Hope on the Range

by Cindi Madsen

  Maddox’s heart beat out of control as he lowered his lips toward hers. The instant their mouths touched, the world jolted into motion, spinning faster and faster. He’d expected Harlow’s kiss to be as sweet as she was, but she fully threw herself into it, clinging to him as she explored the seam of his lips with her tongue. Then she swept it inside, brushing the tip across his, and he stumbled toward the nearest tree, needing to find purchase before his body gave out on him.

  He pressed her back against the bark, deepening the kiss and doing his best to keep his hands in the respectable range. She moved her hands down to his butt and drew him against her, so obviously, she didn’t have the same qualms.

  “Damn,” he muttered against her lips.

  “Don’t you mean dang?”

  He laughed, and then he kissed her again, taking advantage of this one perfect moment that would stand out in the mess of shitty ones, long after he was gone.

  Chapter 18

  “That’s it!” Brady stood on the lowest plank of the corral cheering along with the rest of the students as Desiree rounded the last barrel, edging it so closely they collectively held their breath.

  The barrel rocked but not enough to tip, and Harlow called out the time as Desiree crossed the finish line. The whistles and congratulatory shouts grew louder, as did the rider’s smile.

  After she’d high-fived everyone, she sauntered over to Brady. “Do you think there’s any chance I could skip my last class of the day to practice? It’s not about getting out of schoolwork, I swear. I’ve got the first turn down, but I’m sure I can shave time off the second barrel. If there are other pointers or videos or something, I’ll take any help I can get.”

  Honestly, a few corrections and she could hit times similar to riders in the main event. Harlow and Maddox were working hard but still had a way to go on their team roping, so he didn’t want to ask Harlow to help Dez. It did give him an idea, though. “Let me make a quick call and see what I can do.”

  “Seriously?” Dez squealed and then waved Danica over. She slung her arm over her bestie’s shoulder. “What about my other half?”

  “We’ll see,” he said, since managing expectations was important, as was building trust and sticking to his word, so he never made promises he couldn’t keep.

  As soon as they’d rushed off and the kids had dispersed for the last class of the day, Brady called Tanya. Any excuse these days to hear her voice was more than welcome. “Hey,” he said as soon as she picked up. “Can you spare about an hour to help Dez and Danica fine-tune their barrel-racing skills?”

  The line went silent, and Brady tightened his grip on the phone. Then Tanya said, “The set of balls you must have on you, asking me to collude with the enemy.”

  “Must have?” Brady replied, doing a quick glance around to ensure he was alone. “Don’t act like you don’t remember them fondly. They’re certainly big fans of you.”

  “I’m trying to come up with something witty, but this week has been way too hectic, and my body might or might not be missing all parts of your anatomy.”

  “Right back at you. We’ve just gotta make it to the weekend, and then we’ll have three glorious days to ourselves. If it’ll sweeten the pot, I’ll also promise to make up the favor to you. I’ll even let you choose how.”

  “I’m listening…”

  They arranged a time for Chloe, Danica, and Dez to head to Bullhead Valley. Unfortunately, Brady had a date with a tractor. Making hay required perfect conditions. Too damp, and the bales could mold, heat, and spontaneously combust. Too dry, and they’d fall apart. It was best to bale when the dew set, so that left a narrow window.

  “Thanks, Yaya,” he said, wishing he could reach through the phone, draw her into his arms, and kiss her. “I swear I’ll make it up to you.”

  “You’d better,” she singsonged, and he was having to tell himself that they just had to make it to the weekend all over again.

  * * *

  Thursday evening, after completing the first round of bed checks, Brady called for Dundee. The dog barreled toward him, and Brady bent to pet and praise him before dragging his tired body toward his cabin.

  Dundee kept rushing ahead and then circling back.

  “I know, I know. It’s been a long day, and I’m plumb tuckered out.” Great. Not only was he barely able to walk after the bull wrangling he’d done today, but he’d started pilfering sayings from Ma. To be fair, hers were far safer to say in front of the kids.

  Brady shed his boots inside the door and headed straight for his bedroom. He discarded his clothes, everything except his boxer briefs, and had barely settled underneath the cool sheets when his phone buzzed.

  With a groan, he reached for it, almost afraid to look. What if Maddox had slipped out or run away and they had to call the cops?

  He’d do just about anything to avoid that. Legally, they were required to call it in ASAP, but if he and Wade could find him before he got too far, they could try to bring him back without putting another mark on the kid’s record.

  When it was Tanya’s name that greeted him instead, Brady’s emotions did an about-face.

  Tanya: I’m all packed and settled in bed, thinking about our trip. If you send me a sexy selfie, I might send one back.

  Every nerve ending in his body awakened at once, as if he’d hooked himself up to a car battery. He sat up against his headboard and read the text again, his eyebrows ticking together.

  Seriously, a selfie? She knew how he felt about those, and he considered texting as much. If he had a dollar for every time he’d promised a teenager they wouldn’t die if they had to go a week without being on social media or taking a picture, he’d be a wealthy man.

  Funny enough, he’d found himself flipping through the pictures on his phone earlier and frowning at how few he had of Tanya. Their steamy Wednesday night had seemed too far in the past and tomorrow’s trip too far in the future.

