A County Girl's Heart Read online

  “Hot out there today, huh?”

  “Muggy is what it is.” Kat drank half the glass and let out a sigh of satisfaction. “And it’s not even summer yet.”

  “What were you and the new gal doin’ in the barn for so long?” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter. “She had quite a grin on her face when she came out.”

  Kat finished her water and wiped the small trickle running down her chin. “She’s a little clumsy. She tripped and fell on me in the loft.” Virgil didn’t need to know the woman had scared the bejesus out of her.

  “Oh, yeah?” He smiled curiously. “That all?”

  Kat turned to the sink to refill her glass. “I forked her,” she mumbled, bringing the glass to her lips again.

  “You had sex with her?” His voice cracked in surprise.

  Kat’s eye widened and she choked, sucking enough water in her lungs to strangle herself. “Certainly not, Virgil.” she sputtered, dragging her sleeve across her face. “She fell on me, and when I pushed her off, she rolled onto the pitchfork. It scratched up her leg.”

  Virgil chuckled and smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. It just sounded like you said…”

  “Like I ever talk like that. You need to have your ears checked, Virgil.” She raised an eyebrow and brought the glass to her lips again. “Or your mind scrubbed.” The picture of the city girl’s cream-skinned thigh popped into her mind, and Kat shuddered. “Maybe we both do,” she mumbled, yanking the screen door open and going outside. Virgil had beaten her to the thought. Her imagination hadn’t made it quite as far as his yet, but after seeing that bare skin, that’s where it was heading.

  * * *

  Kat slipped out of Minow’s stall and waited until she saw her newest guest go into the general store. She’d had enough interaction with the city girl today. Spending her time running around in circles, accomplishing absolutely nothing, didn’t make for a productive day on the ranch. She hurried across the yard, up the steps, and jerked the screen door open.

  “Hold on a minute there, missy.”

  She whipped her head around and looked over her shoulder. She saw Virgil through the mesh screen, sitting at the end of the porch in his usual rocker. “Oh, hi, Virgil. I didn’t see you.”

  “Who ya hidin’ from there, Kat?” He bounced his brows at her. “The new gal?”

  Even though Virgil had made it clear he’d be okay if she found someone new, she’d told him repeatedly she wasn’t looking for any female company. Looking or not, Kat couldn’t deny the fact that the wrong kind of women always seemed to flock after her.

  She narrowed her eyes and let the door slap against the jamb. “Virgil, don’t even go there.” She dragged another rocker over next to his and sank into it.

  “You want a beer?”

  “No thanks.” Virgil knew she didn’t like beer, but he still managed to offer her one every night.

  “The more you run, the more they chase.” He took a swig of his beer and rested his head against the chair. “Everyone loves a good chase.”

  “Is that coming from experience?” She crossed her arms and waited for what she knew would be an interesting tale.

  He nodded. “You betcha.”

  “How many did you catch?” She shifted sideways in the rocker, giving him her full attention. She’d spent many an evening out here on the porch listening to Virgil’s adventures, but he’d never revealed much about the women in his life.

  “A few, but only one mattered.”

  “Arizona’s mother?”

  His eyes rolled, squinting as they focused upward. “Her too.” He tipped up his beer and finished what was left in the bottle.

  Kat shook her head and blew out a short breath. “Virgil.” Her voice took on a low, demanding tone. “How many of those have you had?”

  “One or two.” He gave her a half smile and winked. “Just like the women.” Looking past her, he flipped up a finger and pointed across the yard. “There’s the new gal now.”

  She spun around in her chair to catch the city girl standing on the porch of the store, watching them. Reluctantly she threw up her hand and waved. DJ dipped her chin in acknowledgment before heading across to the guesthouse.

  “Well, I think you can probably go ahead and add that one to your list.”

  “Not if I can help it.” Kat pushed out of her chair and went inside.

