Something Like Love

by Sara Richardson

  “Ben…” Paige eased her horse closer so that their knees touched. “What happened to her? How’d she get hurt?”

  There was a painful jolt inside of him, the emotions stampeding their way out. His jaw locked. His hands tightened on the reins. But she’d answered his question. And now he owed her an answer.

  “She was in a bad car accident with three of her friends. No one else survived.” That was the easy part. The part his parents had made him rehearse over and over. Usually, that was when the platitudes came. Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Your poor family.

  But Paige said nothing. She only waited. She wasn’t so gullible. She knew that wasn’t the end of the story.

  Don’t look away. But damn was it hard to look into her eyes and tell her the truth. “I was a senior and I let her come to a party with me. She was only fifteen.” Too young to have to watch out for herself, but he’d been too busy beating all of his buddies at a drinking game. “She said she wanted to go home, but I was too wasted to drive her. Told her she’d have to wait.”

  Her eyes tapered like she felt his pain. “But she didn’t wait.”

  “No. Her friend had just gotten her license. I didn’t even know they’d left.” He would’ve stopped her.

  Beneath him, Hooligan stomped with impatience. He felt that same itch. Move. Run. Gallop. Let the wind carry it away.

  Paige reached over and steadied a hand on the horse’s snout. “Easy, Hoolie. We’ll get moving soon.” She peered up at him, waiting. Again.

  For once she didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get away from him. That was something, he guessed. With a deep inhale, he let the rest of the ugly story flow from the dam of memories. “They crashed just down the road. I heard the sirens.” He blinked against the images. How he’d gotten that sick feeling, how he’d run through the house screaming for her, and, when he couldn’t find her, how he tore out onto the road, all the way down to the scene. He remembered the sounds she made more than anything else. The gasps. The cries for help…

  “Was it her spine?” Paige asked in a reverent quietness.

  “Her legs were crushed. She almost lost them both.” In some ways, she had lost them.

  Paige turned her head and looked at his sister.

  She’d leaned her head down like she was whispering something to Sweetie Pie, her new best friend.

  “She’s pretty incredible, you know,” she said with a smile so genuine it made him ache.

  “I know. She reminds me of that all the time.” It felt good to lighten the mood and let that weight slide off. At some point over the last twelve years, he’d learned to drag it instead of carry it. Somehow that made it easier to bear.

  “She’s lucky, too.” Paige urged her horse to his side and laid her hand on his arm. “To have someone in her family love her so much. That’s something of lot of people don’t have.”

  A lot of people, as in her? What about the guy at the restaurant? And what about her parents?

  She must have seen the questions rising in his eyes because she cranked the reins and took off in Julia’s direction. “Race you to the trail!” she yelled, already stealing the lead from him.

  “Hey!” He clipped his heels into Hooligan’s sides, hunkered down, and tore after her. Paige could run from him, but she couldn’t hide.

  Not anymore.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ya! Go, Gypsy, go!” Paige crouched lower over the saddle horn and flipped the reins.

  Ben was gaining on her, she could feel it. A glance over her shoulder to check on Julia, then she dug in her heels. “Come on, girl! Don’t let Hoolie beat you.”

  She squinted. Fifty yards, then the race had to stop. The trail was too steep and rocky.

  Hooves pounded the soft ground. Gypsy’s head jutted, stretched.

  A familiar ache crept up her lower back—her favorite kind of pain. Tension gripped her hands. She should slow down, but…she couldn’t let him win.

  Hooligan’s shadow inched up on Gypsy, black mane flowing behind. His snorts and chugs got closer…closer¸ until they were neck-and-neck.

  Shooting her that knee-wobbling grin, Ben bent lower. “Giddy up, Hooligan!” He clipped the horse with his heels.

  Dammit! With an obnoxious whoop and holler Ben stole her lead and pounded toward the trail.

  Defeat colored her cheeks. “Fine!” It came out harsher than she intended, but she hated to lose worse than she hated horse manure in her boots. “You won.” Pulling back on the reins, she slowed Gypsy to a canter, then a trot. The edge of the meadow bounced about thirty yards ahead, disappearing into a thick forest. Beyond that, the trail dropped a good three hundred vertical feet. And, of course, Ben kept his pace at full throttle.

