The marketing director’s eyes flew open wide. “Really?” Her gaze darted to the right. “How about you, Taylin? Would that fit in with your plans tomorrow?”
Luke shifted his gaze to Taylin when she didn’t answer right away. Looking a little uncomfortable, Taylin lifted the long-stemmed goblet to her lips, taking a sip of her ice water. When she set the glass down, her eyes met Luke’s.
“Would you like to go riding with me tomorrow?” he asked, hoping she’d forgive him for being a jerk and say yes.
Several seconds passed as she considered him. Finally, the corner of her mouth lifted into a small smile. “Sure.”
Her answer wasn’t very enthusiastic, but maybe he could redeem himself during their dinner. Although it would be humiliating, he wanted to try and explain why he’d reacted the way he did about the couple’s massage. After talking with Jennifer, he knew Harmony Spring’s couple’s massage package was nothing like the one Vivian and her lover had signed up for.
“That’ll be great!” Jennifer said. “I’ll let our stablehand know to expect y’all in the mornin’.”
Jennifer waved goodbye just as the waiter delivered a platter of stuffed mushrooms, promising to return with their dinner plates.
“You look beautiful,” Luke said once they were alone. It was an understatement. Taylin looked gorgeous. The aqua blue dress hugged her body, only revealing a hint of her curves swelling above the rounded neckline. And her eyes were so blue he finally understood the cliché of getting lost in someone’s eyes.
“Thank you.” She pulled out her napkin and placed it on her lap.
He shook out his own napkin, scrambling for something to say. He knew he was responsible for the awkwardness between them and knew it was up to him to fix it.
“Mushroom?” Luke asked, offering her the plate of hors d'oeuvres.
Another tiny smile touched her lips. “Yes, thank you.”
Luke watched as she slid one of the gourmet appetizers onto her own plate. His skills at conversing with a beautiful woman were painfully lacking. Before he could think of something else to say, a waiter appeared behind Taylin’s shoulder, holding a rounded tray laden with two plates of delicious smelling food.
The young man set the tray onto a stand he’d brought with him and then lifted off one of the plates. “For you, Miss,” he said, lowering the steaming dish in front of Taylin.
Suddenly, the waiter lost his balance, and the plate of food landed in Taylin’s lap.
“Oh,” she cried out, scooting away from the table so fast the plate flew from her lap and shattered on the floor. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, ma’am,” the waiter said, “It’s my fault.” His face was as red as the lobster tail Luke had ordered.
Standing up, Luke handed Taylin his napkin. Hers had caught the majority of the brown gravy, but her dress still had several brown stains across the bodice and skirt.
“Thanks.” She dabbed at the front, but it didn’t appear to help any.
Jennifer was at Taylin’s side in a flash, asking what she could do, so Luke got down on his haunches and picked up a chunk of the broken china.
“Thank you, sir, but I’ve got it,” the young man said without looking at Luke.
Luke helped him anyway, until another waiter showed up to offer his assistance. Standing up, he looked around him, but Taylin and Jennifer had left the dining room. Marcus approached Luke and offered to sit him at another table. When Luke asked if Taylin was joining him, Marcus smugly said she’d asked for her dinner to be delivered to her room.
He was tempted to request his meal be sent to Taylin’s room too, but didn’t want to do something that might further upset her. The conversation would have to wait for tomorrow.
***
The next morning, Luke leaned against an empty stall at the resort’s stables, his shoulders tense while he waited for Taylin to arrive. He wished the brief massage he’d had earlier could’ve lasted longer, but despite his full cooperation while they shot the footage of the couple’s massage, Jennifer had rushed things along.
Rick found him a few minutes later. “Man,” he said with a grin. “You look like a real Montana cowboy.”
“Thanks?” Luke said, more as a question. He wasn’t wearing anything special; just a pair of worn jeans, a long-sleeved blue Henley, his cowboy boots, and his brown Stetson.
