All the King's Horses Page 5

  “No time for saddling. Which way?”

  “Follow the back path until it forks, and go right. That will take you straight about three miles to the creek, and the bridge path goes left. About a half mile up from the creek path.”

  “Got it.” Lucy pulled the reins and ducked out of the stall, setting Birch on a hard trot down the back path.

  It wasn’t hard to follow the trail by the glow of the fires. Once the path forked and Birch easily found the trail, Lucy set him on a gallop. It had been a long time since she had been bareback on a galloping horse, but all the techniques came back damn quick as she flew through the night.

  Birch dropped to a trot again when they reached the creek.

  She wanted to know whose idea of a creek that wide, deep water was.

  In New Jersey, that was a full-blown river, and it explained why they needed the bridge. Trying to get horses to swim that in a pinch was going to be more work than two people could handle. The bridge would speed all that up. Some of the horses would try to swim it, but most would take the high and dry.

  She kicked Birch into a gallop again, with just a half mile to the bridge. It appeared like a rusted beacon in the landscape’s fiery glow, and Lucy pulled Birch up to the winch. Jumping down, she pulled the stopper pin out and the bridge grate started to drop on its own.

  Grabbing the handle, she slowed the descent so when it hit the ground it was a reasonable sound level, instead of a new bang to spook the horses away.

  Cursing, she realized she didn’t have her phone to let anyone know she was there and the crossing was good. After only a moment’s hesitation, Lucy was back on Birch and she moved him across the bridge. His shoed hooves made a clattering sound that echoed a bit, but once they were over, she set him on a gallop toward the glow in the southern horizon again.

  It was now possible to see the smoke blotting out stars, and she was close to some fence line on the right.

  She heard the thunder of hooves and pulled left. The fire glow was getting much brighter, and she didn’t like it. She had to find those horses and set off to the left. She had to remember where the bridge was.

  Off on the right she saw two pickups parked on the side of the road, and the first flashed their lights. She maneuvered Birch closer and saw the four men standing there.

  “Addie?” It was RJ’s voice, and he choked on the directions he was about to give when he saw it was Lucy on the horse.

  “Where are the horses?” she called.

  “Mile up!” Heath answered, as RJ scrambled over the fence.

  “Get down and let me herd them!”

  “No! You know this horse doesn’t like you!”

  “Lucy, so help me God, get off that animal.”

  “Mile up?” she called to Heath, who nodded.

  “Lucy!”

  She turned and looked back at the men. “Break the fence, get the trucks in here. There are too many for me to herd over the bridge.” She kicked Birch into gallop, and he understood what was going on.

  * * *

  Jaxson and Tennessee were laughing and trying not to. It came out like some choking snort noise RJ once heard a pig make.

  “She’s riding into the fire!”

  “That’s not what we’re laughing at, RJ.” Tennessee was at the fence, pulling the crossbeam out of the post with all his might.

  “You know, screw you both.” RJ yanked on the beam with Tennessee as Heath walked over with a sledgehammer.

  “Move.” Heath pulled the hammer back and let it fly as soon as they were clear. It snapped the beam at the joint, and while he swung for the next one, RJ and Ten peeled that back enough to let the trucks in. In just moments, they were in the trucks, pulling through the gap in the fence.

  RJ leaned out of his window. “Head to the bridge, I’m going after Lucy!”

  “Smitten!” Tennessee yelled back as they peeled off north.

  “Am not,” RJ grumbled to himself, pulling the truck through the hard-packed vegetation. Mostly dead in early November, the horses used it as hay. It slowed the truck a bit, but not so much he wasn’t making good time.

  He saw Lucy ahead, making her way around the back of the nervous herd, close to the fire being fueled by the very thing he was driving over. The horses seemed confused and not sure what to do. Angling the truck in the general directions of the bridge, he waited for Lucy to get them going.

  It only took a moment before he saw the herd starting to move northwest. He moved the truck along with them, making an artificial barrier. They were spooked enough that the truck kept them in line.

