Rawhide and Roses (7 page)

“Good. The feeling is mutual. Now. Go back and get the rest of the gear we lost.” He stepped away, dismissing her, then shifted his gaze to the others. “We might as well stop here and rest the animals. It’s going to take a few minutes to repack,” he grumbled.

Kim stood dumbfounded beside her horse. Frozen to the spot, she watched his wide back turn away from her, his muscles rippling as he and Mack worked to reposition the other manty on the decker. Why were they always at each other’s throats? What was so wrong with her that she always got his dander up?

“C’mon, let’s get the stuff that fell out.” Jillie nudged her shoulder, pulling her out of her trance.

“Here, I’ll help. Why don’t you stay here with the others,” a different male voice added.

Kim looked to her left and saw that Tim Rumer had joined them. He offered her a very gentlemanly smile and his elbow. Kim liked the way he looked. Dark hair, cut short. Clean shaven. Smelled of after-shave. His shirt was starched and his blue jeans weren’t dusty...yet. He oozed charm and sophistication. Ah...her brain screamed. A hint of civilization. Why hadn’t she noticed before?

Kim smiled, offered him her arm, and glanced at Jillie. “Go play with the cowboys, Jillie. Tim and I will get the stuff. And tell Mr. Winchester not to worry. We’ll be back soon enough and then he can get his precious trail ride back on the road.” She dismissed Jillie with a wave of her hand, then she and Tim took off to the rear of the pack string.

When they were far enough down the trail, Kim reached down to pick up the first aid kit. As she rose, she glanced quickly behind her. Thad Winchester stood apart from the horses, hands on hips, glaring down the trail after them. Quickly, she turned away and hooked her arm even tighter in Tim’s. She laughed out loud at something he said, she had no earthly idea what, as they tripped down the trail toward somebody’s duffel bag.

But as her mind registered the lonely, angry look on Thad’s face behind them, a heavy thud landed in the pit of her stomach.

****

Evidently, Thad decided to ride until they could ride no longer. Mack protested, as did each of the wranglers, Tim and Aaron, and finally Jillie. Kim kept her mouth shut. She certainly didn’t want to rile Thaddeas Winchester any further. It seemed she didn’t even have to open her mouth, she riled him simply by existing.

They’d eaten lunch in the saddle. Sarah had packed each of them a hearty lunch which Kim had found in her saddle bag, but it hadn’t stayed with her long. Her stomach rumbled incessantly. They had stopped twice for quick latrine stops, but after the first time, Kim had kept in her saddle then, too. She didn’t relish the idea of digging a hole and squatting any more than she had to. Especially when it seemed everyone in the camp was hanging around waiting for her to finish. She’d decided she’d wait until they stopped for the night, then sneak off to relieve herself when no one was around to monitor her comings and goings. That is, if she could wait that long. The day long jostle on Sunshine was hell on a full bladder.

When it seemed he’d proven his point, or his anger had finally subsided, she wasn’t sure which, Thad finally signaled to the others and stopped. The wide grassy area sat high in the mountains, a stream running to the left, peaks of the San Juans to the right. Tall grasses willowed with the warm evening breeze and a bird warbled from somewhere in the distance. It was very late, the sun low in the sky, and Kim seriously wondered if there would be time to set up camp before nightfall.

Groaning, each rider stretched and eased their tired bodies out of the saddle. Kim stood beside her horse, forcing her legs into a normal standing position, wanting like hell to find a dark shadow behind a huge tree to steal a few minutes of privacy. Instead, she looked around wondering what the next move was. She had no idea how one went about setting up camp.

She didn’t have to wait long. Thad, after barking orders to the wranglers to secure the saddle horses, came straight toward her.

He stared into Kim’s face and stopped abruptly. “You and Jillie stay here, we’ll bring the mules in by twos and drop the manties. Lay them in a row over by that tree and start unpacking.” He thrust his arm to the right. “Mack and I will set up the kitchen fly as soon as you find the kitchen equipment. In the meantime, the rest of us will tend to the stock. We’ll set up the tents once the stock has been fed and picketed. Once you’re set up, we’ll expect dinner within the hour. I’m hungry. So are the rest of the us. So don’t dally.”