Rick pulled out his his camera from his bag. “Just ignore me and go back to brooding.”
“I wasn’t brooding.”
“Dude, I know brooding when I see it.” He turned on his camera and looked through the lens. “For the record, I don’t blame you. Taylin’s pretty hot and I can tell you’re conflicted.”
Luke snorted a laugh. “You noticed, huh?”
“Yeah, but why?” Rick lowered his camera. “She seems like she’s into you, so what’s the deal?”
Luke pushed his hat back a little and sighed. “Bad marriage and ugly divorce.”
“No one’s asking you to marry her.”
Yeah, but Luke wasn’t into one-night-stands, and he doubted Taylin was either. “I haven’t dated since the divorce.”
“I see.” Rick slipped the strap of the camera over his head. “My advice is to stop fighting it.” He made a motion with his finger for Luke to turn back around. “Seriously, dude, this weekend will be over before you know it. Like they say, all good things eventually come to an end, so just enjoy it while you can. If not, I’m pretty sure Marcus from the kitchen will be happy to step in.”
Luke cut Rick a dirty look, making the guy laugh.
“Don’t worry,” the cameraman said. “She already shot Marcus down when he asked to take her riding. And that was even before you showed up.”
Rick took several shots of Luke brooding over the situation with Taylin. It wasn’t fair to compare her to Vivian when she was nothing like his ex in the first place. He didn’t intend on staying single the rest of his life, although some days that sounded much safer. But he wanted a family, which meant he needed to date. He and Taylin definitely had chemistry. He just needed to talk to her and clear a few things up. Like amending his no dating a co-worker rule.
Hopefully they’d get a chance to talk once they were on the trail, since last night’s dinner was cut short. A horse whinnied, and Luke watched Oscar, the stablehand, come around the corner, leading two horses. A beautiful chestnut mare and a gray appaloosa.
“Is your lady here yet?” Oscar asked.
“Not yet.” Luke admired the lines on the horses. “She should be here any minute.” He reached out and stroked the shoulder of the chestnut.
“My old bones are telling me the storm’s coming sooner than they’re forecasting.”
Luke glanced at the clear sky, which had only a few clouds. A thunderstorm was predicted for later this evening, but from where he stood, he didn’t believe it. He missed Montana where you could see a storm coming a few miles out.
“The trail ride isn’t more than two hours, right?”
“Yes, sir,” Oscar said. “I reckon if y’all don’t dawdle, then you can be back before the bad weather moves in.”
Rick moved in and took a few shots of Luke caressing the chestnut’s nose. Being around horses made him miss his parents’ ranch back home.
The gray appaloosa nickered and Luke turned to give her some attention. That’s when he spotted Taylin coming toward them. For a moment, Luke felt like the air around him thinned. She looked incredible wearing a fitted white button up shirt with dark jeans tucked into riding boots the same color as the chestnut’s coat.
Heat spiraled from his chest down to his stomach when her eyes met his and she smiled. “Hey, sorry I kept y’all waiting.”
“No problem,” Rick said. “Where’s Jen?”
“She got tied up with an unexpected visit from an online travel magazine.” Taylin dropped a small girly-looking backpack to the ground. “You’re supposed to go ahead with what you and Jen talked about this morning.”
She moved
next to Luke and placed her palms against the gray’s neck. “Aren’t you a pretty girl,” she said, smoothing her hand across the horse’s shoulder.
Taylin was obviously comfortable around horses. Luke watched her stroke the appaloosa’s nose. When she glanced at him, he didn’t pull his gaze away.
“Is this the horse you want?” he asked, trying to ignore Rick and his camera taking close-up shots.
“Sure.” She smiled. “But I’m okay with the chestnut if you have a preference.”
“I don’t have a preference.”
“Okay. I like the gray then.” She looked at Oscar. “What are their names?”