  Her grip on the reins tightened. She could throttle him. “Hey! We’re not racing down the trail!” It was too dangerous, rocky and steep. Even for someone as experienced as him, navigating at that speed would be a challenge. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Stop!”

  Either he didn’t hear, or, more likely, he didn’t want to hear. Without a glance back, he disappeared into the trees.

  Grrrr. She was wrong about him. He wasn’t the sweet big brother. He was a total show-off, an eighteen-year-old trapped in a man’s body.

  “He likes to live in the fast lane,” Julia said as she trotted up behind her. “I gave up telling him to slow down a long time ago. He’s pretty stubborn.”

  She could think of a few other words to describe him, but Julia didn’t need to hear them. “He doesn’t know the mountains.” He could probably ride fifty miles back in Texas without seeing one small hill. “This isn’t the kind of terrain he’s used to.”

  “Ben never backs down from a challenge.” A sly grin implicated Paige as an accomplice to his juvenile behavior. “I’d apologize for him, but it’ll be way more fun watching him grovel at your feet.”

  “If he gets the chance.” She flicked the reins to get Gypsy moving again. “We’ll probably find him lying on the side of the trail somewhere.” Hopefully unconscious so he couldn’t relay to Bryce the colorful string of curse words she’d spewed at him all the way back to the ranch.

  Slow and careful, like skilled riders should be, she and Julia ambled side by side down the rocky slope, lower and lower toward the stables. Still no sign of Ben. Shaking her head, Paige looked over at Ben’s sister. For coming from such a rich family—and such a stuck-up mother—she was so down to earth and easy to talk to. Maybe because of the suffering she’d endured or maybe simply because that’s who she was. Either way, Julia felt like someone who could be a friend, and she didn’t often feel that connection with people. Ducking to avoid a low-hanging branch, Paige glanced over. “I hope you had fun today.”

  Julia turned to her, her eyes full of tears. “You don’t know how much this has meant to me.”

  And that was all it took to dissolve the tension that had tempted her neck to snap. Who cared about Ben? This so wasn’t about him. It was about his sister, about helping her experience life again. The warm glow inside of her radiated into a grin. “It was nothing. Really. I’m happy we made it work.”

  “You made it work,” Julia insisted. “You’re the one who talked Ben into it.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Something told her Ben never did anything he didn’t want to do. Whether he’d admit it or not, he felt bad about holding Julia back.

  “Trust me.” Julia reached down to pat Sweetie Pie’s neck. “If he didn’t have such a serious crush on you, this never would’ve happened.”

  A forced laugh choked her. A crush? Is that what she called it? Ha. “No. Trust me,” she mumbled. “He doesn’t have a crush on me.” Ben didn’t have feelings for her. Not real feelings anyway. He was the kind of guy who lived for the chase, and the more she resisted him the more persistent he got. “There’s nothing there.” Because she wouldn’t let there be. She wasn’t a stupid girl. Not anymore.

  Julia shook her head. “You’re about as stubborn as he is,” she said thr
ough a billowing sigh.

  “Your brother isn’t stubborn. He’s reckless.” Tearing down the trail like that. Didn’t he get it? He was her responsibility. If something happened to him, it would be on her. She could lose her job…

  “You should give him a chance, Paige,” Julia murmured. “For even as pigheaded as he can be, he really is a great guy. And he needs a great girl.”

  Without meaning to, she eased her heels into Gypsy’s ribs. The horse clomped faster. “We really should get back.” Because her fantasy world didn’t need any encouragement when it came to Ben.

  “You don’t like him?” his sister asked, her large, dark eyes doing a cross-examination.

  The sun beamed down hot and intense on her face. “It’s more complicated than that,” she muttered.

  “For what it’s worth…” Julia’s smile reached up to squint her eyes. “…I think you’d be great for him. He doesn’t belong with these hoity-toity bimbos my mother keeps throwing at him.”

