Sarah started to put the car in gear, but it stalled. She turned the key in the ignition; dead as a doornail. Sucking a deep breath so as not to panic, she muttered a prayer to the car gods and turned the key again. Click…silence. Click…silence. After a dozen attempts, she laid her head on the steering wheel. No, no, no. What about your cell phone! Overjoyed, she grabbed her high-tech phone out of her purse and looked at the face. What? No Service? Crap. She rubbed the back of her neck. Okay, what would Tarah in Dream Kisses do? Sarah raised her head, grabbed her purse, exited the Escalade, and slammed the door. After that she wavered; should she walk back to the road, or continue on. How would Tarah choose which way to go? Reaching back into her purse, she pulled out a coin and flipped it; heads, she'd return to the main road; tails, she'd continue on. The coin landed on tails. Sarah grabbed a tissue from her purse, wiped perspiration off her neck, and started forward.
* * *
Sage finished repairs on the north fence and mounted Jackal. He needed to get back to the ranch to prepare for the arrival of the latest greenhorns. He adjusted his Stetson against the blazing sun—just the kind of day he liked—and nudged his horse. Damn, this dude ranch crap gets old after awhile. Flicking the reins and urging his horse into a gallop, he headed home.
When he crested a rise, a glint in the distance caught his attention and he turned toward it. Soon he realized it was a vehicle. Reaching the expensive Escalade, he dismounted and peeked through the windows. Whoever it belonged to had locked it up tight. He noticed a disturbance in the gravel and, from the small tracks, surmised the car belonged to a woman. She was walking toward the ranch. Great, now I'm gonna have to take care of some rich dame's car. I wonder if this is Sarah Carter.
Sage mounted Jackal and nudged him into a gallop. Before long, he saw a lone figure hobbling in the distance. Shit! He pushed his horse into a faster gallop. The woman turned and watched his approach.
* * *
Sarah's ankle hurt like hell. She'd twisted it in the loose gravel shortly after leaving her car. She heard a sound and looked around. Headed straight toward her on a black horse was a cowboy. She was so happy she wanted to do a happy dance, but her ankle hurt too much. Besides, it would only make her perspire more.
The horse slowed at about thirty feet out. She grinned and waved. A Stetson shadowed the cowboy's face. She raised her hand to shade her eyes against the brilliant sun.
At twenty feet, the cowboy dismounted and walked forward holding the reins of his gigantic horse. Sarah took a step backward, stumbled, and fell on her ass. The cowboy dropped the reins and rushed toward her.
"You okay, ma'am?"
I know that voice. Sarah's mouth gaped as she stared up into the sky blue eyes of Sage Tanner.
* * *
Sage stared down at Mims Murphy, the author; the one he'd pissed off in New York. From the look in her eyes, she was still pissed.
He squatted beside her. She moved her leg and winced. "Don't move, Mims, until I can check your leg out." She tried to scoot backward. He glared at her. "Damn it, don't move." Whether it was pain, or his tone of voice that kept her still, he didn't know. He gently touched her ankle, watching her face. She winced again. Slowly running his hands up the leg of her designer jeans, he studied her expression. Other than her eyes rounding, she didn't flinch. He did the same with her other ankle and leg. "I think you've sprained your ankle."
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"I live here."
"What? Since when?"
"Since I was born."
"Is this the Lazy M Dude Ranch?"
"It is."
"And you live here?"
"I think I already established that." He grinned. "Actually, this is a cattle ranch that offers dude ranch accommodations. Is there a problem?"
"Yes, there's a problem. I came for the dude ranch, but I didn't know you owned it."
"I didn't see your name on the list."
"I used my real name, Sarah Carter."
Sage pushed his Stetson back. "So you're six-weeks Sarah." His grin widened.
"I want an immediate refund!"
Sage ignored her demand. "Now, why would the famous author, Mims Murphy, book six weeks at a dude ranch?"
"It's none of your business. Just refund my money and I'm out of here."
"Well, Mims, if you haven't noticed, apparently your car isn't running and you've got a sprained ankle. How do you propose to leave?"
