My Southern Bride (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 4) (5 page)

The horses could use extra blankets, and he needed to make sure the barn wasn't too cold with the way the wind was blowing. It should be okay, but they'd never experienced a storm like this before.

"I need to head out to the barn to make sure my horses will be good for the night."

"Maybe I can help. Can I come?" asked Lori.

He looked her up and down. She had the appearance of a breakable china doll, with her blond hair pooling about her shoulders and her soft pink sweater. But the spike heels on her boots were lethal even without snow. "Change your shoes and grab a coat. Make it snappy, or I'll leave without you."

"I have a light jacket..." Her voice trailed off.

"There's probably something in the front closet you can wear. Might be too big, but at least it'll be warm."

"These boots are the best I can do. I don't have any flats with me."

Did he mention troublesome? The woman was as impractical as her high-heeled boots. "Maybe you should stay here."

"I've worn these boots all over the world. I'm sure I'll be fine in them. I'll walk carefully."

"I swear, Lori, if you get hurt because of those dang boots, you'll have to fend for yourself."

"Girl Scouts honor I will." She held up her fingers in the pledge.

"Let's grab some jackets."

He led her to the closet and pulled out his warmest jacket. He should put it on himself, but he didn't. "Hold out your arms. This should keep you warm."

As he slid the jacket onto her slender frame, she didn't say a word. He couldn't help noticing that, for all of her contrariness, she was petite and seemed fragile. Long-dormant protectiveness inched its way through him.

He'd known it existed because he'd felt it for Bobby Gray and Charlie after the death of their folks. It had driven him to look after them to the best of his ability. But he hadn't realized he could feel it for a woman, especially such a cussed woman as Lori.

It must be because of the situation they'd found themselves in. A freak snowstorm and the two of them alone and cut off from the world. Monty Joe was sure the protective feeling would pass as soon as Lori spoke.

"Thanks for the coat." Lori rolled up one of the jacket sleeves.

Nope, didn't do it. "Here, you're not doing that right. Let me."

Her gaze flew up to meet his, and he saw confusion in their depths. Hell, he was just as confused as she was. But whatever. He took her arm and rolled up the sleeve, being careful to avoid contact with her skin. Not because she had cooties, but because he might like it. They stood only inches apart, and he inhaled a sweet scent. At first he couldn't place it, because it didn't smell like flowers. Then it hit him. Peaches.

He doubted she could have eaten any, not on top of the dinner she ate, so it must be something in her hair or some kind of fruit-smelling soap.

Taking her other arm, he began rolling up the sleeve, but some cantankerous part of him emerged, forcing him to trail the inside of her slender wrist with his forefinger.

She shivered, but she didn't step away.

What blew his mind was his own reaction. His heart thudded. His spine tingled. His gaze flew to hers and held.

She had the prettiest blue eyes, the exact shade of bluebonnets in the spring.

Oh, man. It was totally unlike him to get all poetic. Will was right. Monty Joe had been spending too much time alone, and it was time to look for the right sort of woman.

Which Lori was anything but.

He broke the gaze and looked down, re-focusing on her teetery boots. Right.

It was important to remember exactly who he was dealing with here. He cleared his throat. Then he looked up at her chin. Anyplace but her eyes. "You going to be warm enough?"

"Absolutely." Her voice came out kind of scratchy, as if she hadn't used it in awhile.

And it was the sexiest voice he'd ever heard.

Time to head outside. If a cold shower could cool a man down, then a freak blizzard ought to do the trick.

He grabbed another jacket and quickly donned it, making sure to zip it all the way to his neck. Pretty sure there were some old scarves and gloves pushed back on the upper closet shelf, he pulled a few things out of the way before he found them.

Handing Lori a scarf and a pair of gloves, he said, "These might be a little small since they belonged to Charlie when she was a teenager, but hopefully they'll do."

Lori wrapped the scarf around her neck and pulled on the gloves. "They're perfect."

Monty Joe pulled a pair of work gloves from his jacket pocket, then draped a scarf around his neck.

"It's not too late to back out, you know. It's going to be miserable out there." With any luck, she'd take the excuse and stay here. He truly didn't need to spend any extra time with her.

"I want to see your horses. I promise not to be a bother—and you might need some assistance."

Today wasn't his lucky day. First Kelli's call, then bringing Lori to the ranch, then the blizzard. And now he was well and truly stuck with her.

Could it get any worse?

Huh. It would sure improve his mood if he could make Lori do some of the dirty work. "I have just the job for you."

With an inward grin, he strode to the back door and swung it open.

Bad decision.

A wall of freezing wind blew into the room, sending inches of snow from the doorstep flying into the air. "If we're going to do this, we'd better make it snappy."

"You go first," said Lori.

He stepped out into the storm, waiting for Lori to exit before he firmly shut the door.

She was only a step or two behind him as he headed into the frigid storm. Between the snow and the wind, he was barely able to make out anything ahead. If it weren't for the barn light, which now and then penetrated the thick snow, he would have been totally turned around.

Drifts of snow had already begun piling up around fence posts, shrubs and trees.

