Laredo's Sassy Sweetheart (8 page)

“Laredo, you’re more afraid of making love to me than riding Bloodthirsty Black,” Katy murmured against his neck.

Goose pimples exploded on his body. “Fear is a healthy emotion.”

“It kicks the fight-or-flight mechanism into gear,” she whispered into his ear, before nibbling on it.

“I’m flighting,” he said.

“I think you’re the right man for my adventure,” Katy said. “Of course, if you don’t want to—”

It was all a man could bear. It was endurance beyond expectation. He rolled Katy onto her back, pinning her beneath him. “Katy Goodnight,” he said, “you have driven me past no.”

She actually laughed at him. “Good. I’m working on that vixen side of my personality.”

He tore her little cotton bra straps down with his teeth, until he revealed each breast. “Oh my God,” he murmured. “You are perfect.”

A door slammed somewhere up the bank. “Hey, Laredo!” Ranger called. A loud, annoying moose mating call erupted from Ranger as his footsteps seemed to head their way.

“Are you down there, bro?” Tex yelled, his voice
cutting through the darkness. “Your rescue crew has arrived and is reporting for duty!”

Katy stared up at Laredo with huge eyes. By the moon’s light, Laredo could see her hard nipples topping sweetly rounded breasts only inches from his mouth. “I’m going to
kill
my brothers,” he growled. “The biblical Cain had
nothing
on me.”

It was a very quiet ride back. Laredo had dropped the blanket over her shoulders to protect her body from his brothers’ inquiring gazes. They were trying to be gentlemen, but of course, they were curious as to why she only wore a blanket. Not that they verbalized the question, but the expressions on their faces were priceless.

“Uh, Hannah didn’t say anything about you not having clothes,” Tex said.

“I’m sure she didn’t,” Laredo bit out. “Come on, Katy.” He helped her into the back of the extended cab, covering her with an extra blanket from the truck bed.

Katy’s hair was wild and matted from swimming, and her heart was disappointed. She’d been so close to being a femme fatale. Or at least an unmade maiden.

“That was it?” Hannah demanded once Katy made it into her room.

“That was it. We didn’t even say a proper good-
night, because Tex and Ranger dragged him off with them.” Katy was totally dejected.

“All my planning for nothing. I really thought I’d worked it to where you two had no reason not to manage the miraculous.”

Katy crawled into bed beside Hannah. “Apparently not. He was babbling about googolplexes at one point, so I’m pretty certain he was relieved when the cavalry arrived.”

“He’ll be asleep in your room tonight. Just crawl in bed beside him. Maybe even on top of him. Trust me, he won’t kick you out.”

Katy sighed. “Yeah, but I’ve had time to think about it. Laredo’s right. We shouldn’t do it.”

“Because?” Hannah’s voice was incredulous in the darkness.

“He doesn’t really want to. I mean, the body is willing but the spirit is very reluctant.”

“You could change his mind if you wanted to.”

Katy thought about that and then closed her eyes. As easygoing, available, macho as he’d tried to make himself sound, she’d figured one thing out: Laredo wasn’t a man to womanize. He didn’t fall in love easily or willingly. And she couldn’t just take advantage of him as he’d suggested.

He
was all
bull and no consummation.

Bull rider, in this case. And nothing more than that.

R
ANGER AND
L
AREDO SAT
in the Lonely Hearts Cafeteria, stewing. “You’d better be careful,” Ranger
said. “I think that bull is gonna whap you upside the head, ’cause you’re not thinking straight.”

It was true. Laredo’s mind was still in a twist over Katy in a wet bra and pair of panties. It had taken all his strength to keep her pure, and he’d just about not made it. “I’m in no condition to ride a bull,” he admitted. “Specifically since I don’t know how.”

“Well, the competition doesn’t know that.” Ranger forked some steak and chewed.

“The competition doesn’t even have a cowboy riding yet.”

Ranger brightened, then his face fell. “No, a forfeit is too much to hope for.”

“Besides, I should ride. I owe it to myself to ride,” Laredo said. “It’s my first Big Thing on my list of Big Things To Do.”

“And after this? Then what?”

“Then I’m continuing on my trek. Searching out opportunity and adventure.” He thought about Katy for a second. There was opportunity and adventure in abundance, but not really the kind a man could boast about. Not like riding a bull, or collecting yak hair in the Andes. “Are there yaks in the Andes?” Laredo asked.

His brother stared at him. “You dope. Do I look like a reference point for Yaks-R-Us? How the hell would I know?”

“I don’t know.” Laredo scratched at his neck. “I just always had the idea that our family was smart. Above average, intellectually.”

Ranger put down his fork. “We work, and we do
all right. We’ve all got some talent at something. We drink too much beer, and sometimes we let women chase us around town. That’s above average, I’d say.”

