by Ella Jade
“I’ll see you there,” Kelly said, still unable to look at her friend. “I’m going with Dustin.”
* * * *
The rest of the week passed quickly and Kelly found herself digging through her closet, searching for something feminine to wear to the dance. Did she even own a pair of heels anymore? Her career with horses didn’t require nice dress, but panic turned to relief when she found something she’d bought while married to Tom. The sunny yellow dress was made of flowy cotton eyelet material. She’d gain a few pounds while married, which she had since lost, and the dress was loose when she tried it on, but it wasn’t anything a belt couldn’t fix. As far as shoes went, she settled for a pair of decent-looking sandals.
Her stick-straight hair refused to curl, and her lipstick smelled funny after being shoved in the back of the drawer unused for four years, so a ponytail and tinted lip balm was the extent of her primping. She took a deep, steadying breath when she heard a knock at the door.
She opened the front door and Dustin took her breath away. Dressed in his usual jeans, he’d traded his work boots for a polished black pair of cowboy boots, a nice blue checkered button-up shirt that stretched across his pecs in a mouthwatering way, and a black Stetson. He removed it as he stepped inside and looked her over head to toe.
“You look beautiful, angel.”
She returned his broad smile. “And you’re quite handsome yourself.”
He offered her his elbow. “Are you ready?”
She hooked her arm through his. “Definitely.”
The dance was at the community center and had a good turnout. As she and Dustin walked inside hand in hand, curious eyes followed them. It didn’t matter, because Dustin took her in his arms and spun her out onto the dancefloor. It felt like their senior prom all over again, a magical experience when the rest of the world and prying eyes didn’t matter.
The night was filled with laughter, town gossip, and longtime friends. Joan and her husband were the happiest couple Kelly had ever met, and their energy was infectious. She and Dustin kissed and cuddled and teased one another. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so happy and carefree. It was the way Dustin had always made her feel, like all of life’s worries could be solved with just a brush of his hand or a touch of his lips.
When the dance ended, he took her home. Kelly wasn’t ready to say goodnight, so she pulled him inside her house and to her bedroom.
Chapter 5
Kelly felt too wonderful tucked into the crook of his arm as she slept. Her breathing had become slow and deep; she’d fallen asleep. Dustin couldn’t relax, not after the love they had just made and the mess of feelings it’d stirred up. She had all the control, and it scared him. If it’d been up to him, they would’ve been long married with several kids by now. He’d have her in his arms every night. He knew he’d never fallen out of love with her, and all he’d needed was a small spark to bring every bit of it back. He loved Kelly, he was raw with it. If she walked away from him now, it would hurt as much as it had when she broke his heart ten years ago.
And her walking away was a risk. She’d moved on after him. She’d gotten married while he’d run away from every close relationship he’d had. Not to mention he still hadn’t gotten the nerve to tell her about—
“Penny for your thoughts?” Kelly said with a sleepy voice.
He kissed her forehead. “How could I pass up the chance to watch you sleep?”
She grinned and snuggled closer. “I had fun at the dance. Thank you for taking me.”
“I should thank you for putting up with my two left feet.”
Kelly giggled. “No way are you more awkward than me. I still don’t like country music. You try finding a rhythm with that caterwauling in the background.”
He gave her a mock-look of horror. “Caterwauling? How dare you accuse Hank Williams Senior of caterwauling. He’s a legend.”
“No, a legend is Mick Jagger.”
Dustin growled and rolled on top of her. She laughed, playfully trying to push him away, but he kept her pinned while he moved down her stomach. His tongue found the coarse patch of hair at the juncture of her thighs before delving within her pussy, finding the nub of her clit. Kelly gasped, arching into his firm stroke.
Their lovemaking had been too rushed the first two times, so now he took his time, tickling her with the tip of his tongue. Her sweet flavor mixed with the heady scent of her arousal. With his mouth he searched for all the places he remembered drove her mad. She panted and writhed as he thrust a finger inside her tight walls, pressing and circling his lips over her clit. She came hard, screaming his name.
