Wishing on a Rodeo Moon (Women of Character) (21 page)

A slight
chill touched him. Tye was recovering from her accident. He could see her
confidence increase with each day. He'd helped her along the road to recovery,
but soon, she would move out. What did she truly feel for him? Jake
wasn’t sure what he felt for her. But the idea of caring for her again
filled him with hope, and despair.

Jake
knew Tye's reticence regarding commitment; her love of rodeo. She'd made no
secret of her preference for a single lifestyle. She was still the same woman
from ten years ago.

"Maybe
we should have gone slower, Tye." He felt her stiffen beside him. The
dreamy look hovering in her eyes changed, and Jake stifled a groan of
impatience at his inability to accept things as they were.

"Let’s
not have a post mortem here, Jake. Why can’t we just enjoy what
we’ve found together again? It doesn’t have to be anything more
than that."

"You’re
right," he said, feeling the old anger wind around him.

Jake
knew Tye was an independent woman. A woman who had gotten along fine without a
man in her life. She apparently hadn't felt the need to be in a relationship
until now. Why had she chosen him as her lover?

"Jake?"

Hearing
the uncertainty in Tye's voice, Jake tightened his arm around her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a low voice, pushing aside his own
concerns. They had both gone into this with eyes wide open. Too late for
regrets. What was done was done.

Lifting
one brow, Tye indicated the unopened foil packets on the side table. Giving him
a brash smile, she snuggled closer into his chest.

Jake
felt the heat rise. How could he ever think of pushing her away?

"I
feel more than okay," Tye said, voice sultry, one brow raised
provocatively. "I’m resting up for the encore."

There
was nothing else for Jake to do but pull her closer. How could he resist? He'd
wanted her for what seemed too long. He'd never satiate himself in one night,
but he could try.

#

Jake
stayed the entire night with Tye. They held each other close in the single bed.
Early in the morning, before he left for work, Tye stirred to fleeting kisses
along her shoulder. She and Jake made love slowly, as if it were the first time
all over again, only much better. Tye knew what to expect...Jake was a generous
lover. Just thinking about him now made her shiver with aftershocks from their
lovemaking.

Long
after Jake left, Tye couldn't stop thinking about him. Their time together had
been like hot molten fire. She'd never wanted to be so close to another man the
way she yearned for Jake. He gave her something essential, filling that empty
place inside her. Despite the pain of the years in between, the wait had been
worth it. Never could Tye have guessed they’d end up lovers after the
misery of their parting ten years before. Had she subconsciously been waiting
for Jake? Tye shook her head. That was too crazy, but it also felt too close to
the truth.

Tye
hugged herself, pulling the soft sheets up under her chin. Jake was as clear as
water, there were no ulterior motives to his caring. He didn't give two hoots
about her career, the money she had made or the brief walk of fame she had
traveled.

Tye
looked at her prosthesis lying on the bedside table. Jake hadn't been repelled,
he had removed it without flinching. Through his care, Jake had managed to help
her restore a measure of wholeness, something she hadn't felt since the
accident.

They
hadn't discussed what had happened between them...what would happen in the
future. Tye wasn't prepared to talk about an involvement until she had had time
to put distance and thought into this new phase of their relationship.

Tye got
a certain queasiness when she thought about love and forever. Her
unconventional upbringing got in the way. Mama had loved Daddy unconditionally,
and she'd been hurt time and again until Daddy finally left. Even as a child
Tye had understood Daddy was involved with other women. What was to keep any
man from going elsewhere? Jake cared about her, she knew it. Maybe he loved
her, even though he hadn’t put it into words.

The
thought of walking away from Jake was unbearable. Tye Jenkins, daring and
audacious, knew she had to take this seriously. Love and relationships were
topics she needed to do some real soul searching about. She and Jake could take
it one day at a time, see how things developed. She didn’t want to make
the same mistakes of the past.

With a
secret smile, Tye slid down into the sheets. Of course, in the meantime there
was nothing to keep them from exploring all the interesting aspects of a
relationship. She wished he hadn't left so soon, she could think of a few
aspects they hadn't touched on last night.

