Payton jerked off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair, and jammed it back on. “From the very first second you came through the door of the hotel I knew I wanted to kiss you. I just didn’t intend to do it today.” He gave her that lopsided grin that stole her breath. “I meant to let you gradually get used to the idea beforehand. I’ve never been…I’m used to wrestling longhorn, not females who require a gentle hand.”
Confusion muddled her brain. She thought he just confessed to kissing her on purpose.
Accepting his hand, she got to her feet. “Damn, McCord, I’m no piece of fragile china. I have no regrets.”
A rush of air left Payton’s mouth. “I’m glad. I sure thought I’d messed up. Thought you were going to hand me my hat and run me off. Or reach for your trusty rifle. You don’t have it hidden somewhere do you?”
She wouldn’t let him know how deeply he’d shaken her. It paid to be cautious in any case. Maybe it was a ruse, some new tactic. She’d not give anyone leverage to use against her if she could prevent it.
“Run you off before you shear my sheep? Are you serious?”
“And afterward?” Payton arched an eyebrow. “When you have little need of me you’ll tell me to climb on my horse and not look back?”
The gaze that saw things in shades of green twinkled, giving birth to a new set of problems-like how to keep the clusters of tingles from reaching her heart, because once they did they’d release the hope she’d imprisoned so long.
“Perhaps. I haven’t decided yet.”
“An unscrupulous man would drag this out.”
“What would an honest man do?”
“Work like hell and count his blessings.” The grin flashed, revealing even teeth.
Good heavens, he could sure charm a lady. How could she ever have thought him befuddled? Seemed outlandish now. The teasing, assured cowboy who stood braced to the wind had kissed her and acted like he enjoyed it. A flush rose. She turned away, casting a gaze to the far distance.
“Looks like Fraser rounded up the escapee.” She pointed toward a ravine. The dog was herding the ewe toward them. “Ready to have another go at this business?”
“A range rider never cries uncle. Always figure I have no choice but get back on the horse that threw me.”
Under Amanda’s tutelage, Payton learned the ins and outs of sheep shearing in record time. She watched the compassion he showed her animals. And when he took a break for a cool dipper of water, she caught him watching her.
Memory of the kiss created waves of heat that threatened to scorch her. She could spend the rest of her life wrapped in his arms with no stretch of the imagination.
Except, she didn’t dare allow herself to bank on a flash in the pan. Her cowboy was a tender of rawhide, not wool. He would help her now, but when it was over he’d be gone like a breeze full of lavender, leaving nothing behind but the scent of his passing.
As dusk approached she could see Payton’s weariness. Muscles that had been taut and firm in the beginning began to give out with the last ram they’d shear this day. He struggled to contain the weight and the shears at the same time.
Despite Amanda’s help, the ram gave them a tussle. She recognized the grinding sound coming from Payton’s mouth. That would be the gnashing of teeth. She’d heard that noise a lot through the day. That he did something he truly abhorred elevated his character to near sainthood.
“Hell and be damned, you ornery piece of stew meat! Be still or you’ll end up in a pot.”
Amanda smothered her laughter. A pleasant glow of happiness had spread through her and had been there since Payton accepted the supper invitation. She didn’t dare serve him mutton though. Or the rhubarb pie she’d baked that morning. Smoked ham she’d gotten from Jeb Diggs would do and a jar of apples from the root cellar. Get him in a good frame of mind and maybe he’d share those secrets he’d mentioned. She wished to know everything about the man who braved ridicule, reprisal, and rhubarb to come to her rescue.
Payton’s arms ached as he dropped the bucket into the water well on Amanda’s property and hauled it up so they could wash. The day had held a lot of surprises. He never imagined that he’d find contentment and belonging here. In fact, he’d have told anyone that he most definitely abhorred the little beasts. He was a cowman. Still was, but he was beginning to see where there might be room for both sheep and longhorn.
Maybe it had a lot to do with a beautiful brown-eyed woman whose pliable curves and winsome smile had spoken to his heart.
“Don’t hog all the water, McCord.” Amanda jostled him aside, trying to reach around him.
He held the bucket over his head, daring her to come closer. “That’s some way to treat a hard-working man who slaved over your ornery flock. Besides, I’m a guest, remember? Mind your manners and I’ll think about it.”
The light from Amanda’s eyes shone past his empty days and nights all the way to the center of promise. “You’re right. It’s fair I let you wash first.”
“A lady of reason always sees the error of her ways.” He lowered the bucket.
But Amanda was quick. She dipped in her hand before he knew what she was doing and flung water into his face. Payton blinked and set the bucket down, calmly wiping the droplets that dripped from his mustache. She watched him carefully with a hand covering her mouth; probably to hide laughter was his guess.
“I didn’t mean to do that. I truly didn’t.”
“This is war, lady.” Payton dumped the entire bucket over her head, leaving her sputtering and gasping. “Now we’re even.”
“That wasn’t nice.”
“I know, but it sure was fun.” He hadn’t enjoyed himself this much for a long while. It might’ve been the first time since he grew up and became a man. Lord, it felt good. He wished he could bottle it up for when life wasn’t being so kind.
Payton brushed Amanda’s hair from her eyes, hoping she wasn’t mad. But the mischievous twinkle hadn’t faded. She evidently yearned for a moment of carefree foolery, a time when the weight of the world didn’t weigh her down. He reached for the towel she’d brought from the house and gently dabbed the parts he dared, trying to ignore the swell of her breasts clearly outlined by the plastered dress.
Amanda’s breathing stilled as if she were waiting for something. “McCord, you’re a wicked man.”
“I know.”
She leaned to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Showing me how wrong I was and for making me feel like a woman again. I’d forgotten how it nice it feels.”
By the time he left that evening, his stomach was full to bursting and so was his heart. Though his muscles protested, he had a most satisfying day. Yes, indeed.
He’d learned a lot about Miss Amanda Lemmons, who put on a good show of pretending not to care when she really did. The glistening moisture in her eyes, slight quiver of her lip, and hope hidden behind the rough texture of her voice gave her away.
And he’d learned some things about himself.
Surprisingly, he discovered shearing sheep wasn’t much different from branding cattle. He hadn’t minded working with the scrubby cotton balls. They were sure heavier than they looked. And they didn’t stink as bad as he thought either. Maybe his feelings for Amanda must’ve perfumed the air.
The feel of her breasts cozying up to him when he’d landed on top of her was something he could take extra helpings of-as many as she wanted to heap on his plate.
Her soft lips that kissed like an angel didn’t raise any argument either.
Amanda Lemmons excelled in almost everything. Her cooking left a little to be desired, but if someone tended the sheep so she could devote more time to the art, she’d take to it like a duck to water. He’d bet anything on it. He saw her expertise with the spinning wheel and a few bags of wool. Cooking had to be a snap compared to the difficult chores she did regularly.
Yes, he could visualize spending the rest of his days with Amanda. She was everything a man would be proud to claim. Now to get her defenses lowered until he convinced her of the fact.
The breeze suddenly died and a whiff of his clothes reached his nose. There’d be hell to pay from Amos, Bert, Joe, and the boys. He’d never live it down. But that wasn’t the worst part. If Mr. Sanborn found out how a self- respecting cowman shucked the cattle for sheep, Payton could lose his job.
