The Rancher and the Event Planner

Chapter Three



JC followed Rafe down the ranch house’s wide second floor hallway with honey colored oak floors and a navy and maroon runner at her feet. His tall presence and all-man scent made her insides jittery. They passed a small study with a stone fireplace. The furniture, a mix of leather and fabric, composed two cozy seating areas with book shelves lining two walls and a desk and chair situated in front of the floor to ceiling window. After passing several bedrooms, the first of which was decidedly masculine in décor, JC breathed a sigh of relief. That room was obviously Rafe’s. Thank goodness her room would be quite far from his. Luck was on her side. He stopped at a closed door, opened it and gestured for her to step inside.

The room was lovely and inviting, everything a guest room should be. The walls were painted in pale blue with white trim. A charming four-poster bed, covered in a magnificent quilt in shades of every blue imaginable, stood against one wall. A dressing table with mirror, a high boy and a window seat in a blue and white striped pattern completed the room.

“You’ll be staying here. I hope you like it,” Rafe said at her back.

She turned. “I’d be really hard to please if I didn’t.”

He smiled. “I’ll leave you alone to get settled. My room’s across the hall if you ever need anything.”

Her heart pounded a tattoo in her chest and slid up into her throat. If she ever needed anything? She could think of a lot of things she needed from Rafe and none of them included an extra blanket or pillow. He couldn’t be across the hall. What was she going to do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had no choice. There was nowhere else for her to stay.

He put his hat on and said, “Need to get down to the barn.”

“Right. See you later.”

So much for luck.

***

“Dinner was delicious, Linc,” Jennifer said. “And the peach crisp practically melts on my tongue.”

The words melting and tongue in the same sentence caused sensual visions of Jennifer in various states of undress to flicker through Rafe’s brain. He ignored the images and tried to focus on his own dessert. What was wrong with him? He’d been acting like a teenager with raging hormones since he’d clapped eyes on her. What would Cade think? Cade wouldn’t think. He’d rearrange his face first then ask questions later. Good thing he was out of town for a couple more days. It would give Rafe time to rein in his lusty responses to Jennifer.

“I’m glad you like it, JC. It’s my mom’s recipe.”

Jennifer spooned up another bite of dessert and made a groaning sound deep in her throat. “The peaches are so sweet and juicy.”

Sweet and juicy. Her words made his skin hot. The light fixture over the large maple table cast a soft light enhancing her cheek bones, whiskey colored eyes and lips. She’d changed out of her suit and put on jeans and a white tank top. A golden heart on a big, linked chain nestled in the valley between her breasts. Each time she made the slightest move, the front of her top opened a little, giving him a peek-a-boo glimpse of the slopes of her breasts.

Under the table he curled one hand around his knee and squeezed to distract him from the way she licked her lips. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail and a few blonde wisps tickled her slender neck, where the skin appeared soft and touchable. Yearning, encased in a deep, peaceful exhale, spread through Rafe’s chest, a kind of longing he’d never experienced before with any woman and it scared the bejeezus out of him. Deep inside, in the most secret place in his heart, he knew he should squash these feelings before they had a chance to take root because the last woman he wanted to put at risk to his emotional blunders was Jennifer.

“They’re Texas grown,” Linc said.

“Peaches are my favorite,” added Molly.

His too, now that he’d witnessed Jennifer closing her lips around them.

The minutes crawled past slower than a snail climbing a slick log, as he watched Jennifer devour the cobbler. Finally, she consumed the last bite and laid down her spoon.

Sweet relief gushed through him. Hallelujah, the meal was over but his torture had only just begun. She would be living here for an entire month. Jennifer had grown into a sexy, attractive and successful woman. It was only natural he’d feel this way especially after having been in her company an entire day. At least that’s what he told himself as he watched her take a sip of wine and smile at his daughter.

They were going to be working closely together which meant she’d be in his life for the foreseeable future which wouldn’t help his unwelcome attraction toward her. He would just have to make sure their relationship stayed on a business level and didn’t stray into something personal. In thirty days she would leave Salvation and go back to her life and he would get back to his.

