Wild About the Wrangler (9 page)

Instead it was Mac as he'd looked after that never-to-be-forgotten kiss. She worked to capture the desire mixed with regret that she'd seen in his eyes. He'd called a halt, not her.

As she looked at the picture emerging, she wondered if he had reasons other than the obvious ones for not getting involved. There was her career, which might or might not be affected, and there was Georgie, who might or might not disapprove. But those issues could be dealt with if the attraction turned out to be strong enough. Judging from the way he'd kissed her, it was plenty strong enough.

He'd alluded to his bad record with relationships and then had asked to change the subject. She'd been curious at the time, and now she was even more so. Maybe something in his background kept him from acting on his feelings for her. If he considered himself no good with relationships, then she'd be off-limits in his mind.

The smartest thing would be to let it go. She didn't want to get involved any more than he did. Well, she
did
, but that wasn't the wisest course. Obviously Mac recognized that as well as she did. Still, she was virtually incapable of ignoring a puzzle.

The puzzle of Mac Foster gave her even more reason to move quickly from the basics of the riding lessons to getting out on the trail. She'd never been on a trail ride, but she had a vivid imagination. With eight people, the usual component for Wild Horse Canyon Adventures, it would be casual conversation, jokes, camaraderie. But with only two people, they could talk about things.

She had a hunch something lurked in Mac's past. Vince might know, which meant Georgie might know, but Anastasia wasn't going that route. Mac would tell her eventually. Maybe. She'd just be patient and see how it all worked out.

As she washed up the dishes she'd used, she was surprised by her mother walking into the kitchen in her black silk robe. At fifty-five, she was quite youthful looking, thanks to expensive creams and potions.

She seemed startled to find Anastasia at the sink washing dishes. “Why on earth are you up so early?”

“I had something to do.”

Her mother came closer and sniffed. “You smell of horse. But that's impossible. You hate horses.”

“I used to, or rather I was scared to death of them. I'm hoping I can get over that.” She decided not to be specific about the riding lessons.

“I can't imagine why you'd want to.” She wandered over to the coffeepot. “Oh, good. You made coffee.” She took a mug out of the cupboard and poured the last of the pot into it.

Anastasia thought of her earlier suspicion that her mother was afraid of horses and maybe animals in general. “Did your family have horses when you were growing up?”

“Goodness, no. Nasty things. My mother wouldn't have stood for it.”

“Dogs?”

“Oh, no. They shed and they're unpredictable. You never know when they could turn on you.” She took a sip of coffee.

“Did that happen to you?”

Her mother glanced up in alarm. “Why would you ask a thing like that?”

“Mom, were you attacked by a dog?”

Her expression closed down. “That's not a fit subject for the breakfast table.”

“We're not at the breakfast table. I'm finished and you're standing there with a mug of coffee.”

Her mother's eyes widened. “You're certainly feeling your oats this morning, young lady.”

Looking into her mother's eyes was like looking in a mirror. They had the same coloring, too. Anastasia could remember a time when her mother's hair had been the same shade of brown as hers. Now that it was turning gray, she experimented with various highlights. At her last salon visit, she'd gone almost completely blonde.

“Stop staring at me like that, Anastasia.”

“Like what?”

“Like you're memorizing every line in my face so you can sketch it later. I've told you before that I don't like it when you sketch me. You make me look old.”

“I think you're beautiful.” And she'd tried to convey that in charcoal soon after returning from art school. Her mother had torn it up, so she'd never tried
that
again.

“Beautiful, huh?” She set down her mug and combed back her hair from her forehead. She'd always worn it with a wave dipping over that section. “See that scar?”

Anastasia had to move in close and search hard, but at last she found a long, thin scar near the hairline. It was white and looked as if it had been there awhile. “I never noticed that before.”

“Because I keep it hidden, that's why! It's ugly. I hate it.”

Anastasia thought it was barely noticeable, but she didn't want to argue. “What happened?”

“My best friend talked me into riding her horse and I stupidly went along. Then this vicious dog came out of nowhere, barking and snapping at the horse. It reared and I fell off on my head. They had to shave it and stitch me up. No senior prom for me!” She folded her arms. “Happy, Dr. Freud?”

“Oh, Mom.” She started to put her arms around her.

