Authors: Cheyenne McCray
Jessie had just started photographing the living room when a cell phone rang and she lowered her camera. She automatically put her hand to the phone she wore on a holster at her side but realized it was Zane’s as she saw him take his phone from his own holster on his belt and he answer it.
His expression hardened as he listened to the caller. “I’ll take care of it,” Zane said and pressed the off button before re-holstering his phone. He looked at Jessie. “I need to leave to deal with a couple of hunters trespassing on my land.”
“Can I go with you?” She let her camera hang from its strap around her neck and hitched the backpack up on her shoulder. “I’d love an opportunity to get a look at some of the scenery.”
He paused for a moment then gave a nod. “Come on.”
This time his stride was long and she had to double her steps to keep up with him as they headed outside to the big black Ford truck she had parked next to.
She hurried to the passenger side but he was there before her. He opened the door and she stepped up on the running board then climbed inside before he shut the door behind her.
He got in on the driver’s side and put the key in the ignition and started it. The truck roared to life and he backed up then headed over the cattle guard and under the sign with the Bar C Ranch’s name and brand. His presence was so powerful that she found it hard not to be completely aware of him. She glanced at his profile and almost forgot that he was hands-off.
Damn.
As she studied him, his gaze met hers for a brief moment and she felt the power of some kind of connection between them. Her heart beat faster and she felt a tingling sensation all the way to her belly. A muscle ticked in his jaw before he moved his gaze back to the road.
She took a deep breath and tried to shake off the incredible attraction she had for Zane Cameron.
Once she turned her attention to the scenery, she was again impressed by the canopy of dark green oaks that contrasted against the expanse of golden grass. Here and there were pockets cottonwood trees and a few massive sycamores.
“This country is amazing,” she said. “An outdoor photographer’s dream.”
“I grew up here and I never get tired of it.” He glanced over at her as he drove. “Most visitors here, including Arizona natives from other parts of the state, can’t believe they’re in Arizona. Had a guy from Santa Barbara out here and he couldn’t believe how much it looked like the area he was from.”
“The expanse of grass of the San Rafael Valley and the surrounding green hills is just beautiful,” she said.
“Most people are surprised to learn that the musical
Oklahoma
was filmed right here in the valley,” he said.
“I never would have guessed that.” She raised her brows. “Parts of the grass valley look like how I would picture the Midwest plains back in the day.”
She was in love with the country. So peaceful, so quiet, so stunning.
It wasn’t long before they paused in front of a barbed wire fence with an open gate and a cattle guard. She looked at Zane.
“The ‘No Hunting’ signs have been taken down.” He shook his head. “I’ll have to get one of the men out here to take care of it.”
Zane drove on and they came up on an old red truck parked in the shade of a group of tall oaks but no one was in sight. Up ahead was a stock tank and water tower.
She glanced at Zane again to see him frowning. He parked then opened his truck door and climbed out. She hurried out her side, her camera strap securely around her neck and she hopped onto the dry ground.
As soon as she was out of the truck she took in their surroundings, picking out what she felt would be the best shots in the beautiful scenery. She took a deep breath of the clean air and let it fill her entire being as she closed her eyes. She let all tension leave her body as she connected with the land.
“It’s wonderful here.” She opened her eyes and looked at Zane who was staring in one direction.
“Let’s go this way. I can see some tracks leading up the road in this direction. We’ll try and stay in the open and visible,” he said as he looked over his shoulder at her. “The last thing you want is to get shot by mistake.”
“Gotcha.” She made sure she followed him and stayed out from behind the occasional oak tree or bush. “What’s in season this time of year?”
“Whitetail called Coues deer.” He paused and she almost ran into him as he gave a nod in the direction they had been walking. “Over there.”
She peered past him and spotted two men, one wearing a cap, and another in a brown cowboy hat, walking toward them.
A flash of irritation caused Zane’s gut to burn. The men should have stopped by the ranch to ask permission to shoot on his land. It was the proper thing to do, but then the signs were down.