  Chapter Five

  It was nearly five o’clock by the time DJ finished with the rest of the horses. She led the last of the lot into the stable and scanned the grounds, looking for the commanding little spitfire who’d been ordering her around all day. Kathryn Jackson was nowhere to be seen. She’d been captivated by Kat’s honey-sweetened voice and had stood speechless when Kat fired out orders to her earlier. DJ had felt as though an angel had slapped her. She’d barely been able to catch a glimpse of Kat’s face under the brim of her baseball cap. Icy blue eyes, full lips, and long dark hair. Absolutely gorgeous. She’d turned and taken a good, hard look, catching only Kat’s backside as the horse trotted off. Long, slender legs that led to a shapely body. Tight-fittin’ Wranglers never looked so good. DJ shook the thought from her mind. Kat was nothing at all like she’d expected the hardhearted woman she’d been dealing with over the phone to be. Well, except she was—everything like her.

  DJ had to admit Kat had spunk. She probably weighed a good twenty pounds less than DJ, but she certainly had a lot of fire in her for such a scant piece of woman. She’d watched her ride across the yard, ponytail as black as the horse she was riding bobbing up and down with every stride. She had definite form. Maybe coming out here wasn’t such a bad idea after all. DJ had taken note of the once-over Kat had given her and had cursed herself for not putting on her jeans before coming out to the corral. Lesson one, learned.

  After taking the saddle off the horse, DJ stroked the horse softly, shoveled a small pile of hay into the stall, and closed the gate. She carried the saddle into the tack room and hung it on one of the empty posts sticking out from the far wall. As she turned to leave, two custom-made saddles hanging alone on the opposing wall caught her eye. She let her hand slide across the cool, slick seat of the first, then lifted the stirrup and saw the emblem: Myers, Yukon, Oklahoma. The saddle was tooled in a basket-weave pattern.

  DJ had to admire Kat’s taste. She’d never owned one herself, but DJ had seen a few Myers saddles in her youth when she ran with the rodeo circuit. Each one was custom-made by hand to suit. She let the stirrup drop and swiped a finger through the dust on the seat of the other saddle. No one had used this one in a while. She found an old horse blanket and wiped it clean before heading out the door and across the grounds to the general store, where she picked up a bottle of hydrogen peroxide before going to her room for a long, hot shower.

  DJ opened the shampoo bottle and inhaled its honey-laced scent. Unbidden thoughts of the soft, sweet-smelling woman she’d had trapped beneath her earlier tumbled through her mind. The heat of her breath against her shoulder. The fleeting touch of her fingers across her thigh. She tossed the small bottle onto the basin, took the shampoo from her travel bag, and went into one of the showers.

  When Kat had lifted DJ’s shorts in the loft earlier to look at her wound, she’d heard a waver in her voice, and it wasn’t because of the blood. The tyrannical little ranch owner had been a little flustered at the sight of her bare thigh. If she played her cards right, DJ could use this attraction to her advantage and be out of here within a day or two. She hadn’t expected to become quite so close so quickly. She smiled, thinking about Kat’s blushing cheeks. This was going better than DJ expected. She always found women were much more apt to listen once they knew her intimately.

  DJ dialed the control back and let the icy water cool her before she flipped it off. While she was still dripping, she wrapped a towel around her and stepped out into the common bath area. She looked in her bag, saw the small bottle of unisex cologne, and remembered what Kat had said about the horses. DJ
closed her eyes and shook her head. She should’ve remembered that. She picked up her stick deodorant and swiped it under her arms before she gathered her things and went to her room.

  She threw her duffel onto the bed and dug to the bottom, searching for a cotton T-shirt. After tugging it over her head, she sat on the edge of the bed, took the top off the bottle of peroxide, and poured it over the three scratches on her thigh. Without replacing the cap, she set it on the nightstand before lying on the bed and drifting off to sleep.

  When DJ woke, her room was completely dark except for the bright-red light of the alarm clock. She wasn’t quite sure where she was until she roused herself out of the sleepy haze brought on by the workout she’d received earlier. She looked at the clock. Almost seven p.m. She rolled off the bed, flipped on the light, and put on her jeans. On her way out, she took her cowboy hat from the wall hook and headed across the yard to the chow shack.

