Claimed by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Chapter Twelve

Josie should have known better. Actually, she had known better, but she’d allowed lust to overcome her better judgment. One thing she knew for sure — she wasn’t letting Jack shoulder the blame for this.

“I’m the one you need to have a talk with, Alex.” She walked over to the table. After the complete absence of light in her office, she found it easy to see in the semi-darkness of the bar. The streetlamps outside the front windows gave the room a soft glow. “Leave Jack out of this.”

“Can’t.” Alex pushed back the chair he’d taken off one of the tables and stood.

He was about the same height as Jack, and Josie knew for a fact he was in great shape from hiking and rock climbing. In a fight, a fight she vowed to prevent, she couldn’t predict who would come out ahead.

Jack came to stand beside her, his gaze firmly on Alex. From the tension radiating from him, he obviously expected a fight. “Go upstairs, Josie. Your brother and I will take this outside. Nothing will get damaged.”

“Are you crazy? I’m worried about damage to both of you! I could give a flip about the furniture.”

Alex shifted his stance. “I’d like nothing better than to punch you out, Chance, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. I meant what I said. I want to talk.” He glanced at Josie. “I guess it’s up to you whether you stick around or not.”

“Damn right it’s up to me, and I’m staying.” She was relieved that Alex didn’t have violence in mind, but she didn’t trust either man to keep the conversation cordial if she left them to their own devices.

“All right.” Alex grabbed another chair off the table and sat it upright. “Have a seat. Chance can get his own chair.”

Jack didn’t move. “I prefer to stand.”

“I see. Then so will I.” Alex gestured toward the chair. “Josie?”

“I’ll stand, too.” The better to move between them quickly if she had to.

“Just as well, I guess,” Alex said. “This won’t take long. It boils down to one thing, really. I’m sure you didn’t drag Josie into that office, so I have to assume she cares for you.”

Josie wasn’t comfy having her emotional state bandied about. “You don’t know that Alex. It could be simply an overwhelming physical attraction.”

“Come on, Josie. You were with this guy for six months last year. When he left you high and dry, you were destroyed.”

She winced. “Not destroyed. Upset, maybe.”

Alex seemed to realize he shouldn’t have revealed that much. “Well, okay, you were upset, a lot more than you would have been if the attraction had been only physical. Besides, you’re not the type to have meaningless sex.”

“Are you absolutely sure about that?” Josie faced her brother.

“Well, yeah. Yeah I am.”

“You know what I think? I think you don’t like the idea that your baby sister might want to have meaningless sex, so you assume I’m not the type to do that.”

Jack cleared his throat. “He’s right, Josie. You’re not the type.”

She whirled on him. “You, too? Listen to me, boys.Girls can be interested in sex for its own sake, just like you manly men can.”

“I didn’t say they couldn’t,” Alex protested. “I just said it’s not like you, and I stand by that. It’s not. Especially given your history with Jack.”

He was right, and she knew he was right, but damn it, she didn’t like having her feelings put on display when she had no idea how Jack viewed their situation.

She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. “Do you have a point with your dissection of my emotional involvement?”

“Yes. Because I think you are emotionally involved, and I want to know where Jack stands on the matter.”

Josie wanted to die. Alex wanted to force some confession out of Jack. “You’re seriously asking about his intentions toward me?”

“That’s what I’m doing.”

Most of the time, Josie loved her brother a lot. But right now, she wanted to strangle him. “That’s none of your business, Alex. It’s old-fashioned, and archaic, and patriarchal, and—”

Jack stepped forward. “I’m not so sure. In fact, if I had a sister, especially if she’d already had a problem with the guy in the past, I’d be asking the same questions.”

Josie stared at him. “Whose side are you on?”

“Yours, which is why I’m going to answer your brother’s question as honestly as I can. The truth is, I don’t know how I feel about our relationship.”

Josie’s heart twisted. She hadn’t wanted Alex to force a declaration of love, but she would have liked something a little bit more encouraging than I don’t know how I feel.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Alex said. “And it’s why I’ve been worried about my sister taking up with you again. You dropped her before, so if you’re not particularly invested, why wouldn’t you repeat your past performance?”

Jack tensed. “I’ve already told her I wouldn’t hurt her again.”

