Heart's Desire Read online

He felt the pizza churn in his stomach and worried he might have turned a shade green himself. “They have, but I’ve never really thought about hunting them.”

  “Come on,” she said, hopping off the stool. “Let’s get this pizza wrapped up and we’ll figure out something more your speed. I have an idea.”

  Jessie led them out the big wooden doors and dropped the box of pizza on the front seat of her truck. “Would you rather have dessert now or later?”

  He found himself letting his eyes slide over her curves, hating himself for having something entirely different in mind. He quickly remembered Justin’s promise to kick his ass if he fell for Jessie, letting it cool any desire. And after their talk about hunting and eating frogs, he wasn’t too excited to add more food to his already queasy stomach.

  “Let’s go with later.”

  “Good, then let’s hit The Feed Lot first.”

  “I thought we were forgoing food?”

  “You’ll see.” Her blue eyes shimmered with what could only be called glee. He was intelligent enough to worry about what she was planning. “I’m trusting you,” he said as he slid a hand to her lower back, guiding her in front of him.

  “That’s probably your first mistake.”

  An amused smile pulled on one corner of her lips and a slow burn began in his belly, traveling lower, and settling there, chasing away any thoughts of Justin, the ranch, and his resolve to keep his feelings for her hidden.

  She was the complete opposite of any woman he’d ever known, any woman allowed into his family’s elite circle. The women he’d dated were the antithesis of her. Too concerned with their figures to eat more than salad, none would have ever suggested pizza and ice cream. They wouldn’t be caught dead hunting frogs or mud bogging, whatever that was. The only mud that touched their skin was in a spa.

  Jessie slung her purse over her shoulder, and he wondered how she could be such a tomboy yet so feminine at the same time. She might be dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but with both hugging her body like they were tailored for her curves, there was no doubt she was all woman. The rhinestones on her clothes caught the late-afternoon sunlight, glinting almost as brightly as her eyes. He was having a difficult time remembering that she was off limits. She looked back at him over her shoulder, catching him checking out her backside.

  She arched a brow, daring him to continue his perusal. “Last chance to cut and run.”

  Nathan gave her a guilty grin. “And let you claim victory? No way.” He wondered at the sudden change in her mood. Seeing this playful side to Jessie was more captivating than he remembered. “Not as sure I trust you, though.”

  “What if I promise it will only hurt your checkbook, and you’ll thank me later?”

  “I’d say: I don’t think I believe you.”

  “That’s probably smart.” She laughed, a genuine laugh that bubbled from within, and he couldn’t help but join her.

  TWO HOURS AND several hundred dollars later, Nathan stood in front of her wearing a pair of new boots, Wranglers, and an emerald button-up shirt that reflected the golden flecks in his eyes. Jessie’s breath caught in her chest as she realized her mistake. In his normal attire, Nathan was handsome and polished, making it easy to remember how much the years had changed him, how he wasn’t her type any longer, and how much his leaving had hurt. By convincing him to buy clothing more practical for his stay on the ranch, she’d turned him from a good looking, city slicker into a gorgeous cowboy. Her heart raced as she handed him a straw hat she’d picked out to suit him. He gave her a wary glance before slipping it onto his head and facing the mirror.

  Her eyes slid over the way shirt clung to him, making his already broad shoulders appear even more so, while his waist tapered to a narrow V. The pants clung to him, curving around his rear and thighs. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips as her pulse picked up speed.

  Crap! What did I do?

  Nathan caught the look of regret in her reflection. “I look completely asinine, don’t I?” She bit her lip, hard, to keep from blurting out the truth, and he laughed, assuming she agreed with his assessment. “I knew it.”

  He couldn’t be more wrong. Jessie’s heart couldn’t take staying any longer. She made her escape as soon as the opportunity presented itself, needing to give herself a moment to rein in her stampeding heartbeat. “You need a belt,” she pointed out, turning away from his reflection and hurrying to the selection of belts and buckles.

