Was she ready to make a deal with Sebastian? She already had, really. She’d bought his house, and was having his child. What was one more? “Oh, all right. Deal.”
He grinned, bringing the sexy lines around his mouth out to play. She turned away from him to look out the window. She didn’t want him to know how much he tested her sanity, for real.
He bypassed the mansion and drove a little farther to stop at the stables. She gave him a long look.
“Horses,” he said. “We both love them. How would you feel about a ride?”
“I would love it.” Gracie hadn’t been atop a horse in a long time. She missed it, and missed being around the stables. Technically, she was on her own property, though escrow hadn’t gone through yet. But she’d promised not to displace the ranch horses and had kept on the wrangler and his one-man crew to oversee the stables.
“My horses are still here,” Sebastian said. “Duke and Duchess.”
“I know them. They’re beautiful animals.”
“I thought we’d give the royal pair some exercise, let them know they haven’t been forgotten.” It was also part of the sale of the house, that Sebastian could board his horses here until he could find another home for them. There were six other riding horses on the property, as well.
They got out of the car and walked over to the corral. Sebastian whistled, the sound perking up all the horses’ ears, but it was Duke, the dapple gray gelding, and Duchess, the bay mare, who trotted over and hung their heads over the fence.
Sebastian patted them each between the ears, his low, deep voice resonating with the pair, who seemed to be taking his love and giving it right back. “Oh, hey, I’ve missed you two.”
Gracie walked into the stable, filled a bucket with carrots and apples, just like she’d do when her father was working here, and strode back to the corral. Within seconds a huddle of horses began eating out of the palm of her hand.
“Well, look at you,” Sebastian teased, “stealing my thunder.”
“Food will win them over every time,” she said, happy to be among the animals. It only reinforced her desire to one day breed and raise horses on the property.
“True,” he concurred, walking over to her.
After the horses had their treats, Pete, the wrangler, walked out of the stable and greeted them. “Give me a minute or two, and I’ll have them saddled up and ready to ride,” he said.
Sebastian peered at her, and she nodded. “I think this time, Pete, we’ll do it ourselves.”
“Fine by me. I’ll be in the office if you, uh, need me,” he said, looking from Sebastian to her, perplexed. As if this whole arrangement was above his pay grade. She couldn’t blame him. Things were a bit confusing around here, since she was the one signing his checks now.
After Pete walked off, Sebastian brought out both sets of saddles and tack, one at a time. Gracie hadn’t forgotten how to get a horse ready to ride. She enjoyed every second of it, until it came time for her to lift the saddle onto Duchess.
“Whoa, there, Wonder Woman,” Sebastian said. “I’ll do the honors. This sucker is heavy.”
Before she could say a word, Sebastian hoisted the saddle atop Duchess. She didn’t mind one bit seeing his muscles bunch and his neck strain. There was something innately sexy about Sebastian in this setting.
Once the horses were saddled up, Gracie tried to slide her left boot into the stirrup, and as tall as she was, she still couldn’t quite manage without a little help. Sebastian gave her rump a push up, his hand lingering a bit longer than necessary on her butt cheek. “Watch it, bud,” she said lightly.
“Oh, I am. Trust me, I am.”
Gracie peered into his twinkling eyes and shook her head at his shameless attempt at flirting. Once fully seated, she grabbed the reins.
“Something’s missing. Give me a sec,” Sebastian said.
He marched to his car and came back with two hats and a duffel bag. He mounted Duke and guided him toward Duchess. “Here you go,” he declared, plopping a tan hat on her head. “Cute.” Immediately, her eyes were shaded from the sun.
He didn’t look cute in his hat. Mesmerizing was a better word, but then she’d always had a bias when it came to Sebastian. How often she’d gaze at him from a distance, the tall handsome Wingate twin saddling up his horse, riding out onto the land he owned. She’d often daydream about this very thing, riding out with him. And now here she was.
“What’s in the bag?” she asked.
“Snacks.”
She flashed him a grin. “Wow. You think of everything.”
“This is our second date. There’ll be no skimping.”
“Good to know,” Gracie said, making a clicking sound and encouraging the mare to get going, which Duchess did right on cue.
Sebastian caught up with her, and they were quiet for a while as the horses moved in sync with each other. She glanced over at him every now and then, watching as he took command of the animal, of the land. His jaw firm, his eyes focused, he made her jittery inside while the rolling landscape and beautiful scenery calmed her. The contrast wasn’t lost on her, And yet, there was peace here. And sanity. She concentrated on that.
“How’re you holding up?” he asked, breaking their silence.
“I’m loving this.”
“I thought you would.”
She quirked a brow. “And you knew this because of our conversation the other day?”
“Only partly. I used to see you with your dad, the joy on your face whenever you’d come back from a ride. I figured this might be something you’d enjoy.”
“Those were good days,” she admitted, feeling a little nostalgic. “I would look forward to those rides. They didn’t happen often enough for me. Dad was a stickler about work, and only once he was caught up would I get to mount up with him. But oh, it was fun.”
Sebastian smiled. “How adventurous are you feeling today?”
