Steel Toes & Stilettos (Sweet & Rugged in Montana Book 2)

by Maggie Dallen

  So while they may not need a lot of rooms, they would certainly require all the amenities of home. Katy had brought along a little notepad and jotted down questions and comments as she went so she could pass it all along to Hannah next time they spoke.

  Dax was knowledgeable and helpful, answering questions and offering solutions when need be.

  By the time they left the last house, Katy was far more relaxed than she had been since waking. Having business to focus on helped her to let down the last of her guard around this man. As long as the conversation remained on wedding logistics, she would be just fine.

  “So, have you ever been married?” Dax asked as they headed back down the path toward the main house.

  She stumbled over a rock. Those were not the wedding logistics she’d meant. And man, these boots were clunky. “What? Um…no. Not quite.”

  Not quite? She rolled her eyes at her own spastic response. Dumb answer.

  He grinned down at her. “Not quite?”

  She shrugged. “I was engaged for a while. For a long time, actually. But we never actually pulled the trigger.”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment as they headed toward the main house. To her surprise, they turned toward the stables rather than the house. “Let me guess,” he said. “Fear of commitment?”

  “Him or me?” she asked. Why it mattered, she had no idea, but for some reason she wanted to know. She was ready to be offended, even as she knew without a doubt that fear of commitment was absolutely one of her flaws.

  “Him,” he said. He flashed her a quick smile. “Aren’t men always the ones accused of commitment issues?”

  She shrugged. “That’s a pretty sexist view.”

  He didn’t respond and she mentally chided herself for her sharp tongue. He’d been nothing but kind this morning—a bit too chivalrous again, perhaps—but not presumptuous or cocky. So, she added, “But true, I suppose. Men do have the worse reputation on that front.”

  “But that wasn’t the case for you.” His tone was probing, the statement leading. But how to answer? They reached the entrance to the stalls and she hesitated.

  “I guess I was the one with a case of cold feet.”

  “Afraid of the commitment?” he asked.

  “Afraid of making a mistake,” she said. “Still am. I haven’t really dated since then because I’m not sure I trust myself to make the right choice.”

  Her mouth went dry as she realized how much she’d said. When she glanced up she saw that he was watching her closely, and she had the feeling he was seeing too much. That he’d heard more than she’d meant to say.

  Why had she opened up like that? This wasn’t his business but something about him made her too comfortable even as his physical presence made her nervous like a teenager.

  The sound of horses whinnying filled the air as they entered. “You don’t expect me to ride one of these, do you?”

  His laughter was low and soft. “Not if you don’t want to. And definitely not today. We’re heading too far for a novice rider. But if you ever want to try—”

  “No, thanks.” She’d said it too quickly and she saw his narrowed eyed look in response.

  “Katy?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you afraid of horses?”

  She let out a little snort but she also didn’t budge from the doorway of the stables. “What? No. Of course not.”

  He didn’t look as though he believed her.

  She cleared her throat and pushed herself away from the door, eyeing the first gigantic horse warily. It eyed her back with those big, all-seeing eyes of his. Or hers. Whatever. Dax seemed to be waiting for her to speak.

  “I just have a healthy sense of respect for their size,” she said.

  “Well, that’s smart,” he said. Was that laughter in his voice?

  She snuck a peek at him over her shoulder and saw that he was absently rubbing one of the horses as he watched her, waiting.

  She let out a long exhale. “And maybe I was thrown from a horse once,” she said quickly. “As a kid.”

  She heard him walk up behind her, his boots crunching on the dirt and hay at their feet. “And you didn’t get back on? You know that’s the best way to conquer a fear of horses.”

  “And everything else, from what I hear,” she quipped. The joke fell flat. “You know, everyone uses that analogy for everything and…”

  He was watching her far too intently and her voice faded off in response.

  “I think you should try again.”

  She bristled. There he went again, acting as if he knew what was best for her. “I suppose you expect me to trust you,” she said. “You expect me to believe I’d be safe as long as you’re by my side?”

  “Yes.”

  She’d been teasing, mocking even, but his answer was deadly serious.

  “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

  She stared at him, not because the words were so meaningful, but because his tone was. There was a depth there, a meaning to the words, as if he was telling her so much more. He’d made the words sound like a vow and they spoke to her, slipping through the cracks in her defenses and making her feel achey…and tired.

  She felt oddly weary like it took the weight of the world to keep up the defenses she typically wore without even thinking, without even trying.

  But around him? It was exhausting.

  She couldn’t even come up with a retort so she turned around and found herself face to gigantic face with one of the silent, creepy beasts. With a gasp, she stumbled back but the stupid, clunky boots tripped her up and she fell on her backside—hard.

  She winced as pain lanced through her and by the time she opened her eyes, Dax was before her, kneeling in front of her as if he was about to propose. Before she could say what are you doing? he was feeling her ankles and running a hand over her legs.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

  She couldn’t answer. She also couldn’t breathe. His touches weren’t inappropriate, but the contact felt electric. He was so close; she was temporarily stunned by his heavenly scent and the warmth coming off him.

