Your Wild Heart (5 page)

Wyatt pulled into a gravel drive and parked not far from a large barnlike building.

“It’s still a little early, so I’m not sure who’s here,” he confessed. “Would you mind waiting while I check at the office?”

“Sure, go right ahead.”

Sure enough, he found Sarah in the main office bent over a newspaper with coffee in hand. Every time he saw her, he was struck by how much she resembled Reba McEntire.

“Good morning,” he called out.

“Wyatt!” Sarah looked up from her paper. “What are you doing all the way out here?” She got up and greeted him with a hug.

“I have a couple things I wanted to run by George and get his opinion on. And I brought a friend along to see the buffalo.”

“You’re welcome to do both.” She pulled him toward the door. “Let’s go meet this friend of yours.”

With little choice, he let Sarah lead him to the stables as she chatted the whole way. When they got close to the truck he motioned for Isabelle to get out.

“Isabelle, this is Sarah. She works for George.” Wyatt smiled at Sarah. “Actually, Sarah is the brains of the operation. If anyone needs anything around here, they ask her, not George.”

Sarah laughed. “That’s because George can’t stand being cooped up in an office.” She nodded at Isabelle. “Just ask him. He’ll tell you the same thing.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Isabelle said.

“George and Mackie are out checking on a calf that tangled with a bobcat or something a couple of nights ago. I’ll unlock the door, so you two can take whatever you need.” She raised a brow at Wyatt. “I assume you’ll want a couple of ATVs?”

“You remembered.” He’d never been able to ride a horse well. Every time he tried he had either worn himself out trying to control the animal, or he’d gotten thrown. George knew about his ability to shift. It was his theory that horses detected his wolf form, which made them skittish.

But Isabelle didn’t need to know that.

They followed Sarah to a large door and waited while she opened the padlock.

“Everything should still be as you remember it,” Sarah told Wyatt. “Gasoline is on the other side of the barn. Don’t forget to fill them up when you return.”

“George would never let me live it down if I didn’t put it back the way I found it,” he said.

“That’s for sure,” Sarah mumbled. “Okay. I’ll leave you to it. But holler if you need anything.”

“All right. We won’t be out long,” he assured Sarah. “And would you please tell George I need to talk to him?” he shouted after her.

She gave him a thumbs-up.

“Do you want an ATV of your own to ride, or would you rather be a passenger?” Wyatt asked Isabelle.

“Hmmm…. If I ride with you, I can pay more attention to the scenery instead of what I may be running over. But I do like speeding across an open area on one of these bad boys.”

“Tell you what. You ride with me, and I’ll let you drive it on the way back.”

With a big grin she said, “Now that sounds like a plan.”

George kept his machines in pristine condition. They picked a model that looked as if it would hold both of them. Wyatt pulled it from the building and then closed the door. He signaled for her to climb on.

Settling in behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Wyatt had second thoughts about her riding behind him. Her breasts pressed against his back and her hands so close to his crotch distracted him more than it should.

“So, how do you know George?” Isabelle shouted above the noise of the engine and wind.

“I used to work for him.”

“Really?”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Honestly, no. But I am surprised I lucked into being able to hang with someone who knows the terrain and the animals well.”

He grinned.

“What did you do when you worked here?” she prompted when he slowed down to cross a narrow stream.

“Everything from cleaning the stalls to repairing tack to leading trail rides.”

“Sounds like you learned a lot.”

“I did. George and my grandfather are the reason I finished high school. If not for them, there’s a good chance I would have turned into another hard case and ended up in jail before I turned twenty-one.”

“It’s good that you had people like that in your life.” She squeezed his waist, giving him a pseudo-hug.

“I owe them both a lot.”

In the mirror, he saw a wealth of understanding in her eyes. How could the daughter of a wealthy businessman understand what a poor punk kid from the reservation went through? At least she didn’t pity him. That he could never stand.

They passed several buffalo along the way, but he pushed on, looking for the herd. It wasn’t long before they crested a hill and found hundreds of dark fuzzy beasts near a watering hole. He turned the engine off so it wouldn’t disturb the animals.

