Chapter 4

Mik put the last of her suitcases on the bed and walked back through the small house she’d been given to stay in. It was a nice little place. Two bedrooms, a decent sized bath, kitchen with a laundry area beside it and a small den with a stone fireplace.

The house boasted of a wraparound porch and a wooden porch swing mounted from the rafters on the front porch. Since the house faced west overlooking the lake, she imagined it would be pretty sight in the evenings watching the sun set over the water.

Jake Nash was an easy man to be around. Quick to smile with an equally quick wit and what seemed unbridled enthusiasm for what he was doing. They’d hit it off easily. Within five minutes they were chatting away about different training techniques and comparing notes like they’d known one another for years.

Mik already felt at ease with him. Even though he’d revealed himself to be quite a flirt, she was fairly certain they’d already established that flirting was as far as anything would go.

Feeling more positive about the prospects of the job, she headed through the kitchen, intent on pulling her truck around to the livery and getting her equipment set up.

That intent dissolved when she opened the door to find herself face-to-face with a man God had to have created solely as temptation.

Hard and lean, he wasn’t a young man, but damn if he wasn’t as sexy as the day is long. Whatever age might have taken from him, it had more than made up for in what it had given, endowing him with a kind of rugged handsomeness that spelled primal male in a way that had her pulse spiking.

She totally hated that every female cell in her body was suddenly in over-drive. Damn. She’d no more gotten on the property than she was drooling over one of the hired hands. It was hard as hell to resist the urge to jerk him inside the house and ride him like a stallion being broken hard.

Hoping there was no visible sign of what was going on inside her, she tilted her head to meet his eyes. And took an involuntary step back as their eyes met. Good lord there was power in his eyes. His widened, but only marginally and only for a split second.

“Jed Nash, ma’am. I’m looking for Mik Morgan.”

Jed Nash? Was he related to her boss Jake?

“You found her.” Mik gave him a sassy smile.

“You’re…” Jed’s brows furrowed in a frown. “…You’re the trainer?”

“Yep.” She suppressed the urge to grin. It was clear that she wasn’t what he’d expected.

“Mik Morgan?” he asked.

“Yep.”

“Then I guess you’re who I came to see.”

“What can I do for you Mr. Nash?”

“You all settled in?”

“Except for unloading my trailer and checking on my horse. Jake said to put everything in the smaller of the stables behind the barn.”

“You need help with that?”

“No, I can manage. Thanks.”

“Well then I’ll let you get to it. If you’re inclined, we have breakfast for all the hands at the main house. Six am. Afterwards we can go over things and work out a schedule. I know Jake wants you to start training his new stock as soon as possible but we’ve got a lot of classes scheduled with new students and half a dozen horses old enough to start breaking and that’s got to take top priority. And since he mentioned that you’ve done Farrier work, I’m going to need you to pitch in there until I can replace the man I lost.”

Mik was confused. Jake had told her she’d be working directly with him. “Excuse me for being a little confused, but I thought I worked for Jake?”

“Jake tell you that?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I guess you do. ‘Cept Jake doesn’t run the ranch.”

“Oh. Well, who does?”

“That’d be me.”

“Well, all righty then. See you at six in the morning, Mr. Nash.”

“Have a nice evening, Ms. Morgan.”

“And you.”

Jed hesitated for a split second then turned and walked away. Mik watched until he rounded the corner of the house then blew out her breath. Whoa! Talk about sin in jeans. That was one sexy man. She hoped like hell she could convince her raging hormones to rein it in when he was around. It was one thing to be lusting after a hired hand. Lusting after the boss was not a smart move.

Her head knew that. Her body had a mind of its own.

*****

Jed slowed his pace once he reached the end of the short driveway. Christ on a crutch. Jake had done it this time. Here they were in need of a competent trainer and stable manager, and Jake had saddled them with Mik Morgan. Nothing about her said trainer or manager. Everything about her prompted a resounding, “I got to have me some of that.” From her golden eyes to her tight little body to that sassy smile, she inspired a man to think of every imaginable way to sin.

Shit on a stick. How the hell had she ended up on his ranch? And what the hell was he supposed to do about letting her stay?

