The Taming (The Black Thunder Series) (6 page)

“I’m back,” he stated and placed the glass of water on her nightstand
.

Kate lifted the pillow from her eyes
. Jack sat on the bed facing her. He pulled out the bottle from its package and opened it. He handed her a pill then the glass of water. Kate popped the pill willingly in her mouth and drank it down with the water. She handed Jack back the glass and he set it again on the nightstand.

“Thanks, Jack,”
she said with appreciation. “How much was it?”

“Enough to make me yell at the pharmacist for overcharging
.” He stated with an overbearing smile. “And he didn’t even give you thirty days’ worth; six measly pills for one seventy-five. That’s highway robbery that’s what that is.”

“Let me write you a check,” she said reaching for her purse.

“I told you before, I got it covered.”

“I can’t let you do that,” she said pulling out her checkbook.

“Don’t insult my generosity.” He firmly took the checkbook from her hands and placed it on the nightstand. “Besides, I kind of like that you’re now beholding to me. Maybe I’ll call in the favor sometime.”

“I’m writing that check,”
she said afraid to owe this man any favors.

“Relax baby,” he smiled. “Now lay back and rest
. The pharmacist said this is some pretty powerful stuff. It should make you sleep.”

He motioned to her to lie down
. Kate didn’t have the strength to argue. She snuggled her head into the pillow, and closed her eyes, waiting for the medicine to kick in to ease the throbbing pain.

“That’s it,” he whispered lulling her with his soothing tone
. He gently rubbed her temple with the tips of his fingers guiding them into her hairline pressing lightly on her scalp. “Does this help?”

It actually felt soothingly good
. “Yes,” she whispered feeling his fleshy tips against her tender skin massaging the pain temporarily away.

It didn’t take long for the medicine to work its wonder along with Jack’s tranquilizing techniques
. The combination did just the trick as the pain lifted and placed Kate into a peaceful slumber. He knew the minute she was asleep. Her breathing changed along with the rise and fall of her chest. A slight sound escaped her lips and he couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s it baby, sleep,” he whispered as he continued his application of manual manipulation to her scalp.

Whether it was for her benefit now or his, he wasn’t sure. Her hair was soft like his dream and Jack couldn’t help lingering his fingers through the silky tendrils of sunshine filled locks. He was getting lost in her like he had in the dream. His conscience yelled at him and he pulled away.

Jack stood up breaking the cord of touch
. Kate rolled onto her side, burying her head in the pillow and curling up one leg to meet her chest. Her sweet little bottom exposed for his pleasure; her back naked by her hiked up shirt. It was his turn to rub his fingertips through his hair.

God he wanted her, more than anything or anyone in his life
. He wanted to take her and claim her possessively beneath him, make her call out his name, only his name.
You’re insane
, he told himself, wanting her just for him. At that moment she was his whether she knew or not. It was what he wanted, and he would be damned if he wouldn’t have her, all of her, bending to his will, his craving, his need to get lost inside her.

Jack needed to get out of there before he did something he might regret later.

“Sweet dreams, Kate,” he whispered as he brushed a kiss on the side of her head. He didn’t wait for a response. Jack crept from her bedroom, descended the stairs and left the carriage house, making his way home.

Five

Propositions

T
he headache was gone. Kate awoke to the sun beating in through her bedroom window. She felt good and rested. She dressed, had breakfast, and then walked to the main house to start her day. She was early and half way there decided to take a detour and explore the ranch. She wandered toward the stables and saw a pair of ranch hands working the horses in the corral. Kate walked up and leaned on the fence to watch.

Two young hired hands astride horses were parading the large beasts around the ring
. They nodded and tipped their Stetsons to her. Kate smiled and waved. They strode the animals toward her, bellying them up to the fence.

“Howdy,” they greeted her.

“You must be the new girl,” the one smiled a huge cowboy hello as dark tendrils poked through his Stetson that matched his mares. “I’m Tony, and this here’s Dustin.”

“Hi, I’m Kate.” She smiled back.

“Pleasure ma’am,” Dustin nodded tapping on the brim of his own hat. “You’re the one living in the carriage house, right?”

“Why, yes I am
.”

“Nice place isn’t it,” said Tony
. “Helped paint it myself.”

“You did a great job,” she said
. “The place was perfect when I moved in.”

Tony
seemed to beam with pride.

“Say, you want to take a ride around the ring?” asked Dustin.

“No thanks,” she cringed nervously looking at the big animals. “I don’t ride.”

“Oh come on,” Tony coaxed her as he climbed down from his horse
. “Most of the folks we take on trails don’t know how to ride. These animals are trained to do it themselves.”

Tony opened the gate and motioned for Kate to step inside
.