  Something was wrong with this herd. They were one of the most high-spirited groups he’d ever had to deal with and they were acting more like sheep. He was somewhat grateful for that, and the small size, only about a hundred head, but he didn’t like their attitude. Spooked horses usually ran.

  It took too long to get them up near the bridge. He could see Lucy outlined in firelight, which meant the fire was too close.

  The creek was wide enough that between it and the hard pack that went fifty feet out, they’d stop the wildfire. But they had to get those horses over.

  Once he could see the other truck by the bridge, with Ten and Heath standing outside ready to wrangle stragglers, he drove the truck back to where Lucy was—adroitly—running the horses toward the crossing. She was moving them with an almost cattle drive technique, which made him even more sure there was something going wrong here. But getting around her and creating another barrier to funnel the Mustangs over the bridge, RJ gained confidence they’d be done in time.

  The sound of the first hooves over the metal plate bridge was a relief, and Lucy kept up her push on the back, winding back and forth to make sure the whole herd moved forward.

  He could hear Heath, Jaxson and Tennessee screaming their own “haws” and “gits” to keep them on track for the bridge.

  Looking back at the fire, it billowed up, but by the grace of Mother Nature, the wind was blowing to the south, and the embers had little chance of catching on the other side. But the fire itself raced through the dead grass and burned up the fuel as fast as it could.

  “Lucy!” RJ screamed. “Lucy! Get your fool ass on the other side!”

  “There’s a mama and colt in the gulch just back there!” She turned the horse and raced away.

  “What in the blue hell is she doing?” Tennessee screamed, running up to the truck.

  RJ jumped out, grabbing some rope. “Damn fool woman went back for a mama and foal. Get the trucks over. I’ll use this damn rope on her if I have to!”

  Tearing over the ground as fast as he could, he kept Lucy and Birch in sight. She was getting way too close to the flames, but stopped before she coaxed Birch through. RJ skidded to a halt next to her.

  “You insane woman!”

  “You brought rope, awesome. We need to get the foal out. Mom can’t do it on her own.”

  “This is a wild mare with offspring. Let me.”

  “RJ, trust me. Please. I’ll get the foal out faster than you can imagine.”

  Before he lodged a good protest with sound logic, Lucy was down in the gulch, with his rope.

  She held it out to the mother for her inspection first, the mother sniffing and tasting, shockingly allowing her to pat her nose. A moment later, with her hand still on the mother’s nose, she had the rope around the foal’s neck. She dropped it, and releasing the mother, looped it under his back haunches—effectively making a handle for the foal. She led it to the shallower end, away from the fire, and tossed the length up to RJ.

  He caught it and moved so the foal could help them lift it out. With a hard shoulder shove from Lucy on his rump, the small animal climbed out as RJ pulled and was up and on stable ground in under two minutes. He pulled off his shirt and tied it over the foal’s eyes to keep him calm.

  He looked back to the gulch to see what Lucy’s plan was to get the mother out and found her mounted bareback on the semi-wild mare. She coaxed her over to t
he path her baby had taken and leaned forward, whispering encouraging words in her ear.

  RJ fell completely in love with Lucy in that instant.

  The horse made careful steps up and out of the gulch, trotting over to RJ and her baby. She nuzzled the foal and tossed her mane as Lucy slid off.

  “Fire’s right behind us. Let’s go.” Lucy uncovered the foal’s eyes and used the shirt to wallop the mother on the rump.

  The Mustang reared up and let out a tremendous neigh, then took off at a gallop for the bridge. RJ grabbed Lucy’s hand and started running for the bridge. He realized they could feel the heat on their backs as they ran, and the fire was chewing up the distance.

  The sweet sound of boots on metal finally greeted them, Tennessee and Jaxson waiting for them on the other side, Heath in the truck.

  RJ was barely able to catch Lucy before she hit the ground, her legs giving out from under her.

  He lowered both of them to the ground and wrapped his arms around her.

  “You maniac. Don’t ever do that again.”

