by Calista Fox
“Ha! Remember when we’d ditch school so we could see one of her many weddings on All My Children?”
“Who would have guessed my romantic life would end up paralleling hers? Wrong man after wrong man after disastrously wrong man.” Yes, the asshole had damn near wrecked her. In more ways than one, but that wasn’t something she was inclined to share. Not even with Reese.
“Major difference, my friend,” Reese pointed out. “Erica was a serial cheater. You’re more loyal than a Labrador.”
“To my own detriment. That’s how I ended up in Nashville with the sidewinder, if you’ll recall. Boyfriend number, what? Two hundred and seven?”
Reese snorted. “Think you capped out at a whoppin’ three since high school, my little drama queen.”
“Sure feels like two hundred and seven.”
“Well, I’m telling you, once you see the setup here, you’re gonna make up your mind in a heartbeat about staying. And as for Sam Bennett…” She jerked her chin toward the western edge of the semicircle drive. “Here he comes now.”
Sky rolled her eyes. “Honey, I have seen a cowboy on a horse before. Does nothing for—” A soft gasp escaped her parted lips as Sam and his bay stallion trotted toward them, then slowed to a leisurely gait.
The former Marine was strapping—a powerhouse of a man, sitting tall in the saddle, a black Stetson pulled low, shrouding his eyes. Regardless of the hat, Sky got a fine view of his chiseled cheekbones and strong jaw line. His thick, lightly corded neck gave way to broad shoulders, bulging biceps and ridged abs, all of which his tight black T-shirt showed off in the most enticing way.
Given the long, muscular legs encased in jeans, she suspected he was a good six-foot-two or three inches of rugged masculinity. A mountain of a man, really, if ever she’d seen one.
He casually tipped his hat as he and his horse eased by. “Afternoon, ladies.” His slow, sensual drawl oozed through Sky’s veins like warm molasses.
And caused an unexpected, yet delicious tickle along her clit. Catching her by surprise.
Holy Moses, it’d been a long, long time since she’d felt even the tiniest hint of desire and here it was, coming back to her on a rush of heat and body-tingling lust. Slamming into her, really. She had to force herself not to take a step back, as though the shock of an instantaneous attraction were a living, breathing, physical entity pressing in on her.
Fighting the slack jaw she felt coming on—and maybe a bit of drool at the corners of her mouth—she watched Sam head toward the large stable to the east, admiring his expansive back, tapered waist and what promised to be a very fine ass when the man stood.
Her gaze drifted back up. Those shoulders… Impossibly broad and so well defined even his shirt couldn’t conceal the sinew that bunched and released as he picked up the pace again with his horse, whose tail flipped arrogantly as they trotted away.
Even the damn horse knew the two of them were a sight to behold.
Sky watched them head toward the stable, her brain stalling out while a thrumming sensation built deep in her core, seizing her insides, making her immediately hot and bothered. So much so, her fists actually balled at her sides and her inner muscles squeezed tight as a dull throbbing radiated in her pussy.
So not the reaction she’d anticipated having to Reese’s fiancé’s brother.
Not until the two stallions had disappeared into the enormous building did she turn to Reese and demand, “Good Lord, why didn’t you warn me?”
“I thought I did.”
“No, you did not. ‘Sexiest damn thing’ means nothing to me unless you put some context around it. Like tall, dark and hunky as hell. All that bronze skin and muscle. And the boots and hat…” She sucked in a breath, an inescapable sense of awareness jolting her. “Well, that’s just icing on the cowboy cake.”
Reese grinned. “They’re green.”
“What are green?”
“Sam’s eyes. As beautiful and sparkly as cut emeralds. Set against that tan of his, they’re absolutely brilliant. And his hair is as dark as midnight.”
“You’re killin’ me, Reese. Seriously. What sort of friend are you, anyway?”
Reese flashed a Cheshire Cat grin. “Do I even have to show you the inn? ’Cause jackpot signs have replaced your pupils, sugar.”