“All right,” said Kate as she walked past him.

Tony guided her over to his horse. “Place your hands on the horn and your left foot in the stirrup,” he said demonstrating how it was done. “I’ll help you with the rest.”

Kate nodded and Tony stepped aside
. Dustin leaned forward in his saddle resting his arms on the horn as he watched Kate grab hold while placing her foot in the stirrup.

Tony lifted her, placing his hands on her bottom and hoisted her into the seat
. He looked over at Dustin and winked. Dustin nodded as a slow grin formed on his face.

“Now hold on and I’ll walk you around the ring
.” He grabbed the reigns and escorted Kate on top of the horse around the perimeter of the corral. “You can touch her if you want. She won’t bite.”

Kate leaned forward and ran her hand along the animal’s neck
. It was soft but also coarse, the hair tickling her palms.

“This here’s Sadie Mae,” he stated looking up at the pretty woman astride the horse.

“Hello Sadie Mae,” Kate continued to stroke the animal. The horse turned her head toward her, whinnied, and then showed her teeth. Kate quickly moved her hand away while Dustin and Tony laughed. He guided the animal back toward the fence and stopped it beside Dustin.

“Are you both trail guides?”

“On occasion,” said Dustin.

“Mostly we’re horse trainers,” added Tony.

“I’m the housekeeper,” she frowned. “Actually, I was hired to clean the bunkhouses, but somehow I got roped into cleaning the main house.”

“Oh, you’ve been roped all right,” said Tony.

Just then Dustin saw his employer. He didn’t look happy, and he was heading straight toward them. “And speaking of roping,” Dustin said as Jack opened the gate to the corral. “Here he comes now.”

Jack marched alongside the horse Kate was sitting on and Tony stepped back.

“Kate, get down from that horse now,” he commanded as he reached up and practically flung her from the horse and into his arms. Jack set her on her feet beside him. He seemed angry, really angry, and Kate didn’t know why.

“Don’t you two have work to do?” he growled
. “I ain’t paying you to slack off. Now get to work.”

“Yes sir,” they mumbled, jumping at his command
. Dustin climbed off his steed and led him out of the corral with Tony close behind him.

“Thanks for the ride boys,” Kate called out to them.

They turned and looked at Kate, then at Jack and thought it best not to answer. Kate glared at Jack. He was back to his normal self again.

“Jack, they didn’t mean any harm,” she said trying to defend them
. “They were just being friendly.”

“It’s the friendly part I don’t like
.” He glared at her. “I’m not paying you to wiggle that sweet little ass of yours and flirt with my ranch hands. You’re here for one thing and one thing only, and that’s to tend to me. You got that Barbie doll?”

Kate’s jaw dropped open and she didn’t know what to say
. Never had an employer spoken to her in such a rude manner before.

“Close your mouth baby, before someone gets the notion to poke something in it,” he said with a snide grin, as he lifted up her jaw and sealed her lips shut
.

Jack paid no heed as Kate turned beet red
. With a stride brimming arrogance, he headed for the gate. He paused and turned to look at her. “You going to stand around all morning or are you going to get to work?” He spoke with such abruptness once more Kate was taken aback.

She quickly gathered her thoughts, as her feet seemed to miraculously move on their own
. “At your service, Mr. McBride,” she said through gritted teeth, as she walked past him.

“Not yet Barbie doll, but we’re working on it,” said Jack loudly.

Kate ignored him and headed for the main house. To her relief, he didn’t follow. She looked over her shoulder and saw him heading south on the ranch.

She entered the house and went straight to the kitchen
. Her nerves were more than rattled by her latest encounter with Jack McBride. Everything about that man oozed intimidation. Why did she get the feeling she just been run over by a locomotive?

She couldn’t figure him out
. One minute he was kind and gentle, and the next he was the most arrogant demanding man she’d ever met. She was exhausted keeping up with his mood swings.

For the remainder of the day, Kate tried to stay out of Jack
McBride’s way though he made it difficult. He scrutinized her every move, instructing her on the proper way to clean. He even went so far as to complain about her cooking at lunch.

No one ever complained about her cooking
. It was the one thing she knew she did well, though she hated to admit that she was finding it difficult to juggle the cleaning and cooking at the same time.

Kate went to work preparing dinner
. For some reason she wanted to prove to him that she wasn’t just another pretty face who didn’t know a thing about hard work. He may have criticized her cleaning, but there was no way she would let him criticize her cooking. She would show him exactly what she was made of.

She felt most at home in the kitchen aside from the classroom
. It was the one thing her ex could never find fault with as Kate always managed to whip up something extraordinary. Tonight, she set her sights high, making a succulent meal that would boast approval even from that cowboy’s palate.

