Home on the Ranch: Texas Cowboy, Be Mine

by Trish Milburn

  “Nonsense,” his mom replied. “I had a mind to make some cookies today, so now I have even more of a reason.”

  “Cookies!” Julia clapped in excitement.

  Angel rested her hand atop her daughter’s head in obvious affection. “I think you have a fan.”

  His mom held out her hand for Julia to take. “Let’s get out of this dismal weather, then.”

  In the next moment, the two strode off toward the house as if they’d known each other forever. A wave of affection for Julia filled his heart.

  “You have a great kid there,” he said to Angel once the others were out of earshot.

  “Yeah, I got really lucky in that department.”

  He looked over at Angel, and it hit him anew how beautiful she was. “It’s more than luck. You’re a good role model.”

  She shifted her gaze to his. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  “So, how does this work?”

  “Huh?”

  The way she was looking up at him made him want to pull her close and kiss her like she’d never been kissed, so that it would make her forget all about Chris or any other man. But after seeing her with Chris, he had no idea where he stood. Maybe he was making something big out of nothing.

  When he realized he hadn’t answered her, he broke eye contact and nodded in the general direction of the barn. “I have to go feed the horses, but I doubt that’s photo-worthy.”

  “Depends. Some people are photogenic no matter what they’re doing.”

  Okay, was he that terrible at reading women, or was she flirting with him?

  “If you can make feeding and mucking stalls look like art, then you’re even more talented than I thought.” Before he could act on his desire to pull her close, he turned and headed toward the barn.

  * * *

  Angel didn’t immediately follow Hunter. Something was off with him. Was he annoyed that she’d shown up unannounced? Or was it something about his mom, though she’d seemed perfectly fine when she’d come outside to greet her and Julia? Maybe despite his invitation, he hadn’t thought she’d take him up on it. Could she have read him wrong the night of their date? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d thought a man felt affection for her only to discover she’d overestimated how much.

  Well, she couldn’t very well turn around and leave when they’d just arrived and Julia was in full-on I’m-going-to-have-cookies mode. So she grabbed her camera bag from the front seat of the truck and hurried to catch up to the man she’d been fantasizing about almost nonstop since their date.

  “Did you hear about the flooding out at the Granger place?” she asked as she entered the barn and found she didn’t know what else to say to Hunter.

  Over the next several minutes, she brought up a wide range of topics to which Hunter responded with minimal replies. His mind seemed to be on the other side of the world, quite possibly on a different planet. He was like a different person from who he’d been the last time she’d seen him. All the fantasies of her arriving here today and having Hunter kiss her until her knees buckled evaporated, leaving a hollow place in her chest that she’d thought she might finally be able to fill.

  A tinge of anger caused her to clench her jaw as she adjusted the settings on the camera. Before their date, she hadn’t fully realized that empty space had been there in the first place. But now that she was aware of it, it demanded to be filled. Damn Hunter for shining a big, bright spotlight on something that had been just fine hiding away in a dark corner.

  Though part of her wanted to lash out at him, she reined in her impulse and took a step down a less confrontational path.

  “Is everything okay with your mom?”

  He looked up from where he was filling a stall with fresh straw. “As much as it can be. Why? Are you afraid for Julia to be alone with her?”

  She actually hadn’t thought about that. Should she have? “No, but you seem to be preoccupied. If this isn’t a good idea, let me know and I’ll go to the house and get Julia. I don’t want us being here to be an imposition.”

  “I told you it was fine.”

  “And yet you’re acting as if you’d rather be on the face of the moon.” She couldn’t quite contain her irritation, despite her best efforts. “I thought we had a good time the other night, but if I was wrong, just tell me.”

  He turned to face her fully, his hand wrapped around the handle of the upright pitchfork and a look of confusion on his face. “So you’d still like to go out with me again?”

  Now she was the one confused. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I thought maybe it was a onetime thing, that you might be going out with someone else, too.”

  “Seriously? You’re the first person I’ve gone out with in ages. I—” She stopped when the fact that she lived in a small town where the grapevine was extensive and well used hit her. “Someone told you about me having coffee with Chris, didn’t they?”

  Hunter stepped out of the stall and crossed the center aisle to hang the pitchfork on the opposite wall. “Actually, I saw you.”

  “Oh.”

  “Listen, it’s no big deal. It’s not like we’re a couple. You can date whoever you want.”

  Was he actually jealous? She knew she should be irritated that he might feel possessive after only a single date, but her instincts told her he wasn’t—at least not in the scary way. But if he liked her enough to be jealous of another man... She didn’t know if it made her weak or pitiful, but she liked the feeling. It’d been so long since someone had liked her enough to be jealous. Actually, she wasn’t sure anyone ever had been.

  “You know, you’re right. I can go out with whomever I like.” The flicker of a defeated look that passed over Hunter’s face before he hid it and moved to close the stall door showed her he was indeed jealous. “That’s why I chose to go out with you and would like to again—unless, of course, you’ve got someone else you’d rather be with.” She couldn’t resist teasing him a little.