When he was younger, there’d been more nights than he cared to remember that he’d imagined a woman much like her. A woman who’d be meant for him. Those dreams had died the night he’d gotten the call. His father had been killed in what was called a “vehicular accident.” Jed was given leave to go home and tend to his father’s affairs.

His father’s death had driven something home he’d long suspected. Nash men didn’t make for good partners in life.

Look at his father and all the men before him. Most of them had been married multiple times and none of the marriages had been anything close to what could be labeled a success. The women who didn’t run off either ended up killing themselves or their husbands, or just plain going crazy and ending up in some loony bin.

Jed had seen his own parents’ battles and struggles. They loved each other. That much was clear. But theirs was not a happy marriage. As much as his father loved his mother, he still didn’t have it in him to be faithful. And she hadn’t been strong enough to walk away. Instead, she just drank herself to death. His father had not been able to deal with the truth of why she took her own life and so had ended his own.

Tragedy and heartache all around. That wasn’t a path Jed wanted to walk. Better to be single and lonely than married and miserable.

Now here he was, stomping back to the main house, battling a boner over a woman that matched his fantasies a little too much for comfort. She was a little older than those dreams of youth—fuller in the breasts and hips but still lean and firm from the looks of things.

Her hair was long, dark as night and glossy. Her face was more mature than those long-ago fantasies—elegant cheekbones, full luscious lips, and eyes that could see right into a man’s soul. Shit on a stick—those eyes. Golden cat eyes that he’d be willing to bet would darken to burnished gold in passion.

Shit. Jed picked up his pace as he neared the main house. First order of business was to find Jake and see what kind of deal he’d cut with Mik. Because sure as sunrise if Jed didn’t get her off the ranch fast, he was going to be in a world of hurt. He knew himself well and there was no way she could stay on the ranch and him be able to keep his hands off her.

And that was something that could only lead to misery. As much as he’d like to think different, nothing good could come from him letting Mik Morgan get under his skin.

*****

Mik swiped her hand over her sweaty forehead then wiped her wet palm on the thigh of her jeans. She’d been balls-to-the wall busy ever since the day she stepped foot onto the Rocky River Ranch.

The ranch’s Farrier had quit a short time back, leaving them in a lurch. Fortunately, Mik had apprenticed as a Farrier while she was in college and was able to fill the void until a permanent solution could be found.

The Rocky River certainly boasted of nice facilities. Everything was clean and well-tended, and the stock looked healthy. Were it not for Jed being part of the package, she would be thrilled to be part of a place like this.

Thoughts of Jed brought a flush to her skin. She must have been without a man far too long to be so affected by him. But damn if she could be blamed for reacting to the kind of man any woman would go into hormone storm over.

“Damn, you’re fast,” Jake’s voice said from behind her.

Mik turned with a smile. Shame that she couldn’t switch her fancy to Jake, even if he was a few years younger. He was one fine looking man. Sexy as the sun is warm. He resembled Jed. Dark hair and a lean, muscular form. Where Jed’s eyes were the color of smoke, Jake’s were the same hue as the Carolina blue sky—clear and, from what she’d seen so far, normally dancing with enthusiasm and humor. Here was a man who had fun with life and probably would view a romp in the hay as just that. A romp to have fun and let off some steam.

Somehow, she didn’t think Jed was the romping kind. Or maybe it was that she suspected that a romp with Jed would be like getting caught up in a whirlwind. Overwhelming, primal, and exciting. The kind of experience that makes everything else seem tame.

Yep, it was a damn shame. But as appealing as Jake was there was more than one reason it would never happen. First, despite him being oh-so-fine, there was no chemistry when she looked at him. And sex without chemistry was always a bad idea. And second, fooling around with people you work with normally caused problems.

Like that doesn’t apply to Jed? Mik really hated the logic her inner voice always seemed to toss into the mix. Sure Jed fit into the same category. And it wasn’t like she was planning on jumping him or anything. A woman could want something without planning on having it.

“I hope you don’t mind that I rearranged things.”

“Consider this your place,” Jake replied. “We’re really glad to have you with us, Mik. And I’m pretty sure we’ve run you ragged so far. We just had a passel of horses that need tending to.”

“That’s the way I like it. “

“Then you’re definitely gonna love it here. Listen I know you’re still getting settled but I really want you to take a look at this new horse, Gilly.”