  He scrolled up to see if he’d missed any other texts, which only shined a spotlight on the type of photos he usually sent her. Horse sales and a picture of the beat-up fence on the north side of the ranch. He winced at the picture of the underside of a cow, which he’d sent along with the question “Do these udders look infected to you?”

  Not only was he a bit rusty in the romance arena, but he was also now very aware of how little wooing he’d done with Tanya. Somehow she’d seen deeper, but she’d been sending texts and making moves, and that meant he was going to do something he’d sworn never to do—take a fucking selfie.

  Because all those other things aside, he needed a sexy picture of the woman who’d occupied every dirty thought he’d had over the past couple days.

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Brady aimed the camera at his torso and face, and Dundee lifted his head. One ear quirked as he cocked his head and let out a rather judgmental whimper.

  “Not a peep, or you’ll sleep on the couch.”

  With a huff, Dundee settled back down in his doggy bed.

  The click of the camera sounded, and Brady lifted the phone closer and then immediately wished he hadn’t. The picture wasn’t sexy. From the angle he’d used, his torso was distorted and oddly lit, and did he have a double chin?

  He put a hand on his neck and wiggled the skin.

  Hell. Rolling his eyes at himself, he Googled “How to take a selfie.” Since that phrase with “men” tacked on showed up, Brady clicked on it. He chose the first video and flinched at the voice—dude must’ve recently been punched in the junk.

  “I can’t believe I’m listening to this guy,” Brady said as he noted the tips. Up was better than down. Smile, squint a bit, show off your abs…

  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement and jumped, a thousand excuses for why he was doing something so lame on the tip of his tongue. But it was only Dundee, who’d put his paws up on the edge of the bed
as if he’d come to help.

  Since Brady was already down a rabbit hole of weirdness, he paused the video, then patted the bed so Dundee could hop up. “But we take this to the grave, you hear.”

  Dundee’s pink tongue lolled as he happily panted—Brady would wager the excitement came more on account of being allowed on the bed than the video. On-screen, the man discussed angles, holding your breath and freezing, and snapping three in order to have options. A few examples flashed across the screen.

  The selfie guy mentioned filters and suggested taking the time to edit. Brady was not doing that. There were lines that couldn’t be uncrossed, and that was some kind of pretty-boy nonsense. The instructional three-minute video cut off, and then it was time for Brady to put the tips to good use.

  After a momentary debate, he climbed out of bed, snagged his dressy cowboy hat from the dresser, and secured it on his head. Then he held up his camera, high enough his rumpled bed was in the background. He squinted and smiled and click, click, click.

  Brady flipped through the results. That’s more constipated looking than anything. Eyes closed and…almost.

  Another pose, another angle, less squinting and three more selfies down.

  “Wow, these ones actually aren’t bad.”

  Dundee nudged Brady’s thigh with his wet nose, so he got to see the options, too. Brady’s heart quickened as he attached the picture to a text, hovered his thumb over the button, and then quickly hit Send.

  * * *

  Tanya bolted upright in her bed, her hands searching through the covers for her phone. Since the dating book had gotten her thus far, she’d taken a page from one of the later chapters, about how to crank up the desire to obsession.

  Not that she thought Brady would ever be obsessed with her, nor did she need that. She simply wanted to keep the more-than-friends vibe flowing. If she got her money’s worth out of her dating book, even better.

  Finally, her hand found the electronic rectangle she’d drifted asleep clutching. Right before she’d hit Send and felt as powerful as she had in the cab of Brady’s truck. The instant the message was gone, her stomach had lurched, and she’d thought she might lose her dinner.

  The longer Brady had taken, the surer she became that she’d gone too far. With a guy she’d known forever, had sex with, and hoped to have more sex with tomorrow and the next day and the next…

  But the instant she pulled up the photo he’d sent, she decided it was well worth the wait.

  “Holy shit,” she whispered into the darkness of her bedroom as she zoomed in on various body parts. She’d been prepared to drool, but the pulsing between her thighs was a side effect she hadn’t bargained on.

  We’ll be on our way to the fair in seven hours. Then we’ll have time to alleviate all this pent-up sexual frustration.

  Brady: That was akin to torture, by the way, so gimme.

  Hmm. Someone needed a vocabulary and a patience lesson. Tanya flipped on the lamp atop her nightstand, ran a hand through her hair, and took a picture of her shoulder and the super-skinny ribbon that held up her nightie. She wasn’t the type of girl to wear fancy pajamas, but luckily, she’d planned for this.

  Tanya: I did say I MIGHT send one back. You took your sweet time, too. But here you go. Enjoy. XOXO

  She gambled that this time, she wouldn’t have to wait as long for an answer.

  Sure enough, her phone vibrated, not with a text but with an incoming call. She affected her best sensual Playboy Bunny voice. “Hello?”

  “Your shoulder? Is it even your shoulder? I can’t tell because your face isn’t in it, and I call bullshit.”

  “Did you see the part where I pointed out that there weren’t any promises made?”

