its way up to her throat. “I think you owe me an explanation as to why you won’t consider hiring me.” For a long while McKinnon remained stubbornly silent and Casey waited furiously, patiently, for him to respond, refusing to move an inch until he did.
Finally, after several tense moments, McKinnon sighed deeply and turned back to face her, feeling that he didn’t owe her anything. He saw the angry lines curving her lips and thought that from the first time he’d seen her, he had found her mouth as tempting as the shiny red apple Eve had offered to Adam. And he bet her lips were just as delicious and probably even more sinful.
For crying out loud, couldn’t she feel the sexual chemistry flowing between them even amidst all that anger radiating from her? And from him? The moment he had turned around and seen Casey standing in the middle of the barn, he’d felt a zap of emotions shoot to every part of his body as well as his testosterone spike up a few notches. The woman was so striking that even the bright sunlight, which rarely showed its face in these parts, didn’t have a thing on her.
She exuded an air of sexiness without much effort and although she was frowning quite nicely now, the few occasions he had seen her smile her mouth had a way of curving enticingly that made you want to kiss the smile right off her lips. Even now her angry pout was a total turn on.
Then there were her physical attributes. Dark brown hair that was cut in a short and sassy style complemented her mahogany-colored features, eyes the color of the darkest chocolate that could probably make you melt if you gazed into them long enough, and a petite frame that was clad in a pair of jeans that appeared made just for her body.
He had just seen her last month at her cousin Delaney’s surprise birthday party. He was of the opinion that each and every time he saw her she just kept getting prettier and prettier, and his attraction to her that more extreme. She even had the ability to smell good while standing in a barn filled with a bunch of livestock. Whatever perfume she was wearing was doing a number on him and besides that, although he couldn’t see her legs right now, he had them plastered to his memory. They were long, shapely and—
“Well, McKinnon?”
He met her gaze as he tossed the brush in a pail and shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Okay, I’ll give you a reason. This is a horse ranch and I’m looking for someone who can train horses and not ponies. Corey would never forgive me if something were to happen to you.”
He inwardly shuddered as if imagining such a thing, then added, “For Pete’s sake, you’re no bigger than a mite. The horse that needs to be trained is meaner than hell and I need to get him ready for the races in six weeks. As far as I’m concerned, you’re not the person for the job. Prince Charming is too much animal for you to handle.”
Anger flared in Casey’s eyes and she drew herself up to her full five-foot-three. “And you’re making that decision without giving me a chance to show you what I can do?”
“Yes, evidently I am,” he drawled.
“Then you’re nothing but a male chauvinistic—”
“Think whatever you like, but the bottom line is that I’m not hiring you. I’m sure there’re other jobs in Bozeman that might interest you. And since you’re familiar with running a clothing store, you might want to check in town to see if there’re any employment opportunities available in that area.”
Casey stared at him as she struggled to control the fury that threatened to suffocate her. He was right. She was wasting her time here. “In that case, there’s nothing left for me to say,” she said tightly, staring at his impassive features.
“No, there really isn’t.” And to prove his point he picked up the brush and began grooming the horse again, totally dismissing her once more.
Without saying anything else, an angry Casey strode toward the exit of the barn.
* * *
McKinnon watched Casey leave and released a deep sigh of frustration.
He knew she was pretty pissed with him but there was no way he would hire her to work on his ranch. Most Arabians by nature were mild-mannered and people-oriented, but the horse sent here for training lacked a friendly disposition by leaps and bounds. The only explanation McKinnon could come up with was that someone had treated the horse badly in the past, and it would take a skilled trainer to turn things around. He knew Casey had been born and raised in Texas, so chances were strong she was used to horses. But still, if things worked out and he expanded his business to train more horses, she would be dealing with studs that were known to be mean-spirited. He refused to be responsible if something were to happen to her.
Besides that, there was another reason he wouldn’t hire Casey. He had decided six years ago after Lynette Franklin had walked out on him that a woman had no place on his ranch.
Just thinking of Lynette sent resentment through all parts of his body. But then to be fair, he couldn’t rightly fault her for wanting something he couldn’t give her. And when she had left, she had made him realize that a serious relationship with any female was something he would not involve himself in again.
His thoughts grudgingly shifted back to Casey. His attraction to her was more lethal than what he’d had for Lynette. Casey was a woman who, without very much effort, could bring out strong desires in any man. And to make matters worse, she was Corey’s daughter and Durango’s cousin. That meant she was definitely off-limits.
“Regardless of what she thinks, I did the right thing,” he muttered, trying to place his concentration back on grooming Thunder, and not on how Casey’s curvy backside swayed when she walked out of the barn. All he wanted from a woman was a short, hot, satisfying affair with no ties. Casey Westmoreland had the words home, hearth and motherhood all but stamped on her forehead. And that was the type of woman he avoided at all cost.
He refused to let any female become an emotional threat to his well-being ever again.
* * *
The moment the sunshine hit Casey’s face she inhaled, trying to get her temper under control. She doubted there were any words to describe how she felt toward McKinnon Quinn at that moment. The man was impossible!
She glanced around and grudgingly admitted his sprawling ranch was simply beautiful. The house wasn’t as huge as her father’s but she thought it had a lot of class and exuded an appeal as strong as the man who owned it. He had adroitly erected the structure on a beautiful piece of land that had a picturesque view of the mountains in the background.
It was a sunny day in early May and the weather reminded her of a day in Texas. McKinnon’s men were busy at work and as she walked toward her car to leave, she noted several beautiful horses were being led into a corral. She turned suddenly when one of the men’s shouting caught her attention in time to see this huge monstrosity of a horse break free from the man’s hold and start charging after him.
When the horse reared up on hind legs with full intent to stomp the man to death, she held her breath and watched as the man made a smart move and fell to the ground, immediately rolling out of harm’s way. It seemed the animal was in rare form, and when several of the men ran forward to grab hold of his reins, he tried attacking them and sent them running for cover. One of them wasn’t quick enough and the horse took off, charging after him.
Without any thought of what she was doing or that she was putting her life in danger, Casey raced toward the charging animal trying to get his attention. She frantically waved her hands in the air and whistled. Pretty soon