Despite her high-heeled boots, Lori did a good job of keeping up with him, and at last they arrived at the barn door. He allowed her to enter first, then he stepped inside as fast as humanly possible. Sliding the door closed, he immediately noticed how much warmer it was in the barn. The animals should be fine.

"I feel as if I'm thawing out," said Lori, unwrapping the scarf from her face and neck.

The scent of hay and horse was strong. His favorite mare gave him a soft whinny of greeting.

"Oh, she's gorgeous." Lori stepped further into the barn and directly toward the mare's stall.

"This here's Tadpole." He slid a gentle hand down her muzzle.

Lori reached out to stroke the horse's muzzle, too. Her hand grazed Monty Joe's. The energy flared between them and she gasped. He yanked his arm back as if he were scalded by hot water.

Maybe he had been. Like earlier, the sizzle tingling her fingers remained. How could she cope with any more of these physical reminders of whatever it was sparking between them? Especially when his tenderness with his animals drew her to him even more?

Tadpole whinnied softly.

While Lori was far from being a horse expert, she'd been around them all of her life. Tadpole was a beautiful Arabian and appeared to have a sweet and docile disposition. "She's a beautiful girl. Did you breed her?"

"She's one of the first of our special stock. Bobby Gray bred her."

"He's really good at it."

"To my detriment," Monty Joe murmured. "Now that he's off to Dallas, I have to handle his tasks and my own."

"But you have hired hands, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's left me stuck with the paperwork that Bobby Gray used to handle." He shrugged. "It's not my favorite pastime."

She sensed his dissatisfaction, despite the way he tried to pass it off as not a big deal. "What is your favorite pastime?"

He gave her a crooked grin.

"On the ranch," she said quickly.

"Anything that gets me out into the fresh air."

"I'm with you on that." Lori knew a little about Monty Joe's past. In his heyday, he'd been a famous and respected rodeo cowboy, who people still talked about in hushed admiration. Pushing paperwork would likely feel like prison to someone like him. "Do you miss the rodeo?"

"Yes and no. I still attend with my stock, but sometimes I miss the adrenalin rush of riding."

A brief panicked expression crossed his face before he masked it. He said in a rush, "So, I think we're about done here for the night. The horses and even the goat are all settled in."

That was a quick change of subject. Lori presumed he'd said more than he'd intended, or come closer to the bone than he felt comfortable in sharing with her. She'd let it drop. For now. "It is nice and warm here in the barn. I almost hate to head back out into the storm."

A few minutes later, she stood shivering outside, waiting as Monty Joe closed the barn door. The wind pierced her exposed skin, and the snow came down thick and heavy.

He turned to her. "Don't forget to be careful in those boots of yours. The last thing I want is to have to carry you back to the house."

"I'll be fine." She didn't need the instruction. Even in the proper boots, walking back to the house would be treacherous in this blizzard.

Monty Joe strode behind her as she wended her way down the path. It was slow going, with occasional bursts of strong wind making visibility practically nil.

They'd reached the halfway point when she heard an exclamation from behind her. Monty Joe—

She spun just in time to see him land at an awkward angle on the ground.

Monty Joe cursed. Then he cursed again as he tried to right himself.

Lori rushed back to him to help. "Take my hand, and I'll help you up."

He ignored her hand and tried again to raise himself. He landed back down. Hard.

She offered her hand again.

He glared at her, and she didn't think he would accept her assistance. But he seemed to assess his situation, laid out on the hard ground with a snowstorm swirling around them, and he took her hand.

She tugged, and he pushed, and eventually he got to his feet.

Given the way he leaned on her, she instantly knew something was off with his left leg. "Are you hurt?"

"Twisted my ankle," he said. "Should be fine once I walk it off."

He leaned heavily on her as they continued toward the house. Whenever he put any weight on his left leg, he grunted.

She had the feeling that walking it off was the last thing he should do. However, she was completely unable to carry him back to the house.

They took another step, and he grunted again.

Another step, and he moaned.

"Do you need to rest?"

"Keep going," he said through tight lips.

The man was in some serious pain.

Another step, another moan.

Finally they were within a dozen steps of the back door, but Monty Joe's moans had grown louder and his breathing had deepened. Since he was probably doing the male denial thing, it was up to her to give him a break. "You may not need a rest, but I do. You're one big cowboy."

He didn't protest as she lingered in that spot.

The wind let up a little, but the snow continued falling. She wore a huge coat and had his body near her, but her boots provided little insulation. Cold shot up her feet and legs, and her body shook like it would never be warm again. They needed to get out of the cold. Once Monty Joe's breathing eased, she said, "Okay, let's go."

He leaned even more heavily on her, but didn't make a move forward.

They had to get back to the house, or they might freeze to death. Since common sense didn't work on him, maybe annoyance would motivate him to get a move on. "I suppose this would be the wrong time to point out that I'm not the one who fell."

Chapter 6

Once Lori entered the house and Monty Joe shut the door behind them, he slumped against the wall. He should take a seat at the kitchen table, but the five steps to reach a chair were out of his grasp for now.