Here Comes Trouble (29 page)

"He doesn't own me, he pays me to be a nurse
here, and that is what I intend on being, until Friday...that's my
last day, I'm leaving," she told him then her face fell. "I can't
go to the rodeo tonight though, I'm on call."

"I'm sorry to hear that...I'll miss you," he
said then sat on the stool. "He have anything to do with that?"
Dylan asked and flinched when she touched his knee.

"No, I just don't think I'm a good fit out
here, you know I'm a city girl. My brother Ethan and his friends
will be here later this evening for the bull riding adventure. When
they go home, I'm going with them."

"You sure don't look like a city girl up on a
horse these days," he told her with a chuckle.

Terri had been riding every evening just
before sunset. Since she learned how to do it correctly, and had
Diamond she found riding to be relaxing. She was getting pretty
good at it too.

When she positioned the ice pack over his
injury, Dylan sucked in a breath. She secured it with the ace
bandage then clipped it off and stood. "There, it should feel
better in a little while," she told him then passed him a packet of
ibuprofen, "Take these, but if it gets to hurting too bad, I have
some pain meds. Just let me know."

He nodded and Terri went to turn away, but
spun back toward him. On impulse, with a devil riding her shoulder,
she asked before she could change her mind, "What if I said I want
to ride the mechanical bull?"

"I'd say, let's go over there and I'll show
you how it's done, sweetheart."

"Promise to take it easy on me?"

"I'll go so slow even the bull won't know he's
moving," he replied and raised three fingers in a boy scout
salute.

Dylan pushed up off of the stool stiff-legged,
and she frowned.

"You need crutches." Terri had forgotten to
grab a pair from the aid station.

"Hell no, I'm fine," he told her then limped
and his face paled. She slid under his arm and put hers around his
back.

"Lean on me, I'll help you and when we get
done I will get you some crutches, you need to stay off that knee
or you're not going to be able to teach the class."

Terri helped him over to the enclosure where
they had the new mechanical bull set up. There was foam padding and
straw on the floor and fence, so nobody would get hurt when they
were thrown by the bull. Terri dropped her arm from around him and
left him leaning against the rail to go over to the
bull.

"Okay, what do I do?" she asked with
excitement and more than a little fear coursing through
her.

Dylan pushed off the fence and hobbled over to
her, then before she could stop him. Before she knew what he was
going to do, he swung her up into his arms then sat her on top of
the bull. "You're too little to get up there by yourself," he told
her and grinned. "And I've been wanting to do that
anyway."

"Um, thanks," she told him and scooted forward
then found her balance.

He put his hand on her thigh and Terri sucked
in a breath. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she thought. Dylan
was evidently reading way too much into her innocent flirting, so
she was going to back off.

When she pushed his hand off of her thigh, he
glanced at her, but didn't put it back there. Instead, he grabbed
her calf and extended her leg, so her heel was against the bull's
shoulders and her toe was pointed up and out.

"It's like dancing darlin' and I know you know
how to dance," he drawled and smiled up at her. "When he dips, you
kick...right there every time on both sides." Dylan demonstrated by
pulling her foot away from the bull, then laying it back in the
same place. He pulled on the braided rope wrapped around the bull's
shoulders and told her, "This is your handle." His eyes fell on her
hands and he frowned. "Let me get you a glove so you don't hurt
your hand."

Dylan hopped over to a shelf by the gate and
pulled out a brown leather glove and hopped back to her. "Here put
this on," he told her and helped her slide it on her right hand and
tied it at the wrist. "Now put your hand right here palm
up."

Terri did as he instructed and he tied the
rope around it and pulled it tight. "Close your fist and pull a
couple of times to make sure it's snug, but not cutting off your
circulation."

She did it then nodded to him and he grinned.
"You're ready to ride, sugar, hold on tight." Dylan hobbled over to
the control panel for the bull. Terri swallowed thickly wondering
if she really was as crazy as Joel accused her of being. Well, you
only lived once and she didn't know when she'd have a chance to do
this again. She might as well try it.

"Okay, baby raise your left hand and give me a
nod when you're set."

She took a few seconds to compose herself then
threw her hand into the air and nodded. The first jerk forward
almost unseated her, but she held on and managed to recenter
herself on the bull. Clamping her knees against the bull's flank,
Terri knew she was doing it all wrong, but her main goal was to
stay on the damned thing. Joel's words came back to her. It's like
making love, find the rhythm, so she concentrated on the bull's
movement and found the rhythm.

Dylan put the bull into a slow undulating
rhythm that
was
kind of like making love. Every now and
again he'd rotate the bull or change direction and she'd twist her
body to stay in sync. Her breathing ramped up and her heart sped
up, as she found the rhythm and began to pump her legs hitting the
bull with her heels on every downward thrust.

A slow throb started between her legs and she
felt moisture build. Riding the damned bull was turning her on, she
realized as a slow buzz started at her toes and worked its way up
to her core, as she tried to anticipate what he'd do next. The
unknown was a thrilling aspect of this experience.

"You're doing good, sugar," Dylan yelled from
over at the control panel, his voice a little husky.

When Dylan increased the speed a little the
vibrations from the mechanism under the bull increased too, almost
sending her over the edge. A whimper passed her lips and Terri
tried to focus on riding the bull instead of reaching for the
orgasm building inside of her. As the bull gyrated and bucked those
vibrations intensified again. Terri pursed her lips and sucked in a
breath then closed her eyes welcoming the tingles that radiated
from her toes up to her center. Right at the edge of finding her
release, Terri was suddenly left gasping as the movement of the
bull stopped cold.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

"Dylan get the fuck back to work, I don't pay
you to stand around here and get your rocks off, or to use my
fucking nurse to do it," Joel grated furiously. His face was so
red, Terri thought he might spontaneously combust.