  “No,” Hunter said quickly as he turned back toward her just as she closed the distance between them.

  Hunter’s breath seemed to catch, and she had to admit hers did, as well. In the next moment, Hunter’s hands gripped her shoulders. She saw the question in his eyes, and he must have seen the answer in hers because he lowered his lips to hers and gave her the sweetest kiss of her life. But that sweetness was deceptive because it lit a fuse and she inhaled sharply as the kiss deepened into a twin of the one they’d shared beside Main Street as the heavens had opened up. A surge of desire flooded her and she opened more widely to him.

  Hunter moaned in response, causing her to press closer against him. He stumbled, his back hitting the stall and causing the horse to snort and shy away in response.

  Hunter laughed against her needy mouth. “I thought it was the guy who was supposed to sweep the girl off her feet.”

  “It’s the twenty-first century. Times change.” After all, she’d been the one to ask him out first. And at the moment, she was very glad she had.

  Even though she knew there was the possibility that Hunter’s mom or Julia could walk into the barn at any moment, she couldn’t tear herself away from him. And he seemed equally unwilling to stop, much to her body’s delight. Heaven help her, if they were alone on this ranch she might be tempted to find out if the barn had an empty stall and a fresh pile of hay. Sure, hay was itchy, but she suspected being with Hunter would be worth some poking and itching.

  As it was, she was afraid she might burst into flames and burn the barn down. That sure wasn’t a great way to take a relationship to the next level.

  The thought of a relationship jolted her so much that she broke the kiss and took a step back without thinking.

  “You okay?” The concern in Hunter’s voice and visible in his expression nearly made her walk right back into his arms, but she managed to refrain.<
br />
  They’d been out only once, and already she was thinking about a relationship? But was that bad? She really felt that he was a great guy, the kind you dreamed about but couldn’t quite believe existed. She’d had relationships before, but they’d never ended well. She’d dreamed of happily-ever-after, but Dave had shot a giant, gaping hole in her belief in that. At least for her.

  But maybe her view on that was changing. Not only did she have her parents as a prime example of lifelong love, but all four of her siblings were now happily married. And damn if she didn’t want that for herself. She just had to be sure this time. One hundred percent certain. Julia deserved that. Angel deserved that.

  “I’m fine,” she finally said. “Just got a bit carried away.”

  Hunter’s concern slowly faded into a smile. “That makes two of us.”

  “We keep doing that and we’re going to get caught.”

  He took a step toward her and caressed her cheek. “I wouldn’t mind as long as that meant I got to keep kissing you.”

  “You do know the right things to say to a girl.”

  “Really? Good to know since I haven’t had a lot of practice.”

  She shook her head. “How is that possible? You’re quite the catch.”

  His eyes widened, as if she’d truly shocked him.

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “I do.” She lifted onto her toes and placed a gentle kiss on his still-wet lips. Man, she liked those lips. She suspected it might be a bit too easy to love them.

  “Maybe catch and release,” he said with a self-deprecating grin.

  Angel barely kept herself from saying that she never wanted to release him. She wasn’t ready to tell him anything that serious. She wasn’t even ready to fully admit it to herself.

  Instead, she smiled and playfully swatted him on the arm. “Now you’re just being silly.”

  Worried the conversation might turn serious, she eased away from him and retrieved her camera from where she’d left it atop a hay bale.

  “I came here to take photos.” She motioned around the interior of the barn. “Do cowboy things, cowboy.”

  He chuckled and gave her a look that made her body heat. “Seems photos aren’t the only thing you came here for.”

  Her mouth fell open like some exaggerated cartoon character. Despite his most excellent kissing skills, the teasing seemed out of character. But she couldn’t deny she liked it. Maybe he was just more comfortable with her now, less guarded. It made her wonder what else he might say or do if they grew even closer.

  * * *

  Angel stared at the photo of Hunter on her computer screen, knowing she’d never offer it for sale. The smile he wore felt too personal, too intimate, even in profile. She’d captured the shot right after Julia had brought Angel and Hunter cookies fresh from Evelyn’s oven, then hurried back to the house.

  These are delicious, she’d said. It’s official. Surrounded by so many great bakers, I’m never going to be able to compete.

  You have other talents.

  On the surface, Hunter could have meant her photography. But that smile had held a bit of naughtiness, and damn if her lady parts hadn’t throbbed in response. Before she’d left to collect Julia and head home, they’d throbbed even more when she’d been the one with her back against the barn wall and Hunter’s mouth threatening to consume her whole.

  “I like Hunter.”

  Angel yelped at the sound of Julia’s voice so close. “Goodness, you scared the daylights out of me.”

  Julia giggled as if that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

  Angel pulled her daughter onto her lap, keenly aware that the amount of time left during which she’d be able to do that without Julia protesting was dwindling.

  “I thought you were reading.”

  “I’m done. I need more books.”

  Julia was quite the fan of the summer reading program at the library. In fact, she was on track to read more than any of the other kids and summer vacation had barely started.

  “Okay, Miss Speedy, we’ll go to the library tomorrow.”

