Big Game: Hunted Love #1 (3 page)

The tasks of unloading occupied only part of Jakob's mind. The rest he turned toward the puzzle of Kate Holt. She presented an odd mixture of strength and vulnerability, experience and innocence. The instant her little fist connected with his jaw, he'd been fascinated, attracted beyond belief. Lust had never hit him so hard or so fast. There for a second, while his fingers clutched her fragile wrist, he'd been hard-pressed to rein in the instincts that demanded he take her, right there in her own driveway.

Thankfully, common sense prevailed and insisted he at least find out if she was married. Then she'd climbed into his truck and Jakob was pretty sure her own instincts made some pretty strong demands. When she actually appreciated Metallica, he decided to find out her relationship status at the first opportunity, because as long as she wasn't attached, he meant to have her. Preferably before he left to hunt the lion.
And
when he returned.

The pronounced limp she displayed when she got out to help him unload certainly changed nothing about his intentions. If anything, it intrigued him more, though it could explain the lack of experience he sensed in her. People with physical issues often hesitated to put themselves out there emotionally, afraid of rejection, often with good reason. A badly timed remark from one jerk, or a pair of popular girls, could easily mess up someone's head for the foreseeable future. 

With his animals safely unloaded and truck parked beside the shed to leave his gear readily accessible, Jakob strolled up to where Kate leaned on a corral post watching his horses. Uncle Frank's spotted mare sidled up to Kate, muzzle outstretched in interest. Kate clucked softly and offered an open palm for the gentle mare to check out.

"Her name is Whiskey. She was Uncle Frank's favorite."

"Was?"

"He passed away a couple weeks ago. That's why I was at his place, came in to start settling his affairs. Otherwise I wouldn't have got your call."

Kate rubbed Whiskey's head and looked at him appraisingly. "So you aren't actually a hunter?" Her carefully neutral tone said far more than her words.

Jakob grinned. "I grew up hunting with Uncle Frank, then joined the Army and went to hunt terrorists. Yeah, I'm a hunter." The damn mule darted in and made a grab for his hat in its never-ending game of snatch-and-run. He managed to duck back in the nick of time. "Bastard." He growled under his breath so the mule could go into the run phase of the game. "So, I need a topo map, if you have one, where we can mark what your crew knows about this mountain lion. I'd also like to talk to anyone who's seen the cat's sign or knows anything about it. I'll head out in the morning, right at first light. My animals will be well rested then and I'll make a hard push straight for the lion's range."

"I have the map, already marked. Brady, the hand who found the kills and sign, will be in for lunch. I agree, we should head out first light. We can use ATVs, or I have plenty of riding stock that might be a little more suited to the terrain than your animals."

Jakob held up a hand. "Wait. We?"

"Yes, of course, we. I'm going with you. I can handle horses and guns, and I'm a good shot and a good tracker. Besides. You don't know the terrain here, and I have a thing about strangers wandering around my land unaccompanied."

"Okay, point taken. But I move fast, sometimes on foot. You prepared for that? And what's your husband going to think of it?" Of course she wasn't. Whatever caused that limp wasn't going to let her keep up with him on the trail. If need be, he'd let her ride out a couple hours, and send her home when she got tired.

She shrugged, the movement tightening her shirt across generous breasts, and reminding him of the potential benefits of playing nice. "I'm prepared. We'll see if you can keep up. And I don't have a husband or boyfriend to get upset with me for going after a lion. ATVs? Or should I have the men catch up some more horses? Of course, your horses will be well cared for while we're gone."

Bingo! No significant other to worry about. Jakob let himself relax a little against the rails to work out his course of attack. "I have no doubt. But truthfully, not only are my horses trained to work with the hounds, they're rock-steady in gunfire, or with predators nearby, and they're surefooted as mountain goats.
And
they'll run your cowponies into the ground in both speed and distance."

His bold claims brought a derisive little snort. "Right. They're high-strung, better suited to the show ring than a hard trail with real horses. And what the hell is with the
mule
?"

Her question caught him by surprise. "Jack? Besides being an excellent riding animal, he's even tougher than the horses, and if all else fails, he'll kick the lion to death. He's also along for entertainment value." As if aware he was being spoken of, the long-legged mule twisted himself into an impossible contortion to bite at an itch inside his hind leg. "See?"

Kate's face lit up with her smile and took his breath away. Makeup would have marred her natural beauty. Full lips begged him to lick and nibble. "So I see. The fact remains, these animals aren't suited to this terrain."

Inspiration struck. "Wanna bet?"

The tempting smile turned into a calculating grin. "What do I get if I win?"