Terri swallowed down the fear that surged up
to her throat. This man had just gotten out of jail for suspicion
of murder. Even though she didn't believe he'd done it, right now
he looked capable of it. Terri slid down off of the bull and edged
her way to the front. Joel pinned his eyes on her as he stalked
toward her reminding her of that bull he'd saved her from a little
bit ago.

He stopped in front of her and his fists were
clenched at his sides. "Stay the fuck away from my ranch hands," he
told her through gritted teeth.

Terri backed up from him a few steps and told
him softly, "You won't have to worry about that after
Friday."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he
replied stepping toward her.

"I'm leaving, Joel...Friday is my last day,"
she told him and thought his eyes might actually explode out of his
head.

"You are under contract and if you think I
won't sue your ass, you're wrong," he hissed and stepped another
step toward her.

"I don't care, sue away. You can't get blood
out of a turnip, and I'll be unemployed. I'm leaving Friday," she
said firmly, then turned and walked toward the barn.

"You're not leaving!" Joel shouted behind
her.

Slowly she turned around and walked back over
to him.

"Watch me," she said softly. "Before you went
to jail, you told me to get off of your
fucking
ranch. I'm
doing that on Friday. If you keep up like you're going, I'll leave
today. You have an anger problem, Joel. Karen might have put up
with it, but I'm not going to argue with you."

His face got redder if that was possible, it
was nearly purple with anger now.

"I don't have an anger problem! I have a
woman
problem! Before you came along, I was the most laid
back man on the planet! I don't know what the hell is going on
around here since I've been gone. Someone has spent a shit load of
money I don't have on things that were supposed to wait! How the
hell can I
not
be angry? Since you said you were in charge,
I assume that would be you? Is this revenge like you telling the
police what you did? You getting your pound of flesh, Terri?" he
asked and leaned down so that his nose almost touched hers. "
Do
you hate me that much
?"

Her eyes burned, but she was not going to give
him the satisfaction of seeing her lose control herself. Terri
didn't hate him at all. She loved him and that was her problem, but
it wouldn't be for long. She didn't know this man who was yelling
at her. His attitude would certainly make it easier for her to cut
him out of her heart. Like his mother, brother and all the hand had
done, Terri had worked her ass off while he was in jail to keep the
ranch running. Hell, they'd done more in five days to make it
prosperous than he'd accomplished since he'd bought the
ranch.

They didn't deserve this at all. She didn't
deserve it.

"No, it was
not
me. Your mother is in
the house, go talk to her if you have questions and leave me the
hell alone," she said and spun on her heel then walked into the
barn. Terri was going to do her best to stay until Friday, for her
brother. But if Joel let loose on her like that again, she was
leaving. She needed to get away from here, from him.

Needing space, and knowing the only way to
find it was to go for a ride on Diamond, Terri found Dylan inside.
He was grooming the horse that Matt had ridden earlier and looked
up when she approached. It looked like Joel's anger had hurt his
feelings too. He wasn't smiling anymore, or having fun, he regarded
her with wary eyes now.

"I know you're busy, but would you mind
helping me saddle Diamond? I'm going for a ride to cool off," she
said calmly though her insides felt like they were on
fire.

"Sure, sweetheart...just a second," he told
her then threw his brush in the toolkit.

A few minutes later, he limped down the aisle
beside Diamond then quickly saddled her and put on her
bridle.

"You okay?" he asked quietly as he handed her
the reins.

"No, but I will be shortly," she said and
forced a smile. "I need a little Diamond therapy."

"You really shouldn't go out riding by
yourself, I'll saddle up and come with you," he offered and Terri
shook her head.

The last thing she wanted to do was send Dylan
more mixed signals. He was a nice man, and damned cute, but she
didn't like him that way. She had one too many men on her mind
already, which is why she was in the state she was. Terri needed to
get over it, and over Joel Rhodes, and she was going to start
now.

"I don't want to get you in trouble again.
Besides, you need to stay off of that knee for a little while, so
go sit down somewhere! I'll be fine, I'm not going far." Terri
forced a smile, but Dylan frowned.

"It looks like it might rain," he protested
again and she could see the worry in his eyes.

"I don't melt," she assured him with a laugh
then walked Diamond down the aisle to the back door of the barn.
Once she was outside, Terri put the reins over Diamond's head and
mounted easily, then guided her toward the gate by the employee
bunkhouse.

Halfway across the field Terri realized she'd
forgotten her radio back in the aid station. She looked back over
her shoulder, then up at the sky. It really did look like it was
going to rain, even though it hadn't rained since she'd been there.
If she went back for the radio, she probably wouldn't get to ride
to the creek, before it started. Her brother would arrive soon too,
so she needed to get her ride in then get back to the
ranch.

They could deal with it until she got back,
she thought and kicked Diamond into a canter. The little horse
loved her daily run and so did Terri. This really was like therapy,
and damned if she didn't need it right now.

***

"Mama!" Joel yelled when he walked in the
front door of the ranch house. He stomped through the living room
toward the kitchen, and didn't see her in there either.
Backtracking, he headed into the hallway and he stopped for a
second to get control of himself, and deal with the emotion that
squeezed his throat when he saw his bedroom door.

Taking two deep breaths, he blew them out then
yelled again, "Mama!"