Lonesome Bride Read online

  "I meant,” she stated patiently, “that you were jealous because Shorty was a gentleman for helping me with the saddle, and you were not. That is all I meant."

  "Oh.” He seemed suddenly sheepish and crestfallen. “I reckon I owe you an apology."

  "I reckon you do.” And not for the first time, she thought.

  To her surprise, Jed stuck out his hand and grabbed hers, then pumped it up and down enthusiastically a few times.

  "Caite, I do sincerely apologize for shouting at you and knocking you off your horse,” Jed apologized. “And for assuming you and Shorty were—"

  Caite held up her hand to silence him. “Please do not repeat your thoughts on what you assumed Shorty and I were doing. I shall not be able to look at him the same way ever again anyway."

  "So you don't have designs on him?"

  His question was so ridiculous she would have laughed, if not for the sincere and worried look on his face. Oh, he tried to hide it all right, but she could see it there anyway. Why was he so suddenly concerned anyway? Could it be he cared after all? She pushed the thought firmly from her mind.

  "No, of course not,” Caite responded more gently than she had thought she would. “Why would you think that?"

  Jed shrugged, his cool exterior returning. “I know he thinks highly of you, that's all. And since you turned me down..."

  So that was it. Just because she had turned down his proposal, that meant she was out searching for another man to fill her bed? Sudden, burning anger filled Caite like a flash flood filling a gully.

  "You are an idiot!” she shouted, causing Jed to step back.

  "I'm an idiot?” he asked, anger hardening his face as well.

  "Yes, an idiot.” Caite advanced on him, poking her finger into his hard chest. “How dare you think such a thing of me? Do you not realize if I do not marry you, I will not marry..."

  She stopped herself, realizing at two things at once. First, she had just nearly told Jed he was the only man she would ever consider marrying. Second, she was touching him.

  She did not have time to pull her hand away from his chest before his hand snaked out and grabbed hers. Tugging gently, Jed managed to pull her closer to him until she was within inches of the very body she had vowed to avoid. She could smell him, leather and fresh air, and her knees weakened.

  "You were saying?” Jed breathed, locking his emerald gaze on hers.

  Caite shook her head, unable to speak. She looked around everywhere but at him, noticing for the first time Zeus had run off. Tripper, solid, reliable Tripper, was a few yards away cropping grass, but Zeus had vanished.

  "Your horse is gone,” she noted, trying desperately to ignore the pressure Jed was exerting on her hand to pull her closer inch by tantalizing inch.

  "He probably ran back to the ranch,” Jed said in the sensuous voice she found so distracting.

  Just hearing him speak, coupled with his hand pressed to hers and her hand on his chest, was enough to turn her thoughts in a direction she most emphatically did not wish them to go. She was not sure if she wanted to pull away or to step further into his embrace.

  "Don't you want to find him?"

  Jed shook his head, lifting her chin with a finger and forcing her to look into the vivid green depths of his eyes again. She saw lust burning in them. Was it his or hers reflected there? She opened her lips to speak, but suddenly her mouth was too parched for words.

  "You were saying something about marriage,” Jed whispered, tilting his head to hers, his lips so close she could almost feel them on hers.

  Caite did not want to finish her sentence. She did not want Jed to know she was determined to lead the life of a spinster rather than face a marriage to someone else. Or worse, a loveless marriage to him. She did the only thing she could think of to distract him from his question. She kissed him.

  * * * *

  Somehow, the tables had turned again. He had just been ready to slant his mouth to hers, to taste the sweetness of her lips, when all at once she had grabbed him by the back of the neck. Suddenly everything was arms and lips and sweet, feminine, questing tongue.

  Jed had planned on kissing her to show her who was boss, but now it seemed as though Caite had the same notion. A flicker of annoyance shot through him, to be almost simultaneously replaced by arousal. He had an armful of wriggling, kissing woman. Who was he to complain about who was in charge?

  He had just enough time to realize she had hooked her heel behind his before they both tumbled to the ground. Her hat came loose in the fall, sending the heavy weight of her braid to slap him in the face. Not taking his mouth from hers even for an instant, Jed reached out and tugged away the piece of rawhide Caite had used to secure the plait.

  As the strands began unraveling, Caite broke the kiss long enough to sit up and shake her tresses until they tumbled harem-scarem over her shoulders and down her back. Straddling him with her eyes closed, she arched her back slowly, running her fingers through the lengths of her hair. Jed could feel the soft cleft of her womanhood through the worn fabric of her trousers. She was sitting directly on his jutting manhood, and all that separated them were a scant few layers of material.

  "Jed.” Caite opened her eyes and looked at him. The sun shining behind her created a halo of light around her form, but cast a shadow so he could not clearly see her face. “About Shorty..."

  He tensed. “Yes?"

  "I just want you to know...” She hesitated, seeming uncertain as to what she wanted to say. “I could never ... I mean, not with him..."

  Jed did not want to spend another moment thinking or talking about Shorty. He grasped Caite's wrists and tugged her down to him with a groan. Her kiss was fire against him. Her groan told him she felt the same.

  Running his hands down the length of her back to cup her buttocks, Jed arched his engorgement up against the sweet juncture of her thighs. Caite responded by rubbing herself against him, up and down, until he thought he would die from the torture of it. He had to have her beneath him. Never mind they were in the grass with the late afternoon sun beating down all around them. He needed her now.

  Swiftly, Jed grabbed Caite's waist and rolled her over so he was atop her. Both of them were breathing hard, and her lovely pale complexion was flushed. Aching with his arousal, Jed bent to press fervent kisses along the length of her jaw and down her neck. When he reached the barrier of her shirt, he swore lightly in frustration, making her laugh. The husky sound swept through him like wildfire.

  "Let me,” she whispered, reaching trembling fingers up to undo the first of the buttons. The next and the next opened like magic beneath her hands, exposing more and more of her creamy flesh until she had undone them all.

  Reverently, Jed bent his head to first one pink-tipped mound and then the other, sampling each. At the laving of his tongue against her erect nipples, Caite arched into his embrace, offering herself even more to his touch. Jed was eager to oblige.

  Lord, everywhere she smells so sweet! He reluctantly left the perfection of her breasts to smooth his tongue along the soft firmness of her belly, all the way to the waistband of her borrowed trousers. There he stopped, struggling with himself for control. Already he could envision the exquisite auburn triangle of curls nestling between her sleek thighs. He lifted himself off her enough to undo the drawstring around her waist.

  Caite stopped him with a touch. “No fair,” she smiled, indicating his broad chest still modestly covered by his shirt. “If I am going to risk being burnt by the sun, you should, too, Jed."

  In reply, he knelt to pull the offending garment up and over his head. Then he lowered himself to her again, so the crisp, dark curling hairs of his chest scraped her nipples lightly. He could feel every inch of her soft flesh pressing against him as he dipped his mouth to hers once more.

  Caite sighed against his mouth, curving her hips up beneath him so he realized once again that their private parts were touching, kept apart only by their clothes. Caught between the delicious sensati