“Which means what, exactly? That you’ll let her down easy this time, give her more advance notice that you’re checking out of the relationship?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I’ve asked around, Chance. It’s no secret that whenever you have a girlfriend, you’re the one who does the leaving. From all reports, you’re what the shrinks call commitment-phobic. So what are your plans for Josie?”

“I don’t know.”

Josie decided enough was enough. “Alex, I appreciate your concern, but I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.” She turned to Jack. “I’ll see you tomorrow at nine for our riding lesson.”

“Maybe it’s not such a good—”

“I’ll be there at nine. That was our agreement.”

Jack sighed. “I’ll be there.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Josie.” Alex trained his full attention on Jack. “I’m going to respect her wishes and butt out, but I swear, if she ends up in tears, you’ll hear from me, and I don’t give a damn how old-fashioned, archaic, and paternalistic that might be.”

“Understood.” Jack tipped his hat in Josie’s direction. “See you in the morning.” Then he walked out of the bar without looking back.

“Josie, I sure as hell wish that you’d—”

“Don’t say it, Alex. I have a very good idea what the risks are after tonight. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed. Feel free to have a nightcap.”

“I just might do that.”

“Then lock up when you’re done.” Josie walked out the front door, the same one Jack had used. It was the closest route to the stairway at the side of the building that led to her apartment. She’d always meant to have another stairway built inside that ran from her office up to the second-floor apartment.

If that stairway had existed, she never would have made love with Jack in the office tonight knowing Alex could come down the stairs at any time. But the office was a self-contained unit, which is why she and Jack had made love there so many times, including tonight.

Obviously Alex had become suspicious when she hadn’t come upstairs right away after the bar closed. He’d appointed himself her protector, and after the way she’d sobbed on the phone to him ten months ago, she couldn’t really blame him. She couldn’t pour out her troubles and then chide him for interfering in her life. That wasn’t fair, and she’d tell him so… tomorrow.

Tonight she needed a hot bath and some time alone to think this through. Alex was right that Jack had shied away from commitment his entire adult life. That went for his romantic relationships and his dedication to the ranch. When his father was killed, he’d been forced to take control of the ranch, but she sensed he wasn’t happy about that.

She wasn’t about to force him into making a commitment to her. Maybe she’d kidded herself that he was moving in that direction, but Alex’s questions, unwelcome though they’d been, had told her a great deal.

As she closed the door to her bathroom and ran water into the tub, she thought about Jack’s reaction when Alex had pressed him for answers. He didn’t know. She believed he was telling the truth, and that meant she had some decisions to make. They wouldn’t be easy.

* * *

Jack wasn’t sure what to expect when Josie showed up the next morning, so he packed for every contingency. Her breezy manner when she climbed out of her Bronco and came over to the hitching post gave him no clues, either. Ten months ago he’d been able to read her moods, but she’d changed.

She wasn’t nearly as open as she used to be, and he had himself to blame for that. But she was here, and she wanted to go for a ride. Her brother hadn’t convinced her to dump him. That was something, anyway.

She untied Destiny from the hitching post before mounting up. With only two days of lessons, and interrupted lessons at that, she’d picked up a fair amount of information about how to deal with horses. He wasn’t surprised. She was quick, which was one of the things that had attracted him.

He patted his saddle bag. “Sarah packed us some homemade brownies, so I brought along some bottled water.”

“That was nice of her.”

“Yeah, it was.” He’d dodged Sarah’s questions about how the riding was going. She was well aware that he’d gone into town last night. Not much got past his stepmother. He’d avoided any conversation about his trip to town, too.

But then, he’d never been a blabbermouth, so not talking about himself wasn’t anything new. She was watching him, though, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going through some sort of testing period.

A soft breeze blew across the meadow as they rode through it. Once again they had a glorious day of blue sky and puffy clouds, sweet-smelling sage and a hawk circling overhead. Yet something was off, and Jack suspected last night’s confrontation had something to do with the uneasy feeling between him and Josie.

He thought about suggesting a trot and decided against it. For reasons he’d rather not examine, he wanted to take it easy today. He wanted Josie to be happy with her riding experience and happy with him. He wasn’t convinced that she was, even though she acted cheerful enough.