“Why?”
“There’s something I want to show you. But it’ll take us another thirty minutes to get there.”
“And you’re not going to tell me what it is?”
He thought about that a second. “It’s a secret place I’d go with Sutton. There’s an old shed my brother and I turned into a clubhouse. There’s a running stream nearby. It’s been years since I’ve been there. Don’t know if it’s still there. What do you say? Are you up for it?”
“Sounds like fun. Sure, I’m up for it.”
“Great.” Sebastian pointed west. “That way.” He reined Duke in that direction and Duchess followed.
In less than thirty minutes, they reached a clearing, coming upon a rustic building erected several feet from the banks of a rushing stream.
“Would you look at that,” he marveled, taking it all in. “It’s still standing.”
She imagined the twins playing in there as boys, laughing, raising a ruckus, telling scary stories. It wasn’t a total wreck—the structure seemed relatively sound—yet the wood planks that served as protection from the elements were severely weathered. “It sure is.”
The stream was gurgling, the water flowing by and catching sunlight. It appeared narrow enough to wade through on foot. Lush green trees beyond served as a verdant backdrop. It was truly a lovely spot.
“Let’s dismount and check it out,” he said.
He was off his horse quickly and then came around to Duchess. Gracie lifted her right leg over the saddle and held on to the saddle horn as she slid down the mare’s left side. Sebastian caught her around the waist and guided her down the rest of the way, until her boots hit solid ground. She swallowed a deep breath as his hands applied slight pressure. He didn’t back away...wasn’t letting go. “Gracie,” he whispered in her ear from behind.
Their connection sizzled, and as she turned around, she was fitted snugly in his arms. Hot desire arced between them. H
er breathing grew heavy. There was a look of unmistakable hunger in his eyes. And when she lowered her gaze to his mouth, a rumbling groan rose from his throat.
At the sound of his restraint, something sparked within her. She couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden she was okay with this, but she was. More than okay. Her body ached for him, for a release of the tension he provoked every time he walked into a room.
“Sebastian,” she whispered.
And then his lips crashed down on hers, tasting, devouring, making her head swim in crazy delight. Beyond reason now, she pushed aside her misgivings. All she knew was that she wanted Sebastian.
Desperately.
Gracie poured herself into the kiss, tugging on his neck and squeezing closer to him. His body radiated heat and energy, warming every inch of her. Duchess shifted, becoming impatient, and stepped away from them, snorting. Her move left them both to realize they were out in the middle of a clearing, with no shelter other than a broken-down, cobwebbed clubhouse.
Sebastian hugged her to his chest for one last moment, then broke their connection, pulling away. “Seems Duchess has more sense than I do.”
“Does she?” she asked.
“Don’t tempt me, Gracie. This isn’t easy.”
“What’s not easy?”
“You’re gonna make me say it?” he rasped.
She nodded. She wanted to hear everything he had to say.
“I want your trust, Gracie. I don’t want to mess this up by rushing you into anything. I lost my head for a moment, but more than anything now, I want to get to know you better. I want to build a bond with you.”
“So you’re on your best behavior?”
A sly grin crossed over his face. “You’ve already seen my best behavior.”
“Ah,” she replied, catching his meaning. The night of the masquerade ball immediately came to mind. The way he’d danced with her until they’d needed much more than casual touching. The way he’d whispered in her ear to leave the dance floor with him and the sizzling hot tingles that had her nodding her head. The way he’d made love to her that night had been nothing but the best. “But this is a close second?”
“Only if I’m winning you over. ’Cause believe me, if I had my way...” He shot her a hot glance that made her entire body twitch. She had no words.
He sighed and took her hand. “C’mon. Let’s have something to eat.”
He pulled a lightweight blanket out of the duffel and spread it a few feet from the creek. “Have a seat.”
She sat cross-legged and he came down to face her.
She looked inside the bag and found all kinds of snacks. She helped him pull out a small loaf of bread and chunks of gourmet cheese, fresh apples, tortilla chips and two oversize chocolate cookies from The Eatery. “Hmm, I think I recognize these,” she said, still tempering her heated body.
“Lauren’s best,” he murmured.
“I agree.”
Together they munched on the snacks, Gracie totally aware of Sebastian. She liked the way he chewed, the way he swallowed, the way his eyes stayed focused on her even though there was beautiful scenery all around them.
“It’s peaceful here,” she said, taking a bite of the cookie.
“My brother and I would come here often when we were kids. It was our secret place, or so we thought. Turned out your father knew about it, too. We found out years later that he would come out here and make sure the building was kept up and solid, free of spiders and webs. Did he ever tell you about it?”
“No, never. But that sounds like something my father would do.” She stared at the structure, picturing her dad making a point of stopping by every so often to make sure the boys were safe. “Dad was always good with horses, but he was also a softy when it came to children. Thanks for telling me, Sebastian. It makes this place special to me, too.”
He nodded, giving her time to reminisce.
