Authors: Barbara Elsborg
“Matt Dunn and Paul Kenyon,” said a voice at his ear.
Calum turned to look at the last two guests. The smirk on their faces made Calum suspect he’d been caught ogling Mr. Smooth. These two Americans were big guys in their thirties. Calum mentally picked out their horses.
“Calum Neilson. Welcome to Jackson Hole.”
The guests started to talk to each other, but the English guy stood apart, staring in another direction as if he wished he were someplace else. He looked as though he was off to a business conference, not a riding vacation. Tailored pants, dress shirt and that fucking dark blue tie. Except there was something about the way he dressed that turned Calum on big time. He gulped.
“What the hell are we going to do with all this luggage?” Pete scratched his head.
“We didn’t bring anything we didn’t need,” said the blonde woman.
Calum tore his gaze from dangerous temptation and concentrated on the pair of chattering women in front of him. “You’re Janie and Melissa. Janie’s the blonde, right?”
The blonde beamed at Calum. “How did you guess?”
Lucky guess.
“Intuition,” Calum said. He’d once fucked a blonde Janie. “Pleased to meet you. And you, Melissa.”
Melissa held his hand too long. Calum pulled away.
“I’m so looking forward to this,” Melissa said, staring straight at him.
In the periphery of his vision, Calum noticed the English guy heading in their direction.
“Jasper Randolph.” He held out his hand. “How do you do?”
“Hi.” Calum barely let their hands collide before he pulled away. Even then, his stomach knotted into a tight ball. He saw the guy blink in confusion at the curt welcome.
Shit, I’m a dickhead.
“Welcome to Jackson Hole,” Calum said in a loud voice before he remembered he’d already said that. “Transport’s in the parking lot if you’d like to follow us.”
Pete spoke with the newlyweds as they walked out into the sunshine. Calum put his hat back on, tugged down on the brim and stalked off, yelling at his brainless dick. Not only did the guy’s looks tick every box, his accent just about made Calum come in his pants. But he wasn’t going to do this. It wasn’t what he wanted.
Yeah, well, if he kept telling himself that maybe one day he’d believe it. Still, he shouldn’t do anything to rock the boat with his dad. He’d spent too long getting the damn thing to float more or less level. No way was he getting involved with Jasper Randolph.
No, no, no.
Yes, yes, yes
, said his cock.
It quickly became clear there was no way the luggage would fit as well as the passengers. Just as well Calum had brought the SUV to Jackson to pick up supplies. He could take some of the bags.
“You sure you ladies brought enough?” Pete stacked two suitcases on the front seat of his vehicle and then lifted another from Calum’s hand. “Looks like you’re planning on moving in.” He nodded toward the Englishman standing with a pristine navy blue suitcase and leather bag. “Calum, you’re going to have to take him with you.”
It flittered through Calum’s head to object, but if he made fuss, it would look rude. He was damn sure Pete had done this deliberately. Calum could have taken the excess luggage and let Jasper ride with the other guests, but that would mean unpacking and Jasper would think he had some problem transporting him. He did.
Jasper turned in his direction and gave him a tentative smile and Calum’s dick grinned back.
Oh fuck.
“Over here,” Calum muttered to Trouble with a capital T and strode down the line of parked vehicles to a battered SUV.
“Porsche in for a service?” Jasper asked.
Calum stumbled to a halt. Was that a joke? “Watch out for—” Too late.
As Jasper opened the passenger door, Bessie leapt off the floorboards and her paws hit his chest. The dog knocked the guy backward, sending him staggering into the vehicle parked alongside. As he tried to get his balance, Bessie barked and jumped up at him.
“Down, Bessie,” Calum snapped. “She won’t hurt you.” He picked up Jasper’s case and slung it on top of the boxes in the back of the SUV, then slotted the expensive-looking leather carryon into a gap between bags of feed.
When he looked back, Bessie had her teeth in the bottom of Jasper’s pants, growling as she tugged at the material.
Calum frowned. This wasn’t like her. “Bessie, cut it out.”