“Something wrong with him?”

“No. And Gilly’s a mare. I think she might be a good choice for a barrel racer.”

“Okay, great, let’s go.”

She followed Jake to one of the paddocks and drew up short as they reached the fence. Jed was in the paddock beside a pretty roan mare.

“That’s her,” Jake said, climbing up on the fence to take a seat. “With Jed.”

“She’s a beauty,” Mik murmured as she climbed up beside Jake. The truth was she’d barely noticed the mare. Her attention was on Jed. Mik watched, noticing the gentle way Jed fondled the mare’s head and neck.

“Hey, Jed!” Jake called. “Bring Gilly over.”

Jed turned and when his eyes moved to Mik, they narrowed a bit. Without responding, he turned back to the horse, talking softly to her, rubbing her face. Then he pivoted on one heel and started for Jake and Mik. The mare followed.

He’s a Whisperer! The realization hit Mik with something akin to an electrical current that sizzled through her entire body. Most people thought the ability was a myth, but she knew different. When you possessed the power to communicate with animals, you recognized it in others.

Jed stopped at the fence, his eyes on Jake. “I was telling Mik that I think Gilly might make a good barrel horse,” Jake said.

“That so?” Jed asked and looked at Mik. “What do you think, Ms. Morgan?”

Lightning couldn’t have been any hotter or more electric than the feeling that raced through Mik when her eyes met Jed’s. How in hell she could be the only one of them that felt the energy was a mystery to her. She tore her eyes away from his and slid off the fence, her eyes on the mare.

“Hey there, little girl.” She spoke softly as she approached the mare.

Gilly didn’t move as Mik ran one hand along her neck and up under her face. “She’s got good lines,” Mik commented, letting her hands travel over the mare’s head, stroking and caressing. “Intelligent eyes.”

As she moved in front of the mare, putting her hands on either side of Gilly’s face, still stroking easily, she started to get a feel for the animal. Sweet natured was the first thing that came to mind. And a real eagerness to please.

Mik forgot about Jed and Jake. Her focus was on the horse. She continued to talk about Gilly’s attributes but her real attention was on the feelings she was getting from the mare. And the message she was sending, one of trust and respect.

*****

Jed couldn’t have been more surprised if Mik had suddenly sprouted horns. He recognized power when he saw it and she had it in spades. Not only had she won the confidence and trust of the horse inside of two minutes, but he’d also bet the ranch that she was connected with the animal.

He knew what that felt like—that bond that opened a new level of communication and understanding. It was the one thing in his life that brought him joy. He might be inept at establishing a relationship that mattered with a woman, but a horse was a different matter. The men in his family all had the ability and he guessed there were times they just took it for granted. To see someone outside the family—a woman—have that same power was not only a shock, but it was also an unexpected thrill.

And thrilled was the last thing he wanted to feel about Mik. It wasn’t enough that she set his nerve endings on fire and made his fingers itch to tangle in that mass of dark hair. For her to share a common trait with him put her in a class unlike any other woman he’d known and for some reason he felt threatened by it.

“I think she would do well,” Mik said and turned to look at Jake. “But you realize it’s not something accomplished in a matter of weeks, right?”

Jed’s ears perked up. Now he’d see if she knew her stuff when it came to training. He wasn’t world class, but he’d helped train his fair share of animals. What she said next would either earn her a place of respect or have him writing her first and last paycheck.

“How long?” Jake asked.

“Well, if we started now, I wouldn’t put any serious speed on her for at least a year and would like to have two.”

“Two years?”

“If you want her to want to race and be confident and happy about it. It’s how I’ve always worked, but you’re the boss.”

“You’ve trained a barrel racers?” Jake had told him that, but he wanted to hear it from her.

“Yeah, Cherokee for one. And she helped me win the Nationals two years running.”

“You won the Nationals?”

“Yes, sir, I did.”

“I’d like to see you ride.”

“Sure.”

One eyebrow rose. “Well?”

“What? Now?”

“Good a time as any.”

Mik shrugged. “Fine, let me get Cherokee saddled. You want to set up some barrels?”

“Yep.”

He watched her walk away, wishing his eyes didn’t go straight to the enticing twitch of her firm rear, encased in tight denim. “You didn’t mention she was a rodeo champion.”