  This was not what she’d envisioned when she came up with the idea of getting him some new, practical clothing for his time on the ranch. She’d only intended to keep him from standing out, but this . . . holy crap, if her elevated heart rate and the tingles in her belly, and below, were any indication, this idea had backfired on her miserably. She had to get her head on straight.

  Nathan was here to help her get the ranch back on the right track earning a profit and that was all. He never would have come back if Justin hadn’t called him. He was only doing a favor for a friend, nothing more. She didn’t need any more complications, and falling for this particular city boy was a complication of the worst kind.

  Giving into her feelings for Nathan again wouldn’t just be stupid, it would be one step past crazy. He might look the part of a cowboy, now that he had new clothes, but that didn’t make him one. If she ever felt the need for a man in her life, it was going to be one who shared her love for horses and the ranch. Not the one who’d taken her young heart and hardened it. She needed a man to stick around for the long haul, not one who disappeared after a few weeks.

  No, I don’t need a man at all.

  She reached for a leather belt in his size and carried it back to him. Nathan spun toward her and reached out to take it. His hand brushed over hers, and her heart actually stopped for a moment. Damn! Just when she’d gotten it back under control.

  At least Julia and Bailey could thank her for the eye-candy when they returned to the ranch.

  Nathan narrowed his eyes, and she wondered if he wasn’t trying to read her mind. “You okay? You look a little flushed.”

  “I’m fine,” she answered quickly, too quickly. “When you’re done, you should pick out a few more shirts. I’ll be over by the tack.”

  He arched a brow, skepticism written on his face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She clenched her jaw, willing her heart to slow down and her breathing to normalize. He was just a man, for goodness sake.

  “I said I’m fine. It’s just hot in here.” Jessie spun on her heel, hurrying across The Feed Lot to the wall of saddles, bridles, and cinches. Anything that might put a little space between her and this man who made her feel like she was on a roller coaster—dizzy, breathless, and like she’d completely lost all control of her senses.

  NATHAN WATCHED JESSIE as she leaned back on one arm beside him on the grass, licking the ice cream dripping down the side of her waffle cone. She was watching several boys playing basketball on a nearby court, as the sun dipped low in the evening sky. What in the world had he been thinking, suggesting they get ice cream and take it to the park?

  Watching her eat the cone was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Other than that look Jessie gave him when he tried on the clothing at the western-wear store. When her blue eyes darkened, he’d wanted to drown in the hunger he saw there, to bury his hands in her dark hair, and to cover her mouth with his. Time hadn’t changed the way he felt about Jessie. It was all he could to stop himself from licking the sweetness from her lips.

  He needed to regain his restraint, and quickly, because if she realized the path his thoughts were taking, she’d castrate him the way she planned to do that stallion. Nathan shifted, trying to find a measure of comfort in these new jeans, but it felt like his balls were being crushed in a vice. He wasn’t sure if it was the way they were cut or his body’s response to watching her eat the ice cream, but he felt like the circulation to his brain was being cut off.

  An image flashed through his mind of what he would look like
when Justin finished with him if he found out about the fantasies Nathan was having about his sister. It worked almost as well as a bucket of ice water. Guilt welled up, cooling his desire. He’d only begun to regain a little of Jessie’s trust, but Justin was relying him, and he knew how he’d feel if the roles were reversed.

  He took a bite of his cone and turned his attention to another group of kids playing on the swings nearby. “What’s with the foster kids at the ranch?”

  “Who? Aleta and Michael?” She followed his gaze and smiled at the kids’ antics, laughing as they watched one young boy twist the chain of the swing before letting it spin free.

  “He told me to call him Ice, but yeah.”

  “Aleta’s foster mom was a friend of Mom’s, and she’s seen how much working with the horses has helped Aleta’s attitude. Michael . . . ” Jessie sighed. “Michael’s a different story. Like Aleta, he’s a foster kid, but Ellie’s one of my best friends. She’s desperately trying to find anything to keep him away from the gang that got ahold of his older brother, who’s now in jail again.”

