The Outlaw and the City Slicker
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Debbi Rawlins
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18
HarlequinChapter One
“Tell me that isn’t her.” Jesse Logan watched the taxi driver unload the fifth, sixth and seventh pieces of matching designer luggage. He hadn’t actually seen the passenger yet, but taxis in the small west Texas town of Maybe were unheard-of, and Sunny Daye was expected at any moment.
A pair of long, shapely, tanned legs swung from the back seat of the cab. The feet were covered in short, pink leather boots studded with rhinestones.
Jesse’s friend Cash cleared his throat. “That’s her, all right.”
Jesse slowly turned to his longtime buddy. This was going to be a really bad trip. He felt it all the way down to the toes of his own hopelessly scuffed boots. “She does know this is a cattle drive we’re going on?”
Cash grinned wryly. “She knows.”
“A real, honest-to-goodness, 1800s-style, dusty, hot, four-state cattle drive?”
“She knows,” Cash repeated.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Jesse returned his gaze to the pair of legs, which were finding their balance on the rocky ground. Once they were firmly planted, the woman poked her head out of the car. Her long blond hair fanning out in the April breeze, she levered herself from the cab and then towered over the taxi driver as she paid him.
Jesse was too far away to see her face, but he pushed back his Stetson with one finger and squinted against the unusually hot spring sun. What the hell was she wearing? It looked like a skirt, except it was shorter and tighter than any skirt he’d ever seen. He squinted harder at the white strip of fabric that barely covered the tops of her thighs. If they were in New York, he supposed she’d look fashionable. But here in Maybe, they had another word for that getup.
This was going to be worse than a bad trip. This was going to be a damn nightmare. If he didn’t need the money from this gig as trail boss, he’d blow off the deal right now, Jesse thought, as he gazed toward the horizon.
Although the sleepy stretch of country stores Maybe called Main Street was right behind them, as far north as Jesse could see there was nothing but pastureland. He knew and loved every desolate inch of it. It had been his home for the past twenty years—ever since his old man had traded their ranch for booze and fast ponies.
Sighing, he slapped at his jeans and watched the dust spray the air as he resigned himself to the fact that no matter what, he was committed to this cattle drive for the next five months.
“Come meet my sister-in-law,” Cash said.
Jesse looked at the woman and her adoring taxi driver. The man was shuffling her bags as she stood smiling and pointing. Some men were total idiots when it came to tall, leggy blondes. Jesse shook his head. He should know. In his younger days, he’d been one of them.
But those days were long gone. Just like his rodeo career. Ms. Sunny Daye was in for one hell of a surprise if she thought this was some Disney trip. Or that he was going to baby-sit her throughout this drive. Reluctantly, he pulled off his work gloves and followed his friend toward her.
“Cash.” Sunny’s face lit up as soon as she saw her brother-in-law. Her large, almond-shaped brown eyes sparkled with pleasure, and her blouse…
“Holy…” Jesse muttered under his breath. As she’d reached up to hug Cash, her cropped fuchsia top rode up to within an inch of her nicely rounded breasts. If she raised her arms just a little higher, he’d see a whole lot more than a wide strip of tantalizing midriff.
He forced his gaze up, then cast a quick glance around. Most of the men had stopped for lunch and had either gone to the town’s only diner or had found shade behind the horse trailers. The few stragglers who’d stayed to pre-pare for tomorrow’s departure were too far away to have noticed.
“Sunny, you look terrific.” Cash angled back from her, then added, laughing, “But of course I’m biased.”
Jesse watched her laugh at his friend’s remark and marveled at how much she really did look and sound like Cash’s wife. He was almost relieved when she brought her arms to her side, then he glanced at the short skirt and ridiculous boots and shook his head. The twins’ similarity obviously ended at their features and voices. It looked like he had a bone to pick with his friend for roping him into letting Sunny stand in for Cash’s wife, Rainy.
“How is my sister?” Sunny asked.
“Very pregnant.”
“Oh,” she said and made a face. “I guess we won’t be identical for a while.”
Cash looked at her with a raised brow, then glanced at Jesse. “Sunny, meet your copilot.”
Jesse forced a half smile.
Sunny looked at him and blinked. “Do they use that term on cattle drives?”
“No.” Cash laughed. When he caught Jesse cringing, he said quickly, “I was joking. This is Jesse Logan. Alias Jesse James Logan, alias the Outlaw.”
