Forever Jake

Jake and his friends stopped beside a central corral. The chestnut stallion penned up inside circled, snorted and kicked exuberantly in the cool morning air.

Robin knew she should follow her sister and help make lunch for the kids, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Jake. He’d more than fulfilled the physical promise she glimpsed back then. Hard-muscled, he moved his big body with athletic grace and ease. If he ever wanted to leave Forever, she could probably get him a job at Wild Ones. Maybe he could model for their adventure brochures.

He swung up to the top fence rail, then tipped back his Stetson hat and raised his fingers to his mouth, emitting a shrill whistle. Horses from all over the ranch perked up their ears. There was a general shift of horseflesh in his direction. Robin stepped forward for a better view.

Good grief, she was just as bad as the horses.

The stallion in the corral cantered over, switching back and forth in front of Jake. Jake slowly lowered himself to the ground inside the corral. The people around him closed in and he was lost to view.

Then he was back. He was up on the horse. Hat settled firmly on his head, biceps bulging beneath his white T-shirt, he touched its flanks with his boot heels and the animal sprang off the ground.

Robin gasped, fighting an urge to rush forward.

The horse’s body arced. It came down hard, front hooves sending up a cloud of dust that gusted sideways across the pen. Then it immediately kicked its back legs toward the sky, haunch and shoulder muscles bunched and shifting with its rage.

Was the man out of his mind?

Jake’s sinewy muscles kept perfect pace with the angry animal. As he leaned back and elongated his body, Robin unconsciously tightened her muscles with him. His free arm trailed out to one side, rocking against the empty air in time to the movements of the horse. The horse’s hind legs barely touched the earth before they rebounded again. Each leap was higher than the last.

She willed him to stick to the animal’s back.

It changed tactics, crow-hopping sideways toward the fence as if it intended to scrape Jake off. She inched closer, pressing her legs together, as if the force of her concentration would help him stay put.

He held his seat. His rear end alternately connected with the horse’s bare back and defied physics by hovering above the shifting target as if they were cosmically connected.

The horse took a sudden twist. Several of its cohorts whinnied in apparent excitement and approval as Jake’s hat hit the dirt. Robin’s legs moved under her, quickening into a jog, stopping only when she came to the fence that separated the two properties. She gripped the smooth, painted rails, gaze riveted to the spectacle, prepared to leap over and use her first-aid skills if need be.

She cringed as the horse twisted again. Just when she thought Jake would win, the animal jerked to one side. Jake’s butt came down a split second too late. He clutched the air, then sprawled, facedown, sending up a dense cloud of brown dust.

Had he hit his head? It looked as if he’d hit his head.

Robin vaulted over the fence. The riderless horse bucked away, its mouth frothing and sweat glistening on its flanks. Sprinting across the field, she focused on Jake’s crumpled body.

Before she made it halfway, Jake leaped to his feet. He limped toward the agitated horse, stopping part way to lean down and retrieve his battered hat. He whacked it against his leg before settling it back on his head.

Robin kept running as he moved closer and closer to the wild animal. He held up his hands, speaking in a hollow, soothing baritone. The man was truly insane. The horse didn’t look soothed, it looked menacing and angry as it snorted and pawed the ground.

Still, Jake moved closer. Her mind raced. When was the last time she’d set a broken bone? Did the small Forever hospital have a doctor on site at all times?

When he came within arm’s reach of the wide-eyed beast, it stilled, twitching its ears and shaking its head. Robin cringed, preparing for a sudden flash of sharp hooves or snapping teeth.

On the opposite side of the corral, the three strangers noted her approach and smiled happily at her. They behaved as if they hadn’t a care in the world. Gasping for breath, she stopped at the raw wood fence of the corral.

To her surprise, the horse didn’t attack. Quite the contrary, it nuzzled Jake’s shirt pocket until he produced something that the horse promptly ate.

Robin rocked back on her heels. She had obviously missed something here. She was the only one who seemed even remotely upset. And that included the horse.

The audience burst into spontaneous applause. Jake turned toward them, removed his hat, and gave a deep bow. That sure didn’t seem like the action of a man who’d just defied death. He pushed his dark, wavy hair back off his forehead before replacing the hat.

Robin glanced from side to side, wishing she could slink back over the property line. Rodeo Jake had just been entertaining the crowd.