  “If that’s what you’re going with, I promise I’m going to storm over there right now and take a picture my damn self. I watched a fucking tutorial on how to take a selfie, Tanya.”

  In the background, Dundee barked.

  “Okay, fine, Dundee. I’ll let her know you also watched the video and provided feedback.”

  A giggle slipped out, and she twirled a curl around her finger. As if watching a video to send her a sexy selfie wasn’t sweet enough, he’d enlisted the help of his dog? Her insides melted, and if they weren’t hours away from their getaway, she’d be banging his door down right now. “A video, huh? Was that hard for you?”

  “Damn straight. And speaking of things that are hard, I’ve got something that’s gonna be hard for you all night now. The least you could do is send me a photo to help take the edge off.”

  Heat pooled in her belly and flared in every direction until her cheeks radiated fire.

  “If you want to,” he added, the gentleman in him unable to help it, even as his caveman side caused the words to come out grumbly.

  “Full disclosure, that was the plan. I just thought it’d be fun to tease you and ensure you’re properly anticipating our trip first.”

  “I’m anticipating it, and there’s nothing proper about it. Because there’s this thing called payback, and we’re gonna see how you like to be teased.”

  Tanya squirmed underneath her covers, turned on and possibly in over her head. If she could unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth, maybe she’d think up a witty retort or be able to grab her dating book and see if it provided any suggestions. Instead, she was considering driving over to Brady’s and regretting her lack of sleep in the morning.

  Then again, there might be a happy medium. She snatched the brazen idea instead of stifling it. “What if I make it up to you?” At the dude ranch, they focused on getting people to disconnect and experience the slower pace of life, but technology did have its uses. Turned out flirting was a muscle, one that became stronger the more she’d used it. “I’ll give you a choice. I can send a sexy photo…or we can stay on the phone and FaceTime.”

  The request to add video to their chat was all the answer she needed.

  Chapter 19

  “How’s your preshow team doing, anyway?” Brady asked Tanya as they reached the last leg of their trip to Ogallala. After chatting and, um, taking care of business over the phone last night, the two of them were red-eyed yet giddy and had spent the first hour of their trip alternating between light touches, yawns, grinning, and caffeinating.

  The only problem with chasing away the grogginess was that it awoke other parts of her, and were they there yet? She needed to get the guy she’d scooted next to into the privacy of their hotel room ASAP. Tanya took a swig from the bucket-sized Mountain Dew cup they were sharing. “Nice try, but I’m not falling for your dirty spy tactics. You won’t get intel out of me just because we’re sleeping together.”

  One of Brady’s eyebrows arched higher than the other. “You forget I now know all the right buttons to push.” He placed his hand on her upper thigh and slowly drifted it higher. Her pulse zipped faster with each inch, her body not caring she’d taken the edge off last night.

  “Pretty sure if we start playing this game”—she wrapped her hand around his thigh and used his own move against him—“you and I will wreck and die before we get to the hotel. Then all that button pushing isn’t going to happen.”

  “That’d be a shame,” he said, loosening his grip but not removing his hand.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so blissfully happy. Yeah, the horse-rescue ranch stuff was still in the back of her head, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

  As they entered the city, they hit traffic, which left them crawling toward their destination when they wanted to sprint. Brady tapped the steering wheel as she jiggled her foot, but at long last, they reached the hotel.

  They shot out of the truck like it was on fire, and when she went to reach for her suitcase in the bed of the truck, Brady snagged the handle before she could.

  “I can take it,” she said.

  “I believe you�
��ve met my ma. She’s about yea high”—he placed a flat hand in the middle of his chest to demonstrate—“and would tan my hide if she found out I let you carry your own suitcase. And that’s without being on the up and up about our relationship. If you don’t remember my stubborn stance on this, I guess it’s been too long since we were on the rodeo circuit together.”

  Of course Tanya remembered. It’d been one of their biggest disagreements. She’d argue she could do it herself and insist he didn’t treat her like some fragile flower. While she’d meant it during that time, she realized allowing kindness spurred more of it, and she also admired his chivalrous side.

  “Thank you. I appreciate how you always treat me like a lady.”

  Brady scrunched up his forehead. “Is this a trap?”

  “What? No.” Tanya smacked his arm. “I’m trying to tell you that I appreciate you. Don’t be a jerk about it.”

  “You’ve just never thanked me for something like that before. In fact, usually you get pissed if I treat you like a lady.”

  A pang went through her chest. “I thought I was being strong and independent, not rude and shitty. I’m guessing that makes you feel like I don’t appreciate you.”

  “Hey.” Brady cupped her chin and tilted her face to his. “You and I don’t have to say those types of things. We just know.”

  “Oh? What else do you just know?”

  He dipped his head and kissed her. “This weekend is going to be amazing, and once we set foot in our hotel room, I’m gonna devour you.”

  Butterflies erupted, swirling and multiplying as he brushed his lips across hers again. “Not if I devour you first.” What could she say? She’d always been competitive, and obviously, he recognized that by now.

  They checked in at the front desk, hopped the elevator, and stepped into Room 207.

  “Wow. A bed even?” Tanya said as she eyed the king-size bed in the center of the room. “What am I, the Queen of England?”