Kelly pushed him to his back, straddled his hips, grabbed a condom he’d thought to buy, then took him inside of her. She felt so incredible it took everything he had to not lose it. Every time was like this with her. It always had been. She made him feel like a teenager, awkward and half-crazy. He gripped her hips, meeting her rocking motion, clenching his jaw until she arched and gasped. He joined her, his release intense.
Afterward he took her in his arms once more, cradling her close, wondering over the new direction his life had taken. Did he deserve this? Did he deserve Kelly? Their history—the bad part of it—still clouded the intimacy. They needed to talk things over, though he didn’t have any idea what to say to her.
* * * *
The following weeks they spent every evening possible together, reliving the happy days of their youth, laughing like kids. Dustin worked hard on getting his fencing up and a few run-in shelters put in for the horses. He needed to get his horses from a buddy’s place in Texas as soon as he could. The barns could be built with the horses home.
He couldn’t remember being this happy. Their second time around seemed even more magical, though they didn’t discuss what was actually happening between them. It scared Dustin. His heart hang in the balance, and he never wanted to go through the heartache he had the first time around. But Kelly was a drug, one he couldn’t say no to no matter the risk or the cost.
With night coming, he walked back to his trailer, exhaustion making his muscles ache. He’d finally gotten the last stretch of fence up thanks to help he’d hired from town. He looked forward to a hot shower—hopefully with Kelly. He and Jake had been staying at her place most nights, and he was grateful. His living quarters were cramped, and he had to admit, lonely.
With the fences up he could now make arrangements to haul the horses to his place. Luckily, he knew a professional who’d do it for just the cost of gas. Maybe Dustin should look into getting 501(c) and become an actual rescue. He could get help from Kelly, and they might even go into business together.
He quickly shot the idea down. Combining their charity efforts was a good idea in theory, but if things went south with their new budding relationship it would get complicated. Honestly, Dustin felt he had invested a lot more emotion into what was happening between them than Kelly. She seemed detached.
When he retrieved his cellphone from his trailer he saw Kelly had texted, inviting him over for the evening, promising Joan’s famous fried chicken for supper. His stomach growled at the thought.
Jake followed him to his truck, and they both jumped inside, heading for Kelly’s. Once they got there, Dustin laughed as Jake searched the yard for Snowflake. Apparently, he and Snowflake had gotten off on the wrong foot when Jake had run up to the large cat in his usual overly friendly manner. And the cat had made a believer out of poor Jake, mopping the ground with the stunned dog before Dustin and Kelly could intervene. No real damage had been done, a few scratches to Jake’s nose, and his dog had been too focused on escape to fight back.
Dustin let himself in and met Kelly in the kitchen, giving her a long, searching kiss.
“It’s good to see you, angel.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You smell like a farm boy. Go get cleaned up, then we’ll eat.”
He slapped her butt. “Better a farm boy than a city boy,” he countered.
She chew
ed her bottom lip for a moment. “Um,” she began. “Speaking of city boys, I should warn you, my ex will be in town in a few days.”
Dustin hated the surge of jealousy he felt. “Yeah?” he said, hoping he sounded unconcerned. “What for?”
“He’s picking up a couple of racing foals he bought. Plus, he helps put me in touch with Thoroughbreds to consider taking on. He’s playing the middleman.”
Dustin worked hard to keep a casual smile on his face. “He sounds like a decent guy.”
Kelly lifted a shoulder. “Also…”
The way she trailed off put Dustin on edge. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge, his brand that Kelly had thoughtfully bought for him. He popped the top, then leaned a hip against the counter, facing her. He suspected he wasn’t going to like whatever she was about to say.
Kelly cleared her throat. “Also, he’ll probably stay here overnight since there aren’t any motels in town.”
“What?”
“It’s just for a night.”
“Hell no. He can stay over in Mansfield, there’s a motel there.”
