Elisabeth turned at the sound of horses whinnying in the pasture. Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh. Are those Clydesdales?”
“Luke raises gypsy horses. They’re like Clydesdales, but their feathers, manes, and tails are much fuller. He’s one of the finest breeders in the country. That’s Rose and Chelsea, two of his girls.” He took her hand and led her into the twelve-stall barn.
“His girls? You have your boys and he has his girls?” she asked with a smile. “Your mother raised you guys right. So many people think of animals as second-class or something. I love that you think of yours as part of your family.” She squeezed his hand and inhaled deeply. “Hay, manure, and leather. Sounds gross, but I love the smell of horse barns.”
“You really are a farm girl at heart.” He pulled her against him. “I’m really glad you agreed to go out with me.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you finally asked.”
“Finally? Maybe we have time to make up for.” He lowered his lips to hers and enjoyed another delicious kiss. They walked to a stall in the back of the barn, where three puppies were sleeping on top of one another.
Elisabeth gasped and shot an elated, wide-eyed look at Ross.
Luke came in the back doors of the barn carrying a puppy in each hand. “Hey there. You must be Elisabeth. I’d hug you hello, but my arms are full. Maybe you could unload me of my burden.”
“Oh my God. I’d love to. Ross, look at these babies! They’re the sweetest little things.” She took a puppy from Luke and rubbed her nose in its neck. “What type of pups are they?”
“They’re a special breed of oops and a Friday night.” Luke patted Ross’s back. “Take this one, bro. Daisy’s on her way down.”
“Elisabeth, this is my youngest brother, Luke.”
She ran her eyes between the two brothers a few times. Ross shared a knowing look with Luke. He was used to the double take. Despite their five-year age difference, they looked so much alike that almost everyone needed a few extra glances to determine that they weren’t twins. They both wore their hair shorter on the sides than on top, and their hair was a shade lighter than their siblings’. All of the Braden men stood over six feet, with dark eyes and strong builds, but he and Luke looked strikingly similar compared to their other siblings.
“Hi, Luke.” Elisabeth kissed the puppy. “This is possibly my best first date ever. Are you keeping all of the puppies?”
“If I have my say, we are.” Daisy breezed into the barn, still dressed from work in a skirt and heels. She tossed her white-blond hair over her shoulder and wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck, then planted a kiss on his lips. “Hi, handsome.”
“Hey, babe.” Luke slid his arm around her waist. “This is Elisabeth. She and Ross are on their first date.”
Daisy hugged Elisabeth and kissed the puppy on the head. “Aren’t they too sweet for words?”
“I’m in love.” Elisabeth laughed.
Ross sidled up to Luke and lowered his voice so Elisabeth couldn’t hear him. “I’m jealous of that puppy.”
“No shit. Why’d you tell Wes you two weren’t dating?” Luke asked quietly.
“We weren’t. Now we are.” Ross felt a pang of something good in his chest as he said it. It was the first time he’d claimed a connection to a woman in so long that he almost wished Elisabeth would have heard their conversation just so he could see her reaction.
Luke laughed as Ross moved closer to Elisabeth.
“Are you working the county fair this year?” Luke asked.
“Every year, like clockwork.”
“Did I tell you that I got a booth at the fair?” Elisabeth asked Ross.
“No. For your pies?” He was happy to hear she was going to the fair, which meant he could see her while he spent the day there, but it also caused his stomach to clench tight. He didn’t like how upset she was the other day, or how people must have treated her in order for her to have reacted that way. It was one of the reasons he wanted to take her out in Trusty. To waylay negative judgments, and this way, he could set his eyes on anyone who dared to look at her crosswise.
“Yes, but I think I’ll also give out puppy treats and maybe do free grooming, pawdicures, that sort of thing.”
She was so damn sweet. “That’s a great idea.” He’d keep a close eye at the fair, but hopefully by then people would have begun to accept her.
“Pawdicures? I love that,” Daisy said. “We’ll bring these guys to you when they’re older.”
