Dreams of Forever. Brenda Jackson

sound coming from somewhere in back where the stables and corral were located caught McKinnon’s ears, and before moving up the steps to the front door, he decided to check things out. As soon as he rounded the corner a swift surge of intense desire flooded him. He recognized Casey sitting on the back of a horse, surrounded by a group of men—one he recognized as her father.

      He stopped walking and stood there, leaned against the house and stared at her, remembering the first time he’d laid eyes on her. It had been here, on this very land, standing pretty close to this same spot, while attending her cousin and his good friend Stone Westmoreland’s wedding. It just so happened that Corey, who she had met for the first time that day, was also getting married.

      It had been just minutes before the wedding was to begin and he had been talking with Durango and his brothers, Jared and Spencer. He had glanced around the exact moment a group of people had parted, giving him a spacious view of what he thought had to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He’d heard about Corey’s triplets and had already met her two brothers, but that day had been the first time he had set his eyes on Casey Westmoreland.

      Every male hormone within his body had gone on full alert and his libido hadn’t been the same since. He had stood there, the conversations between him and the men long forgotten as he watched her move around the yard talking with her cousin Delaney. There had been such sensuality in her movement, such refined grace, that he found it hard to believe she was the same woman sitting on a horse now. But all it took was a glance of her face to know that she was one and the same. The same woman determined to stay etched inside his brain.

      And then, as if she knew he was standing there staring at her, she glanced over in his direction and their gazes locked and held. He watched her stiffen, felt her anger and knew he had his work cut out for him. Chances were strong that after yesterday he was the last person she wanted to see.

      But still he kept staring at her, liking the way the sun was shining on her hair, giving it a lustrous glow against the light blue blouse she was wearing. She had on jeans—that much he could see although his total view was hampered by the men standing around her.

      As if wondering what had captured his daughter’s attention, Corey glanced in his direction and smiled. He then said something to Casey and a brief moment later the older man was walking toward him. McKinnon shoved off from the wall and moved forward to meet the man he considered a second father. Corey and McKinnon’s father had been best friends for years, long before McKinnon was born.

      Towering over six-five with a muscular build, Corey Westmoreland was a giant of a man with a big heart, a love for the land and his family and friends.

      “McKinnon,” Corey Westmoreland said, smiling as he embraced him in a bear hug. “What brings you up here?”

      “Casey,” McKinnon said simply. He couldn’t help noticing the older man’s expression didn’t show any surprise. “She came to see me yesterday about a job.”

      Corey chuckled. “Yes, she told me about that.”

      McKinnon could imagine. “I’m here to offer her the job if she still wants it.”

      Corey shrugged. “You’re going to have to discuss that with her. I guess I don’t have to tell you that you did a pretty good job of pissing her off.”

      McKinnon nodded. He’d always appreciated Corey’s honesty, even now. “No, you don’t have to tell me.” He glanced over to the area where Casey had been earlier when he heard several loud shouts. He lifted a brow. “What’s going on?”

      “Casey’s about to try her hand at riding Vicious Glance.”

      McKinnon jerked his head around and practically glared Corey in the face. “You can’t let her ride that horse.”

      Corey shook his head, grinning. “I’d like to see you try talking her out of it. She’s been here enough times to know what a mean son of a bitch that animal is, but she’s determined to break him in.”

      “And you’re letting her?” McKinnon had both outrage and astonishment on his face. Everyone who had visited Corey’s Mountain knew that Vicious Glance—named for the look the mean-spirited animal would give anyone who came close—was a damn good stud horse, but when it came to having anyone sitting on his back, he wasn’t having it. More than one of Corey’s ranch hands had gotten injured trying to be the one to change that bit of history.

      “I’m not letting her do anything, McKinnon. Casey’s a grown woman who’s past the age of being told what she can or cannot do,” he said. “I did ask her nicely to back down but she feels Vicious Glance isn’t too much horse for her to handle, so we’re about to see if that’s true. You might as well follow me and watch the show like the rest of us.”

      McKinnon sucked in a deep breath and for the first time wondered if Corey had lost his mind. This was the man’s daughter—the same one who could end up breaking her damn neck if that horse threw her. But before he could open his mouth and say anything else, Corey reached out and touched his shoulder. “Calm down. She’ll be fine.”

      McKinnon frowned, wondering who Corey was trying to convince—especially after seeing the expression of worry that quickly crossed the older man’s face. “I hope you’re right,” McKinnon said, pulling off his Stetson and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Already he was perspiring from worrying. Dammit, what was the woman trying to prove?

      Without saying anything else, he placed the Stetson back on his head and walked with Corey over to where the other men were standing. Casey glanced at him, glared and looked way. Corey shook his head and somberly whispered to McKinnon, “Seems she’s still pissed at you.”

      “Yep, seems that way, doesn’t it,” McKinnon replied. But at that moment, how Casey felt about him was the least of his worries. Like the other men standing around, he watched, almost holding his breath, as she entered the shoot to get on a blindfolded Vicious Glance’s back. She swung her petite body into the saddle and grabbed hold of the reins one of the ranch hands handed to her.

      McKinnon’s pulse leaped when she gave the man a nod and the action began when the blindfold was removed from the horse’s eyes. Vicious Glance seemed to have gone stark raving mad, bucking around the corral, trying to get rid of the unwanted occupant on his back. A few times McKinnon’s breath got caught in his throat when it seemed Casey was a goner for sure, but she hung on and pretty soon he found himself hollering out words of encouragement to her like the other men.

      She was given time to prove her point before several of the men raced over and quickly whisked her off the horse’s back. Loud cheers went up and McKinnon couldn’t help but smile. “Who in the hell taught her how to handle a horse like that?” he asked, both incredulously and relieved as he glanced over at Corey.

      The older man grinned. “Ever heard of Sid Roberts?”

      “What wannabe cowboy hasn’t,” McKinnon replied, thinking of the man who had grown up to be a legend, first as an African-American rodeo star and then as a horse trainer. “Why?”

      “He was Casey’s mother’s brother; the man Carolyn went to live with in Texas, and who eventually helped her raise my kids. It’s my understanding that when it came to horses, he basically passed everything he knew down to Casey. Clint and Cole had already dreamed about one day becoming Texas Rangers, but I’m told that Casey wanted to follow in her uncle’s footsteps and become a horse trainer.”

      McKinnon was listening to everything Corey was saying, though his gaze was glued to Casey. They had calmed Vicious Glance down and she was standing beside the animal whispering something in his ear, and as crazy as it seemed, it appeared the horse understood whatever it was she was saying. “So what happened?” he asked Corey. “Owning a dress store is a long way from being a horse trainer.”

      “Her mother talked her out of it, saying she needed to go to college and get a degree doing something safe and productive.”

      McKinnon nodded. “So she gave up her dream.”

      “Yeah,