Tye
watched Jake skim the pool's surface with the nylon bug net. Lazily, she
admired the smooth line of his bare back, the taut pull of his cutoff shorts
against tanned legs. She hadn't seen him in a suit and tie in days. In fact,
she hadn't seen much more on him than the shorts he wore now and sometimes far
less than that. He had stayed home from work almost the entire week. She was a
bad influence on him, but he didn't seem to mind. They spent a lot of time
beside the pool, and it felt like they had created their own world.

As Jake
turned, Tye's gaze snagged on the dark hair covering his chest and flat
stomach, dreamily recalling its soft texture against her breasts and belly when
they made love. Just thinking of making love with Jake caused Tye’s heart
rate to increase.

Tye was
minus her prosthesis, and amazingly, she felt more and more comfortable to be
beside Jake this way. He had seen her without it each night since that first
night almost a week ago when they had made love. It had somehow managed to
become less significant in her mind.

Feeling
like a kid with her first crush, Tye allowed her eyes to trace the smattering
of freckles across Jake's one shoulder. They had gone horseback riding last
night. It had been a companionable ride and they had let the horses walk the
entire time while they talked. When they returned to the barn near dusk Jake
had laughingly half-pushed, half-carried her up the narrow loft stairs. On a
scratchy wool blanket they had made frenzied love by the open hay mow door. Tye
knew the scent of fresh green hay would forever be imprinted on her mind when
she thought of Jake.

Tye
couldn't ever remember feeling so happy or content, not even the summer she and
Jake first fell in love. Tye knew her feelings for Jake had more depth than at
seventeen. She recognized the difference lay in her own maturity, but if she
allowed herself to dwell on the past, she began to feel anxious. They had a
good thing going, a wonderful wholeness together and she didn't want to mess it
up. Tye stared hard at Jake. She knew her time here was growing short. When
would it end?

#

Jake
slowly turned his head, a quick smile lifting his mouth when he saw Tye
watching him. She had a serious expression on her face, but Jake recognized the
hint of sensuality curving her lips. His body reacted instantly to her
interest. Tye was dynamite in his arms, displaying the same gusto she brought
to every aspect of her life. He'd never met anyone with such a passion for
living.

"Thirsty?"
Tye asked him now, holding up a glass of iced tea. Jake saw the slight flush of
color in her cheeks and lifted a brow, certain where her thoughts lay. Tye was
a sensual woman, although she surprised him by her reticence during the times
they weren't making love. Memories of the week they had spent together rumbled
through Jake. He didn't want it to end. He wanted to ride this out until it
died. Right now it was a glorious ride for both of them.

"Sure,
what have you got?" he asked lightly.

"I’ve
got a variety of selections," she came back with a saucy, daredevil grin,
running a fingertip down the droplets coating the glass. "You get to pick
your favorite."

"I
don’t play favorites," he told her, deliberately dropping his voice.

This
last week in each other's company had amazed Jake. There had been no
disagreements, no discord, things had flowed smoothly. Wicked thoughts
intruded. Everything had flowed smoothly, especially their physical
relationship.

Jake
dropped a kiss on her shoulder. Tye’s lightly tanned skin felt warm under
his lips, and he breathed in deeply. Jake didn't recall ever noticing a woman's
particular scent before, but Tye's wound around him, pulling him in closer. A
hint of lemon, a tantalizing suggestion of spices, the scent he associated with
Tye alone. Jake reached for the glass Tye held out to him, deliberately putting
his fingers over hers on the glass. Dropping beside her on the deck, still
holding her fingers captive, Jake tilted his head back. The tea felt icy cold
going down his parched throat.

Slowly,
Jake rotated the glass toward himself, pressing it and Tye’s captured
fingers against his chest. He watched her lazily, fascinated by the way her
blue eyes appeared to deepen. He heard the small sound she made in her throat
and he lifted a brow.

"Want
me to put some lotion on you, Tye? It looks like you're getting burned."

"Burned?"
she murmured, her voice a caress, as was her gaze that ran over him like
quickfire. "If you like." Tye lifted her hair off her shoulders and
tilted her head. "I don't usually burn."

"We're
not taking any chances."

