Free Mating Seduction-epub by Bonnie Vanak Page B

fine, and you’re trying to find excuses for yourself. You’ll practice later, and practice until you get it right. No one’s beats a Baker.  Right now I need you to work on the spreadsheets.”
    As Bart walked back to the golf cart, Cora aimed Jackson a coy look. “Want to share a drink when I’m done?”
    “No, thanks.” He’d rather swig back straight hemlock than drink with Cora. “Need to work a little more with Lexie.”
    She lowered her voice to a vicious whisper. “That gimpy cowgirl is nothing but clumsy when she gets off her horse. I don’t understand why you like her.”
    Anger tightened his chest. “I have a lot of things in common with Lexie.”
    “What?”
    She’s a wolf, not a she-devil like you , he was tempted to say. Instead, he attempted diplomacy. “Why are you so interested in who I like anyway? I heard Peter is crazy about you.”
    Her expression softened. “He’s very cute. And talented. He likes woodworking. He promised to make me a statue of a horse. Peter is very good with his hands.”
    “Not as good as me.” Grinning, Jackson flexed his right fist.
    The sullen look sure did make Cora look unattractive. She joined her father in the golf cart. Jackson didn’t turn around to wave as they drove off. There went one seasoned bitch. He wondered if she’d end up sinking her claws into Peter soon.
    Jackson only wanted one female sinking her claws into his back. Lexie. And if she shifted and they mated as wolves, well, that would be fine. Mighty fine.
    He grinned, wondering what Cora would think if she saw that sight.
     
     

 

Chapter 9
     
     
    Lexie fell from Diamond while riding back to the stables.
    It wasn’t a hard fall, but the saddle slipped violently, spilling her to the ground. Lexie had fallen enough that she knew how to take a tumble.
    Rubbing her bottom as she stood, she examined the saddle. A chill rushed down her spine.
    Only thin threads of leather held both cinches together. She’d checked the saddle, as always, before saddling Diamond. Lexie saw faint, clean cuts near the buckles on the cinches.
    Someone had sawed through the leather, just enough to cause a break after a session of rough riding.
    If she’d fallen while barrel racing instead of walking Diamond back,  she would have been badly hurt. And maybe Diamond would have taken a spill as well.
    Inside the barn, she stabled her horse and stowed the saddle away. Lexie was brushing down Diamond as Jackson strolled down the wide aisle.
    “Want to go riding? I’d like to show you the ranch,” he asked.
    “Sure. I’ll need another mount, though.” Lexie put away the brush. “By the way, I’ll have to borrow one of the ranch’s saddles.”
    He nodded. “What’s wrong with yours?”
    Lexie hesitated. She didn’t want to voice her suspicions. Not yet. “Cinches are a little worn.”
    Jackson found her a gelding to ride and they saddled up. They cut through the south pasture, tall meadow grass bending in the cool breeze sweeping across the plains. The sun shone in the sharp blue sky as he pointed out the quiet vistas of meadow, the jagged mountains and the majestic peaks.
    “There’s no place like it on earth, Lex. I’m hoping you’ll share it with me,” he told her in a quiet, assured voice.
    Nikita’s warning kept pricking her conscience. How could she desert her own pack when they needed her so desperately? She couldn’t trust her feelings for Jackson.
    “I can’t,” she told him.
    “Just like that.” His jaw turned to granite.
    “I have my reasons. Just like you need to make a contribution to your pack, I have to make one to mine. I owe them, Jackson. ”
    “Owe them?”
    Lexie couldn’t explain, so she rode ahead.
    That night, he was corralled in another long meeting with Aiden. By the time he returned to the cabin, it was late and she pretended to be asleep.
    Jackson was gone when she awoke just before dawn, the leaden light barely pushing away the night. Lexie dressed in an emerald