  The cafeteria was empty and most of the food already gone. DJ picked up a tray and began to scrape the small amount of cold chopped brisket left from the metal pan.

  “Missed supper, huh?” a voice said from behind her.

  “I fell asleep.” She slapped a spoonful of cold, lumpy mashed potatoes onto her tray.

  “She did work you pretty hard for your first day.” The man pushed the door open into the kitchen and shouted, “Hey, Jake. Any brisket left?”

  “Just the usual hold-back,” the cook shouted.

  “Got enough for two plates?” He continued through the swinging doors into the kitchen and soon came out with two heaping plates of brisket, mashed potatoes, and green beans. “Grab a couple of forks over there.” He pointed to the utensils at the end of the counter.

  DJ left the tray of food scrapings on the counter, took two forks from the utensil tray, and followed the man to one of the large picnic-style tables.

  “Thanks.” She slid onto the bench across from him and dug her fork into the brisket. “I didn’t realize the kitchen closed so early.”

  The man nodded. “Everything runs on a schedule around here. The sooner you get used to it, the better off you’ll be.”

  “How about the bar? What time does it close?” DJ asked between bites of green beans.

  “It stays open till one, but I wouldn’t advise staying that late if you have a shift in the morning.”

  “Duly noted.” DJ stuffed a fork full of mashed potatoes into her mouth. She could see the man was giving her the once-over.

  “Heard you had a little accident today.” The man’s lips spread into a smile before he looked back to his plate.

  DJ shifted in her chair, trying to relieve the dull ache in her thigh. “Just a little flesh wound. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Did you clean it out good? Those pitchforks are mighty dirty.”

  “I picked up some things from the store and took care of it.” DJ surveyed the man as he ate. She’d seen him watching through the window of the house earlier. He looked a little old for Kat, but it seemed age had no boundaries these days. “You live in the house with the boss lady?” DJ felt him out, trying to find out the nature of their relationship.

  “No. I live in the little shack next to the stable.” His stare held no expression. “But I do spend a lot of time in that house, and I know everything that goes on there.”

  DJ’s mind-wheels spun, and it clicked. The man sitting before her was the famed Virgil Jackson, Kat’s father-in-law. Elizabeth had told her on many occasions what a wonderful horse trainer he was.

  “Again, duly noted.” DJ returned her attention to her plate. Only the sound of clicking forks filled the room for the remainder of the meal, until she sat back in her chair, her stomach fully satisfied. “By the way, my name’s DJ. Can I buy you a beer?”

  “Mine’s Virgil.” He stood and placed the huge, black Stetson on his head. “Maybe another time. I have someplace to be tonight.” He motioned across the room. “Take the door on the left. It goes past the general store right into the bar.”

  DJ nodded and carried the trays up to the dish return before heading through the door into the dimly lit room. She took a seat at the corner of the bar and admired the huge mahogany piece of wood covering it. The lack of people made the small dance floor in the middle of the room look much larger than it was. The array of tables scattered throughout the place gave the bar a rustic mountain atmosphere that made DJ feel strangely comfortable.

  “What can I bring you, miss?” the bartender asked.

  “Let me have a beer, and the name’s DJ.”

  “Okay, DJ. Mine’s George.” George had shoulder-length sandy hair that fell across his eyes as he reached into the cooler and took out a bottle of beer.

  “Where is everyone tonight, George?” DJ asked, taking note of the silence.

  “It’s rodeo night. Everyone’s over at the arena.”

  DJ raised an eyebrow in interest. “Exhibition or competition?”

  “Around here, it’s always competition.” He raked the hair out of his face.

  “Open registration?” DJ’s pulse quickened. It had been a long time since she’d been to a rodeo arena.

  “Yep.” George looked at his watch. “But you’d better hurry. Cut-off is in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Put a hold on that beer.” She reached into her pocket and threw a few dollars onto the bar.

  DJ could see the lights of the arena lighting up the sky just beyond the barn. After walking the short distance across the grounds to the entrance, she climbed the steps to the announcer’s booth and read the list of events scheduled for the night. She poked her head into the booth where Virgil and a few other men were laughing as they made moneyless bets on the entrants.

