How To Lasso A Cowboy

impression on the stallion?

Win, keeping close to the rails, neared Cait. “I thought you were going into town.”

“Not while you’re in there with him.”

Win shot her an annoyed glance. “I’ll be ?ne.”

His words chilled her to the bone-those were the exact ones her father had used. She folded her arms over her chest to hide her trembling hands. She didn’t plan on moving until Win came to his senses.

He muttered an oath and ducked between two rails to join her. “I’m out.”

Relief made Cait lightheaded. “And you won’t go in there again until I get back?”

Win’s eyes were shaded by his hat brim, but she could feel his exasperation. “If it’ll make you feel better.”

She swallowed her abating terror. “It will.”

Cait turned and clambered aboard Beulah’s wagon. The older woman took up the reins, and as they drove past the corral, Win gave them a barely perceptible nod.

“He won’t do anything foolhardy,” Beulah reassured her once they were clattering down the road, away from the corral, the stallion, and Win.

“I hope not.” Cait sighed, releasing some of the tension that bunched her shoulders. “Seeing him in there, where I found Pa…”

“Your pa was too old to be breakin’ mustangs,” Beulah said in her nononsense tone. “He tol’ me so himself ’bout four months back.”

“He never told me.”

“He didn’t want you worryin’. You know how he was, always wantin’ to protect you.”

Cait threaded her ?ngers together and squeezed tightly. “I know and I hated that he treated me like a child. If he’d worried more about himself, maybe he’d still be alive.”

Beulah slapped the leather lightly against the mule’s rear end, urging it into more than a plodding walk. “He knew somethin’ was wrong with you, too, but he never pushed. But I think it hurt him to know you was hidin’ something from him.”

Cait stared off to the side, barely noticing the summer green or the colorful spill of wild?owers around them. “I couldn’t tell him. It would’ve killed him.”

“You was the one who damned near died back then.”

Cait smiled bitterly. “I made the mistake. It was my price to pay.”

“Lots of girls make mistakes.”

Cait turned to the only person in the world who knew what had been stolen from her, although Beulah didn’t know the identity of the thief. “Pa wouldn’t have understood.”

Beulah sent her a sidelong glance, but didn’t comment. The remainder of the trip into town was thankfully silent.

Chapter Four

WHEN CAIT AND Beulah returned from town with their wagonload of supplies, Deil was alone in the corral, and there was no sign of Win. His horse, however, was in the other pen along with Cait’s own saddle mount, so Win hadn’t gone far.

Beulah halted the wagon in front of the house and Cait hopped down to unload the dry goods onto the porch. She’d carry them inside later, after lugging the sacks of grain into the barn. Cait walked ahead of the wagon, while Beulah drove the mule. She reached out to open the wide barn door, but jumped back when it was pushed out from the inside.

Wiping his damp torso with a towel, Win smiled at her. “I thought I heard someone drive in.”

Frozen, Cait stared at him, her gaze following a single water droplet that rolled down the middle of his smooth, glistening chest. Muscles ?owed beneath the bronzetanned skin, tantalizing her and giving her an odd ?uttery feeling deep in her belly.

“Cait, the man’s askin’ you a question.”

Cait dragged her gaze away from the tempting expanse of skin and sinew. “Uh, what?”

“Do you want some help?” Win asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I can do it,” she snapped. “Besides, you’ve got a hurt arm.”

He held out his injured arm, which no longer had a bandage wrapped around it. “Good as new.”

The gash had closed, and a faded blue, purple, and yellow bruise surrounded the scab. The wound wouldn’t be bothered by carrying a sack or two of grain, but she didn’t want him near, especially after she’d made such a fool of herself staring at his bare chest. As if she’d never seen a chest before. Hell, she’d seen her pa’s chest hundreds of times while he’d washed up on the porch. One man’s chest was just like another.

Liar.

“No, I-” Cait began.

“Let ’im help, girl,” Beulah interrupted in exasperation. “It ’pears he’s used to heavy liftin’.”

Not appreciating Beulah’s interference or her deliberate look at Win’s muscled arms and torso, Cait pretended not to hear. She reached for a sack of oats from the wagon bed.

Big, workroughened hands brushed hers. “I’ll take that,” Win said.

For a moment, Cait wasn’t going to release it, but her common sense overcame her stubborn pride. She allowed him to take the bag, then reached for the next one.

Carrying the fortypound sack, Cait entered the welllit barn and fought to keep her attention from straying to Win’s broad, naked back and shoulders. But his body lured her, just as it had so long ago.

“Why didn’t you let me get that?” Win asked with a scowl.

“I’ve been doing it for years.” She dropped it onto the sack Win had just laid down.

“Why?”

Startled by the question, Cait stared at him through the barn’s shadows. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Your pa-”

“Was getting old. He couldn’t do it all himself.”

“He should’ve hired some help.”

“How? We were barely scraping by before he died. Capturing the wild herd was going to take care of all our problems. Now my only chance is that stallion.” Cait had leaned closer and closer to Win, until her nose was almost touching his chin. His scent-musky sweat and maleness-suddenly ?lled her, making her heart pound and her palms dampen.

“And you need me to tame that stallion.”

His matteroffact words and warm breath fanning across her cheek made Cait reel back. “Yes, dammit. I need you. Does that make you feel better, to hear me admit it?” Despite her anger, her voice was subdued.

He stared at her, his eyes softening with regret and apology. “I’m sorry, Cait.”

They both knew he wasn’t only apologizing for his blunt remark. Cait’s insides clenched and she felt the humiliating sting of tears but fought them back. She lifted her chin. “Don’t be. I wanted to ?nd out what it was like and you obliged me. I’m glad you left. It would’ve been uncomfortable with you hanging around like a lost puppy.”

Win’s nostrils ?ared and his lips became a grim line. “So it didn’t mean anything to you?”

Cait shrugged, while her insides cramped with agony. “It meant as much to me as it did to you, which obviously was nothing.”

Win’s eyes blazed and he grabbed Cait’s shoulders, yanking her against him. Cait felt her breasts crushed to his bare chest and her nipples hardened. He swooped down and kissed her, his lips at ?rst unyielding, then moving like a summer breeze across a smooth pond.

He teased her lips open and swept his tongue into her mouth. Her hands, trapped between their bodies, ?attened against his bare, silkysmooth chest. She could feel his heart thundering against her palms and her ?ngertips pressed into his warm skin. Cait groaned and surrendered, brushing her tongue against his and savoring his unique, masculine taste.

Suddenly, he thrust her back. “I wouldn’t call that ‘nothing.’ ”