One Stubborn Cowboy (24 page)

A week after she'd returned to town, Kelly received a call from Sally.

"I'm bored today. The guys are out and the house is cleaned. Come out and take me for a ride in the cart."

Kelly hesitated only a moment. She was a little nervous about driving the pony cart after her mishap, but knew how to avoid a repeat and was anxious to see Sam again. And Kit if she was lucky.

"When?"

"Come around two and plan to stay for dinner."

Her heart beating faster, Kelly smiled and agreed.

The afternoon turned out to be fun. She and Sally took the pony out into the flat fields surrounding the main house and took turns driving. They laughed at silly jokes and talked endlessly of ranching, books and San Francisco.

Finally it grew late and Sally said she'd have to return for dinner. Her eyes scanned the hills surrounding them as if looking for something, then she turned toward home. Kelly drove carefully and soon pulled to a stop beside the barn.

"This time I'll hold him until you get down," Sally said, climbing down and going to Sam's head.

Working together, the two women unhitched the pony and turned him loose in the main corral. Climbing up on the top rail, Sally scanned the horizon again, then patted the worn wood.

"Come on up and watch horses with me. We have a few minutes before we need to get supper."

Kelly easily joined her, balancing carefully on the slippery rail, and watched a couple of horses in the corral amble over to them curiously. Sally drew some sugar cubes from her pocket and gave half to Kelly, doling them out slowly to the greedy horses.

Kelly laughed at the touch of their soft lips against her palm, remembering how frightened she'd been that first day with Sam. Kit had held her hand that day, and even then she'd been aware of the sizzling pulse that arced between them.

Just then she heard a noise like distant thunder. She looked up. The sky was cloudless. Sally grinned and scanned the hills again.

"There, look." She pointed toward the right. Cresting the hill were the riders of the Lockford ranch. Spread out like the cavalry at a charge, they galloped across the ridge and down the sloping hill that led to the ranch house. The sound of the hooves was loud, pounding like thunder, and dust rose behind them like a following cloud.

Kelly watched, as excited as a kid at an old-fashioned Western movie, the throbbing of the horses' beat matching her heartbeat. As the men drew closer, they began to yell, a couple swept their hats off and waved them in the air, but none faltered and none slowed.

She could see Pete, riding a big brown horse. There was Mark and the other man she didn't know yet. Clint was to the side and beside him...

Kelly caught her breath, her eyes only for the tall, dark man on the sorrel horse. He was riding as hard as the others, the look of supreme satisfaction visible to her from where she sat. Tears threatened as she watched him, her heart in her throat.

Kit was riding! Riding hell-for-leather, just like some rash, reckless, brash, wild rodeo cowboy! She couldn't believe it. He was riding!

The men drew near, the cadence of the pounding hooves blurred into a dull roar at the different gaits of the separate horses. The men continued to yell, and raced to the barn, drawing up at the last moment, laughter and cheers rending the air.

Kelly turned carefully on the slippery rail and watched Kit, her eyes never leaving him as she saw him slow the horse and then walk calmly up to her.

Sitting on the rail, she was even with him. He could see the tears coursing down her cheeks, and she brushed them away, more cascading down. Her lower lip was caught in her teeth and the smile she gave almost broke his heart.

"You're riding!" she said, her voice shaky and soft. For one moment she knew she saw him as he'd been before the accident. Cocky and insolent, bold and brazen, and wild and sexy enough to draw the eye of every woman for fifty miles around. Each one of them wanting to try to contain him, be the one to conquer him.

He pushed his horse up to her, pressing into her legs. His strong arm swept around her and he pulled her before him on the saddle, turning her to face the front, drawing her back into the cradle of his legs.

"Come on." He turned the horse and walked it out of the yard. The others were still yelling, Sally laughing and Clint calling after him to return in time for dinner.

Kit waved, then urged the horse faster.

Kelly clutched his arm, leaning back into the safety of his embrace and holding on for the ride.

"I had no idea," she said, the wind in her face, her hair blowing back into his.

"You should have. You are even more determined than I. Nag, nag, nag."

She laughed and turned to see him, her heart catching at the happiness radiating from his eyes. "I knew you could."

"Maybe. I promised to consider it, at least. And when I finally did, I thought, might as well try."

"And?"

The horse was blowing hard, struggling up the incline, and Kit pulled him down into a walk, skirting the hill and following the gentle curve to the left.

"And so I decided to see if I could. I called a meeting of all the men, and Clint. Told them what I wanted and what I could do. We brainstormed ideas. The worst part is mounting. So we rigged up a lift in the barn. I need someone to help me, but only for about seven seconds."

"Seven seconds? What did you do, time it?"

