Chapter Fifteen
The next morning Trudy wiped off crumbs from the kitchen table. Helping Jade in the morning was becoming routine. Tomorrow morning, though, she hoped to get an early start at getting out and taking pictures. Lately there was some early-morning fog, giving the ranch an eerie feeling. She wanted to capture it.
Hopefully she could convince Link to join her. Maybe take along a blanket. Find a place to spread it out and have a repeat of last night. Or get some shots of his incredible body posed nude among the wildflowers. A wave of desire washed over her.
“Trudy? Trudy?”
“Huh?” Who was calling her and destroying her visions of seeing a naked Link in broad daylight? Jade’s voice seeped into her erotic thoughts.
“Trudy, you’re squeezing the dishrag against your shirt and getting wet.”
Damn. She looked down at her clean sweatshirt. Sure enough, there was a huge wet spot on her right breast. Now she’d have to go change before the guys came in from doing chores and before the rangers came.
“Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? Uh, no.” Nothing except wanting to jump your brother’s bones again. After last night, she wanted another go with the man. A giggle popped out.
“What’s so funny?”
Damn. As much as she’d love to share the hilarious escapade with someone, there was no way it was going to be Link’s sister. She’d have to save it up for Presley. She was sure after a few glasses of wine her friend would enjoy the story. Hell, it probably would take only one sip for Presley to lose it. It was just too funny not to, as long as her friend swore not to tell a soul or let on she knew about it.
“Trudy,” Jade patted her arm, “what’s wrong with you?”
“I’m just thinking about the rustlers and what the rangers are going to do about them.”
Jade folded her arms over her chest. She tipped her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. “Hmmm. I never thought anyone would giggle over something so serious. I think you’re thinking about something else.” She paused and tapped her lips. “I think you’re thinking about my big brother. I think something more happened yesterday that you two aren’t telling us. Am I right?”
Link’s siblings were too smart for their own good, but she certainly wasn’t going to admit that. “Well, I think you think and use the word think too much. I think you should stop thinking, that’s what I think.”
“I agree with you, Trudy.” Link’s deep voice sent vibrations skittering down her spine.
Thank heavens he interrupted a conversation that could be highly embarrassing. She hadn’t seen him since going to her room last night. She had hoped he would come to her. For sure she wouldn’t have turned him away. Having sex with a man within a few days of meeting him was one thing. But having sex with said man in his own home with his siblings sleeping upstairs was another.
“The rangers should get here soon. Coop and I need to wash up. Trudy, do you have your computer ready?” He went to the kitchen sink and scrubbed his hands.
She tossed the dishrag in the sink next to him, taking in his scent of fresh morning air, with a hint of horse. Refraining from rubbing her hands across his broad shoulders, or planting a kiss on his bristled cheek, she went to her room to retrieve her laptop and change her wet sweatshirt. Maybe they could sneak away at some point in time.
A few hours later, she stood in the barn next to Coop. Washburn, along with another ranger, had left taking with them a thumb drive of the pictures she’d taken, plus a few more they’d shot in the barn where they’d seen the boots. Their questioning of Joe and Ray hadn’t seemed to help. They’d clammed up as soon as the rangers came into the barn.
Even though it was now just her and Link in the barn, it didn’t feel right to touch him. And what if someone came in and saw them? Besides, since the rangers had arrived, Link seemed withdrawn. Was he worrying about the rustlers or something more?
“What do you think will happen now?”
Link’s brief glance didn’t tell her anything. “They’ll compare our evidence with what the already have.” He picked up a piece of straw from the floor and stripped it apart. “Sounds as if the rustlers are always one step ahead of the rangers.”
“Makes me wonder if they have a mole.”
“I wonder the same thing.” He shook his head. “But I’ve known the rangers for a long time. They’re dedicated to what they do. Hell, some of them are ranchers themselves, so they’d want to catch these guys.”
“If some of them have their own ranches, wouldn’t that make them suspect?” What she was thinking didn’t seem possible, but they needed to think of all angles. “I mean, a ranger would know where to strike and when. If he was a rancher, what better way to build a herd than taking someone else’s. Or selling them to have money to buy others.”
Link slapped the top of the gate to Sorrowful’s pen and rubbed the horse’s nose. “I’ve been thinking the same things. There was something about Washburn that doesn’t ring true for a ranger.”
“He seemed blasé?”
“Yeah, that would be a good way to put.” With a final tap to Sorrowful’s nose, he walked to the barn door.
What was he thinking? He was so serious. But then, having cattle stolen was basically the same as someone stealing from your bank account. It had to be big blow to lose so much money. She stood beside him as he took in the sky.
“It’s supposed to rain this afternoon. I think I’ll head into town and talk with Agent Rasmussen. He’s the head ranger.”
“He wasn’t there yesterday when we stopped at the station, was he?”
