he
saved the ranch too. Almost as soon as we moved in with
grandfather, John took over the running of the ranch. At eighteen.
The man is a wiz at closing a deal. The Triple K made a profit for
my grandfather before we came, but nothing on the scale it does
now. John sacrificed so much for me. He didn’t go to college, hell,
he didn’t have a life.” He leaned closer as if sharing a closely
guarded secret. “In my opinion, he doesn’t have much of one right
now. All he does is work.” He threw her a telling look. “He needs a
good woman.”

“It sounds like he’s a good man.”

“He is Katie. You might want to remember
that. Now, let me get you some more ice. Do you need anything?”

She wanted to ask for her t-shirt, but she
didn’t. “Could I have some more aspirin?”

“Sure, thing.”

*****

John didn’t know what emotion he should be
feeling when he discovered his brother leaving Katie’s room. Anger,
betrayal? He’d cut his conference call short so he could get back
to Katie as quickly as possible. Hell, he wasn’t sure he hadn’t
cost himself the deal by being so abrupt. But this time he didn’t
care. He’d wanted to get back into Katie’s arms as fast as he
could.

There was no denying the evidence of his own
eyes. His brother’s hair was mussed and his shirt unbuttoned almost
to the waist as if he’d thrown it on in a hurry. He’d heard their
voices, the low moans of pleasure.

His hands clenched at his sides. He felt he’d
sacrificed his whole life to ensure James’ future and this was how
his brother repaid him?

He opened the bedroom door and stepped
inside. Katie sat up in bed the comforter pulled up to just below
her waist. She looked small in the big bed. She’d pulled on her
t-shirt and her beautiful thighs were hidden from view by the
cover. She had the most delicious body. There hadn’t been enough
time in the last few hours to explore even a fraction of her silky
skin.

She smiled as soon as she saw him. “Hi.”

His smile wasn’t quite so pleasant. “So you
go from my arms to my brother’s?” The words sprang from snarled
lips. “Was I too demanding, Katie? Did you think James would be a
more considerate lover?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I heard you—crying out
his
name. The
same way you said mine so many times last night.” He came closer
bending over her, his face an angry mask. Not a hint of humanity
was shining through. “If I’d known you were so easy, honey, I
wouldn’t have waited so long.”

“What…what are you talking about?”

“James.”

As the meaning of his words sank in, she lost
some of her trepidation. “You think…you think I was having sex with
him
?” Her voice broke on the last word.

“Yeah, just like you had sex with me.”

“I was no–”

John held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear
anything more from you. You’re not the woman I thought you were.
Get your things and James can drive you home.” The look he gave her
was so flinty she was surprised the bedcovers didn’t catch fire. “I
hope you realize you’ve broken Marcia’s heart. She’s in love with
my brother.”

Though hurt beyond words, Katie was glad that
anger was her primary emotion. “Well, maybe she’ll realize that
having sex with
one
of the Kinkaid brothers doesn’t mean a
damn thing.” She crawled from the bed thanking her lucky stars
she’d pulled on her underwear and t-shirt as soon as James had
left. She didn’t know if she could do this if she’d had been naked.
It was bad enough she was exposing this amount of flesh to a man
who now despised her. She gritted her teeth as she put weight on
her ankle.

Her jeans and sweater were on the dresser,
clean and dry thanks to Mrs. Carter. Marcia had brought them up
earlier, before John had brought her supper. She gritted her teeth
as she pulled the denim over her hips. Luckily the snap closed
easily. How embarrassing it would be if she had to lay on the bed
to zip up her pants.

She pulled her sweater on over the t-shirt.
There was no way she was taking it off in front of him. Too damn
bad if he wanted it back. She stalked across the floor, blocking
out the pain walking was causing. She fought back the tears that
stung her eyes. She’d die before she let him see any weakness.
She’d leave even if she had to crawl. She stuffed her bra into her
purse and grabbed her laptop and the borrowed briefcase she’d
brought with her on her first day at the ranch. This man had been
in her life a little over two weeks and he’d already broken her
heart.

The man was crazy if he thought that she—or
any other woman in her right mind—would leave his bed for his
brother’s. The things they’d done…

Maybe she was the crazy one for thinking
something like that could have lasted.

*****

It was two days before Valentine’s Day and if
Katie saw another chocolate heart or fake rose she was going to
puke. Jessica would be happy now. Katie no longer obsessed about
Valentine’s Day. In fact, she was starting to hate the day.

Once again she would not be receiving
anything for Valentine’s Day. And now, she didn’t care. Her heart
ached for what she’d shared with John and the hope for a future
that would never be. That dream had died before it had gotten a
chance to soar.

And why not? Her heart was broken. No matter
how illogical, Katie knew she’d started to fall in love with John
Kinkaid. How could that be after just a couple of weeks? The time
spent with him had awoken something within her. She’d felt alive
and loved. He’d had an upbringing that was far from ideal just as
she had. It had shaped him in ways that called to her.

With John, she hadn’t felt like society’s
‘before’ picture of how a woman should look. She’d been Katie
Lenard, desirable woman.

Rain had started to fall late in the
afternoon. If the temperature had been just a little lower, snow
would be covering the city. She’d gotten wet as she left work and
took a long hot shower once she’d made it home. But no amount of
hot showers or warm blankets could warm Katie. Her heart was
cold.

