SWEET WATER VET:.

TAKING RACHAEL.

Dawn Forrest.

Sweet Water Vet: Taking Rachael.

Fit, feisty and funny Rachael Harrison has conflicting dark fantasies, ranging from being "taken" to being in control.

Unsatisfied with her romantic life in England, she returns to the place of her youth, Meadow Ridge County, Texas, where unconventional relationships are the norm.

When Rachael meets Joshua Ryden, the serious and dominant owner of Sweet Water Ranch, the level of mutual attraction is intense. However, Rachael believes that Joshua wants to share her with his brother and backs off. The situation is resolved by Joshua's sister, Janet, a s.e.xual y inexperienced col ege student, who finally acts upon her long standing love for the very experienced Deputy Sherriff, Mitch Mathews. They embark upon a pa.s.sionate and humorous romance.

After Joshua helps protect Rachael's veterinarian career and professional reputation from a source of unfounded slander, their relationship strengthens. They become even more s.e.xual y voracious and creative as Rachael demonstrates to Joshua that he can also give up control occasionally--with explosively pa.s.sionate results.

Note: This book contains a.n.a.l s.e.x.

Genre: Contemporary, Western/Cowboys.

Length: 52,748 words.

Letter from Dawn Forrest.

Regarding E-book Piracy.

Dear Readers, if you downloaded and paid for this book, thank you very much and I wish you an enjoyable read. If you didn't pay for this story, please consider my following words, as I would like you to understand the consequences of your actions.

I write primarily for enjoyment but I also need to be fairly compensated for the time and effort it took to write this story. If you do not pay for the pleasure of reading this novel then that is not happening and I am working for nothing.

I suspect you've convinced yourself that you are not making a difference but the truth is that you are. How can writers be expected to continue to produce stories that people want to read if we aren't getting paid for it? In exchange for just a few dollars, readers get hours of enjoyment; it's a fair transaction.

Digital books are often lower in price than hard copies, but writers get a better percentage of that price, so digital piracy has a bigger impact on us personally. I doubt that you would steal from a bookshop, so please don't steal directly from me and my publisher.

Please consider my words and have the decency to download this book again from a legitimate site like www.sirenbookstrand.com With deep grat.i.tude, Dawn Forrest.

DEDICATION.

To Richard, for being my rock and a hard place.

To Des, for coffee and camaraderie in Cape Town.

Chapter 1.

Rachael was enjoying the journey immensely. She had been prepared for a cramped, uncomfortable and noisy flight from London to Houston but instead was experiencing the pleasures of business cla.s.s. She had been unexpectedly upgraded from the overbooked economy section, and it had taken all her self-control not to do a little victory foot stamp at the check-in desk. This time, it had certainly paid off to dress smartly.

Trying not to appear like Elly May Clampett of The Beverly Hillbillies, she thoroughly explored the seat position options, accepted the offered champagne, and watched three of the latest movies. She was sorely tempted to try the complimentary face fresheners and moisturizer, but she didn't like using anything other than hypoallergenic unperfumed products and a little natural vanilla oil on her sensitive skin. When she was too tired to keep her eyes open, she reclined the seat into the flat sleeping position and curled up with a pillow and blanket for a snooze. When they arrived in Houston, she felt relatively refreshed although the time difference of six hours was sure to catch up with her.

In Houston, she caught a much smaller plane for the one-hour flight to Ridge Water, in Meadow Ridge County. It was packed with

9.

students, and a party atmosphere prevailed due to their success on the football field. She enjoyed chatting to some of the players who kept asking her to repeat words so that they could listen to her crisp English accent. In turn, she loved hearing that s.e.xy Texan drawl, redolent of warm lazy evenings and jasmine-scented twilights on her grandmother's veranda.

When the plane finally landed and she disembarked, she felt the warm air wrap around her like a snug blanket. It was April, and it felt distinctly weird to step out of a cool, air-conditioned plane into warm air instead of the other way around. She detected a faint smell of soil, dust and gra.s.s, of home. With a glad heart and a spring in her step, she headed for the terminal building.

Rachael couldn't repress a wide smile when she saw the first of her bags appear on the small carousel. It had a distinctive black-and-white Friesian cow design that she thought was quite fitting for a vet.

"Excuse me, sorry, excuse me, that's my bag," she said in clipped, precise tones as she pushed her way through the crowd to the conveyor belt.

In one smooth move, she confidently grabbed the heavy suitcase and, with only a little difficulty, swung it onto her trolley, grateful that she regularly lifted weights. One bag down, two to go.