The urge to tell her, in explicit detail, nearly prevailed, but Jakob caught the words back in the last instant. "My Metallica CD?"

Her quick nod betrayed her relief. "And if you win?"

Jakob paused as if searching for something worthy. "You listen to my Metallica CD. With me. While we have dinner together."

Kate extended a small hand to confirm the wager, and Jakob closed his much bigger one around it. "I'd rather seal the bet with a kiss."

Thick-lashed blue eyes went wide with alarm, but she quickly regained her composure and mischief turned the corners of her lips upward.

"Miss Kate? You doing okay?" An old timer rounded the corner of the barn.

Every hint of anything more than business disappeared from her face like a switch had been flipped. "Of course, Ray." She started toward the old man, clearly expecting Jakob to follow. "Ray Johnson,
Jakob Barger. He's come because Frank couldn't."

Jakob extended his hand. Apparently it was up to him how much he wanted to tell about Uncle Frank. No use hiding it. "Ray, good to meet you. Uncle Frank spoke of you often. He passed away a couple weeks ago."

"You're little Jake? Hell boy, you could walk right under them crazy horses of his last time I saw you. I hate like hell to hear Ol' Frank's gone. He was a good man."

"Yes he was." Relief settled in. Apparently he'd passed that test too. "Ray, tell me, what do your men know about this lion? Miss Kate has told me a little."

"Join us for some coffee, Miss Kate?" The old man led the way into the cool dimness of the barn. Part of a cross-alley had been commandeered to serve as a break-slash-loafing area for the men. A pair of worn bench-style truck seats flanked a narrow table laden with a coffee pot, transistor radio—the necessities for rainy afternoons mending tack, or gathering to receive the day's orders.

Kate followed them, and dropped to a seat rather than offer to take the female role and pour coffee. With a hidden grin, Jakob ignored his own inclination to be polite, and sat beside her. The way his size dwarfed her on the old narrow seat was impossible to ignore, though, and sent all sorts of scenarios racing through his mind. Combined with the way she caught her lower lip between her teeth when she didn't know he was looking, he'd be lucky to manage not to shoot his foot off.

Ray passed him a Styrofoam cup filled with muddy looking sludge that might or might not be coffee. A horse kicked at its stall down the alley and the old man frowned. "Miss Kate, will you come look at the bay with me?"

"The bay? What's wrong with him?" Her genuine surprise made Jakob take a closer look at the old man, but the wizened face gave nothing away.

Kate hurried down the alley, anxious to see about the horse even if it did hate her. She needed to get the hunt talk out of the way and make her own intentions clear, but that would wait for a sick horse any day.

A glance in the stall door showed the horse contentedly munching his hay. "Ray, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong."

The old foreman sighed. "No, there isn't, Miss Kate. Leastways not with the horse. That boy there has a look in his eye I don't like. I don't want you going. Send one of the boys instead."

Kate drew a deep slow breath through her nostrils to keep from cursing. Of all the people she might expect something like that from, Ray was probably the last. "What do you mean, a look in his eye?"

"You going to make me say it? Dammit, Kate, the boy is a tom cat on the prowl. You don't need to be around that kind of thing."

Shock froze her for an instant. "What?"

Ray shook his head. "I wish your daddy was here, but since he ain't, I have to look out for you. That boy is the kind good girls cry over. He wants nothing but to take advantage of a girl like you, Kate. You can't go on this hunt."

It was only when the tang of blood registered that Kate realized how hard she'd bitten her lip in an effort to stay quiet through her fury. "Ray, I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened. But for your information, I might just
want
to be taken advantage of for a change." Spinning on her heel wasn't a great idea, ever, but nearly ended with her in a pile on the ground in that moment.

Recovered, she stomped back to the cross alley and flung herself onto the seat at Jakob's side again. Nosy old bastard. As if the state of her virtue was any of his business.

"Problem?" The firm line of Jakob's mouth commanded all her attention for a moment and left her glad to be sitting. Otherwise, her knees would have dropped her right at his feet.

Kate forced a rueful smile. "Just a misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about." If only it were that simple. Ray, and likely the rest of the crew, considered her one of
those
girls, unmarriageable, unworthy, unable, un-fucking-anything. And no doubt Jakob put her in that category too, and his seeming interest was only fleeting, and only because she happened to be female. Every ounce of her willpower focused on pushing back the heartrending despair that threatened to envelope her. She had no time for that shit.

At least Ray was smart enough not to follow her directly back to the cross-alley. He would have regretted it, for sure.