Sage stood and watched Mims, or rather, Sarah, sputter her indignation. "Okay, Mims, we're not far from the ranch. It's just around that bend."
"Yeah, right. I've been around a dozen bends."
"I'm gonna lift you onto Jackal. It'll only take about fifteen minutes to get there."
"Just get a car."
"Unfortunately, my van is in the shop and my ranch hands drove our trucks to the other side of the ranch." Sage bent to lift her. "Put your arms around my neck, Mims."
"My name is Sarah."
"I like the name Mims. Put your arms around my neck. We need to get ice on that ankle as soon as possible."
Gingerly, as if he were a swamp creature, she placed her arms around his neck. When he lifted, regrettably, a grunt escaped his throat. She wasn't skinny like the models he posed with.
When he glanced at her, she'd turned scarlet and was glaring daggers at him. "Put your good ankle in the stirrup."
She fumbled, and he grunted again. Finally, she had her foot in the stirrup. "Grab the pommel and pull."
"Grab the what?"
"Grab the big hump thing on the saddle and pull yourself up." She pulled and he hoisted her onto the back of Jackal.
She gave a tiny shriek and held the pommel for dear life. He mounted the horse behind her, placing his arms around her body and flicking the reins. His stallion started forward. She gave another shriek and hooked her arms around his.
"Mims, you really are a greenhorn, aren't you. What I'm wondering is why you want to spend six weeks at a dude ranch? Could it be because you missed me?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
Sage had a sudden flash of insight. "You're doing research for a book, aren't you?"
Still clutching his arms, she said, "Well done, Sherlock. However, my research won't be here, that's for sure."
"You hurt my feelings. What's wrong with my ranch?"
"It's not your ranch. It's you."
Sage thought back to the photo shoot. Mims had been cute and nice; even a little flustered. Then he thought about the incident at the coffee shop when the waitress had gotten her come-uppins' from the scary publisher, Sissy. He'd play acted her game by pretending he and Mims were an item. What the hell was wrong with that?
"God, Mims, I didn't mean to piss you off in New York. I didn't think playing the game was such a bad thing. I'm sorry."
"My name is Sarah. And you're right about one thing. You didn't think. That makes it even worse."
The ranch house and outbuildings came into view and she shifted in the saddle, trying to lean as far forward as possible. She'd released her grip on his forearms and now gripped the pommel. However, no matter how much she tried to distance herself, the sway of the horse kept pushing her back against him. Her prudish attitude was starting to irritate him. He hadn't met a woman yet that didn’t want his attention. He pulled the circle of his arms tighter and heard her gasp.
He led Jackal to the front porch and because she'd pissed him off, he leaned in, put his mouth against her ear, and said low and sexy, "We're home." She bristled and he grinned.
Dismounting, he reached to circle his hands around her waist. She gave him a venomous look but cooperated. When she was off the horse, he kept his hands on her waist when she swayed and yelped after trying to take a step forward. Reaching an arm under her legs, he lifted and carried her up the stairs of the wide porch. "Mims, you're gonna have to open the screen and front door."
She obeyed without argument, probably because she was in so much pain. He set her on the co
uch and went to the kitchen, grabbing the ice pack he always kept in the freezer. By the time he got back, she had pulled off her loafer and stocking to reveal an excessively swollen ankle. He knelt in front of her and when he saw the pain in her eyes, he didn't feel pissed anymore.
"Honey, I'm gonna roll your pant leg up and put this ice pack on your ankle. I want you to lie back." He grabbed some throw pillows for her head. She twisted and lay back and he gently lifted her leg onto the couch. Placing a pillow under her ankle, he folded back her pant leg and placed the ice pack on the swelling. She jumped when he did so. "This will help bring the swelling down."
Leaving the room, he returned to the kitchen and lifted the receiver from the wall phone to call Doc Jones.
Chapter 4: Stuck in Dodge
Lying on the couch with her forearm over her eyes, Sarah kept wishing she would wake from this nightmare. Of the hundreds of dude ranches in the United States, fate had conspired to send her to Sage Tanner's. Now all she wanted was to get her damn car running and escape Dodge.
"Here's a wet cloth so you can wipe your face," said Sage.