"Yes. Then we devised this quick-release brace for my right leg. It holds it in the saddle, but I can release it if I need to in a hurry. After that, it was just doing it."

"I knew you could," she said again.

"Well, the first few days I wondered. I was as sore as hell. Couldn't move when I'd get down."

"But it was worth it?"

"Yeah, more than worth it."

She could hear the spark in his voice, knew he'd never expected to come back this far. Her love for him grew and a deep happiness invaded her.

"Is it dangerous?"

"No, if I fall, I'll just be stuck somewhere until Clint finds me. But you know I like living on the edge of danger."

"Great, now I'll have to start worrying about you."

"No, you don't. Nobody has to worry about me. I'm not going to fall. This gelding is one of the best-trained horses we have. I'm not going to be doing anything to put him to the test. We'll get by just fine."

She smiled and snuggled against him, her bottom wiggling against his thighs and the growing hardness she felt there. His arms tightened around her ribs, one hand splayed across her, his fingers moving in a slow, seductive dance.

"Thank you, honey, for pushing."

"You are one stubborn cowboy," she said smugly, so happy he had tried. So pleased with the result her heart swelled with delight. "So will you dance with me when I give my party?"

"Dammit, don't you ever give up?" he growled in her ear.

She giggled and shook her head. "Never."

They rode in silence for a long time, enjoying the evening, enjoying being together. Finally Kit turned the sorrel back toward the ranch. Supper would be ready soon and the horse was getting tired. And he still had to talk to Kelly about their last night together.

"Kelly," he said, wondering just how he was going to do this.

"Yes?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay. You've got me captive. What do you want to talk about?"

"The last night we were together."

Her heart lurched and her stomach tightened in memory. It had been fabulous, the most marvelous experience of her life. She tried to relax against him, but her body began tingling in tension and anticipation. She'd lived that night over and over each night since as she'd gone to bed. Her dreams had been full of Kit and his body and the wondrous things he'd done with her.

He felt her change, and his own body treacherously began to crave the special heat of hers. Damn, he didn't want to get hard now. He had to get through this.

"We got carried away."

"Yes." She said it dreamily.

"I didn't use anything," he said without further buildup. Damn, she wasn't helping.

Kelly was silent for a long time, wondering why exactly Kit was bringing this up. She'd realized the next morning that he'd used nothing. She'd been too caught up in her own feelings and in loving him to know that night. But the next morning she'd known.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked.

"I didn't mean for it to happen like that. But I just..." Just what, forgot everything but breathing, and that had been touch and go? Forgot any kind of prudence and gave way to his physical needs, maybe condemning them to something neither really wanted?

"I know that."

"Could you be pregnant?"

"Could be, I guess. Won't know for a while," she said slowly, the reality of the situation suddenly hitting her. Was she to repeat her mother's pattern? Is this what had happened to her mother? This overwhelming love for a man? The burning desire for his child regardless of whether they could build a life together? At least there'd be a part of him with her always.

Her mother had not expected to die young. She'd probably thought to raise her daughter, keep part of the man she loved with her when he had deserted her. Had she felt such a deep love for her father as Kelly felt for Kit?

"You're awfully calm about it," he said, the ranch house now in view. Some of the men were still in the yard. His time was running out.

"What do you want, hysterics? I don't know if I am pregnant or not. It will take a while to find out. I'm not all that regular. You certainly couldn't set a clock by me, so I just don't know. But it's too late to worry about it. If it's done, it's done."

"There are things you can do…."

She yanked on the reins, stopping the startled horse. Turning, she glared at him.
She would never have an abortion!

"Don't you worry about me or anything that's mine. I won't try to trap you into any kind of marriage. We both know you don't want to marry me. If I have a baby, fine. I'll take care of it. If not, fine, too."

"Kelly, I can't marry anyone. It's not just you. What kind of husband would I make? I couldn't even help you up when you fell. Dammit, look at it from my point of view."

"All I see when I see your point of view is a stubborn, arrogant man who is too afraid to open up the possibilities in his life. They said you couldn't walk, and you proved them wrong. Couldn't ride a horse. Well, buster, you ride better than I do and there's nothing wrong with either one of my legs. Who knows what they said about sex, but if I end up pregnant, that will blow that theory out the window."

"There's more to marriage than that," he said angrily.

"Sure there is. There's love and trust and caring. And the desire to share a life with someone through hard times and good times. But you wrap your hard times around you like a cloak and don't let anyone near you."

She swung her leg over the saddle and slid down to the uneven ground.

"Kelly..."

"I'll walk from here. I don't want to stay for dinner. I don't want to see you again until I know for sure if I'm going to have a baby or not. Then I'll let you know. And let you know what I'm going to do about it."