by Leigh Smith
Sally Jenkins and her brother, Dixon, ran the Double JJ Ranch after the retirement of their dad, Jim. The Double JJ specialized in and had a reputation for being the best breeders of cutting horses. Buyers from all over the country came to look at and buy their stock. Their training operation was second to none and, in addition they also fostered and rescued abused horses. Sally and Dixon, along with their ranch manager, Hilly Baxter, shared the duties of overseeing the business side. The three of them worked well together, and there wasn't a cowboy on the ranch who doubted Sally's ability or her knowledge of the Double JJ operation.
Jim Jenkins took pride in the fact that Sally was just as good a cutter trainer as Dixon, but most men didn't want to take instruction from a female, especially one that beat them at every turn, so Sally stuck to sales and breeding.
Sally, Dixon, and Cade had all grown up together. Sally, the youngest of the bunch, had often trailed behind her brother and Cade, much to their dismay. No matter how hard they tried to discourage her from hanging around with them, she always managed to find a way to insert herself into their adventures. She was a tomboy through and through. It wasn't until Dixon and Cade went off to college, that Sally began acting like a girl. The first time the boys came home from school and Cade saw the new Sally, he was smitten.
This was not the tomboy he remembered. Somehow, she had grown tall and willowy, with strawberry-blond hair and bright blue eyes and when she asked him to escort her to the Claremont Harvest Dance, he readily agreed.
That was the beginning of the stormiest relationship in the history of relationships.
Cade Collier never finished college. Sometime during his junior year, he was recruited to become a poster boy for a local modeling contest. He loved the spotlight and was only too happy to have his face plastered everywhere. His good looks and charming smile got him noticed by a national modeling agency and soon he was on every magazine cover and billboard imaginable. His notoriety was legendary, and his escapades were detailed in every supermarket checkout rag. His modeling career led to roles in movies and television, and Cade Collier became a legend in Claremont and in his own mind. He still regarded Claremont as home, and whenever he came home he would make it a point to buddy around with Dixon and have a date or two with Sally.
When Dixon married his college sweetheart, Cade was his best man. The paparazzi had a field day in Claremont. Every little detail of the wedding was broadcast across the headlines. Even Sally had been mentioned in a couple of those headlines because Cade was her date. She hated the attention, and it had turned Dixon's wedding into a three ring circus. She refused to date Cade after that for fear of some stalking cameraman looking for his fifteen minutes of fame. How anyone would want to live like that was beyond her understanding. The only headlines she wanted was for the Double JJ Ranch.
Sally went to college planning to become a veterinarian. After a couple of years, she changed her mind and returned to the Double JJ. She was more interested in the breeding of horses than anything else, and her dad knew as much as anyone about the subject, so she learned from him.
As teenagers, both she and Dixon participated in junior rodeos. Occasionally now, Dixon would compete, riding one of their horses to showcase the Double JJ. Sally had won her share of awards as a cutter champion but never enjoyed the competition portion of rodeos. She would often trailer or deliver their horses to different events, but limited it to the events most likely to benefit the ranch. Double JJ Ranch did very little in the way of marketing; their business grew by word of mouth and the awards garnered by horses, either bred at or trained at the ranch.
On one of Sally's trips, she met Jake Raymond. Although she vowed never to get involved with a rodeo performer, her resolve went right out the window with Jake. The first time she spotted him he was walking across the arena with that rolling gait cowboys seem to have; she supposed it came from spending many hours in the saddle. He was six feet three inches of pure maleness, with broad shoulders, a slender waist and a slightly amused look on his face. When he looked at her, her knees wobbled.
"Howdy, I understand you're with the Double JJ Ranch. I'm Jake Raymond." He extended a hand that was attached to a well-muscled arm with a rolled shirtsleeve. His hand entirely enveloped hers, and it was both rough and calloused.
"Yes, I'm Sally Jenkins. What can I do for you? Jake, did you say?"
He smiled showing the whitest of teeth. "Yes, Jake Raymond."
He smiled again, and this time Sally noticed the blueness of his eyes and the little laugh crinkles around them. She liked a man with crinkles around the eyes, to her it meant he enjoyed life.
"I'm looking to buy a cutting horse, and I understand the Double JJ is the best in the business. Did you bring any stock with you or should I make an appointment to come to the ranch?"
"I did bring some stock with me, but the best ones are still back at the ranch. Look over the stock we have here and decide from there."
"Sounds good. Shall I follow you or meet you somewhere?"
"I have a few things to finish up here. How about we meet over at the horse barn in about twenty minutes or so."
