Sweet and Wild (9 page)

But unless she’d been dreaming, he
actually kissed her. It only lasted all of four seconds, but it happened and it
had been sweet, tempting, and sent hot flames all the way down to tickle her
toes. She pressed her fingers lightly to her lips. No, it hadn’t been a dream.
She could still feel his touch. It made her heart ache.

And she ran away like a yellow-bellied
coward.

“Chicken.”

Piper gave her a glance before sinking
her nose into her water bucket.

What was she supposed to do? Ask him to
do it again? Grab and pull him to her bedroom and…

“Shit.”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way.”

Thea appeared out of the shadows beyond
Piper’s stall.

Good lord, had Thea seen what happened?

“Why are you hiding out in the dark?” Thea’s
voice remained casual.

“Too loud out there,” Quinn lied. “Too
many people. I was getting claustrophobic.”

“He’s gone.”

“Who’s gone?” Maybe playing dumb would
work.

“Who do you think? Craig and Marisol
left about five minutes ago.”

Quinn’s shoulders slumped, suddenly
deflated. Why was she so disappointed that he left? She was the idiot who ran
off after the kiss. “Oh.”

“He asked me to give you a message. He
said he’s sorry.”

Quinn snorted. An apology. Just what she
needed to give her ego a boost.

“I don’t think he meant it that way,” Thea
offered in comfort. She opened the stall door, moved past Piper and took a seat
next to Quinn.

“Still not exactly what a girl wants to
hear.”

“Did you want him to kiss you?” Thea
asked gently.

Quinn paused. Her mind shouted yes! “I
didn’t expect it, but I’ve wanted Craig to kiss me for years.” She suddenly
felt silly for admitting it. “He was the first love of my life.”

“Oh, really? That’s surprising. I never
would’ve guessed.”

“Well, when he left town, all those dreams
were a little different then. I think they’ve grown up a bit.” Despite the
situation, Quinn found herself smiling. She’d never been one to get all girly
over a male, not really even Robby back when they dated. Lucky Craig.

“Please don’t tell Jacob. He’d have a
fit.”

Thea chuckled. “Your secret is safe with
me.”

A silence fell over them, broken only by
the sound of Piper nibbling on the remaining hay. All Quinn could think about
was the softness of Craig’s lips, the way his hands felt on her back, the way
her body pressed against his.

“So, how long are we going to sit here?”
Thea asked.

***

Marisol called the day after the
barbeque and asked Quinn to be at the Shady H when Shelby dropped Sunshine off.
For a moment, Quinn considered saying no. How in the world could she face
Craig? Especially after running away from him. But she couldn’t turn down
Marisol.

When she rode Piper into the Shady H
yard, the summer sun melted through her light plaid shirt. Clouds gathered low
on the western horizon but the rest of the sky was a powder blue. A hawk spun a
slow circle overhead.

The stable yard buzzed with more
activity than it had a few days ago. Hal drove a four-wheeler, pulling a wagon
loaded with boards. He gave her a wave before heading out to the paddock south
of the barn. Fred worked in the cattle pen, separating the younger stock, in a
world of his own and didn’t even notice her arrival.

She avoided looking toward the house,
but wondered where Craig was. Was he nervous about seeing her? Or would he try
to apologize again. Damn, that ticked her off. She frowned and dismounted, then
led Piper to a trough of water and to the hitching post in the shade of the
barn.

It was a little kiss. Why in the world
should she let it turn her inside out?

When Marisol flew out of the house,
followed by a more sober Craig, Quinn realized that ignoring what had happened
between them would be easier said than done.

Still, she put on her best smile and
focused on Marisol, not giving Craig even a snip of attention, even though he
looked damned good in the faded jeans and white shirt. A baseball cap covered
his dark hair and cast his eyes in shadow. Despite that, she felt them on her.
Seeking something. Maybe any indication of how she felt about him.

“You excited?” Quinn asked Marisol.

Marisol grabbed onto Quinn’s hands with
both of hers and gave them a good shake. “I didn’t think today would ever get
here, but Dad says I can’t ride her today. I can lead her around the stable
yard so she gets used to the smells. I would think it would smell the same here
as it does where she’s coming from.”

“You’d be surprised. It’s probably a
good idea to give her a day to get used to the place.”

Marisol kept her grip on Quinn’s,
squeezing tight. “But you’ll be here tomorrow for our first lesson, right?”

“Right.” And every other day after that she’d
be here, on Craig’s property, maybe talking to him, maybe not. Each moment
she’d remember the way his lips had touched hers, remember the thrill and
satisfaction that kissing him was every bit as sweet and melting as she’d
always dreamed.

Then she’d go and spoil it by recalling how
he’d apologized.

The arrival of Shelby and Little Miss
Sunshine saved her from further retrospection. She stood back and let Craig and
Shelby unload the mare, keeping an anxious Marisol at her side. The girl’s
enthusiasm bristled like crackling electricity.

“She’s so beautiful,” Marisol sighed
when the mare emerged from the trailer.

Quinn agreed. The summer sun glimmered
off the horse’s golden coat. She came by her name honestly.

“Why are there bandages on her legs?”

“To protect them during the trip. Even
though horses are really strong it’s still easy for them to get hurt,
especially their legs.”

The mare lifted her nose in the air.
Nostrils flared as she took in the new scents and let out a shrill whinny that
echoed against the barn. The horses in the paddock lifted their heads and went
to the fence to see who’d arrived. Sunny lowered her head, then shook it, and
her entire body, like a wet dog, and danced around Shelby again.

Marisol laughed.

Quinn smiled. Horse and girl were
equally wired. They were going to make quite a pair.