“The pretty gal you picked is Starlight.” Oscar flashed Luke a wry grin. “You’ll be riding Princess.”
Luke wished he would’ve asked what the names were before Taylin showed up. He met her amused gaze.
“Want to trade?” she asked with a laugh.
“Nope.” He winked at her. “I’m secure enough in my manhood to ride Princess.” He took a hold of the horse’s reins. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Great.” Taylin stepped back and picked up the backpack. “By the way, the kitchen provided a picnic lunch for us.”
Luke felt a twinge of jealousy knot his gut, and he refrained from asking if Marcus had anything to do with the picnic. He could just imagine the guy trying to gain a few points so Taylin would go out with him.
“Sounds good.” He mounted his horse and watched Taylin gracefully climb on the back of the gray.
Rick took a few shots of them before calling it good. “I know how much y’all will miss me trailing behind you, but my work is finished.”
Luke laughed, making his horse skitter. “All good things must come to an end, right?” he said, gently pulling on the reins to control the horse.
“Yep, so enjoy it while you can,” Rick said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Y’all have fun.”
Taylin looked between the two men curiously. Before she could question either man, Rick sauntered off and Oscar stepped in front of them and pointed to the saddlebag each of the horses carried.
“There’s an emergency blanket, small first-aid kit, a rain poncho, and a couple of water bottles on one side. The other one holds some trail mix, beef jerky, and a multipurpose tool and more water.” He glanced at the sky. “I know it don’t look like it, but a storm’s comin’ and you best be back within a couple of hours. No longer than three.”
“I’ve got my cell phone in case of an emergency,” Taylin said.
“Me too,” Luke said, removing the phone from his front pocket and securing it in the saddlebag.
“Well now, cell phones don’t do y’all any good if you ain’t got any service.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You might get a few bars, but out on the trail it’s pretty spotty.”
“Good to know.” Luke tipped his cowboy hat. “See you in a couple of hours.”
The trailhead wasn’t wide, and for the first ten minutes, they rode in single file with Taylin in the lead. The scenery was beautiful with Georgia pines flanking the trail, but it was the pretty girl riding in front of Luke that held his attention.
Heck, she’d held his attention from the moment they’d run into each other three and a half weeks earlier. As soon as the trail was wide enough for two horses, Luke cantered forward. Taylin glanced over at him as he drew in alongside her.
“How is Starlight?” he asked.
“A little on the mellow side.” She lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “What about Princess?”
“I have a feeling Princess would plod ahead with or without me holding the reins.”
Taylin laughed. “Since you’re from Montana and all, I guess you’re used to a more spirited ride.” She eyed his cowboy hat. “Maybe bronc riding or was it bulls?”
“Bulls.” He rolled his left shoulder. “But only for a couple of years. After several concussions and two shoulder surgeries, my parents talked some sense into me and I gave it up.”
“Ouch.” She shook her head. “I’ve never understood why anyone would climb on the back of a two thousand pound angry animal in the first place.”
“Stupidity. At least in my case.” He grinned. “There was a pretty girl I was trying to impress.”
“Did it work?”
“Yep, until I quit. She dumped me faster than my last ride, which lasted five seconds.”
Taylin’s blue eyes studied him thoughtfully. “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. And my time at the hospital got me interested in the medical field.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t end up in sports medicine.”
He shifted in his saddle, not wanting to talk about why he hadn’t pursued becoming a doctor. “Medical school wasn’t really an option at the time.”
Her eyes held questions that he didn’t want to get into right now. “What about you?” he asked. “Did you always want to be a nurse?”
“Yeah.” Her lips stretched into a smile. “I thought I wanted to be a labor nurse, but I found out I love the babies more than the mothers.”
Luke loved listening to her talk about her job. For the next hour, he kept her talking, learning what he’d already known. Taylin had a tender heart and loved caring for others. But when she mentioned a desire to go abroad to teach neonatal resuscitation internationally, he found himself wanting to talk her out of it.