She lifted her forearm to see him squatting beside her. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and wipe his gorgeous baby blues from her memory. She took the cloth. "Thank you," she said stiffly.
He stood and looked down at her. "I called my doctor friend and he said I need to bring you to his office for an x-ray. My ranch hand will be here soon. Then I'll drive you to Doc's."
"No…no, just get my car running or call the rental company to send another one. I'll be on my way…" And away from you.
"Mims, that's not gonna happen. Looks like you're gonna be laid up for awhile."
"Mr. Tanner, I do not intend to be laid up for any length of time, and especially not here."
"Lady…Sarah…" There was a knock on the front door. Sage walked to open it. Sarah listened to a woman's high pitched voice.
"OMG, you're Sage Tanner! We're Mindy and Mandy. We're at the dude ranch for three weeks." There was a pause and then a very seductive, "What would you like us to do?" spoken by another woman.
Sarah groaned and covered her face with the wet cloth.
Sage said, "Welcome ladies. One of the ranch hands should be here soon to check you in. Do you see that building on the other side of the corral?"
"Yes, Sage," they voiced in unison.
"That's the dorm. Your room has a sticker with your names on it. Make yourselves comfortable and feel free to explore the facility. Just don't go into the barn with the horses, okay?"
"Okay, Sage," they said in unison again. The one who had first spoken said, "We can't wait to get to know you."
"Uh, nice to meet you, uh, Mindy and Mandy." He closed the door.
Sarah pulled the cloth down over one eye and watched Sage press his forehead against the door.
"Looks like you've got some groupies," she said, and then winced when a sharp pain traveled up her leg.
"God, why me?" he mumbled.
"Oh, the perils of being a gorgeous model," she retorted.
She watched him straighten. He turned and looked at her with narrowed eyes and opened his mouth to make what looked to be a nasty reply, but instead, smiled slow and devastatingly. "So, you think I'm gorgeous?"
Sarah sputtered and pulled the cloth back over her eye. "M and M obviously think so, but sorry, you don't do it for me. I like more than a pretty package."
There was another knock on the door. "Damn!" Sage exclaimed and opened the door.
"Hey boss, I just saw two bimbos drive toward the dorm."
Sarah pulled the cloth down again and watched Sage usher a weathered old cowboy into the room. The cowboy saw her and turned scarlet beneath his leathery skin. He removed his hat and held it against his stomach. "Ah, sorry, ma'am, I didn't know there was a lady in the room."
Sage said, "Newt, this is Mims…er Sarah Carter. Her vehicle stalled on the way in. She twisted her ankle walking to the ranch and Doc wants to see her. I've got to take her to his office–"
Sarah interrupted, "No, you don't have to take me anywhere. You just have to get my car running or call the rental company to deliver another one so I can leave and–"
Sage interrupted, "Newt, pull the truck as close to the front door as you can so we can get Miss Carter into the cab–"
"What part of, 'I'm not going to see Doc', don't you understand, Mr. Tanner?"
Silently, Newt glanced between Sage and Sarah, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Pull the truck up, Newt," Sage said, staring her down.
"Yes, boss." Newt rushed out the door.
"Mr. Tanner…" Sarah began in her iciest voice.
"I don’t give a shit what you say. I'm taking you to a doctor." He stalked out the door after Newt.
Sarah pulled herself into a seated position and threw the wet cloth across the room. Who the hell does he think he is? Gingerly, she put weight on her foot and stifled a scream.
The screen door opened again and Sage stepped back inside. "You are one stubborn woman, Mims." He walked to the couch and unexpectedly lifted and carried her to his truck. The sharp pain in Sarah's ankle almost made her faint. It took all of her concentration not to cry.
Newt had the passenger door open and Sage gently sat her on the seat. She bit her cheek, but a moan escaped anyway.
When Sage shut the door, she glanced out the window to see the M and M girls watching from a short distance away. One girl bent to the other and whispered in her ear. Her identical twin slowly shook her head back and forth.
