Cowboy's Texas Rescue Read online

  “What?”

  “Where do you stable George? At your parents’ house?”

  Chelsea sat forward. “No, at a place across town, nearer my apartment. Why?”

  He released a breath and turned up a palm. “Well, if we can ride out on Mr. Noble’s horses, then what would stop Brady from riding out if he had access to a horse?”

  Chelsea furrowed her brow and mentally reviewed what she knew about nearby farms. “I think the Campbells have a stable. But they’re another five or six miles down the highway. Darynda used to have horses, but they sold them when her husband went overseas. It was too much expense, too much work for her, what with the kids and her being pregnant at the time.”

  “Anyone else?”

  “No, except Mr. Noble.” A streak of anxiety arrowed through her. “Do you think Brady might come back for a horse?”

  “Well, he’s got my truck...damn him.” Jake twisted his mouth. “Guess it depends on how far he got yesterday, whether he’s waiting out the storm or if he gets impatient waiting for the roads to be cleared.” His gaze moved to the window and the stable across the yard. “Bears watching, though. He could come back.”

  * * *

  After breakfast, Chelsea curled up in front of the fire and tried to keep her mind off Brady and the possibility of his return. Being stranded by the snowstorm had her edgy, and the relaxing effects of her warm bath evaporated as the morning passed.

  She sensed Jake’s restlessness, too. Although they shared an easy rapport and pleasant conversation, a thread of tension was palpable in the room. Every noise from outside, every pop and crackle in the grate had him looking out the window or his muscles stiffening, his jaw tightening.

  Chelsea did her best to keep the conversation light and teasing. Humor had always been her go-to defense when stress weighed on her. But after hours of idleness, her back had grown stiff from sitting on the floor in front of the fire, and her well of conversation had run dry.

  She sighed and rolled her aching shoulders, debating whether to eat lunch or take a nap.

  “C’mere.” Jake wiggled a finger, motioning her closer.

  “What?”

  He leaned forward and caught her arm, tugging her across the gap between them. She settled on the floor at his feet, and Jake guided her into position in front of him. “I’ve got what you need for those sore muscles.” He laced his fingers and stretched his hands until his knuckles cracked.

  Chelsea thought of every special ops and spy movie she’d ever seen and the lethal skills of the protagonists’ hands. Not that she thought Jake was about to snap her neck or pinch her carotid artery. Just the same, a chill shivered down her spine as he swept her hair off her neck and wrapped his long fingers around her shoulders.

  He dug his thumbs into the muscles at the base of her neck, working the tissue with deep rubs.

  A groan slipped out before Chelsea could stop it. Jake answered with a throaty, sexy chuckle that quivered in her belly. Or maybe it was just the heavenly sensation of Jake’s callused hands on her skin, the slow, firm strokes of his massage...the sensual images his caress called to her mind. Her entire body flooded with heat, collecting in a throbbing pulse at her core. Oh, Texas!

  He moved from her neck down her shoulders and back, paying particular attention to the muscles along her spine. She was putty in his hands and mindless with sweet pleasure when he asked, “Who is Todd?”

  She frowned, drawn out of her drowsy fantasies about a naked Jake, and had to work to process his question. Her ex-boyfriend and the pain he’d caused her were not what she wanted to discuss while Jake gave her the massage of a lifetime. “How do you know about Todd?”

  “You mentioned him yesterday.”

  “I did?”

  “Yesterday, at the car. You said he told you you were fat.”

  She swallowed hard and sat straighter, self-consciously tightening her stomach muscles to suck in her gut. “He’s my ex-boyfriend.”

  “Your ex called you fat? What a loser.”

  She grunted. As much as she didn’t want to go down this road with Jake, if he’d keep working her muscles with his magic hands, she’d tell him all her secrets and shameful past sins. “That’s why he broke up with me. He said he wasn’t attracted to me since I gained weight. Although to be honest, I’d kinda been busy with my mom and hadn’t been giving him the attention he wanted. Still, it was a blow when I was already down, and—” she sighed “—it hurt.”

