Dreams of Forever: Seduction, Westmoreland Style

“Where are we going to find another horse trainer this late in the game?”

Norris’s question reeled McKinnon’s thoughts back in. He and his best friend Durango Westmoreland had started their horse-breeding business a few years ago because of their love for the animals. McKinnon handled the day-to-day running of the operation while Durango, who was still employed as a park ranger for Yellowstone, managed the books.

When Sheikh Jamal Ari Yasir, a prince from the Middle East who was married to Durango’s cousin Delaney, had approached them a couple of months ago about taking on the training of Prince Charming to ready him for the races this fall, they had readily accepted, not foreseeing any problems and thinking it would be a way to expand their business from horse breeding into horse training, as well.

Successfully getting Prince Charming trained was their first major test in that particular area, and their success with that endeavor would assure the sheikh sent more business their way and provided good recommendations to his friends and business associates. But the situation looked bleak since they hadn’t made any real progress and valuable time was being wasted.

McKinnon leaned back in his chair. “I guess the first thing I need to do is place a call to my contacts again,” he said finally answering, although he was quick to think that his contacts’ reliability was on shaky ground since they had been the reason he’d hired Beckman in the first place.

“What about Corey Westmoreland’s daughter?”

McKinnon stiffened, pushed away from the table and stood. “What about her?”

“Well, you saw how she handled Prince Charming yesterday. She had that blasted animal eating out of her hands, literally. Do you think she might be interested in the job?”

McKinnon decided now was not the time to mention to Norris that Casey had been interested in the job—in fact, that had been her reason for showing up yesterday. Instead he said, “Doesn’t matter if she would be. You know my policy about a woman working on this ranch.”

Norris stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head and saying, “It’s been over four years now, McKinnon. How long will it take you to get what Lynette did out of your mind…and heart?”

McKinnon sucked in a deep breath before saying, “I’ve done both.”

Norris was one of the few who knew the full story about Lynette. He had been with McKinnon the night they’d arrived back at the ranch from rounding up wild horses in the north prairie to find that Lynette had packed up and left, leaving a scribbled note as to the reason why.

McKinnon’s brusque words should have warned the sixty-year-old Norris that this was a touchy subject—one McKinnon had no desire to engage in; but Norris, who’d known McKinnon since the day he was born, paid no mind. “Then act like it, son. Act like you’ve put it behind you.”

McKinnon cursed under his breath. “You actually expect me to ask Corey Westmoreland’s daughter to come work for me and live on this ranch? You saw her yesterday. She’s no bigger than a mite. Granted, she handled Prince Charming okay, but what about the others to come after that? Some twice as mean. Besides, I need a trainer that I can invest in long term.”

“I heard she’s moving to town to be close to her father. To me that speaks of long term.”

McKinnon’s gaze narrowed. Evidently Norris had asked questions of the right people after Casey’s impressive performance yesterday. Abruptly, McKinnon walked over to the window and looked out. He had barely slept last night for remembering the sight of Casey standing frozen in place while that blasted animal charged toward her. He hadn’t felt so helpless before in his entire life. The thought of what that horse could have done to her sent chills through his body even now.

“The decision is yours, of course, but I think it will be to your advantage, considering everything, to hire her,” Norris said behind him. “The sheikh expects that blasted horse trained and ready to race in less than two months. And the way I see it, Corey’s daughter is our best bet.”

McKinnon turned and shot a hard glare at Norris. “There has to be another way,” he said, his features severe and unyielding.

“Then I hope you find it,” Norris replied before moving to walk out the door.

* * *

He hadn’t found another way.

And that was the reason McKinnon found himself arriving by horseback on Corey’s Mountain later that same day. Seeing the spacious and sprawling ranch house, set among a stand of pine trees and beneath the beauty of a Montana sky, had bittersweet memories flooding his mind. He could recall the many summers he’d spent here as a young boy with Corey’s nephews—all eleven of them. Just how Corey managed all of them was anyone’s guess, but those summers had been some of the best of McKinnon’s life. He’d been footloose and fancy free, and the only thing he’d worried about was staying away from the blackberries he was allergic to.