While keeping an eye on the carousel, she scanned the room of Meadow Ridge County's small local airport, looking for her cousin, Colin, who had planned to meet her. She was excited to be back in this unusual and contradictory place. The population appeared conservative, yet a surprising number chose to have unconventional relationships. Colin was a good example. He was a professional, ethical person who happened to be in a menage relationship with his best friend Mark and their wife Susan. They didn't publicize their life choices but got on with the day-to-day business of living in an accepting, nonjudgmental environment. Local amateur historians theorized that, in the old days, when women were few and times were 10 Dawn Forrest hard, it had made sense to share. It improved the odds of survival.

Whatever the original reasons were, the practice hadn't died out.

Rachael had grown up in one of the more conventional households on the outskirts of the town of Ridge Water with her mom, dad, and older twin brothers, Cameron and Liam. When she was twelve years old, her father had inherited a farm in Oxfordshire, England, and the family had decided to relocate. Rachael and her brothers had stayed in England to complete their education, but they all had very fond memories of the Texan town and had often spoken casually about returning.

Rachael had always had an affinity for animals, so when she heard that Colin had decided to study veterinary science it gave her the idea to do the same. After graduating from university, she'd worked in several practices in England, specializing in livestock. She enjoyed her work- absolutely loved it. Apart from her family, it was the most important thing in her life, and that was the problem. She had hoped that, by now, at the age of twenty-eight, she would have found someone special who meant more to her than her career. She wanted marriage, kids, and the whole nine yards but couldn't see it happening if she stayed put. Her social life had become a little stodgy, so she had decided to be proactive and initiate a complete change of scene.

Where better than Meadow Ridge County, Texas, and the big, sunny open s.p.a.ces of her childhood?

Rachael had e-mailed Colin, hinting at her possible return, and he had suggested that she come home and stay with his family, at least until she decided what she wanted to do. He had even offered her a position as an a.s.sistant in his veterinary practice until she became licensed by the American Medical Veterinary a.s.sociation, a relatively straightforward conversion procedure given her existing qualifications and experience. She'd sent off the application forms some weeks ago and hoped that it wouldn't be too long before she was licensed to practice independently.

11.

While she searched for Colin, Rachael found herself continually tracking back to the tall, broad man standing head and shoulders above most of the people in the room. Even from a distance of about twenty yards, she sensed his presence. It was clear that he was having an effect on other people in the vicinity because, although s.p.a.ce was at a premium, people seemed to unconsciously give him room. She didn't think that he was cla.s.sically handsome and definitely was not a pretty boy. To her, he looked strong, hard, very masculine, and darkly attractive. Unfortunately, he was scowling and appeared irritated, which added to the overall effect of a brooding, dominant male. His eyes roamed the area clearly looking for someone and-as if drawn by Rachael's inspection-locked on hers. For a few long seconds, she couldn't look away and felt a tingle down her spine. When she finally broke eye contact and turned her head toward the conveyor belt, she could still feel the scrutiny of that gaze.

Joshua hated crowded places, and the little airport was heaving.

The small, twin-propeller aircraft that had just landed had been carrying the high school football team returning from Houston, and it seemed as if the world and his brother had come to meet them. At six feet seven inches tall, Joshua Ryden could easily look over the heads of folks milling around, meeting friends, or waiting for their baggage.

He was searching for Rachael Harrison, the woman he had agreed to collect but whom he hadn't seen for sixteen years, when he had been a lanky sixteen-year-old boy and she a pudgy twelve-year-old girl. He hadn't really paid attention to her then, and she was bound to have changed.

d.a.m.n it. He really wanted to get back to the ranch quickly. He was worried about his prize bull. It had a high temperature that morning and had stumbled in the stall, which had alerted the foreman that something was amiss. Colin, his preferred vet, had agreed to 12 Dawn Forrest come out to the ranch provided that Joshua filled in for him and collected his cousin from the airport. Joshua had suggested that he could send a ranch hand instead, but Colin was adamant that if Joshua didn't go then he himself would. Colin didn't trust anyone else with his cousin, and Joshua didn't trust anyone else with his bull, so here he was, suffering a crowd of mostly strangers to meet someone he didn't really know. Great.

When he first saw the woman at the carousel, he dismissed her.

She was not what he was expecting. If that was Rachael Harrison, then she had grown up like a signet to a swan, no longer the soft rounded child he vaguely remembered but a strong and confident-looking person. With a mop of short, tight, honey-coloured curls on her head, she was the most naturally attractive woman he had ever seen. He noted her clothes-soft black leggings hugging shapely legs fitted into black leather knee high boots and a long, tight, fitted white cotton T-shirt covered with an expensive-looking rich brown leather jacket. His mother would have called it "layers," describing how people dressed in unpredictable weather. If her different attire hadn't given him a clue, then the clinching factor would have been her pale skin. Her face had an almost porcelain complexion, except for the smattering of freckles across her cheekbones and nose. Yep, she's from a country where the sun doesn't shine.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Tall-'n-Broad moving in her direction but was distracted when her phone bleeped, indicating an SMS. After liberating it from the crowded depths of her handbag, she saw that the message had been sent some time ago, but as she had switched on her phone only when the plane landed, she was receiving it now. The message read, "Really sorry; emergency with work; ranch owner Joshua Ryden coming to pick you up instead. He's tall, dark brown hair, blue eyes; can't miss him. C U soon. Who's your favorite

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cousin?" Rachael couldn't help but grin at the old joke between her and Colin, but then, as her brain caught up with the new information, she was suddenly confronted by a wall of checked cotton shirt: Mr.