"Hey," the gentle pressure of Jakob's finger on her jaw insisted she look at him, "You okay?"

Of course, he
would
catch her in a moment of weakness. It simply confirmed Ray's suspicion he was a 'tom cat', a man who wanted nothing more than lots of sex with lots of different women. That sort always knew when and how to be sweet and get past a woman's guard.

He trailed that soft touch along her jaw and down her neck, raising the temperature to all sorts of illegal heights. "Tell me. I'm betting it involves me, and some of those interesting things I'd like to show you."

The truth bolted from her throat and blew through the gates of her lips to prove her foolishness. "He thinks I can't handle myself."

He tilted his head a little. "And can you?" The finger continued to stroke the column of her neck.

Again, the truth ran away from her, while her mind was occupied with the various ideas his finger inspired. "Sometimes I don't know." And why the hell didn't she just tell him to keep his scorching fingers to himself, anyway? When she thought to do so, her mouth betrayed her and refused to utter the words. She just couldn't win.

He gave a little wink that flipped her stomach and made matters worse.
And
he took his finger away and deprived her of that fascinating sensation. "I think you can."

The words didn't make up for the loss, but thankfully Ray chose that moment to return and saved her from having to answer. Would have been impossible anyway with her heart pounding in her throat.

Even as he nodded to acknowledge Ray, Jakob refused to move out of her personal space. One thing for sure, the man had nerves of steel even with Ray staring him down like some angry god from an ancient civilization. "Tell me what you know about this lion."

Ray's heavy scowl spoke volumes but Jakob continued to ignore it, and asked questions about what they'd found. Ray finally seemed to resign himself to his lack of control and began to speak in more than monosyllables.

With Jakob only inches away, his scent quickly overwhelmed Kate again, leaving her unable to stay focused on whatever was being said. Over the next hour, Jakob and Ray discussed the predator and its known habits, while Kate tried in vain to keep up and Ray ignored her. Of course, in all fairness, she couldn't blame him, since she'd essentially told him to go fly a kite.

As lunch-time grew near, Brady and one of the other hands joined them, electing to sit in the battered folding metal chairs, and pointedly refusing to acknowledge Jakob's proximity to Kate, or anything else out of the ordinary. Obviously, as far as they were concerned, if he got rid of the lion issue, everything else was all good.

Eventually, Jakob seemed satisfied that he knew as much about the lion as he could learn without a face to face meeting. "Okay, I'm going to double check all my gear and animals. Miss Kate, I could use a hand if you have time." He rose and offered his hand in a casual way, is if offering assistance was purely habit, more like in-grained good manners than trying to help someone less able.

Despite her usual stubborn independence, it felt natural to place her hand in his and accept his support to stand. "I'll be glad to help. I need to get my gear ready too." Her men stared at Kate as if she'd sprouted a second head right in front of them. It took some doing but she managed not to take any of their heads off as she reminded them of some of the tasks waiting for them. You'd think the bastards had just suddenly realized she was female.

Orders given, she followed Jakob out toward his truck, trying not to let her lingering aggravation at the men effect the hours ahead. Since she intended to be in the wilderness with this man for several days, far from any kind of assistance, she needed to get to know him a little, at least. Of course she would go armed to the teeth and prepared for trouble, no matter what he did to her libido.

The risk was the same every time she, or any other woman, worked or lived in relative isolation with one or more men. The smart woman took it seriously and took sensible precautions. And Kate paid close attention.

Sorting through gear and determining how to distribute weight and bulk, and ensuring emergency materials were easily accessible took up most of the afternoon. Perhaps it would have gone more quickly if Jakob handled the task alone, but he said it was important for her to be aware of how everything was packed as well. With everything safely stashed in the big panniers and smaller packs that would be attached to the big pack saddles once they were on the horses, Jakob placed everything in the horse trailer to wait for morning.

"Ready to take care of your stuff?" He grinned and closed and locked the trailer. "I assume you have animals chosen?"

"Of course." One shoulder lifted in an offhand gesture. "Two riding horses and one pack, all experienced steady horses with plenty of bottom."

"What will they do with dogs or gunfire?"

"They'll stand. I'll bring my personal gear, of course, but is there anything else we'll need besides food? I'll have to get my stuff off the ATV."

Jakob shook his head and followed her toward the equipment shed where the ATVs she'd already had prepared waited. "You saw what I'm bringing and you know the area better."

Five minutes later, they transferred her things to another set of packs in preparation for morning. All her tack and equipment for the horses had to be inspected, since something as simple as a worn rivet could spell disaster under the kind of stress and heavy conditions they were about to face. Their lives literally depended on leather straps and brass buckles.