These days things were different. He had a lot to worry about. He had both a ranch and a business to run, and now it seemed the woman he’d always intended to keep at a distance would be living on his land, a stone’s throw away…. If she accepted his job offer.

And that was the big question. After the way they’d clashed yesterday, would she even consider coming to work for him now? His contacts in the horse industry hadn’t been any help and now it came down to eating crow and doing the one thing he hadn’t wanted to do—offer Casey Westmoreland a job.

When he reached the ranch house he got off his horse and tied him to a post before glancing around, his gaze searching the wide stretch of land, scanning the fields and pastures. Corey’s land. Corey’s Mountain. McKinnon shook his head thinking it was rather sad that during those times he and Corey’s eleven nephews were spending time on this mountain, somewhere in Texas Corey had three kids he’d known nothing about—a daughter and two sons. Triplets. Being the good man that he was, Corey was trying like hell to make up for lost time.

A sound coming from somewhere in back where the stables and corral were located caught McKinnon’s ears, and before moving up the steps to the front door, he decided to check things out. As soon as he rounded the corner a swift surge of intense desire flooded him. He recognized Casey sitting on the back of a horse, surrounded by a group of men—one he recognized as her father.

He stopped walking and stood there, leaned against the house and stared at her, remembering the first time he’d laid eyes on her. It had been here, on this very land, standing pretty close to this same spot, while attending her cousin and his good friend Stone Westmoreland’s wedding. It just so happened that Corey, who she had met for the first time that day, was also getting married.

It had been just minutes before the wedding was to begin and he had been talking with Durango and his brothers, Jared and Spencer. He had glanced around the exact moment a group of people had parted, giving him a spacious view of what he thought had to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He’d heard about Corey’s triplets and had already met her two brothers, but that day had been the first time he had set his eyes on Casey Westmoreland.

Every male hormone within his body had gone on full alert and his libido hadn’t been the same since. He had stood there, the conversations between him and the men long forgotten as he watched her move around the yard talking with her cousin Delaney. There had been such sensuality in her movement, such refined grace, that he found it hard to believe she was the same woman sitting on a horse now. But all it took was a glance of her face to know that she was one and the same. The same woman determined to stay etched inside his brain.

And then, as if she knew he was standing there staring at her, she glanced over in his direction and their gazes locked and held. He watched her stiffen, felt her anger and knew he had his work cut out for him. Chances were strong that after yesterday he was the last person she wanted to see.

But still he kept staring at her, liking the way the sun was shining on her hair, giving it a lustrous glow against the light blue blouse she was wearing. She had on jeans—that much he could see although his total view was hampered by the men standing around her.

As if wondering what had captured his daughter’s attention, Corey glanced in his direction and smiled. He then said something to Casey and a brief moment later the older man was walking toward him. McKinnon shoved off from the wall and moved forward to meet the man he considered a second father. Corey and McKinnon’s father had been best friends for years, long before McKinnon was born.

Towering over six-five with a muscular build, Corey Westmoreland was a giant of a man with a big heart, a love for the land and his family and friends.

“McKinnon,” Corey Westmoreland said, smiling as he embraced him in a bear hug. “What brings you up here?”

“Casey,” McKinnon said simply. He couldn’t help noticing the older man’s expression didn’t show any surprise. “She came to see me yesterday about a job.”

Corey chuckled. “Yes, she told me about that.”

McKinnon could imagine. “I’m here to offer her the job if she still wants it.”

Corey shrugged. “You’re going to have to discuss that with her. I guess I don’t have to tell you that you did a pretty good job of pissing her off.”

McKinnon nodded. He’d always appreciated Corey’s honesty, even now. “No, you don’t have to tell me.” He glanced over to the area where Casey had been earlier when he heard several loud shouts. He lifted a brow. “What’s going on?”

“Casey’s about to try her hand at riding Vicious Glance.”

McKinnon jerked his head around and practically glared Corey in the face. “You can’t let her ride that horse.”