  Chelsea bit her bottom lip. Why had she added that postscript? She already probably seemed pathetic to Jake without broadcasting how badly Todd’s rejection had stung.

  “What were you doing with your mom that took so much time?” he asked, his fingers kneading the tendons in her neck.

  Chelsea allowed her head to loll lazily to the side, savoring the glorious massage. Somehow, Jake’s touch took the edge off the bitter memories she shared. Well played, Spy Guy!

  “That was when she was in the hospital with cancer. I spent most evenings after work with her. I ate a lot of fast food and junk from the vending machine during those months. Missed a lot of gym time...and put on like eighteen pounds over six months.”

  Jake’s hands stilled. “So you were dealing with a sick mom, and this Todd jerk broke up with you for gaining weight and not spending time with him?”

  His incredulous tone touched her. “That’s about the size of it.”

  A misses size 12–14, to be precise.

  Jake muttered a curse. “What an ass! Needless to say, you’re better off without him.”

  Chelsea scowled. In his righteous anger on her behalf, Jake had stopped massaging her shoulders. One more offense she held against Todd.

  “What did you see in him to start with?” Jake asked and—hallelujah!—began working her back muscles again.

  “He had a good sense of humor and liked a lot of the same stuff I did. We had fun hanging out together. And he was a good kisser.”

  Jake grunted. Was it her imagination or did Jake’s fingers tense a bit at the mention of Todd’s kissing skills? Chelsea rolled her eyes at herself. Right. Like Jake would be jealous of anyone, let alone her ex. And why was she talking about Todd when what she wanted to do was bask in the heaven that was Jake and his magic hands?

  “Can we talk about something else?” She searched for a safe new topic. Certainly not all of Jake’s past girlfriends. Then she’d be the jealous one.

  “Okay. Why don’t you tell me why you have a tattoo of the Chinese character for soup on your shoulder.”

  Chelsea sat straight. “Soup! The guy told me it meant harmony!”

  Jake laughed, and the rich sound resonated inside her...despite her disgust with the tattoo con artist.

  “Oh, Texas! Are you sure? Of course you’re sure. I mean, you’re probably fluent in six languages.” She huffed. “Maybe I could get my money back...although I’d still have soup on my back.”

  He wrapped her in a hug from behind and kissed the shell of her ear lightly. A dizzying tingle raced through her. She was so enchanted by the brush of his lips on her sensitized skin that she almost missed his whisper.

  “Kidding.”

  She frowned. “What?”

  “It says harmony. I was teasing.”

  She huffed a laugh and jabbed him softly with her elbow. “Jake...”

  “Although depending on the other characters you use it with it can mean serenity or concord or mediate—”

  “Hey, it’s all good. As long as it doesn’t say soup...or sucker or whore or...”

  Jake chuckled again, and she could feel the rumble from his chest against her back. The sensation warmed her from deep in her core. She could stay right there forever, wrapped in his hug, absorbing the heat from his body and savoring the masculine scent of his skin....

  But Sadie, who’d been resting comfortably by her legs, jerked her head up, her ears perking.

  “What is it, girl?” Jake said, leaning back, break his hold on Chelsea.

&nb
sp; Sadie jumped up and ran to the back window, her fur bristling. She gave a short growl, then started barking at something outside.

  Chapter 9

  Jake got up and crossed to the window, keeping to the edge and peering through the sheer curtain. “Sadie, what do you see?”

  Chelsea joined them, and the sweetness of Jake’s soft kiss, his massage and warm hug evaporated in the tingle of anxiety that washed through her. “Is someone out there?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t see anyone.” Jake caught her arm and pulled her to the side with him. “Stay clear of the window, just in case.”

  Sadie continued alternately barking and staring intently at the stable with her ears perked.

  “She hears something.” Jake scratched his jaw, then moved toward the back door, taking his borrowed coat from the back of the sofa. “It may be nothing, but I’m going to check it out.”

  Alarm raced down her spine, and she shadowed him to the door, grabbing the coat she’d worn to shovel. “I’m going with you.”

  “No, stay here. I won’t be long.”