Sunny put out her hand. Her nails were long and scarlet, and Jesse chuckled, wondering how long she expected to keep them that way.
“Hi,” she said, her forehead puckered in a frown.
Jesse swiped his gritty palm against his dusty jeans and took her hand. Her eyes met his and widened a fraction. He half expected her to grimace at the residual grime coating his fingers. To her credit, she didn’t. She merely looked at him with incredibly sexy brown eyes. And since her palm was quite possibly the softest thing Jesse had ever held, he hung on a moment longer than necessary. “Howdy,” he said, finally letting her go.
“Why all the aliases?” she asked. “Are you wanted?”
Jesse and Cash exchanged glances. Then Cash said, “Jesse’s a rodeo champ, Sunny. He picked those names up on the circuit.”
“Oh.” She brought a finger to her rose-tinted lips. “They didn’t tell me anything about you.”
“Likewise.” Jesse sent Cash a meaningful look. This wasn’t going to work. She wouldn’t last one night on the trail, much less all the way to the Oklahoma border, where she’d hand off her duties to Oklahoma’s representative.
“So.” Sunny clasped her hands together and looked around. “Where shall I put my things?”
“Cash can pull his truck up and I’ll help him load it.”
“His truck? That doesn’t make sense.” She frowned and gestured to the row of designer suitcases that graduated from large to extra-extra large. “Why would we take all this to the ranch, then have to haul it back here tomorrow? I’ll just take my overnight bag.” She pointed to something that reminded Jesse of a small trunk.
He surveyed the string of pricy luggage, then slid her a sidelong glance. She was kidding. He switched his un-amused gaze to Cash. Right?
Cash stepped forward. “I agree with Jesse. Let’s separate the ones you’ll be leaving with us. Rainy’s looking forward to your visit after your part of the drive.”
“Leaving with you?” Sunny frowned. She turned her confused eyes on the luggage. Jesse got a bad feeling again. Then she smiled. “Oh. You mean the things I brought for the babies.” Sunny nodded. “It’s that one.” She pointed to one of the smaller bags.
“Okay,” Jesse said, putting up both hands. “Let’s make this easy. Which one are you taking on the drive?”
Sunny blinked several times. “One?”
“One,” he repeated with emphasis.
“Don’t be silly.” She laughed and turned an admiring look on her perfectly matched pieces. “I can’t just take one. I’m taking them all.”
Jesse put a hand over his mouth and blew for all he was worth. This woman was nuts. If she wasn’t Cash’s sister-in-law, he’d bounce her shapely butt right back into that cab.
He glanced at a perfect profile of the butt in question and swallowed. If he had a brain in his head, he’d send her back anyway—sister-in-law or not. She and that sweet little fanny both spelled trouble. And trouble was exactly what Jesse needed to avoid.
Cash jumped in again. “Sunny,” he said gently. “You’re going on a cattle drive. I know you understand. Rainy and I both explained this when we asked you to substitute for her. All you need are a few pairs of jeans, some changes of—”Jeans?” She wrinkled her nose. “I won’t be wearing jeans.” She smoothed down her ridiculously short skirt. “I thought I was publicity director or something.”
Jesse snorted. “Something is more like it. All you have to do is deal with local press, set up interviews, pictures… basically, anything I tell you to do.” He toed the nearest suitcase. “Starting with weeding out this crap.”
He watched her take several deep breaths, her breasts rising and falling hypnotically. Then she lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eyes. “If my things stay, I stay.”
“Okay.” He lifted a shoulder and started to walk away.
Cash caught his elbow. “Come on, you two. Don’t start off like this.”
“You heard her.” Jesse jerked his head toward Sunny. “She’s not going.”
Cash narrowed his eyes. “Would you excuse us for a minute?” he asked Sunny, his gaze glued menacingly to Jesse. She stood with her arms crossed and nodded, looking mad enough to spit.
Jesse thought he’d like to see Miss Hoity-Toity do just that. Chuckling, he followed Cash several yards away.
“Stop being a horse’s ass, Jesse,” Cash said in a low tone.
“Me?” He stared at his friend—the one guy in the world who’d never turned his back on him. But Cash had gotten married…and he’d gotten soft. Jesse had seen the symptoms often enough. As soon as you started needing someone, you lost your edge. Then you got hurt. “She’s the one being unreasonable.”
“Yeah, but we both know this can be straightened out. She’s gonna go on this drive.”