Corey shook his head, grinning. “I’d like to see you try talking her out of it. She’s been here enough times to know what a mean son of a bitch that animal is, but she’s determined to break him in.”

“And you’re letting her?” McKinnon had both outrage and astonishment on his face. Everyone who had visited Corey’s Mountain knew that Vicious Glance—named for the look the mean-spirited animal would give anyone who came close—was a damn good stud horse, but when it came to having anyone sitting on his back, he wasn’t having it. More than one of Corey’s ranch hands had gotten injured trying to be the one to change that bit of history.

“I’m not letting her do anything, McKinnon. Casey’s a grown woman who’s past the age of being told what she can or cannot do,” he said. “I did ask her nicely to back down but she feels Vicious Glance isn’t too much horse for her to handle, so we’re about to see if that’s true. You might as well follow me and watch the show like the rest of us.”

McKinnon sucked in a deep breath and for the first time wondered if Corey had lost his mind. This was the man’s daughter—the same one who could end up breaking her damn neck if that horse threw her. But before he could open his mouth and say anything else, Corey reached out and touched his shoulder. “Calm down. She’ll be fine.”

McKinnon frowned, wondering who Corey was trying to convince—especially after seeing the expression of worry that quickly crossed the older man’s face. “I hope you’re right,” McKinnon said, pulling off his Stetson and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Already he was perspiring from worrying. Dammit, what was the woman trying to prove?

Without saying anything else, he placed the Stetson back on his head and walked with Corey over to where the other men were standing. Casey glanced at him, glared and looked way. Corey shook his head and somberly whispered to McKinnon, “Seems she’s still pissed at you.”

“Yep, seems that way, doesn’t it,” McKinnon replied. But at that moment, how Casey felt about him was the least of his worries. Like the other men standing around, he watched, almost holding his breath, as she entered the shoot to get on a blindfolded Vicious Glance’s back. She swung her petite body into the saddle and grabbed hold of the reins one of the ranch hands handed to her.

McKinnon’s pulse leaped when she gave the man a nod and the action began when the blindfold was removed from the horse’s eyes. Vicious Glance seemed to have gone stark raving mad, bucking around the corral, trying to get rid of the unwanted occupant on his back. A few times McKinnon’s breath got caught in his throat when it seemed Casey was a goner for sure, but she hung on and pretty soon he found himself hollering out words of encouragement to her like the other men.

She was given time to prove her point before several of the men raced over and quickly whisked her off the horse’s back. Loud cheers went up and McKinnon couldn’t help but smile. “Who in the hell taught her how to handle a horse like that?” he asked, both incredulously and relieved as he glanced over at Corey.

The older man grinned. “Ever heard of Sid Roberts?”

“What wannabe cowboy hasn’t,” McKinnon replied, thinking of the man who had grown up to be a legend, first as an African-American rodeo star and then as a horse trainer. “Why?”

“He was Casey’s mother’s brother; the man Carolyn went to live with in Texas, and who eventually helped her raise my kids. It’s my understanding that when it came to horses, he basically passed everything he knew down to Casey. Clint and Cole had already dreamed about one day becoming Texas Rangers, but I’m told that Casey wanted to follow in her uncle’s footsteps and become a horse trainer.”

McKinnon was listening to everything Corey was saying, though his gaze was glued to Casey. They had calmed Vicious Glance down and she was standing beside the animal whispering something in his ear, and as crazy as it seemed, it appeared the horse understood whatever it was she was saying. “So what happened?” he asked Corey. “Owning a dress store is a long way from being a horse trainer.”

“Her mother talked her out of it, saying she needed to go to college and get a degree doing something safe and productive.”

McKinnon nodded. “So she gave up her dream.”

“Yeah, for a little while, but she’s determined to get it back.” Corey glanced up at McKinnon. “Just so you know, Cal Hooper dropped by last night and offered her a job over at his place working with his horses.”

McKinnon frowned and looked at Corey. “Did she take it?”

“No, she told him she would think about it.” Corey chuckled. “I think he kind of gave her the creeps.”

