by T. J. Kline
“Aw, you poor, overworked man,” she cooed sympathetically, laying her hand against his chest. “I’ll make you a deal. You go see about your horse and pig. I’ll stay here and answer phones, then I’ll make us something special for dinner.”
His hand covered hers, his eyes igniting, instantly hot and hungry. She felt the breath leave her lungs as her heart immediately picked up speed, matching his, racing under her fingers. What was it about Justin that could make her feel like a teenage girl on her first date again?
He bent his head toward her and she met him with a needy kiss of her own. Her hand ran through his short hair, pulling him closer, as she gave herself over to the hunger for this man. Her tongue snuck between his lips, twisting with his in a dance of desire. She could easily lose herself in this cowboy. His kindness, his compassion, the way he could light her body like a wanton candle.
Justin’s hands found her waist, moving upward, caressing the rounded curve of her breast, sending white-hot jolts of lightning through her body, making her quiver with anticipation. Her entire body seemed to ignite with flames, licking at the edges of her control, ready to rage in an inferno that would engulf her. And then he took a step back, smiling down at her, pressing his forehead against hers and cupping his hand at her cheek. “Ah, Lyssa, food isn’t what I’m hungry for.”
Justin’s every touch was electric, as though a current ran from him through her. He was intense, but not in a way that frightened her. He unavoidably drew her to him, wanting him to touch her, to be near. She wanted to inhale the scent of him—male and musky—and feel the calluses of his fingers against her skin. This need, raw and primal, urgent and fierce, scared her. It was something she’d never felt before.
As much as she wanted him, wanted to feel this way again, to know that she hadn’t been permanently scarred from the abuse in her marriage, she was wasn’t ready for their relationship to move this quickly.
She’d spent years getting to know Elijah in college, first as friends then letting her feelings for him grow over time from friendship to love, or at least what she’d thought was love. The first time they’d had sex, it had been slow with little surprise, her feelings for him tender and sweet. She’d cared about Elijah, but there hadn’t been this burning passion, and certainly not after knowing him only a matter of days.
Justin’s thumb brushed over her lower lip where she could still feel the tingles of heat from his kiss. “I’d better get to work. If I don’t go now, I’m never going to.”
He trotted down the three steps and climbed into his truck. “I’ll be back late this afternoon. We’ll move Lucky when I get back, and don’t forget to feed Rocky every two hours like I showed you. If there are any emergencies, just patch them through to my phone.”
As his truck pulled down the driveway, Alyssa held up a hand to wave and wondered what time Justin would be home.
When did this place become home?
JUSTIN REACHED DOWN to rub his leg where that damn pig had nipped him as he drove down the long, tree-lined driveway of Heart Fire Ranch and saw his sister riding the black gelding she’d rescued. He felt a pang of nostalgia prick his chest when he thought about how she’d turned the family dude ranch into a horse rescue, but he really couldn’t complain. The nonprofit facility was helping horses and troubled teens, and his sister was happy. She’d taken his parents’ dream and shaped it to fit her own. At least he wasn’t doctoring her horses for free any longer.
Jessie waved as he stopped near the barn, and she walked Jet toward the fence. “Hang on and I’ll meet you inside.”
He gave her a thumbs-up and headed inside where Aleta, a foster kid who was practically a member of their family now, was leading out the mare he was there to doctor. She clipped the ties to each side of the mare’s halter. “Hey, Justin. Do you really have Alyssa Cole at your house? Is she going to come here? Can you let me know so that I can make sure I’m at the ranch when she does? What’s she doing there anyway?”
“Whoa, kiddo, slow down.” He laughed at her enthusiasm as he ran his hand over the mare’s shoulder, taking in her rough coat and bony condition. The mare looked no worse than most of the horses Jessie rescued from feedlots and abusive homes, so he wondered why his sister had called him. “Bailey talks too much. We need to keep it quiet that she’s there for now. But yes, I’ll let you know before I bring her over here, if you promise to keep it a secret.”
She quizzically cocked her head to one side. “Who would I even tell? Mom?”
