Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? (11 page)

‘But you don’t think it’ll be Grayson do you?’ Marcie hissed.

Grayson opened the door and Marcie got out.

Lauren smiled into her eyes. ‘As I said, good luck.’

When Grayson returned, Lauren watched him start the engine and reverse out onto the road. He glanced back at her as he drove smoothly out onto the highway.

‘Don’t you want to sit up front?’

Lauren shook her head. ‘I’m too lazy to move and I’m quite happy here.’

Grayson smiled into the mirror; his blue eyes narrowed as he took in Lauren’s relaxed body. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier up here petting me?’

Lauren unbuttoned her jeans and slid her fingers between her legs. Whatever Marcie and Anna wanted, Grayson was definitely hers, at least for a while. The thrill of arousal shook through her at the possessive thought. She’d never felt quite so carnal about a man before.

The tantalising scent of Grayson’s cock lingered between her legs. She gently explored her swollen flesh, noticing how open she was, thanks to Grayson, wide enough to fit three fingers inside without any effort. Her thumb brushed her swollen clit and she gasped.

Grayson’s head swivelled back towards her. ‘What are you doing back there?’

Lauren repeated the movement of her thumb. ‘I don’t think you want to know while you’re driving.’

Grayson inhaled. ‘I can smell you. Are you starting without me?’

Lauren caught her breath as the truck sped up on the deserted highway and fairly flew towards the ranch. Smiling in the darkness, she waited until Grayson came around the car and opened her door, illuminating her.

He went still, his gaze glued to her crotch where her fingers rested. He licked his lips and leant towards her.

‘Don’t stop on my account.’

She smiled. ‘I don’t intend to.’

Gray drew an unsteady breath. Lauren’s jeans were open and her right hand was buried between her legs. His shaft, still hard and unsatisfied from their unfinished coupling, throbbed and pulsed against the zipper of his jeans. Lauren looked dreamy and flushed as she allowed her hips to follow the gentle teasing movement of her fingers.

Without asking for permission, Grayson reached into the car and tugged off Lauren’s boots and jeans. She placed her left foot on the back of the seat in front of her, opening her to his heated gaze.

‘God, Lauren, show me.’

Her thumb moved, caressing the bud of her sex, as her fingers sunk into her tight sheath. Grayson bit back a groan as she continued to stroke and pleasure herself. Her breathing became more rapid and he recognised the signs of her imminent orgasm. Unable to resist the temptation, he lowered his head and licked her fingers. She gasped as he targeted her with the hard tip of his tongue, moving in time with her, increasing her excitement.

Her hips thrust upwards one last time and he felt the first shudders of her orgasm. He waited until she stopped shivering and added his fingers to hers, widening her even further. She was so wet he could have happily drowned as he sucked and licked and bit at her succulent flesh. Her right foot sat on his shoulder, her toes digging into him with every grinding pulse of her hips.

When he sensed she was ready to come again, Grayson pulled back. ‘I’ll give you a choice. Let me inside you now or take my cock in your mouth and finish this. There’s no way I can even make it to the kitchen tonight.’

Lauren pushed away from him. He thought he detected a hint of triumph in her eyes. Was she finally realising the power she held over him and, hell, was that a good thing or a bad thing?

‘I want you inside me.’

Gray didn’t wait for further clarification as she turned her back on him and crawled further along the bench seat. He barely managed to unzip his jeans before he followed her, catching her hips in his hands, driving himself mindlessly forwards into her wet welcoming flesh. She came around him almost instantly, milking his cock with the force of a clenched fist.

The ding-ding sound of the open car door finally penetrated his overloaded senses. He nuzzled Lauren’s ear and backed away from her out of the car. After she retrieved her jeans, Lauren jumped down from the truck. Her satisfied smile made him hard again.

‘You make me feel like a horny teenager,’ Gray murmured. ‘I don’t think I’ve gone all the way in a car since I was in high school.’

Lauren pushed her hair behind her ears and turned towards the house. ‘I never even got to do that. My father sent me to an all-girls finishing school in Switzerland.’

Grayson grinned as he unlocked the door and followed her inside. ‘Damn, that could’ve been interesting. Did you ever try a little girl-on-girl action?’