“Mansfield is twenty minutes away and south of here,” Kelly said calmly. “The foals are at a barn north of here. It makes sense for him to stay here.”
Dustin ground his teeth, doing his best to keep his temper under control. This was a man who’d gotten more from Kelly than he ever had—he’d gotten marriage from her. “I am not okay with your ex-husband staying with you, Kelly.”
A dark pink flush spread up Kelly’s neck and into her face. “Why on earth not? Tom is my ex for a reason, Dustin.”
“Then why does he have to stay here?”
She turned away from him, grabbing dinner plates down from the cabinet. “We’re not talking about this. It’s not even open for discussion. There hasn’t been anything between Tom and I for a long, long time. It was over well before we ever got divorced. Get cleaned up so we can eat.”
Dustin took a deep, steadying breath, cooling his anger. The last thing he needed was to let an ex-husband drive a wedge between them. He swallowed his pride and took Kelly’s hand, turning her to face him. “I’m sorry, angel. I jumped the gun there, but I can’t help but be jealous of any man who has called you wife. But I do trust you, and if you want him to stay here, then I won’t say anything more.”
She gave him a small smile. “Maybe I’ll join you for that shower.”
The rest of the evening passed with an unspoken tension hanging over them. Dustin let his buddy in Texas know he’d have someone over for the horses the following day. He looked forward to getting back into the swing of things. He missed his life of training and day-to-day ranch chores. Once things were settled at his place, he’d have Kelly over and they’d have a much needed talk. They had to, because soon his secret would be out, and he only hoped Kelly would understand.
Chapter 6
“I’m happy you’re still interested in adopting Mystic, Mr. Phillips.”
“Please, call me Mark,” Mystic’s adopter said, giving the mare a pat on the nose. “She’s a handful, but she has scope, and that’s the important thing. My trainer can work on finishing her out.”
Kelly smiled, happy Mystic had made a good impression, even if her own riding skills probably looked amateurish at best.
“Your references checked out,” she said. “You can take her home as soon as you sign a few things and I get the adoption fee.”
Mark nodded and followed Kelly into the barn office. He was a handsome man, a few years older than her, and every bit the professional up-and-coming rider. Even now he wore breeches and tall boots, and had the straight posture and slight bow-legged stance of someone who’d been in the saddle since childhood. An English rider’s refined carriage as opposed to a cowboy’s more relaxed and bit swagger-ish way. He’d tried out Mystic, and the pair had clicked right off the bat since Mark had a light hand but confident seat. A big relief.
In all honesty, Kelly should be attracted to a man like Mark, he reminded her of Tom, but she found herself comparing her adopter to Dustin. And Mark didn’t hold a candle to what Dustin made her feel.
She watched Mark scribble his name on forms before handing her a check for the adoption fee and a bit more on top of that.
“Wow, thank you Mr., er, I mean Mark. That’s very generous of you.”
“I’m only too happy to help out a good cause.” Mark’s dark eyes twinkled, and Kelly knew she should feel something besides impatience to get him out of the confined space of the office. She wasn’t sure how to handle his flirtation.
“Just spread the word about what good horses OTTB’s can be.”
“I’ll be happy to,” he replied.
Kelly herded him outside and back to his car. He’d send someone out later that day to collect Mystic. Once he drove away, Kelly went back to the mare. She was always happy to see one of her horses find a good home, but tears blurred her vision as she scratched Mystic’s neck. Parting with them always left her feeling sad. She put a lot of time and heart into each of them. Seeing them go was like watching a child go off to college. But there would be another Mystic to take her place. Tom had put her in touch with a man who had a couple of young Thoroughbreds that wouldn’t cut it racing. Hopefully, she’d have the two at her rescue within the next few weeks. New faces, new temperaments, and new challenges to keep her busy.