Daisy took the puppy from Ross’s hands. “I see the way you’re looking at my puppies. Don’t get any ideas, Ross. You have three dogs already, and a weekend puppy.”
“Wrong. I’m looking at Elisabeth.”
Elisabeth glanced up and tilted her head with a thoughtful gaze. A smile spread across her lips. Ross didn’t think he’d ever met anyone as beautiful as her, and seeing her with a puppy, with her heart practically visible in every stroke of the pup, he could see why she was a pet pamperer. Her love of animals really was a part of her. No one could fake the happiness emanating from her.
They left a little while later and went to the Brewery, a local restaurant and pub. There was only one way to nix rumors, and that was by staring them down. Ross walked into the pub with his arm around Elisabeth. He knew he’d turn a few heads after keeping his dating life private for so long, but he hadn’t expected nearly every person in the joint to turn and gawk.
He tightened his grip on Elisabeth’s shoulder and felt her body stiffen. He kissed her temple and whispered, “You’re with me, Lis. I’ll never let anyone bother you.” He felt her breathing deeply as the hostess approached.
“Hi, Ross. Are you meeting your brothers?” Maria Cross had gone to school with Wes, and she’d worked at the Brewery for years.
“Not tonight. A table for two, please.”
She smiled at Ross and forced a smile for Elisabeth. “You’re Cora’s niece, right?”
“Yes, Elisabeth,” she said confidently.
“Elizabeth, that’s right.” Maria picked up two menus.
In an effort to make Elisabeth more comfortable, Ross corrected Maria. “Actually, it’s E—lis—”
Elisabeth touched his arm. “It’s okay. Elizabeth is easier.”
What the hell? She was changing her name because it was easier for others? Perplexed, Ross refrained from correcting Maria. When she sat them in the center of the room, he asked for a private booth. He wanted people to see them together, but he also wanted Elisabeth all to himself. He struggled with meshing the conflicting feelings and figured a private booth would offer enough of a show, while allowing them a modicum of privacy.
“Of course.” Maria led them to a booth at the back of the restaurant, near the billiard room.
“Hey, Ross.” Tate McGregor waved from a table across the room, where he was sitting with three other guys Ross had grown up with. Tate had come by to get Elisabeth’s van the other morning. He waved to Elisabeth. “Howdy, Elisabeth.”
Ross waved to them, then slid in beside Elisabeth as she lifted a hand and waved to Tate. He pulled her in close. “You okay?”
“Yeah, thanks.” She smoothed her dress and shifted her eyes around the room.
“Why didn’t you want me to correct her about your name?”
“Because I’ll be correcting my name with everyone I meet, and it’s just one more thing that sets me apart from belonging here.” She smiled, but it never reached her eyes. “It’s okay. It’s such a small thing. One letter.”
He touched her cheek. “It’s one beautiful letter, for one beautiful woman. I don’t mind correcting people.”
“You’re so good to me. It’s okay, but thank you for offering. Pick your fights, right?”
He kissed her softly.
“Well, look who’s out on a Friday night.” Christina Stiefel, a slim, large-busted brunette who worked as a receptionist in an accountant’s office in town, set her hand on Ross’s shoulder.
He shrugged it off, questionin
g his decision to go out in town.
“Christina, this is Elisabeth Nash. Elisabeth, Christina and I went to school together.” He wanted to introduce Elisabeth as his girlfriend, but he realized he’d better clear that with her first.
“Oh, please. We did much more than go to school together.” She locked her green eyes on Ross, and his insides went hot. Not in a good way. She and Ross had gone on two dates the summer after Ross graduated from college, which Christina had never forgotten and Ross had worked hard to erase from his memory.
The second date had come to an ugly end. She’d wanted to sleep with Ross and he wasn’t interested. She’d turned on him like a vicious snake. She was the reason he hired an accountant in the next town over. The less he saw of her, the better.