Aleta’s foster mother was a close friend of the family, his mother’s best friend before she died. As much as he adored June, Justin knew Aleta’s foster mother participated actively in the small-town-gossip grapevine. Right now, that was the last place he wanted Lyssa’s name mentioned. They’d had enough trouble with the media after Evan had put Julia in the hospital. He wasn’t ready to deal with that circus again.
“I’ll tell you what, you keep quiet about all of it and I’ll let you have Grady. Not just to use but to keep.” He knew how much Aleta adored his old gelding, and since Grady was his former rope horse, he was just sitting in the pasture when Aleta wasn’t riding him. It would remedy two situations: keeping Grady in shape and keeping Lyssa’s whereabouts a secret.
“Deal!” Aleta obviously knew an offer too good to pass up when she heard it.
“Are you giving away my horses again?” Jessie teased Justin as she walked in. “Aleta, June said she’d be here in about an hour, so if you want to take Grady out, you’d better do it now.”
With a little squeal of delight, the teen rushed off to get the gelding saddled, and Justin shook his head. “Remember being like that? Everything was an adventure?”
“Yeah. That was nice of you to give her Grady.” Jessie’s eyes were tender as they followed the girl.
“She adores him and I don’t like seeing him sitting in the pasture so much. It’s not good for his legs. His arthritis kicks in and . . . ” He let his words trail off as he shrugged nonchalantly.
“Don’t act like you didn’t just give that kid her dream.” Jessie shook her head and wrapped an arm around her brother’s waist. “You’re not nearly as tough as you want everyone to think you are.” She moved to the feed room and came back with a bucket of grain. “I hear the past few days have been exciting for you, too.”
“Bailey?” Justin clenched his jaw, wishing his cousin had kept the information to herself.
“Julia. Last I heard, you told me Alyssa was going to have her dad pick her up.” Jessie eyed him skeptically. “Are you sure you really want to get involved? I mean, after dealing with all the reporters during Evan’s trial, do you really want the media attention a celebrity might bring? You’re not exactly patient or laid-back.”
Justin glared at his sister. “I’m patient,” he argued.
“Yeah, sure you are. So, how was Mr. Gill’s pig?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Someone needs to turn that potbelly into bacon. He bit my leg again.” Justin shook his head, grateful for the protection offered by his heavy denim jeans. “What’s up with this one?” He jerked his chin at the mare in cross-ties and ran a hand over her back. “She obviously needs some groceries, but she looks okay otherwise.”
“I can’t get her to perk up. I’ve had her here about a week now and nothing has helped.” She wiggled the grain bucket, but the mare’s ears barely twitched in her direction. Instead, she hung her head, practically ignoring their presence. “She got picked on with the other mares so I moved her into a stall, but that’s not helping much either. She won’t eat.”
Justin ran his fingers into her mouth to check her teeth. Finding nothing amiss, he pulled out his stethoscope and listened to her stomach, glancing at his sister. “No signs of colic?” She shook her head. “What about how she acts with the kids?”
“She loves the attention and will eat with them here, but goes right back to acting this way when she’s not being messed with.”
Justin tested her feet, c
hecking for lameness, but couldn’t find anything physically wrong with the animal. He pushed his hat back on his head. “I don’t think it’s a medical issue, Jess. She’s drinking fine?”
Jessie nodded as he mentally ticked through the short list of illnesses that might be afflicting the mare. “So, when are you going to bring her by for me to meet?”
Justin didn’t have to ask whom his sister meant. She was like a dog with a bone. “You said you were busy with a camp this weekend, remember? That was why she couldn’t stay here.”
“Well, you were also supposed to come for dinner last night, before they got here today.”
“I know, but that puppy took a turn for the worse and we were up with him most of the night.”
“We?” Jessie’s eyes sparkled with insinuation.
“Yes, the same way Nathan helps you when you don’t have enough hands.” He looked toward the corral where Jet jogged around playfully. “Speaking of which . . . ”
“Nathan, Clint, and Mitch took the kids up to the Ridge for a team-building exercise. It’s a boys’ group home so they spend a lot of time with the guys.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “But I’d rather talk about movie stars, especially one who makes my brother ‘look like a teenager in love.’ ”
Justin scowled at her.