A smile lit Isabelle’s face. “Oh, my God. I didn’t realize there would be so many of them. They’re beautiful.”

That made him chuckle. “No they aren’t.”

“Well, okay, they aren’t pretty animals, but seeing them like this in their natural environment is wonderful!” She pulled a camera from her pack then slid off the seat. From a flat spot a few feet away she took several pictures.

He wasn’t certain, but he thought she may have taken a couple of him. He shook his head. Must be a girl thing.

“I wish I could paint. That”—she gestured to the view before them—“would be awesome on a canvas hanging in my living room.”

Their thoughts were eerily similar. He had photographs of some of the same views at his home. Unable to hold in his impulses any longer, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. With his chin resting on top of her head, he held her as they both drank in the view.

“Are you ready to head back?” he asked.

“Oh, I suppose,” she said with a sigh.

He kissed her temple then gestured to the ATV. “You said you wanted to drive, so hop up front.”

With a squeal of delight, she tucked her camera away and climbed onto the four-wheeler. She had to sit all the way at the front of the seat to reach the gearshift. When he sat behind her, he discovered some perks to being a passenger.

After showing her the gear positions and locations of the main buttons and levers, she drove the machine pretty well. He directed her to take a different route so he could show her places he’d always enjoyed. He didn’t question why he had been compelled to share those with her. More than once in the last couple of days he’d wondered about his own behavior.

But her appreciation of those places made the effort worthwhile.

Not far from the stables, he directed her to a large open field where she could go as fast as she wanted and cut as many doughnuts as she dared without worrying about hitting an animal or tipping into any big holes. She giggled and whooped while he hung on for dear life.

Apparently, she had some daredevil tendencies.

His heart was racing by the time they returned to the corral. And it wasn’t just from being one bump away from ripping her jeans off, turning her around on the seat, and impaling her on his now considerable erection. Every time she hit the gas, he rubbed against her butt cheeks. And his hands all but cradled her breasts as he held on.

With a sigh of relief, they parked near the stable and climbed off. Mackie came out to greet them.

Thankful for the distraction, Wyatt shook hands with him. “Mackie, it’s good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“
Sí
. Too long, my friend.” Mackie looked at Isabelle. “But if this is what’s been keeping you away, I don’t blame you a bit.”

Isabelle’s cheeks turned pink.

Wyatt chuckled. “Isabelle, this is Mackie. He’s the best stable master around. Don’t let him tell you any different.”

Isabelle smiled and shook hands with Mackie. “It’s nice to meet you. I don’t know all that much about stables, but this one looks like it is run with precision.”

Mackie tipped his head. “
Gracias
. Senor George is a good man. We all do our part to help.” To Wyatt he added, “George said to tell you he’d be in his office and that you had better not leave without coming to see him.”

“I’ll go see him as soon as I’ve hosed off the four-wheeler.”

“You don’t need to do that.” Mackie waved them aside. “You’re a guest. Go. I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you kidding me?” Wyatt protested. “George would never let me live it down. But if you don’t mind entertaining Isabelle, I’d appreciate it.”

Mackie nodded. “
Sí
, how about if I show your lady friend around the stables?”

To Isabelle Wyatt said, “You’re welcome to come with me and meet George. But I do have some official business to discuss with him.”

“Oh, you go ahead. Besides, I’d love to see the horses.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Well, I guess that’s settled, then. I won’t be long,” he reassured them both.

He cleaned and refilled the ATV in record time, then parked it in the barn. When he realized he was all but running to the offices, he forced himself to slow down. As expected, he found George sitting at his oversized walnut desk, frowning at whatever stack of papers were in front of him. Wyatt rapped on the door frame to get his attention.

“Wyatt!” The giant blond-headed man stood and lumbered around to the end of the desk and reached for Wyatt’s hand. With his other hand he pounded on Wyatt’s back. “It’s good to see you.”

“You, too, George.” Wyatt grinned. “How have you been?”