The atmosphere would have to be perfect and Kate decorated the dining room table to coordinate with the meal
. She knew the perfect choice of wine to serve alongside the beef tips with mushrooms; a red Burgundy that she bought on one of her trips to Napa Valley.

She ran back to the carriage house and retrieved it along with a cork screw, highly doubting Jack would have anything except an ordinary bottle opener for beer
. It grated on her nerves that she was sharing such a pricey bottle of wine on this two-bit cowboy, but the thought of showing him up was worth it. She gave a final touch of elegance by placing two candles in the center of the table.

Kate lit the candles when she heard the front door open
. She quickly stepped back and leaned in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen as Jack entered through the foyer. He walked straight past her and entered the kitchen, pausing at the sink to wash his hands.

“I’m starved,” he said lathering his hands with soap
. “I hope you didn’t make another casserole like last night.”

“You know I
wasn’t feeling well yesterday. So I thought tonight I could show you that I really am an excellent cook,” said Kate as she lifted her head with pride. “Dinner is almost ready so why don’t you have a seat at the dining room table.”

“I usually eat in the kitchen
.” Jack rinsed his hands and dried them on a towel.

“Well tonight, you’re eating in the dining room,” said Kate gritting her teeth behind the fake smile.

Jack passed by her and grinned. Kate retrieved the walnut and strawberry salad from the fridge and walked into the dining room. She placed one in front of Jack and the other across the table.

“You’re eating with me, right
?” He looked up at her questioningly.

“I w
ouldn’t miss this for the world.” She sat across from him.

Jack looked down at his plate and made a face
. “What’s this?” he said separating the strawberries from the greens with his finger.

“It’s a gourmet salad,” she said with pride
. “Drizzle some of the raspberry dressing over it.”

“Kind of fancy don’t you think?” he said as he finally took in his surroundings seeing the candles and linens displayed like something from a fancy restaurant
. “I usually just have a plain old salad with ranch dressing.”

“Just try it,” she said
. “You may be pleasantly surprised.”

Jack picked up the silver dish filled with red liquid and poured it over his salad
. He handed it to Kate who drizzled a thin line over hers. She waited for him to take a bite before tasting her own.

“Not bad,” said Jack as he took another bite
. “The dressings a little sweet, but it’ll do.”

Kate watched him inhale it finishing it before she had time to take three bites
. “What’s next?” he asked as he sat back in his seat.

“Help yourself to the rolls
.” She pointed to the basket in the middle of the table as she stood. “I’ll be back with the main course.”

Jack took two rolls and slathered them with butter while he waited for Kate to return
. She entered the dining room carting two elegantly garnished plates. She set one by Jack and the other by her own place.

“I brought over a bottle of Burgundy red
.” She picked up the bottle she opened earlier so it could breathe. “It goes perfect with the meal.” Kate poured Jack a glass and then herself.

“Red wine with
beef, huh?” he gave her an odd look.

“I take it you’re not much of a connoisseur when it comes to wine and gourmet cuisine,” stated Kate with a satisfied smile knowing she got one up on him
. “You’re probably more of a beer and whisky man, right?” Her words were laced with sarcasm.

Jack picked up his glass and twirled the liquid around
. He brought it to his nose and let the fragrant smell lift through his nostrils before taking a sip.

“Not a bad bouquet,” he smiled as he took another drink
. “How long did you let it rest before serving it?”

“About twenty minutes,” she said as she arched her brow.

“It was a good choice,” he grinned. “Next time you might want to look at my wine collection that I keep stored in the study.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she frowned as she picked up her fork and began to eat to avoid his glib smile.

“Not too shabby for a Nevada boy, huh Kate,” he laughed.

“Just be quiet and eat your meal,” she grumbled.

Jack picked up his fork and began to eat. “Wow, this is really good,” he exclaimed. “A fellow could get use to food like this.”

“Thanks,” said Kate as a small smile formed on her face.

“You should smile more often,” said Jack as his eyes settled around her pretty pink lips. His gaze lifted as he studied that cute button nose of hers sprinkled with freckles.

Her eyes were candescent blue as the reflection of the candles flame flickered against them
. Jack felt a twinge in his gut while he lifted his wine to his mouth and drank.

Kate felt his stare, looking out over the rim of his glass
. Their eyes met for only a moment before she looked down at her plate and continued to eat. Jack did the same, but not before picking up the bottle and refilling their wine glasses. It was rather awkward, both taking intermittent glances when the other wasn’t looking.

“So, why a teacher?” Jack broke the silence.

“I beg your pardon?” she said suddenly aware that he was speaking and it jolted her back from the thoughts running wild in her head.