The Cowboy's Temptation (12 page)

Once they were alone again, Jake pulled Elissa up and she pulled her shirt closed. Jake ran fingers through his hair and pulled hay out of hers while she re-clasped her bra and buttoned her shirt.

“Elissa, meet me tonight to talk,” Jake said. It was an order and not a request.

Elissa nodded her head, willing to say anything to get out of this stall with a little dignity left. She had literally thrown herself into Jake’s arms a half hour ago albeit because she was scared. But she couldn’t believe how quickly things got out of hand when they were alone together.

She pulled the gate opened and rushed out into the barn. She controlled her pace, wanting to run all the way to Ronny’s house but knowing that Jake would think she was running away, which was exactly what she was doing. But when she left the barn and the sun hit her full in the face, she took off running, unable to control the urge to put as much space between herself and Jake as possible.

Jake followed her out of the stall more slowly, his body needing time to cool off before he faced any of the other ranch employees. He walked out of the barn and watched the slim figure break into a run and shook his head. He didn’t understand someone who was so terrified of something so incredible. Didn’t she understand that what they had together was rare? He knew she felt the same feelings he had. She ignited in his arms at the very first touch and it just kept getting more and more intense. If they didn’t do something about this attraction, they were going to spontaneously ignite.

Was she so attached to her job in New York that she couldn’t consider a life outside of it? He didn’t think that was the case. When she first arrived at the ranch, she looked like the walking dead. She had been so thin a slight breeze might have knocked her over.

Now, her curves were still slim but they were sexier, fuller. He crossed his arms over his chest and enjoyed watching Elissa’s bottom in her jeans and his body hardened again, not that it had ever left that state. Hell, he’d been in a constant state of semiarousal since he’d picked her up at the airport. Except for the times when she was in his arms. Then there was no semi about it. He was rock hard ready for that dainty lady.

“Whatcha doing for dinner tonight, boss?” Rick said, walking up beside Jake and plucking a piece of straw from his shoulder.

 

“Working, I guess,” Jake responded, not bothering to take his eyes off Elissa until she disappeared behind one of the ranch buildings.

Rick reached up and took another piece of straw out of Jake’s hair. “Well, I’m thinking you haven’t been over to the house for dinner in a while. Might be interesting if you came on by.”

“What are you getting at, Rick?” Jake said, sighing and turning away to head back towards the truck. He needed to get out to the south border and check on the herd.

 

“I’m just saying that I think it isn’t a good idea for Elissa to be walking back to the main house each night alone.”

 

“She’s staying where she is, dammit” Jake snapped. He didn’t understand why, but the idea of not having Elissa under his roof made him lose his cool.

Rick held up his hands. “Whoa! Not even suggesting anything different. I’m just saying that you seem to disappear pretty often lately and reappear more frustrated. Maybe if you knew where your query was when you started the search, you’d be able to stay with her to work out whatever it is you two need to work out.”

Jake was amazed by his friend’s perceptiveness. And he appreciated the offer of dinner so he could make sure to have a chance to talk with Elissa tonight. He’d make sure they talked too. He would stay several feet away from her so he could get some answers to the questions brewing in his head.

He punched Rick on the arm, indicating without words both an apology and a thanks for the offer. “What time?”

“Seven o’clock.. Michael gets pretty cranky until that time and we take turns walking him while the others eat. It gets a little nuts but there’s always the possibility that he’ll be good tonight.”

Jake laughed. “I’ll be there.”

Instead of taking the truck and driving to the south border, he slammed the door shut and headed in the direction of the helicopter. He’d have the task done in half the time. He wouldn’t be able to see some of the problems Rick mentioned earlier, but he’d be able to assess the situation and still get back in time for dinner tonight.

Elissa looked out the window of Ronny’s house and saw the helicopter take off. Jake was in the pilot’s seat, sunglasses shading his eyes. She knew she should feel some relief knowing that he was probably going to be gone for several hours, possibly overnight if he had to go somewhere that required the helicopter.