“Sit, sit.” George waved him toward the chairs clustered on the other side of the office. “Other than this damned knee of mine, I’ve been good. What about you?”

“Fine. Just trying to keep the peace.”

“Well, that can be difficult around here sometimes. But if anyone can do it, I’d put my money on you.”

“Thank you. How’s Shelly?”

“She’s doing well. Still hounding me to retire and take her on a cruise to one of those islands out in the middle of the nowhere.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Bah.” He made a scoffing motion. “Can you see me locked up in a room made for a dwarf while floating on the ocean for a week?”

Wyatt chuckled at the image. “Not really, no.”

“There you have it.” George rubbed his knee. “So, what brings you all the way out here?”

Wyatt told him about the two issues he wanted to discuss. First park business, then a land and cattle dispute one of his tribal elders had. George always gave logical advice, and Wyatt knew he’d be a good sounding board.

With a few sage words and a new perspective, Wyatt knew how to handle both.

“Now, I gotta ask.” George leaned forward in his chair. “What did you leave outside that is so important that you feel the need to look out the window every other minute?”

“What?”

George stood and walked to the window. “You got a new truck and you’re afraid someone will come along and steal it?” He looked at Wyatt. “This isn’t the city you know.”

“No. No new truck.”

“Then what has you so anxious?”

“I’m not anxious,” Wyatt denied. “I brought a friend with me. She’s touring the stable with Mackie.”

George whipped around. “She?”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Yes. She.”

George hobbled over to his desk and grabbed his hat. “Well, come on. No need making a young lady wait while you and I gab.” He opened the door and made shooing motions for Wyatt to precede him.

With a sigh, Wyatt did as his old mentor ordered.

“Now, tell me who this lady friend of yours is and how you two met.”

“George, you’re making a much bigger deal about this than is necessary. I just met Isabelle this week. She’s here from Georgia doing research. I needed to come see you and offered to show her the buffalo. That’s all there is to it.”

“Uh-huh. I’ll be the judge of that.”

They found Isabelle and Mackie next to the stall at the end of the barn.

“What did you find?” Wyatt asked Isabelle when he saw her watching something in the stall with an expression of pure delight.

“It’s a foal. Only a few hours old. Isn’t he beautiful?” Her smile couldn’t get any bigger if she tried.

The impact of that smile rocked him. He looked down at the infant and its mother. The foal was frail and wobbled like most newborns, but that didn’t seem to matter to her. “Yes, he is,” Wyatt said not about to disagree. “Isabelle, this is George. George, Isabelle.”

She climbed off the rail and shook hands with George.

“I see Mackie is taking good care of you,” George said.

“Yes, he is. You have a beautiful ranch, and I appreciate being able to see it.” Her smile echoed in her voice.

They exchanged pleasantries as they all looked in on the mother and foal.

“So, what are you two going to do with the rest of your day?” George asked.

“I thought I’d take her to Ruby’s Diner,” Wyatt answered.

George nodded. “Excellent choice.” He pointed his cane at them. “You better get going, or you’ll miss out on the cobbler of the day.”

Wyatt chuckled. “That’s true. It was good to see you, George. You, too, Mackie. And thanks for letting us ride.”

“Anytime.” “You bet.” George and Mackie spoke at the same time.

“It was nice meeting you both,” Isabelle said with a wave.

“You, too, young lady,” George said. “And if we don’t see you again, have a safe trip home.”

“Thank you,” she called out.

They climbed into the truck and buckled up. As he pulled out of the gravel lot, she turned a smile on him that would have rivaled the sun.

“Thank you so much for bringing me out here. George and Mackie were very nice, and the ranch is wonderful.” She reached across the span of the cab and touched his arm. “I had a good time.”

“I’m glad. And you’re welcome.” He grinned. “But you’ve still got a treat coming. Ruby makes the best pot roast in the state. And her cobbler has won ribbons at the state fair.”

“Oh?”

“I think we have enough time to get there before it sells out.”

“Is that often a problem?”

“Every day.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Really.”

They chatted about the history of George’s ranch as they drove to Ruby’s.