  “Can anyone sign up?”

  The conversation stopped abruptly when DJ spoke.

  Vigil’s brow hitched. “You like rodeo, DJ?”

  “I can take it or leave it.” She leaned across the railing into the booth. “Does the boss lady participate in any of the events?”

  “Only by special request,” Virgil said.

  “Which ones?”

  “She can do everything on the board, but she’s partial to team ropin’.”

  “Team roping’s good. Sign me up with her.”

  Virgil’s lips came together, pursing slightly at DJ’s request. “Okay, but I have to warn you, she’s not always in the mood.”

  DJ gave Virgil a confident grin. “Just put us in. I’ll take care of her mood.” DJ had no idea why she was trying to impress Kat. She was here for one reason, to reunite her with her mother.

  The men gathered again, chuckling and mumbling to each other as DJ walked away. They seemed to be looking forward to the show as much as she was.

  * * *

  Kat approached the arena and squinted, trying to read the event board. As she came closer, she made out her name listed for team roping. There must be a mistake, she thought as she climbed the steps to the announcer’s booth. Virgil knew better than to enter her in any event without asking first.

  “What’s going on, Virgil?” She pushed her way into the small booth crowded with men. “Why’s my name on the board tonight?”

  “We had a special request.” He pointed to DJ, standing at the railing above the competition box.

  Shit. Kat’s stomach fluttered as she turned, pressed back out between the men, and stood just outside the booth. Maybe she should just go to the house and forget about this. She turned to leave but then swung around. That wouldn’t be right. She was a guest, and Kat should treat her with the same courtesy she would anyone else. Kat had a reputation to maintain. Sometimes she just needed to suck it up and do what was necessary. She found DJ standing just where Virgil had pointed her out—at the railing, looking over the box, where the first team was preparing to compete.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Callen. You’ll have to find another partner. I’m not participating tonight.” DJ turned to face her and stared into her eyes. DJ was looking at her with such intensity Kat had to fight the
heat simmering within her.

  “You want me to pair you with someone else?” Virgil shouted, with no response. “DJ, do you want to team with someone else?”

  “No.” DJ shook her head. “Just take me off,” she said, not breaking eye contact with Kat. “I understand if you’re not up for the challenge.” She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. “I hear there’s a carousel at the lodge down the road.”

  Kat knew from the immediate silence in the booth that all eyes were on her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Virgil and the other men awaiting her reaction. If she didn’t accept the challenge, they’d never let her hear the end of it. The channel gate clanged open, and DJ returned her attention to the arena.

  Following the line of her lean, muscular shoulder, Kat could see blond, curly strands of hair protruding from just under DJ’s hat. The arena lights, bright and glaring, made the curls flicker with her every move. Her full cheeks led to a rigidly clenched jaw as she watched the competition.

  Any other night, Kat would’ve just walked away, but for some reason she felt compelled to prove a point to this woman, even if she was just a city girl. In addition, she felt the need to show DJ her skills. What was that about?

  “Okay, Ms. Callen. If that’s what you want, I’ll team with you. But you’d better know what you’re doing,” she said firmly, before turning to Virgil. “Did you bring Minow up tonight?”

  “Bring her up every night,” Virgil confirmed with a whimsical smirk.

  “Put us up next.” Kat reached into the booth, took a rope off the wall, and tossed it to DJ. “And wipe that stupid grin off your face,” she added as Virgil chuckled. “Come on. Let’s find you a horse.” She headed down the stairs and into the corral.

  As DJ followed, she stopped to stroke the side of a young palomino. “How about this one?”

  Kat continued across the corral. “Buck should do the trick for you.” She handed her the reins to an old paint horse. “He’s fast out of the gate and knows the routine.” She put her foot in the stirrup and threw her leg across Minow. “You take the rear. I’ll give you a few seconds to catch up, before I throw the front.” As she approached the gates, she slowed and looked at DJ. “As soon as my rope is on the steer, throw yours and hold it tight.”