She managed a shaky smile. She hadn’t expected her courage to be tested so soon. After all it was dark, night drawing in, the horses would be asleep, wouldn’t they? What if they were grumpy if you woke them up? She gave herself a mental slap, trying to dislodge the loopy thoughts. She looked at Ross, drawing strength from his steady regard. “All right.”
His arms tightened in a quick, commending hug, before he released her.
Back in the kitchen, he held her jacket up and helped her slip it on. It was a gesture no man had ever made for her before, both protective and possessive. Cherishing. He helped her zip it up. Unnecessary help normally, but with him smiling at her with his eyes only and standing so close, she was all thumbs.
He shrugged on his own coat and opened the door. “Well, there’s a good omen. It’s stopped snowing.”
She peered out, standing beside him. Lights were on in the yard and barn, reflecting off the snow on the ground. The air was still and clear. After growing up in the city, she appreciated the stark beauty of the silence. Ross undoubtedly took it for granted, as he did his wonderful home.
But even if he took for granted the gifts life had given him, he looked after them. He cared for what was his, and that showed.
He tucked her close against him and they walked across to the barn.
If only they hadn’t been walking towards horses, it would have been romantic. The quiet snow, the warm house they’d return to, the whole winter sweethearts, Valentine’s Day specialness of it.
Lily tugged Ross to a stop.
He looked down at her. “Second thoughts?” He sounded supportive, not disappointed in her.
She shook her head. “No. Bring on the horses. I’m still going to face my fears. But this,” she gestured at the wide open world around them. “It’s so special. I just…”
“Wanted to enjoy the moment.” His voice was low and quiet. He understood.
The evening had a unique magic. Perhaps it was the magic of a first kiss. She smiled. She doubted Ross had ever considered Argyle Ranch a snowy fairyland, but she could almost hear the laughter of angels. Happiness bubbled inside her, despite the approaching equine ordeal. “I’m glad you told Donna you had the flu.”
“So am I,” he said fervently.
They were both laughing as they walked into the barn.
It was warm inside, and smelled of horses and straw. The sound of the horses moving about in their stalls was new to Lily, but somehow homely. After the frozen wonderland outside, inside was welcoming, filled with the quiet energy of everyday life.
A couple of ranch hands leaned against stalls at the far end of the barn, talking. One idly stroked the nose of a horse that rested its head on his shoulder.
Ross was focused on Lily, leading her down past horses munching on hay or putting big heads over their stall doors to watch the humans.
Lily walked close to him, reminding herself that she could trust him. She couldn’t control a horse, but he could. Did. He was a cowboy.
She tried to walk a little taller, to be the woman he thought her to be: brave.
He put an arm around her shoulders. “You’re doing great.”
“The horses are watching us,” she whispered.
“Not all of them. Some are focused on their feed, greedy pigs. But horses are curious. They like to know what’s happening and they can recognize friends.”
She was sure that was meant to be encouraging. Too bad she was tingling with nerves. “I should have brought sugar lumps.”
She felt his silent laughter.
“You’re sweet enough, darling.”
“Ssh. I don’t want them snacking on me.”
He laughed aloud.
The ranch hands called out, “Night, Ross. Night, miss.” They exited through a side door, probably intent on their dinner.
She and Ross were alone with the horses.
They stopped in front of a stall. The horse inside was as big as the monster Ross had been riding earlier, except this horse was a light brown instead of black, and the white whiskers on its muzzle showed its age. Still, its ears were up and alert, and the big head gently nudged Ross who rubbed it between the ears. It blew a slobbery, friendly sigh.
“He’s big,” Lily said.
The horse made her apple tree tormentor, Daffy, seem like a child’s pony.
“He’s a big softie,” Ross said. He studied her. “Do you like dogs?”
“Oh yes.” Real enthusiasm rushed through her. “I’d love to have a dog. I wanted to settle into my job first, see how things worked out, and then, I’m thinking maybe a golden retriever.”
“A big dog,” he said neutrally.
She paused, half-suspecting where he was going with his mention of dogs.
He smiled at her. “You’ve got it, haven’t you? A big dog can be a gentle giant and a small dog can be a nightmare. Think of Daffy as a vicious Chihuahua, hyped up on little-dog attitude, and Charlie as a golden retriever. You could trust Charlie with a small child.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Not unsupervised,” he conceded.
She could make a concession, too. “Charlie doesn’t roll his eyes like Daffy.”
“What else is different?” Ross prompted. “Don’t be scared to approach him. Charlie is an ex-police horse living out his old age here. Nothing spooks him. Stroke him. He loves pats and attention. Make a fuss of him and get familiar with what a horse is.”
With Ross standing beside her, their shoulders touching, she concentrated on her sensory impressions of the horse on the other side of the stall door. She felt Charlie’s warm breath and greatly daring, lifted her hand to touch his nose. She found the top of his nose velvety smooth.
She looked at Ross to share the discovery, and her thoughts derailed.
He was watching her with unmistakable affection.
It emboldened her to pat the side of Charlie’s head. The roughness of his hair there was so different to his lips.
The horse pushed against her hand and she jerked back.
