| Chapter Five The next morning, I checked my appearance in the mirror before leaving my room. I was wearing a dusty mauve business suit, the skirt’s hemline fell to just above my knees and the tailored jacket hugged my feminine curves. The matching shoes added two inches to my height and sculpted my calves. I had twisted my hair up off my neck and pinned it up with a gold toned clip. I was as ready as I was going to get. The phone call from the night before was from one of the local business owners who was having trouble keeping the business in the black. It was just one of those things that I had been doing since I had graduated. I helped out the locals whenever and wherever I could. If they needed tips on managing their accounts they came to me. It was a small side business I had started by accident, but I enjoyed it and it didn’t detract from my responsibilities at the ranch. “Wow look at you!” Carly said as I entered the kitchen to grab a travel mug full of coffee. She eyed my dusty mauve business suit and raised her eyebrow. “Mr. Lambert needs some advise,” I explained as I added cream and sugar to my mug. “Mr. Lambert always needs your help,” she accused with a glint in her eyes and a smirk on her lips. I rolled my eyes, taking her meaning for what it was. Mr. Lambert, as I insisted on calling him, was almost forty, divorced and forever making up excuses to get me near him. Not that there was really anything wrong with him, but I wasn’t attracted to him that way and no matter how many times I had said no to offers of movies and dinner dates, he still didn’t seem to get the picture. “I don’t know why you keep helping him out. He just makes up the problems to get you to see him,” she added in a slightly disgusted voice. “I know, but his problems mean money in our pockets. Besides, I don’t really mind helping him out, even if he does create the problems himself,” I retorted, put out with her for reminding me once again how much she disliked the man. “Fine, fine. I have to go into the clinic this morning. I don’t know when I’ll be back though. Dr. Clemmens was called out late last night and he’s not coming in today,” she said changing the subject. “Don’t worry about it, we’ll manage,” I assured her before I walked into the dinning room in search of Callie. She was speaking with a table of guests and I made a quick detour to the buffet for a cinnamon roll before making my way over to her. She looked up and smiled and then excused herself. “Hey! Going into town?” she asked. “Yep. Mr. Lambert is having business problems again.” I caught the roll of her eyes, but was thankful she didn’t start in on him. “I guess that leaves just me today. Carly is going into the clinic,” she said. I nodded my head as I spoke, “Yeah, she told me. You have my cell phone number, so call me if you need me.” She promised she would and saying a quick good-bye to the guests, I made my way out to my vehicle, unaware that a pair of green eyes followed my every move. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “Why is it, that when a woman says “NO”, that men automatically think she really means “YES”?” I asked no one in particular as I stormed into the kitchen later that afternoon. “I take it that Mr. Lambert thought he was hot stuff?” Carly smirked. “Oh yeah. I swear, that man… oooh!” I stated and threw my hands in the air in exasperation. “You should’ve hit him,” Carly advised with an evil glint in her eye, as she chopped a carrot. “Like that would’ve helped. He’d just think I wanted it rough,” I smarted off, as a visible shudder shook my body. Carly laid the knife down and crossed the room to stand in front of me. She placed her hands on my shoulders and pulled me in for a quick hug. “If you want my advice, don’t do any more work for him.” I opened my mouth to protest, only to be cut off. “Cassie, you don’t need his business. It’s not worth it when every time you go you have to fight off his advances. Make up some excuse, or just flat out tell him no the next time he calls,” she said as she pulled back enough to look me in the eyes. I smiled at her, and wondered where I had been when she suddenly grew up! “I’m going to go for a ride. I need to work off some of this tension and a hard ride is just what I need,” I said as I stepped toward the door. “We’re supposed to get a bad storm late this afternoon,” Carly informed me. “I’ll be careful, and if it hits earlier than its expected, I just hole up in one of the caves. I just need to get out,” I said, hoping to ease her worries. “Okay. Stop back by and I’ll have some food ready,” Carly offered. She knew as well as I did, that you never went out without being prepared. I simply nodded and headed for my room to change. After I changed into a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a denim button down, I stopped by the kitchen, grabbed the food my sister had made me and headed for the barn. Once in the barn, I saddled Mayhem, stowed the food in one of the saddlebags, secured the shotgun in the boot and tied my bedroll and jacket onto the back of the saddle. As I was getting ready to exit the barn, Kevin entered. “Hi, going for a ride?” he asked. “Yeah. I need to ride off some tension,” I answered, trying to still my impatience to be gone. “Mind if I tag along?” he asked, the expression in his eyes hopeful. “Sure, but I got to warn you, there’s a storm brewing and we may get stuck out there for a while.” Kevin shrugged and moved deeper into the barn, going straight to the stall where the horse he’d been using was kept. In minutes he had Darlin’ saddled and I handed him a bedroll and rain slicker to tie on behind the saddle. Together we headed out, riding slowly through the corals until we made it to the far side and out into an open field. “Race ya,” I called as I squeezed Mayhem with my knees and we shot off across the field. I looked back and found that Kevin was gaining on me and I laughed as I spurred Mayhem on. I took another look back and my breath stilled in my lungs. The way the man rode a horse should be labeled a crime. Kevin’s strong legs, encased in tight Levi’s, hugged the horse’s side, his back was straight but relaxed and his hips rolled effortlessly with Darlin’s gait. His strong hands held the reigns loosely, giving Darlin’ free reign to run and his denim shirt embraced his shoulders and clung to the swell of his chest muscles. The low brim of his black Stetson shadowed his eyes, but I could see a smile curving his lips upward. I felt as if I had tumbled back in time. The way he was dressed, he could have been a cowboy from days of old. In my minds eye, I could see him riding the range, roping cattle and herding them back to the safety of the herd. There was just something about cowboys that made my pulse pump a little bit faster and I could honestly admit, at least to myself, that the racing of my heart had less to do with the invigorating ride as it did with the man following me. I reached the stream where we had stopped to have lunch the day before and reigned in, dismounting to wait for Kevin. He rode up within seconds and dismounted and together we led the horses to the water. We stood side-by-side as the horses drank their fill. “That wasn’t fair you know,” he stated. “What wasn’t fair,” I asked, playing innocent. “You didn’t give me fair warning, you just took off,” he answered, a smile curving the corners of his lips. I shrugged playfully and gently pulled Mayhem’s head away from the water and Kevin followed suit. “What’s the fun of giving fair warning?” I asked as I mounted up. Kevin threw his head back and laughed heartily as he swung up into his saddle. We crossed the stream and headed across the flat terrain. part two of chapter 5 |