“No. I’m going to give him a call to make sure he’s in. It’ll be interesting to see what Washburn tells him about this morning.” His grin when he looked down at her set her stomach quivering. “Want to go with me?” He lifted an eyebrow at her.
Oh, it was tempting. Would they have a chance at a repeat of last night? Well, not a complete repeat, just the last part.
“Why don’t you take Coop and let him drive the new truck? I saw the way he was eyeing it every time he walked past. I’m surprised you didn’t slip on his drool. Besides, if it’s going to rain, I don’t want to take a chance of ending up on the ground again, only this time getting wet.”
Link frowned. “I guess you’re right. Besides, Coop was questioning me last night about where we were.”
Her stomach sunk. “Why would he do that?”
“He found clover stuck in the bottoms of the doors.”
“Shoot. I didn’t even think of that.”
“Me neither.” He looked around the barnyard, then wrapped her in his arms. “I’m not sure why I want to keep what we did a secret, but I do.” He rested his chin against her cheek.
“Because it’s none of their business, that’s why. We’re adults and can do what we want without telling them.”
He ground his pelvis into hers. “And this is what I want to do.”
Her body melted and filled with desire. “Me, too, but there are other things more important than what our bodies want.”
“With you in my arms, I sure can’t think of any.”
“Rustlers? Siblings? Animals?”
“The hell with them.” He lowered his head.
His kiss was slow, intoxicating her senses with needs she’d buried long ago, only to have them resurrected with his lips and touch. He pulled her closer, as if he wanted to meld them together as one. A piece of hay wouldn’t fit between them. Sparks of fire spread through her, threatening to burn her up. She pushed against his chest.
“We need to stop.” How she managed to get those four words out between her rapid breaths and a mind focused on one thing was beyond her.
Link tipped his hat back and pressed his forehead against hers. “I know. If we don’t, I’ll take you right over there on the bale of straw, and that would certainly scratch that beautiful ass of yours.”
“You’d be on the bottom, so your ass would get scratched.”
“Not the next time we’re together, baby. I want to be on top, arms stretched out so I can look down on you and see your face when you come.”
“Stop or we’ll never leave this doorway. What would Coop and Jade think if they saw us going at it. Not to mention Joe and Ray.”
Link stepped back, but held her hands at their sides. “Okay. I’ll take Coop with me, but the truck won’t be the same without you in it.” He dropped their hands. “What’ll you do while I’m gone?”
“I’m going to go through some more of the pictures from yesterday. Last night I just skimmed through them.”
The afternoon dragged. As Link had said, it rained, leaving her stuck in the house. She couldn’t believe how much she missed him. How could he have found his way under her skin in such a short amount of time?
The pictures Link had taken the day before showed a person who had an eye for nature. The framing. The settings. The small, intricate things he’d found that became larger than life. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have made an excellent photographer. Since she hadn’t seen any of his writing, she didn’t know about his being a photojournalist, but she had a feeling that wasn’t a problem, either. The man’s talents were wasted on the Roustabout.
With each picture, she learned more about him. His caring for nature. She’d returned to the photos from the barn with him and Sorrowful. The man loved his animals. A few days before, she’d taken some with him and his siblings without their knowledge. His love for them blasted off the screen. What Jade had said last night was true. These were photographs of love.
Each frame made her heart pound harder. It was difficult to breathe. Her palms sweated and left streaks on her touch screen. What was happening to her? Was she having a heart attack or was her heart becoming attached to a man she’d probably never see again after she left? She needed to get a grip on her emotions.
In the late afternoon, in desperation, and in an attempt to get him out of her mind, she put on Jade’s slicker and went to the barns to take pictures of anything that struck her fancy. It didn’t help getting Link out of her head. Each building held some memory. The shed where he’d bad-mouthed stinky Brutus, who was as dirty and ugly as the first time she’d seen him. The horse barn where he showed his love for Sorrowful and where they had their near kiss. The same barn and their kiss from this morning. She strode back to the house not having shot one picture. Never even took off the lens cover.
The rain had stopped when she left the barn. The new truck was parked in the driveway. Their visit to talk with Ranger Rasmussen must have a been a quick one for them to be back already. She ran her hand down the side and smiled at a few clover blossoms still embedded in one of the tires.
On an impulse, she turned on her camera. Even though she’d never forget last night, having shots of the truck would help her memory. Fifty years from now she could look back at them and recall the funniest, sexiest, most erotic night of love.
The smell of pizza hit her when she entered the back door. Damn. She forgot she said she’d help Jade with supper and now it was already done.
Link’s sexy smile stopped her in her tracks. If he ever used his looks to his advantage, he’d have every woman on earth at his feet. But for now, for the next two days, he was hers.
Her breath caught. Her nipples hardened, and her stomach jumped. She swore even her toes were turned on.
“How was your afternoon?” His deep voice brought her out of her erotic haze.
“Fine. Yours?” She went to the sink and washed her hands. “What did Agent Rasmussen have to say?”