Sarah wanted to yell out the window, "Don't worry girls, he's all yours." She rubbed behind her neck. As if they're worried. Jeez, look at them and then look at you. Sarah laid her head against the door frame and squeezed her eyes tight against the Twilight Zone playing out in her life.
* * *
Doc Jones said, "Nothin's broke. But you got a doosey of a sprain. You're gonna have to be on crutches for at least ten days."
Sarah looked at him in disbelief. Even though her mind screamed, No, her mouth wouldn't move. The shot Doc had given her relieved the pain, but it rendered her woozy and sleepy. Finally, she croaked, "I don't wanna stay with Gorgeous George," and closed her eyes.
As if in an alternate world, Sarah felt herself being wheeled outside and then lifted back into the rusty old truck. She just wanted to sleep. She snuggled against someone speaking in her ear. She heard words from far away, "Sarah, let go of my neck so I can close the door and take you home."
"Home? Yes, I want to go home." Thank God, her ankle didn't hurt anymore.
* * *
Sarah stretched and her eyes flickered open. A dim illumination lit the room. Slowly, she glanced around and then groaned. She was back in the male model's living room lying on his couch. She tried to sit up and her head went fuzzy at the same time her stomach roiled. Grabbing her mouth, she swallowed to keep from throwing up.
A young girl's voice said, "Are you okay? Should I get a trash bag so you can puke?"
Sarah gained control of her stomach and shook her head. Finally, after several deep breaths, she looked for the owner of the voice. Now standing above her, a teenage girl of around fourteen or fifteen looked concerned.
"You've been sleeping ever since my dad brought you home about two hours ago. Right now, he's with the newbie dudes, getting them situated. He said I should keep an eye on you. When he gets back, we're gonna move you to the guest bedroom. It's next to my room. My dad said you've got a bad sprain and Doc's orders are for you to stay off it for awhile."
Sarah glanced at her ankle, wrapped and propped on a pillow. She groaned.
"Are you hurting? Doc sent pain pills. Should I get you one?"
"No," she croaked. She looked back at the girl and asked, "Who's your dad?"
The girl looked confused. "Sage Tanner."
The guy's got a wife and daughter? Never would have crossed my mind. I wonder where the wife is. Actually, she's probably the ex-wife.
"Wha
t's your name?" Sarah asked.
"Julie."
"Thanks for your help, Julie."
"No problem, ma'am."
The front door opened and Sage entered. Backlit by the porch light, his sun streaked mahogany hair and incredible bone structure made Sarah blink twice. He looked like an erotic angel.
"Hey, Dad, she's awake," said Julie.
"Good, turn a light on, sweetie."
Julie went to a lamp and switched it on.
"Did you get the guest room ready?"
"Sure did. Fresh sheets and dusted."
Sage patted his daughter on the head and then walked to gaze down at Sarah. "Looks like you're our guest for awhile. Newt's bringing crutches from the barn. Doc says the only time you can get up is to go to the bathroom. He wants you off the foot completely for at least three days, and then using crutches after that."
From her current prone position, Sarah looked up into Sage's azure eyes and wanted to curse the universe for putting her there.
"Doc said to ice your foot every two hours for at least fifteen minutes. Julie's gonna help with that." He squatted beside her and his ocean eyes threatened to drown her. "Are you hungry? I think you should eat. Whatever Doc shot you with for pain sure knocked you out. He sent some pain pills. If you need one, it's probably best not to take it on an empty stomach."
Sarah hated the feeling of being overwhelmed and out of control. She wanted to cry and quickly blinked back tears.
Sage said gently, "Are you hurting, Sarah?"
She shook her head, her eyes glued to his. He stayed crouched a moment longer, then stood. "I'll have Newt deliver supper here from the dorm."
Chapter 5: Busted
Sarah heard a timid knock and rolled over to face the door. Sharp pain shot up her leg and reminded her of the previous day's nightmare. First, cows and winding roads, followed by azure eyes, airhead sisters, a grizzled old cowboy, a white-haired doctor, a sweet teenage girl, and that horrible feeling of helplessness. Oh, God, why me? She turned her head into her pillow when she heard the door creak open. The thought of Sage seeing her at her worst made her push her face deeper into it. She heard Julie's voice.