brides for brothers 04 - cowboy surrender by judy christenberry

might be something about my herd for the rodeo,” Pete said.
    “Then I’ll call you. Wait here,” Jake barked. If he didn’t start toward B.J. now, she’d have her truck right next to the herd before she stopped, and they’d have an audience interested in whatever she had to say.
    He eased his horse into a lope toward the approaching truck, but he could still hear Pete as he hollered, “I guess you’re not as calm as I thought.”
    He was calm, he assured himself. He just didn’t want B.J. telling everyone he’d drafted her into playing a role last night. That was all.
    She pulled the truck to a stop and waited for him to reach her. She must not be any more interested in an audience than he was. He swung from the saddle and strode the couple of feet to the door of her truck as she opened it.
    “Good mornin’, B.J.,” he drawled, but his heart sped up as she looked at him, her hazel eyes wide, an anxious look in them. “Everything okay?”
    One thing he’d always given B.J. credit for: she was a straight shooter whether you liked it or not. Now his heart double-clutched when she looked away from him.
    “Um, not exactly.”
    “What do you mean? Do they need us at the house?”
    “No! Everything’s fine.” She flashed him a quick look and then stared at the cattle behind him.
    “Something wrong with the herd?”
    “No.”
    “Then what in blazes are you doing here, woman?” he asked in exasperation. She was driving him crazy with her evasions…and her soft lips. The urge to kiss her, in broad daylight, startled him.
    “I need to talk to you.”
    “You don’t seem to be doing much of that.”
    Finally she turned to look at him, but anger drove her if her expression was anything to go by. “Give me a break. This is awkward.”
    “Couldn’t it wait until this evening?” he asked testily, figuring he knew what was coming. But he darn sure couldn’t see any urgency.
    “No! Tonight might be too late.”
    He cocked one eyebrow at her and took a step closer, moving almost inside the door where she was standing. Just close enough to catch her scent.
    “Too late for what?”
    “Jake, I have to ask a favor,” she said, her voice low, that throaty purr that drove him crazy. She reached out and caught the front of his jacket.
    His hand closed over hers, feeling the soft warmth of her skin, wishing she’d slide her hand inside his shirt. Clearing his suddenly hoarse throat, he muttered, “Yeah?”
    She drew a deep breath, and he watched the rise and fall of her bosom, feeling like a seventeen-yearold boy, afraid to breathe in case he completely lost control.
    “Could we—could we pretend a little longer?”
    His mind was so clogged with sensations it took him a minute or two to understand what she’d said. “You want to continue pretending to date?” He shot a quick look over his shoulder to make sure no one could overhear their conversation.
    Every man in the saddle was staring at them.
    He turned back to B.J., realizing she hadn’t answered his question. “Well?”
    “Not…exactly.”
    He released her hand to capture her shoulders. “What are you asking?”
    “I need us to pretend to—to be an item.”
    “An item?” He wanted to be sure he understood what she was asking.
    “Stop being obtuse, Jake!” she shouted, and struck his chest.
    “Whoa! For someone asking a favor, you’re being a little aggressive, aren’t you, sweetheart?” He was beginning to enjoy their conversation. He had a feeling he was about to get the upper hand.
    “The favor isn’t for me, you jerk. It’s for Red and Mildred.”
    Her lips were pressed together, flattening out their fullness, but he still wanted to feel them beneath his, to taste her sweetness. He was filled with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.
    “Well ? Will you agree?” she prodded.
    “Why do Red and Mildred care if we…date?”
    “Because Mildred won’t agree to marry Red unless she thinks—” B.J. broke off and sighed. “I