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© 2009, Tess MacKall Reviews For HIS SWEET OBSESSION by Tess MacKall "I laughed. I cried. Tess MacKall
has a gift of digging into the depths of a character's emotions so you
feel like you personally know these people." "One of the things I loved about
this story is how Tess MacKall incorporates the 'family' attitude that
is so prevalent and how everyone genuinely cares for each other. This
is a beautiful heartfelt story that leaves readers with the feeling
that any obstacle can be overcome." "His Sweet Obsession is for anyone
with a wildly romantic streak and loves some hot loving!" "I really enjoyed HIS SWEET OBSESSION...a good
read." "This was a very good quickie read with fun characters, steamy sexual encounters and a complex storyline." 4 Stars from JERR "The sex scenes are flaming hot and masterfully done. Ms. MacKall's writing is so polished and enjoyable, I couldn't stop flipping the pages until I reached the very end." 5 Divas from Dark Divas Reviews Sample Chapter For HIS SWEET OBSESSION by Tess MacKall Addy burst through the screened door as if someone had set her tail feathers on fire, letting it bang shut behind her. Cowboys! Damn they were arrogant bastards. And Jack Colter was the biggest of them all. Bounding down the front porch steps, she strode across the yard headed for the old, faded green pickup truck. Just as she reached it, the door banged shut again. She heaved open the truck door and before she could climb into the seat, a strong masculine arm reached out and slammed the truck door shut. “Damn it, Addy. Why are you all fired up with me?” Addy balled her hands into fists at her sides and twirled to meet the thunderstruck look on Jack’s face. “You knew, Jack. You knew!” He fitted his signature black Stetson on top of his head and looked her square in the eye. “I didn’t know, Addy. I swear.” Deep green with flecks of gold, his eyes were just as she remembered. And if she stared into them long enough, she might just believe him. No way would she travel back down that road. “Liar.” She turned, and this time opened the door with success. Hurriedly, she got in, stomped on the clutch and shifted the gear stick into neutral. Pushing the starter button with her thumb, the lazy churn of the engine whined. “Start, damn it!” Jack laid his hand on the side mirror and adjusted his hat. “You need to pump the gas. The ol’ gal’s a bit ornery.” “Shut up, Jack. I remember how to do it. I learned how to drive in this truck.” Actually she hadn’t remembered, but where Jack was concerned she had no intention of agreeing with anything he said. Addy pumped the accelerator, and this time the truck sprang to life. She shifted into first, let out the clutch too fast and stalled the engine. “Easy on the clutch, Addy.” Addy drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Jack. I don’t need your help. Leave me alone.” “I swear to you, Addy, I had no idea Maggie was gonna put all those restrictions on you inheriting the ranch. Stop pumping the accelerator. You’re gonna flood it.” The truck gurgled noisily as if drowning. Flooded. Addy slapped her hand to her forehead. If she didn’t get away from Jack—and soon—she’d explode. “No idea. Funny how all those restrictions involve you. You had to know. You and Maggie were thicker than thieves.” “In the first place, Maggie would never seriously consider giving the ranch to the church. She didn’t have a lot of respect for those Bible thumpers. You know that. She probably just put that in the will so you’d hang onto it for a while.” “A while? I’d say forcing me to keep the ranch for five long years and keep you on as foreman or lose it to the church is definitely a while.” She pressed the starter button, only to hear the pitiful gurgling noise again. “It’s flooded. Now you gotta let it sit. And what’s wrong with keeping the ranch anyway?” Pissed to the max, Addy jerked her head in Jack’s direction. “I live in New York. I haven’t lived on this ranch in fifteen years. I don’t want to live here either.” “I still don’t see a problem. Live in New York, and I’ll keep running the ranch for the next five years just like Maggie wanted. After that it’s yours to sell.” “Right. Mine to sell after I give you first refusal. Explain that!” Jack shoved his hand deep into his jeans pocket and looked down. “Can’t rightly say other than Maggie knew how much this place means to me. And, well, she was probably thinking about our profit sharing deal and how long it would take for me to be in a position to buy it from you, I guess.” Addy looked away. His hushed voice touched her deep inside and forced her to calm. Jack had lived and worked on the Double Eagle since he was a kid. Without a doubt, it did mean everything to him. Long buried memories threatened to surface, and she pushed them aside. Too bad the ranch was the only thing he’d ever cared about. That and dancing to Maggie’s tune. Her rage returned with a vengeance. Slamming her hand against the steering wheel, she tried the truck again. Much to her relief, the engine started. With every intention of having the last word, she looked Jack dead in the eye. “That codicil to the will is obviously new, and with all the medication Maggie was taking near the end it’s no wonder she wasn’t thinking straight. Otherwise she would never have given a second thought to the financial security of the hired hand.” Addy rammed the old truck’s gearshift into first and floored the accelerator. Jack jumped backward as the truck took off, its tires digging a trench and spewing a steady stream of dirt. At the end of the driveway, she glanced up in the rear-view mirror. Much to her satisfaction she’d achieved the desired effect. A cloud of dust billowed all around Jack. He stood in the driveway fanning his black Stetson wildly, coughing and raising even more dust as he kicked at the dirt with the toe of his boot. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? It was her ranch, not his. Granted, she hadn’t been back since the day she left, but Maggie had left it to her, not him. She supposed it only added to his already swollen ego that Maggie had left him the North Ridge property—which reluctantly she had to admit he did deserve—but the shit-eating grin that spread across his face as the codicil to Maggie’s will was read was more than Addy could take. Never in a million years could she have imagined something so utterly twisted. It had completely thrown her. Bucked and thrown her as if from a wild stallion. Leave it to Maggie to fuck with her life, even from six feet under. The old truck clipped along flat out for a few miles. Without thinking, she turned down a side road. Hitting a wash out, the truck bounced and sent the top of her head into the roof of the cab. “Damn!” Instinctively, her hand went to her scalp. The truck veered to the right. She grabbed the steering wheel, fighting for control, and hit the brakes hard, holding her breath as the truck slid dangerously close to the side ditch and came to an abrupt halt. Addy let out the breath she’d held and relaxed against the back of the seat. Dust immediately assaulted her through the open windows. She shook her head and laughed, fanning it from her face. What goes around comes around, I guess. She frowned. It was Texas. And to make matters worse, it was summer in Texas on the Double Eagle Ranch. Dust owned every square inch of the hundred thousand acre spread—one of the things she’d hated most about growing up here as a kid. That and Aunt Maggie’s controlling ways. She wiped her forehead, glancing at the film of sweat-mingled dust on her hand and rubbed it off on her jeans. After the cloud of dust around her settled, she focused on what lay ahead. The river. Not only was it the lifeblood of the ranch, but the source of all her past and present woes. The river made the ranch valuable to prospective buyers. For all the good it would do her now. Maggie had seen to that. And what about the past? That, of course, was tied to the reason she’d left. And that reason was Jack. Nine to his fourteen, she’d followed him around the ranch with puppy dog eyes from day one, just a skinny little girl with braids and her first crush. Politely, he’d ignored her. And then one summer, it all changed. Screw the memory. Addy gunned the truck’s engine and drove right up to the river’s bank—the same place where she’d gone skinny-dipping all those years ago. She’d expected it to be changed somehow, but it wasn’t. It was still the same beautiful spot that held her most cherished memory. Cherished and painful. She got out of the truck, took off her shoes, and tossed them on the seat. The quiet sounds and sights of nature greeted her. In the shade of a towering cottonwood tree, a blanket of wildflowers covered the ground. Addy walked over to the tree, delighted by the feel of the cool, green grass beneath her feet. She bent over and picked a small bouquet, brought it to her nose and inhaled the scent. Something caught her eye, and she stepped
around the tree for a better look. Addy touched the back of the chair and wondered who’d placed it there, then sat down to rest. Inevitably drawn to the past, her mind swirled with myriad thoughts. She closed her eyes and let the memories wash over her. It had been a hot Texas day in her seventeenth summer, and the cool rippling river waters were just too tempting for Addy to pass up. Wearing nothing but her birthday suit, she dove in, elated with the decadent sensation of her naked skin against water. It was her first time skinny-dipping. Maggie had kept a tight rein on her, even tighter once all the boys started panting after her. As she splashed in the water she giggled and thought about sneaking out her window the night before and meeting Billy Ray Pike down by the barn. He’d shoved his tongue in her mouth and something, she wasn’t quite sure what, but an odd tingly feeling had shot right down through her and between her legs. Boy did she like the feel of that! A rustling noise interrupted her reverie. She stilled and listened closely. Then figuring it was her imagination, she went back to her swim and her wicked thoughts of Billy Ray. After a few minutes, she’d realized she was probably going to be late getting home and Aunt Maggie would be madder than a wet settin’ hen. Emerging from the water, she walked onto the grassy bank, glistening beads trickling down her body, teasing her with every drop. A shudder passed through her and that same sensation she’d felt the night before found its way between her legs once more. Her nipples tightened as if they’d burst. She looked down. How swollen they were! Without knowing why, she smoothed her palm across one of the hard tips. The pleasurable tingle raced through her body again. Cautiously, she touched the other nipple, wondering if she’d get the same response. She did. The low whinny of a horse drew her attention, and she looked up. Not more than fifty feet away Jack sat atop his big black stallion. Despite being naked, she made no move to cover herself. Instead, she let his cool green-eyed gaze drift over her body, not quite understanding the mysterious sensation hitting her full force as the glazed look clouding his eyes provoked a heated tremble within her. Jack simply tipped his hat and slowly rode away, leaving her strangely unsettled. After that, she’d gone skinny dipping whenever she could sneak away from Maggie. Oddly enough, Jack always seemed to ride by, stopping long enough to tip his hat or give her a smile. Most often, just to stare, always keeping his distance. Neither one ever spoke. He’d teased her all summer with those quiet looks. Not to mention the long, hard gazes in her direction whenever he encountered her at the house or stables. When summer ended, Addy literally mourned its loss. The fog of the past lifted, and Addy jumped from the twig chair. “I should never have come back,” she whispered, and stared off into the distance to claim the spot where Jack had sat astride his horse and watched her all those years ago. Closing her eyes, she envisioned him just as he was on that hot summer day. His glittering emerald eyes had beckoned from beneath the shade of his black Stetson. She’d stood motionless; proud of the way his eyes held her and waited for something more…something that never came. Her eyes flew open. Addy picked up a rock and flung it at the spot, shattering the memory. She turned and faced the direction of the ranch house. Her stomach churned with anger and unfulfilled dreams as she willed him to her. “Ride down here on that horse now, you son of a bitch!” |