While Jennifer was talking with Molly, Linc winked at him. His stomach clenched and irritation two-stepped down his spine. Whenever his brother gave him the secret wink, he knew disaster was galloping down the pike at break-neck speed and there was little he could do to stop it. Rafe almost imperceptibly shook his head and mouthed ‘no’ trying desperately to discourage Linc from playing whatever game he had in mind. Ever since Linc realized Rafe was attracted to Jennifer, he knew he was in trouble because his brother was like a starving coyote fighting over scraps when he sunk his teeth into something.

He’d attempted to rope and tie him into a relationship barely a year after Caroline’s car accident. A woman was the last thing Rafe wanted or needed in his life right now. He and Molly were doing fine.

“JC, would you like to take a look at the ranch? Things have changed since the last time you were here,” Linc said.

Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”

“Great, Rafe will show you around while Molly and I clean up.”

Rafe sent his brother what he hoped was a death glare but Linc only smiled and gave him back an innocent look. He would kill his brother later.

When they stepped on the back porch, the sun, a bright orange ball glowing behind a swath of clouds, lounged on the horizon. The piercing rays washed the ranch and Jennifer’s hair in golden, late day sunlight. The thunderstorm that hit earlier had left the air heavy with humidity but dropped the scorching temperature down to tolerable. The light glinted on Jennifer’s blonde strands and illuminated her skin. A light breeze blew her honey and vanilla scent past his nose. Without even thinking about it, he inhaled her feminine aroma deep into his lungs. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sun with a contented smile on her lips. His heart nearly stopped. He hadn’t seen her do that since she was a kid. But she was no longer a kid. Jennifer Barrett was all woman from the top of her gorgeous blonde head to the tips of her red-painted toes.

“I love this time of day,” she said softly without opening her eyes. “It’s like the world breathes a sigh and snuggles in for the night.”

Why did she have to talk about sighing and snuggling? He remembered sitting on the porch in the glider with Caroline shoved up against his side, her finger twirling in his hair, her soft whiney voice begging him to spend less time tending to the ranch and more time tending to her. He shook away the memory. “Come on, I’ll show you the horses.”

When he opened the barn door, Jennifer’s eyes widened at the long rows of stalls lining each side, with a freshly swept brick alleyway.

“The barn is much bigger than I remember. Very nice.”

“Yeah,” Rafe said, resisting the urge to puff out his chest. “We redid it from the ground up. It holds three times as many horses than it did a few years ago.”

A few horses poked their heads out and pricked up their ears curious about their visitors. One of the barn cats, who was perched on a bale of hay grooming his paws, hopped down to the barn floor and rubbed his golden-colored body against Jennifer’s leg. That cat didn’t like anybody.

Jennifer leaned over and scratched the old tom behind his ears. The cat’s purr increased to a satisfied rumble. Her jeans stretched around her perfectly shaped rear and the tail of her top pulled upward exposing an expanse of skin. His fingers itched to touch her there and find out if her skin was as soft as it looked. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans instead.

When his horse, Silver Bells, who he affectionately called Possum, stuck his gray head over the stall door, Jennifer rubbed his neck and muzzle while he blew softly over her fingers, his eyes half-closing in adoration. She used to be afraid of horses. Jennifer crooned to Possum and the big lug couldn’t take his eyes off her. I know how you feel, pal.

Molly’s pony, a dainty white mare stuck her head over the low stall door with her ears pricked and soft whickers issuing from her muzzle. Jennifer swept her hand over the pony’s neck and the animal closed her eyes as if to sleep.

“She likes you,” Rafe said.

Jennifer smiled. “She’s a sweetheart.” She looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the soft light of the barn, her lips slightly parted. His gaze slipped to her mouth and a vein thrummed in his neck. “Remember that day you started teaching me to ride?”

How could he forget? She’d been shaking like a bare branch in winter, her face pale, her hands gripped the saddle horn until her knuckles turned white. She’d pasted on a fake smile to try and hide her fear, but he’d seen through her.