As the size of the pizza shrunk, Link and Coop relayed the information they were given.
“Interestingly enough, he did harbor suspicions about Washburn, but they don’t have anything concrete on him,” Link said.
Coop drank from his glass of milk. “He’d turned over the thumb drive, and from what we could tell, all the pictures were on it.”
“So why does Rasmussen suspect Washburn?” Jade asked, putting another pan of pizza on the table.
The amount of food Coop and Link put away amazed Trudy. But with all the activity they went through during the day, they’d have to consume enough calories to sustain themselves. Her father and brothers had been the same. Maybe it was a man thing. She worked side-by-side with them on the farm and hadn’t eaten half the food they had.
Link grabbed a piece, letting the cheese trail from the pan to his plate. “He’s says it’s just a hunch. Can’t arrest a man on a hunch.”
“Was that all he had to say?” she asked.
A drop of red pizza sauce dribbled down his chin. He wiped at it with the back of his hand, caught her frown, and used his napkin. “Just that the rustlers don’t strike in the same place twice.”
She frowned and set her pizza on her plate. “But we know they’ve been on your property a couple of times.”
“He didn’t say the same ranch,” Coop said, “but the same place. We have cattle in several different areas on the ranch, so they could come here more than once.” He poured more milk in his glass. “We only keep our herds in two places, and as far as we can tell, they hit both. So hopefully we’re in the clear.”
“But that doesn’t mean they won’t come back at some point in time,” Link added. “I think this weekend we need to bring them in closer. We can pasture them in the field that Jade and Trudy cleared.”
Except for forks clinking against plates, they were silent, concentrating on filling their stomachs. Link’s heated glances across the table at her were making her excited and nervous. She needed to fill the void in the conversation to get his eyes from her.
“What do you think of the truck, Coop?”
His eyes shone. “Man, she’s a beaut.”
Link slapped him on the arm. “I keep telling you it’s a he, not a she.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He flapped a piece of pizza in Link’s direction. “Whatever. We’ve never had a new truck like that before. Wait’ll Carmen sees it.”
“What did I tell you on the way home? Snake is not a sex machine.”
Lucky her mouth was empty or whatever she’d had in it would have flown across the table and landed in Link’s plate, or on his shirt, or face. “Snake?” She glared at Link. “You didn’t really name the truck Snake. Did you?”
Jade sat back in her chair and laughed. “I can’t believe you did that, Link. I love it.” She looked at Trudy. “Sorry, but I think it’s great.”
Link’s face turned red. “Actually, I didn’t name it. Coop did.” He shrugged at Trudy and winked. “Wish I had come up with it first. Besides, he said it was for the stripe of paint on the sides that looked like a snake, not because of...”
“Don’t you dare say it.”
Thankfully they seemed to forget what Link had said about the truck being a sex machine. That was rather hypocritical. Time to get off the subject of snakes.
“I want to go out and take more pictures early tomorrow morning. It’s been a little foggy in the mornings and I want to capture it.”
“No.” Link rose and carried his plate to the dishwasher.
Was he kidding? “What do you mean, no? I only have two more days here.”
He opened the dishwasher and put his plate and glass in. “With the rustlers around, I don’t want you wandering around by yourself.”
“Then come with me.”
“I can’t.”
Coop added his dishes. “Why not? Joe, Ray, and I can handle things. If we need extra hands, Jade can come out.”
Trudy didn’t care for the looks going between Coop and Jade. What were they up to? “You can use one of my cameras. Better yet, bring your old one along.”
A vein stood out on Link’s neck. “I said no.” Without another word, he stormed out the back door. “Get your ass out here, Coop,” he yelled over his shoulder.
“What was that all about?” she asked Jade when the room was empty.
Jade shrugged and took the empty pizza pan from the table. “I’m not sure.” She stopped on the way to the sink and looked at Trudy. “I do know that you’ve opened something up in Link. Until now I’ve never seen him looking this happy or content as he has in the past two days. I also believe he doesn’t know what to do with these feelings.”
She’d dredged up feelings in Link? “I’m not sure what I’ve done, but I didn’t mean to do anything to hurt him.”
“Don’t worry. You haven’t hurt him, just opened him up to new possibilities.” Jade took a plate from Trudy. “By the way, I saw that kiss he gave you this morning.” She waved a hand in front of her face. “Wow. Steamed up the kitchen window all the way from the barn. I think I can say he’s brought out something in you, too.”
“Nothing can come of it. You know I’m leaving on Sunday.”
“Huh,” was all Jade said before leaving the room.
As she finished cleaning up the kitchen, she thought about what Jade said. She didn’t know Link well enough to tell if she’d made any changes in him, except that he was less grumpy than when she’d first met him.
But herself? She’d never felt this way about Sam or any other man for that matter. Her heart hadn’t raced. While she had felt something akin to arousal when Sam had kissed her and they were in bed, it was like comparing a bull to a goat. An ant to a hippopotamus.