Wild at Heart

“Not when I do it,” Ace grumbled.

“That’s because you’re treating it like a sport.”

Eddie slapped his coiled rope against his thigh. “It is a sport.” He peered at Luke. “Isn’t it?”

“It can be both, I guess, but when it’s done with style, it’s more than a sport. It’s an art form. Can I borrow your rope, Eddie?”

Eddie handed over his rope.

“Anybody can throw a loop and catch something,” Luke said.

“Not me,” Ace muttered.

“The trick is to make that loop dance.” Luke had always loved the supple feel of a good rope. He’d been lucky enough to learn the skill from an expert roper on a ranch in eastern Washington. Luke roped the way he made love, with concentration, subtlety and—he hoped—finesse.

But he didn’t like to show off, so he’d never demonstrated his skills to the folks at the Last Chance. Nash had known, but Nash would never have embarrassed him by making him perform on command like some trained monkey.

Ace needed a demonstration, though, because the kid wouldn’t be interested unless he could see the beauty inherent in the task. Luke built his loop and proceeded to show him. Not only did he make the loop dance, but he danced, leaping and weaving in and out of the undulating circle he’d created.

He was so involved that he didn’t realize all other activity had ceased and he’d drawn a rapt audience. He figured it out when he allowed the rope to settle at his feet and people started clapping. Glancing around, he saw that he’d brought the clinic to a halt.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt the proceedings.”

“I’m glad you did.” Pete surveyed the circle of admiring boys. “You’ve just become our new roping instructor. Welcome to the staff.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you could twirl a rope like that, son?” Emmett asked. “I had no idea.”

“It never came up.”

“He didn’t tell you because he’s too cool to brag.” Ace’s hero worship echoed in every syllable. Then he gazed up at Luke, his expression intense. “I want to learn how to do that.”

“Good. I can teach you.”

“Teach me, too!” Eddie’s comment was followed by a chorus of others.

“Looks like you have a group of eager students,” Pete said. “We’ll be your assistants.”

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as Luke worked with the boys. He didn’t remember he’d skipped lunch until his stomach started to growl.

As the boys were herded off to have dinner at the main house, Emmett came over and hooked an arm around Luke’s shoulder. “I’m buying you a hamburger and a beer at the Spirits and Spurs. You rode in like the cavalry today, and I appreciate it.”

“Thank you. I accept.” Luke recognized a golden opportunity when it was presented, and he wasn’t about to turn down the chance to talk to Emmett about Naomi. “Give me twenty minutes to shower and change.”

“You got it. I need to freshen up a bit, myself. I’ll bring my truck around to the side of the bunkhouse.”

Within half an hour Luke was sitting in the passenger seat of Emmett’s old but well-maintained pickup as they traveled the ten miles from the ranch to the little town of Shoshone and the popular bar. They rode with the windows down, and every once in a while they’d pass a stretch of road where the crickets were chirping like crazy.

It was one of those nights that wasn’t too hot and wasn’t too cold—the perfect night for lovers. Luke thought of Naomi, who was probably tucked into her tent right now. Before he’d ridden away, he’d made a quick survey and located that tent, a faded blue domestyle.

She was probably fine. Yet whenever he thought of her by herself, he had the urge to head on out there and make sure she was okay. That might not be particularly evolved, and an independent woman like Naomi wouldn’t appreciate an overprotective attitude from anyone, let alone some cowboy she’d just met. Funny, he didn’t usually have those protective feelings toward women, but with Naomi he couldn’t seem to help himself.

Right now, though, he had to stop worrying about Naomi sleeping alone in her tent and grab this chance for a private discussion with Emmett. He didn’t want to blow it. Once they arrived at their destination, their privacy would disappear.

Luke took a steadying breath. “I mentioned that I was riding out to check on Naomi Perkins today, right?”

“I believe you said something like that. Did you go?”

“I did, and she’s surviving great out there. It’s pretty amazing to look at those baby eagles.”

“So you climbed up to the platform?”

“She was nice enough to ask me, so I did. You built one hell of an observation spot for her, Emmett. She’s really set up well.”

“Good. I’m glad it’s working out for her. I kept meaning to go out and I haven’t made it, so I’m glad you did. She’s a scrappy little thing, but I can’t help worrying about her sometimes. Her mom and dad worry, too, but they’ve told me they’ve worked hard to give her room to be herself.”