Ross tried to play it cool. “We went out twice, many years ago. So long ago, in fact, I can barely remember it.” He slid his arm around Elisabeth.
Christina ran her eyes bitchily between them. “Well, nice to see you.” She turned on her heels and stalked away.
Elisabeth gave Ross a curious look.
“I’m sorry. She’s the epitome of why I don’t date women in Trusty, and hardly worth mentioning. Two dates, she wanted to fool around, I thought she was a money-hungry bit—unpleasant person.” He cringed at his own venom.
Elisabeth’s eyes widened.
“That sounds really bad.”
“Not after meeting her, it doesn’t. She gave me the stink-eye.”
He leaned in and kissed her again.
“I don’t mean to be unfair about the women here. They’re not all like her, but most are looking to rope a husband, regardless of how little they might have in common with the man they set their sights on. I might be old-fashioned in this regard, but when I get married, I want to know that there’s no one else I’d rather spend time with than the woman I’m with.” His eyes lingered on Elisabeth. He hadn’t wanted to be away from her for a single minute since they met.
“That’s what I meant, when I said that I believed in true love and all things warm and fuzzy. I think nowadays couples think love can be bought.” She sighed. “But the way I feel is that true love can never be bought, or faked, or even manipulated. It’s only got one true form, and it isn’t complete until the two people come together, and then…” She shrugged. “God, I sound like a dreamer.”
You sound like you crawled out of my head. How can we possibly be so in sync?
“There are worse things than being a dreamer.”
There are worse things than being a dreamer? That was the best he could come up with given that he was still a little stunned by what she’d just said.
Ross kept an eye on the people around them as they ate dinner and shared a bottle of wine. He didn’t like the whispering that was going on at a few tables, but he knew that there was a good chance it was more about him being out in Trusty with a woman than about the particular woman he was with.
She must have noticed him watching the nearby tables, because she touched his leg, drawing his attention back to her.
“Tell me about your family, Ross. You seem so close to them. Do they all live here in Trusty?”
Even though Ross didn’t date women from Trusty, the small towns surrounding Trusty were like feeders from a lake. Families were close, and since the Bradens were one of the wealthiest families around, most people knew of them. It was rare that he was asked about his relationship with his family members by a woman he was dating. He took a second to process his answer.
“I got pretty lucky, as far as families go. I have one older brother, Pierce, who recently got engaged. He lives in Reno with his fiancée, Rebecca, and he owns several resorts around the world. You met Emily and Luke, and I’ve mentioned Jake, the stuntman who lives in LA, and then there’s Wes, who also lives in town with his girlfriend, Callie. Wes owns a dude ranch in the mountains and they spend a lot of time at the cabin there.”
“So you have four brothers and a sister? That must have been fun growing up.” Elisabeth shifted in her seat so she was facing him and rested her arm across the back of the bench.
“Yeah, we had a lot of fun. Still do. But we tend to be loud and harass each other a lot.” She ran her fingers along the side of Ross’s neck, making it hard for him to concentrate.
“So you get along with all of them? There’s no black sheep of the family?” She scooted closer to him, her knee resting against his.
“No black sheep, but Jake lives on the edge. You’ll probably meet him at the fair. He’s trying to fly in for a stunt gig Saturday. I used to think Wes lived on the edge, because no risk was too great for him. He’s done everything from skydiving to mountain climbing. He’s definitely an adrenaline junkie, but he’s really settled down a lot since Callie came into his life. But Jake…” He shook his head. “Jake’s a good man, a really good man, but between my dad leaving us when I was five, and Jake’s first love breaking up with him out of the blue, I think it screwed him up in the relationship department.”
“Your dad left, too?” Elisabeth gripped his shoulder. “My father left when I was little.”
“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.” He wouldn’t wish parent abandonment on anyone. The pain of it never really left.
“It’s okay. I never knew him. I was only two when he left, and you really can’t miss a person who you never knew.” Her tone was solemn, but her eyes weren’t filled with sadness or longing. She looked just as peaceful as she had a moment before. “Why do you think Jake is messed up as far as relationships go?”
