The Maverick Cowboy(26)

"See, I don't have that problem at all. You can shimmy out of those jeans and come and sit in my lap for as long as you want. You're beautiful." He glanced down at his groin. "Actually I wouldn't mind getting out of these jeans myself. Things are getting crowded down there."

"This is Roy's house!"

"It's better than your suggestion of the barn."



       
         
       
        

"I didn't-" She made another of those breathy frustrated sounds he was beginning to love and backed up until she was next to the closet. "Let me get a shirt."

"You quite sure you don't want to get naked? We're halfway there."

She flapped a hand at him. "Stop talking right now." Turning her back on him she rummaged in the closet, bringing out a red and white checked shirt on a hanger. "I left this here last time."

The hanger clattered to the floor when she turned and found him right up close to her again.

"Rats." She bent to pick it up almost bumping heads with him. "Double rats."

He placed the shirt on top of the dresser and put his hands on her shoulders.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not."

"Really?" He considered her for a long moment until she started to blush. "This is really not okay? Because if you don't want me to kiss you right now, you just have to say so."

"We agreed not to kiss."

"That's right."

"So this shouldn't even be an issue."

"Agreed."

"Then what are you trying to accomplish?"

He grinned at her. "Just testing your resolve."

Her brown eyes narrowed. "You conceited ass."

"Guilty." He stepped back and picked up his T-shirt. "You write that note to Nate and we'll talk again, okay?"

"Just so I can see your other tattoo? I don't think so."

He winked. "Honey, you know I'll show you a lot more than that."

He'd almost made it to the door before she seemed to recover the power of speech.

"Hold it right there. Have you changed your mind? Are you saying that if I wasn't going out with Nate, you'd ask me out instead?"

He looked back over his shoulder. "How about you ditch Nate and come and ask me again? I'll check the horses and wait for you outside."

Grinning to himself, Blue went out the door pulling on his T-shirt. So sue him, he had changed his mind, but he sure wasn't going to quite admit it. She'd laugh like a hyena, and he had some pride. He found his hat, made sure to clean up Roy's kitchen, and went out to see to the horses. God, had he ever had so much fun in a relationship before? Most of them had been just about sex, and he and Jenna still hadn't even done that.

Maybe that was the secret. Liking someone first and then realizing you wanted to make love to them made a lot more sense. Blue put on his hat. And he would be making love with Jenna, he was damned sure about that. Sometimes even a Marine had to reassess his priorities. 

* * *

It took Jenna way too long to manage the buttons on her shirt because her fingers were trembling so much. Every time Blue showed some skin, she lost about a million brain cells and reverted back to basic "hit this man over the head with a club and drag him back to her cave" level of operating.

She found her cell in the back pocket of her jeans and texted Nate, asking to see him. His reply flashed up almost immediately, saying he was heading up to the ranch to see Maria and Blue and would probably be there around dinnertime. It meant she'd have to stick around and put up with Blue Morgan, but there were plenty of things she could do to keep out of his way.

She texted Nate back that she'd be there, and put her cell away. She wasn't prepared to drag him further into her web of lies. He really did deserve better, and seeing as Blue had worked out what was going on from the start, it was unfair to keep pretending. Now came the difficult part. Walking out and pretending that nothing was wrong when all she wanted to do was drag Blue down to the nearest horizontal surface and climb on board.

But she had standards.

Didn't she?

She took her cell phone out again and checked the time before texting.



Yvonne, can I call u?





Her cell rang almost immediately. "What's up?"

"Blue Morgan."

"Ooh, what's happening?" Yvonne said. "Did you sleep with him?"

"No, I'm still going out with Nate, remember?"

"Like anyone believes that," Yvonne scoffed. "So what's up?"

"I almost gave into temptation."

"What stopped you?"

"Yvonne, you're supposed to be helping me resist him. I knew I should've called January. She's way more sensible than you are."

"Honey, Blue's single, right? And sinfully sexy."

"And he has tattoos," Jenna breathed.

"Damn, girl, you are so screwed. Apart from the non-issue of Nate, what's holding you back?"

"Blue's life is a little complicated right now."

"He told you that?"

"He keeps telling me that, and then he kisses me and makes me think he's changing his mind, and then I get all confused again. That's why I'm calling you. I can't let him win."

"So here's what you do."

Jenna clutched the phone tight to her ear. "Okay, shoot."

"Nothing."

"That's not really helping, Yvonne."

"Yes, it is. Sort things out with Nate so that you are both free, and then leave the rest in Blue's hands."

"Like give up control?"

"To fate, yes."

"I'm not sure if I can do that." Jenna frowned at her flustered reflection in the mirror.

"Why not? If he's meant to be yours, he will be."

"Maybe that kind of thing happens to you, Yvonne, but not to me. No man has ever looked at me twice, let alone chased after me."

"Then if Blue doesn't do that, you'll know he isn't the right man for you. Just let him have a chance to try, okay?"

Jenna took a deep breath. Okay, she was officially terrified now. Leaving things up to fate was so not her style. "I'll talk to Nate and leave the rest to fate. Hey, that rhymes."

"Great, you're a poet. Now get out there and get your man."

"I thought you just said I had to wait for him to come to me?"

"You know what I mean. I have to go, my break's over. Come and see me soon, okay?"



       
         
       
        

"Okay, and thanks." Jenna ended the call and put her cell away. Time to go and get back on her horse. Blue had cleared away their glasses and left her note to Roy on the table, so she picked up her cap and sunglasses and went out into the glare of the afternoon sun.

Blue was already mounted and walking Messi, so she was able to get on Nolly and just follow his lead. He waited at the bottom gate for her to go by and then dismounted to close it behind them.

"Wait up."

She tensed as he strolled over to her.

"What is it?"

He pointed at her shirt. "You've got it buttoned up all wrong."

"Maybe I like it like that."

"It would drive me nuts."

"That's because you're an overperfectionist."

"Or because I've been in the military for too long." He settled deeper into the saddle. "Could you fix it? It's giving me an eye twitch."

She sighed elaborately, took off her gloves, and redid the buttons. "Better now?"

"Thanks." He patted her knee. "Have you got time to sample our hot springs before you head out?"

"Hot springs?"

His grin was an invitation to sin. "Yeah. They are something of a family secret, but I'm happy to share it with you."

"I wish I had time, but I promised Ruth I'd check in with her this afternoon." There was no way she was stripping off a single sock near Blue Morgan again today. She smiled brightly at him. "But thanks for the invite. I might take you up on it one day. Have you taken Maria yet?"

"That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of it." His smile dimmed. "Not that she'd want to go anywhere with me."

"You've got to keep trying, Blue."

"Yeah, I know." He turned away, his hat shading his face. "It's just hard."

He mounted up and they were soon on their way back to the ranch. Jenna forgot all about Blue in the simple pleasure of riding through such glorious scenery. She couldn't imagine why Chase Morgan had ever considered selling the ranch. There was so much history here and so much potential. She was suddenly glad that January had been around to remind Chase of what he was throwing away. If she had roots in one place that went back over a hundred and fifty years? She'd be staying put.

As they neared the ranch, her cell buzzed, but as Nolly had decided to approach the barn at the speed of a racehorse, she had her hands too full to answer it. Cooling Nolly down and turning him out into the pasture took a while, so it wasn't until she was heading into the house that she took out her cell to check her messages. 

"Damn." She slowed down to adjust her eyes to the interior light, and Blue bumped into her. "That was Dave. He's stuck with a calf delivery, and Mark Lymond called him to say his mare is in distress. I'll have to go right now."