“Nope, nope.” Her mother raised both hands and backed away. “Don't go feeling sorry for me. It was my own dumb fault. I don't like animals and they don't like me. Now we stay away from each other and everybody's better off.”

Anastasia sighed. After twenty-six years of being Evelyn's daughter, she knew that tone very well. Once her mother shut the door on a matter, it stayed closed. But at least one mystery had been solved.

She doubted her mother would be going out to Wild Horse Canyon to see her stepdaughter get married, either. Come to think of it, that would give her mother the perfect excuse not to go. She and Georgie had never been close.

Anastasia was going, though, no matter what. Thank goodness she'd made the decision to take riding lessons so Georgie and Vince could have the wedding they both wanted. And she'd get to be a part of the ceremony, the first time she'd ever been in a wedding party.

She'd been looking forward to it ever since Georgie had asked. As the maid of honor, she'd be expected to spend time with the best man, aka Mac Foster. The thought of hanging out with Mac always made her smile.

M
ac had discovered a dry wash not far from the stable with a stretch of nearly flat sand that continued for about half a mile. Whenever he wanted a good hard gallop, he took Jasper over there and opened up the throttle. He thought the big roan loved it as much as he did.

This morning he had a particular need for speed and Jasper seemed to know it. Sand flew from the horse's pounding hooves and Mac grabbed his hat right before it was ready to fly off. Hunched over the gelding's powerful neck, he let the thrill of the ride satisfy the craving for a different kind of thrill.

Too soon they reached a section where a scattering of boulders changed the character of the wash. Mac pulled up and turned Jasper around. He'd walk the big roan back so they could both cool down.

Riding full tilt down a sandy wash couldn't really substitute for hot sex, but for now it would have to do. He'd kissed Anastasia because she'd asked him to and he couldn't seem to refuse her anything, no matter how much trouble it might cause. He'd nearly wrecked himself in the process. Ending that kiss instead of moving ahead to the next stage had been torture.

No doubt he was in for more torture every time he came in contact with her, but at least she'd agreed that was the end of the kissing. He'd tried to believe that her interest in him was purely artistic as she claimed. After the energetic way she'd responded when he'd thrust his tongue in her mouth, he no longer believed it.

He'd better stop thinking about that before he ruined his efforts, and riding Jasper became painful. Anastasia was a challenge, but he'd known she would be when he'd agreed to be her riding instructor. Deciding to overcome her fear of horses told him she was in a transitional stage.

She probably didn't know quite what she wanted. Right now he was looking at four more lessons before he left for the weekend trail ride. The break would be good for both of them, give them some breathing room.

By Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, she should be ready to tackle the long trail out to Wild Horse Canyon. If they went early enough, she'd stand an excellent chance of seeing the Ghost. Mission accomplished with time to spare.

Everything should be fine if he avoided situations such as they'd just found themselves in. He shouldn't have to help her on or off her horse anymore. If necessary he'd bring out the mounting block until she was better at it.

And no more time alone in the barn. He really had been worried about her when she hadn't come right back out. Stress plus a lack of food and sleep could make someone faint. He'd had visions of her lying unconscious in there.

Discovering she was fine had been such a relief that he'd felt a little light-headed, himself. Then she'd started talking about his mouth. In some ways that was so her. Jasper's ears, his mouth—they were all items she wanted to study and then draw.

But she'd needed more, an outlet for all the anxiety she'd felt after surviving a fairly intimate encounter with an animal she'd learned to fear. He'd been handy. Only problem with that—he'd confirmed that they had chemistry to burn. Ignoring that inconvenient fact wasn't going to be easy, but he'd do his best. Lots of hard rides down the wash should help.

By the time he rode back into the stable yard, he was a hundred percent calmer than he had been when he'd left. Ed had turned the rest of the horses into the fenced pasture behind the stable. Mac unsaddled Jasper and gave him a good rubdown before sending him out to join the others.

Then he leaned on the gate and watched the horses as he thought about whether to go home and fix himself some lunch or walk down to Sadie's. Anastasia would be at her table sketching portraits of the tourists by now. That was a good reason to head home. He wasn't giving up his habit of having a beer at the end of the day and playing some darts, but he didn't have to add lunch to the program. Not today, anyway.

“Will you look at that guy working his fingers to the bone?”