She turned to look at him. “Tell me again why you insist on calling your stepmother by her first name.”

He met her steady gaze. “Is that a trick question?”

“Maybe.”

“I’m no good at trick questions.” He hated them, actually. “Tell me why you want to know.”

“Partly clarification. I vaguely remember you said that you couldn’t call her Mom because that’s what you called the person who was such a disappointment to you.”

“That’s what I said and it’s still true. But I sense something behind this whole discussion, something that has to do with last night.”

“I suppose it does.” She looked quite comfortable in the saddle as she gazed at him. “You know what? I think we should talk about this later.”

“We can talk about it never, as far as I’m concerned.”

She smiled. “Spoken like the Jack I know. Hey, can we canter? I loved the cantering part and I want to do that again.”

Relieved that they’d left a touchy subject, he pointed to a tall pine to the far right of the meadow. “That’s where we’re aiming. There’s a trail through the trees there and it leads to a really pretty spot I wanted to show you.”

“That’s what’s so great about being on horseback. You can see out-of-the-way places that you might not, otherwise.”

“Exactly.” He was more pleased than he wanted to admit that she’d taken to riding with such enthusiasm. He loved being out here, and sharing the experience with her had been… nice. He wanted to be angry with Alex for upsetting the status quo, but Alex had his reasons, and Jack understood that. Jack had a protective streak, too.

He looked over at Josie. “Ready to go?”

Her gray eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Yep.”

“Then squeeze with your legs and heels and Destiny will get the message.” Jack only had to nudge Bandit and make a clucking sound for the big horse to stretch into a canter. Destiny was on the lazy side, but he also liked to keep up with whatever horse was alongside.

Jack took off and glanced over to find Josie right beside him, her cheeks pink and her eyes alight with joy as Destiny broke into a canter. At that moment Jack realized Josie’s happiness had become very important to him. He remembered feeling that way ten months ago, but then his father’s death had deadened so many emotions, including his feelings for Josie.

Now those feelings were coming back, and it was exactly like the tingling in his hand or his foot when circulation returned after that part of him had fallen asleep. He couldn’t decide whether he liked the sensation or not. In his experience, too much of that tingling sensation could be dangerous.

But here was Josie riding along beside him, full of life, and sexier than any woman he’d ever known. Being with her made him forget about his responsibilities for a little while and just be. For that he was grateful.

As they reached the tree line, he called over to her so she’d slow down. If she couldn’t do it alone, he was prepared to grab Destiny’s bridle and help her, but she’d kept her feet in the stirrups and one hand on the reins. She guided Destiny into a walk with no help from him.

“You’re catching on,” he said.

“I hope so. There’s not much time left.”

“We still have almost a week before the wedding.”

“Right. Is that the path?” She pointed to a narrow trail through the trees.

“That’s it. Head on down that path. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Then you can coach me. I want to try trotting again.”

“Don’t torture yourself, Josie. You can work on that another day.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “I want to learn it now. I’m inspired after that canter. Just watch me, okay?”

“If you say so.” Jack would have preferred a leisurely pace as they approached the clearing he’d chosen for today’s rendezvous. Jouncing along on Destiny’s back didn’t seem like an appropriate prelude to good sex. But what did he know? Maybe Josie would find it stimulating.

She urged Destiny into a trot, and at first her sexy bottom slapped the saddle the way it had the past two days of riding lessons.

Jack cringed every time she came down and hoped she wasn’t damaging any sensitive parts. “Push your feet into the stirrups and keep your heels down,” he said. “Then sink your center of gravity into your seat, relax your lower back, and grip through your entire leg.”

Her heels came down as she tucked her tailbone under her and sat up straight. And then, miracle of miracles, she stopped bouncing. Instead she moved that delicious behind in rhythm with the horse.

Watching her was so damned erotic that he wondered if he’d make it to the clearing without closing the distance between them and pulling her off her horse. She moved easily back and forth, back and forth, and it was way too much like sex for his comfort.

“Jack, I’m doing it!”

“Yes, you sure are.” She was doing it for him, too. His balls ached something fierce. “Congratulations. You’re becoming quite a rider.”

“I had no idea this could be so much fun. I’m thinking I need to buy a horse.”