“Yeah, I remember. You were terrified at first but after a few turns around the paddock you started to relax.”

“While I’m in town, would you consider continuing those riding lessons?”

No, Rafe screamed inside his head. Teaching Jennifer to ride meant spending even more time with her outside of their working relationship. He wanted nothing to do with the temptation standing before him. Forget about touching her, McCord. He imagined helping her onto a horse for her first ride, her sparkling eyes and perfectly shaped lips tempting him. Not to mention her sweet butt as it settled into the saddle. He wouldn’t stand a chance. At the moment he couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse. “Sure, if we find ourselves with some free time.”

She rubbed the pony’s silky neck. “Great, I have some friends who are members of a riding club and I’d like to join.” She fixed her gaze on his. “You know it really wasn’t the horse I was afraid of. It was you.”

Shock bucked around inside him. “Me?”

A light blush climbed her cheeks. She shrugged and focused back on Lucy. “What I mean is I had a terrible crush on you.” She glanced at him and started laughing. “Don’t worry, I got over it.”

***

Sweet jiminy Christmas. She’d never gotten over it.

JC walked beside Rafe toward the house wondering why she’d gone temporarily insane and admitted that to him and asked him to give her riding lessons too. Maybe it was the quiet atmosphere in the barn or the way the light fell across his handsome face. Or was it his smell of soap, shaving lotion and hay that had scrambled her brain? His tanned face had paled slightly when she’d admitted her secret crush. She wanted to take the words back but she couldn’t.

He hadn’t uttered a word since they left the barn and she needed to smooth things over and get them back on solid, friendly ground again. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

He gave her a quick glance and said, “You didn’t. Just surprised me that’s all.”

“I think I surprised myself. I hadn’t planned on ever admitting that to you.”

He cut his blue gaze to her and tipped a corner of his mouth upward. Every time he looked at her she got this fluttery feeling in the center of her chest.

“I hadn’t planned to tell you about keeping my Eagle Scout badge either. That makes us even.” He arched a brow. “Unless you have another secret you’d like to tell me?” His voice ended on a quiet, husky note.

Only that he was blazing hot, set her nerve endings on fire, made her pulse tap dance and her knees weak. God help her, she had to remember the reason she was here in the first place. “No more secrets.”

***

When they reached the ranch house, Linc was lounging on the front porch holding a copy of The Secret Garden with Molly beside him. “Rafe you should take JC over to The Roundup,” he said. “It’s a great little Honky Tonk, JC.” His brother’s gaze shot to Rafe. “I’ll stay here with Molly. What do you say?”

Molly looked at him with sleepy green eyes. “Can I go too? Please,” she said on a yawn.

Every muscle in Rafe’s body tensed like a bull stuffed into a chute with a bucking strap squeezing his gonads. “You need to get to bed and Jennifer and I have—”

“Great, it’s settled then. You two better hurry along.”

***

A few minutes later, Rafe pulled into the parking lot of The Roundup, his truck jouncing over the dirt lot scarred with ruts and pot holes, now filled with water from the afternoon shower. Thank goodness the shower hadn’t lasted long, otherwise a slimy bog of mud would be surrounding the large wooden building boasting a neon cowgirl on a horse with a rope around the neck of a single flashing steer.

A few stars were winking out in the transparent dark blue sky when they climbed from the truck. She inhaled deeply and the hot sage scented air filled her head, bringing with it Rafe’s scent of hay, horse and man, a deadly combination for any woman. A country song urging JC to shuffle her feet and swing her hips to the get-up-and-dance beat, pumped through the walls of the bar as they stepped inside.

A huge mahogany bar ran the length of the back wall with a dance floor filling a sizable space to the right. Couples crowded around two pool tables tucked into a back corner and light fixtures fashioned after old, tin lanterns hung from the ceiling, and cast golden light about the place. A variety of men and women sat around the bar and even a few young women with toddlers on their hip, swayed in their husbands’ arms on the dance floor.