“Julia’s description, not mine,” she assured him, holding her hands in the air. “Although, Bailey informed me you haven’t been able to manage to keep your lips to yourself.”
Justin didn’t want to talk about his relationship with Lyssa. More precisely, his lack of a relationship. The woman was coming out of a bad marriage to an emotionally abusive husband. Lyssa needed someone to be her friend, offer her a supportive shoulder. She didn’t need a rebound fling. If he were honest with himself, he didn’t want to be just a fling either.
“I suggest you find this mare a friend,” he said, laying his hand on the horse’s shoulder and avoiding Jessie’s prying comments. “Maybe a pygmy goat to see if it’s just that she’s lonely. Put them into the foaling stall together and see how it goes.”
“Isn’t she pregnant?” his sister asked, ignoring his attempts to change the subject. “And married?”
“It’s complicated.” It wasn’t his place to tell Lyssa’s story. He headed back toward the truck, Jessie following beside him. “Anything else? Is Jet letting the farrier work with him better?”
“Avoiding the subject. A sure sign my big brother has it pretty bad.”
“Look, she’s only staying at the house until her lawyer says it’s safe for her to leave.” Jessie’s brows rose in surprise and he cursed himself for revealing too much in his attempt to discourage her.
“I may not watch much television, but I’ve seen the press conferences he’s done claiming she’s missing. I also know you, which tells me there is a lot more you’re not saying. You have that murderous look in your eyes you had when Evan went after Julia.”
“By the end of the week, she’ll be on her way again and this will just be a hole-in-the-wall she stopped at.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Justin. A week can be a long time. I should know. Nathan only came out to stay for a week to help me get the ranch back on track. Look at us now.”
“Yeah, well, you and Nathan had history together. I just happen to be the stranger who showed up when she wrecked her car.” He should probably be grateful Jessie had stopped asking questions he couldn’t give her answers to. Justin climbed into his truck and started the engine.
“Please.” She laughed at him. “This is the role you love to play. You always try to be Mr. Protector for Julia, Bailey, and me, and now, when you finally have someone who’ll let you do it, you’re going to blow it off? You have a beautiful damsel in distress literally on your doorstep, big brother. There’s no way you’ll be able to pass up the chance to be someone’s white knight. It’s just too deeply engrained in you.”
“Yeah?” he muttered as he climbed into his truck and started it up. “Well, this knight just gave away his horse.” He backed the truck and headed down the driveway.
ALYSSA PULLED THE pan of brownies from the oven, one hand over her stomach as if keeping it safe from the heat, and put them on the stove to cool. Justin had already called to tell her to lock up the clinic and that he would move Lucky when he arrived. It was an oddly welcome feeling, being domestic.
With Elijah, the maids did all of the housework and the kitchen staff prepared their meals. She couldn’t eat anything he hadn’t preapproved with her dietitian. Her every waking moment had been choreographed with gym visits, spa treatments, shopping trips, and various projects and groups he’d insisted she be a part of to help elevate his reputation among his peers. The past few days, Justin reminded her what it was like to have a purpose other than being an accessory. She’d enjoyed the responsibility of the puppies, even though it had meant a few sleepless nights. The hours in between were filled with a few calls to the vet clinic and time to read, something she hadn’t been able to do since she’d stopped accepting scripts. As the smell of the brownies filled the kitchen, she couldn’t wait to eat something that had been off-limits for far too long.
She’d wanted to make a special meal for Justin, something that would let him know how much she appreciated what he’d done, not only opening his home to her but being an integral part of finding her inner strength and confidence again, even inadvertently. She knew a meal could never express the value of what he’d given back to her, but it was all she could really offer him right now. And, with his limited staples in the pantry, even a meal was going to be difficult to manage.
“Hello?” Julia’s voice carried into the kitchen. “Alyssa?”
“I’m in the pantry,” she called back, hearing Julia’s footsteps. She poked her head out. “Doesn’t your brother ever go grocery shopping?”