Tall-'n-Broad.

"Ma'am, are you Rachael Harrison?" the shirt said in a low, deep drawl.

Rachael froze for a second, as the rich ba.s.s tones of that voice formed images of melted chocolate on warm skin. She slowly looked up past an imposing chest, a closely shaved square set jaw finished with a cleft chin, a wide mouth, and a slightly crooked nose, possibly broken in the past, into the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen on a human. They reminded her of a Malamute she had once treated.

Oh, woof. h.e.l.lo, big fellow.

Captivated, she became aware of his alluring masculine scent, evocative of fresh hay, warm earth, leather and s.e.x. Mmm, yum.

"Are you Rachael Harrison?" he repeated carefully.

She stepped back to protect her personal s.p.a.ce but instantly regretted it. "Yes. Yes, I am, and you must be," she looked at her phone again, "Joshua Ryden. I'm very pleased to meet you."

She stuck out her hand, but when his skin touched hers, she felt a jolt.

"Oops, static electricity," she muttered, silently wondering how that was possible when they stood on rubber tiles and she was wearing natural fibers.

His irritation at being away from the ranch melted with her smile.

Close up, she was even more gorgeous, and that crisp, no-nonsense British accent turned him on. Recovering, he remembered his manners.

"Yep, I'm pleased to meet you too, Rachael." She had a good, firm handshake. He liked a woman with a strong grip. "Do all of your 14 Dawn Forrest bags look like this?" He raised his eyebrow mockingly as he nodded toward her cow-style case.

"Yes," she sighed wearily, as if expecting a ribbing. "And I am aware they look silly, bordering on the ridiculous. My brothers never fail to point it out. I bought the set for several reasons. They are easy to spot, difficult to mistake or steal. They are good quality, and...make me smile." She looked up at him as if challenging him to deny her logic.

"Well, I'll just rope these in then," he said, amused by her quirky explanation. Hiding a grin, he quickly reached pa.s.sed her to the carousel and grabbed the two remaining bags as they trundled pa.s.sed.

He placed them on the trolley as if they weighed nothing at all.

"Follow me."

Without further ado, he took control of the trolley and strode purposely toward the main doors, with people parting like the Red Sea before Moses.

As she followed in his wake, she was treated to a better view of the whole package. His shirt hung fairly loose, providing only a tantalizing hint of the hard body underneath. As he walked, Rachael was mesmerised by the way his jeans rode on his a.s.s. Lord, he's s.e.x on legs. She didn't bother chiding herself because she suspected most women between the ages of eighteen and eighty would think the same thing, so she couldn't be held responsible for the salacious thoughts running through her head. As if on cue, several women turned their heads to track his progress across the room.

When they got to the outside doors, he glanced back at her. "Wait here," he commanded and then walked outside.

Rachael stood waiting as instructed. Three minutes later, a huge utility vehicle-UV-pulled up and he jumped out.

15.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head and indicating the bags and then the UV. "I don't think they'll all fit."

He frowned, looking confused.

"It was a joke." She rolled her eyes. "Cars are a lot smaller where I've been living."

He nodded. Did she see a tiny hint of a smile? She wasn't sure.

"I'll take those." He grabbed a case in each hand and placed them in the trunk. She was about to throw the third bag in when his big hand wrapped around hers and the handle. "I said I'll do it."

For a second, she held on but then saw the determined look on his face and relented. This wasn't something to get into a battle of wills over- not with this guy who seemed more than capable of disarming her. A little taken aback because she wasn't used to taking orders, she nevertheless said graciously, "Thank you. I'm just used to doing stuff myself."

He straightened up and handled the case with an ease that she envied. Rachael thought that it must be great to have that kind of strength and not give it a second thought. He opened the pa.s.senger door and lent her his arm to climb in. She was immediately aware of the restrained power behind his gentle grip and felt a little fizzle of excitement at the base of her spine. She realised that, despite his stern and rather bossy manner, he was behaving like a gentleman. Then she caught him briefly eyeing her a.s.s and biting his bottom lip. Well, maybe not totally. Her interest in him increased.