Jasper twisted free and jumped into the car. The dog followed and stuffed herself into the foot well, glaring up at Jasper. As Calum climbed in the other side, there was a loud doggie rumble followed by a human yelp. “Ouch.”
“Did she bite you?”
Oh God.
“Bessie, what the hell’s the matter with you?”
The dog sat up, rested its chin on the seat between Jasper’s legs and bared her teeth. Jasper stayed absolutely motionless.
“Tell me you’ve fed her today,” Jasper said.
“Christ.” Calum got out and walked round to Jasper’s door. “Out,” he snapped.
Jasper pulled himself up.
“Not you. Bessie, get out.”
The dog jumped down and Calum opened a rear door and put her between two boxes. He climbed back in the front and sighed. “I’m sorry. She’s never been this aggressive before. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Jasper lifted the leg of his pants and looked at his ankle.
Fuck it. Is that blood?
“She’s broken the skin? Oh shit. Do you want to go to the doc?”
The guy laughed. “It’s just a scratch. Only…”
“What?”
“I’m assuming she doesn’t have rabies.”
Calum shuddered. “I hope not. I’ve had her since she was a pup.”
“Australian cattle dog.”
Calum gave a surprised laugh. “Yeah, she is. And she’s usually docile with most people—maybe she sensed you’re afraid of dogs.”
“I’m not scared of dogs,” Jasper snapped and then sighed. “She was being protective. It’s fine.”
He closed his eyes and rested his head against the window. Almost before Calum had pulled out of the airport, soft snores were coming from his passenger.
What the fuck had made Bessie nip him? Calum gave a little smile because he was kind of jealous. Biting this uptight dude sounded like fun. Then he frowned. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking that way. In any case, what would a polished guy like Jasper see in a rough cowboy like him? Calum didn’t own a pair of pants that weren’t jeans. His natural odor was horse sweat and…dirt, not the fragrant kind. He didn’t manage to keep a shirt clean longer than an hour and his body was scarred and battered.
Calum glanced at Jasper again. He could have come straight from the office. A tie, for Christ’s sake? But that shadow of stubble on his chin and cheeks, those soft-looking lips, the dark hair, the thick black eyelashes that were longer than any he’d ever seen, and those fucking huge brown eyes—this guy had Calum swallowing hard.
Jasper’s hands lay across his crotch. His fingers were long and slender. Clean, neat nails. Large unblemished hands. Office worker’s hands. He’d wreck them if he didn’t wear gloves. Even holding the reins would give him calluses. Seemed a shame. Calum sighed. That wasn’t what he was really thinking. He was imagining those hands stroking him, soft fingers trailing down his spine, sweeping over his hips to wrap around his cock, long fingers sliding into his asshole.
Christ, now I’ve got a boner.
Good thing the guy was asleep.
Jasper hoped he was managing a realistic impression of a guy asleep. He kept his hands relaxed on top of his cock, willing it to stay flaccid. Mind over matter, but it was a struggle. As often as he might tell himself the purpose of this holiday was to unwind into a guy who could enjoy life, the thought that he might meet a cowboy he could unwind into, one he could get down and dirty with, had been there as well.
That bloody dog knew what he was thinking. Australian cattle dogs weren’t an aggressive breed, but very protective of their owners. They nipped at the heels of cattle to herd them. So in nipping at Jasper, Bessie was establishing both her ownership of Calum and the pecking order in any potential relationship.
The message was clear.
Hands off. He’s mine.
Yeah, well Jasper didn’t even know whether Calum was gay, straight or bi. Not that it mattered. He’d do what he always did, fall in lust with someone who was either unobtainable or uninterested, and jack off while he thought about them.
Jasper jolted awake when the SUV came to a stop. What had started as pretence had turned into him sleeping for—he checked his watch—over an hour.
Fuck, I hope I didn’t snore for real. Or dribble.
He stretched his legs and blinked.
“Reckon you needed that,” Calum said.
Jasper yawned. “I’ve been traveling for over twenty-four hours.” His ears still rang with fatigue.