But she admitted that she was disappointed. There was something about being with Jake that made the air crackle with energy. He dominated the room he was in and there was an air of authority that surrounded him. The combination was quite an aphrodisiac. Add in his broad shoulders and all those muscles and Elissa knew that she was doomed.

“What are you thinking about?” Ronny asked, coming up behind Elissa, her arms laden with Maxine.

Elissa turned to face her friend and picked up Michael who was waving his arms in front of his face. Holding the tiny baby close to her chest, she sat down in the arm chair and smiled, making faces while she considered how much to tell Ronny.

“Why hasn’t Jake ever married?”

 

“I don’t know,” Ronny shifted Maxine and took a seat on the couch facing Elissa. “I guess he’s just never found the right woman.”

 

“Is he dating anyone?”

 

“Besides you?”

 

Elissa’s eyes snapped up to look at Ronny. “Jake and I aren’t dating.”

 

“Not in the traditional sense. But you’d have to be an idiot not to feel the electricity between the two of you.”

 

Elissa didn’t like the fact that she couldn’t hide her feelings. “Is it that obvious?”

Ronny laughed. “Are you kidding? Neither one of you can stop looking at the other one, although you both try to hide it. I think Jake’s finished with that phase though.”

“What do you mean?”

Ronny shrugged and stood up to walk with her daughter who was getting fidgety. “Well, when you were coming back from the barn, Jake watched you the whole time. And he didn’t seem to care that his ranch hands noticed his interest this time.”

Elissa blushed, remembering how she had run across the well tended drive between the barn and the other ranch buildings. “Well, I’m done with this. So it doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m determined to avoid him. If it means slipping out of the house earlier in the morning or going to town after you go to bed, that’s what I’m going to have to do. I can’t be in the same room with him without things…” Elissa didn’t finish the sentence.
“Getting out of hand?” Ronny finished for her.

“Something like that.”

 

“And you expect Jake to just accept that?”

 

“Yes. I expect him to be a gentleman and respect my wishes.”

 

“Except that you don’t really wish that.”

“Ronny, I’m not going to fall for it. I don’t know what I want right now. I know I don’t want my old life back but I also know that I don’t want to be treated like most men treat women.”

“Most men aren’t pigs like the ones you worked with.”

“I didn’t just work with them, I dated them as well. Three relationships in a row down the drain because they couldn’t be faithful. And I don’t buy the excuse that they did it because I wouldn’t have sex with them. If they can’t keep their pants zipped, then I don’t need the aggravation.”

“Jake’s not like those other men, Lissy,” Ronny said quietly but with complete conviction.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well, I’m not willing to bet my pride and self esteem on your personal perceptions of Jake.”

 

“Well, why don’t you just enjoy him while you figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life?”

They passed each other on the small stretch of carpeting as both walked and bounced the babies who gurgled and cried at different intervals. But Ronny’s comment stopped Elissa short. “What do you mean?”

Ronny rolled her eyes. “Elissa, you’ve never reacted like this to any man. So why don’t you take what you can from Jake? Enjoy him, get to know him. Find out what makes the man tick? Or just satisfy yourself in bed with him. I’m pretty sure you won’t come away from that running.”

Elissa’s heartbeat skipped a beat. The idea that she could turn the tables had never occurred to her. Of course, she wasn’t going to go out and cheat on Jake. But the thought of just going into the relationship knowing that it was going to end, anticipating that it would go no where was a very alluring idea. Could she protect herself in that way?

“I can see I’ve tempted you.”

Elissa didn’t respond since Rick came in a moment later. He swept Ronny into his arms, careful not to hurt his baby daughter. Then rushed to Elissa’s side to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Ya’ll look lovely with these babies,” he said before he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time so he could shower off the ranch dust.

Elissa and Ronny laughed at his enthusiasm for his babies, despite his obvious lack of sleep. He came downstairs a few minutes later and took Michael out of Elissa’s hands so she could finish dinner and also leave the four of them alone for a few minutes.

