Dude Ranch Nights Read online

  It was a puma, and not a small one. “Get your rifle,” C.J. cried. “Can it jump down here?”

  Chapter 3

  Cam watched the cat for a moment. “No need. It’s just checking us out, seeing who’s invaded its territory. If the cat were desperate with hunger, it might try to leap this far, but not likely.. Curly knows lions. He scented the cat before he saw it and reacted out of fear. He’s all right now that he’s spotted it.” The horse had calmed down, but still watched the puma with keen attention, as did Josie.

  After a few tense moments, the big cat moved off, following the ledge until it vanished around a bend in the canyon. C.J. watched the spot for minute or more, still not sure the animal really was gone.

  “Maybe we’d better be moving along.” Cam spoke as calmly as if they had been no more than sipping coffee. He began to pack up the remains of their meal. That done, he offered C.J. a hand up. She let him pull her onto her feet and found the weakness and ache of her legs had eased while she’d rested. More than a little chagrinned and also frustrated at the sudden termination of their petting session, she could not quite meet Cam’s gaze.

  Thanks,” she muttered, taking a couple of steps to the side.

  “Feeling a bit steadier now and ready to ride some more?”

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The subtle double entendre of his words grated on her unsatisfied arousal. Embarrassment stirred as well. What had she been thinking of to allow herself to go so far so fast?

  Cam seemed to have himself well in hand. She could see no tell-tale bulge in his jeans, and he didn’t flinch as he settled into his saddle. He turned back up the trail down which they had come, the only way out of this particular spot in the canyon. Settling on Josie’s back again, C.J. resigned herself to suffering unrequited lust a while longer.

  “If you’d like, we can come back tomorrow with the hounds and see if they can pick up the scent of that cat. It’s damp enough here in the canyon that twenty-four hours shouldn’t erase all trace of the track.”

  Jolted out of her glum thoughts, C.J. took a moment to process what Cam had said. She answered somewhat belatedly. “Sure, why not? I know hunting lions is one of the main adventures you advertise. I’d love to give it a try.”

  “It has to be a team effort, so a couple of my wranglers will join us. More than one or two people are needed to handle the dogs, scope out a mule-passable trail, and take care of any emergencies.”

  In short, no little frolics on the side. Okay, if that’s the way you want to play this…With a sudden surge of defiance, C.J. unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, showing off a bit more cleavage than was her normal habit. She slipped off her jacket as well and tied it across in front of the saddle. If Cam looked back from above her, he’d get a tantalizing view.

  After a time, C.J. concluded Cam had not noticed her stratagem. If he did, he gave no sign. Once on the rim again, they took a different trail, which eventually led them back to the ranch late in the afternoon. She had to admit It had been a remarkable ride, but the effort had left her aching in every muscle. No, it wasn’t a ride in the park. That’s certainly true.

  She slid from the saddle when they reached the corrals, stopped to lean against patient Josie until her legs decided they might carry her weight. Then she hobbled off to the lodge. Solicitous but not patronizing, Cam stood nearby, but did not offer her any advice or assistance.

  A soak in the steaming tub in her private bath eased some of her aches. That done, she dressed for dinner. After pondering a moment upon the matter, she pulled out a rayon jersey dress. She might be enjoying a ranch adventure, but if Cam happened to be at dinner, she wanted to be sure she had his attention. The dress, navy blue with pink and white dots, left little to imagine as it skimmed the shape of her slender body. The v-neck dipped just deep enough to tantalize without seeming too blatant and a slit in the narrow skirt offered a glimpse of her leg. The effect was sophisticated but sexy, the exact look she wanted.

  At the early breakfast she had been alone in the dining room, but this evening, a number of other guests were present. She made it a point to introduce herself to everyone, the young couple from Des Moines who were on their honeymoon, the gentleman from Chicago and his lady friend, answering to Randolph and Miranda, who seemed to be enjoying a tryst away from home, and a family from Oregon, taking a trip the parents deemed “educational” for their brood of three. Other than the middle aged Mexican woman, who’d been introduced as Rosalinda, the cook, and a younger one who assisted her, none of the employees seemed to be around. They must eat elsewhere.