With that task completed, Jakob stood and pressed his knuckles into his lower back. "If you'll point me to where I can get some supper and bunk for the night, I'll make it an early night and study that topo map a little, and see if I can pin down anything about the lion."

Normally a male guest would stay at the old bunkhouse with the unmarried hands, and Kate nearly sent Jakob that way, until she noticed how early it was. "I think it's best if you take the guest room in the house. You'd never get any rest in the bunkhouse with all the comings and goings and noise." Too late, she remembered there would be no one else in the house but her. Not like it made any difference though, there wouldn't be anyone else to chaperone during the hunt.

One dark brow raised, but Jakob nodded without voicing any concerns he might have.

"As far as supper, we'll have to make do with something simple. My cook got sick a few weeks ago, and I kept hoping she'd recover enough to come back, but she hasn't. I'll have to look for a replacement when we get back." Kate walked and talked, limp nearly forgotten, because he adjusted naturally without her noticing.

In the kitchen, Kate's stomach growled, reminding her it had been a long time since the quick sandwich she'd had for lunch. The contents of the refrigerator confirmed she definitely needed to find Mandy's replacement as quickly as possible. "Hmm, this is a little embarrassing, but it might have to be cold sandwiches, from the looks of this sad fridge." Figured, a man to feed and she had nothing suitable. Hopefully he was too tired to care.

She stepped back to close the refrigerator in disgust, only to collide with a hard immoveable surface. Surprised, she stumbled and a pair of strong arms righted her quickly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Jakob's breath on the back of her neck sent a flash of heat racing over her.

Kate slipped to the side to extricate herself with a nervous laugh. "I didn't mean to run over you."

His soft laughter sent another wave of heat chasing the first. "No, I shouldn't have been right on your heels. Can I take a look?" He leaned to inspect the contents of the fridge. "Hmm, I see potential, if you'll turn your kitchen over to me for a few minutes."

Kate's turn to laugh. "If you see potential in there, be my guest, it's all yours." She lifted her hands and stepped back.

"Good." The smile he sent her way would have melted butter. "Let's make a deal then. I cook, you clean?"

"Works for me. I'd do about anything to avoid another ham sandwich."

He paused in the middle of placing items on the counter. "Anything? Even give me that kiss I nearly had earlier?" Only a faint trace of humor curved his mouth and whatever his lowered eyelids concealed, it certainly wasn't funny.

A whole flock of butterflies took to wing in her belly, and instinct made Kate try to derail the tension. "Honey, I'd kiss a buffalo for a good supper."

His eyes widened, worrying her for an instant, then he laughed. Out loud.

The sound of male laughter rumbling through her kitchen had a paradoxical effect on Kate. Rather than laugh with him, she suddenly wanted nothing so much as to kiss him.

Jakob turned back to his task, still chuckling. Kate sank to her favorite chair and watched as he concocted something, occasionally pausing to ask where to find something. She wanted to talk, to ask questions, and make plans for the hunt, but something about the way he moved kept her quiet, mesmerized.

In less than half an hour he set a steaming plate before her, with a thick grilled sandwich giving off irresistible aromas. His own plate went next, along with glasses brimming with iced tea, and a third plate filled with thick slices of fresh tomato and cucumber.

"How did you make a few leftovers and stale bread look and smell so amazing?"

"Taste it first and let me know if it's worthy of a buffalo kiss."

Kate nodded and lifted half her sandwich for a bite. Crisply grilled bread gave way to rich melted cheeses and shredded chicken, chopped mushrooms and sautéed onions. Incredible flavors exploded over her tongue and her eyes threatened to roll back in her head. "Good grief, why are you hunting lions or anything else when you can cook like this? What a waste." She dove in for another bite.

Jakob finally seemed to relax a little, as if relieved that she approved, and picked up his own sandwich. "This is nothing special. When we get back, I'll cook you a real meal to celebrate."

"Promise?"

The half hour passed far too quickly while they ate, and Kate was reluctant to leave the table and break the spell. The instant she stood, he would be reminded why he really didn't want to pursue anything with her. Eventually she would have to, though, and better sooner than before her imagination ran any further away with possibilities. Jakob stretched, reminding her he'd been tired earlier.

Kate rose and started clearing the table. "You have your map?"

"I do." He fished the folded paper from his hip pocket and spread it on the table. "Do you have a pen handy?"

Directing him to the calendar and notepad beside the door gave Kate an odd feeling of domestic intimacy. What would it be like, sharing all the little bits of her home with a man? Too bad she'd probably never find out.