Lauren gave him a mock frown. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, but nobody there turned me on.’

Grayson laughed out loud. Lauren never failed to surprise him. Beneath her exquisite exterior lurked a fine wit and a voracious sexual appetite which matched his. He couldn’t have chosen a better mate if he’d tried. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

‘How about I make us some hot chocolate and bring it to bed? You can go ahead and get comfortable.’

Despite looking a little startled by his offer, Lauren agreed and disappeared into his bedroom. Grayson took his time boiling the milk, adding the cocoa and sprinkling cinnamon on the top. Sudden doubt assailed him and he stared down at the homely beverage. He’d never made anyone his favourite bedtime drink before.

Would Lauren think he was boring? Anna Paulson had preferred a slug of gin and a sleeping pill. She’d probably have laughed hysterically if Gray offered her cocoa instead.

By the time Grayson arrived with the drinks, Lauren was in bed. When he put the mug on the nightstand beside her, he realised she was already asleep. In repose, her skin glowed with health and innocence. He stripped, showered and climbed into bed beside her. Rolling onto his side, he loped an arm around her waist and breathed in the floral fragrance of her hair. She smelt of sex and of him. He liked that. He liked it a lot.

Lauren opened her eyes to the discontented screeches of mutinous poultry. The noise seemed to come from right outside the window. Beside her, Grayson began to stir. Lauren got out of bed and visited the bathroom. It took her only a minute to pull on her jeans and one of Grayson’s sweatshirts.

Outside, it was still dark. A faint orange glow trimming the hill tops signalled the imminent emergence of the sun. As soon as Lauren stepped out of the mud room, she found herself surrounded by a sea of agitated hens. Grayson followed her out, his shirt half undone, his expression grim.

Lauren turned to him. ‘How on earth did the chickens get out?’

Grayson hopped onto one bare foot as a chicken pecked at his toe. ‘I’ll put my boots on.’

Unable to wait, Lauren began to walk towards the hen house. She’d seen the havoc a predator could cause when she’d stayed on her grandparents’ ranch. Mentally she prepared herself for a bloody mess.

When Lauren got closer the reason for the chickens’ dawn visit became apparent. Someone had left the gate open. Grayson gave a low whistle as he surveyed the scene.

‘Did you shut the gate properly last night after you fed them?’

Lauren remembered how carefully she’d checked the lock. ‘Yes, I did.’

Grayson nodded. ‘Well then, we’d better try and work out why someone would want to play such a stupid trick on us.’

Lauren couldn’t believe his quiet acceptance of her denial. Her father would’ve kept on about her supposed guilt for hours and then not even bother to apologise when he inevitably found out he was wrong. Grayson believed her.

Still in shock, Lauren followed Grayson around the back of the hen house and they headed for the barn. Obligingly the sun crested the hills and illuminated the way. Grayson pointed at the huge white letters painted on the side of the red barn:
OUTSIDERS GO HOME
!

Lauren stared up at Grayson. ‘Well that must mean me. I’m sorry Grayson. I never meant to bring you trouble.’

Grayson put an arm around her rigid shoulders. ‘Don’t be too quick to take the blame. I’ve only lived here for six years. I could have offended a lot of people with my plans for the business park.’ He continued to walk, holding Lauren close. ‘Hey, it might even have been the chickens.’ He squeezed her shoulders. ‘I’ll check the horses.’

Grayson carried on down the shadowed corridor. Lauren stopped at the first door and stifled a gasp as she peered into the normally pristine tack room. Saddles, bridles and blankets lay in a heap on the wooden floor. The acid smell of spilled cleaning fluids and leather polish caught at Lauren’s throat.

‘The horses seem fine.’ Grayson came up behind her and looked over her shoulder into the trashed tack room. ‘Shit, what happened here?’

Lauren went to enter the room but Grayson held her back. ‘Let’s not touch anything until I’ve phoned the police.’

In the main yard, the hens continued to tail Lauren like incompetent stalkers. Grayson swore as he narrowly avoided stepping on yet another one. ‘Damn, we’ll have to put the hens back first. I wish I still had a dog.’

Lauren ran back to the barn and gathered a handful of dried chicken food. Feeling rather like a mother hen, she sprinkled a little grain on the ground and persuaded the hens to follow her back into the pen. After Grayson shut the door on the main bunch, he paused to retrieve three escapees who’d decided to try being free range.