  She caught his sleeve as he turned. “Call me crazy, but I just feel like we’re both safer sticking together until Brady is caught. We can watch each other’s backs, work as a team if there’s trouble...”

  Jake brow dipped as he considered her argument. His gaze raked over her, and she experienced an answering tingle, as if he’d stroked her with his hands. When his gaze connected with hers again, he sighed his resignation. “You may be right. Get some boots out of the front closet. No point getting your feet wet and cold again.”

  She spun away and quickly retrieved what must have been Mrs. Noble’s rain boots, based on the flower design and smaller size. Chelsea slipped them on and even though they pinched her toes a bit, they fit well enough.

  “Stay close.” Jake opened the back door, a carving knife from the kitchen in one hand and a flashlight in the other, and Sadie squeezed through the opening and bolted out into the snow. The dog hesitated only briefly when she reached the edge of the area Chelsea had shoveled for her before bounding into the drifts. The snow was up to Sadie’s chest, and she struggled through the accumulation, making a beeline for the stable.

  Chelsea placed her feet in the footprints Jake made as he followed Sadie across the yard. Over the creak of frozen branches swaying in the wind and the ping of icy snow pellets, Chelsea heard the agitated whinnying of the horses. She tugged on his coat sleeve. “Do you hear that?” she said quietly. “Something’s upset the horses.”

  “Yeah, I hear ’em. Let’s hope it’s just a rat in their feeding trough looking for a free meal.”

  She grunted. “Yeah. Never thought I’d be hoping to see a rat.”

  As they closed in on the stable, Jake paused and glanced back at her. “Look, Mr. Noble’s in there. Why don’t you wait out here while I check things out?”

  A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold spun through her. She cast a wary glance around the frozen pasture, scrubby trees that lined the property and snow-covered yard leading back to the house. Except for Sadie pawing at the stable door, everything seemed still and quiet, but...

  She exhaled, the cleansing breath forming a white cloud between them that dissipated quickly in the icy wind. “All right. I’ll keep watch out here.”

  He tweaked her chin with a gloved hand. “Back in a sec.”

  Snapping on the flashlight, Jake unlatched the large slide bolt and tugged open the barn door. Sadie wiggled inside as soon as the doors parted. Her barking resumed immediately, and Jake hushed Sadie and whistled for her to heel.

  Once Jake had stepped into the dim stable, Chelsea eased back against the weathered wood to wait. She heard Jake crooning softly to the horses, and his lulling tones calmed her, as well.

  Deciding she should do more than stand around waiting for Jake, she inched along the front wall of the barn to peer around the corner. Nothing. She continued around the building cautiously and as quietly as she could in the crunching snow. At the next corner, she stopped and peeked around to the back of the stable.

  A trail of disturbed snow led from the pasture to a gaping hole where the wind had blown out a large piece of the barn’s siding. The tracks didn’t appear to be human, but from where she stood, she couldn’t tell what had made the trail. She inched closer for a better look, calling, “Jake, there are tracks out here. Some kind of animal—”

  Sadie’s frantic barking cut her off.

  “Sadie, no! Get out!” Jake’s shout spiked her pulse. “Go on, you varmint!”

  “Jake?” Chelsea had started backing up, retracing her steps, when two gray-brown creatures darted through the hole in the wall of the barn and ran straight toward her.

  A short, startled scream escaped her. She backpedaled, slipping on the icy ground, and fell on her butt, knocking the wind from her lungs. When she recognized the animals, another scream hung soundlessly in her throat. Coyotes!

  A fresh wave of fear sank to her bones. The carnivores were a menace in the area, known to kill dogs and livestock. Spotting her, the coyotes stopped briefly, eyeing her.

  “Chelsea!”

  She crab crawled away from the coyotes before finally clambering to her feet. Struggling to catch her breath, she croaked, “Back here!”

  Sadie, barking for all she was worth, lunged through the same hole in the stable wall through which the coyotes had escaped.

  “Sadie, no!” she cried, her voice stronger now.