  “Parents?”

  “Both dead. His brother had guardianship. It’s a bad situation because he idolized his brother.”

  Nathan shook his head. “What about Aleta’s parents?”

  “Her mom’s in jail, and no one knows anything about her father.”

  He finished off his cone, popping the last bite into his mouth. Jessie was such a contradiction—tough as nails with a heart as soft as a down pillow. “You have a thing for what other people throw away, don’t you?”

  “What are you talking about?” She stopped watching the kids and looked over at him, frowning.

  He leaned back on his hands, straightening his legs and crossing his booted ankles in front of him, staring across the lawn to where kids continued to play. “There’s the abused horses, the foster kids.” He met her gaze and gave her a knowing smile. “Don’t think I didn’t see you salivating over that hutch in the thrift shop a little while ago.”

  Her brows sagged, and he hated to think he was the one who’d caused the change in her lighthearted mood. “It’s a good thing, Jess. Something most people wouldn’t even think about.” He moved his finger to touch the back of her hand lying flat against the grass. He felt the instant spark of arousal but wasn’t sure which of them felt it more.

  She moved her hand away from his and sat up. “I . . . I just . . . ”

  He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. “You’re as uncomfortable accepting a compliment as I feel in these clothes.”

  He saw a shy smile spread over her lips and felt relief course through him that she hadn’t tried to hide behind her armor again. Since dinner, they’d been able to keep this evening on an easy-going, friendly playing field, and he hoped it would make the coming days easier, especially when he had to push her to make some difficult decisions. If she didn’t trust him, any advice he offered would fall on deaf ears.

  “We should probably head back,” she suggested, rising and tossing what was left of her cone into a nearby garbage can before making her way toward the water fountain.

  He knew she was right. They should get back to the ranch, where there were plenty of eyes to watch their every move and keep him honest. Not to mention work he was supposed to be doing for her. But he was enjoying the time with her, and it had been a long time, a very long time, since he’d allowed himself any opportunity to have fun.

  But for the first time in years, he felt free. Fully alive. He wasn’t sure why Jessie was able to draw this out of him, but he wasn’t quite ready to let it go and get back to his usual boring routine.

  “I thought you were going to show me fun,” he teased. She eyed him suspiciously. “Don’t get me wrong. This is fun, but Justin said I’d missed out growing up in the city. I don’t know if this qualifies as ‘missing out.’ ”

  She washed her hands in the water from the fountain and dried them on her denim-clad thighs, giving him a sideways glance. “Is that a challenge, Nathan?”

  He grinned and shrugged. “I guess it might be.” He loved the way his name fell from her lips. It was the first time she’d used it instead of the stupid nickname Bailey had given him, and he wanted to hear it again—as a soft sigh.

  “Then we should get back to the truck because I’m about to show you something you’ll never find in city limits.” In his frame of mind, Nathan couldn’t help but imagine all sorts of things he wanted to see from her. He had no idea what she had in mind, but if it meant spending more time looking at those blue eyes, seeing that smile on her lips and the humor lighting up her face, he’d do just about anything short of frog gigging.

  Chapter Nine

  JESSIE TEXTED HER brother as she and Nathan headed back to the truck from the park, asking him to saddle up two horses. She ignored his return texts asking where she was, when she would arrive, and why she was planning on riding at this hour with Nathan. If she paused long enough to think about the answers to any of his questions, she might just talk herself out of this stupid idea and remember why she didn’t want anything to do with Nathan Kerrington in the first place. What made her think he would even think this was fun anyway? He probably hadn’t even been on a horse since he’d left the ranch.