  His gaze moved up from her ankle and met hers. “Did you hurt anything?”

  The honest concern in his eyes finally jarred her out of her stupor and she managed a short laugh. “Just my pride.”

  His lips twitched up at the corners as he came to a stand and reached down to help her. “What happened? Did you trip over something?”

  She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “Yes. My feet.”

  His lips pressed together in what was clearly a valiant attempt to not laugh at her. She rolled her eyes and let out a rueful laugh of her own. “Go ahead. You can laugh. It’s ridiculous.” She looked down at her now dusty, dirty jeans and boots. “I blame the boots.”

  “The boots, huh?” Dax hitched his thumbs in his jeans’ pockets as he assessed the footwear in question. “Don’t they fit?”

  “No, they fit,” she said, kicking one of the offensive shoes in question into the dirt. “But they feel weird. I don’t normally wear boots.”

  “I’ve noticed,” he said.

  When she glanced up and met his warm gaze, filled with laughter, her insides turned to putty. It was hard to suck in air as the oxygen between them seemed to ignite and catch on fire.

  What on earth was he doing to her? Was this some sort of side effect of not having a boyfriend for so long? The first guy she’s attracted to suddenly becomes irresistible.

  Yes, that must be it.

  She dragged her gaze away, settling on the horse next to her, the one she’d thoroughly spooked with her clumsy fall. “Sorry to startle you…” She spotted a carved sign next to the stall. “Edward.”

  She turned to Dax. “What sort of name is that for a horse? Is it a nod to Mr. Ed or something?”

  He grinned and some of the tension between them eased further but the butterflies in her stomach responded to the smile by burst
ing into flight.

  “Not quite,” he said. “This one here belongs to Alice. She went through a bit of a vampire phase as a teen-ager and because our ranch is called Twilight...” He shrugged. “It seemed fitting, I suppose.”

  She bit her lip. She would not laugh. She would not laugh. She would not—

  A snort-laugh escaped and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Luckily Dax responded with a good-natured grin.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, dropping her hand. “It’s just…you don’t seem like someone who’s read the Twilight series.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “When my parents died, my brother and I had a moody teen-age girl on our hands and it was our responsibility to raise her.” One side of his mouth hitched up in a little smile. “I would have read just about anything if it meant getting some insight into a teen girl’s mind.”

  The mention of his deceased parents stole the laughter from her. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, even though she knew he hadn’t told her to win her sympathy.

  “Me too,” he said simply. Before the mood could grow too heavy, his eyes flashed with humor. “But hey, now I’m an expert on boy bands too so…there’s that.”

  She pretended to shudder. “I’m so sorry for that too.”

  His head fell back with a low laugh that made her feel shy and confident all at once. She wanted to make him laugh again, the sound was heady.

  That heart-melting smile lingered. “So, why didn’t you get back on the horse?”

  It felt like he was talking about more. Not just horses. She shifted warily. “The literal horse that threw me or the dating horse?”

  His eyes danced with laughter. “Both, I guess.”

  Because I’m a scaredy-cat. Because I don’t trust my own judgment. Because…oh mercy, she could spend all day listing her insecurities and hangups, but that’s what she paid a psychiatrist for. So instead, she shrugged. And then she deflected. She knew that’s what she was doing because her psychiatrist pointed it out to her whenever she tried to do that in therapy.

  “What about you?” she asked. “How come you’re not married?”

  His smile turned to a smirk and she held back an exasperated sigh. Yes, yes, she was so very transparent. But he still hadn’t answered. “Well?”

  “I did marry,” he said.

  “Oh.” Something inside her crashed and she had no idea why. “I just assumed you weren’t married,” she said as she looked down at her feet. The tangle of emotions made it impossible to face him.

  She focused on the emotion that was easiest to untangle from the knot.

  Guilt.

  Had she actually flirted with him or was she just thinking flirty thoughts? Because thinking flirty thoughts about a married man wasn’t a crime, but flirting with one? That was a no-no.

  And had he flirted back or was that all just part of his aw-shucks, cowboy charm?

  She was about to work herself into a rage on his wife’s behalf, but then he spoke again.

  “I’m not anymore.”

  “Oh.” This oh sounded far breathier and came out in a weird, strangled tone. She swallowed and tried again. “I see. When did you, um…”

  “Divorce?” he offered. He sounded amused at her inability to say the word, but it wasn’t that. She was the child of divorce. Divorce talk didn’t make her uncomfortable. She’d just had a moment where she’d feared that she’d put her foot in it. What if he’d been a widower?

  But he wasn’t. He’d divorced. She tilted her head to the side. Funny, but he didn’t strike her as the type. He seemed so family-oriented that he’d do anything to make a marriage work. “Yeah,” she finally said. “When did you divorce?”

  “Shannon and I split up ages ago,” he said. “But the divorce became official yesterday.”

  “Yesterday!” She spit out the word too loudly and it made him laugh. This time she definitely hadn’t been trying to amuse. She was honestly gobsmacked. “You don’t…I mean…yesterday?”