Sky scoffed, though there wasn’t much punch behind it as her body still felt the zings like nothing she’d ever known before. “Do not make any assumptions. It is perfectly natural for a woman’s tongue to drag on the ground when she spies a man built like that. But again… Not. Interested.”
Though her hormones vehemently protested that statement.
“Sure, sure.” Reese wasn’t buying it, either. She linked their arms together and led the way up the wide steps to the pristine porch that ran the length of the inn.
Sky couldn’t help but spare a glance over her shoulder toward the stable. Despite what she’d said to Reese, the stud in the Stetson got her juices flowing. Quite the surprise, considering she’d sworn off men some time ago.
Yet there’d been an intriguing air about the cowboy that she’d seemed to breathe in when he’d moseyed on by. He’d been all cool and casual like. But had conversely incited hot flashes inside her.
She tried to shake the sensation, though her thoughts lingered on the sexy cowboy as though he were a magnetic force she couldn’t defy.
“Just so you know,” Reese told her, finally bringing Sky’s attention back to their conversation. “I was equally resistant when Caleb came to town. Said the same thing you did. Not interested.” She laughed softly and shot a coy look Sky’s way. “Must I reference the skating rink again?”
Sky groaned. “No need to rub it in. I’m sufficiently jealous.”
“Well, it took some doing to get us together. He’s five years younger than me, don’t you know? Liza says that makes me a cougar.”
“She sounds like fun,” Sky said, trying to get her breath back.
“Oh she’s a hoot. I heard the reverend’s wife once called her a disco ball at a wake. At the time, it was meant as a put down. You know how snarky Lydia can be when someone goes against the grain. But it’s actually sort of the truth. Liza’s pretty flashy—in a good way. She’s sure perked up this town since you’ve been gone. We’ll have to get together for dinner one night at Pietro’s.”
Sky’s stomach rumbled at the mere mention of Wilder’s most popular restaurant—her reaction to thoughts of mouthwatering food a welcomed distraction from the tingles that had resulted from the mouthwatering cowboy.
“What I wouldn’t give for a huge bowl of pasta bolognese, Mike Jones style.” Because there was no actual “Pietro” in the small town of Wilder, Texas. Hell, her uncle Mike wasn’t even Italian, but his food kicked ass. Sky craved it from time to time and found even the restaurants in New York couldn’t compare.
“We don’t have any overnight bookings on Wednesday, and my assistant manager will be in to run the dining room. We can take the night off and meet everyone for dinner. We’ll bring Sam.”
And welcome back, tingles.
“Did I mention he’s our age?” Reese chatted on. “From some high-society family in Dallas—daddy owns an oil company, but don’t worry about that. I’ve learned firsthand that you just have to keep your chin up and your wits about you around senior Bennett Senior’s crowd. And, in particular, Caleb’s snooty mother—Sam’s stepmother—Judith.”
“Reese, honey, you make my head spin.”
And just hearing Sam’s name sparked that wicked awareness again. How surreal. A tiny bit encouraging, though. She was actually relieved to feel a physical reaction to a man, after being completely ambivalent for so long. Well, it’d been more than ambivalence she’d experienced, but she didn’t want to think about what had driven her to hide out in Luckenbach and made her so physically unresponsive, she’d lost all touch with her own sexuality.
She’d been tangled in a very dark and scary part of herself for much too long. But today, a
ray of light had penetrated. The thought brought a smile to her face.
Reese roped her attention once again. “I’m just getting started, sugar.”
“’Course you are,” Sky said with a snicker. “But maybe we can get back to the issue at hand—this very lovely structure I’m gazing at.”
The veranda of the Painted Horse Ranch & Inn was dove-gray against the crisp white of the colonial-style building that boasted arched windows with black trim and intricately designed pillars. A stately though inviting establishment.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Reese led her into the spacious lobby of the inn, covered with a polished hardwood floor and sophisticated furnishings.
A grand staircase served as a focal point, along with a beautifully designed reception desk. A library that doubled as a lounge and board-game room sat off to the right. Reese guided them to the left, into the open and elegant dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the manicured grounds.