She appreciated that. No wonder she loved the estate; it was a part of her parents’ lives as much as it was her own. She’d loved everything about the Wingate property—the land, the house itself. And now that she owned it, she realized there wasn’t anything she wanted to change about the place. It was perfect. She’d always thought so.
When they were through eating, she started cleaning up and putting things back into the duffel bag.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, a question in his eyes.
“Aren’t you?”
He stood up and reached for her hand. “Take a walk with me?”
“Oh, uh, sure.” Guess he wasn’t ready to go, and honestly, neither was she. She was having a good time getting to know Sebastian better. As she placed her palm into his hand, he held it firmly in his grasp. There was something possessive in that gesture, which said, You’re with me. It was thrilling and almost too good to be true. Did she deserve all of this good fortune? It was a question she often asked herself. It was hard for her to accept the way her life had changed, when in her heart she was still that same young girl who’d been on the outside, looking in.
They walked along the stream and she put her head on Sebastian’s shoulder. It was a bold move, yet it felt right. He relaxed his shoulder and stopped walking to give her a delicious kiss.
It was perfect and easy and so natural.
“I’d love to see you tonight. For dinner,” she added, surprising herself. When had the pursued become the pursuer?
Sebastian smiled, his eyes gleaming bright, but then his lips curled down into a frown as he seemed to remember something. “I’d love to take you up on that. But I can’t tonight.”
“Is it work?”
“A meeting. I’m afraid I can’t get out of it.”
He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. That simple gesture and the caring look in his eyes moved her to distraction. “How about tomorrow night?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said softly, immediately. “I accept.”
He smiled, taking her hand, and they headed back to the horses.
* * *
Sebastian poured himself a rye whiskey from the small bar in his office. If he didn’t have this meeting with his ex-girlfriend, he’d be with Gracie now and he’d be one step closer to getting what he wanted. He couldn’t believe she’d actually asked him on a date.
And he’d had to refuse her.
Her trust was important to him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her about this meeting tonight. He’d promised Rhonda that he’d keep this meeting private. He understood her motives. She wanted to spare Lonny any more grief. The teen’s problems didn’t need to make the ten o’clock news. And Sebastian was a man of his word, so he’d told a little white lie to Gracie about what he was really doing tonight.
Rhonda Pearson, famous supermodel and his ex-lover, made headlines around the globe. Her photos had graced more than a dozen magazines, and she had a long list of accomplishments in the modeling industry. And all during that, she was trying to raise her much younger brother.
He took another swig of whiskey, and at precisely 8:00 p.m., he opened the door of the Wingate offices to Rhonda.
She smiled, but her eyes didn’t reflect anything but sadness. “Sebastian, thanks for seeing me.”
“Rhonda, come in.”
He returned a smile, noting that his former flame hadn’t changed since they’d dated. She was the same gorgeous, leggy blonde-haired beauty she’d always been. Rhonda had a natural grace about her, and yet, it hadn’t been enough for him. She’d been too much in the public eye, too much into herself, to be the kind of woman he wanted. In the end, he’d allowed the press to believe she had called it off with him, so she could save face amid her fans. Sebastian had made the right decision in breaking it off with her. He hadn’t once regretted their breakup, except for losing touch with Lonny. He’d been like a father to Lonny, a mentor of sorts, and then it had all ended.
Sebastian hated that he hadn’t fought harder to keep that relationship going.
He led her through the lobby and into his office. The staff had all gone home now, and he offered her a seat. She sat down on the sofa. “Care for a drink, something to eat?” he asked.
She glanced at his whiskey glass, not quite empty yet. “I’ll have what you’re having.”
He lifted a brow and nodded. “That bad, uh?”
“That’s why I’m drinking, but why are you? Is the company still having problems?”
He sighed as he walked to the bar to pour her drink. “Some. We’re not fully out of the woods yet, but we’re getting there. It’s hard to gain back a reputation, you know?”
“I do know. That’s why I try my best to stay away from scandal.”
He poured whiskey into a tumbler and handed it to her. Then he took a seat at the other end of the sofa. “And yet here you are, in the sinful Wingates’ den of thieves.”
She chuckled at his theatrics. “I never believed it.”
“That’s what people say now that we’ve made it over the hurdle. But you’re not here to talk about me. Tell me about Lonny.”
And for the next half hour she filled him in on what was going on with her brother. Sebastian had always known that losing his parents at such a young age had affected Lonny, but now apparently it was causing the troubled teen to spin out of control. Rhonda told him Lonny was acting out whenever he could, getting in with the wrong crowd at school, to the point of almost being expelled. She had used all her powers of persuasion and superstar status to save him from the expulsion. The principal was giving her brother one last chance to change his ways—or face the consequences—and Rhonda was at her wits’ end.
“I’ve already turned down more work than I’ve accepted, in order to be home more. If Lonny gets expelled, it’ll be a black mark that will travel from school to school with him. He doesn’t understand that, or he doesn’t care. Either way, I have to do something with him. I threatened him with boarding school, and all he said to that was he always knew I wanted to get rid of him. Sebastian, I don’t know what to do.” She sipped her whiskey and sighed, tears welling in her eyes.
One Night in Texas Page 7