“Right.” Jesse’s eyes strayed to Sunny, her arms still crossed, foot tapping madly. “She doesn’t have a prayer of making it.”
“I’m surprised at you.”
Jesse’s attention snapped back at the disappointment in his friend’s voice. “Why?”
“I thought you, of all people, wouldn’t be so quick to judge someone.” Cash headed toward Sunny.
Jesse stared after him. “Damn.” Except for Cash, not a single person in Maybe had believed Jesse would amount to anything. They all thought he’d end up a drunk like his old man. He looked at Sunny—from her shimmering blond hair to her perfectly curved hips to the tapping toes of her rhinestone-studded boots—and shook his head. “Damn,” he muttered again and took off after Cash.
Jesse caught up just as his friend was about to say something to Sunny. “We came to an agreement,” Jesse began, shooting a glance at Cash’s canny expression before looking at her. She raised her chin and eyebrows. Jesse gritted his teeth. “You can take two suitcases.”
One of her eyebrows shot higher. Cash pursed his lips.
Jesse sighed. “And…” He glanced at the small trunk. “Your overnight bag,” he added, although how he managed to force the words through a clenched jaw he didn’t know.
Miss Hoity-Toity frowned and started to open her mouth, but Cash grabbed her arm and swung her toward his truck, whispering to her along the way.
As Jesse watched her perfect little backside sway in the opposite direction, a new kind of tension settled in his joints…and places he’d rather not think about at the moment.
He shifted and continued to watch her, mesmerized by the sensual rhythm of her walk. Her tight stretchy skirt molded every curve, and Jesse would bet a month’s pay she was as firm as two cantaloupes. He cocked his head slightly to get a different angle and was reminded of an upside-down heart.
“Who’s that?” The voice at his elbow made Jesse jump.
“Christ, Hank, what the hell are you sneaking up on me for?” He reluctantly tore his gaze way from Sunny and pinned the younger man with an accusing frown.
“Who’s that?” Hank repeated, his mouth hanging open, his wide blue eyes following Sunny.
“My copilot,” Jesse answered dryly, handing the man his bandanna as he walked away. The poor guy was drooling like an idiot.
“HOW AM I supposed to make do with only two suit-cases?” Sunny hissed none too softly as Cash guided her toward his pickup. “Much less spend the next month with that arrogant jerk?”
Jesse didn’t want her on the drive. That much was clear. She’d seen the reticent looks, heard a couple of snide remarks meant for Cash only. Without knowing her, he’d already judged her. Although Sunny didn’t appreciate his narrow-mindedness, she’d be damned if she’d let him get to her.
Cash’s eyes glittered with amusement. “I have a feeling you’ll give as good as you get.” When Sunny grinned in agreement, he added, “But he’s right about the suitcases. You don’t need that many.”
Her smile disappeared. “But, Cash, I’m supposed to be meeting the public, giving interviews. I have to look good.”
“Sunny, this is a cattle drive.” He glanced at her sparkly boots. “Are those for the kickoff barbecue tonight?”
She looked down, her eyebrows drawing together. “Would they be appropriate?”
He looked somewhat relieved until she added, “I’d hate to be undepressed.”
She hid a smile as Cash groaned and opened the truck door. “Let’s talk about this later,” he said. “Rainy should be home from the doctor’s by the time we get to the ranch. We can all discuss it then. Let’s go get your things loaded.”
Sunny started to shrug. There wasn’t anything to talk about. She hadn’t packed anything she didn’t absolutely need. But, to avoid an argument, she nodded. Then instead of getting in the truck for the short ride to the luggage, she waved Cash on and turned to make the trip on foot.
She didn’t see Jesse right away. A younger man with long sandy hair stood staring at her. With as much nonchalance as she could summon, she looked past him toward a mud-splattered RV.
Jesse’s dark head was bent over a clipboard near the open door of the vehicle. He was a little too far away for her to see his expression, but several days’ growth of beard allowed her to make out the firm set of his strong jaw.
He was really quite attractive in a rough, Neanderthal sort of way. Not her type by any stretch of the imagination, though she could understand why some women might find him appealing. He was tall, quite a bit taller than her five-nine. And his tight, faded jeans made no secret of his lean, muscular thighs. She hadn’t gotten a good look at his tush yet, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t be disappointed.