All that fit with what Luke had sensed about her from the beginning. “So I guess she’s a modern woman who doesn’t need a man around to protect her.”

Emmett didn’t answer right away. “If you mean that she doesn’t need a man to physically protect her, that’s probably right,” he said at last. “She took karate when she was still in high school, and she could flip me onto my back if she wanted to.”

Luke thought about that. “Good to know.”

“And she takes other precautions. She has bear spray, and she makes sure her food is stowed. Naomi has a better chance of surviving out there by herself than some men I’ve known. But…”

“But?” Luke waited for the other shoe to drop.

“I could be way off base, but I don’t think she’s a true loner. I think she’d love to find somebody to share her life, as long as it was the right somebody.”

“Hmm.” Well, that sealed his fate. He couldn’t mess around with a woman like that. If Naomi yearned for someone steady in her life, he’d back off. His free-spirited father had tied himself to a job, a wife and a mortgage. He obviously regretted his choices. Luke had inherited that same free spirit, and he had no intention of repeating his dad’s mistakes.

“Then again, how should I know what’s in Naomi’s heart?” Emmett said. “I’m the last person who should give out opinions on such things. I’m a divorced man in love with a wonderful woman, but the idea of marrying her scares me shitless.”

“That’s not so hard to understand, Emmett. Pam Mulholland has big bucks and you’re a man of modest means. I watched my buddy Nash fall into the trap of marrying a woman who had a pile of money, and it was a disaster.” Luke paused. “Then again, he’s now planning to marry Bethany Grace, who also has a pile of money, and I think it’ll be fine.”

Emmett sighed. “So it all depends on the woman. And I know in my heart that Pam wouldn’t let the money be a problem, but my damned pride is at stake. I can’t seem to overcome my basic reluctance to marry a wealthy woman when I’m certainly not wealthy myself. I’m afraid I’ll feel like a gigolo.”

Luke dipped his head to hide a smile. The interior of the truck was dim. Still, he didn’t want to take the slightest chance that Emmett would see that smile. But if Emmett Sterling, the quintessential rugged cowboy, could label himself a gigolo, the world had turned completely upside down.

NAOMI HAD MEANT to spend one more night out at the research site before hiking back to Shoshone for supplies and clean clothes. But the visit from Luke had thrown her off balance. She decided to take her break that very afternoon.

After clearing her platform of everything except the webcam and securing her campsite, she hoisted her backpack and made the trek into town. A night sleeping in her childhood bed at her parents’ house would be a welcome luxury.

Her folks were thrilled to see her, as always, but business was brisk at the Shoshone Diner and they didn’t have much time to chat. She’d anticipated that. At one time the diner served only breakfast and lunch, but recently they’d added a dinner menu.

Prior to that, the Spirits and Spurs had been the only place in town that served an evening meal. But as the tourist business had grown and the wait time for a table at the Spirits and Spurs had become ridiculous, Naomi’s parents had decided to expand their offerings.

It had paid off for them. They’d hired extra help because Naomi wasn’t there to waitress anymore, and both women were capable and had a set routine. If Naomi hung around the diner tonight, she’d only get in everybody’s way.

So she ate the meat loaf her mother insisted on feeding her, went home for a quick shower and a change of clothes, and walked over to the Spirits and Spurs. On the way, she thought of Luke, who quite likely wouldn’t be there on a weeknight. Ranch hands generally came into town on the weekend.

As she walked toward the intersection where the bar was located, she remembered the foolishly grand entrance she’d envisioned making in her tight jeans and revealing blouse. Instead she’d pulled on her comfort outfit—faded jeans and a soft knit top in her favorite shade of red. Nothing about her appearance tonight was calculated to turn heads.

Ah, well. She’d scrapped her plan to knock Luke back on his heels and make him her slave. Luke didn’t intend to be any woman’s slave. He was a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of cowboy.

She’d never met a man who’d laid it out so clearly. At first she’d been appalled by the concept of a relationship based mostly on sex, with some interesting conversations thrown in, a relationship with an expiration date stamped plainly on the package.

She laughed to herself. And what a package it was, too. That was part of her dilemma. She wanted that package, even if she could enjoy it for only a limited time.

Music from the Spirits and Spurs beckoned her as she approached. During tourist season the bar had a live band every night, and Naomi loved to dance. She wouldn’t mind kicking up her heels a little if anyone inside the bar felt like getting out on the floor. She could do with a little fun.

