To Bed A Montana Man (Montana Men) (18 page)

TJ leaned against the wall. Tension coiled in his gut. “Is that what you think I do, make you guess?”

Allison slapped her palms on the table and stood. “Yes. You came right out and said you want me in your bed. But,” she said pointing a finger at his chest. “You could have bed me in the brothel, but you didn’t.”

“You aren’t a whore.”

She laughed. “You make me feel like one. You’ve all but called me one.” Her words stung him as if she’d slapped his face. “Joseph treats me as I am, a lady. He’s kind, interested in my opinions, and wants more than sex. He talks to me.”

“Courting. He’s courting you and that’s what you want?”

“I learned a long time ago that you don’t always get what you want. Sometimes you have to do what’s best.” She pushed her chair under the table and went to the sink.

He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You want me, but you’ll settle for him,” he said, spinning her around to face him.

Their eyes met. “I don’t see it as settling. My feelings for Joseph will grow with time.”

“It doesn’t work that way. We live in the same house. We see each other every day. You can’t get me out of here,” he said, poking a finger at her forehead, “when I’m already in here.” He put his hand on her chest, over her heart and sliding his palm between her breasts.

She swatted his hand away. “You’ve got it wrong, TJ. I tried to convince my heart there was more between us when there isn’t. This time I’m listening to my head.”

“You’ll hurt him, and you’re too foolish to see it.” TJ turned and strode out the kitchen door.

TJ saw Train as soon as he entered the shack. He’d been watching the door because Train stood and approached him holding his hat. Before he had a chance to speak, TJ pointed to the door.

“Mount up.” He gave Train’s shoulder a squeeze as he passed him. “We’ll talk when we’re alone.”

Train nodded and a moment later, they left.

Out in the field, TJ maneuvered his horse next to Train’s.

“Rain didn’t do much for the drought. We’d need a few weeks of storms to salvage the crops this year,” TJ said.

Train scanned the horizon of dried out vegetation. “Reckon you’re right on that.”

They rode quietly for a few more minutes.

“You brought me out here to talk. Let’s hear it.”

“She doesn’t love you.”

The lines around Train’s eyes deepened. “I know.”

“You want a woman who pines for another man.”

Train raised his eyebrows and smiled his crooked grin. “Who? You?”

TJ didn’t answer Train’s question, but posed one of his own. “Do you remember the first day you brought her up to the house?”

Train nodded as he rolled a cigarette. “Not something easy to forget.”

“No, she made quite an impression.”

Train chuckled. “You could say that.”

“I thought Janelle was the only woman who would ever understand my ways. It never bothered her to be isolated out here on the ranch. When Allison showed up in her city dress and Boston accent, I thought she’d never take to ranch life. I was wrong. She belongs here.” He took a deep breath. “But not with you.”

“We’ve fought enough over this.” He pulled on the reins bringing his horse to a stop. “Are you telling me to stay away from her again?”

TJ shook his head. “No.” He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m asking you. She’s different. Around her, I’m different. Please, give me a chance to get my head figured out. She makes me want for more than I have.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I need her.”

Train sighed. “I won’t pursue her, but I won’t refuse any advance she makes toward me. It’s her decision, always has been.” Train started his horse moving again. “I don’t want a woman coming between us.”

TJ agreed.

Chapter Ten

TJ cancelled the Forth of July festivities. Although disappointed, Allison, along with everyone else understood. Cleaning up the fire was going to take time. Several buildings on the ranch fed the inferno. Thankfully, no lives were lost. The rest of the summer would be spent rebuilding and getting ready for winter.

Allison established a routine with the children that included breakfast and coffee with TJ every morning. With the extra work, he missed supper many nights. The children were getting used to it. Allison, not as much. Tonight was no different. The children were sleeping, the house was quiet and Allison was alone. She kept supper warm, but she didn’t know if TJ would be awake enough to eat. Fifteen hours on a horse in the fields wore a body down.

Footfalls sounded on the porch. Allison peered through the windows.
TJ.
She rushed and opened the door before he reached for the handle. He walked past her and hung his hat on the coat tree.

“Can I get you something to eat?” she asked, closing the door behind him.

He plopped onto the couch and tugged off a boot. “Just coffee if you’ve got it.”

“Fresh and hot.” She went to the kitchen. He might not want to eat, but he needed to. She ladled stew into a bowl.

He joined her a few moments later. “You didn’t have to go to any trouble.” He sat at the bowl of soup. “I’m exhausted.” He ground the palms of his hands into his eyes.

She wondered if his broad shoulders ever tired from the burden he carried. The men all looked to him for leadership. He never seemed to be indecisive.

Allison set a piece of cornbread in front of him. “Eat,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

With his chair balancing on its back legs, TJ rested his head against the kitchen wall. Shadows cast by the wall sconces danced along the table and ceiling. This house wasn’t Janelle’s anymore. Every time he walked in the front door, he smelled the oils Allison rubbed on after her bath. Once he could even smell it on his pillow.