“Didn’t I?” Jake grinned.

“Nope.”

“Sorry. Mik’s not only trained as a Farrier with a degree in Animal Husbandry, but she’s trained two winning rodeo horses for barrel racing and three for roping. And oh, by the way, she’s a two-time National Barrel Racing champ.”

“Smart-ass. Let’s set up the barrels.”

By the time they had the barrels in place, Mik rode Cherokee into the corral. She let Cherokee walk the course once then returned to where Jed and Jake were perched on the fence. “Got a stopwatch?”

“Right here on my phone,” Jake replied and pulled out his iPhone.

“Say when.” She shot Jed a challenging look.

“Three, two, one, now!”

People who’d never spent time around horses and didn’t ride had no idea what visual poetry it was to see a rider and horse act as one. Jed couldn’t take his eyes off Mik. Couldn’t stop the uncomfortable swell of an erection that watching her prompted.

It was easy to see why she was a champion. He’d never seen a rider with more skill or a horse take a turn at such a tight angle. She turned the horse damn near on a dime, without sacrificing speed. If ever he’d seen someone appear to be one with an animal it was Mik with Cherokee.

He couldn’t help but admire her. Couldn’t help the desire she inspired or the interest she piqued. There was definitely a hell of a lot more to Mik Morgan than he realized.

And that purely annoyed him.

Jake let loose with a rebel yell as she made the last turn and galloped toward them. He grinned, elbowed Jed, and showed him the time on his phone. “What’d I tell you? I knew she was the right one.”

Jed was torn. He had no choice but to agree. The businessman side of him was glad that Jake had found someone who had the know how to help Rocky River move into this type of training. But he would rather it have been anyone other than Mik because the truth was he didn’t think he could stand having her on the ranch. She stirred up things inside him that were best left alone.

Mik stopped beside them, one hand caressing Cherokee’s graceful neck. “Time?”

“You’d have won with a good four second lead.”

She shrugged and looked at Jed. “So?”

He couldn’t let himself compliment her, so he ignored the question and turned to Jake. “You sure you want to go this route? Lot of time and money to be invested with no guarantee of a payoff.”

“It’ll pay off,” Jake argued happily. “And I’ll pay for it out of my share. You know I want to do this, Jed. It’ll put Rocky River on the map if we can train a champion.”

“Then I guess you’ve got your work cut out for you.” As much as it might trouble Jed, he couldn’t, in good conscience, deny Jake the chance. “I‘ve got work to do.”

Without a glance at Mik, he left. He had some thinking to do. Like how he was going to make this work without him going stark-raving crazy having to be around Mik Morgan.

*****

Mik watched Jed stalk off then looked at Jake. “He doesn’t seem too thrilled.” But then Jed never seemed to be in a good mood when he was around her. She tried to keep her distance as much as possible. Not necessarily to avoid his ill-temper but to keep a lid on her libido. Try as she might, she couldn’t control the earth-quaking lust the man inspired.

“Aww, that’s just Jed. He’s a notorious sour-puss. He’ll come around.”

“If you say so.” She climbed off Cherokee as Jake hopped down off the fence.

“I sure as shit do. So when do you want to start working with Gilly?”

“As soon as Jed gives the green light. Your brother might come around, as you say, but I get the feeling he’s going to expect me to pull my weight and he did say the shoeing and breaking the colts took top priority. Unless you want to countermand that. I’m just the Indian here—you chiefs have to decide what you want and tell me.”

Jake laughed. “Well, I’m not gonna buck Jed. So let’s get done what needs doing and then we’ll start.”

“We?”

“Well, yeah.” He grinned. “You’re gonna teach me while you teach Gilly.”

“I am?”

“You bet’cha.” Jake grinned, opened the gate, and threw his arm over Mik’s shoulders. “And it’s gonna be fun.”

Mik laughed as they started for the stable. “Somehow I get the feeling fun comes natural to you, Jake.”

“You got that right. Hey, I gotta run out and pick up some things in town. You want to ride along and do some shopping? The kitchen in the lake house wasn’t exactly well stocked and chances are the pantry’s pretty bare by now. Besides, you haven’t taken a day off in over three weeks. It’d do you good to get off the ranch for a while.”

