Cowboy Unwrapped

“Finn’s not the only one who’s done that kind of thing,” Rosie said. “One of my boys is out in LA right this minute trying to make it as an actor.”

“Oh, yeah?” Phil looked over at her. “Who’s that?”

“Matt Forrest.”

“I remember him from high school!” Amethyst put down her mug and stared at Rosie. “He was a skinny kid one year behind me.”

“Well, he’s not skinny anymore,” Rosie said. “Got a growth spurt, filled out, took some acting classes at the community college. Then he headed to LA. He’s been there almost three years now. Like you’d expect, he’s had to wait tables and take jobs making commercials. He had one bit part in a small-budget movie and I guess somebody from a major studio liked what they saw. The other day he called to say he was up for something much bigger.”

“Wow, I hope he gets it. He seemed like a nice guy the few times I was around him.” Amethyst cradled her mug in both hands as she imagined buying a one-way plane ticket to LA or New York and toughing it out for three years. She just didn’t like the odds. “What I’m hoping is that I’ll have some talent scouts in the audience one of these times. Entertainment folks often vacation in Wyoming.”

“They do,” Phil said. “They even buy homes here. Damon and I have done some renovations for some Hollywood types. Behind-the-camera people, not anyone you’d recognize.”

“I’ve had some celebrity spottings in Seattle,” Chelsea said. “It’s always a thrill.”

After that the conversation turned to actors, movies and which ones might win an Oscar, but Amethyst kept thinking about Matt Forrest. Maybe she was making a big mistake by not relocating to LA and hiring an agent. New York seemed like a different country to her, but LA wasn’t that far from Wyoming.

“Sleigh’s ready!” Cade came into the kitchen grinning. “Come on down!”

Amethyst glanced at him. “So where’s Jake?”

“He’s still fiddling with it, but Damon has declared it operational and Finn’s hitching up Navarre.”

“Then let’s go take a look.” Phil groaned as she rose from her chair. “At times like this I wish the stork brought the kid, after all.”

Cade helped her on with her coat. “Aw, Phil, last I heard you loved being pregnant.”

“That was last month. I’ve revised my opinion.”

Once they were all bundled up, they walked down to the barn. Finn was hitching a brown horse to a sleigh that Amethyst thought didn’t look half-bad. The rack Jake had been holding in place when they’d pulled in was gone and the dust and grime had been wiped away. If the sleigh didn’t exactly sparkle, at least it looked clean.

Blankets had been piled onto the seat and allowed to spill over the edges, which covered some of the more faded parts of the chassis. Damon and Jake crouched near the back, each with a screwdriver as they tightened the struts attached to the runners.

Damon stood as they approached. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”

“It’s a huge improvement.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for all the hard work.”

“It didn’t take much to make it serviceable. Making it pretty will require a lot longer.”

“But we’ll do it,” Cade said. “Before we’re finished you won’t recognize this sleigh.”

“We could put the Academy students to work on it,” Rosie said. “That’s if Damon or Phil would be willing to supervise.”

“What a brilliant idea!” Phil beamed at her. “I volunteer to supervise. I’m going crazy sitting at home while Damon does all the fun stuff.”

Damon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she is. Great suggestion, Rosie.” Then he turned back to the sleigh. “Your passenger has arrived, Ramsey. The runners are fine for now.”

“Just making sure of that. Don’t want us taking a header into a snowbank.”

“You won’t if you drive slow and easy.”

Cade laughed. “You don’t have to worry about it. Enter the word cautious into your browser and Fireman Jake will be staring back at you.”

“Okay, okay. I get the point.” Jake stood and walked over to Damon. “Here’s your screwdriver, bro. Thanks for stepping in.” Then he turned to Amethyst. “Ready?”

“You bet.” She let him hand her into the sleigh while everyone stood around watching. She had the oddest feeling, as if they were a newly married couple leaving on their honeymoon. To her great surprise, she wasn’t horrified by the image.

When he walked around the sleigh, climbed in next to her and took the reins, the feeling grew stronger. This was only a sleigh ride, she reminded herself. They’d be back in an hour or so.

“Have fun!” Rosie called out as Jake slapped the reins against the horse’s rump and the sleigh began to move.

“We will!” Amethyst turned and waved, and they all waved back. She waited until they’d gone through the pasture gate and were far enough away that no one could hear before she spoke. Even then she kept her voice down. “Just so you know, we can’t have sex on this sleigh ride.”

He chuckled. “Is that so?” He kept his eyes on the path ahead. “Why not?”

She forced herself to resist that sexy chuckle. And the way his gloved hands on the reins reminded her of how he’d touched her last summer. “I’m not going right home afterward. Phil suggested I stay for the Christmas Eve celebration.”

“That’s great, but what does it have to do with anything?”

“If we have sex, I’ll get all rumpled and kissed-looking. I’ll have no way to repair the damage. When I walk back into the ranch house, everyone in your family will know what we’ve been doing.”

“And you’d be embarrassed. I get that.”

She sighed in relief. “Good. Because otherwise I’d want to.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

“But I like the sleigh ride. I’ve never had one before. Cozy.”

“Mmm.”

“Thank you for going to so much trouble.”

“You’re welcome.” He drove the sleigh in silence for a little while. “What if I told you we could have sex and you wouldn’t end up all ‘rumpled and kissed-looking’? Would you want to?”

“How could you manage that?” Her body began to hum.

“Trust me when I say I could. I learned early how to cover my tracks.”

Her heartbeat accelerated. “I see.”

“Kissing is fantastic, especially with you, but it’s not a requirement for what I have in mind.”

“I suppose not.” Moisture dampened her panties.

“Well?” He glanced at her. Although his hat cast a shadow over his green eyes, the heat shimmering there was unmistakable.

She swallowed. “I think I’d be a fool to say no.”

5

JAKE HAD BEEN hard as an ax handle ever since they’d gone through the pasture gate and escaped the watchful eyes of his family. He hadn’t expected Amethyst to lay down a no-sex rule, but once she’d explained her reasons, he’d understood. Then he’d set to work figuring a way around the issue.

Not kissing her as a warm-up would seem strange, but he’d forgo that if it meant he’d be able to make the connection his body had ached for since she’d driven away from Jackson Hole. He’d considered asking someone else out. After all, he hadn’t known whether he’d ever have that experience again with Amethyst, which made celibacy ridiculous.

But that red-hot memory had seared itself into his brain and he couldn’t imagine taking another woman to bed until he knew for sure Amethyst was lost to him. Turned out she wasn’t the least bit lost. She was right beside him and as eager for him as he was for her.

Fortunately smoke alarms hadn’t been the only thing he’d picked up during his quick trip to town. After discovering that she was willing to make time for him, he’d added a quick trip to the drugstore. He’d tucked a condom in his jeans’ pocket this morning to make sure he didn’t forget.

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