her chest and fought to suppress it before it crossed her lips. Unable to resist the pull, she opened her eyes and was caught in the swirl of sensuous heat promised in those stormy eyes. She knew she was lost when her rebellious imagination conjured the feel of his fingers warm on her skin, caressing, arousing. Breaking eye contact, she looked around frantically, hoping no one else had noticed what was happening between them.
• • •
“Kara.” He started toward her slowly, his hand out, worried about how pale she had become, afraid she might fall from her horse. The shallow, rapid rising of her chest, and her eyes, wild with fear, had him worried.
Hawke was amazed at her response. Lord, if she responded so strongly without him even touching her, he could only imagine the fire and passion when he held her in his arms.
If he weren’t careful, every cowboy out there would know exactly what he was thinking. Feeling his growing arousal, he groaned, struggled for control, but all his traitorous body wanted to do was drag her from the back of her horse and taste the passion he felt. Looking away, he saw Joe across the pen, and the thought of being thrown to the ground, tied up, and castrated like one of the calves did much to ease his arousal.
He reached up and placed a hand over hers. He could feel her trembling, even through the heavy leather glove.
“No!” She cried, jerking her hand back. Throwing her leg back over her saddle horn, she pulled back on the reins, causing the gelding to throw his head up, almost knocking Hawke down. Jumping to the side, he tried to grab the reins to stop the horse and calm her down. Her face had gone from white to red and her eyes snapped in anger as she looked at him.
“No, I won’t.” He heard her say softly, the tension in her voice palpable. “I won’t.” He tried again to grab the reins and stop her as she turned the horse, but he couldn’t get a grip. The horse spun quickly away from the pens as Kara spurred him into a gallop.
Hawke headed for his horse determined to stop her, but was stopped by Joe.
“Leave her be, yer lordship.” Hawke could see the man’s clenched fists. He wasn’t sure if Joe was going to take a swing at him but concern about Kara overrode concern about his own safety.
“She needs the likes of you to leave her alone. You’re too worldly for a girl like her. You’ll just break her heart. Why are you trying to dally with her feelings?” Joe leveled him with an accusing stare daring him to say otherwise. “You’ll just leave, and she don’t need to know what it feels like to have someone break her heart.” Anger darkened the foreman’s face. “I think I better let Case know what happened here. Let him know you were panting after Kara like a bull in a breeding pen.”
“I don’t want to hurt her. I … we just need to talk.” Hawke tried to reason with the older man. “I’m not completely sure what just happened. I know we both felt something neither one of us understand or are ready to deal with. I want to make sure she’s all right, and that she makes it back to the house safely.”
“Don’t you worry ’bout that none.” A wad of tobacco juice landed next to his boots. “She can find her way home blindfolded in the middle of the night. She won’t do anything to hurt that horse of hers neither. She’ll run him out for a bit, slow down, and then amble on home. You let her father and Consuelo take care of her. She don’t need the likes of you upsetting her more.”
Grumbling about interferin’ foreigners, he turned and yelled at the men in the pen.
Hawke was taken aback at the boldness of the man. It truly was a different world out here. The only person who had ever talked to him that way was his father. He knew he had told Alec that titles didn’t matter out here, and he’d just had it proven to him. He watched Joe mount his horse, and continue to direct the other men to put out the branding fire, and turn the cattle
• • •
“Kara.” He started toward her slowly, his hand out, worried about how pale she had become, afraid she might fall from her horse. The shallow, rapid rising of her chest, and her eyes, wild with fear, had him worried.
Hawke was amazed at her response. Lord, if she responded so strongly without him even touching her, he could only imagine the fire and passion when he held her in his arms.
If he weren’t careful, every cowboy out there would know exactly what he was thinking. Feeling his growing arousal, he groaned, struggled for control, but all his traitorous body wanted to do was drag her from the back of her horse and taste the passion he felt. Looking away, he saw Joe across the pen, and the thought of being thrown to the ground, tied up, and castrated like one of the calves did much to ease his arousal.
He reached up and placed a hand over hers. He could feel her trembling, even through the heavy leather glove.
“No!” She cried, jerking her hand back. Throwing her leg back over her saddle horn, she pulled back on the reins, causing the gelding to throw his head up, almost knocking Hawke down. Jumping to the side, he tried to grab the reins to stop the horse and calm her down. Her face had gone from white to red and her eyes snapped in anger as she looked at him.
“No, I won’t.” He heard her say softly, the tension in her voice palpable. “I won’t.” He tried again to grab the reins and stop her as she turned the horse, but he couldn’t get a grip. The horse spun quickly away from the pens as Kara spurred him into a gallop.
Hawke headed for his horse determined to stop her, but was stopped by Joe.
“Leave her be, yer lordship.” Hawke could see the man’s clenched fists. He wasn’t sure if Joe was going to take a swing at him but concern about Kara overrode concern about his own safety.
“She needs the likes of you to leave her alone. You’re too worldly for a girl like her. You’ll just break her heart. Why are you trying to dally with her feelings?” Joe leveled him with an accusing stare daring him to say otherwise. “You’ll just leave, and she don’t need to know what it feels like to have someone break her heart.” Anger darkened the foreman’s face. “I think I better let Case know what happened here. Let him know you were panting after Kara like a bull in a breeding pen.”
“I don’t want to hurt her. I … we just need to talk.” Hawke tried to reason with the older man. “I’m not completely sure what just happened. I know we both felt something neither one of us understand or are ready to deal with. I want to make sure she’s all right, and that she makes it back to the house safely.”
“Don’t you worry ’bout that none.” A wad of tobacco juice landed next to his boots. “She can find her way home blindfolded in the middle of the night. She won’t do anything to hurt that horse of hers neither. She’ll run him out for a bit, slow down, and then amble on home. You let her father and Consuelo take care of her. She don’t need the likes of you upsetting her more.”
Grumbling about interferin’ foreigners, he turned and yelled at the men in the pen.
Hawke was taken aback at the boldness of the man. It truly was a different world out here. The only person who had ever talked to him that way was his father. He knew he had told Alec that titles didn’t matter out here, and he’d just had it proven to him. He watched Joe mount his horse, and continue to direct the other men to put out the branding fire, and turn the cattle
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