  Most notably missing was Cam. Perhaps he made a habit of dining in his private quarters. What a revolting development. Seems all my primping is to be wasted. C.J. made a good pretense of enjoying her salad and steak dinner served with cowboy fixings of beans, fried potatoes and biscuits, but her enthusiasm was affected.

  “You must try the pool,” gushed Miranda, the Chicago lady, as they finished the last of their dessert, a peach cobbler served with whipped cream, and after-dinner coffee. “I thought it would be cold, but Mr. Greenway assured me it’s fed by a hot spring. The water’s lovely, just right! Randy and I took a little ride this afternoon with one of the wranglers, and it was like heaven to wash the trail dust off when we got back.”

  C.J. gave her a polite nod. Then, after she thought about it, she decided a swim might be just the thing. She’d let her dinner settle a while and then have a swim before bedtime. Perhaps it would be late enough that the rather rowdy Oregon children would not be there to disturb her peace and quiet. She had to do something or she’d be far too stiff and sore to pursue the puma tomorrow.

  An hour later, she found her way down to the pool, which sat in a patio area behind the lodge. No one was there at the moment. Solitude suited her just fine. The only person she could imagine wishing to see was Cam, and he had been conspicuous by his absence all evening. Dropping her terry robe on a metal lawn chair, she descended the tiled stairs into the shallow end of the pool. Although not as hot as her bath water had been, the pool was indeed far from cold. At or near body temperature, the water made a pleasing contrast with the mild chill of the evening air.

  Moving languidly, she swam the length of the pool twice, then lay back relaxed to float in the comfortable embrace of the water. The colors of a flamboyant sunset reflected on the surface around her, giving a sensation of sinking into an impressionist painting. A placid, peaceful serenity stole over her, like the gentle buzz from a few good drinks…not enough to be inebriated, but perfect for relaxing.

  If she noticed the slight increase in the motion of the water at all, it became part of her half-asleep dream. When the deep masculine voice spoke, almost in her ear, she jumped in a violent start.

  “How’s the water? It looks like you’re finding it relaxing.”

  * * * *

  Cam smiled inwardly. His guest had not been very observant. Seeing her in the pool from a second-story window in his private area of the lodge, he’d made a quick decision to join her. Although he had not tried to be especially quiet, he wasn’t one to make a lot of noise if he could help it. He’d approached and walked into the water with a minimum of fuss. Obviously she hadn’t noticed. Her start ended the easy float. She submerged for a moment to come up sputtering.

  “Did I take you by surprise? Sorry, I had no intention of startling you.”

  “My, do you always slip around so quietly? You should’ve been a cat burglar at that rate, not a guest ranch operator.” Although her tone was indignant, the lights around the pool revealed enough of her face to prove she was not unhappy to see him.

  Again Cam smiled to himself. It was time to make the next move. He hadn’t been perturbed that the arrival of the puma had interrupted their session in Crystal Creek Canyon. Things had almost gone further than he’d intended for a start. He deemed the chase to be always the best part of an amorous adventure. Carole VanDemont made a most worthy quarry; one he intended to enjoy to th
e maximum.

  On the pretext of helping her stay afloat, he reached out to capture her by the waist. They stood in water shallow enough her feet found the bottom with ease. The languid lap of the warm water set the scene, as stirring to her, he felt sure, as it was to him. There was something exquisitely seductive about the caress of warm water lapping at your skin, softer than a lover’s tongue.

  She came into his embrace without hesitation, tipping her face up for the expected kiss. He withheld it, moving close enough his breath would whisper across her moist skin, but not bringing his lips to hers. Her luscious mouth formed a pouting moue of protest after a moment. Her eyes opened when the delay proved too unnerving. As she gazed up at him, she slid her hands up his arms from just past the wrists to his shoulders. Then with a quick pounce, she tangled her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck and bore down, bringing his mouth to hers at last.