Without consulting him, she’d made new curtains for the windows in the rooms that faced east. The sun had bleached the ones Janelle had purchased from a catalog when he built the house. Until the fire scorched the land, Allison had taken Sissy and Michael into the hills close to the house and picked flowers for the table. Sissy told him Allison liked flowers because they reminded her of home. He wondered how much she missed her family in Boston. He realized then he wanted his house to be her home. He didn’t want her to miss any part of her former life.

“Come with me.” Allison held out her hand to him.

He looked at her with half-closed eyes. Then he leaned forward, righting his chair on the floor. He held her hand as she led him upstairs. Lamps along the wall illuminated pale light from the low flames. She stopped in front of the bathroom and opened the door. She had the tub filled with steaming, hot water.

She clasped her hands behind her back. “If you leave something on,” she said, her cheeks turning pink. “Just take off your shirt or…something,” she stammered. “As long as you’re covered up, I’ll work the knots out of your back.”

He stood in front of her, meeting her apprehensive gaze, and undid the buttons of his shirt. Twisting, he slipped the shirt from his body.

Allison feasted on the finely chiseled contours of his suntanned chest covered by just the right amount of swirling, dark hair. His stomach, tight with muscles, rippled as if more than just her stare had touched him. A thin trail of hair bisected his abdominals, disappearing below his bellybutton into the waistband of his jeans. The bulge of his cock behind his jeans flexed.

She turned from him. “Cover up certain areas and I’ll come back.” She quickly left the room, closing the door.

Allison’s hand trembled, holding the doorknob. There was definitely no comparison between TJ and Joseph. Although both men had desirable qualities, TJ left Allison weak. Her legs liquefied. She ached to put her hands on his body. Now that she found a way, she wondered if it was a very good idea.

Water splashed as he slipped into the tub.
Dear Lord, he’s naked.
Joseph had never caused wetness between her legs as TJ did to her now.

“Allison, you can come in.”

She took a steadying breath and opened the door. He had been kind enough to turn the lamps low, leaving only enough of a flicker so not to extinguish the flame. She approached the tub with trepidation because she couldn’t tell whether he had covered up or not. She sighed in relief.

TJ had wrapped a towel around the lower half of his body. Under the water, it clung to the planes of his thighs.

“Lean forward,” she instructed. While she was filling the tub, she had placed a stool at one end. Rolling up her sleeves, she sat and picked up the bottle of liniment she’d left on the floor. After pouring a small amount in her hands, she vigorously rubbed them together to warm the oil. Hesitantly at first, she touched his shoulder.

The muscles just under the skin tightened under her fingers. “You have to relax.” She pushed her palm firmly against his shoulder blade and began to do circular motions. His muscles were hard beneath her fingertips. Heat from the water, or from the warmth of his skin, flowed up her arms. Steam created a moist cocoon. Her breath mingled with the herbal scent of the oil.

She’d never been with a naked man except for Mr. Clark at the Dusty Rose. She closed her eyes, imaging her hands on Mr. Clark rather than TJ.

It didn’t help her wayward meanderings of what it would be like to have their positions reversed. To have TJ’s hands roaming over her body, touching her breasts as he spread her thighs. Her nipples tightened and her sex grew hot and wet. Her own breathy pants sounded loud in her ears. Oh, how this man turned her into knots. Opening her eyes, she focused on the task rather than hard, muscular body she wanted pressed against hers.

Shifting to the side, she used all her strength to rub the tension from his shoulders.

TJ moaned, his head dropping forward. Allison glanced over his shoulder and her heart kicked into a rampant gallop. His cock, hard, thick and long, swelled beneath the towel molded to his groin. She chewed the corner of her lip and wondered how he’d feel in her hand. Marion had told her too many details. Now all Allison could think about was the wickedly devious acts a woman—a whore—could do for a man. Allison wanted TJ in those ways, in her mouth, in her body.

To get closer, Allison opened her legs straddling the back of the tub. The spread of her thighs sent shivers over her skin. She rocked on the stool, trying desperately to find a position to ease the ache between her legs. Alas, only TJ, his hard cock driving into her would appease the building need within her.

Taking a cup from the floor, she filled it with water and poured it over his neck and shoulders. He was finally relaxing. The muscles softened. She continued to rub and pour water over him. The drenched sides of her dress clung to her thighs and the front was soaked, molding to her body.

“Have you given many massages?” He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck from one side to the other.

“Actually, my mother thought ladies of society should be pampered, hence my experience. Although, I have never received one in a bathtub. This would be the first one I’ve ever given. Lean back,” she told him. As he reclined against the back of the tub, she realized the position would put his head into her lap. Her hands stilled in the air above him.

“This is better.” He rolled his head from side to side letting the folds of her dress wrap around his ears. He looked up into her face and smiled.

She looked at his position and hers, deciding she couldn’t massage his shoulders this way. If she leaned forward, her breasts would be in his face. “Um, I guess you have to sit up a little more.” She slipped her hands under his arms.