The youngest and tallest of the three spectators made his way around the corral toward Robin. He stopped in front of her and offered his hand. “Derek Sullivan. I’m a friend of Jake’s.”

“Robin Medford.” She accepted the neatly dressed man’s handshake. Nothing to do but brazen it out. Maybe they’d all assume she’d come over to watch the show.

He looked to be about her own age, but he definitely hadn’t grown up in Forever.

“Nice horse,” she said, nodding toward the animal, pretending she had a clue what she was talking about. Jake started across the corral toward them, his worn cowboy boots sinking in the soft dirt with each step.

“Dynamo’s as good as they come.”

If that was the case, Robin sure didn’t want to see a bad horse. “Is this what he does for entertainment?”

“Dynamo?”

“Jake.”

Derek grinned. “Only as a favor to me.”

Derek wanted Jake to get tossed off a wild bucking horse? Some friend. She glanced at the older couple. They had wandered over to admire a mare and foal.

“Hey, Robin.” Jake nodded, eyes narrowing quizzically as he came to a stop and placed one booted foot on the bottom rail. He probably wondered what she was doing here, since she’d made such a point of not engaging him in conversation last night. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

She wondered what the heck she was doing here, too. Her memories of their teenage encounter were so fresh and vivid, she actually felt embarrassed looking him in the eye. And she felt attracted. As attracted as she’d been fifteen years ago.

“Hi,” she returned, swallowing to combat the breathy sound of her voice. Dust didn’t usually turn her on. Neither did sweat, faded jeans or well-worn cowboy boots.

Jake cocked his head sideways, his expression becoming almost hesitant. “So, what did you think of the ride?”

Frightening. Insane. Gorgeous. Sexy. “The horse seemed a bit…frisky.”

Both men chuckled.

“We like ’em that way,” Derek offered.

“To each his own.” Robin wished her pulse rate would return to normal.

“You do know what I do for a living, right?” asked Jake.

“Not exactly.” She forced herself to concentrate on the lone cloud developing above the mountain peak. She knew he raised horses, but hadn’t given much thought to what he did with them in Forever. Tourist trail riding, she supposed. With really healthy tourists.

“I raise rodeo horses.”

“Rodeo horses? In Forever?” Her gaze zipped from the cloud to his face.

“Right here in Forever,” he said.

“Thanks for the demo, buddy.” Derek clapped Jake on the shoulder, releasing a small cloud of dust. Tiny particles clung to Jake’s face, accenting his beard stubble and highlighting the interesting lines crinkling the corners of his charcoal-blue eyes.

“See you later tonight. Nice to meet you, Robin.” Derek headed over to collect the older couple.

Jake waved his friend off with a nod.

He ducked between the fence rails, then straightened and leaned back, crossing his boots at the ankles. His familiar eyes caressed her, sending the pulse in her throat into overdrive. “So, Robin, what can I do for you?”

Several answers immediately blossomed in her mind. None of which she could voice.

3

“NOTHING,” was what she quickly said. “I mean, I, uh…” She didn’t want him to think she was here to rekindle the old flame. But she didn’t want to talk about her Florence Nightingale impulse, either.

“Nice place you’ve got here,” she offered a bit desperately, glancing around the ranch. Close up, she was truly dazzled by what he’d done with his family’s land.

Connie had raved about his hard work and vision. Looking at the house, the barn, pens and outbuildings, Robin could certainly understand why. It must have taken some kind of work ethic over the past fifteen years to accomplish all of this.

He peered at her from under his hat brim, recapturing her attention. “So you came over to admire the place?”

“Yeah.” She nodded and immediately felt her neck heat up.

He looked pointedly and skeptically at her open shirt collar, then returned his gaze to her face, raising his eyebrows. “Did you come over to watch me ride?”

“Yeah.”

His eyes narrowed, and he reached forward to tip her collar out of the way. “Want me to ask you something really embarrassing?”

“No!”

He let go of her collar without the slightest brush to her skin. She couldn’t stop a little flare of disappointment. Those calloused hands were a real turn-on. Of course, so was pretty much everything else about him.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Just tell me why you’re here.”

Robin sighed with exasperation. She hated that built-in lie detector. There were definite disadvantages to being around people who’d known her as a child. “I thought you might need medical attention.”

