Buckle Down
BUCKLE DOWN -
SEDUCTION IN MEMORY GROVE
BY
MELISSA ECKER
Table of Contents
Buckle Down-Seduction in Memory Grove
ISBN 13-
978-1-61258-062-3
ISBN 10-
1-61258-062-9
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright © 2012 Melissa Ecker
Cover art by Bret Poinier
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, or places, any events or locales is purely coincidental. The
names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s
imagination and are not to be construed as real.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission from the publisher LazyDay,
with the exception of quotes used in reviews and critical articles.
Dedication
This book is for my friend, Bells. Without her
encouragement and brainstorming, this story wouldn’t have happened.
Humidity hung in the air and intensified the smell of fresh-cut
hay. Tess Reilly wiggled her nose and wiped the sweat from her brow with the
back of her hand. She had only been in the stable for fifteen minutes and
already she wanted to find a shady spot under a tree and not move. Summer was
the only time she was able to come out and see her horse. One more year of
school and she could move back home. Or not. Spending the last three years in
California, she had developed a love for the beach and mild weather. But every
summer she came back to Memory Grove, Arkansas, and it felt like home, the wide
open spaces and friendly people.
After mucking the stall, she lifted the mare’s leg and held
it between her knees to clean the frog. The folks at Sarafina Ranch took good
care of Tippi, which Tess appreciated greatly, as the two of them had been
together for years. The horse had been a birthday gift from her parents when
she turned fourteen.
“Hey, darlin’.”
Tess looked up. “Hey, Mrs. Cash.”
“Please, don’t call me that. You make me feel old. It’s
Phoebe.” Phoebe Cash was part owner of Sarafina Ranch. Her now-ex-husband owned
the other half and it was named for their prize horse. Despite an ugly and very
public divorce, she and her ex-husband seemed to be good business partners and
Ted was gone most of the time, leaving Phoebe to run the place on her own.
Tess laughed and set the horse’s leg back down. “Okay,
Phoebe.”
The redhead smiled, deepening the crow’s feet around her
eyes. “How’s the family? Haven’t seen them out here in a spell.” Phoebe popped
her gum and rested her hands on the aging wood gate. In true southern
tackiness, she wore a ring on every finger and bright red nail polish to match
her bright red lips. Phoebe wouldn’t admit her age to anyone, but she was
clearly in her forties and dressed like a twenty-year-old hooker and had the
reputation to go along with it. She held the titles of both town bitch and town
whore.
“They’re doing good. Mom and Dad are gone for a month. I
think they’re in D.C. now.”
“Very nice. And the boys?” Like most women in Memory Grove, Phoebe’s
face lit up when she asked after Tess’ brothers, Luke and Cade. “They’re well?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tess smiled and ran the hard-bristled brush
over Tippi’s coat. A large horsefly buzzed past Tess’ ear and she ducked out of
the line of fire. It landed on the horse’s shoulder and Tess slapped it hard
with her gloved hand. Both she and Tippi had been bitten before and it hurt
like hell. Tippi bucked and kicked her back legs the last time it had happened,
and inside a small stable was a dangerous place to be with a pissed off horse.
The horsefly dropped in the hay and Tess stomped on it for good measure.
A black truck pulled into the parking area and kicked up a
cloud of dust. Phoebe looked over her shoulder and turned back to Tess with a
grin the Cheshire cat would envy. “See ya’ later, sweetie.”
The door of the rig swung open and Tess squinted to get a
better look at the man climbing out of the truck. Dark hair and sunglasses. She
watched Phoebe cross the lot, swaying her nonexistent hips. If not for her over-done
boob job, Phoebe’s body would resemble that of a thirteen-year-old boy.
Tess put away her tack and led Tippi out of the stall. She
wasn’t planning on riding Tippi today, just walking her around. The brown and
white paint horse stood a good fifteen hands and Tess stretched up on tiptoes
to peer over the animal’s back to watch Phoebe and the mystery guy in the cool
shades.
He leaned against the bed of his truck and lit a cigarette.
Phoebe stood in front of him and flipped her hair every six seconds or so. Tess
tried not to laugh.
Phoebe, the forty-year-old high school flirt.
Phoebe
had a reputation, but Tess didn’t believe everything she heard. Rumors and
gossip just caused trouble and she preferred to steer clear of it.
The sun beat down on Tess’ head and she pulled the lead to
get Tippi closer to the copse of trees in the clearing. From this vantage
point, she had a better view of Phoebe and her guest. Tess tried not to be
obvious but…
damn
. He was built. His biceps bulged against the sleeves
of his black t-shirt and the jeans fit nicely around his… body. Beat-up cowboy
boots definitely gave the impression this guy had spent some quality time on a
ranch or a farm. He crossed one ankle over the other and drew hard on his
cigarette before blowing a plume of smoke skyward.