Not enough to measure up to a whiz like Katy, though. “Remember Joey Forrester?”

“The science geek you rolled up in a carpet and set on top of Mrs. Fisk’s desk? You called him the human enchilada for your science project. What was the theme again, anyway?”

Laredo rolled his eyes. “Something about digestion. I can’t remember now. Do you know what happened to Joey?”

“Yeah. He married some science geekess and they gave birth to lots of Einsteinian tots. He teaches at Harvard, and she teaches at the equivalent, while breastfeeding on the three-year plan while she crusades for women’s issues. I think they’re both up for some kind of academic recognition.” Ranger ate a roll with butter on it. “Boy, they sure know how to cook in this town. And it is a change from Helga and her sauerkraut. I may never go home, either. I have been thinking about joining the military, you know.”

Laredo nodded, not really hearing his brother’s kibitzing. That was exactly the future he could see for Katy: she’d marry some really smart guy, and they’d have extremely Mensa-qualified ankle biters who had their own Kappa keys given to them at birth by the latest Nobel Peace Prize winners.
“Yeah,” he said, “But Helga’s sauerkraut is home.”

“You’re not homesick yet, are you? You haven’t even left the state.”

“I know,” Laredo said miserably. And when he did finally get out of the state, he had a funny feeling it wasn’t going to be the sauerkraut he missed.

It would be Katy.

C
ISSY SMILED
as she crept into the barn, stealthily moving up on the lone cowboy staring at the bull. Hannah had lied! And Cissy had been too quick to fall for that bait. Of course Laredo wasn’t playing strip poker with Hannah and Katy. Like Katy would ever let her hair down, anyway. Strip poker?

Oh, Laredo had been around…but he hadn’t been with Katy.

And now Cissy had her chance at having him alone, with no prying eyes anywhere around.

“Hi,” she said softly.

He turned around, settling his hat back from his forehead. A big smile grew on his face. See! She’d known Laredo hadn’t been immune to her. He’d just been too gentlemanly to put the moves on her.

Fine. She could play candy and cream just as well as Katy G. “Got that bull figured out?” she asked, standing next to him.

He stared down at her with eyes that didn’t miss a thing, not her low-cut, waist-tied top, nor her long and shapely legs. Nor, by the appreciative sniff he gave her hair, her perfume.

“I don’t know about the bull,” Laredo told her, his eyes gleaming, “but maybe I’d rather figure you out.”

“I promise, I’m a-b-c simple,” she cooed.

He laughed and picked her up off her feet, settling her onto his waist. “I’m sure you are, darling. I’m sure you are.”

Whew! He was more man than she’d bargained for. If she wasn’t careful, Laredo was going to make her forget all her sugar-and-spice planning.

Before she realized what he was about, he was planting kisses in the opening of her blouse, between her breasts. She shivered, loving every second of it.

He popped the snap on her jean shorts and kissed her belly. She writhed, feeling herself come alive in a way she hadn’t in a long time. Not for any man who’d come the Never Lonely Cut-N-Gurls’ way.

Then he kissed above her knee, sliding his tongue along her inner thigh to the edge of her frayed shorts. Cissy tried to hold in a moan and wrapped her fingers in his hair, her mind swimming.

“How do you feel about hay?” he asked her.

She didn’t care if the bed was made of rock salt. “Fine,” she said on a gasp. “Just hurry.”

Laredo grinned at her and carried her into a freshly filled stall. Tossing a clean blanket onto the ground, he lowered her to the floor.

This time, Cissy thought, the conquest was going to be so worth the chase.

A
N HOUR LATER
Cissy’s knees were shaking and her body was melted sunshine. “You’re a cutie,” La
redo said against her breasts. “I could spend all night with you.”

“Why don’t you?” she asked, her body heating up again. “I’ve got a real soft bed.”

He grinned. “Why don’t I just? Show it to me, cutie.”

Marvella was going to be so proud of her! Once he was inside the Never Lonely Cut-N-Gurls Salon, he was theirs for the keeping.

He would be her love slave.

He would be her bull rider. He wouldn’t be able to say no to her feminine wiles.

Silently she took his hand and led him home. When she opened the door, all the girls who were sitting around the main area quieted.

“Good night, everyone,” was all Cissy said, unwilling to share her catch. These girls were tricky, and she didn’t dare let go of her prize for an instant.

Hurriedly, she pretty much dragged Laredo up the stairs and into her room. “Make yourself comfortable,” she said.

“I plan to,” he said, tackling her on the bed so that he landed beside her. Then he caught her lips in a lingering kiss that stole her breath.

When she could speak again, Cissy stared up at her lover. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you had this much potential.” Any man who was interested in Katy Goodnight had to have cold little pebbles for a brain!