Due north, Wilder Lake sprawled as far as the eye could see. A redwood deck with tables, chairs and umbrellas—as well as an enormous stainless-steel grill with multiple side burners—overlooked the lush event lawn. A carpet of vibrant green ran down to the water, the grass edged by full, colorful trees.
“That is one hell of a view,” Sky said.
“Isn’t it gorgeous? I fell instantly in love with the whole property. This building was supposed to be a house for a large family that never moved in. Caleb didn’t need all this space for just himself, so I came up with the idea of turning it into an inn.”
“Brilliant. It’s classy, but very warm and appealing. You’ve done a great job, Reese.”
“Thank you, thank you. I’m damn pleased myself.”
They entered the industrial kitchen and Sky whistled under her breath. “Some setup you’ve got here.” The chef station gave way to a prep area on one side of the room; a dishwashing station was tucked into the other side. Reese made a grand gesture toward the dessert station, farther back.
“All yours,” she said with a smug look on her face.
Sky eyed the U-shaped workspace, immaculate and tidy, with all manner of equipment and accessories for pastry making.
A hint of anxiety crept in on her. “I’m not so sure this is a good idea.”
“Of course it is.”
“Reese, I really don’t have much experience with desserts.”
“But you have a whole box full of recipes your mama left you. That’s why you started baking in the first place.”
“Yes, but again… My specialty is cakes.”
She shrugged. “So dazzle everyone with cakes to start, and then venture into other types of desserts. Really, Sky, this isn’t the Plaza Hotel. And besides, we just opened. We’re not all that busy right now. I mean, we’ve got private events scheduled—and Liza is our party planner. Plus, Caleb has his hands full with the medical facility for the horses on the west side of the property, and Sam manages the stable and corrals on the east side. But until we have a larger marketing outreach and word-of-mouth referrals, the inn is a work in progress.”
“Hmm. That doesn’t sound too bad. As a dessert chef, I’m a work in progress.”
“So you see? This is the perfect arrangement.” Reese smiled brightly. As in case closed brightly. Clearly, there was no discouraging her.
She introduced Sky to Kathy the sous chef, Marc the prep cook and David the dishwasher—along with the two servers on duty that afternoon.
“Oh my God!” The petite blonde server, Abby, gasped. “You’re the Sky Travis. I’ve seen your movie and I have your CD. You are so great!”
Heat tinged her cheeks. She didn’t like people making a fuss over her, but graciously said, “Thank you.”
“Why didn’t you make another film?”
Sky winced. Patrick Swayze had passed before they’d even taped a single scene on what would have been Sky’s second movie. She’d been devastated, given that Patrick had been iconic to her. She’d known he had cancer, of course. But he’d been valiantly fighting it when he’d agreed to the project. In fact, he’d looked good when she’d met with him the first time. She’d really believed that if anyone could kick the illness into remission, it’d be him.
Sky’s heart had broken when she’d heard the news of his death, because she was such a huge fan. The studio had immediately started searching for a replacement, but Sky couldn’t bring herself to make the movie with another leading man when she’d been so over-the-moon excited to film with her hero. She’d been only days away from signing the contract when he died, and she’d decided to walk away from the deal and leave Hollywood with just one movie under her belt—the one she’d starred in with Silver Monroe.
Shaking her head, she told Abby, “Just didn’t feel right. Acting’s not my true calling.”
“But you won a Golden Globe for best supporting actress.” Abby pulled a small piece of paper from her server’s book and thrust it and a pen at Sky. “Can I have your autograph? My friends back in Tulsa will never believe I met you.” To Reese, she added, “Wait ’til people hear Sky Travis is whipping up decadent desserts at the inn—we’ll be packed!”
Decadent desserts? Oh holy hell.
Sky swallowed down a lump of apprehension and signed the paper. Then she said, “Nothing to get excited over. It was just one movie. One CD.”
“And you know Casey James,” the blonde said on a dreamy sigh. “It was all over the internet and in the grocery store rags when you became one of his backup singers. Everyone’s been speculating that you’re priming yourself for a new solo CD and tour. Is it true?” She stared up at Sky with hopeful brown eyes.
