you, Randal-'
'What do you know about it?' His hostility lashed out at her like a whip.
God, there had to be some good in Randal, she thought desperately. A shred of decency somewhere. She tried to tap into some virtuous part of him, wanting so badly to convert him.
'Yeah, but it'll be worth it just to see the look on J.T.'s face when I tell him I've had you.' That thought alone seemed to give him great satisfaction, brightening his leering face.
Ignoring the panic tightening her chest, she thrust up her chin a notch. 'You touch me and I'll scream. There're quite a few people around.'
He laughed again, seemingly enjoying the game. 'And when they come runnin' I'll tell them you came on to me. Wouldn't be the first time J.T. got himself involved with a slut.' He lowered his mouth to her ear. 'Besides, you might find you like bein' with me better than J.T.'
She shivered in revulsion. Drawing a deep breath, she shoved at Randal with all her might. He grunted at the unexpected move, and as she fought against him, he tried to grab her hands. In the shuffle he kicked the box of kittens, and Missy retaliated.
With a low-throated growl, Missy clawed at Randal's leg as if it were a scratching post. Randal let out a howl of pain, then cursed, backing away from Caitlan. Even as Randal shook his leg to dislodge the feline, Missy hung on to his pants, her sharp claws ruthless.
Blessing Missy's interference, Caitlan feinted around Randal and ran to the entrance. Slipping outside, she glanced back to make sure Randal wasn't in pursuit… and slammed into a solid wall of flannel-covered muscle.
J.T. caught her arm before she would have bounced back and fallen on her bottom in the dirt. 'Damn, Caitlan. Watch where you're going.'
Caitlan had never been so relieved to see anyone in all her guardian days. Pressing a hand to her galloping heart, she caught her breath and glanced up into J.T.'s face, shadowed by his hat. 'I'm sorry.'
'What's the matter with you?' His lips compressed into a thin line and his eyes narrowed. 'You weren't with King again, were you?'
She groped for the truth, unsure if she wanted to tell J.T. about her run-in with Randal, and risk a potentially explosive confrontation between cousins. In Randal's state of mind, which was precarious at best, Caitlan feared for J.T.'s safety. 'No, I, uh, was with Missy and her kittens.' She smiled up at him as if she didn't have a care in the world. 'Did you need me for something?'
Frowning, he stared at her for a long moment, suspicion coloring his eyes. Finally he let go of her arm. 'I was just going to do some spot-checking around the ranch.' Glancing over her shoulder, he shifted restlessly on his feet. He cleared his throat. 'Laura mentioned you might like to see the spread.'
Despite the underhanded way he'd delivered his invitation, Caitlan couldn't stem the thrill of pleasure racing through her. 'I'd love to.'
'Go on up to the house and get a jacket,' he said, nodding in that general direction. 'I'll saddle up the horses.'
J.T. stared after Caitlan as she made her way to the main house, wondering why he felt like a gawky adolescent again, like the first awkward time he'd asked Amanda to go riding with him with the intentions of stealing a kiss from her. He'd been thirteen, and J.T. could still remember the rapid hormonal awakening that had made him see Amanda for more than just a 'buddy,' had made him want to kiss her and touch her in more than a brotherly manner.
The first time he'd attempted to kiss Amanda she'd socked him in the arm. She'd been spitting mad, and confused. He'd seen the conflicting emotions in her eyes, and when he'd tried to apologize, she'd charged after him, knocking him to the ground. A skirmish ensued, but he came out the victor. He had kissed her again, gently, softly, and when her lips parted on a gasp, he'd introduced them both to their first deep kiss. Seconds later she had melted beneath him, warm and receptive to his exploration. And J.T. knew he was in love.
The sweet memory drifted through J.T., leaving him achy and empty inside. Why had he thought of that now? Shaking off the sensation of loss, he walked inside the barn, searching for a clue as to what Caitlan had been running from. And she had been running from something; he'd felt her tremble when he'd caught her arm, like she'd been spooked.
The horses in their stalls seemed calm, King included. He passed Missy, who shot him a disgruntled look before tending to her kittens. J.T. was on the verge of dismissing his concern when he saw his newest hand, Mike, in the tack room. Had the man said or done something to frighten Caitlan? Mike was moody, but he didn't seem the surly type.
Mike turned, a curry comb in his hand and a cigarette dangling from his lips. He gave J.T. a curt nod, but before he could escape out the back door to the adjoining paddock, J.T. stopped him.
'You know the rules, Mike: No smoking in or around the barn.'
Mike squinted as plumes of smoke curled from the tip of his cigarette. 'I was just getting a comb for-'
'No exceptions,' he said, watching as the other man's jaw hardened.
'Sorry, boss,' Mike murmured, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. 'It won't happen again.'
'Make sure that it doesn't.' With a curt nod J.T. dismissed the hand, then went to saddle up the horses.
Chapter Seven
An hour and a half later, after checking the west fences and the creek for any problems and finding none, J.T. reined Quinn to a stop in a meadow brimming with wildflowers. Caitlan's mare, Blaze, automatically halted beside him. The creek cut a path through the meadow, and a huge apple tree, veiled with green leaves and white blossoms, dominated the area, its branches extending to form a shady canopy. Two elk sprinted into a nearby copse of brush and trees, followed by a scampering ground squirrel.
Caitlan's gaze encompassed the daisies, primrose, and wild yellow plum blooming in riots of color around them. 'This place is beautiful,' she said softly.
'Yeah.' J.T. didn't know what, exactly, had drawn him here, especially since it had been years since he'd come to this spot. So many memories of Amanda lived here, of their childhood together, that he reconsidered the wisdom of bringing Caitlan to a place he almost thought of as sacred.
Strangely, the grief and pain he used to feel when visiting this meadow was now only a dull, distant sorrow. Maybe coming here was a good thing, he decided. Maybe it was time to face old memories, then pack them away for good.
J.T. dismounted Quinn in a fluid motion. 'Ready for lunch?'
Smiling, Caitlan slid off Blaze and removed her jacket, hooking it on the saddle. 'Sounds great. I'm starved.'
He grinned back. 'Good. Laura packed plenty of food.' He handed her the knapsack and blanket he'd brought along. Taking her mare's reins, and Quinn's, he led the horses to the creek and left them there to graze.
'Will they be okay like that?' Squinting against the sunshine, Caitlan watched J.T. approach her again.
'Unless something spooks them they'll be content to graze on the grass.' Grabbing the blanket from her, he snapped it out under the tree. Tossing his hat to the corner of the blanket, he ran his fingers through his hair and gestured with his other hand for Caitlan to sit down. He joined her and divvied up the food.
They ate in companionable silence, punctuated by an occasional comment about the ranch and its operation, or something equally mundane. The light scent of apple blossoms curled around them, and the faint hum of bees in the trees served as a relaxing symphony.
Caitlan finished her sandwich and potato salad and put away the remnants of her lunch. She licked a smear of mayonnaise from her thumb. 'I do have to say, Laura puts together a terrific meal.'
'It wasn't half bad.' J.T. reclined lazily on the blanket. 'Apple?' he offered, then crunched into his own.
She shook her head. 'Maybe later. I think I'll go rinse my hands in the creek.'
Away from J.T., Caitlan absorbed her surroundings, searching beyond the beauty of the land to tap into something more profound. Since the moment they'd arrived at this meadow, peculiar sensations had taken up