Craig walked away from the horse and
Shelby, glancing at Quinn as he approached. Her stomach clutched and a rush of
heat spread from her face to her toes. She prayed the shadow from her hat hid
the blush that no doubt colored her face a lovely shade of red.

“I’m giving them a moment,” he
explained, his gaze switching to Marisol. “In a minute go to Shelby. She wants
to spend a little time with you, to give you some pointers.”

After a few minutes, when Shelby called
Marisol, Quinn wished she could join them and escape Craig. Unless she
distracted him with another topic.

“You never did tell me why Ted Penney
went off in such a snit yesterday.”

“I got sidetracked,” he replied evenly.

The kiss.
That had diverted
him. Nice way to circle the topic back.

“Why did he leave in such a huff?”

“Because I told him I was going to buy
my ranch back, no matter what.”

Quinn looked at him, eyes wide. “You’re
kidding.”

“No ma’am. I wouldn’t kid about that.
He’s nearly destroyed it. It made me sick. I want to rescue it, and those
animals of his, from complete ruin.”

“I can’t imagine your offer thrilled
him. If nothing else, the man has pride.”

“No, he wasn’t thrilled. I don’t think
he liked the words I used to describe my feelings. I get the impression money
will motivate him in the end. With a man like that, cash always seems to win
out.”

Quinn hoped he was right. What Ted had
done to the Lynch’s place could only be described as criminal. There were
ranchers around these parts who would be happy to string a man up for
destroying property, treating animals in a way that bordered cruelty. But how
would Craig run two spreads?

“Good for you. I wouldn’t be too sad to
see the last of him. Although I worry about his wife and son.”

Craig nodded and continued to stare at
her. “It was a good thing you did for her.”

Quinn shrugged. “Every woman deserves a
little pampering.”

Too much intensity blazed in his blue
gaze. She looked away toward Shelby and Marisol. Marisol stroked the mare’s
neck but listened to what Shelby had to say.

“Are we not going to talk about what
happened yesterday?”

Damn.
Quinn stared at her booted toe,
scuffing it in the dirt. “What’s to talk about?” He’d apologized for scaring
her. She glanced at him and noted his furrowed brows. “Listen, I don’t know
what was going through my head. I’m sorry to make you uncomfortable.”

Craig’s troubled frown turned into a
frustrated grimace.

“You don’t have to apologize, Quinn. I
kissed you, not the other way around. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Quinn sighed. She’d all but invited the
kiss. On the dance floor, in his arms she couldn’t keep her senses in any kind
of order. The kiss came as naturally as a breeze off the prairie, sweet and
pure with the possibility of turning into something a lot more dangerous.

Now she knew what kissing Craig felt
like. It didn’t have to happen again, as much as she wanted more.

She didn’t know what was worse. Not
knowing, or knowing what she’d miss if he never kissed her again.

With a forced smile, she looked at him,
straightening. “Yeah, okay. It’s not like it’s going to happen again, right? If
I’m here working with your daughter, well, it might be for the best.”

Craig’s mouth opened as if to reply, but
he didn’t say anything. His blue gaze regarded her. Trouble lurked in those
eyes, she could see it as plain as day, mirroring her own, but she refused to
back down.

He closed his mouth and nodded. “Guess
you’re right.”

Quinn hated putting a wall up between
them but it had to be done if she wanted to hold onto the self-control she had
left. She hoped he’d prove stronger than she.

Shelby, Marisol and Sunny joined them at
the rail and Quinn took the opportunity to put some distance between herself
and Craig, offering to help lug the tack to the barn while the Lynches
concluded their business with Shelby. While in the tack room she heard Shelby’s
truck pull away. Now was good a time to make her break and head for home. She
had a busy day, and getting away from Craig would be a good thing.

Without talking to Craig directly, Quinn
said goodbye, mounted Piper and headed to her ranch.

***

Quinn tucked her heartache away. She had
scheduled a barrel racing lesson with a housewife from Des Moines and a fifth
grade teacher from Vermont. Then she had a yearling who needed her attention.
That was the meat and potatoes of her life. She didn’t need her head in the
clouds to distract her from her duties.

Toward the end of the lesson, Quinn realized
they had an audience of one. Robby leaned against the fence, his hat tipped
back on his head, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Posing, Quinn
thought with irritation. He was the most self-aware, self-assured man she’d
ever known.

Too bad he wasn’t his brother. No, she
took that back because if Craig shared his brother’s pompous qualities she
wouldn’t be interested. One of the reasons she liked Craig was precisely
because he and Robby were worlds apart in personality.

She ignored him until she finished with
the women. When they’d taken their horses back to the barn she sauntered to
Robby.

“Woman, you look drop dead gorgeous
today.” He flashed a lazy, thousand watt smile.

“Thanks. That’s what you hung around to
tell me?” Quinn climbed through the fence and joined him on the other side.

“Isn’t that reason enough?” His voice
was smooth as silk.

“Nope.”

“Q, when are you going to cut me a
break?”

Quinn headed toward the barn, hoping he
wouldn’t follow, but knowing that of course he would. “Never?” she threw over
her shoulder.

“You are blistering cold.” Instead of
stalking away, he walked next to her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

The man just didn’t get the hint. She
drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to chase away the annoyance
gathering in her brain. “What else did you want?”

“I hear the ladies from California
checked out.”

“Yup.”

“I heard that Charlene talked about
you.”

Quinn sighed. “Fantastic.”

“She told me she knew some people in the
entertainment industry. I was just thinking maybe she said something to you.”

So, was this was the heart of the
matter? Robby flashing his true colors. “And you wonder why I’m so cold? I
barely said three words to her while she was here.”