Sky’s stomach twisted. “Things didn’t quite work out the way I’d anticipated. So… I’m taking a break from all things entertainment-related.”
Abby’s face fell. “Too bad. I was so excited that it might happen. I listen to your CD all the time.” She perked up again. “About Casey James. Tell me he’s as nice in person as he seemed on American Idol.”
“Nicer.”
“Of course he is,” she gushed with suddenly starry eyes.
Reese stepped in to rescue Sky. “Come on. I’ll take you over to the med center and then the stable so you can see the ranch side of the Painted Horse.”
They walked the immense grounds to a newly constructed building nestled in a long stretch of trees. Inside, a buzz of activity caught Sky by surprise.
Techs in dark-blue scrubs rushed about, tending to two injured horses—several of them pausing briefly to gape at Sky as they instantly recognized her.
“See, I told you,” Reese whispered as she noticed the attention Sky garnered.
As the activity resumed, yet another hunky man—this one in a lab coat—calmly and softly issued orders while he examined a white Arabian.
“Caleb?” she quietly asked of the vet.
“Yes.” Reese sighed happily. “My intended. Can you believe he’s a large-animal veterinarian at twenty-six, and saves abandoned and mistreated horses?” She practically swooned. “I get the goose bumps every time I think of how valiant that is.”
“No shit,” Sky said. “Some superhero you’ve found, my friend.”
“Sam’s in on the mission too. He’s the one who locates the horses in need. He and his staff load them up in the trailer and bring them here for Caleb and his team to take care of. Sam tends to the horses in the stable during their recovery and then moves them to the outdoor pens for additional rehab before adopting them out. And let me tell you, they have a screening process that’s probably more stringent than adoption agencies have for humans.”
“They should. You can’t turn a once-abused horse over to just anybody.” Her heart constricted over the misfortune of the poor animals. And because she understood their distress. “They’ll need lots of TLC going forward.”
“I forgot how much you love horses.”
She nodded. “I miss mine, but at least Daddy started warning me a couple years in advance that Miss
Daisy was getting on in age and wouldn’t be with us more than another winter or two.” The appaloosa had been in the family all of Sky’s childhood, but had died peacefully overnight the year Sky graduated high school. Natural cause—a simple, expected case of old age.
Neglected horses were not something Sky had ever been subjected to and she found the scene in the clinic heart-wrenching, but also encouraging, because of Caleb’s efforts.
“You landed yourself a keeper,” she said to her friend.
“Did I ever.”
“And handsome, to boot.”
“Ain’t he though?”
Caleb finally glanced up from inspecting the Arabian’s hoof and grinned. “Ya’ll can stop talking about me as if I were some prized steer at a 4-H competition.”
Reese laughed softly. “We’re just popping in on a tour. This is Sky. Sky, this is Caleb. You can get to know each other later. We don’t want to keep you from your work.” She turned to go.
Sky couldn’t quite tear her gaze from the sullen-looking horse. His ribs were so prominent, they nearly poked through his flesh. And there were cuts along his front legs.
Caleb’s gaze followed hers and he said, “Got tangled in some barbed wire, trying to escape the property he’d been left on, after being starved and abandoned by his owners.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
“I know. It’s horrific. The owners lost their home to foreclosure and couldn’t afford to keep up with the horse, so they simply left him behind when they moved out. But he’ll be fine now that he’s here.” He paused, then asked Sky, “You okay?”
“Sure.” Though tears stung her eyes. “Nice to meet you, Caleb.” She turned and followed Reese out. Her chest pulled tight and her insides knotted again. Abuse of any form was wrong on so many levels.
“I should have warned you,” Reese said.
“No, it’s all right. I just don’t like to see hurt animals. Especially when they’ve been mistreated by someone who’s supposed to care for them.”
“I know. I had a really hard time with this at first. I wanted to help Caleb and Sam, but I couldn’t stomach the sight of the horses. Took a while for me to be able to pitch in when it comes to this part of the ranch. Once I saw the good they were doing, and we had some successful recoveries underway, I realized how important this sort of work is and now I can’t stop myself from lending a hand wherever it’s needed.”