  He nodded.

  “But you look…” She made herself stop and think before opening her mouth again. “What I mean to say is, are you all right?”

  He nodded and headed over to another horse to give it some love. “It’s been years coming. I’m not heartbroken or anything.”

  She watched him as he watched the horse. She had a feeling it was easier for him to talk to the horse than to her. That she could understand. It was why she had a psychiatrist, after all. Maybe if she lived in the country she’d trade her therapist for a horse.

  Live in the country? A voice mocked. Are you crazy?

  Clearly, because for a second there it actually sounded appealing.

  “That’s what I was doing in Seattle,” Dax said, still focusing on the horse. “Signing the papers.”

  She studied his profile. Well, she’d gotten her answer about why he’d been traveling. But it didn’t make sense. “You know, you don’t actually have to sign those in person. You could have just mailed it in.”

  He shrugged. When he looked in her direction her blood turned hot in her veins. “It seemed like the kind of thing a man should do in person.” His grin was rueful. “I was there in person when I said the vows, it seemed right to be there when we ended them.”

  Despite his words she saw the pain in his eyes and it touched her. She forgot to worry about how he made her feel and worried instead about him. Placing a hand on his arm, she said, “I’m sorry.”

  He looked down at her hand but she didn’t pull it away. When his gaze lifted she knew without a doubt that he felt it too, this crazy electric connection between them. The heat that seemed to fill the air whenever they were close.

  “I’m not.” He leaned forward slowly, so slowly she could have backed away. But she didn’t. She couldn’t have if her life depended on it.

  When his lips met hers, everything disappeared. Every thought, every fear, every anxiety—everything except for this man.

  His lips were warm and firm as he kissed her gently, softly. Almost like he was afraid she would break.

  The moment was too sweet—the kiss made her heart ache and tears inexplicably sting the back of her eyes. It was a delicious moment in time that made her aware that she was living. Her heart pounded in her ears as magic seemed to weave its way through her veins, making her feel light and heavy all at once.

  She could have kissed him forever.

  The sound of someone entering the stables had them breaking apart. She stumbled backward and caught herself just in time before she could fall on her bottom for a second time. Reality hit her hard.

  Oh my goodness, what was she doing? She clapped a hand over mouth and stared at Dax with wide eyes. His expression was impossible to read but then the intruder scuffed his feet and they both spun to face the man in the doorway, who was frozen in place, a clear giveaway that he had caught them kissing and felt just as uncomfortable as she did.

  Not possible.

  It was the handsome cowboy she’d seen earlier leaving the house and he gave them a head tilt in greeting even as he tried to back away. “I’m heading to the east ridge, boss. I’ll just, uh…” His voice trailed off as he headed toward one of the stables and set to work readying a horse.

  “Great,” Dax said, recuperating faster than her it seemed. He reached out a hand and gripped her elbow gently. “We’re heading out to check out those locations Alice picked out.”

  The cowboy nodded, his attention fixed on the horse, for which she was grateful. It meant he couldn’t see how red her cheeks were, though Dax certainly could. His eyes hadn’t left her since they’d broken apart, but his gaze was inscrutable.

  “Any idea when Alice will be back?” James asked.

  Something about the way he asked made her curious. The casualness in his voice was a little too casual.

  “Hopefully before nightfall,” Dax said.

  Hopefully. Then he wouldn’t have her on his hands anymore. She bit back that surge of bitterness. She was being ridiculous. Of course he’d be
happy to hand her over to Alice and she’d be happy to be rid of him too.

  He was a distraction, plain and simple. Yes they shared a connection but that didn’t mean anything.

  Her heart begged to differ. She felt a pang as her mind tried to insist that what this was between them was meaningless.

  She huffed a sigh as she let Dax lead her out toward a large truck that was parked nearby. Even if it wasn’t meaningless, it didn’t matter. They lived in two different worlds.

  There was no future here, not for her.

  Funny, but knowing that didn’t make her feel any better.

  Chapter Five

  Dax wished he could have taken a moment. Just one. He needed some distance, some space. He needed to get his head on straight because right now he felt more addled than he’d ever felt before.

  But he didn’t have a moment, not unless he wanted to leave Katy stranded out here, waiting on him to get his act together. He helped her into the truck, well aware that she hadn’t spoken a word since that kiss.

  That kiss.

  Man, what a kiss. It didn’t even belong in the same category as any other kiss he’d experienced. This one was…earth-shaking. He hadn’t meant to do it. He didn’t know what came over him, but he couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d tried.

  Well, if she’d backed away or shown any sign of disgust he would have stopped. But she’d looked up at him with those impossibly blue eyes and he’d…lost his mind.

  Apparently he had completely lost his mind.

  What was he doing kissing a tourist? Worse, a tourist with whom Alice was trying to conduct business?

  No, worst of all—what was he doing kissing an uptight city girl who would be leaving in a matter of days?

  He slid into the driver’s seat and glanced over, but she was looking out the window, firmly ignoring him. Not that he blamed her.