Jake
unscrewed the cap and poured the cool lotion on the light gold of her skin,
watching her shiver and hunch her shoulders. Slowly, he rubbed a dab of the
liquid into her skin, then lower over her back. Looking at the soft
vulnerability of her exposed neck, he placed a chaste kiss there. Her soft sigh
came to him as he gathered the warm weight of her hair into his hands and moved
his lips along the cord of her neck and up her jaw. Jake wondered again how
long this could last. This accord he felt with Tye; this close harmony.

"Tye?"

"Hmm?"

"Have
you ever thought about what you'd do if you didn't return to the rodeo?"

Jake
felt an immediate tensing in the muscles beneath his lips, but Tye did not
answer.

"Have
you, Tye?" he insisted. It was something they hadn't talked about. Jake
knew he might be starting a fire here, but it couldn't be ignored. He had to
know if she had considered the possibility she might never return to her former
life.

Tye
twisted in the chair, her eyes dark and unhappy. The sultry look had vanished
from her face. Drawing a deep breath, Jake acknowledged what he had started he
had to finish. He pulled back and stared at her until she moved uncomfortably
in her seat.

"Let's
not fight," she entreated, running a hand up his arm, lightly brushing the
hair until Jake put out his hand and grabbed her fingers.

"We're
not fighting," he told her firmly. "I asked you a simple question. It
can be answered with a yes or no."

"We’ll
fight if we talk about this," Tye said, suddenly  impatient. She
slipped her fingers from his. "There is no simple answer. You know rodeo
is my life, Jake. Nothing has changed. I never tried to make you think other
than that. It will never go away."

Jake bit
back a mutter of disgust. He ignored the niggling sense of disappointment. What
had he expected, a declaration of love from her? "I don't expect you to
change, Tye. All I'm saying is you should consider the possibility that rodeo
might, at some point, not be an option."

"Rodeo
will always be there, so get used to it. I'm not giving it up just because
― just because we're having sex."

Put like
that, in such bald terms, their relationship sounded much less than Jake wanted
to admit. He felt something bleak and cold curl around him. Was she using him,
filling in the time until she left? Was this a replay of ten years ago? Jake
hardened his heart. It didn’t matter. They had both entered this
relationship knowing it had to end.

"Good
sex," he said bluntly, his tone sarcastic.

Tye
touched his hand immediately, apology in her face. "Jake, I didn't mean
that the way it sounded. I say stupid things when I get scared. You know how it
is with me, it's not just sex."

Jake
stood up. "I think you meant it, Tye. It's been fun and convenient for us,
but when you're ready to move on, you'll go without a glance backwards. This
brief interlude is just another rodeo stop. Hell, it’s what we agreed on
going in, more or less." Jake didn’t know why he felt so mad, then.
He shook his head. "God! This sounds like some badly written soap opera.
You’re not saying anything we didn’t agree to."

"That’s
right, Jake. We’ve always known how it would end. We always said my stay
here was temporary." Tye looked away from him, her shoulders hunched.

Jake
felt like he was losing her again.

"At
least we know where we stand." Jake knew with certainty where he stood. He
wanted Tye longer than she was planning on staying, but it wouldn’t
matter. He knew that.

Tye suddenly
leaned close and encircled his neck with her arms, leaning against him. Jake
stared into her eyes so close to his.

"Let's
not talk about it, Jake. It's not important now," she whispered
entreatingly. "Let's be grateful for any time we do have. This last week
has been fabulous. I've never felt like this about anyone. It’s almost
like I’m seventeen again."

"God
forbid," Jake said, uttering a small laugh. He felt his body's immediate
response to Tye. It was always like that. He wanted to forget about the words
they had exchanged, but knew they would remain there between them.
"We’ll take what we have for now." Stiffly, his hand opened on
the warm flesh of her waist, moved down the rounded contours of her bottom. The
warmth of her skin beneath the pads of his fingers made him want to devour her.
Desire rode him hard. Jake didn’t stop what was happening. He would lose
himself in Tye, but only temporarily. He would deal with the hurt later. It was
easier to do when Tye wasn't near him. They would use each other until they
were all used up.