“He’s just a big player. I don’t think that my father leaving really had anything to do with it. It was probably Fiona, his first love. He thought they were a forever thing, and she broke up with him out of the blue. He’s never let anyone get close to him since.”
“That’s really sad. Maybe he will, eventually.”
“Hey, Ross.” Charlotte Wellington and her husband ran a hay farm on the outskirts of town. She patted him on the shoulder as she walked past and smiled at Elisabeth.
“Hi, Charlotte. How’s Taylor?” Taylor was her two-year-old dog.
Charlotte barely slowed on her way to the front of the restaurant. “Great. His paw healed fine.” She waved, then turned to leave.
They left the restaurant a little while later, and Ross drove in the direction of his mother’s house, but instead of turning onto her road, he continued up the narrow mountain road to Pike’s Peak and backed his truck up to the overlook.
“Where are we?” It was pitch-black, save for the stars above and the lights of the town below.
“You wanted to experience Trusty, so I brought you to make-out point.”
Her eyes widened.
“Relax.” He laughed a little under his breath. “Come on.”
He stepped from the truck and helped Elisabeth out. While she gazed at what Ross considered the most spectacular view in all of Colorado, overlooking his favorite town, he gathered the blankets and the gift he’d brought for her. He spread one blanket out in the bed of the truck, then reached for Elisabeth’s hand.
“What exactly are your intentions, Mr. Braden?” She eyed the blankets.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to try to get to home base.” But I won’t be disappointed if we end up there. “I thought you might like to stargaze.” He helped her into the truck, and they sat on one of the blankets. He draped the other over her legs so she wouldn’t be cold. He wanted to take her in his arms and slide his thigh over hers to keep her warm, but he also wanted to talk to her, get to know more about her. He pushed away the thoughts of touching her and tried to focus on what she was saying instead.
“This is so beautiful. Is this where you used to come and make out with girls in high school?”
“No. That’s what the woods were for.”
She laughed.
“I’m only half kidding. I’ve never taken a woman here, well, except for Emily. I brought her here when she graduated from high school, before she went away to college. We sat up half
the night and talked about how her life would change, and her hopes, her fears, you know, that kind of stuff.”
Elisabeth rested her head on his shoulder, and again that simple touch made him feel like she belonged there. Like she was his.
“You seem like such a good big brother. I wish I’d had someone to look out for me like that.”
“Em’s a smart aleck, but she’s also sensitive, and as brave as she is, she was scared to go away to school. She was used to having a house full of boys to protect her, and she was worried about being out there all alone. She did fine, of course. I guess I’ve always looked after her, and I guess I still do.” He wanted to know more about Elisabeth, not talk about Emily. He inhaled the flowery scent of her shampoo, and she shifted her position beside him. He felt the brush of her breast against his side, and it was all he could do to form a sentence. “Lis, how old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
She gazed up at him, her lips slightly parted, a smile that reached her eyes, and he was a second away from lowering his lips to hers. Focus. Talk. Jesus, it had never been this hard to restrain his desires before. He tried to process what she’d just said. She was three years younger than Luke, his youngest brother.
“Were you nervous when you went to school? For that matter, did you go away to school?”
“I wasn’t nervous. I went to UCLA, so it wasn’t a big change for me.” She ran her finger along the ridge of his kneecap. “How old are you, Ross?”
He pulled her closer and had to feel her skin against his lips. He kissed her temple to tamp down the urgency of his desire. “Probably too old to be with you.”
She looked up at him again, this time with her brows pinched together.
“I’m old enough to know what I want in life and young enough to still have time to get it. I’m thirty-five.”
She whistled. “You are old.”
He laughed. “Thanks.” He remembered the picture he’d seen in Elisabeth’s kitchen of her and a guy. He’d put it out of his mind until now. “Lis, did moving here have anything to do with the guy I saw with you in the picture in your kitchen?”
Flirting with Love Page 12
