The Truth About Plain Jane
Meg helped Carrie, doing her best to hold the horse steady beneath the child. But her attention was on Trey and the fine figure he cut atop the horse. The way they moved as one around the fenced area was pure artistry, and she suddenly understood the saying about someone looking like he’d been born in the saddle.
And now it was her turn to climb on Moonlight. The thought scared her to death.
Once Carrie was settled in the saddle, Meg started behind the little black and white horse and felt herself being jerked away, the grip on her forearm causing her to wince.
“Are you crazy, woman? Not behind the horse,” Trey growled. “You want to get your teeth kicked out?”
“Why would he do that?”
Trey stared at her, then shook his head. “She can’t see you back there.” He kept his grip on Meg and led her to the palomino. “Let me see you mount.”
As they approached the horse, Meg swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. With more than a little trepidation, she lifted a foot into the stirrup.
Grabbing her calf, Trey eased her leg down to the ground. “Left side, left foot.”
She looked at him and then at the horse. “Right,” she said, nodding, and forced a smile. A giggle bubbled in her throat. “I mean left, and you’re right. Um, correct.”
Starting around the back of the horse, she halted. “See? I remember,” she said, flashing him a grin before retracing her steps to go the other way. On the left side, she lifted her left foot to the stirrup, glancing over the horse’s back at the man watching her. Flashing him a shaky smile, she jumped but landed with her right foot still on the ground. Then jumped again. Then again, getting absolutely nowhere.
“Put your weight on the foot in the stirrup and swing your other leg over the horse,” Trey said, walking around the horse. Bending down, he grasped her calf. “Now try it.”
She nearly fell into her instructor when he pressed his hand to her bottom. As he boosted her up, she came close to sailing over the top of the horse, and had to grab the saddle horn to keep from toppling over onto the ground.
“Thanks,” she said, gritting her teeth and attempting a smile.
“You okay?” he asked, settling his hand on her thigh.
Meg gulped at the heat his touch sent spiraling through her. Looking down, she stared at his hand. “Um, yeah,” she answered, her voice barely a whisper.
As if he had just noticed he was touching her, he jerked back and spun around so fast, it nearly made her dizzy. Mounting his own horse, he called to the others. “Listen up, folks. Give the reins a little flick,” he said, demonstrating with a quick movement of his wrist, “then touch—and I do mean touch—your heels to the horse’s side. Once you get moving, just circle around.”
Forcing her racing heart to calm, Meg concentrated on the idea of actually riding the horse and did as he’d instructed, but the horse didn’t budge. She tried pulling the reins, but still no luck. When Moonlight didn’t respond, she tried the last thing she could think of. “Move horse,” she said, throwing her upper body forward in the saddle. To her surprise, the horse began to walk.
“Knees in, Miss Chastain,” Trey ordered from across the corral. “And get those heels down. Without boots, you could get your ankle busted real easy if you don’t.”
Meg quickly complied. The last thing she needed was to be laid up with a broken bone. An accident would take her out of the ranch activities, and she needed to be in the thick of things.
Trey approached her and brought his horse to a stop. “Maybe you oughta go into San Antonio and get yourself a pair of boots. If you’re plannin’ on doin’ anymore ridin’, that is.”
“I’ll do that.” she answered as he turned to ride away. She wasn’t at all convinced she would ever do this again.
With a sigh of relief when Trey called the group’s riding to a halt, Meg started to dismount, only to find a pair of strong hands grasping her hips. The sigh instantly became a gasp as she was lowered to the ground. Once her feet were firmly planted in the dirt, she turned to see Trey, his blue eyes wide, as if he were surprised.
He released her and shook his head, backing up a step. “Didn’t want you to fall, considerin’ the trouble you had gettin’ on.”
Meg bit down on her lip, refusing to acknowledge the sparks skipping through her body. Between the way his touch affected her and her insecurity on a horse, she wondered how she would last the week. She had been crazy to agree to come here, but there wasn’t much she could do about it except give it her best shot. And she would. She only hoped it would be good enough.
Chapter Three
Trey watched Meg lead Moonlight into the barn, hypnotized by the seductive movement of her body. Although she was well-covered from chin to toes, there was something so downright sensual in the sway of her hips that he had to hold himself back from following her.
She was hiding under those clothes. She had to be. When he had lifted her down from the horse, his fingers had pressed into a pair of rounded hips. No extra padding there, just sheer woman. He could only wonder at other parts of her—which led him to wonder even more about the kind of woman she really was. That scared him.
“How’d the lessons go?”
Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw his sister-in-law walking toward him. He liked Ellie. Chace couldn’t have found a better woman. But Trey wasn’t the settlin’ down type. There were too many little darlin’s to meet and get to know. Meg Chastain was new to him. That must be why he was so intrigued by her. It would wear off, in time. He was sure of it.
With a final quick look in the direction of the barn where Meg had disappeared, Trey forced the memory of the delightful feel of her to a corner of his mind before meeting his brother’s wife at the corral fence.
“Lessons weren’t too bad,” he answered Ellie. “There were only five of ’em. Maybe the rest heard I’d be teaching instead of you,” he added with a grin.
Ellie laughed and propped a foot on the bottom fence rail. “Maybe that’s it. Anything special I should know? Any problems?”
He thought of Carrie. And Meg. “No problems, but if the little girl plans to go on the trail ride, she might need a little extra attention. A private lesson or two should do it.”
“Private lessons are extra,” she reminded him.
“Check with her grandmother. I don’t think there’ll be a problem.”
“Anything else?”
