Under His Protection. Linda Turner

a standard H,” he told her. “Keep the clutch in and bring the gearshift straight back. That’s it. Now shift over to third—Good girl! And down to fourth. That’s it.”

      “That’s all? Why, that shouldn’t be difficult at all!”

      He grinned. “Once you get the hang of it, you can do it in your sleep and not even think about it. The hard part is giving it gas and letting the clutch out without killing it. That takes some practice. So ease up on the clutch as you give it some gas. Easy. Easy. Not so fast! You—”

      “Killed it,” she finished for him. “Darn! We didn’t even move!”

      “You’ll get it,” he chuckled. “It just takes practice. Try letting the clutch out slower.”

      She tried. And tried. Then, with no warning, the wheels began to turn. “Oh, my God! We’re moving!”

      “You’re damn straight we’re moving!” he laughed. “Now shift into second. That’s it. Easy,” he growled, wincing as the gears ground in protest. “Ease up on the clutch—”

      With a jerk, the truck died again.

      Elizabeth, however, was far from discouraged. Grinning, she reached for the key and started the truck again. “I can do this,” she said, grinning like a kid with a new toy. “I’ve just got to get the footwork down.”

      “And watch where you’re going,” he advised as she picked up a little speed and headed west, away from the house. “Watch that tree!”

      “I see it…I think.” Laughing, she swerved around it, and shifted into third.

      Just that easily, she conquered shifting and no longer needed John’s guidance on the gearshift. Torn between relief and disappointment that he no longer had a reason to touch her, he released her and told himself it was for the best. Her skin was too soft, her smile too intoxicating. Thrilled with herself, she acted as if he’d just handed her the moon, and all he could think about was kissing her.

      And it was all her fault, he thought with a frown. It was that scent she wore…it was guaranteed to drive a man crazy. And then there was the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. Did she have any idea how seductive she was? Or how much he wanted to touch her…kiss her?

      Suddenly realizing where his thoughts had wandered, he stiffened and silently swore under his breath. What the hell was he doing?

      “All right,” Elizabeth said happily. “Where to?”

      “Head over to the fence,” he growled, nodding toward the barbwire fence fifty yards to the left, “and just keep driving the fence line. If you see a break, stop so I can fix it.”

      “No problem,” she said, and shot across the pasture with a gurgle of laughter.

      Minx, he thought, fighting a smile. Who would have thought the very proper Elizabeth would love driving across the pasture like a wild woman?

      Practicing downshifting and shifting on the fly, Elizabeth couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun. More than once, John had to reach for the door frame to catch himself as she bounced over the rough terrain, and she caught a glimpse of his smile every time.

      Then, just when she raced down a hill into a pasture that bordered a two-lane country road, she gasped at the sight of the cows that had escaped from the pasture and were walking down the road. “Oh, my God!”

      Swearing, John immediately spied the break in the fence. “Dammit to hell! Pull over by that dead pine. It looks like the fence has been cut.”

      Cut didn’t begin to describe it. Not only had someone cut all three strands of the barbwire that comprised the fence, but they’d also yanked two of the posts out of the ground and peeled the barbwire back. The cows didn’t even hesitate as they streamed out of the pasture and sought greener grass along the sides of the road.

      “What you want me to do?” Elizabeth asked as she quickly braked to a stop next to the cut fence and jumped out of the truck at the same time John did.

      “Keep the cows from straying any farther down the road,” he told her as he quickly grabbed his tools and supplies from the bed of the truck. “I’ll need your help getting the cows back in, but for now, I’ve got to get the fence posts set in the ground and close the gap some.”

      Her heart jumping into her throat, Elizabeth looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “You want me to do what?”

      If she expected him to be amused, she was in for a rude awakening. “This is no time to be a baby,” he told her bluntly. “You’re the owner, remember? If you don’t get the cows off the road, and someone comes around the curve and plows into them, you’re not only going to have a hell of a lawsuit on your hands, you may have someone’s death on your conscience. Get to work!”

      He didn’t have to tell her twice, but as she hurried through the gap in the fence and found herself approaching twenty cows who were surveying her warily, her legs all but turned to jelly. He made it sound so simple. Just round them up and herd them back into the pasture. How? They outweighed her by four hundred pounds! And they had horns…sharp horns. If they turned on her—

      “They’re more scared of you than you are of them,” he said, reading her mind as he knocked a new metal fence post into the ground. “Just get behind them and spread your arms wide as you start walking toward the break in the fence. And don’t worry about getting them all in at once. Get a few in at a time, then go back for more.”

      Shaking in her shoes, she fought the need to run, and carefully made a wide circle around the cows until she was behind them. Most of them ignored her, but a few at the back of the herd glanced over their shoulders with narrow-eyed frowns full of distrust.

      “Show ’em who’s boss, Elizabeth. You’re good at that.”

      From the corner of her eye, she could see John’s wicked grin, but she didn’t dare take her gaze off the cows. “Stuff it,” she retorted. “You better be thinking what story you’re going to tell my brother when I get killed in a stampede.”