“Wow. So you’ve already applied?”
“I did.” She moistened her lips. “Other than my parents and my manager, Margaret, you’re actually the first person I’ve told. My twin sister would freak out if she knew I might be moving out of the country.”
“But your parents are okay with it?”
“Not really okay.” She shrugged. “More like supportive, but I can tell they’re hoping I won’t get accepted. My brother and two other sisters have all moved out of Georgia, and I think both Mama and Daddy are counting on me and Ashlee to settle down in Mitchel Creek.”
Luke swallowed and looked away from her. Would it be worth the risk getting involved with Taylin when she might be moving to a third-world country for a couple of years?
“You don’t think it’s a good idea?” Her voice sounded a little unsure, and part of him wanted to jump on that insecurity and point out all the difficulties going abroad could bring.
He glanced back at her and found her watching him intently. He couldn’t talk her out of something she obviously wanted on the off chance they might start dating. “No, it sounds like an incredible opportunity. Besides, what anybody else thinks shouldn’t matter.” He gave her what he hoped was a positive smile. “For me, moving to the South is about as foreign as I want to go.”
“You miss your family?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Yeah.”
The questions were there again. Like why had he moved away in the first place? Luke knew it was time to talk about his past. Even if Taylin wasn’t interested in him, or ended up leaving the country for a few years, he owed her an explanation. Just not while on the back of a horse.
He glanced at his watch and was surprised they’d been riding for nearly an hour. “Do you want to find a place to eat lunch?”
She looked a little disappointed, but lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “Sure, I’d like that.”
Nodding his head, Luke faced forward and gripped the reins tight. Was he ready for this? Or a better question… was Taylin ready for this?
Chapter 15
Taylin didn’t press Luke further. She knew he missed his family and knew the reason he’d relocated from Montana to Georgia was because of his ex-wife. Although she’d felt like they’d connected, she didn’t blame him for not wanting to reveal details about his marriage and how and why it ended.
They found a clearing with an old log they could use to sit on to eat lunch. But one look at the ant colony inhabiting the fallen tree made them walk the horses a few paces further down the trail to another clearing. There weren’t any logs to use as a bench, so Lu
ke spread out both of the thin emergency blankets beneath the canopy of a large tree.
The tinfoil-like blanket crinkled beneath Taylin as she took a seat. Luke lowered himself to the other blanket and took off his cowboy hat. His hair was slightly damp and flattened from the brim of the hat, but the guy still looked amazing.
“I hope you’re okay with roast beef.” She handed him one of the sandwiches and tried to ignore the tingle of attraction from the inadvertent brush of their fingers.
“As long as it’s horseradish free, then I’m good.”
“No horseradish.” She placed a gourmet bag of baked chips and a bottle of water in front of him and then dug deeper into the pack. “I’ve got grapes or apple slices.” She held out a small container of the fruit in each hand. “You pick.”
He was in the process of unwrapping his sandwich and glanced up at her. His gray eyes held hers for a few seconds. “How about we share so we can have a little of both?”
For some reason, his suggestion sounded romantic. She tried not to think too much about it though. Luke McKay was hard to read. There were times when she knew he was flirting with her and then other times when he acted like she was the last person in the world he wanted to talk to.
“Good idea.” She placed the fruit down and opened both containers.
“Thank you for thinking about getting us a lunch,” he said, unscrewing the lid to his water bottle.
"Actually, Jennifer was the one who arranged for lunch.” Taylin opened her bag of chips. “I think it was to make up for my dinner getting cut short.”
Luke took a drink of water and replaced the lid. “Your dress was beautiful. I hope it isn’t ruined.”
“Thank you. I don’t know if they can get the stains out, but Jennifer promised me a new dress if it doesn’t come clean.” She picked up her hoagie. “She also promised me another complimentary spa treatment, which I agreed to as long as the waiter didn’t get fired.”
Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 Page 14