“It’s a long way to come. Hope you enjoy your stay. Just join the others up at the ranch for the welcome.”
Calum climbed out, opened the back door for Bessie to jump out and walked off.
Well fuck you too.
Jasper tore his gaze from Calum’s tight backside and exited the vehicle. On that side of the SUV, a line of mountains stretched as far as he could see, snow dusting the peaks, the rocks below running though a kaleidoscope of colors down to smoky green foothills and a river. The sky was the most intense blue Jasper had ever seen, rather like Calum’s ocean eyes. No washed-out English gray overhead, but miles of bright sky and not a cloud in sight. He took a deep breath and sighed. Mountain air would do him good. Lusting after a guy he couldn’t—shouldn’t—have would do him no good at all.
Jasper turned in a circle. Mountains rose on either side, with the ranch nestling in a long undulating valley between. The main building was a sprawling wooden structure with a wraparound porch that looked like an overgrown alpine chalet, and Jasper felt a pang of disappointment it wasn’t some beaten-up shack with creaking shutters and a hitching post. Then he smiled at the thought of his reaction if it had been. He already knew this place had a gym, a pool and a hot tub. He intended to use all three. Jasper took another deep breath. Maybe he wouldn’t even need his inhaler. The air smelt fresh and clean with the tangy scent of pine and sage.
When he heard snuffling around his feet, Jasper looked down to see Bessie tentatively wagging her tail.
“So you’re sorry now?” He bent and extended his hand. “I know he’s yours, but a guy can look, can’t he?”
The dog allowed him to tickle her behind the ears and a moment later lay on her back so he could stroke her belly. Jasper smiled. Animals were easy in comparison to humans.
“Hey! Got time to join us?”
Suspecting that had been aimed at him, Jasper turned to see the rest of the guests milling at the bottom of the steps leading up to the ranch. A tall, gray-haired guy in his mid-fifties stood at the top. He frowned as he beckoned to Jasper.
Great, I’m in trouble already.
Jasper reached for his luggage and tagged on at the back of the group, Bessie at his heels, wagging her tail hard enough to raise bruises. Jasper wished he knew what she was thinking. What had happened on the way to the ranch? Had Calum told her that he fancied—
for fuck’s sake
.
“Welcome to the Neilson Ranch,” said the guy on the steps. “My name’s Erik Neilson. You already met my son Calum and my ranch manager Pete at the airport. But these two beauties by my side are the heart of this operation. My wife Vera and our lovely daughter Angie.”
One step below Erik, a pretty girl in her early twenties with long blonde hair thrust her arm in the air and waved. A woman with a kind smile stood at her side. There was something not right about the girl, though Jasper wasn’t sure what.
“In a moment you’ll be shown to your rooms. Only a few rules. First, no wandering off the ranch on your own without telling someone. Easy to get lost around here and there are wild animals always on the lookout for an easy meal. Including bears and mountain lions. Second, remember this is a working ranch so the needs of our cattle and horses come first, but if there’s something particular you want to do, tell me. If I can make it happen, I will. This is your vacation and we aim to please. We want you to forget your troubles and enjoy yourself.”
Jasper found his gaze wandering toward Calum, and when the guy quickly looked away, he wondered if Calum had been looking at him. Could he be gay? That was the problem with not fancying guys who were obviously that way inclined. It was much harder to trust his gaydar. Jasper tuned back in.
Erik’s gaze seemed directed at him and Jasper shuffled in discomfort.
Shit, did I miss anything important?
Or had Erik seen him staring at his son?
“When you’ve settled, we have drinks and snacks ready in the lounge. Dinner is at seven. One final thing. Our horses don’t spook at gunfire, but they sure don’t like to hear cell phones playing some crazy tune. It your phone rings while you’re out on a ride, expect to eat some dust. These are working stock horses and not particular about their manners. If you persist in talking on your cell phone while you’re riding, you might find one of the wranglers will shoot it out of your hand. Better hope you don’t have it pressed against your ear at the time.” He flashed a toothy smile.