Maybe that was how she should view Luke’s suggestion, too. She’d never seen herself as the kind of woman who would have a casual fling, but maybe she was needlessly limiting herself. She might be back in her hometown, but she wasn’t a kid anymore. She had the right to make adult decisions. Very adult. A sensual zing heated her blood.

If the thought of parading her behavior in front of her parents bothered her at all, and she admitted that it did, they wouldn’t have to know. She was living out in the woods, away from prying eyes. Luke might have to explain his behavior if he made regular visits to her campsite, but she’d let him worry about that.

As she pushed open the door to the Spirits and Spurs, the familiar scent of beer and smoke greeted her. This bar might end up being the last place in the entire world to ban smoking. Even if they did, the place was supposed to be haunted by the ghosts of cowboys and prospectors who’d tipped a few in this building a century ago. No doubt they’d bring the aroma of tobacco with them.

The band started playing a recent Alan Jackson hit she happened to like. Couples filled the small dance floor. The place was jumping, with most of the round wooden tables occupied and very few vacant seats at the bar.

Coming here had been a good idea. She watched the dancers and tapped her foot in time to the music. She’d have a beer and dance if she found a willing partner. Then tomorrow, or whenever Luke came back for his answer, she’d tell him not only yes but hell, yes. Look out, world. Naomi Perkins was ready to cut loose.

“Naomi?”

The rich baritone made her whirl in its direction. She’d last heard that voice after being kissed senseless twenty feet above the ground. She found herself staring into Luke Griffin’s brown-eyed gaze. Her heart launched into overdrive.

They spoke in unison. “What are you doing here?”

“You first.” Luke tilted back his hat and stared at her. “You’re the big surprise. I thought you’d be curled up in your blue dome tent fast asleep.”

She fought the urge to grab his shirtfront in both hands and pull him into another kiss, one even more potent than what they’d shared earlier today. “I’m staying with my folks in town. And how do you know I have a blue dome tent?”

“I checked it out before I left.”

“For future reference?”

“No. In fact, that’s why I hotfooted it over here. I—” He gestured toward the band. “Love that song, but I don’t want to have to yell over it. Can we move outside for a minute?”

“Okay.” She gulped in air and did her best to calm down. When she agreed to this affair, she wanted to appear in command of herself, even if she wasn’t. He was used to sophistication, and she would exude that.

He held the door open and she walked out into the soft night air. He followed. As the door closed behind him, the music faded into background noise.

She turned to him. “Luke, I’m glad you’re here tonight, because—”

“No, wait. Let me say something first. I was off base today, and I apologize with all my heart. You’re not that kind of woman. I made a mistake and no doubt insulted you in the process.”

Yikes, now what? Right when she’d decided to accept his outrageous proposal, he’d withdrawn it on the grounds that she wasn’t that kind of woman.

She swallowed. “What kind of woman do you think I am?”

“The kind who needs stability. You deserve someone who wants to become a permanent part of your life, and I’m not that guy.”

“Luke, I don’t know what my life is going to be yet. You made me do some serious thinking today. I was shocked by your assumption that I’d want a fling, but—”

“I know you were, and I feel pretty rotten about that.”

“Yes, but you see, when it comes right down to it…” She placed both hands on his chest so she could feel his heart beating and know for sure that it was racing as fast as hers. This wasn’t a cold, calculated decision, after all. It was being made in the heat of the moment, and she was ready to dive headfirst into the flames.

She looked into his beautiful eyes. “I do want a fling with you, Luke.” Heat sizzled through her as she plunged into the fire. “In fact, I can’t think of anything I want more.”

4

LUKE WAS SUDDENLY so short of breath that he was a little scared he might black out. That wouldn’t be cool in front of this woman who’d said she wanted to have sex with him. But he couldn’t kiss her until he stopped struggling to fill his lungs with air.

The corners of her beautiful mouth tipped up. “Apparently you didn’t expect me to say that.”

“No.” He dragged in a breath. “That’s a fact. I definitely did not.”

“I’ve never had this kind of effect on a man before.” She gazed up at him as amusement turned to concern. “Are you going to be all right?”

“I’m going to be terrific.” There. That statement sounded normal. Finally trusting himself to wrap her in his arms, he nudged his hat back with his thumb and pulled her close. Damn, that felt good. “We’re going to be terrific.”