“How do you do?” one of the two men said as they met up and the man held out his hand. “I’m Bud Harper and this is Joe Cullman.” Bud was tall, but Zane still had a good three inches on him. Joe was a little shorter and stockier.
“Zane Cameron.” He took Bud’s hand and shook it before taking Joe’s and releasing it. “Did you know you’re trespassing on private land?” Zane’s tone kept his tone even, not showing any anger. “There’s no hunting on this part of the ranch.”
Joe pushed up his ball cap. “This your land?”
Bud glanced around. “We’re sorry. We’ve been real careful to not trespass. We didn’t see any signs.”
“I own the Bar C.” Zane gave a nod. “We’re pretty welcoming to hunters, but we want to keep them out of this area of the ranch this year. Someone has taken down the signs and we’ll be fixing that.” He pointed toward the west. “If you take the dirt road another mile and a half, there’s a sign that says Jones’ Mesa. I’ve seen plenty of deer in that area and there are some great places to glass from and see a lot of country,” he said. “Just do me a favor and go under the fences if you can rather than climb over them. Hunters damage a lot of fences. It’s the only gripe I really have about you guys.”
“Sure thing. We understand. We’ll head on over there.” Bud moved his gaze from the direction Zane had pointed to and looked at Zane again. “Much obliged.”
Zane gave a nod and then Bud and Joe headed back to the beat-up red pickup, climbed in with Bud on the driver’s side. The truck gave a rusted hiccup and then rumbled as Bud started it.
He noticed Jessie photographing the truck as the men left. She lowered her camera and looked at Zane. “You were pretty nice to those guys.”
He rested his hand on the hood of his truck. “Nothin’ wrong with a little hunting as long as it is in the right area and as long as they respect things.”
“What does ‘to glass from’ mean?” she asked. “That’s a term I’ve never heard before.”
“Hunters use binoculars and spotting scopes to search the country for deer,” Zane said. “It’s called glassing. When they see deer through the binoculars, they stalk them.”
“That’s interesting,” she said. “So what’s next for a day in the life of a cowboy?” Her smile caused a stirring in his gut. “After chasing off hunters and all.”
He studied her and it felt as if there was a war going on in his chest. “While we’re out here I can give you a little more of a tour of the Bar C.” Something about Jessie made him want to spend as much time as possible with her.
Not a good idea, Cameron.
He mentally chided himself.
Run fast and run now.
“Sure.” She smiled. “I’d love that.” She pointed in the direction of the fence line. “I saw a group of some kind of cool looking feathery looking plants over there that I’d like to photograph on the other side of the fence.”
He gave a nod then watched her as she walked away from him. She had a cute little ass and gentle curves that were made for a man’s hands to caress. And those long legs that weren’t covered by her shorts. They were enough to make a man’s mouth water.
Damn.
Jessie reached the barbed wire fence. He watched as she carefully grabbed a top strand between barbs and then did the same with her feet so that she was standing on the bottom strand and balancing as she took pictures.
Concerned that she might fall, he moved closer to her. Before he reached her, she lowered the camera and let it hang on the strap around her neck. She started to climb back down when he heard a ripping sound and then a curse.
He reached her and put his hand on her shoulder. “You okay?” he asked just as he looked down and saw that she’d shredded her T-shirt on the barbed wire.
His mouth went dry as he got a good look at her bare breast and the pert nipple. He swallowed and met her gaze.
Her cheeks had gone red hot and she held her T-shirt over her breast the best she could. “So much for this thing,” she said, trying to make light of an embarrassing situation.
“We’ll get you back to the house and you can wear one of my clean shirts.” His touch set her on fire as he took her arm and she stepped down from the fence with his aid. “For now you can wear this one.”
He released her then unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. Her jaw almost dropped as she got a good look at his tanned physique and the powerful play of muscles in his chest and arms.
If he wasn’t about to be married she would have jumped him in two seconds flat.
“Thanks,” she said as she took the shirt from him and smiled.
He helped her slip into the shirt as she fought to keep the scrap of cloth over her breast. His shirt had his scent, warm and masculine, and she found herself inhaling and savoring it.