She frowned, trying to recall the color of his eyes. His tan Stetson had pretty much shadowed them. Oh, hell, who was she kidding? They were whiskey brown, faintly ringed with gold, and fringed with lashes any self-respecting woman would kill for. So she remembered. Big deal. He was still arrogant and insufferable, and obviously despicably narrow-minded. But the fact that she’d tried to lie to herself, she had to admit, was truly pathetic.
He scratched something on his clipboard, then let the pencil dangle by a string. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up.
Sunny tossed her hair, pointedly scanning the landscape as she continued to stroll toward the luggage. More horses than she’d ever seen were clustered in some sort of holding pen. Several more were still in horse trailers. Beyond two more RVs stretched acres and acres of flat, lifeless land. The scene didn’t look much like the beginnings of a cattle drive, especially since there weren’t any cattle around yet. But none of that mattered. For the first time in their lives, her twin had asked for her help. Right now, that was the only thing Sunny cared about. She’d always been the one who needed bailing out. Now that the tables were turned, nothing in this world would stop her from helping Rainy.
She took a deep breath. No one had ever needed her before. The feeling was scary…and heady.
Cash swung his truck around about the time she neared the luggage and the young cowboy. The man hadn’t once taken his eyes off her. She tugged at her skirt.
“Hank, make sure everyone’s had a lunch break, will you?” Jesse told the man as he strode up behind him.
“Sure, boss.” Before ambling off, the man tipped his hat to Sunny, and she smiled.
Cash came around the back of the truck and opened the tailgate. Sunny wrinkled her nose at the loose hay littering the bed and the clumps of dirt packing the corners.
“Do we have to put the bags back here?” she asked.
“Nope,” Jesse said, hefting one of the suitcases and grinning. “We can put them up front and you back here.”
She gave hime a dirty look, then turned to her brother-in “Cash?”
He held up a clean tarp, then hopped on the bed, snapped the canvas open and let it settle over the surface. She smiled and, ignoring Jesse’s chuckle, walked over to survey the row of suitcases.
Jesse stood ready to hand Cash the one he had in his hand, then said, “Better decide which bag you wanna leave here.”
She knew he was trying to goad her by the singular emphasis, but she merely smirked. If he thought for one moment she had any intention of parting with a single one, he needed a wake-up call.
She waved at two of the largest pieces. “Oh, I’ll leave these,” she said airily.
Jesse studied the row of matched luggage for a moment, then squinted suspiciously at her. “Don’t you wanna check to see what’s in them?”
“No,” she said. “That won’t be necessary.”
He frowned but started passing Cash one suitcase after another. When he got to the last one, he paused, dragging the back of his hand across his brow. “What the hell have you got in these things anyway?”
Sunny shrugged. “Clothes, makeup, the usual.”
Wordlessly, Jesse raked her body with his gaze.
She tried to ignore him but his inspection was so thorough she finally had to tug at her hem. She unclenched her teeth. Barely. “What?”
“Nothing.” He pursed his lips and shook his head, looking so totally innocent that every hair on the back of her neck rose in irritation.
She glared at him, then bent to pick up her overnight bag. She grabbed the handle and stumbled with its weight. What had she packed in there? Half dragging it to the truck, she carefully hid her struggle…until it was time to hoist the bag to Cash.
It wouldn’t budge.
She tugged harder. The bag still wouldn’t budge. And Jesse didn’t lift as much as his little finger to help her. And Sunny would be damned if she’d ask him to.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye, lounging against the truck, arms and ankles crossed, an arrogant grin on his face. The man irritated her by merely existing.
She took a deep breath, crouched as low as her tight skirt would allow, grabbed the bag with both hands and hauled it up almost level with the tailgate.
That was as far as it got. She teetered backward slightly, struggling for balance. Just when she thought she’d find out how hard the ground actually was, two strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
Sunny knew who caught her. As soon as his warm, spicy presence invaded her airspace, she realized she’d already committed Jesse’s scent to memory.
Her crop top had ridden up, and his tightly muscled forearms pressed into her flesh. His thumb grazed the underside of her left breast before he shifted his hand a breath away. Coarse dark hair tickled the sensitive skin around her ribs and she nearly lost her footing again. Instead, she leaned into his broad, solid chest and breathed a relieved sigh.
Until her fanny connected with something hard around his nether region.
She blinked and straightened. Slowly she turned to look at him.
Jesse stared back, his eyes dark, his pupils dilated But it was the wild pulse throbbing visibly at his throat that convinced Sunny she hadn’t imagined things. She swallowed and fumbled unnecessarily with her purse, before sliding him another furtive look.