“Now that’s just plain silly. We have horses galore at the ranch. Destiny’s yours to ride whenever you want, and now that you’re more comfortable in the saddle, you can try out some of the others.”

“Thank you, Jack, but I… I might need my own.”

“I can understand that, but at least you could stable your horse at the ranch.” Jack liked that idea a lot.

The Last Chance didn’t normally stable horses that didn’t belong to the ranch, but Jack was willing to make an exception in Josie’s case. Having a horse in the Last Chance barn would give her a reason to come out often. Going for rides together could become a common thing.

“We’ll see.” She guided Destiny into the clearing. “Oh, Jack, this is lovely.”

He had to admit she was right. A canopy of pine and oak sheltered an area filled with wildflowers and ferns. A tiny stream ran along the far edge of the clearing before disappearing beneath the undergrowth. Water gurgling over smooth stones made a slurping sound that sounded a little bit like two people having sex.

Outdoor sex took him back to his younger days, before he’d had access to indoor recreational opportunities. With Josie’s brother in residence, he didn’t have a lot of choice now, but the natural setting had turned out great. It suited Josie.

It suited him, too, come to think of it. He’d forgotten how liberating it could be to make love out in the open with a breeze caressing his bare skin. He was eager to get that program started.

Josie dismounted and tied Destiny by separating the reins and looping them around the trunk of a tree. The horse would have to uproot the whole damn tree to get loose today. Jack smiled. Josie obviously didn’t want to be interrupted.

Maybe last night had been only a blip on the radar, nothing to worry about. Josie was acting as if nothing was wrong, as if they’d continue the plan of getting together every morning for a riding lesson and great sex. Jack tied Bandit to a tree and took the blanket, the brownies and the bottled water out of his saddle bag.

“You should put the blanket over here, by the stream,” Josie said. “The water sounds like—”

“I know. Like sex.” Today they had plenty of time and wouldn’t have to rush. His body had started to hum in anticipation, and he enjoyed the buildup of tension. This was good. Very good.

Setting the plastic bag of brownies and the water bottles to one side, he shook out the blanket and laid it close to the stream. “How’s that?”

“Perfect.” Bracing herself against a tree, she pulled off her boots and socks.

He did the same and had to laugh at what they were doing. “We’re like two married people getting ready for bed.” He said it without thinking, but once the words were out, he wanted them back, especially after he saw her expression. “That was stupid. Forget it.”

“But it’s true.” She walked over to him barefoot. “In some ways it’s as if we’ve known each other forever.” She cupped his face in both hands. “But in other ways, we don’t know each other at all.”

“Ah, Josie.” He pulled her close and gazed into her eyes. Something about the way she was looking at him was unsettling, but he was afraid to put a name to it.

Instead he sought to recreate the magic they’d once known. “Let’s take your hair down.”

Without saying a word, without breaking eye contact, she reached for her braid and pulled off the tie, letting it fall to the ground.

“Better.” As he’d always done, he combed his fingers from her scalp down through her braided hair, loosening the silky blonde strands until they hung around her shoulders in soft waves.

He let all that glorious hair sift through his fingers. Taking her hair down was almost more erotic to him than taking off her clothes. But he decided to do that, too, even though they usually undressed themselves.

As he revealed more and more of her fair skin, he paused to touch, to stroke, to kiss. In the beginning, they’d taken this kind of time undressing each other, but then it had seemed silly when they could get out of their things so much faster by themselves.

Maybe it wasn’t so silly. Her soft sighs of pleasure as he released her from the restrictions of her clothes stirred him in a way that flinging garments everywhere didn’t. When he finished, and she stood naked before him, her hair flowing over and around the pert tilt of her breasts, he took a moment to look… just look.

“My turn.” She reached for the top snap of his shirt.

As she moved slowly through the same process, placing kisses on his chest, he closed his eyes and concentrated on her gentle movements. When had the world become such a busy place that he’d abandoned this simple ritual and opted for efficiency?

He loved every second of this, and yet… he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was memorizing him as she went. A woman wouldn’t do that unless… no, he wouldn’t invite trouble. If something was wrong, making love would fix it. It always had in the past.

But for the first time since he’d known Josie, he wasn’t sure making love was the answer. Nevertheless, it was the only answer he had.