In the kitchen, Lauren put on the kettle and managed to start the coffee as Grayson made his call to the police. She was eyeing the toaster when he hung up. Despite the stresses of their morning, he still looked composed. Her father would be red faced and shouting by now.

‘Bob Foster, the chief of police, says he’ll be over in about twenty minutes. That should give us time to wash up and have some breakfast.’ His gaze fell on the coffee percolator. ‘Hey, did you make that for me? Thanks.’

Lauren found him a mug. ‘You’d better taste it first.’

She made her tea, followed him to the kitchen table and sat opposite him. After concentrating on his coffee, he lifted his head and smiled at her. ‘What?’

Lauren studied him. ‘How can you be so calm?’

He shrugged and wrapped his long fingers around his coffee mug. ‘What’s the point of getting angry over something so minor? Nobody died, nobody got hurt.’

‘But someone came onto your property and trashed your barn.’

‘Yeah, but possessions can be replaced. People can’t.’ Lauren cleared her throat. ‘Thanks for believing me about the gate.’

Grayson reached across and took her hand. ‘You’re a grown woman. I don’t imagine you’re going to lie to me.’ He kissed her fingers and stood up to get another mug of coffee. ‘Why don’t you go and shower while I put on some breakfast? Bob Foster can put away more than his fair share.’

Bob pushed away his plate and shook his head as Grayson offered him another pancake.

‘Thanks, but I couldn’t, Gray. How about we take a look around and see the damage?’

Lauren grabbed her jacket and boots and followed the men outside. Grayson explained about the escaped chickens as Bob wrote in his notebook. He paused to study the hostile message painted on the side of the barn. When Lauren reached the barn entrance, the smell of bleach made her gag.

‘The tack room’s been trashed but the horses are safe,’ Grayson said. ‘I told Lauren not to touch anything in here.’

‘From the smell of it, you’re going to have some damage.’ Bob cleared his throat. ‘You can go ahead and clean up but write me a list of everything that’s beyond saving and include anything that’s missing.’ He glanced at Lauren, his brown eyes shrewd. ‘Anything you’d like to add, Ms Redstone?’

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Not really, I’m just glad that the animals are OK.’

Back in the kitchen, Bob faced Lauren and Grayson across the kitchen table. ‘Have you any idea who might have done this?’

‘I’ve been stirring up the town lately with my ideas for the business park,’ Grayson said. ‘Someone might’ve wanted to make a point about that.’

Bob nodded. ‘How about any personal grudges? You two been upsetting anyone lately?’

Lauren glanced at Grayson. Would he mention Marcie or Anna? He shook his head. ‘I’ll have to think about that and let you know. I’ll give you a call if anything turns up when we clean up the barn.’

The police chief put his notebook in his pocket and got to his feet. ‘You need a dog, Gray. No one would’ve gotten on the property when old Petty was here.’

Lauren left Grayson in the kitchen and followed the police officer out into the yard. He unlocked the door of his car and paused. ‘Is there something else you wanted to tell me, Ms Redstone?’

‘I wanted to give you my home number in San Francisco. You might need it to contact me because I probably won’t be here after today.’ Lauren handed over her business card and scrawled her home number on the back. ‘But I was also wondering if you knew anyone who might have some puppies for sale.’ Bob’s puzzled expression cleared.

‘You want to get Gray a new dog? That’s a great idea. He looks incomplete without Petty around. I know a couple of people who’ve got good puppies. I’ll find out if they are for sale for you.’

Lauren gave a relieved smile. ‘I’ll be in town this afternoon. If I pass by the police station, I’ll come and see if you’ve got any information.’

Bob winked and got into his car. ‘If you don’t mind me saying, Ms Redstone, Gray’s a lucky man.’

Lauren watched him drive away and then returned to the kitchen. Grayson had disappeared. She picked up a trail of clothes that led to the bedroom and found him in the shower.

She went into his closet and selected his oldest pair of jeans, a moth-eaten sweatshirt and a faded T-shirt. Brushing her hair into a tight ponytail, she knocked on the door of the steamed-up shower. ‘I’ll be over at the barn.’