“He wants scratches.” Ross demonstrated and Charlie blew another slobbery sigh.
“Gross.”
“There’s a lot on a ranch that isn’t glamorous.” Ross put a bit of force into the statement. It was a grim, reluctant warning. “There’s smells and sweat and hard work.”
“Same in nursing,” she said, and he flashed his heart-stopping grin. It, and the relief she detected in him at her attitude, dazzled her. Greatly daring, she patted Charlie again. She could do this.
The animal was so big and strong. Unpredictable. That was what scared her so much. The horse was a force she couldn’t control.
But as she continued tentatively stroking the large nose, she realized that unlike the fearsome horse, the man beside her was predictable. He was an honorable man. A woman would always know she could count on him. He would be there, just as he stood shoulder to shoulder with her now.
Although she suspected that when times were tough, rather than stand shoulder to shoulder, he’d have a tendency to try and stand in front of his woman and all those he cared about, taking their hurts as his own and protecting them.
Which made him a real hero.
She patted Charlie with almost genuine enthusiasm.
“Fantastic,” Ross said. “Let’s get Charlie out of his stall.”
Chapter 5
Eep. Lily quietly freaked, wondering how to tell Ross that he’d over-estimated her courage. She watched him reach for a bridle and slip into Charlie’s stall. He was so confident and at ease, so capable, that even as nerves stormed her body, she was distracted into simply admiring him.
That distraction cost her dear.
Ross opened the stall door and led Charlie out. The horse emerged, head up, ears alert, and interested in what had to be an unexpected evening jaunt.
He seemed to double in size without the stall door between him and her. He loomed in the walkway, filling it and crowding her.
Lily scooted back.
Ross stopped and so did Charlie. “Lily?”
“I can’t.” She backed away, edging away from Ross and the horse, and all the other horses that seemed to be watching her from their stalls, judging her.
The barn went surreal. It lengthened and tilted, swirled and stretched, and abruptly closed in on her. Was this a panic attack? The world whirled and her skin was clammy.
“Lily. Darling?” Ross wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her extra tight as her knees gave out. With his free hand, he tilted up her face. “You okay? You with me?”
She breathed deeply. In. Out. His eyes came into focus, then his nose, mouth, all of him.
He looked concerned. Lines bracketed his mouth and worry thinned his lips.
She forced her knees to lock and to take her weight. Keep breathing. In. Out.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Charlie apparently felt concerned, too. He nudged her shoulder.
The only thing that kept her from screaming the barn down was that the nudge happened when she’d breathed out all her air. All that emerged was a strangled gasp.
Ross reacted instantly. He lifted her and spun her around, putting himself between her and the horse. “It’s okay, darling. It’s okay. We’ll go back to the house.”
“No. No, I’m going home. This was a mistake.”
“Lily.”
“No!” Blindly, she wrenched herself out of his arms, spun around and ran—two steps. She ran into Charlie.
The horse didn’t move.
Lily bounced back from him, staggered and would have fallen.
Ross caught her. He held her shoulders. “Give me a minute and I’ll put Charlie in his stall.” He sounded serious and sad.
She shuddered, anguished and ashamed of her panic as, unbelievably, it started to clear. It was like a fog lifting, almost as if bumping into the horse had knocked her out of it. With her back against Ross, she stared straight at Charlie and the horse stared mildly back.
Talk about hypocritical behavior! She meant herself. The horse had behaved with the calm Ross had predicted, while she had unpredictably gone crazy. If anyone here couldn’t be trusted, it was her. “Ross, I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault, honey. It’s me who needs kicking for pushing you. Can you step back a bit and I’ll put Charlie in his stall?”
Eyes on the horse, she shook her head.
“All right.” Ross rubbed her arms. “Slip out the side door behind us, and I’ll be two ticks. But please, go into the house. Don’t drive away.”
“You should be glad to see me gone,” she said, ashamed of her panic. “I don’t belong on a ranch.”
“You do.” He strode around her, so she faced him, but he stood between her and Charlie. “When I look at you, I see a brave, determined woman who’s willing to take risks. That’s exactly the kind of woman a ranch needs. That a man needs.”
She stared at him, bemused to think he could see her boring self that way. “I’m ordinary.”
“Honey, you’re a nurse. That takes hard work to qualify, and compassion and courage to continue. You help people when they’re scared and hurting. And if you want to talk about courage, there’s the way you left the city to live in the real Texas.”
She had to smile at that flash of cowboy arrogance. The “real Texas” indeed!
“Give me a second chance, Lily. I won’t push you this time. You set the pace—and if you want to avoid horses all together, that’s fine. Just don’t avoid me.” His expression was as intense as his words.
Ross felt desperate. He’d blundered, badly; pushed for more than Lily could be expected to give. She simply looked so right in his life that he wanted her sharing all of it, horses included. He had to fight his instincts and back off, give her time, and hope like heck that he hadn’t frightened her away.
Not that he was about to give up!
He searched her face, needing a reason to hope.
At least her color had come back. When he’d lead Charlie out of the stall—fool that he was—Lily had looked on the verge of fainting. Now, she met his gaze steadily and with her right hand, reached out and gripped his coat. He took that hold on him as a good sign.