“I’ll have to leave that up to you.” Her eyes caught the sparkle from the bar’s neon bucking bronco. “If you’ve spent your adult life playing the field, then I guarantee you have more experience than I do.”

“Maybe.” He aligned his body with hers. They fit so perfectly it was a little scary for a guy who didn’t believe in perfect fits. But he’d figured that she’d be soft and pliable, warm and willing. His cock responded quickly. He’d have to remember they were standing on the corner of the town’s only intersection. “But I can recognize natural talent when I see it.”

Her smile widened. “You think I have a natural talent for sex?”

“I know you do, at least for kissing, which usually tells me a lot about a woman.” Keeping one arm firmly around her narrow waist, he slid his free hand up through her silky blond hair. No ponytail tonight.

“We only kissed once.”

“True.” He cradled the back of her head. “I should gather more information before I come to any firm conclusions.”

She rocked against him. “Feels like you’ve already come to a very firm conclusion.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about.” Cupping her bottom, he snuggled her in tight. “A natural talent. And, lady, sassy comments and sexy moves like that will get you anything you want from me.”

“Anything?”

“Sky’s the limit.” He lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers. So delicious. But he dared not get involved in the kind of kiss he wanted, the kind that would make him forget where he was.

She clutched his shoulders and joined in his little game of butterfly kisses. “I’ve already told you what I want.”

“In general terms, yes.” The feathery touch of her lips could drive him crazy if it went on too long without some way to release the tension. “But we have to work out the details.”

“We can’t do anything here.”

He chuckled. “No, obviously not.” Although with the blood pumping hot in his veins, he’d already fantasized about coaxing her into the shadows behind the building. “We’re standing in front of the most popular spot in town.”

“I mean not here, as in not in Shoshone.”

He nibbled her full lower lip. “You want to drive to Jackson?” He hoped not. He wouldn’t be able to swing very many trips to Jackson and still handle his assigned work on the ranch. But with a hot woman in his arms, he was ready to do whatever it took to have her.

“No, nothing that drastic.” She placed tiny kisses at the corners of his mouth. “I was referring to my campsite as being the most discreet choice.”

“It’s perfect, except you’re not there.” And he wanted her now, tonight. Moments ago he’d given up all hope of a relationship, but her unexpected decision and these flirty kisses had flipped the switch on his libido and destroyed his patience. He outlined her mouth with the tip of his tongue.

Her breathing had changed, signaling that she was getting as worked up as he was. “I will be there.”

“When?” His fingers flexed against her bottom.

“Tomorrow.”

He groaned. “That’s forever.”

“I can’t hike out there in the dark.”

“I know. But I—whoops, somebody’s coming.” He released her and stepped back. With luck, whoever it was would simply call a greeting and pass on by. Then he glanced over and realized that wasn’t going to happen. Thank God for the shadows that should keep his aroused condition from being too obvious.

Emmett walked toward them. “Hi there, Naomi.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Nice to see you.”

“Hi, Emmett. It’s good to see you, too. You don’t usually come into town midweek.”

“I wanted to treat Luke. He showed up in the nick of time and put on a roping demonstration that saved what was fast becoming a disaster.”

“Ah, you would have worked it out.” Luke pulled the brim of his hat back down and hoped Emmett hadn’t noticed how he’d shoved it back, which was typical for a cowboy who’d been kissing a woman.

“I’m not so sure.” Emmett glanced at Naomi. “Take my word for it. We had a snarled-up mess, but five minutes after Luke showed up and started twirling a rope, the kids were mesmerized. They hadn’t seen the possibilities of roping until then. Pete and I aren’t that fancy. This boy has hidden talents.”

“Talent, singular,” Luke said. “Trick roping. That’s my only hidden talent.”

Naomi glanced at him. “Oh, I doubt that.”

“Anyway,” Emmett said. “I didn’t mean to break up your conversation, Luke, but your food’s getting cold. Naomi, why don’t you join us? We have an extra chair. Have you had dinner?”

“Yes, thanks. I ate at the diner before I came over. But I don’t want to keep you two from your meal. Let’s go in.”

“Excellent. You can fill me in on how the eagle project’s going.”

“I’d love to. That platform you and Jack built is working out beautifully.”

Luke followed them in. As Emmett asked more questions about the eagles, Luke quietly ground a centimeter off his back molars. He hadn’t been sure when Emmett first showed up, but he was now. The foreman was deliberately interfering in what he saw as a problem situation between Luke and Naomi.

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