He laughed at her. “You never know about a per
son, do you? It’s us quiet ones that have all the attitude.” Sliding her on top of him, still fully dressed, he situated her on his stomach. “You are a pretty little thing. When I go back home, I’m going to send you a week’s worth of roses.”

She smiled. “Actually, I have something else in mind you can give me.”

R
ANGER AND
L
AREDO LEFT
the Lonely Hearts Station Cafeteria. Ranger squinted up at the lights on the top floor of the Never Lonely Cut-N-Gurls Salon as they went out.

“So, what’s up with that place, anyway?”

Laredo shrugged. “Don’t know. Have no interest in finding out. Anyway, you were in there. What did you think?”

“That Cissy Kisserton is a wonderful kisser.”

“Are you interested in her?”

“Nah. No more than she was in me.”

Laredo eyed his brother. “Now, see, Katy isn’t like that. She just isn’t the type of girl to understand that a kiss can be just a kiss and nothing more.”

“You’re not that kind of guy, either. Get over it.”

They walked past the Lonely Hearts Salon. Laredo sent a longing glance toward it. “I’d bet Katy’s in bed by now.”

“Tuckered out after a long swim.” Ranger chuckled. “Bet you wish you were in there with her, but it wouldn’t do any damn good. Sort of the sexual
Twilight Zone,
complete with the do-do-do-do, do-
do-do-do background music. Scary, and with a twisted ending every time.”

“Shut up.” Laredo didn’t feel like being teased about Katy, or their swim, or their nonlovemaking potential.

“Hey, no problemo.” Inside the barn they went to Bloodthirsty Black’s pen, which was empty. “Out to pasture, I guess. Nightly roam.”

“Wonder where Tex is?” Laredo asked.

“Probably got tired of waiting for us and decided to bunk in for the night.”

Laredo nodded, not too worried about his twin. “Guess I’ll hit the sack myself.”

Ranger grinned. “You do that. I’m not ready to turn in yet.”

“All right. Good night.” Actually, he was glad to leave Ranger and head back to the salon. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d get to see Katy.

But the salon and the halls were dark. There were some cookies on the kitchen counter with a note with his name on it, written by Miss Delilah.

He carried the cookies upstairs to his dark, empty room. Switching on the lamp beside his bed, he stared down at Rose the mouse. “Miss me?”

She twitched her whiskers at him and ran into her tube.

“I’m the reserved type, too,” he said.

The door closed. He turned, his brow raised, and Katy floated over to the bed in a long, slinky gown that looked like something a movie star would wear to bed.

“I thought I’d tuck you in,” she said.

“Good idea,” he said.

“That would be crossing the bounds of our friendship.”

He was salivating for more than the cookies. “Yes, it would.”

“And I wouldn’t want to sap your strength before your bull ride.”

“That’s day after tomorrow. I recover quickly.” She looked so pretty in the long white gown. Pink ribbons were tied around the neckline, and he itched to undo them with his teeth.

“I had a good time swimming with you, Laredo,” she said. “I just want you to know that.”

“I still owe you a beer cap bikini top.” He could see her nipples through the satiny fabric. “One day I’ll make you one.”

“Good night,” she said.

It was all friendly banter with no twist. Ranger was wrong. There was no background music; there was no
Twilight Zone
where they fell into an alternate reality and made love. Katy wasn’t going to get in his bed. He really couldn’t blame her, not after he’d given her the speech on not getting tied down. And he wasn’t going to get into hers, not with the virgin reality hanging on his conscience.

Whoa, boy.

She looked at him, and he looked at her, and they both became uncomfortable. Then she was gone, and he was alone with Rose. The mouse didn’t seem all that interested in him.

Stuffing the cookies in a napkin, he decided to eat them while he took a long walk to get rid of the sudden surge of energy running through his body.

“B
ACK SO SOON
?” Hannah asked.

“Scoot over.” Katy slid into bed, completely dejected. “We’re both all bull and no consummation. I couldn’t get my nerve up to whisper anything seductive. It was pretty obvious he’d changed his mind.”

“He was probably too shocked that you were in his room to grab you and divest you of your gown. Give him time to get used to the idea.”

They heard the door down the hall open and close. A few seconds later they heard boots on the stairwell. Then the front door shut. Both girls flew to the window and peered out, to see Laredo walking down the street.

Katy sank back into the bed. “He probably thinks I’m chasing him. That is not a man who is dying to get me into his bed.”

Hannah pulled the covers up to her chin. “You know, the right guy is probably waiting at Duke for you.”

Katy tried to be happy about that, but the problem was, she couldn’t be. It would be so bad to fall for a man who didn’t like her, especially after her disastrous nonmarriage. “Do you think he’s going to the enemy camp?”