He pulled back. “You’re not a doctor.”

“I’m a licensed paramedic.”

“You’re kidding.”

“People don’t tend to joke about that.”

“That’s not what I meant.” The horse trotted past behind him, nickering softly, obviously none the worse for wear. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. I thought you were doing wilderness tours.”

“I was. Well, I was scouting locations, anyway. It helps to have medical training when you’re out in the field.”

“That makes sense.” A small silence followed his nod.

An errant blackfly buzzed her face, and she waved it away. She knew she should say goodbye and go help Connie with lunch. But she hesitated. Jake the Cowboy was everything Jake the Teenager had been, and more. He was all grown-up now, and so was she.

She couldn’t help wondering what would happen if they met for a midnight swim at thirty-two instead of eighteen. Would he send her away this time?

She took half a step closer, eyeing the broad shoulders straining beneath his denim shirt. She itched to touch him, to see what his muscles felt like, hardened by time and ripened through experience.

She cleared her throat. “Do all your horses buck people off?” It was difficult to keep an inconsequential conversation going through her escalating sexual buzz.

“Not all of them.” The gravelly base of his voice and the whisper of the wind reminded her they were alone. “I have a few that are rideable.”

“Oh. Good. That’s good.”

“Would you like to try one?” he asked.

“A horse?”

“No, a bull.” He grinned and her stomach flipped over. “Do you ride?”

It took her a second to recover her voice. “Yes. Yes, I ride horses. The nonbucking kind. Wild Ones Tours was considering a seven-day trek in Brazil last year.”

“So you tested it out.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, this isn’t Brazil.” He angled his head toward the towering hills behind his ranch. “But I have a little bay mare who needs some exercise, if you’d like to take a ride up the back.”

“With you?”

“With me.”

Her legs weakened at the thought. Or maybe they were weak from the long run. Who could tell? “Just the two of us?”

“Unless you think we need a chaperone,” he joked. But when his eyes caught hers, his smile swiftly faded.

The awakenings that had coursed through her young body pulsed with a vengeance.

He stilled. The air around him hummed with raw energy.

Oh, boy.

Was Connie right? Was this how fate reached out and grabbed you?

It was too early for her to be fertile. So fate obviously didn’t want Jake to father her child. Maybe fate just wanted them to have great sex.

“Sure.” She smiled. “I’ll go riding with you.”

JAKE TETHERED THE HORSES on a small, green plateau high above Forever where an underground stream surfaced for a few feet then disappeared into a rock fissure. So much for his master plan.

Staying close to Robin was easy. He’d sure been up close and personal in his dreams last night. It was the working-her-out-of-his-system part that had flaws.

Take now, for instance. The close part was on track. She was only ten feet away, taking in the view of the river far below. Unfortunately, lust screamed from every pore in his body. And he wanted nothing more than to toss her down on the bed of wildflowers and see how long it took before her kisses completely blew his mind, ruining him for any other woman on the planet.

“Ever climbed the face?” She stepped up to the cliff edge, leaning forward to look over.

Jake closed the gap instinctively, ready to pull her to safety if need be. Then he remembered her career. She’d probably peered over the edge of mountain cliffs too numerous to mention.

The woman wasn’t in any danger. He’d be the one committing suicide if he pulled her backward into the cradle of his hips.

“Seems like a waste of time and energy,” he answered on a forced drawl, trapping his thumbs in his belt loops to keep his hands where they belonged.

“You think so?” She cocked her head sideways, considering the steep plunge. “I think I could sell this trip to Wild Ones.”

“Yeah?”

“Horseback riding. Mountain climbing. River rafting. Who knows, someday Forever could be the adventure tourism mecca of the Yukon.” She grinned and stepped away from the edge.

And then maybe you’d move back? He closed his eyes and shook his head, disgusted with himself. If he wasn’t careful, he’d fall in love with her all over again. Then he’d have to stand helplessly by while she boarded the Beaver and stomped his heart to dust.

“You climb?” he asked.

She shrugged her small shoulders. “I took some lessons in Switzerland, but I’ve never done any of the big climbs.”

“Big climbs?”

“Everest, the Matterhorn, K-2.”

Her words highlighted the rift between their lifestyles. As if it needed any highlighting.

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