  Her shout spooked the coyotes. They turned and ran toward the pasture, leaping through the drifts of snow. Sadie started after them, bounding down the path the coyotes created in the snow, and fear for the dog fueled Chelsea’s feet, her legs. She ran after Sadie—her movements a sorry, slow-motion imitation of running, bogged down by snow, bulky clothes and ill-fitting boots. “Sadie, come back!”

  Suddenly Jake appeared from the front of the barn, his long, powerful legs eating the distance between them in no time. “Chelsea, are you okay?”

  Ignoring his question, she pointed to the black-and-white dog. “Stop her! They’ll tear her up!”

  He turned, loosed a shrill whistle and, in a commanding voice that reverberated to her core, shouted, “Sadie, come!”

  Sadie stopped at the edge of the pasture and looked back at them, then again to the coyotes running across the field.

  Jake repeated his command, and the dog bounded back through the snow to his feet. Chelsea sagged in relief and ruffled Sadie’s fur. “Good girl, yes. You are a good girl, Sadie!”

  Jake put a hand on Chelsea’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “Just shaken up. They startled me, then I slipped and Sadie lit after them and...” She huffed out a cleansing breath. “I’m fine.”

  Jake scooped Sadie into his arms and hitched his head toward the house. “Let’s get her back in the house, then I may need your help patching that hole in the wall. We don’t need those coyotes or any other critters slipping into the barn again.”

  She glanced back toward the front door of the stable. “Are the horses all right? Did the coyotes hurt them?”

  “Just spooked I think, but I’ll check them more carefully after I put Sadie inside.”

  The repair to the barn took mere minutes and consisted of digging the fallen siding planks out of the snow and nailing them back in place. While Jake hammered, Chelsea cast a wary glance around, keeping an eye out for coyotes, escaped convicts and any other form of vermin that might trespass on the Noble farm.

  The rest of the afternoon passed much the way the morning had—conversation laced with an underlying tension about what lay ahead.

  Without his saying anything, Chelsea could tell from Jake’s expression that he was mentally working through a plan and contingencies for capturing Brady. Her ideal strategy involved staying at Mr. Noble’s house with Jake until the snow melted, the power was restored and the police came by to say Brady had been captured and returned to prison.

  She rolled her eyes
at her wishful thinking. Her plan was about as likely to happen as Jake deciding she was the woman of his dreams and giving up everything to be with her. Oh, well. She had nothing else to do than fantasize, right?

  Her fantasies got a shot in the arm that evening when Jake curled against her, spooning, as they had the night before. His arm draped heavily around her and his breath fanned her cheek through a night of little sleep. Having done nothing in particular most of the day, she wasn’t tired, and the press of Jake’s body against hers left her antsy and flushed and ready to jump out of her skin.

  She rose as the sun came up the next morning, to let Sadie out and feed Nela, who’d climbed on Chelsea’s legs to sleep in the wee hours. As Chelsea poured the cat’s food in a bowl, Nela gave her a dark glare, as if chastising her for being tardy in fixing her breakfast.

  While Sadie finished her business outside, Chelsea rummaged in the pantry until she found a box of fiber cereal, which she ate without milk in front of the fire.

  Jake stirred and sat up, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Whatcha got there?”

  She pretended to read the box. “Sticks and twigs with a touch o’ honey.”

  He flashed a wry smile. “Think I’ll finish the Oreos.”

  Arching an eyebrow, she quipped, “Nutritious.”

  He shrugged. “So I’ll open a can of tuna or chili for protein.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “For breakfast? Wow, sticks and twigs don’t sound so bad anymore.”

  When Sadie scratched at the back door, Jake shoved off the floor. “I’ll get her and take care of the horses, then I’m gonna take a shower, okay?”

  An image of Jake, naked with warm water streaming over his body, flashed in Chelsea’s mind, and the bite of cereal she was swallowing went down the wrong pipe. She sputtered a cough and wheezed, “Fine.”

  After letting Sadie in and disappearing to the barn for several minutes, Jake collected a flashlight and headed to the back of the house.

  Chelsea took the opportunity to spruce herself up a bit in the hall bathroom, brushing out her hair, washing her face and using the toothbrush she’d scavenged the day before.