He wasn’t embarrassed. His expression held no hint of apology. In fact, he looked mad. Then his gaze briefly drifted lower, to her chest, before flickering away, and she realized her nipples had hardened.
Stiffening, she pulled her purse strap across her chest, shielding herself as best she could with her arm and praying the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
“You okay, Sunny?” Cash asked, and she nodded. If he’d noticed the tension between them, he didn’t show it. He merely added, “Throw me that bag, will you, Jesse?”
She gladly stepped aside. Without so much as a glance at her, Jesse grabbed the bag she’d abandoned. He passed it to Cash, then dusted his hands together.
He turned to her, his expression bland. “Will there be anything else, your highness?”
She gave him her back and faced her brother-in-law as he hopped down from the truck. “Cash? Would you help me take these last two suitcases to my trailer?”
Cash frowned. “Your wiat?”
Behind her, Jesse laughed. A soft, low chuckle that erupted into full-blown hilarity. Ordinarily, she would have found the deep, husky tone attractive. Coming from him, the sound was as welcome as nails scraping a chalkboard.
She clung to her last ounce of patience, refusing him the benefit of her attention, and stared at Cash.
He looked confused. “What trailer?”
“The one I’ll be using for the cattle drive.”
Cash blanched. “Did Rainy say you’d have a trailer?”
“Well, no. I assumed-”
Jesse laughed louder.
She spun to face him. “What’s so damn funny?”
He choked back his amusement, Well, your highness, it’s like this.” He dabbed at his eyes before pointing to a spot behind her. “Your carriage has just arrived.”
Sunny glared at him until her curiosity and his smug face got the better of her. Slowly she swiveled around.
In the distance, two covered wagons—honest-to-goodness covered wagons—wobbled down the center of Main Street. The once empty sidewalks began filling with excited people pouring out of stores to get a look at the spectacle. To Sunny, it looked like a movie. A bad B-movie.
She turned to Cash. “Tell me I won’t be spending the next month in a wagon.”
He rubbed his temple. “We did tell you this would be an authentic cattle drive. Remember?”
“Yes, but…” Her thoughts scattered. She turned to the wagons. Why, those things couldn’t possibly be air-conditioned.
“Okay, okay,” Jesse said, coming to stand beside her. “I admit. I exaggerated.”
She slid him a wary sidelong glance, torn between relief and the strong urge to give him one of her famous left hooks. But she’d retired as left-hook champion at age twelve. Now, at the respectable age of twenty-nine, wasn’t the time to reclaim the crown.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to mislead you,” Jesse said, looking suitably contrite. He gazed at the toe mark he’d made in the dirt and pursed his lips. Then the corners of his mouth twitched and he glanced up, his devil-dark eyes glittering with amusement. “The wagons are for the cooks. All you get is a bedroll.”
Her mouth started to open in surprise, then she squinted at him. She had the perfect place for him to put his bedroll, and she was about to tell him so, when Cash grabbed her arm and with a warning look at Jesse steered her toward the trailers. “Let me show you around before we go to the ranch,” he said.
Jesse laughed.
Sunny let Cash guide her as she tried to gather her composure and ignore her twelve-year-old inner child, who wanted very badly to connect with Jesse’s arrogant face.
Cash and Rainy needed her to go on this cattle drive, she reminded herself. Her sister was in no condition to make the trip now that she was pregnant, and they had a lot of time and money invested in it. Rainy was depending on her. Cash was depending on her. And Sunny owed them both.
She sighed, knowing she had to make this trip, whether she got along with Jesse Logan or not.
Just thinking his name sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine. Why was he giving her so much trouble? Men usually marched to her bidding. Not that she’d ever wanted them to. They just always had.
But not Jesse Logan.
She remembered his annoying laughter and the shiver dissolved. He was a disagreeable jerk, and she was glad she’d discovered that fact early on. Not that she was looking for romance…or that he appealed to her in the least. But falling for jerks had never been her thing. God only knew she met too many of them in her line of work, and knowing that he was a jerk automatically ruled out romantic entanglement she could ill afford.
She gave her hair an extra toss and smiled at Cash, who had embarked on a dissertation about Texas longhorns. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Jesse. He’d climbed into the truck with her luggage. Slowly, she turned in his direction. If he so much as touched one…
Her jaw slackened as she watched Jesse draw up the excess tarp and carefully tuck it around her suitcases, shielding them from the harsh west Texas sun.