  He slammed his mouth over hers and swept in, a man possessed. Lucy’s hand slipped around his neck, winding her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer, making the kiss deeper, and deeper still. Her taste was one he would never forget, one he would never erase from his memory, or try to replace. Their tongues met and danced, and visited each other in the junction of their lips.

  RJ didn’t want to let her go. He wanted the kiss to last forever.

  “Hey, lover boy.”

  The two of them broke away, reluctantly. Ten was leaning against his side of the truck, and Jaxson was laughing from the other side of the cab.

  “You’re gonna want to not get naked out here in the dirt, okay? Take the lady back to the house. The fire is still right there.”

  “We have to get the horses up to the barn so Fatima can check them out,” Lucy said, looking up at him from his arms. “I want her to look at mama and foal, too. Birch needs a reward for being such an amazing horse.”

  “You look perfect here.” RJ couldn’t stop staring at the shine of her eyes.

  “I feel pretty damn perfect here. But we have to finish the job.” She pulled his head down to hers. “Then we clearly need to talk.”

  “I don’t want to talk.”

  “You can use that mouth for other things.”

  “Promise?”

  “Horses!” Ten yelled.

  “We need to lose your cousins.”

  Her laugh was contagious, and RJ helped her to her feet. He paused and stepped back. “Are you wearing cowboy boots and... pajamas?”

  In one of the most adorable moves he’d ever seen, she cocked her hip and put her fists there. “I’m Jersey. We get shit done.”

  He could hear Tennessee, Jaxson and Heath laughing as they drove away.

  Chapter Six

  “THE MUSTANGS ARE DEAF.”

  “What?” Ellen and RJ chorused the question in disbelief.

  “Well, not permanently, and not in both ears. It seems the most damage is on the side that was toward the explosion,” Fatima explained. “It’s universal in the herd. One side has hearing damage. It must have been a hell of an explosion.”

  “The sheriff won’t have more information until tomorrow morning,” Addie said. “They have to finish putting out the fire. The wildfire died at the creek, just like they’d hoped. But the tanker was still going.”

  Ellen turned and stared at her daughter. “And how do you know that?”

  “Geo texted me from the scene...and...” She froze. “So yeah.”

  RJ put a hand over his mouth to hide the laugh, and Lucy looked off innocently. At some point, she had realized George McGovern was part of the police force, and Addie kept ties with him. And texted often.

  “So, what’s the diagnosis, Doc?” RJ asked Fatima.

  “They’ll be fine in a few days. No permanent damage.” She tucked away her equipment. “But you may want to pull the mother and foal from the herd. They have an affinity for my sister now, and I don’t know that it’s smart to let them go back out in the wild.”

  Ellen nodded. “Well. Thank you, Fatima. It’s nice having a vet nearby. We’ll call our vet who knows the herds in the morning and have him come and take a look at everyone, just to back up what you said.”

  “Of course.” Fatima nodded. “Now, I’m going to have a cup of tea and try to get some sleep before the sun comes up.”

  Addie nodded. “I’m good with this. I need some sleep too.”

  “We all do.” Ellen nodded at the house. “We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, including repairing that fence and find out what made our horses lose some hearing. We need to see what damage was done to the pasture and what exactly was going on down there.” She picked up her phone and grabbed her can of Coke, and headed into the house. “Long day! Get some sleep!”

  “Come on, Tee. I’ll join you for that cup of tea before dad picks me up.” Addie motioned her into the house, leaving just RJ and Lucy on the porch.

  RJ leaned against the post. “You’re not much of a princess-y princess, are you?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re wearing boots and pajamas, and just rode across a quarter of our farm bareback and on a wild horse. I don’t think that’s how princesses are supposed to act.”

  Lucy smirked at him in the dim light. “Would you prefer someone who was all ruffles and lace and couldn’t muck a stall if her life depended on it?”

  “I had one of those...” RJ admitted. “She was so high-maintenance, it was exhausting. I had her on a horse once and...” He stopped. “You don’t care about that. Hell, I don’t care about that.” Taking a few steps forward from the post, he closed the distance between them. “Now, you said something about talking before, and I have to admit, I don’t feel much like chatting.”