And with good reason, McKinnon thought. Everybody around those parts knew that even in his late forties, Cal Hooper, a local rancher, still considered himself a ladies’ man and had a reputation for playing fast and loose with women. If the rumors one heard were true, he was also the father of a number of illegitimate children around Bozeman. McKinnon’s gaze shifted to Casey once again. She was walking toward them and he could tell from the pout on her lush mouth that she wasn’t glad he was there. In fact, she looked downright annoyed.

“McKinnon,” she acknowledged when she reached them.

“Casey. That was a good show of horsemanship,” he said.

“Thank you.” Although she’d said the words he could tell from her expression that she couldn’t care less what he thought.

“I agree with McKinnon. You did a fantastic job out there, Casey.”

The smile she gave her father was genuine. “Thanks, Corey. Vicious Glance will be fine now. He just needed to know that someone else, namely whoever is riding him, is always in control.”

“Well, I need to talk to Jack about how we’ll be handling him from now on. Excuse me for a moment,” Corey said before walking off, leaving them alone.

A few brief moments after Corey left, McKinnon tilted his hat back and looked down at Casey. His eyes narrowed. Before offering her the job there was something he needed to get straight with her, here and now. “Don’t you ever set foot on Quinn land and pull a stunt like you did yesterday. You had no way of knowing what that blasted horse was going to do. You could have been killed.”

“But I’m very much alive, aren’t I?” she said snippily, deciding the last thing she needed was for this man to dictate what she could or could not do.” “You’re not my father, McKinnon.”

“Thank God for that.”

Casey drew in a deep, irritated breath. “I think we’ve said enough to each other, don’t you think?” She moved to walk away.

“Aren’t you curious as to why I’m here?” he asked.

She frowned up at him. “Not really. I assumed you came to see Corey.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I came to see you.”

She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “And why would you come to see me?”

“To offer you that job you were interested in yesterday.”

She glared at him. “That was yesterday. I have no desire to work for a male chauvinist tyrant.”

McKinnon frowned. “A male chauvinist tyrant?”

“Yes, that about describes you to a tee. Now if you will excuse me, I—”

“The pay is good and you’ll need to stay at the ranch, in the guesthouse.”

Casey threw her head back and squared her shoulders. “Don’t let me tell you where you can take the pay and guesthouse and shove it, McKinnon. Like I said, I’m no longer interested. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”

He watched as she walked off, swaying her hips with each and every step she took. He couldn’t help but admire her spunk, but he refused to let her have the upper hand. “Casey?” he said, calling after her.

She stopped walking and slowly turned around. “What?”

“Think about my offer and let me know within a week.”

Her glare was priceless. “There’s nothing to think about, McKinnon. The last thing I want is to work for you.” She then turned back around and continued

walking.

Her words irritated the hell out of him because deep down he didn’t want her to come work for him, either. But dammit, he needed her…rather, he needed her skill with horses. And more than anything he had to remember there was a difference in the two.

Chapter 3

The nerve of the man, Casey thought as she slipped into the soapy water in the huge claw-foot bathtub. Why didn’t he understand English? How many times did she have to say she didn’t want to work for him to make herself clear?

She settled back against the tub and closed her eyes. The man was simply infuriating and like she’d told him, he would be the last person she worked for. She would consider going to work for Cal Hooper first, even though that man made her skin crawl each and every time he looked at her. At least she could defend herself against the likes of the Cal Hoopers out there, thanks to all those self-defense classes her brothers had made her take over the years.

But when it came to McKinnon Quinn she was as defenseless as a fish out of water. There was just something outright mind-blowingly hot about a tall man in a pair of tight jeans, especially when he had a nice-looking rear end. Add to that an honest-to-goodness handsome face and any woman in her right mind would be a goner. Holy cow, she was only human!

She eased down farther in the water, wishing for the umpteenth time that she could get the man out of her mind. He had made her madder than a pan of hot fish grease yesterday with his how-great-thou-art attitude. But today he’d shown up offering her the job that he’d told her he wouldn’t hire her for. Well, that was too friggin’ bad. Like she told him, he could take the job and shove it for all she cared.