  She was pretty sure their mother had already decided her son didn’t belong with Paige, either. Ben Noble lived in a different world than her. She craved freedom, anonymity. And his escapades with women made it into the entertainment sections of all the Texas newspapers. In an evasive maneuver, she turned her head. “Oh, look. We’re back already.” Thank god.

  Or not, she thought when she spotted Ben.

  He leaned against the corral fence looking like a young Marlboro man, one knee bent, boot kicked up on the rail and a piece of tall grass hanging from his mouth.

  It was a sight she would’ve enjoyed if she hadn’t been so irritated with him. Sure, the guy could easily win a Brother of the Year Award, but he wasn’t that different from most guys she’d known. Arrogant. Wild. Impulsive.

  Besides that, his whole good-old-cowboy look could stop traffic at a beauty pageant parade and he knew it. As much as it all tempted her, she’d never been one to cater to anyone’s ego.

  Steering Gypsy right past the fence, she made sure her eyes glossed over him. “Glad you found your way back,” she said coldly.

  “Hooligan found his way back.” Ben straightened and strode over to her. “Seems like once that horse knows he’s headed for home, he’s hard to stop.”

  Ignoring the way his eyes searched hers, she dismounted and went to grab Sweetie Pie’s bridle. “All right, Julia. I’ll get Sweetie Pie lined up with the ramp. Then we’ll get you back into your chair.”

  “Thank you so so much.” The girl’s eyes were shining. “That was amazing, Paige. The best day ever.”

  Despite Ben’s hard stare directed at her face, her heart swelled. If she could start that therapy program, she’d get to see a smile like Julia’s every day. That would make every day of the last five years of her life worth it. She focused her gaze intently on the horse. She could not let Ben Noble derail her. This is what she was about and she had no room in her life for anything else. She smiled back at Julia. “I’ll take you out anytime. It’s great practice for Sweetie Pie.”

  “You were right. She’s the best horse ever.” She leaned in against Sweetie Pie’s mane, hugging the back of the horse’s neck.

  Still avoiding Ben, Paige led the horse to the ramp and lined her up. “Here we are, Sweetie Pie.” She looked into the horse’s wise eyes. “Stay now, you hear?”

  Sweetie Pie didn’t have to answer. She always heard.

  “Want me to hold her?” Ben asked somewhere behind her.

  Unfortunately, ignoring him hadn’t made him disappear. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. Eventually. “Sure. Whatever.” Without turning to acknowledge him, Paige climbed up the ramp and positioned Julia’s chair. Then she leaned over and slid her arms around Julia. “On three, we’ll slide you over. Ready? One. Two. Three.”

  Another easy transition shifted Julia back to her chair. The woman didn’t look exactly thrilled about it, either.

  She gazed up at Sweetie Pie with a wistful longing. “I’d love to go out again before we head back to Texas.” She carefully wheeled herself down the ramp.

  “I’m sure we can make that happen.” Paige followed behind her. “Maybe after the rafting trip.”

  “That’d be great!” Julia’s strong hands pushed on the wheels of her chair. She spun herself toward the stable entrance. “Thanks again, Paige. I should go clean up before lunch.”

  Ben stepped to the edge of the ramp to cut off her path, but Paige simply dodged around him, still evading the question in his eyes, pretending she couldn’t read them, even though they were clear.

  What’s wrong?

  Why are you avoiding me?

  “Thanks for the great company.” She waved at Julia. “See you soon.”

  “I guess I should go, too.” Ben started after Julia, but his sister shooed him away.

  “No. I don’t need you following me around.” A sly grin made her look ten years younger. “You should stay. Help Paige put things away.”

  What? Her head snapped up. Um, no. Bad idea. Alone time with Ben would make it impossible to ignore him. “That’s okay. I’ve got it. I do this myself all the time.”

  “Well, he’s not coming with me.” Julia gave her brother a stern look. “Besides, it’s the least he can do after that stupid stunt he pulled.”

  For a few seconds, Ben’s eyes shifted back and forth between her and Julia like he was torn. Then he shrugged. “Okay. I’ll help out.”