Although Tess had been out of the loop while in school, pretty
much everyone in Memory Grove knew everyone else and she didn’t recognize him
as a local, not someone who had grown up here anyway. She would have remembered
the disarray of his hair and the hard line of his jaw. Just then he flashed a
smile at Phoebe and Tess groaned out loud. That man was a masterpiece and the
curiosity was killing her. She wanted to know who he was and how Phoebe knew
him.
The wind kicked up and blasted hot air and dust in her face.
Her mouth went dry and her palms sweated around the rope clenched in her fist.
She needed a drink of water. A barrel filled with ice sat against the front wall
of the stables. Phoebe kept it stocked with water bottles and Gatorade. Tess
wrapped Tippi’s lead around the branch of a tree and started back across the
clearing.
Despite her best efforts, she could not stop looking over at
him. Her eyes traced the lines of his long legs and settled on his silver belt
buckle. She couldn’t make out the design, but it was definitely rodeo style,
big and round and embellished. The sun glinted off of it and blinded her for a
second.
The definition of his muscular torso was obvious through the
tight t-shirt tucked behind that buckle. Unable to pull her eyes away from him,
Tess didn’t see the old railroad tie lying on the ground. The tip of her boot
caught on the large piece of wood and she pitched forward, landing face first
in the dry grass.
Oh. My. God. Please. Please, tell me he didn’t just see
me eat dirt.
She closed her eyes and spit a blade of grass out of her
mouth. Bracing her hands on the ground, she started to push herself up when she
heard the heavy footfall of people running.
“Hey. Are you okay?” A strong hand touched her shoulder
gently.
Wishing the ground would crack open and swallow her, she
rolled over onto her back. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
The bright glare of the sun blinded her and she could only
make out the shape of his body, until he moved in closer. “Let me help you up,
sweetheart.”
His eyes were a shade of gray she had only ever seen on the
air force jets that flew in formation over her childhood home. A crooked smile
lit up his face and he wrapped his hand around her arm and slid the other
behind her shoulder. With little effort, he had her back up on her feet.
Dirt covered her knees and she shook her head. “Thank you. I
feel like an idiot.” From a mix of adrenaline and embarrassment, her heart rate
sped up. If he came any closer, he'd probably hear the rapid thud banging against
her ribcage.
He laughed and reached out, pulling a piece of hay out of
her hair. “Could’ve happened to anyone.”
Yeah. But this kind of thing only happens to me. Stupid
me.
“You okay, child? You got to watch where you’re going.”
Phoebe sidled up close to the guy. She didn’t seem as concerned with Tess’ well-being
as she did with making sure she stayed as close as possible to him.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m okay.” Tess brushed off a clump of dirt
from her jeans.
“Didn’t knock your brain loose or nothing?” Phoebe jutted
her hip out and grabbed her belt loop.
“No, ma’am. I’m fine.”
“I haven’t seen you here before.” A small vertical scar
interrupted his left eyebrow. Tess wondered if the mark was from a fight or
maybe a riding accident, something sexy and dramatic.
Phoebe looked up at him and back to Tess. “Shane, this is
Tess Reilly. Tess, Shane Wyatt.”
Tess wiped her hand on her hip before extending it out to
him. “Pleased to meet you and thanks again for your help.”
He winked at her and smiled. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Phoebe’s already beady eyes narrowed. “Tess, here, is Luke
Reilly’s little sister.” A satisfied smirk settled on her face as if she were
revealing some secret. Everybody knew Tess was Luke’s sister. Well, everyone
but Shane Wyatt, apparently.
Shane licked his bottom lip, gave Tess a once over and
nodded his head. “Perfect. You take care of yourself, now.” His eyes lingered
on Tess’ face for a moment longer before he turned to Phoebe. “Are you ready to
go?”
Phoebe batted her eyelashes and hooked her arm through his.
“Yes, I am.” She waved at Tess and the odd couple walked off. Shane opened the
passenger door of the truck and helped Phoebe inside. As he rounded the back of
the truck, he waved at Tess.
She raised her hand and smiled before grabbing a water
bottle from the cooler. She took a long pull as she watched them drive away and
disappear into the dust.
****
Thick suds floated in the tub and Tess’ muscles burned and
ached. She had landed a little harder than she thought and her knees bore
scrapes where her jeans had abraded her skin. But her ego was bruised more than
her body. Shane’s face kept flashing in her mind. Those gray eyes and his
bulging biceps as he lifted her off the ground and, holy hell, was he tall. Not
as tall as her brother, Luke, who stood a solid six-five, but Shane was
definitely well over six feet. She had a like for big, strong men. She liked
the feel of solid arms wrapped around. She liked to feel protected, and Shane
definitely could do that.