Deciding to rid her mind of McKinnon Quinn once and for all, she opened her eyes and glanced around. The room Abby had given her to use was simply beautiful. With all the silk draperies, cream-colored walls and extensive decorating, it was obvious the decor of the room had had a woman’s touch, as had the rest of the house. Corey’s ranch at one time may have been a man’s domain, but now it was evident that a woman was in residence, and that woman was Abby.

Abby.

From the first time she found out about her, Casey had figured she wouldn’t like the woman who held her father’s heart to the point where he hadn’t been able to love another woman—not even her own mother who had loved Corey Westmoreland until her dying day. But all it took was a few moments around Corey and Abby to know just how in love they were and probably always had been, even through his fifty-something years as a bachelor, and Abby’s fifteen-year marriage to a man she didn’t love.

Casey smiled. She had to admit that she had grown fond of the very proper Bostonian her father had married, who happened to be the mother of Madison, her cousin Stone’s wife. Since finding out the truth about her father, Casey had come to realize that she’d had a slew of relatives—more Westmorelands, cousins from just about every walk of life—and they had been genuine in opening both their friendship and their hearts to her and her brothers.

She glanced at the clock. Abby would be serving dinner in half an hour and dinner time, Casey discovered, was a big ordeal for Abby since she had a way of making things somewhat formal. So instead of wearing jeans like she usually did, it was during the evening meal that she would put on a skirt and blouse or a dress.

She eased out of the tub to dry off and her thoughts shifted back to McKinnon. She hoped she’d seen the last of him for a while. Although she wouldn’t work for him, she was determined to work for somebody. She could only accept her father and Abby’s hospitality for so long. Although she knew they wanted her to stay there with them, Casey only planned to live here for so long. She needed and wanted her own place.

She smiled, thinking that in a way her father and Abby were still newlyweds—or at least they acted like they were. More than once she had almost walked up on them sharing a very heated kiss. A part of her was happy for what they shared, but then those times had been a blunt reminder of what she didn’t have in her own life.

Although she had dated while living in Texas, most men hadn’t wanted what she’d been determined to one day be—a virgin bride. Most wanted to try out the goodies before committing and she refused to do that; especially after being fed from knee-high her mother’s storybook rendition of how romantic things had been for her and Corey.

Casey had been determined to find that same kind of special love for herself, and as a result, had decided the only man she slept with would be her husband. But since finding out the truth about her own parents, keeping her virginity intact hadn’t meant as much to her anymore. She just hadn’t met a man who’d drawn her interest enough to share his bed.

Her thoughts went back to McKinnon and she gritted her teeth, refusing to consider such a thing. The man was as exasperating as he was enticing. And at the moment, she had much more important things to think about—like finding a job.

She sighed and decided that after dinner she would return to her room. She had picked up a newspaper in town yesterday and intended to cover the Want Ads section. It was time she took control of her future. Making the decision to move to Montana to be close to Corey had been the first step. Now finding employment and a place to stay would be her second.

* * *

“I’m glad you took me up on my offer to stay the night, McKinnon,” Corey said, handing the young man a glass of some of his finest scotch. “Although you’re a skilled horseman, it’s too dangerous for you to attempt going back down that mountain this late. It would have been dark before you got to the bottom.” He then chuckled before tacking on, “And Morning Star and Martin would have my hide if anything were to happen to their oldest son.”

McKinnon grinned knowing that was true. He had a very special relationship with his mother and father, as well as his three younger brothers. Matthew was twenty-seven, Jason was twenty-five and Daniel was twenty-three, and all three were unattached with no thoughts of settling down any time soon.

It was hard for McKinnon to believe at times that Martin Quinn was actually his stepfather and not his biological father. He was in his teens when he’d been told that his natural father, a Creole of African-American descent, had died in a car accident before he was born, and that a pregnant Morning Star—a member of the Blackfoot Indian tribe, had gone to work for the esteemed Judge Martin Quinn as a bookkeeper, only to end up falling in love and marrying him before the child was born.