  “Can’t we go today?”

  “No, sweetie. I need to work. I have to pick out some new photos to put in a gallery in Austin.” Another opportunity that had come from her opening at Merline’s gallery. She still hadn’t heard back from her submission to West, but she was trying not to fret about it. No news was good news, right?

  “Can I help?”

  “Sure. I’ll go through the photos and you tell me which ones you like.”

  Julia pointed toward the screen. “I like that one.”

  Angel did, too. A lot. But she said, “It doesn’t quite work. The lighting isn’t right.”

  In fact, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the lighting. It was a great photo, but it was hers. She didn’t want to share it, irrationally afraid that doing so would cause her to lose him and whatever it was that was growing between them. She imagined women seeing that photo and falling instantly in love. Scary as it was, she thought she was likely headed that direction herself.

  “He’s handsome.”

  Angel was shocked to hear that phrase come out of her young daughter’s mouth, but Julia wasn’t wrong. “Yes, he is.”

  “Do you like him?”

  “Yes, he’s very nice.”

  “Is he your boyfriend now?”

  Okay, this kid was full of surprises today. “No. Well, not really. We went out on a date, and we had fun. Would it bother you if he was my boyfriend?”

  “Nope. You smile a lot when you’re with him.”

  Angel’s heart squeezed. “Do I not smile enough when I’m not around Hunter?”

  Julia shrugged. “You smile and laugh, but you do it more with him.” She grinned. “I think you like him.”

  Angel didn’t know how to respond, didn’t want to commit too much when it was still so early in her relationship with Hunter. But she also didn’t want to lie to Julia.

  “I do like him.”

  Julia giggled again and kissed Angel on the cheek before hopping off her lap and hurrying for the door. Kids’ interest in conversations shifted so quickly. As she watched Julia head off to whatever had drawn her away, Angel spotted Sloane leaning against the edge of the doorway with an I-knew-it grin on her face.

  No sense navigating off the picture on her computer or even closing it now because her sister had no doubt seen it and heard a significant part of her conversation with Julia.

  “Hey, Aunt Sloane,” Julia said as she hurried out the door.

  Sloane ruffled Julia’s straight, dark hair. “Hey, kiddo.”

  After Julia disappeared down the hall, Sloane ambled into the room and flopped down on Angel’s bed, making herself right at home even though she didn’t live there anymore.

  Angel made a let’s-have-it motion with her hand. “Go ahead.”

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sloane said with a smile so full of mischief it was almost its own sentient being.

  “You are so full of it.”

  “But you love me.”

  “Some days.”

  Sloane rolled onto her side and propped her head against her upturned head. “You’re falling for the guy, aren’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  Sloane pointed at the photo of Hunter on the computer screen. “That’s not like your other photos. It feels personal.”

  Because it was.

  Angel glanced at the photo. “Maybe. That’s equal parts exciting and scary.”

  “Focus on the exciting and tell the scary to take a jump off the nearest cliff.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  “True, but it’ll be worth it.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I’m incre
dibly smart.”

  Angel rolled her eyes at her sister.

  “Seriously, after all the years since Dave hightailed it, you’ve been a great mom, a great daughter, an okay sister—”

  Angel threw a rainbow-colored Koosh ball at her sister. Sloane laughed as she batted it away, but then her expression grew more serious.

  “It’s time you focus on yourself and what makes you happy. And don’t tell me photography makes you happy. I know that. But it’s not holding you at night.”

  Sloane wasn’t wrong.

  “I wish I could turn off the part of my brain that makes me worry things will go horribly wrong.”

  “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. You just have to dive in and hope for the best. I don’t think Hunter is going anywhere and he seems to like Julia, so he already has more going for him than Dave did.” She ended by calling Dave a rather unflattering name, which made Angel snort out a laugh.

  After Sloane left to do some prep work for her next ranch camp, Angel sat staring at the photo of Hunter. She let her fingertips drift over the image, pausing on his lips. The mere thought of him made her entire body buzz, and not just in a sexual way. It was as if a part of her had been asleep since Dave had left her and was only now awakening again. She didn’t know if Dave had damaged that part of her or if she’d unconsciously turned a switch within herself for the purpose of self-preservation, but she didn’t want any part of herself closed off anymore.

  She liked how she felt when she was with Hunter, even when they were just talking and laughing. And he seemed to feel the same. It wasn’t only the steamy kisses they’d shared, although she didn’t think she’d ever get tired of those. Her heart accelerated as much whenever his hand grazed hers, or if he looked at her in a certain way—as if she was the most beautiful and mesmerizing creature on the planet. She’d never known she could feel that way or that anyone could ever look at her with that kind of expression.

  As she stared at his profile, she saw no deception there. She didn’t believe he was the kind of person to say one thing to her while thinking another. She now suspected Chris had done it out of confusion or self-preservation, but Dave had lied by omission for truly selfish reasons. No matter their reasoning, they’d both abandoned her—the same as her birth mother. Despite their reasons, it still hurt and carved away a part of the person being abandoned.