Yet, try as she might to stay focused on business, Dustin kept jumping into her thoughts. His horses had arrived the day before, and he’d been too busy to come over last night. She missed him, which was absurd since it’d only been a day, but it was what it was. He’d slipped into her heart; a place she had wanted to guard when it came to Dustin. Their past still lingered between them, and though she was sure she’d gotten beyond her heartache over losing her brother, Keith was still connected to Dustin in the back of her mind. She didn’t blame Dustin for his accident—at least that’s what she kept telling herself, but she worried that maybe a part of her still did. Keith had idolized Dustin because he’d needed another male to look up to after their father had left. Dustin had encouraged Keith to try bronc riding despite Kelly’s objections.
A familiar tightening in her chest reminded Kelly that dwelling on things that couldn’t be changed was useless. She would miss her brother for the rest of her life, but she’d moved on and kept living. She thought she’d moved on from Dustin too, but now she questioned that. It felt too good having him back in her life. Like a part of her had been missing for ten years and she’d finally gotten it back. It scared her, feeling that empty spot filled and knowing it might only be temporary.
Did she and Dustin really have a future? Did Dustin want a future with her? He hadn’t broached the subject with her, and she couldn’t be certain what she wanted. She didn’t know if what they shared was real, or if they only relived happier days of their past.
Her phone chirped, and she pulled it out of her pocket, seeing that Dustin had texted her, inviting her over to meet the horses. She couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face any time she had the opportunity to see him. That silly, puppy love smile that a woman in her thirties shouldn’t have when it came to men.
She climbed into her SUV and drove down the road to Dustin’s place. She spotted the new animals as she pulled up outside Dustin’s horse trailer and cut the engine. Jake ran up, barking a greeting as she got out. She reached down, scratching the dog’s head. Usually an exuberant dog would make her nervous, but the Blue Heeler didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Which had been proved when her fifteen-pound cat had beaten him up and he hadn’t tried to fight back.
“Where’s your buddy Dustin?” Kelly asked the dog.
As if understanding the question, Jake turned and ran toward a paddock filled with horses. She saw Dustin standing among them and she waved. He waved back as she walked out to meet him at the fence.
“Nice animals,” Kelly said, sizing up the collection of Quarter Horses and Paints. The usual cowboy choices, at least for the area where
they’d grown up.
“These are the horses I have in training,” Dustin said before giving her a quick kiss. “The others are out there.” He nodded toward a larger pasture. “I’m running the retirees on twenty-five acres. Too bad the pasture is burned up, I’ve had to put round bales in to them.”
“Yeah, all of my grass is dried up and gone too.” Kelly frowned, looking up at the blue sky and wickedly hot sun. If they didn’t get rain soon, everything would be dried-up husks. Trees had started to die from lack of rain, something she’d never witnessed. It hadn’t been this dry there for fifty-odd years according to the old-timers.
“Funny thing is, my buddy in Texas lives in a place that’s been in a drought for years. Now they’re flooding.”
Kelly smiled. “Tell him to stop hogging the moisture.”
Dustin’s phone rang and he grabbed it out of his pocket, eyeing the screen. “I have to take this, hold on,” he said.
Kelly wandered away while he talked on the phone, strolling over to his field of retirees. Horses of all colors either munched from the large, round hay bales or nipped off what dried-up grasses they could find. She let herself in through the gate, deciding to take a closer look. She counted ten horses, and pride filled her. Dustin had taken the same path as she had, rescuing the unwanted, and she hoped to speak with him about making the place an actual horse rescue. He could get grants and donations, if he wanted, and make his efforts tax deductible. Running a rescue was hard work, sometimes sad, sometimes happy, and it was a money-siphon, but at the end of the day you could say you’d made a difference.
A big draft horse walked over and gave her a gentle nudge. Kelly ruffled his forelock. “Sorry, boy, I didn’t come with treats.”
Several of the other horses nickered curiously and joined the draft horse, surrounding her.
“Dustin’s spoiled you, hasn’t he?” she asked, spinning in a circle, giving out pats and scratches to the friendly group.