She was so lonely. Lonelier than she’d ever
been in her life. Before she’d known John, she’d always known she
was alone. But now she knew that she would always be lonely. Maybe
time would lessen the pain, but the emptiness would remain.

A knock sounded at the door. It was too early
for the pizza she’d ordered before taking her shower and Jessica
was out of town for the night. It was probably her next door
neighbor wanting to borrow some butter or sugar. The woman baked
excessively during any holiday.

She went to the door dressed in a fuzzy pair
of lounging pajamas, polar bear house shoes and a thermal top. It
was too small and the material stretched across her chest and
showed a band of white skin along the bottom but she didn’t care.
Her hair wasn’t styled and her makeup had washed away under the
shower. She looked almost as bad as she felt. And she didn’t
care.

She opened the door and found John standing
there dressed in a leather bomber jacket, an open necked green knit
shirt and a pair of stone washed jeans. The shirt almost perfectly
matched his eyes. Eyes that held a mixture of trepidation and
determination.

He looked like a dream.

“Katie.”

She wanted to throw herself at him. Instead,
she stiffened her spine and her resolve.

“What do you want?” She blocked the entrance
to the apartment. She’d opened the door without looking but was
prepared to close it quickly.

“Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?” he
replied. He placed a hand against the paneled door above her
head.

Any other day, the remark would have made
Katie’s temper soar. But now? Now it just didn’t matter. Nothing
mattered. He might be on her doorstep, but he’d never be in her
life. She moved to close the door. She couldn’t do this.

“Wait.” He caught the door before she could
slam it shut.

“You said everything you needed to say.”

“I said things I shouldn’t have said, Katie.
Let me come in. We need to talk.”

She studied his face. She’d seen him angry,
amused, and in the throes of passion. Tonight he looked almost
defeated. Something she couldn’t imagine the man had ever
experienced.

“Invite me in for coffee.”

“I don’t drink coffee.” She wasn’t about to
make this easy for him.

“Katie,” he growled.

“Fine. I’ll make hot chocolate.” She turned
around and stomped off to her small kitchen. Well, kitchenette.
Reaching up, she removed two thick white mugs from the top cabinet.
She filled them with milk, added a packet of cocoa mix to each,
then extra sugar and chocolate syrup. After carefully stirring the
ingredients together, she placed them in the microwave to heat.
She’d be damned if she gave the many any marshmallows.

When she carried the drinks into the living
room, she found her uninvited guest sprawled across her small sofa,
his large body taking up more than his fair share of the available
space. He took the mugs from her and placed them on the small side
table. He didn’t move to make room for her to sit down and she was
forced to squeeze between him and the arm rest. The sofa was the
only place to sit in her small living room. No one besides Jessica
ever came to see her and another piece of furniture would have just
cost her money and taken up room she couldn’t spare.

“Why are you here, Mr. Kinkaid?” Better to
get right to the heart of the matter before hers broke
completely.

He leaned against the low back of the sofa.
The brown micro-suede fabric enhanced his masculine appearance. He
looked right at home. Her eyes went involuntarily to his prominent
cheekbones, his slightly crooked nose, and his firm, sensuous
mouth. She shivered.

“Remembering how I taste?”

“No,” she denied quickly even though that was
exactly what she’d been doing.

His gaze fell to her lips. “I remember,
honey. I can’t forget. You taste sweet, like cotton candy.” His
eyes held an unreadable expression. “Go get dressed. I’ll take you
to dinner.”

“No.”

He laughed. “You enjoy telling me no, don’t
you Katie-cat.”

“Don’t call me that.” Kate was trying to reel
in her spiraling senses. His words had thrown her off balance,
instilling a ray of hope in spite of her best defense.

“Why not? You’re a little kitten with hidden
claws.”

His smile bordered on being mean and Kate’s
temper soared. She rose from the couch, intent on showing him the
door. Her heart was too sore, too broken. She’d never get over him
if she allowed him any more time in her life.

“Get out, Mr. Kinkaid.” She pointed to the
door, but instead of following her sharply spoken demand, he caught
her hand and jerked her down on top of him. She could feel the
pressure of his muscular thigh under her buttocks and the way his
heart hammered against her breasts where they touched, chest to
chest. Her face was mere inches from his and she could taste his
breath on her lips as she stared at him. Arousal was swift and
stunning in its force.

He trailed his fingers down her cheek to the
side of her throat and down to the opening of her shirt. There he
traced a random pattern that sped up her already wildly beating
heart. He pinned her hips to him and thrust upward, the swell of
his body hard beneath her thighs.

“John.”

“Feel what you do to me, Katie.” He kept her
pinned to his body as he moved. Her body pressed back
involuntarily.

Her body seemed to dissolve into him. Never
had a man made her want so much. She could feel the heat radiating
from him, engulfing her in its flames. She made a desperate sound
in the back of her throat and shivered as the sensations washed
over her. “I feel so…,” she whispered.

“Tell me, baby.” The words went into Katie’s
mouth as John kissed her like the hungry man that he was. He cupped
the back of her head, holding her still as he ravished the mouth
that belonged to him. He groaned as she squirmed against his
aroused body.

“What’s wrong, little Katie-cat?” he groaned
against her parted lips. He knew what was wrong. He knew what she
needed. She was his little shy kitten, but she was telling him
everything with her movements. He knew more about women and sex
than he cared to admit some days. She kissed him more with
enthusiasm than experience and it turned him into a hot ball of
need. He knew what she wanted and from now on, he intended to be
the man that met her every need.