  For long moments, they feasted on one another’s lips. She had a delicious mouth, made for kissing. He nibbled at her full lower lip, catching the fetching pout in his teeth and tugging gently. She responded with a quick thrust of her tongue, darting it into and out of his mouth several times. He caught the rhythm then and captured her, biting down just hard enough she could not withdraw until he allowed her to.

  The sleek one-piece swimming suit she wore set off her slender height to a perfect advantage. He was six-foot-four, but did not tower over her as he did most women. She was just enough shorter for comfort. Now her lithe body seemed to glue itself to him. She lifted her left leg and twined it around his, stroking her foot up and down his calf. There was nothing shy about this lady. He’d guessed that from the first, and her actions now confirmed it.

  This brought her crotch close to his burgeoning erection. He could almost imagine he felt the heat of her eager pussy, the slippery moisture pooling there for him. Oh, she would be good, but not just yet….

  “Mind if we join you?” The cheerful, chirpy tone of Miranda, the Chicago siren, cut through their sensual haze like a blunt knife.

  Cam looked up to see Miranda and her paramour standing at the edge of the pool, just a few feet away. He didn’t care for the man. Richard? Ruben? Something like that. But raven-haired Miranda had possibilities. In fact, if Carole were not there, he could almost be interested. Of course, she seemed to be paired up and she wasn’t the type he’d want for anything long term, but she had a lush body and a come-hither look that seemed to say matched or not, she was shopping around.

  With an expression only describable as a leer, the male half of the pair dove in, making an ostentatious splash. Miranda slipped into the pool more daintily, brushing against Cam as she swam past.

  Definite possibilities, but then she’s probably just a tease. I know that type. Half the women who came to the ranch make a play for me, some subtly and some blatant to wanton. It almost gets monotonous. Who do they think they’re fooling?

  Chapter 4

  C.J. slipped free of Cam’s embrace and swam to the deep end and back. Of all the untimely interruptions! First the puma and now this pair. Damn, it’s worse than Grand Central on a holiday weekend!

  For a few minutes, all four of them swam around, each one showing off a little for the others. She didn’t care much for Randolph. He was too short, too oily, and too full of himself, without any apparent reason for it. In fact, he reminded her of an aging version of the fraternity men and young turks she’d dated with little pleasure the past several years, during and after college. She was considering getting out, even though that would leave the field to Miranda whose behavior was far from shy. The dark-haired woman swam around Cam, twisting like a mermaid, all but rubbing herself all over him. If I were Randolph, I’d be furious!

  A keen pinch on her right buttock caught her by surprise. She barely stifled a yelp. Whirling, she faced Randolph’s salacious grin.

  “Just call me Randy,” he said, flashing a set of pearly whites that belonged in a tabloid denture ad. “What’s a classy broad like you doing here alone? I’d think some place like Palm Springs would be your style, where you could get picked up by a movie star or something. In that suit, you look like a starlet yourself.”

  Carole bit back the snide comments she wanted to make. “Oh, I think this is a swell place. I’m having a great time. I’ve always loved cowboys.” Her gushing comments would do the starlet image justice, and maybe set Mr. Randy Randolph up for the fall she intended. Unless he had a fabulous cock hidden in the baggy trunks he wore or some amazing tricks, he didn’t have a thing she wanted. She tended to fix on one man at a time, and right now that one man was Cam Greenway. It would take a half-dozen of Randy to make one of him.

  Deliberately she swam to Cam’s side and joined Miranda’s water ballet. The rancher seemed to be eating it up. He was not particular where his hands landed as he joined in the action, swimming with them dolphin-style, now under one and then over the other. Not to be left out, Randy also entered the watery dance. Four slippery bodies twined and twisted, knotting together in sinuous, sensuous motions that grew both more languid and more heated as time went by.

  Somewhere along the line, Randy lost his trunks. From the feel of him as he rubbed against her back, he wasn’t badly endowed. As if not to be outdone, Miranda dropped the bra of her two-piece suit and then Cam’s trunks were gone as well. Carole bit her lip. Did she dare? She had suspected Miranda’s cleavage was enhanced, but even without push-up pads, the brunette had a pair of plump and pert tits. She all but rubbed them in Cam’s face, then did feed one to Randy as she swam around them. She giggled as he sucked on a dark, pouting nipple before she pulled it away from him.