  Lucy saw the desire in his eyes, the dirty thoughts tumbling through his head. “And just what do you feel like doing, Mister Miller?”

  The back of his hand ran down her arm, and he watched where their skin met. She felt the instant response of it pebbling, and the tickle made her squirm a bit. “I do believe I feel like doing you.”

  “No mincing words there.”

  Suddenly, his arm was around her waist and he pulled her in close. “I don’t feel it necessary to outline my plans, your highness.” The words were spoken almost against her lips in a low, sexual tone.

  “Maybe I want to hear what you have planned?” God, did she ever want to hear what he had planned.

  “I was thinking we could start with that kiss that was rudely interrupted in the field.”

  “You’re being forward, Mister Miller.”

  “You didn’t think so before, princess.”

  There was no chance to answer. His lips found hers and she was consumed by his lust. He slipped his hand onto her back and caressed little circles there with his fingertips, and the other hand... the other hand found her breast, free from the bras she usually wore, and responsive to his fingers. He stroked the peak softly, letting the material do his work for him, teasing, pulling lightly on her. Lucy enjoyed both the taste of his kiss and the kiss of his fingertips on her body.

  So very different from Greg.

  She wanted to melt into him, but they were still on the front porch.

  “RJ?”

  “Hmm?”

  “My room?”

  “Mmm.” It was a firm agreement with her suggestion. Releasing her, RJ took Lucy’s hand and led her into the house, and over to the stairs. They were up and out of sight of their sisters in a moment, and tiptoed through the guest hall. Lucy pushed her door open and they walked in, still kissing.

  The instant the door snicked into the lock, RJ’s kisses went from sweet to demanding and lustful.

  Not even pretending she wanted to be seduced, Lucy pulled the nightshirt over her head and gave RJ free reign of her breasts. They ached to have his mouth on them. She wanted to feel him there, licking, sucking
, nibbling on her.

  With no hesitation on his part, RJ was there. He held the pebbled point in his teeth and pulled, licking, and circling. Little trips of electricity traveled through her, zapping straight to her clit. It was a wonder, his mouth, and if he stayed where he was, she could easily come with just his ministrations on her. “Marvelous. I have never seen such marvelous tits,” RJ mumbled as he kissed his way from one peak to another.

  A hand slipped under the band of her bottoms and snaked its way down to the small thatch of fur she left behind. One finger from that hand found the seam of the lips that hid her sensitive pearl and slipped between them, barely touching before pulling back and traveling further back. Lucy lost the sensation of his lips on her breasts as his finger found her entrance and dipped in there, tracing the rim once, twice, and moving back to her bundled nerves.

  Her legs wobbled at the touch of his finger this time. Looking up from his business at her breasts, he grunted. “Still not recovered from your wild gallop?”

  “Not really.”

  Lucy found herself swept up off her feet into RJ’s arms, the hard lines and planes of his chest pressing against her skin as he carried her over to the bed to sit her down. “Well, I don’t want you falling down, though that would be a compliment.”

  * * *

  He sank to his knees and teased her nipples once again, the cool night air helping to peak them. Pressing her back on the bed, he licked and sucked his way down, between the valley of her generous mounds to the expanse of her stomach, and slid her pajama bottoms off, taking her panties with them. He was halted by her boots.

  “Princess, do you know how hard you got me riding up bareback, in nothing but night clothes and boots?” He peeled one off and put it to the side. “I thought my cock was going to spear a hole in my pants.” He pulled off the other boot and placed it next to the other. Sliding the panty-pants combo off, he leaned in and nibbled his way up her thigh, pressing her legs apart.

  Lucy opened like night blooming jasmine before him, and the sweet smell of her was a wonder. He darted his tongue along the petals of her sex, and she made little mewling sounds. Dipping back in, he tasted her sex on his tongue, tickling her where he wanted his cock to rest in the not too distant future.