  Paige ducked toward Sweetie Pie to hide the glow on her face. Julia was almost as persistent as Ben…

  “See you both later!” She chirped, then she was gone, the little sneak.

  “So…what can I do for you?” Ben spread his arms like he was her personal genie.

  “Nothing. Seriously. I don’t need your help,” she replied, her tone airy and light. Impassive. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to her.

  But he must’ve seen right through her because his hands went straight to his hips. “What’re you so pissed off about?”

  “I’m not pissed off.” She unlatched the saddle and ripped it from Sweetie Pie’s back, hauling it over to the stand. “I’m busy, that’s all.” Too busy to stop and look at him. To let him apologize. She needed a reason not to like him, to keep her distance. She’d been through this before. It was shocking how similar he was to Jory, how he kept pursuing her, how he complimented her and looked at her like he wanted to see her. Well she knew how that turned out. Once he had her, he’d toss her aside. Same dance, different song. Jory had been classic rock. Ben was country.

  “You’re obviously pissed off,” Ben said with amusement playing on his lips. He strode over in his cowboy gait. “Tell me what I did and I’ll apologize.”

  She slipped past him. “This is me, Ben. See? I’m not as sweet as you thought.” So leave me alone. Move on to some other girl who fits better with your life.

  “Sweet is overrated.” She heard the grin in his words.

  What could she say to that? Nothing. So she went about her work silently, removing Sweetie Pie’s blanket, brushing her down.

  “If you don’t put me to work, I’ll find somethin’ to do on my own.” Ben leaned next to her so she had to look at him. “I’d hate to ruin your system.”

  His closeness sizzled on the bare skin of her arms. Dammit. Why did he have to shake her up like that? “Fine.” She pushed off her knees and stood, desperate to get away from him. It was too hard to think clearly, to hold him off when he got close to her. So she pointed him away. “Get Hooligan settled. The saddles and blankets go over there.” She gestured to the stand across the stables. “Brush him down. Make sure he gets a drink. Think you can handle all that?”

  He didn’t move, still stood inches away, close enough that she felt the hum of his energy, close enough that the storm clouds of want gathered in her chest.

  “Sure. I can handle it,” he assured her with a look that told her he could handle a hell of a lot more than that. “If you let me take you out tonight.”

  Impossible
. This guy was impossible. “Sorry,” she said with an exaggerated shrug. “There’s a company policy against flings with customers.” Okay, so there was no policy, but there really should be. In fact, as soon as she was done in the stables, she’d go straight home and write up a whole employee handbook for Bryce and Avery. Rule number one: No flings with customers.

  “I’m not a customer,” Ben reminded her. “I’m a friend.”

  “You’re not my friend,” she said through a laugh. How stupid did he think she was?

  His crooked grin turned on the charm. “I’m not looking for a fling, Paige. I just want to get to know you.”

  “We can’t get to know each other.” The ache under her rib cage reminded her to breathe.

  “Give me one good reason why.”

  There were about a thousand reasons why, but the best one…“Bryce would kill me. This week is important to the ranch, and I refuse to mess it up.”

  Ben stepped closer, those eyes bringing her somewhere else, into a realm of possibilities where she had no business being.

  “You’re not gonna mess anything up. Trust me. He’s a good friend of mine,” Ben murmured, his gaze drifting down her body in that slow, lazy way of his, threatening to put her under a spell. “I’ll talk to him.”

  No. Huh-uh. She could not get sucked into his magic. She backed up a couple of steps, refocusing on the horse. So much safer. “Fine,” she said in a formal tone. “You might be able to convince Bryce…,” though she doubted it. “But there’re plenty of other reasons I won’t go out with you.” She went back to scrubbing down Sweetie Pie. “Your mother, for example. She hates me.”

  “Not true,” he argued. “She doesn’t hate you.”

  “She doesn’t want you going on a rafting trip alone with me.” She mocked him with a glare. “Which, by the way, is hilarious, considering you’re a grown man.”

  It was the first time she’d ever seen his face flush.

  “My mother doesn’t matter,” he said, still blushing.