Once the shirt was on, they walked back to his truck and he helped her into the cab. She kept her hand firmly over the tear as he shut the door behind her.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck before glancing over at her. “Need a little help with that?” he said in a teasing voice.
“I think I’ve got it.” Her cheeks had cooled but threatened to heat up again. “What happens on Cameron property stays on Cameron property, right?”
He laughed. “No problem.”
Chapter 2
They were still laughing when they reached the ranch house. Despite being embarrassed by Zane having seen her naked breast, she’d found it easy to put that aside and instead to enjoy his company.
Yet there was an undercurrent between them. Something almost sexual and strong. Something that could get them both into trouble.
And the fact that he was shirtless, thanks to loaning her his shirt, wasn’t helping her get her mind off of what it would feel like to touch him. To lick his body from head to toe.
Down, girl.
When he parked, she tucked her camera into her backpack then swung it over her shoulder. Before she could open the door herself, he opened it for her then helped her climb out. His palm felt warm on her arm through the fabric of his shirt that she was wearing.
“Next time maybe you should avoid barbed wire. Not standing on fences goes for photographers too. You should have listened to me.” Zane laughed. “See what you get?” He gave her a grin as he looked down at her. “There are gates that might be a little easier to get through.”
She gave him a sheepish look. “I suppose that’s true but you don’t have to rub it in.” She stuck her lower lip out in a playful pout.
He grinned and took her backpack from her despite her protests. “We should probably get inside before anyone sees us,” she said. “You with no shirt, and me wearing it, can’t possibly look good.”
“Too late.” The laughter had faded from his voice and her skin prickled as she looked toward the house.
A beautiful, petite blonde woman wearing a pink blouse and designer blue jeans stood in front of the house. Her blonde hair hung to her shoulders in smooth, shining curls. Next to her was a tall cowboy whose hat shadowed his eyes.
The cowboy was looking at them with clear amusement. The blonde was not.
By the furious expression on the woman’s face, and the way she was glaring at Jessie, she was pretty sure the woman was Zane’s fiancée.
“How dare you.” The woman’s face had flushed red. “You were off somewhere with this—this
woman
?”
Zane’s expression went hard and he started to speak but Jessie hurried to say, “It’s really not what you think.”
“Shut up, bitch.” The woman’s eyes sparked with fury as she spouted venom at Jessie.
Jessie reeled back, feeling as if she’d been slapped. How dare the woman call her a bitch? If Zane hadn’t been there, she might have put the witch in her place.
“Phoebe.” Zane kept his voice low and controlled. “Jessie tore her shirt on some barbed wire. I loaned her mine to cover herself up.”
The woman put her hands on her slim hips, the snarl on her features taking away from her beauty. “How convenient.”
The woman might be spitting mad, but the cowboy on the porch looked like he was holding back a fit of laughter.
“Phoebe.” Zane’s voice was harder now. “You need to calm down.”
“Calm down?” She stomped her foot. “I’ll show you calm down.”
“This ought to be good,” the cowboy on the porch said, just loud enough for Jessie to hear.
The woman raised her hand and Jessie saw the flash of metal. Her heart leaped and then Phoebe threw something at Zane—and missed. Jessie looked at the dirt and saw that she had thrown a pie tin filled with brownies, the brownies now scattered all over the ground.
She was amazed at how cool Zane appeared to be while the woman in front of him was livid.
“Where’s Phoebe’s car, Wyatt?” he asked the cowboy on the porch.
Wyatt gave a nod toward the barn. “Joe is detailing it now.”
Phoebe marched down the steps and straight up to Zane. “How dare you?” she said again and raised her hand.
He caught her wrist before she could slap him. “That’s enough.” This time Jessie could hear the anger in his voice. “Why don’t you go home and we’ll talk about this later.”
“You bet I’m going home.” She jerked her wrist away from him. “I’ve had enough.” She glared at Jessie before she marched toward the barn, her hands clenched at her sides. “Enjoy the brownies I made you,” she said over her shoulder.