“Hey, Rafe.”

JC turned to see a woman with gray hair still scattered with a little light brown woven into a long braid lying over her right shoulder. A pretty blonde stood beside the woman holding a tray of empty beer bottles.

Rafe gave the woman a kiss on the cheek. “Jennifer, this is Payton Parnell, she owns the place,” he said with a gesture.

Ms. Parnell grinned and lines splayed around her bottle green eyes. “Welcome to Salvation. So you’re the lady who’s going to help Rafe pretty things up.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m sure you and Rafe will do a great job.”

Ms. Parnell introduced the blonde as her daughter, Maddie. The young woman with her blonde hair twisted up and fastened with a clip at the back of her head, turned sparkling blue eyes on JC. “You must be Jennifer Barrett—sorry JC.”

“The town hasn’t changed. Everybody and their dog still knows everything that goes on around here.”

Maddie chuckled. “News sparks faster around here than summer lightening.”

“Nice to meet you, Maddie.”

She cocked her head slightly to the side. “Got a table for you two by the dance floor. What can I get you this evening?”

Maddie took their drink orders and disappeared into the crowd along with her mother. After a few minutes, Rafe was drawn into conversation with some friends and she decided to head for the table Maddie had arranged for them, but half way there a cowboy stepped in her path and asked her to dance.

After twirling around the dance floor with the cowboy through a couple of songs, JC caught sight of Rafe sitting at their table sipping a beer. The cowboy tipped his hat after the second dance and even pulled out the chair for her at the table. He gave Rafe a quick nod then headed for the bar.

Rafe took another sip of beer and said, “Better watch out for him. He’s a real hound dog when it comes to women.”

JC shrugged. “It was only a dance. Besides, I’m here to work off my community service, not date.”

“Hey, everybody! Welcome to the Roundup’s Love em’ or Leave em’ Night,” Payton exclaimed into the microphone from the center of the stage behind the dance floor.

The crowd clapped and whistled and JC joined in.

“For those new to the Roundup, I met my no good husband here some thirty odd years ago as a single woman passing through on my way to Austin. I took one look at his handsome face and fell like a sack of rocks. Next thing I knew I was hitched with a baby on the way who turned out to be my wonderful daughter, Maddie.” She lifted a hand and said, “Take a bow, sweetheart.”

Maddie nodded as she held a tray of fresh drinks in one hand.

“Right before she was born, my husband put pedal to the metal and hasn’t been seen since. I scrounged what money I had, bought the Roundup and the rest as they say is history. Love em’ or Leave em’ Night is about celebrating all the men and women who have had their heart stomped flat as a cow pie and left in the dirt. It’s also about celebrating the men and women who have had the courage to try again, take hold of their soul mate’s hand and never look back. Tonight, I invite those single folks here whose hearts are aching with loneliness, to take a least one turn around this dance floor, and let the magic take hold. After everybody dances, we’re going to ask this question. Should their dance partner love em’ or leave em’? All the participants get a free drink, and a heaping plate of the Roundup’s Fry Your Taste Buds nachos. But according to tradition, I get to pick the first couple.” Her gaze zeroed in on JC and Rafe.

“Rafe, you and JC start us off tonight.” She stepped away as applause rose from the crowded bar.

Standing, Rafe held out his hand and JC grasped his fingers. Tingling danced over her palm, continued down her arm and into her stomach. Instead of a rocking dance-your-heart-out tune, a slow, easy song dripping with love and longing filled the air. JC found herself enfolded in Rafe’s strong arms with his body heat surrounding her in a safe cocoon and his soulful blue eyes staring into hers. Being in his arms was a dream, a fantasy she’d imagined time and time again while growing up and thought she would never experience. She knew this was no more real than fairy dust, an illusion that would fade into nothing as soon as the dance ended, but she couldn’t resist reveling in the moment while it lasted.

“Stop worrying. I don’t bite,” Rafe murmured. One corner of his mouth lifted. “At least not on the first dance.”