“I know. It's pitiful. Somebody should give him the weekend off.”

Mac turned with a grin as Vince and Travis walked toward him. “At least I've been on the premises instead of a certain jet-setter I know. Aren't you home early, Vincent?”

“Only my mother gets away with calling me that.” Vince clasped Mac's outstretched hand.

Travis chuckled. “I think Mac just did get away with it unless you're fixing to clean his clock.”

“Nah, too much trouble. I'm wearing my good shirt today.”

“What's
your
full name, Mac?” Travis thumbed back his hat. “I never thought to ask that most important question. MacDougal? MacKensie? Mackintosh?”

“Never mind.” Mac gave Vince a warning look. Vince knew, but years ago he'd sworn not to give out that information. So far he hadn't, but Mac had called him Vincent, so all bets might be off.

Travis turned to Vince. “Do you know?”

“Yes.”

“You gonna tell me?”

“No.”

“Oh, yeah, you will. One of these nights, when you've had a few beers at Sadie's, some moment when you least expect it, I'll ask and you'll blurt it out. Guaranteed. Or maybe I'll create a contest called ‘Guess Mac's Full Name
.
' That would be popular. I could—”

“Oh, for God's sake.” Mac rolled his eyes. “Don't hurt yourself. It's Macario.”

Travis shook his head. “No, it isn't. You're making that up to throw me off. Nobody's named that.”

“I am. My mother found it in an old baby book. It means
blessed
. She wanted something different, and she calls me that, but my dad and everyone else who knows me calls me Mac. Happy, now?”

“Macario? For real?”

“Yep.”

“I can see why you wouldn't want that widely known. It's a little . . . strange.”

“I think it's Greek.” Mac had been embarrassed about that name for as long as he could remember. It didn't sound manly to him. But he'd bet good money Anastasia would like it. She'd think it was unusual and interesting, like his mother had when she'd chosen it.

“Well, your secret is safe with me.” Travis clapped him on the shoulder.

“Thanks.” He wasn't sure that was true. Travis could easily leak the information, and he hadn't figured out yet that if one person in Bickford knew something, eventually everyone in town would be in on it.

Maybe it didn't matter so much anymore. Years ago he'd been touchier about his image. The older he got, the less he cared what other people thought.

He glanced over at Vince. “What are you doing back here so soon? I thought your plane didn't get in until tonight.”

“I was finished in Houston and I took a chance on an early-morning standby. Way early. I got on, and Georgie drove up to Amarillo to get me. I was back before she had to open the general store.”

Mac smiled. “So did you two have a reunion in the back room?”

“None of your business.” But the gleam in Vince's eye said it all. He was crazy about Georgie. Hanging out at the airport in hopes of getting on an earlier flight was the kind of thing he'd do so he could get home quicker.

Mac envied the hell out of him. He had a great woman and knew the right things to do and say to keep the home fires burning.

“But speaking of Georgie—I already told Travis about this—Georgie and I want to take over trail ride duties this weekend.”

“No kidding?” Mac was surprised. “Don't you want to cuddle at home instead of wrangling eight greenhorns?”

“Believe it or not, we can find time to cuddle on weeknights. And Georgie misses seeing the Ghost and his herd. We haven't led a ride in a while and we both enjoy it. Now that she has good part-time help, she can leave the store more easily.”

“In other words,” Travis said, “me and Mac have us a vacation coming up.”

“Huh.” Immediately Mac thought of Anastasia. That would give him two more days for lessons, but they wouldn't have the little break from each other he'd counted on so they could turn down the heat some.

“You look as if you don't know quite what to do with the time off, buddy,” Vince said.

“I sure know what I'm doing with it.” Travis danced a little jig. “I'm off to Clovis, New Mexico, to spend the weekend with dear old mom and dad and my two sisters. Want to come with me, Macario?”

“Watch it.”

“Just funning with ya. Want to come?”

“I thought you didn't approve of me meeting your sisters.”

“Turns out they're both engaged now, so I figure it's safe. So do you want to? Mom's a great cook.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll stay here and work on my house.” He probably should have accepted the invitation and removed himself from temptation for those two days. Instead he was thinking about how the extra lessons would benefit Anastasia. He also had no inclination to leave her if he didn't have to. He should probably be worried about that.