“Ross.”
His name had never sounded sexier than on her soft sigh. But he was barefoot on a baking summer road, dancing on hot tar: he couldn’t enjoy anything until he knew she’d let him make things up to her.
“I don’t want to avoid you.” She looked at him with sky blue eyes, the distressing glaze of panic gone. She kept on looking at him as she rocked his world. “Will you give me a Valentine’s Day memory to treasure?”
“Anything, darling.” He hugged her to him, gently, carefully, thankfully. He had to clear the huskiness from his voice. “Anything you want.”
“I swear I won’t panic this time. Will you climb onto Charlie and hold me in front of you? I want to ride a horse.”
Stunned, he noted her quiet determination, the proud tilt of her chin and the strained tone of her voice. He respected courage, but he also wanted to wrap her in cotton wool. The two conflicting impulses fought. “You don’t have to prove yourself to me.”
She placed her hand against his face in a gesture of poignant tenderness, promise and hope. “I do. For both of us. I don’t want panic and fear locking me out of life.”
He turned his head and kissed her palm. “Whatever my lady desires.”
Lily had never heard anything as romantic. But Ross’s words were the least of it. His kiss and the burning conviction in his eyes strengthened her. Holding tight to his hand, she led him to Charlie.
Ross scooped up the horse’s reins. With an easy movement, he vaulted onto its back. Then he stretched down his hand. “Put your foot on my boot.”
She hoped he’d ignored the fact her palm was sweaty, despite her brave intentions. He gripped her hand. She put her foot on his boot. Charlie was very, very close. The next instant she was up and sitting in front of Ross on the horse. She was even facing the right way!
And the ground was very, very far below. She closed her eyes, which enhanced all her other senses. Most of all, she felt Ross’s strength supporting and enveloping her. She leaned back, into him, and he put his face near hers.
“All right, darling?”
“Yes.” She tangled her fingers in Charlie’s coarse mane.
“I’m so proud of you,” Ross said quietly.
She turned her head to look at him, and smiled. “I’m pretty proud of me, too,” she confessed. She hadn’t simply faced her fears, she had surmounted them! She untangled her fingers from Charlie’s mane and put a hand over Ross’s as he held the bridle rope bunched against his thigh. “Can you make him walk?”
“If you’re sure, honey?”
And when she nodded, she felt his thighs shift fractionally.
Charlie walked slowly the length of the barn and Lily’s heart beat fast with excitement and triumph. She laughed softly. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
They returned to Charlie’s stall.
“Slide off,” Ross said.
She slipped off, steadied by his hand.
Then he dismounted and put Charlie back in the stall, giving the old horse a friendly rub on the nose before closing the stall door and turning to Lily.
She flung herself into his arms, giving him a huge and enthusiastic hug, one he returned. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You can, darling.”
She looked a question at him.
He grinned. This time there was no audience, just them, and his eyes were alight with laughter and love as he dared her. “Kiss me, quick.”
He was so dear, so wonderful, so all-her-dreams-come-true that she kissed him with the fullness of joy and love in her heart, and he kissed her back with even greater enthusiasm, his arms sure and strong around her, his passion sweet and tender, such that neither noticed Charlie snort his approval and wink a wise, brown eye.
Note From The Author
The idea fo
r Kiss Me, Quick was simple. I decided everyone who wanted a cowboy for Valentine’s Day should have one! But as I started writing Lily’s story, Kiss Me, Quick became so much more than an entertaining story. It became a love story, a celebration of how love enriches our lives and strengthens us to be our true selves. Our best selves.
Jenny
First Kiss
Jenny Schwartz
If you paint a man’s horse pink, be prepared to face the consequences!
Alissa McLeod wants Craig Murchison’s attention. She wants him to see her as a woman, and not as his best friend’s little sister. But when Craig ignores her prettiest dresses, her shy flirtation and her award-winning chocolate raspberry cake, then there’s only one thing for it—she’s going to have to turn this Texas cowboy’s world upside down until he realizes the one thing he needs is right in front of him: her.
For fans of first kisses, sparkling romance, ex-soldier heroes, and shy women who find the courage to risk everything for the men they love.
Chapter 1
Craig Murchison never lost his temper. He was famous for it. A horse could throw him or, during his time in the army, his unit could be ambushed, and he’d just pick himself up and get on with the job. It was how he’d made sergeant. But this?
He slammed the flat of his hand against the stall door. This was too much.
Two minutes later, mud sprayed behind his truck as he roared down the driveway, headed for town.
Alissa McLeod consulted a file open beside the computer, then went back to typing up her notes. She volunteered half a day at the Faerie Valley Nursing Home in addition to her job as an occupational therapist in the hospital at Amarillo, and usually she used her time at the nursing home to interact with its residents. But today was different. Today, she was waiting for someone.
Butterflies danced in her tummy.
She wore a lovely sage-green shirt, edged in white, and tucked into black trousers with a wide belt that emphasized her waist. Her light brown hair was smoothed into a high ponytail and she’d carefully applied make up to highlight the blue of her eyes and hide her scattering of freckles.
The Texas Kisses Collection Page 3