“Sure, that’d be great. Any chance I have time to brush Cherokee down and clean up before you leave?”

“Yeah, no problem. Just give me a call on my cell when you’re ready and I’ll ride down and pick you up.”

“Okay, great. Thanks Jake.”

“You bet’cha. See you in a few.”

Mik smiled as he headed for the main house. “Come on, sweet girl,” she cooed to Cherokee.

In forty-five minutes, she’d brushed Cherokee and let her out into the pasture to graze. It took her ten minutes to shower. She pulled out her phone to call Jake as she dressed.

“I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

“Okay, I’m on the way. Hey, hope you don’t mind but since we had to go out anyway, I thought we’d stop at The Cross-Tie Grill and grab some dinner. On me.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“No problem. Oh, and I asked Jed to come with us.”

Mik dropped the tank top she was in the processing of unfolding. “Oh, okay,” she managed to croak.

“See you in a couple minutes.”

The line went dead. Well, it looked like she was going to get the chance to either get past the appeal Jed Nash held or make a jackass out of herself. Problem was, based on her history, if she was a betting woman she’d put money on the latter.

*****

Dalton paused in his review of the electronic documents his investigator had emailed him, leaned back in his chair, and swiveled to stare out of the window. This information surpassed what he’d hoped for. Now the question was how best to utilize it to his advantage.

His reverie was interrupted by a chime at the door of the penthouse. He heard his butler’s voice, soft and melodious, and a moment later, another voice, this one coarser and louder. Turning to face his computer, he minimized the screen displayed on his monitor and waited for the knock on his door.

He did not have to wait long. A soft tap had him calling out, “Yes?”

“Sir, Mr. Franklin is here to see you.”

“Show him in, please, Francis.”

“Yes, sir.”

A few moments later Francis led Raymond Franklin into the study. Dalton stood as Franklin entered. The man’s appearance came remarkably close to what Dalton had imagined. A stocky frame, thick neck, and the cold flat eyes of a predator.

“Mr. Franklin, thank you for coming. Please have a seat.” Dalton did not bother to round the desk or to offer his hand to the man but seated himself behind his desk.

“Did you review the perspective I sent?” Dalton asked.

“Yeah, I read it.”

“Are there questions?”

“Just one. I’m gonna need fifty percent up front. Good faith payment. Is that a problem?”

“I see. And what guarantee do I have that a good faith payment will result in good faith effort on your part, Mr. Franklin? Half a million dollars is a lot of good faith.”

“My word’s my bond. Check with my other clients. I always deliver.”

“Yes, so it seems. Still, I would like to know more about what plans you intend to set into immediate motion.”

Franklin’s jaw twitched, a sign that he didn’t like to be challenged. That didn’t frighten or concern Dalton. He was offering too much money for Franklin to make a foolish move against him. And if the man should be so foolish, the 9mm automatic conveniently strapped to the underside of his chair would prove an adequate deterrent.

“My plan is threefold.”

“I’d like to see the particulars, Mr. Franklin.”

Franklin reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat envelope. “Everything’s outlined in my report.” He tossed it on Dalton’s desk.

Dalton opened the envelope and withdrew the pages. From a quick scan it appeared that his investment in Raymond Franklin was a sound decision. With the plans Franklin had, his adversary would be vulnerable enough for Dalton to step in and take over.

“Excellent,” he said and reached inside the top desk drawer for his checkbook. A few seconds later, he slid a check across the desk.

Franklin took the check, looked at the amount, and then put it in his inside jacket pocket. “Phase one begins tomorrow. I’ll have weekly reports emailed to you at the address you specified. “

“I do expect you to be available should I call.”

“No problem.”

Dalton stood and extended his hand. “I look forward to a successful venture, Mr. Franklin.”

Franklin took his hand. “I’ll be in touch.”

Dalton watched him leave then walked over to the wet bar and thoroughly washed his hands. Now the question was whether he revealed his plan to Deidre. The less she knew the better.

Thinking of the document he’d been reviewing before Franklin arrived, he returned to his desk and maximized the window. Once more, his mind turned to figuring out how he was going to use this latest information to defeat not only Deidre’s enemies, but Deidre as well.