  Oh, what the hell! In for a penny…Carole slipped the straps off her shoulders and pushed the top of her suit down to her waist. Then with a quick shimmy, she slid the wet fabric down her body and kicked free of it. She ducked under the surface and swam to the shallow end, standing to display her toned, slim body. The water hit just above the pale triangle of hair that shielded her sex. A thrill of raw excitement, along with the chill caress of the evening breeze, stiffened her nipples to rosy peaks.

  If anyone should look out from the lodge, they’ll get an eyeful. Well, let them. There aren’t many windows on this side, anyway, and it’s getting pretty dark. I’ll never see any of these people again once I leave. Anyway, I’m having an adventure!

  Randy seemed to be all but drooling as he looked her over. Miranda, head cocked to one side, simply looked, then flipped forward to swim over and join her. Cam leaned, with casual ease, against the rim of the pool, his elbows hooked back over the tile edge. A slight, mocking smile played around his lips, and he arched one eyebrow as he studied her.

  Miranda stood and turned to face the men. C.J. knew the two of them made an arresting sight. She was tall, slim, and blonde, while Miranda was shorter, dark, and much more voluptuous. With an exaggerated shimmy, Miranda slipped off the bottom of her suit and tossed it over her shoulder.

  The next move Miranda made caught C.J. by surprise. The shorter woman turned and pressed close to her, lush breasts flattening against C.J.’s firmer body. Whoa, what’s going on here?

  “Play along,” Miranda hissed in a taut whisper. “It fires men up to see a couple of women getting frisky. Trust me, I’m really not a lez, although if I was, I could go for your type.”

  The pressure of Miranda’s soft, ample body against hers was not an unpleasant sensation. C.J slid her arms around Miranda’s waist and bent down to meet the other woman’s smiling lips with her own. The slick, oily texture of the brunette’s heavy scarlet lipstick was not pleasant, but C.J. managed to ignore that. They held the kiss for several seconds.

  They must have made it look convincing. The next moment, both men were there, reaching, grabbing, thrusting, and clearly eager to get in on the fun. As C.J. feared, Randy homed in on her. She could feel his erect cock bumping against her butt, trying to wriggle between her thighs and find a home in her pussy. She squeezed her legs together, hard. Making it
with the oily lowlife was not in her plan.

  From some remarks she had overheard, he was married…and not to Miranda. She didn’t care for cheating Lotharios, and this guy didn’t push any of her buttons anyway. Now how could she get closer to Cam?

  He had come up at their sides toward the deeper part of the pool and now pressed equally against her and Miranda, an arm around each of them. He curled one hand around the nearest cheek of her ass and squeezed. She could feel that he also managed to stick a finger out in such a way as to bore into the side of Randy’s prick. It gave that old finger gesture a whole new meaning. She heard Randy suck in a hissing breath and immediately felt him back off.

  It all seemed almost like an accident, not the sort of thing anyone could pick a fight over. And if Randy was dumb enough to start a fight with Cam, she had no doubts which one would come out the worst for it. C.J. barely withheld a giggle. At least that solved one of her problems.

  Miranda, meanwhile, dipped her head and took one of C.J.’s nipples into her mouth. She sucked vigorously on it, sending tingles of sensation shooting through C.J.’s body straight to her pussy and every other sensitive spot.

  Geez, give me a break! I don’t think this was what I came out here for. If it didn’t feel so good, so much like a genuine adventure, I’d…

  Cam’s deep voice, low-pitched so as not to carry and yet full of command, cut through the sensual haze fogging her mind.

  “I suggest we take this game into the shelter of the cabana, just in case someone decides to look out their window. It’s getting dark, but not that dark.” With an arm around both C.J. and Miranda, he started for the steps leading up and out of the pool. Randy had no choice but to follow them or be left out.