She busied herself in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for a salad and setting the table. The whole time, Ronny’s advice tumbled through her mind. What would it be like to accept Jake as her lover? Could she separate her heart from the sex? Is that all Jake wanted from her? For some reason she didn’t want to investigate, that thought hurt a great deal. She pushed it out of her mind. All she wanted from Jake was sex so why should she care if he wanted the same thing?

Besides, maybe if they had sex, just once, she could get him out of her system and move on. She loved this ranch. She loved horseback riding and cooking and taking care of the babies but she couldn’t do this forever. She really needed to figure out what she was going to do long term.

A new voice in the family room almost made her drop the knife she was using to cut up carrots. Jake!

 

Was he really here or had her imagination just conjured up his voice since her mind was so centered on him?

 

And then he appeared in the kitchen, his large body taking up all the available space.

 

“Need some help?” he asked, his grin indicating that he had expected her surprise.

 

“What are you doing here?”

“I suspected that you might hide out here despite your agreement to talk tonight. So I came by to walk you home and make sure we had our little chat,” he explained and reached behind her to pull out the dishes from the cabinet.

He winked at her before he left the room to set the table. Elissa didn’t know what to do. But her body did. The moment she’d heard his voice, her body had gone into overdrive.

Dumping the carrots into the bowl, she followed in the path Jake had just taken. Holding the bowl in front of her like a shield, she watched as Jake and Rick joked about something that had happened on the ranch today.

Good grief that man was sexy! He was just placing plates in front of each chair and Elissa’s eyes were transfixed by his hands. She wanted him to be touching her, not the plates. He walked over to her and plucked the salad bowl out of her hands, placed it in the middle of the table, all the while, keeping up a constant discussion with Rick on the happenings of the ranch.

Elissa went back into the kitchen and leaned against the sink, thinking. It was such a tantalizing thought, to give in to her desire for Jake and keep herself free from any kind of emotional attachment. Could she do it?

“What’s cooking?” Jake asked, striding into the kitchen and opening the oven.

Elissa grabbed the oven mitts and pulled them on. She grabbed the potato casserole made of grated potatoes, cheese and milk. She set that on top of the stove, then reached in to pull out the breaded chicken breasts. There was more than enough to feed Jake. Elissa always made enough so she could wrap up a plate for him. She didn’t know why she did it but had stopped questioning it a few days ago. The meal was always gone in the morning and he had told her he loved her cooking. It was enough to spur her on to make more interesting dishes.

“This smells fantastic,” he said, inhaling the scent of the two casseroles. “How did you learn to cook?”

 

“Um…I didn’t,” She said, and shyly placed the chicken on a platter for the dining room.

 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I had to cook for my family when I was in high school but since then, I never had the chance. Without the pressure of my job, I’ve found that I really enjoy cooking,” She explained and disappeared into the dining room after making that admission.

Jake was right on her heels as were Rick and Ronny, both with a baby in their arms. They placed the two sleeping infants into the swings, then sat down to dig into Elissa’s meal.

They talked quietly, laughing at the goings on of some of the ranch hands. None of the laughter was malicious though, Elissa noted. It was as if the entire ranch staff was a family member to Jake. He genuinely cared for each of the people he and Rick were talking about. It was a comforting realization for Elissa who was used to the cut-throat, back stabbing relationships she’d experienced in New York. Anyone was food for the gossip mills and the sillier, the faster they spread. Everyone liked to talk about the ridiculous things others did in order to make themselves look better, smarter, sharper.

Maxine woke up just as Elissa brought in a blueberry pie. Without hesitating, Elissa picked up the tiny bundle and started walking, cooing and singing to ease the baby’s discomfort. Instantly Maxine relaxed and stared fixedly at Elissa’s face.

Jake watched with a lump in his throat. He tried to tear his eyes away from Elissa with the baby in her arms but she was just too lovely.

Rick cleared his throat and Jake snapped back to the present. Elissa had gone into the family room so the three of them could eat their dessert in peace but Jake wanted her back in here. He didn’t want to look at Rick and Ronny, he wanted to look at Elissa.