Double the Trouble (Texas Trouble 3) (10 page)

Karlie loved how
Cassie's eyes lit up every time she said Titan's name...just like they did when she mentioned Luke.  One day,
Karlie hoped she'd
feel like that about someone
,
but she had a feeling it was g
oing to be a long time coming, because she planned to be a helluva lot more selective next time she thought about getting tangled up with a man.

"I'd like to go with you and see his operation, if you go
, t
hat would be fun...Katie might want to
go too, if she's not riding."  Karlie said with a fading smile, as her sister's name passed her lips.

As mad as
Katie
was at her right now,
Karlie
doubted she'd want to
go anywhere with her, or be around her at all.  Karlie
couldn't blame her either
, because of how she'd left her
.
  Evidently,
Katie
had given up on convincing her to come back too, because she'd brought JoJo to her.  Even her horse seemed depressed to not be roping and racing
, hell with exercising all the other stock here, she hadn't even had time to ride him
. Maybe she'd set up some barrels for him in the outdoor arena and give him some practice.

"
I'd love for ya'll to go with me, it's an amazing place, and Tommy Tucker is a fantastic horseman
,
"
Cassie told her with a dreamy look on her face.

"This place isn't chopped liver
either, girlfriend, it's amazing what ya'll have done to set things up
.
I love it here..
.thank you so much for hiring me."

"Well, I love having you, because you know what to do, and
I don't have to worry or babysit you. I know you're gonna treat my babies right
.  You're doing great, and I appreciate having you here."

Pride
filled
Karlie
, and she
felt a blush start at her throat and work its way up to her face. 
It had been a long time, since she'd heard positive words like that, and her soul soaked them up like a flower did rain, and she basked in
the feeling
, then said,
"Thanks
, so much, Cassie
.
..now
you
go rest!
"

"Yes ma'am," her
tall, blond, and very pregnant
friend
agreed with a chuckle,
then turned and headed back to the house.

Two hours later,
Karlie
walked Titan back in
to
the barn and hopped down from the saddle. 
Being cooped up for half the day had given Titan a ton of energy he needed to get rid of
.  Unless she took him out, his exercise only consisted of being in his turnout paddock in the morning and at night, so Karlie had taken him out to the pasture
for a run in
stead of just working him in the outdoor arena
.
  The fresh air and freedom had done them both some good. 
She was hot and sweaty b
ut exhilarated
, as was he. 

Titan
was so damned much fun to ride. 
It  had been entirely too long since she'd ridden for pleasure instead of because she
had
to.  Karlie thought her sister Katie had probably forgotten
how much fun it was
too, and
even she
would second guess her decision to stay with the rodeo, if she tried it now.

Karlie slid her saddle off of his back, then removed the sweaty blanket, before she took a towel and wiped
Titan
down. 
She bent down to wipe Titan's legs down, and h
er stomach growled
making her
realize it must be getting around lunchtime.  Imelda had fixed them brea
kfast really early this morning, then left to go take care of her own family.  Karlie knew she'd be back soon to fix lunch, and her food was
always
fantastic,
so
she couldn't wait.

"Nice view," a rich deep voice said behind her, one she recognized all too well now
.

Karlie stood up, then turned toward Gabe with a big smile, and asked him,
"Pigs or Chickens?"

"Emu," he frowned and told her.  "Never again--next time it's all on Elmer."

Karlie snorted then laughed, "Emu?  I didn't know there was a farm for them around here.  I hear those things make people a lot of money, but I couldn't see
raising
t
hem
."
  The exotic long-legged birds looked like ostrich to her.  She couldn't tell the difference
, and didn't see how they fit into cattle country
.

"Me either, I thought I was gonna have to either shoot him or call you to
come
rope him to get the damned thing back in the fence."

Her eyes traveled over his broad chest to his narrow waist then rushed
past the good stuff
to his grass stained knees and mud covered shoes.  "That is mud right?" she asked her lips twitching.

Gabe looked down at his feet and said, "Yes, thank god, otherwise these shoes would be in the garbage.  Th
at farm stunk something awful."

"Worse than pigs?"  Karlie didn't think there was anything worse smelling than a pig farm.

"Well, a close second to that.
..too close for me," he told her then smiled and asked, "Want
to go to the Blue Bird with me for lunch...
sort of appropriate after my emu wrestling success. 
I'd like
for
you to meet
my sister,
Sabrina
,
too
."