Kim met his gaze head on and smiled cynically. Quickly, she thrust two fingers of her right hand up to her forehead and flung them forward in mock salute. “Yes sir!” she sang out.

Her eyes didn’t waver from his and she watched as a twinkling of light danced within his dark irises. Suddenly, he seemed all gruff on the exterior but a bit vulnerable on the inside. Abruptly, he pulled the dark glaze back over his eyes, keeping her stare from penetrating any further. Amazed at the small glimpse of the man inside, Kim felt her throat close and her pulse pick up its cadence. Her sarcastic salute had taken him momentarily off guard and she wondered just what it would take to pull the man entirely out of his brusque shell.

Snapping her gaze away from his face, she shivered and sloughed off that thought. Agitated, she glanced at Jillie and stepped away, almost frantic that she’d even entertained the notion. “Come on, Jillie, we’ve got work to do.”

Without a backward glance she pulled Jillie past Thad toward the first two mules, their shoulders brushing in the process. Nervously, her fingers flew over the knots untying one of the manties while Jillie held it. Glancing over her shoulder only once, she saw Thad quickly turn away and walk toward Mack. For the next fifteen minutes, she kept her eyes glued to her tasks, tried to quell her jumpy stomach and her pounding pulse; ignoring the pressure of her bladder.

She knew, however, that there would come a time when she couldn’t ignore any of those things any longer. She had a sinking feeling that the next few days might prove to be even more interesting than she originally thought.

****

The stream gurgled in front of him as Thad crouched near the waters’ edge and stared into its depths. Behind him, the horses whinnied now and then; having already been watered, they awaited their evening meal. He should be back there helping Ben and Luke.

Just a moment of solitude, he told himself. Just one minute.

He had to get his head together. He’d acted like an idiot since early this morning. Why, he wasn’t quite sure but he knew it had a helluva lot to do with Kim Martin.

He wasn’t the ladies man, never had been. Not to say that he hadn’t had his share of women, casual or otherwise. And far as he knew he harbored no weird hang-ups about getting involved in a relationship with any woman, but so far in his life, there’d been no woman to tempt him into anything permanent.

At forty though, he was beginning to sense his mortality.

Hell, was he having a midlife crisis? Was that why one look at Kim sent him into a hormonal surge? He hadn’t felt anything that strong, that urgent, since he was a teenager.

The pebbles behind him crunched with approaching footsteps. Rising, Thad turned to see Mack.

“The stock is set for the night,” Mack offered as he stepped alongside Thad. “Ben and Luke are setting up the dining tent. We can probably put up the stove any minute.”

Thad snorted. “Have those two women even managed to find it yet?”

He felt Mack’s stare.

“What’s with you, Thad?”

Thad continued to eyeball the stream. Abruptly, he turned and sighed deeply. “Hell if I know, Mack.” He sat on a large rock, jerked his hat of his head, and threaded his fingers through his hair.

“You know, you have been a little hard on her. That’s not like you.”

Thad stopped. “I know that, too.”

“Then what is it?”

Facing Mack, he rotated his head from right to left, trying to work the kinks out of his stiff neck and shoulder muscles. He looked Mack straight in the eyes. He opened his mouth once to speak, then closed it again. Finally, he told him, “You know the rules around here, Mack, about mingling with the guests. It’s a sound business practice and I’d advise you to keep that in mind.”

He stood.

Mack chuckled. “Are you saying that for my benefit, or yours?”

Thad didn’t answer him and started toward camp.

“You’re attracted to her, aren’t you?”

He stopped and slowly turned back toward his friend.

“Like an ant to honey.”

“Then why don’t we just forget the trip, send all the others back, and make it just the four of us. No official trip. No problem. What do you say?”

Thad contemplated Mack’s words. It was tempting. The thing was, Kim Martin had given him no indication that she was the least bit attracted. What the hell would she ever want with him? He was in no way near her league. “No. Just because I’m attracted, Mack, doesn’t mean we can throw the business to the wind. This is our job, our means of making a living. If there is anything whatsoever that develops between Miss Kim Martin and myself, it will be long after these twelve days are through.”