  She eyed him slyly, seated in the passenger seat of the truck, and could almost ignore the logic and the warning bells sounding in her brain. She knew she needed to get home and check on the new horses, make sure they’d settled in for the night. She should work on the books, or at the very least, input the latest receipts into the computer program she was trying, unsuccessfully, to learn. She should make some training notes . . . There were at least one thousand things she should be doing, and none of them included spending time on an evening ride with Nathan Kerrington.

  It was the first time in years she’d actually felt like someone was listening to her instead of trying to convince her to live a life she didn’t want. She hated that it was Nathan, of all people. Especially since his apology wasn’t really an explanation at all. She knew she was making a mistake, just like she had the last time they were together, but he’d always been able to make her ignore common sense. The man had a way of making her brain shut off and her heart take over. She must be crazy. She must have left every ounce of sense she possessed in The Feed Lot because she hadn’t been thinking right since she’d first seen him in those Wranglers.

  She pulled into the driveway and saw the light on in the barn with two horses tied to the hitching post in front. Bailey came out of the tack room with the bridles and hung them over the saddle horns, looking up at the sound of the truck and waving. Jessie parked the truck in front of the house.

  Nathan looked at the barn and then back to her. “We’re going riding? Now?”

  “What’s the matter? Not up for it?”

  Please say no, her head begged.

  Please say yes, her heart countered.

  He shut the truck door, folded his hands, and smiled at her over the hood. “It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden, and I’ve never been at night.” The gold flecks in his eyes caught the dome light from the truck and flashed with mischief. “But I’m game to see what I’ve been missing.”

  As they walked to the barn, the light from the doorway played over the planes of his face, creating shadows and angles, giving him an air of mystery and danger. She couldn’t quite make out his hooded expression, and she wondered if he was deliberately taunting her with his innuendo. Her heart immediately began to thud against her ribcage and she bit her lower lip, questioning the sanity of her thoughts again.

  “Hey, Wall Street, lookin’ good,” Bailey said with a laugh as she approached. “We might have to change your name. I barely recognized you.” She turned to Jessie. “I have your horses saddled. Heading up to The Ridge?”

  “That’s the plan.” This was a bad idea and she knew it. He’d baited her, and stupidly, she’d let her mouth get her into trouble again. But if she backed out now, it would look like she was afraid of
him.

  Bailey gave her an impish grin. “Well, you have a fun ride tonight.” She laughed at her own choice of words.

  Jessie glared at her as Nathan arched a brow at them both. She was only taking Nathan up to The Ridge to see the changes her parents had made. She just needed to convince the parts of her body that were already warming with brazen fantasies.

  She busied herself checking the saddles, finding that Bailey had already tied blankets and sweatshirts to the back of each. She’d even added a saddlebag to the back of Jessie’s, but she wasn’t about to take time now examine what sorts of things her cousin might have added to embarrass her.

  “You ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.” He winked at her and untied his horse from the hitching post, surprising her when he mounted correctly and settled himself into the saddle. She raised her brows in question. “It’s sort of like riding a bike,” he pointed out.

  “Let’s see if you still feel that way in the morning when you’re sore as hell.” Bailey dipped her head to hide her smile as she opened the pasture gate.

  Jessie went through it first and Nathan followed.

  Bailey shut the gate behind him, patting his mount on the rump. “Don’t worry. Grady is a solid, old boy so between him and Jessie, you’ll be fine.”

  Nathan glanced at Jessie, and his gaze heated. “I’m sure I’m in good hands.”

  With the huskiness of his voice, it didn’t take much for Jessie’s imagination to conjure visions of her own hands on him. She turned quickly, facing forward in the saddle, refusing to look at him as Bailey burst out laughing at her obvious embarrassment.

  Damn him, damn Bailey, and damn her wanton imagination.

  Jessie clenched her jaw. This was just supposed to be a chance to show him something he’d never seen growing up in the city, nothing more. Why did either of them have to insinuate it was anything other than that? Why did her own imagination want to twist this into a romantic rendezvous? Her gelding jerked his nose forward, pulling against the reins she’d accidentally tightened her hands around.