But his attention wasn’t on her or what she was saying. He watched as Meg strolled out of the barn and crossed the far end of the corral, headed for the guest cabins. He couldn’t keep his gaze from zeroing in on the woman, and he let out a breath of air when she disappeared around the corner of the barn.
“How’d she do with the lesson?” Ellie asked, gesturing in Meg’s direction.
Trey couldn’t deny that Meg was definitely shaky on a horse, but he suspected she would get over it as soon as she understood the basics. “She’s doing okay,” he hedged, feeling Ellie watching him closely.
“Maybe you’d better find some time for some private lessons with her.”
“Me?” he asked, matching her stare for stare. “Where am I supposed to find the time?”
“Oh, like I have the time,” she countered, her words dripping with sarcasm. “But you know that if she’s having some problems now, they’ll be even worse on the trail ride. Better give it some thought.”
He shook his head. He’d be damned if he was going to spend any more time with Meg unless he didn’t have a choice. “Nope. Not on your life. A couple more group lessons and she’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, but will you?” Moving away from the fence, she started for the house. “I’ve got work waiting.”
“Ellie,” he called to her, determined to put Meg out of his mind. “Chace oughta be back this evening. Has he called?”
“No, not today, but I expect him to later, once he’s on the road,” she told him over her shoulder.
He nodded as she hurried on to the house. His brother had left early the morning before to drive to Lubbock for their new riding horses. Chace had called when he’d reached the motel last night, and Ellie had relayed the message that all was well and he didn’t expect any problems getting the horses or transporting them back to the ranch. One less worry for Trey. And more time to wonder about Meg Chastain’s hidden curves and what else she might be hiding. She presented a challenge to him, and he’d be damned if he’d turn it down.
Meg stepped out onto the small cabin porch and took a deep breath. The scent of ranch permeated the air. She hadn’t expected to like it, but she did. The smell of hay and fresh, smog-free air tickled her senses, so different from life in the city. This was what she wanted for Aunt Dee. Clean air. She’d researched several areas of the country, and Arizona always came up. There, allergies would hopefully be a thing of the past, and her aunt would be able to enjoy life, instead of gasping for every breath.
Aunt Dee had never had much. Her health problems had taken any extra money they might have had. Meg wanted to repay her for all the love her aunt had unselfishly given her.
As she made her way to the green meadow behind the cottages and main house, the dry grass whispered against the denim of her jeans while colorful wildflowers caught her eye. Silence surrounded her. Silence of the nicest kind. If she strained her ears, she could hear indistinct voices coming from the ranch proper, but they were nothing compared to the din of the city. She would remember to thank Geraldine, not only for the chance to make a name for herself, but for the opportunity to experience this beautiful part of the country.
Feeling better than she had in a long time, and with her determination to succeed at an all-time high, Meg turned back for the ranch. The sight of a cowboy strolling toward her brought her to a halt. There was no mistaking that easy lope. Her heartbeat immediately picked up, and she took several deep breaths to try to slow it before he reached her. She had to get control of herself.
“Havin’ trouble findin’somethin’to do?” Trey asked, stopping less than a foot in front of her.
She shook her head. “Just enjoying the great outdoors.”
His eyes narrowed against the glow of the setting sun lighting his face. “You aren’t gettin’ bored at the Triple B, are you?”
“No,” she said after a slight hesitation. Was this a good time to ask more questions? Would this cowboy know anything? It was worth a try to find out. “How long have you lived here?”
His slow grin sent her heart rate up another ten beats. With Trey around, she didn’t need aerobics. Just his sexy smile.
Tipping his hat farther down and shading his eyes, he chuckled. “Just about forever. And that’s about how long it’ll be before I leave. What do you think of the place?”
“It’s beautiful,” she answered truthfully.
“Ever been to Texas before?”
She shook her head. Even with his eyes hidden, she could feel him looking at her. She didn’t dare glance at him for more than a minute. His strong but finely chiseled features were enough to make most women she knew swoon. But she wasn’t most women. She’d had enough disappointing encounters with men and had decided she could live without them. A career was more lucrative and satisfying. Most men left her feeling cold. To her surprise, Trey didn’t. It was startling to be near a man who made the air around her warmer but far from uncomfortable.
But she shouldn’t be thinking about him or any man, she reminded herself. “Didn’t I hear the ranch is family-owned?”
Trey barely heard her. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Nodding, he lifted his hand to skim a finger down her cheek. Her peaches-and-cream skin was even softer than he’d imagined. And he’d imagined plenty on the drive back from visiting his injured ranch hands in San Antonio that afternoon. “You don’t get out in the sun much, do you?” he asked in a voice so husky, it surprised even him.
She cleared her throat before answering, but she didn’t move. “N-no,” she said, her voice a soft whisper.
He couldn’t stop his smile. He was definitely getting to her. But it was his heart that skipped a beat. He noticed her quickened breathing and stepped closer, her wide, green eyes drawing him in. A voice in the back of his mind told him this was no way to act with a guest, but he couldn’t make himself back off. In spite of the long, loose top she wore, hiding who knew what, the lady had a magnetism. Her delicate features blew his mind. He was accustomed to beautiful woman, but she took his breath away. Her eyes shimmered with apprehension, but he could see a flame of something flickering there, too.
His gaze dropped to her lips. Full and ripe like fresh strawberries, they begged to be tasted. His body responded to the sight of them. Unable to stop himself, he moved his hand to the slender column of her neck, his fingers curving around it while his thumb rested at the base of her throat, where her pulse throbbed beneath his touch.
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