Julia laughed. “Not for real food. When he wants that, he comes to eat at my house or Jessie’s. We usually end up feeding him and Bailey at least a few times each week.”
Alyssa twisted her lips to one side, trying to figure out what she might be able to piece together from the random ingredients he had. She reached for egg noodles and pasta sauce. She would have to put something together with these.
“You don’t sound like you mind,” she pointed out, setting the pasta on the counter.
“Not really,” Julia agreed. “We’re all pretty close. I came by to see if you needed any help with the puppies. My client is down for a nap and his mother is at the house, so I had a few minutes to escape and unwind.”
Alyssa glanced at the clock on the stove. “It’s time for me to feed Rocky anyway. Justin should be home in about an hour, too.”
“I’ll be long gone before then, but you can tell him I stopped by.” Julia smiled knowingly. Alyssa wondered what it was supposed to mean.
“You sure you can’t stay? I know he’d want to see you.” She held the door open for Julia before walking with her to the clinic and leading her to the puppies. “We’re moving them into the house later. Justin said something about a box in the mudroom.”
“He must mean a whelping box. Basically enough room for the mom to move around but still keep the puppies contained and safe,” she explained. “So, have you found out anything about when your car will be fixed?”
Alyssa paused midstep, realizing how much had actually transpired over only a few days. The last time she’d talked with Julia had been two days ago, after the accident and delivering puppies. She’d been planning on calling her father to come get her. Her life was still in complete turmoil and chaos, but at least now she’d started to make some decisions about her future. It was controlled chaos.
“I’m actually selling it,” she confessed, not meeting Julia’s gaze.
“Alyssa, you don’t owe me an explanation, but I’m happy to listen if you want to talk,” she offered.
“You sound like your brother.”
“Yeah,” she agreed with a laugh. “We Harts tend to be more alike than we care t
o admit. And I really don’t mean to pry. You just have a look in your eyes, like someone on the run.”
“I . . . ” Alyssa avoided the other woman’s perceptive gaze.
Julia held up a hand. “Like I said, you don’t have to talk until you’re ready, but if it helps I recognize that fear, and Justin was there with me, every step of the way.” She turned toward the puppies. Julia squealed with delight as Lucky looked up at her with her tongue hanging out happily. “They are so sweet!”
Alyssa found herself wanting to tell Julia the entire story, wanting to find out how she seemed to know exactly what she was going through, but apprehension kept her lips sealed. Franklin had promised to file the papers right away, but she wasn’t sure it was done. Until she knew she’d taken that first step, it was better to keep quiet. There was sure to be a fallout when Elijah and the media got wind that she’d filed for divorce. She had to make sure she and Franklin were one step ahead of Elijah with every move. She couldn’t risk anything getting back to him until then.
Chapter Eleven
THE SCREEN ON the front door slammed as Alyssa pulled the pasta from the oven. She blew her bangs back from her eyes just as Justin came through the kitchen doorway.
His eyes were playful and he smiled, that dimple creasing his cheek, as he moved to grab a pot holder and take the casserole from her hands, setting it on the stove top. “Well, this wasn’t what I expected.”
“Why? Because you have absolutely nothing to make up a decent meal in this house? How do you even look like that when you only had potatoes in the pantry? Haven’t you ever heard of vegetables?” she teased.
“Why, Ms. Cole, have you been checking me out?” She blushed furiously and he laughed before lowering his voice. “Don’t worry, I’ve been checking you out, too.”
Justin leaned over the casserole and inhaled. “That smells delicious.” He glanced back at her, his eyes still gleaming impishly.
She wanted to resist the pull of him, to keep some emotional distance between them, but Justin had a way of breaking down any resolve she convinced herself she had. With Julia, she’d been able to pretend they were nothing more than friends, that the mere thought of him didn’t send heat sizzling through her veins, but in the flesh, the man caused too much chaos in her body for her to ignore. Alyssa tried to catch her breath and regain her composure. This man could send her senses reeling so that she didn’t know which direction was up any longer.