“So you’re just going to act like an ass for the entire trip?”

Narrowing his gaze, Thad studied Mack’s face. “If that’s what it takes.”

He stalked away.

“Well, that certainly won’t be difficult,” Mack muttered, just barely loud enough for Thad to hear.

Chapter Six

After unloading four mules, both she and Jillie hoisting eight ninety-pound-plus manties to the side, Kim collapsed against a tree, catching her breath before the next task. Unloading the animals seemed simple enough at first, but she’d never realized how difficult balancing the two packs could be when untying—not to mention the weight of each she and Jillie bore getting them to the ground.

“Come on,” Jillie croaked, grasping both of Kim’s hands and tugging. “Up and at ‘em. We’ve got to get unpacking.”

“Oh, phooey on unpacking.” Kim tugged the opposite direction on Jillie’s hands. “Sit down a minute. A girl has to rest sometime.” She cast a glimpse to the side, watching for Thad out of the corner of her eye, then shifted her gaze to her fingernails, inspecting each for chips. After a second, she glanced around her, searching out a desirable tree for the moment when she got to sneak off and take care of her needs. “The slave driver isn’t looking, catch a breath, Jill.”

Jillie caught her balance and stood upright. “C’mon, Kim. It’s going to be dark soon. I don’t want to be setting all this up in the dark. And we’ve got supper to fix.”

“Don’t you mean I’ve got supper to fix? I think His Highness made that perfectly clear.”

Jillie waved a hand over her shoulder. “Forget him. If I want to cook, I’ll cook.”

Kim chuckled and dropped her hands between her knees. “You? Cook? Ha! That will be the day! You are about as adept at cooking as I am at horseback riding.”

Again, Jillie grasped her hands and pulled, slowly easing Kim into an upright stance. “Never mind that. I’m helping anyway.”

“Ooh, ooh...” Kim winced and grabbed at her backside. “I think I’m in trouble.”

“Saddle sore?”

Rubbing her palms over first her derriere and then down both her inner thighs, she nodded. “And how.”

“Keep moving. Don’t let your muscles get tight. I’ll find you something for it later.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. Just keep moving. Let those muscles get cold on you and you’re a goner.”

Grimacing as she stepped toward one of the manties, Kim lamented, “Ooh, I think I’m already a goner.”

A twig snapped to her right and Kim jumped. Turning, she found herself face to face with Thad.

“You’re gonna be a goner if you don’t get the gear unloaded and find the kitchen supplies. What have you ladies been doing?”

Kim jumped. She hated being startled like that. Looking into his face she felt the heat, deep in her belly. She told herself it was anger, that she was so angry with him that the blood boiling just under her skin was simply a product of his arrogance. Suddenly, she felt it had to do with something else entirely.

But she didn’t shout at him. Ignoring him altogether, she abruptly turned toward the nearest mantie and began untying it. Laying the ropes to the sides, she was still aware of his presence. By sheer luck, she’d dug into the kitchen pack first.

Thad stepped up next to her. “That’s the stove. The dining fly is nearly up. Soon as Mack and I put it up, you can get the grub on. “He stepped a few steps back. “And don’t waste your time about it. We’re all hungry.”

Slowly, Kim rotated her gaze to him, her eyes narrowed and her temper on a short fuse. Gritting her teeth, she set her jaw firmly. At her sides, her fists clenched into tight little balls of bone and flesh. She’d had about all she could stand. She was tired, hungry, dirty, and saddle-sore, needed to take a pee, and was absolutely not about to take any more of his crap!

She turned a sickening-sweet smile his way. “Look, Mr. Winchester,” she returned. Stepping a little closer, she reached out, the index finger of her right hand hitting him square in the chest. His eyes flared as the digit made contact, but Kim acted as though she hadn’t noticed. In fact, she stepped another half-step closer. “I agreed to be the cook on this gravy train and that’s what I’ll do. I would thank you not to keep reminding me of that fact because I guarantee you I haven’t forgotten it for one minute. So if you would get your long-legged, arrogant self out of my way, I’ll dig into the gear, hoist this stove over to whatever damn place you want, and then I’ll start cooking. But until then, stay off my back!”