A Pair of Jacks (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Online Free PDF Page B

runway. Just as the sun popped over the horizon, he leveled the plane westward in the direction of Wyoming.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jack set the plane down on a private landing strip in the most beautiful country Marie had ever seen. She pressed her face against the window wanting to take it all in. After years of living in a crowded metropolis filled with pollution, this unspoiled land, with its endless blue sky, seemed like paradise.
    Rolling green meadows filled with wildflowers ran along a wide stream to the nearby bluffs jutting into mountains high enough to still have snow on their peaks. She could smell the fresh scent of pine and the spice of wild herbs mixed with evergreen shrubbery when Reno opened the passenger’s door.
    As the plane touched down, she noticed a tan jeep sitting off to the side of the runway with a sole occupant wearing what looked like a battered Stetson. As soon as Reno stepped out of the doorway, the jeep came closer. A tall, middle-aged Native American stepped out of the vehicle, doffing his hat in greeting.
    He had gray hair pulled back in a ponytail that nearly reached his waist. His faded jeans, denim shirt, and scuffed boots with their silver toe protectors looked worn and comfortable. He was a workingman and it showed.
    Reno held up his hand to help Marie out of the plane. As soon as her boots hit the ground, he turned her in the direction of the driver. “This is Walter Eagleman. He takes care of the ranch while we’re gone.”
    Holding out her hand to Walter, she watched him engulf her hand with his big rawboned fist. His skin felt rough from years of hard work, but his touch was surprisingly gentle. Marie could picture him breaking horses and mending fences like cowboys in the Old West.
    Jack came around the side of the plane, giving Walter a genuine smile and a quick hug. He looked up toward the sky, drinking it in, his face suddenly relaxing like a man who had come home to a place he felt safe and secure. “Good to be back, Walt.”
    “Been too long, Jack. Ranger’s waiting for you.”
    “I’ll take him for a ride after dinner.”
    Marie studied Jack with unabashed curiosity. He seemed different here, relaxed and comfortable with himself. She had never imagined him the type to have an attachment to any living thing. Yet, there was an obvious and deep friendship between he and Walter Eagleman. And there must be a favorite horse waiting for him to ride. If she wasn't careful, she’d think Jack Benson was capable of harboring real feelings for someone other than himself.
    Now you’re being unfair . Just because Jack takes his job seriously doesn’t mean he’s a cold-hearted bastard . So he didn’t show a lot of emotion. Come to think of it, her mom hadn’t either, but she’d been a compassionate and loving person. Marie decided it all came down to her lack of experience dealing with people. She had trouble determining coldness from natural reserve.
    They piled into Walter’s jeep, heading across the meadow, heedless of the riot of colorful flowers he crushed under the knobby off-road tires. Marie winced at the waste of such beauty, remembering that she had paid a small fortune to buy flowers from street vendors in Paris, and none were as pretty as any of the flowers growing in the meadows they traveled through.
    The closer to the mountains they got, more rocks dotted the soil, replacing the beautiful vegetation. The hardy tall stems growing here resembled blooming weeds more than flowers. The terrain grew rugged with a wild beauty of its own. Two picturesque wood fences came into view, making a large corral with an inner ring for horse training. A huge two story wooden barn sat at the far end of the fence.
    Nestled against the bluffs was a rustic cabin with a tin roof and wide porch filled with handmade furniture. Marie’s gaze settled on the swing, and she wondered what it would be like to sit between the pair of Jacks on a cool mountain night with a full moon playing hide and