The Mistletoe Affair

them at no extra charge. The walls are thin here. Her name's Ann Young, by the way. I got some steamy photos of them locking bodies in the halls and kissing at her door. I'll nose around again today and get the pictures to you Friday.'

Jared ran his fingers across the stubble on his cheek. “Any idea why he really asked Katherine to remarry him?'

“I've been looking into his background. He has a younger brother named William. The man walks on water as far as the community and his father is concerned. Family man, kids. It's got to be tied up with William and their parents in some way.'

“Good job. Keep digging.'

Carl grew quiet. “You still seeing this lady?'

Jared felt a lecture coming from the detective who treated him like his son. “Yeah.” He yawned again. “She and her son are coming out to the ranch in Katy with me. We're going horseback riding most of the day. If you need to reach me, that's where I'll be.'

Carl coughed. “Those wise-ass remarks I made about you and Katherine were way out of line.” He paused huffing a deep breath into the phone. “But don't take this lady so serious, in case she dumps you, too. My ulcers can't follow you around bars for days to make sure you keep your nose clean.'

“I've no intention of going off the deep-end again,” Jared snapped.

Carl snorted in apparent disbelief. “Oh, and you owe me a bonus. About the sneezing.'

Jared frowned at the phone. “Sneezing?'

“Yeah, sneezing. Remember? Allergy-boy.'

“Paul.'

Carl went on. “I borrowed a dog from a friend and found out lover-boy's not allergic. His mistress is. You should have seen her sneeze her fool head off in the elevator.'

“That means-'

“Right on. Paul stored Matt at a nursery and brought Ann Young to the home he had with Katherine while they were still married. His mistress couldn't be around animals, so Matt couldn't have any. I've already confirmed with neighbors that his mistress visited the house numerous times.'

Jared rubbed his neck. “None of the neighbors said anything to Katherine about Paul having a woman over?'

“Hell no. They thought she was a relative, until Katherine came home early one day because her business flight was cancelled. She walked into the bedroom and found her husband and this bimbo screwing. All hell broke loose and the neighbors almost called the cops. Nice guy, huh?'

Jared felt like someone gut-punched him. He fisted the pillow. “Yeah. A real charmer,” he snarled. “Keep digging,” he said and hung up the phone.

* * * *

“Trust me.” Jared extended his hand to Katherine as he sat on the black gelding. “I'll pull you up and you can ride behind me or in front of me, whichever you prefer.'

Katherine stared at the dust rising around the pawing, snorting, four-legged giant of a beast and hesitated. She shook her head. “I don't think it likes me.'

“Flying Leap likes everyone-especially beautiful ladies.” Jared held the reins in one hand and placed his other hand on the gelding's rump.

“Look at me, Mom.” Matt sat on a spotted pony that looked only three and a half feet tall. “I was scared of Sweet Pea to start with, but I like it up here.” He pulled his cowboy hat lower and hugged his coat around him. He shoved his boots further into the stirrups. “Me and Sweet Pea are doing fine.'

The smell of fresh hay filled the air. She glanced around the stable at the boxed stalls and rubbed the pony's nose. It whinnied. “Two Sweet Peas can fit underneath one Flying Leap,” she said dryly. “Remember what Mr. Randall said. Pull back on the reins to stop and give her a gentle nudge in the sides to make her go.'

Matt rolled his eyes. “I got all that. Let's go, Mom. Sweet Pea wants to go, too.'

Pulling her jacket tighter around her waist, she moved to the side of Flying Leap and looked up. All the way up. Once she mounted, she'd be sitting in Jared's lap. She swallowed hard.

Jared's eyes lingered on her. “It isn't as far up as the top of the roof or Matt's Christmas tree. Trust me,” he repeated softly. He extended his hand to her again and removed his foot from the stirrup. “You want front or back?'

She closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath and thrust her hand up to him. “I do trust you. Front,” she said shakily, biting her bottom lip.

He grabbed her firmly around the wrist and lifted her off the ground. Her booted foot missed the stirrup twice, finally it slipped into it. Jared reached one hand around her waist, pulled her the rest of the way up, and hoisted her right leg over the saddle horn. Heat flamed her face when his hands touched her thighs and then her jean covered backside. He drew her bottom toward him and settled her in the saddle.

“Well that wasn't so bad,” she bragged.

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, you almost kicked me in the head. Mounting a horse works a lot better if you keep your eyes open.'

She stared at the strips of leather wound through the thick, firm fingers positioned within a hair of her breasts. She moved backward in the saddle, flush against him and heard his sudden intake of air.

Jared cleared his throat. “Let's head out,” he said, flicking the reins and nudging Flying Leap with his legs. “Matt, you stay ahead of us a little so your mom can see you all the time.” Jared pointed to the pasture area. “We're going straight out the barn and along the grass covered fence line.'

Katherine fought the tingling sensations from Jared's warm breath hitting her ear and neck when he spoke. She tried to focus on Matt, who grinned and rode beside them for awhile, and then moved ahead. That focus became more difficult when every move Jared made brought his hands closer to her breasts.

The cool breeze washed across her face as they left the barn. Jared moved the reins and bundled her to him. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. She leaned back against him. And despite all this, while still fighting her inner demons, who cried ‘Fool!', she closed her eyes and relaxed against his broad chest. She could feel his heart thud in a slow, steady beat against her back.

She jumped when they suddenly drew to a halt. Jared rubbed his hands over her arms. She lifted her head and saw Matt had stopped, too.

Jared pointed again to the horizon. “We're heading for that worn trail over there. We'll follow it through the woods. The trail doubles back to the barn, so you can't get lost. Matt,” Jared went on, lifting his voice, “watch for squirrels, birds and rabbits. You might spot a deer or two off to the sides hiding in the bushes, too.'

Matt squealed with excitement. Katherine smiled and felt so warm snuggled against Jared.

He kept his arms around her and bent close. “We'll be riding for an hour on this trail. It takes another half-hour to come back to the barn.” He leaned forward, his cheek resting against hers. “You can take a nap if you'd like, or watch the scenery. There's always something blooming in Texas-even in late December. You may see some Scarlet Sage, Verbena, or Lantana.'

She covered her mouth and yawned. “I think I might rest my eyes a little,” she murmured, closing them again. She hadn't been able to sleep much last night. Paul had been angry about her and Matt going horseback riding with Jared and had stormed out of the house after their nasty fight. She had listened thinking he might return to apologize-but hearing nothing, she had eventually dropped into a restless sleep.

Come to think of it, she hadn't had a good night's sleep since Paul dropped into her life.

She yawned again and laid her head back against Jared's shoulder as they moved back and forth in the saddle. It reminded her of the rocking motion of a hammock tied between two large trees. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

“Mom! Mom! Look, it's Bambi!” Matt hollered.

Katherine's body shot forward. Her eyes flew open to find her breasts pressed against the backs of Jared's hands. She heard his sharp intake of breath, but only barely, as her own breath came hard and heavy from the brief touch. She scrambled around to see what Matt had been yelling about.