The Cowboy's Temptation Page 0,35

she reached Jemima’s stall.

The two barns were side by side and, because of the early summer heat, the doors were wide open. Rick waved to her as he passed by the door which drew Jake’s attention to Elissa. She wasn’t sure, but she thought that his eyes did a double take when he realized where she was heading. Jake stopped and listened to whatever Rick was telling him and Elissa pulled her gaze away from his body and continued on towards the sweet horse waiting for her.

“Hello! How are you doing today?” Elissa soothed as she opened the gate to Jemima’s stall. “Were you waiting for me? I’m sorry I wasn’t out to see you yesterday. I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to start my lessons again.”

She continued to talk to the horse as she offered Jemima the apple she’d brought from the kitchen. The horse immediately took a large bite of the apple, taking half of it in her mouth and chomping while Elissa spoke soothing words and patted her neck.

Jake watched as Elissa walked into the barn, wondering why she was heading in there. She’d avoided the barn ever since their kiss by the pool. He knew she’d been avoiding him. Each time he’d found a few minutes to himself, he tried to find her and question her on why she was avoiding him. But he hadn’t been able to find her and had been called back to ranch problems.

He smiled wickedly as he watched her slip into Jemima’s stall. She was on his turf now. He listened with only half an ear as Rick talked about a problem with the fences on the south border. But he didn’t want to hear about the problems. There was only one problem he wanted to address, or more specifically undress, and she was trapped in the barn right at the moment.

The terrified scream came from the direction Elissa had just headed and Jake’s heart dropped into his stomach. His body reacted quickly, sprinting down the center of the first barn.

His next vision was Elissa running out of the stall where Jemima was housed, her hair flying behind her, then crossing over her face as she glanced backwards.

Jake was still running towards her but the sight of her eased some of the fear he’d felt. At least she was okay, if still terrified of something.

Jake grunted when she ran right into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist and her body pressing against his. He grabbed her, holding her in the most convenient place given her current position; both of his hands held her steady, his fingers curving around her bottom.

Her arms were strong, he realized as he tried to pull her back to find out what had scared her. “Elissa, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice soothing.

“In there,” she pointed to the stall. “Something big….huge….scary…I don’t know what. It’s in there,” she said, shaking her finger at the stall. ”Help Jemima!”

Jake nodded, his mind already a little fuzzy with her sexy body pressed against his. “Okay, okay,” he soothed. “But you’ll have to let go of me so I can see what’s wrong.”

“No!” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. “You can’t go in there! I don’t know what it is.”

“Dan, go see what’s wrong,” Jake said, still holding Elissa close, enjoying the feeling of her body against his but also noting that she barely weighed anything.

Dan smothered a smile at his boss’s expression and the little woman’s admonishment that Jake couldn’t investigate the danger. “Sure thing, Jake.”

“It’s huge and brown!” Elissa explained, worried that the man might be hurt. “Be careful.” She pushed her body away from Jake’s slightly so she could get down, but turned around to watch Dan, pressing her back against Jake’s chest, her fingers unknowingly clutching at his thighs.

Jake’s body had already reacted to Elissa when she’d jumped into his arms. But now, having her bottom pressed up against his groin and her hands touching his thighs, perilously close to his aching need, he had to concentrate hard so the others wouldn’t see how she was affecting him. His arm had already moved protectively around her waist, but now he held her to hold her in place as well as to protect her from whatever was in the stall.

The ranch hand poked his head around the stall and tipped his head back. Elissa wondered a moment later when he turned back around calmly instead of running away. By the