He agreed. Sally didn't have anything to finish up, she just had to calm herself down. Her body was reacting in ways she had never experienced until now by simply looking at someone. Most of the times that's all she wanted - just a look - but not with Jake Raymond. Watching him walk away wasn't helping. He was wearing dark jeans with chaps encasing beefy thighs, and the way they tied around back showed off his tight ass to perfection.
Imagine being wrapped around those legs with free access to those tight buns... Get a grip on yourself, girl, she said to herself.
Sally met Jake Raymond at the horse barn. He liked a horse from the available stock, but before he committed to a sale, he said he wanted to visit the ranch. They shook on the deal.
"Are you pulling out tonight?" he asked.
"No, I'm waiting until morning so I won't have traffic to deal with. Sometimes the stock gets restless if they're in the trailer too long."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm going over to the Lone Star. Care to join me?"
"I'd like that," she told him. "I'm staying over at the motel, and I'd like to get cleaned up first. Does that suit?"
"Sure, I'm staying there too. How 'bout we meet in an hour in the lobby. Sound good to you?"
"Sure. See you then." Sally settled in her stock and arranged to pull out in the morning before heading over to the motel. On the way, she wondered if this was a real date or just a convenience thing. She was having difficulty maintaining a business demeanor in his presence and hoped to get through dinner without making a fool of herself. He was definitely drool worthy.
Sally showered and decided to treat this more as the conclusion of a business deal than a real date. Dressing in clean jeans, shined boots and a white shirt with the Double JJ logo, would make her feel more like a business woman than a swooning teenager, and she might be able to get through dinner. I'll pick up the tab, too, she told herself. That will help. We'll see if he fights me over it.
When she stepped into the lobby, he was already there. He rose to greet her and placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her out the door and the walk to the restaurant. Sally hoped he couldn't feel her trembling body. The feel of his hand on her back was sending signals to her lower regions - signals that didn't bode well for keeping her cool.
Lone Star was a favorite gathering place for the rodeo crowd: excellent steaks, on tap local beers, and the wooden floors littered with peanut shells allowed cowboys and rodeo performers to feel right at home. Chances were you would run into someone you knew so that even if alone, you wouldn't be alone long. A lot of business was cemented with a handshake and beer over the loud music blaring from the overhead speakers.
The hostess greeted them by name and handed them a pager. Walking to the bar to get a drink, Sally saw one of the other patrons wave. Jake waved and walked them over in that direction. After introductions, Jake and this fella began talking business. Not wanting to intrude or eavesdrop, Sally only caught part of the conversation but learned exactly who Jake Raymond was. He was a helluva lot more than a rodeo performer. She couldn't believe she didn't put the pieces together sooner. Of course, part of that was probably because she was too busy lusting after the sexy hunk of man in front of her.
When the pager started blinking, Jake asked Sally if she minded if Ben Wheeler joined them for dinner.
Of course, I care, was what she silently thought, but said, "Of course not."
Dinner was more business than pleasure, but Sally made another contact for the ranch, so it wasn't a total loss. Not surprising, Ben Wheeler was staying at the same place, so they all walked back together. At the lobby, they each said good-night with handshakes. Ben Wheeler said he would be in touch, and Jake said he'd see Sally the following week.
Disappointed, Sally walked back to her room.
The Double JJ Ranch boasted about twelve hundred acres and employed some twenty people, give or take one or two depending on the season. When Sally rode into the yard the following day, three of the workers immediately came out to help her unload the horses from the trailer. It had been a good trip; she had sold two of their young horses, had a deposit on a third, and expected Jake Raymond to purchase another when he visited. She handed out many cards and would probably get a sale or two from Ben Wheeler.
She daydreamed about Jake Raymond all the way back home. More than a rodeo performer and one of the best-looking men she had ever met, he also was the son of Chandler Raymond, who was one of the leading thoroughbred horse breeders in the country. Two of their horses had won the Kentucky Derby in past years. Eavesdropping on the conversation between him and Wheeler, she learned Jake had purchased his own ranch and was more interested in quarter horses than thoroughbreds.
When she met up with Dixon later in the office, she filled him in on the details of the trip. Dixon congratulated her on the sales and the possibility of doing business with Raymond and Wheeler.
"What do you know about Jake Raymond?" she asked Dixon.
She must have blushed because Dixon started to tease her. "Why, little sis, I do believe you're blushing. Did Jake Raymond turn your head? What would Cade Collier say?"
"I don't know or care what Cade Collier would say. I'm not interested in him."
"If you say so. Does that mean you are interested in Jake Raymond? Because if you are, you shouldn't mix business with pleasure, and maybe I should handle him when he comes to the ranch."
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