"
When she and Cole came to
the rodeo in
Dallas
to
watch Wade ride, I
got to meet her, but
I
wouldn't mind seeing her again, if you want to take me to lunch...
."

"So you know Wade?"
Gabe
asked her with
curiosity
in his eyes.

Karlie felt a flush creep up her neck and she swallowed.  Now that she knew Wade was his best friend's brother, there was no way in hell she was going to tell him what she and Katie had done.  If he found out, it would be all on his own.  She was sure Wade wasn't going to tell him.  "Uh, yeah, he's a pro
bronc
rider.
..I know him from the circuit.
  He was your best friend's brother, right?  Cassie told me earlier.
"

Sadness and something else, guilt maybe, flashed through Gabe's eyes
, before he dropped
his gaze
to the toes of his boots and
told her, "
Yeah
.
..and Sabrina's brother-in-law.
..before I got my best friend, Kenny, killed in a botched sting operation.
"

Karlie walked up and put her hand on his shoulder and said softly, "I'm
so
sorry about your friend, Gabe.
..
"

He looked back up her and his eyes were now dark pools of misery, and he choked out, "
Kenny
was a good
man...and he died unnecessarily, because I fucked up.
"

Sliding
her hand down his arm
, Karlie
laced her fingers with his
, and gave his hand a squeeze
. 
Making him remember
what must have been a horrible experience
wasn't her intention
, but it was just as obvious to her that he needed to
get it out of his system
.  All that crap inside of you could make you go nuts, Karlie knew firsthand
, so she prompted, "You were there when he got killed?"

He nodded then told her, "We were undercover in
Phoenix
and I said something stupid that blew our cover,
Kenny
tried to
play it off
and they killed him
.  They
would have killed me
too,
if
he
hadn't distracted them, so I could get out.
 
I was supposed to
watch
his
six...um back.
..I
broke
the p
romise
we made to each other when we joined the military, and just
left him there
.
"

Karlie sucked in a breath and put her other hand over her mouth, "Oh, my god Gabe..."

He looked up
at her and his eyes were tortured, his face pinched.
"Yeah...my fuck up cost my best friend his life, and my sister her husband.
..and Wade his brother.  I can't fucking figure out why none of them blame me, cause I sure as hell blame myself enough for all of them.
"

Wow, she thought, that was some heavy duty baggage to carry around.  She had no idea how he'd managed to do it.  "When did this happen?

Sucking in a short breath, he answered, "Almost two years ago now..."

Karlie didn't know what to say to him to make it better,
how anyone could make something that tragic better,
so she didn't say anything
.  S
he just stepped forward and put her arms around his waist and hugged him trying to hide the tears that automatically rushed to her eyes.

Gabe forced out what sounded like a mix between a sob and a
laugh, then kissed the top of her head and said, "I came her
e
to ask you out
to
lunch
,
sugar, not send you into deep dark depression.  Let's go to lunch and think happy thoughts."

With a nod, s
he hugged him once more
then
pulled back from him
,
but he
didn't let her go.  Instead, he pulled
her closer
and
slid his mouth over hers and teased
it
open, then his tongue danced
with hers
and tendrils of desire snaked through her body.

Her nipples peaked against his chest and she
moaned then
slid her palms up his chest to loop her arms around his neck
leaning even
closer into him.  The hard ridge of his erection pressed against her and she ground her hips against him.  God, what she wouldn't give to feel him inside of her, to absorb some of the heady feelings he was transmitting to her through
his
kiss.

With a deep
,
pained groan, Gabe
forced himself to pull
back from
her
, breathing heavily
,
harder than he could remember being in a long time.
..wanting her with a force that he was having a hard time denying.  It had been a while since he'd had sex,
but that still didn't explain his automatic response to
the spitfire in his arms.  Just kissing her sent him
from zero to sixty in three point two seconds
, t
heir chemistry was nuclear
.

With a shuddering sigh, he tried to get himself under control, then told her,
"Damn, sugar
, you about set my hair on fire.
"

"I thought I smelled something burning...but I thought it was my panties," she purred then gave him a saucy grin, before she licked his lower lip. 

Gabe gro
wled
then
captured he
r lips for one more heated kiss,
because he couldn't resist
.  After a minute, he
dragged
his mouth from hers and
kissed her neck
, then
whispered by her ear, "
T
hey
've
alre
ady had one barn fire in here.
..I'm afraid we're gonna cause another one, if we don't get out of here...
and
besides
we have a lunch date
.
"
He nipped her earlobe, then grabbed her hand and l
ed her out of the barn to his patrol car.