“We won't take Jasper on the trail ride, then,” Vince said, “so you can use him while we're gone.”

“Okay.” That worked out nicely.

“I'll be taking Storm Cloud and Georgie will be on Prince, so that leaves two extra horses. I haven't decided who else should stay home.”

“How about Cinder? He's still a little feisty for beginning riders.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Travis shook his head. “You're making a mistake not spending the weekend with my folks, Mac. Hot apple pie à la mode. That's all I'm sayin'.”

“Yeah, but I could start sanding the floors.”

“Or you could be eating pot roast and watching football on a ginormous flat-screen.”

Mac laughed. “Someday you'll have a place of your own and then you'll understand why I want to sand those floors.”

“I doubt it. I'm living large at the Bickford Hotel, where the floors have already been sanded and I have daily maid service. Sadie's is down the stairs and to the left. Can you say that?”

“Nope.”

“There you go. When I come back stuffed with pot roast and apple pie, I'll mosey over and admire your sanded floors. Then I'll head to Sadie's for a beer. And speaking of Sadie's, I'm hungry. Either of you interested in going down there for lunch?”

Vince shook his head. “I'm making sandwiches at home and taking them to the store so I can have lunch with Georgie.”

“I'm eating at home.” Mac was glad he'd made that decision earlier so he didn't have to think about it.

“You're both getting really boring—you know that?” Travis touched the brim of his hat and grinned. “See ya later, losers.”

After he left, Vince turned to Mac. “I owe you, buddy.”

“What for?”

“Georgie told me you're teaching Anastasia to ride.”

“I am, but what does that have to do with you?”

“You have no idea.” Vince blew out a breath. “It means I can finally get married to the most wonderful, stubborn woman in the world.”

“I don't get it.”

“We don't argue about much, but we've argued about this one thing. I think we should get married in Wild Horse Canyon, but we'd all have to ride out there.”

Now Mac understood. “Including Anastasia. Does she know about this?”

“She didn't, but she does as of last night. Georgie kept insisting that she wouldn't force Anastasia to ride a horse just so we could have the wedding out there. She wouldn't even ask if she'd consider it. Instead she pushed for having it at Sadie's.”

“The canyon's better, especially if you do it where we've set up camp in that box canyon with the waterfall.”

“Way better. Sadie's is great and I love it, but I want something significant and, well, romantic.”

“Besides, Sadie's is where you and Georgie had all your confrontations.”

“That, too. And the box canyon is where we . . . came to an understanding, more or less.”

Mac knew that was doublespeak for their first sexual encounter, but he didn't say so.

“So when Anastasia told Georgie you were giving her riding lessons, Georgie finally broke down and confessed we'd been delaying the wedding because we couldn't agree on the venue. She called me last night with the news, which is one of the reasons I wanted to get the hell home, both to set a date and thank you in person.”

“So have you decided on a date? Travis set up a pool at Sadie's.”

“I heard about that, too. Welcome to small-town, USA.”

Mac chuckled. “No kidding.”

“Are you in the pool?”

“Yep. I think the whole town's in it. When's your date?”

“Before I tell you, what's your evaluation of Anastasia's riding skill? She doesn't have to be an expert or anything. How's she doing?”

“Well. It was only the first lesson with Jasper.”

“Yeah, but can she walk him around? That's really all she needs to be able to do. Charmaine did it with no prior experience and she was fine.”

“I'll be able to tell you more after tomorrow's lesson.” Gradually it dawned on Mac that Vince didn't know anything about Anastasia's fear of horses. Vince had assumed, like everyone else, that she just wasn't interested. And Georgie, loyal sister that she was, hadn't told him any different.

“All right. I'll check with you again tomorrow.”

“She's making good progress.”

“I'm sure she is. She can be determined when she sets her mind to something. Look, I want you to consider this weekend as a vacation, but as a big favor to me, could you work in a couple of lessons for Anastasia?”

Mac nodded. “I was planning on it.”

“Good. That was one of my motivations for suggesting Georgie and I take over the trail ride this weekend, so I could free you up. It never occurred to me Travis would invite you to his folks' place.”

“I probably wouldn't have gone, anyway.” He grinned. “God knows I wouldn't want to be responsible for one of those sisters breaking her engagement.”