Unbridled (Unlikely Lovers)

by Brooks, Cheryl

  “Sometimes.” She blew out a sigh. “And sometimes it doesn’t work out no matter how much two people love each other. There are other problems that make it hard.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the fact that I’m nine years older than Travis.” The sharpness of her reply shocked her into softening her tone. “He’s never had any children of his own and I can’t have babies anymore. He might say it doesn’t bother him now, but someday, it might. Aside from that, I’m not sure I can stand having anyone tell me what to do. I’ve been my own boss for too long.” Travis might not seem like the controlling type, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t turn out that way eventually.

  “But aren’t you lonely living out here all by yourself?”

  “Maybe. I didn’t used to be.” Travis had probably already spoiled her. Likely as not, she’d think about him every time she climbed into bed, or fixed dinner, or smelled brownies baking in the oven. Then there was the whole peanut butter issue. She’d never look at a jar of peanut butter the same way again. “Are you lonely living by yourself in town?”

  “Oh, no. I like it.”

  That wasn’t too surprising. Levi had never had the slightest difficulty keeping himself entertained. On the other hand, Travis was the most fun she’d had in years. “Well… I do like having Travis here.”

  “Marry him, Mom,” he urged. “It’s the right thing to do.”

  His firm conviction made her smile. Everything had always been black or white with Levi—gray areas simply didn’t exist. This was one area, however, that seemed pretty murky to Miranda. “We’ll see.”

  * * * *

  Tuesday morning, Travis parked his truck at Nigel’s and hurried inside, itching to get the day over with. He only had one horse to do there and another job at one o’clock. After that, he was free until eleven the next day. Stuart had seemed pleased to have him home again, but Travis could hardly wait to get back to Miranda.

  Nigel led out a chestnut gelding that was favoring his left forefoot. “He could barely walk on Thursday,” he said as he snapped on the cross-ties. “He improved quite a bit over the weekend.”

  “Probably an abscess.” Travis ran a finger around the coronary band, just under the hairline at the top of the hoof. Sure enough, there was a soft, open place where the pocket of infection had burst open and drained. After cutting the clinches, he pulled off the shoe, the dark hole in the toe plainly visible. “It’s not in a nail hole, but yeah, it’s an abscess. See where it blew out here?”

  Nigel leaned down and nodded. “I figured as much. Can you still reset the shoes?”

  “Sure. Now that the abscess has run its course, I can pack the hole before putting the shoe on. He might be sore for a few days, though.”

  “Not a problem,” Nigel said. “His owner hasn’t ridden him in ages, and she hasn’t paid her board bill since November. I’ve been using him as a lesson horse off and on. The girl who rides him the most has canceled her lesson the past two weeks—it’s been too cold and icy.”

  “No shit.” Travis knew quite well Miranda wouldn’t be riding today, but force of habit being what it was, he couldn’t help glancing up as a truck and trailer pulled into the drive.

  Evidently, Nigel had noticed that same tendency. He nodded toward the truck. “If you’re looking for Miranda, she won’t be here for a few weeks. She slipped on the ice Saturday morning and wound up with a concussion and some broken ribs.”

  Obviously she hadn’t told Nigel who’d driven her to the hospital—or the details of anything else that had happened that weekend—when she’d called to cancel her lesson. Travis had been trying to figure out how to bring up the subject on the way over, but Nigel had given him the perfect opening. “Yeah, I know. I was there when she fell. Been taking care of her ever since.”

  Nigel’s eyes widened, then his jaw dropped as the full meaning sank in. “You don’t say.”

  “Oh, yes, I do say.” Scowling, he added, “And would you mind telling me why you never mentioned the fact that she was a widow?”

  “Bloody hell,” Nigel swore, clearly aghast. “D’you mean to say you didn’t know?”

  “How the devil was I supposed to know when she was still wearing her wedding ring?” Travis snapped. “Jesus, Nigel. After all the carrying on I’ve done about women who were all wrong for me… I was nuts about Miranda! Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Dunno. I’m not very good with women, you know.” He paused, rubbing the side of his nose in a contemplative manner. “Wait. Why didn’t she tell you?”

  “Because she thought I was too young for her.”

  “Well, you are, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, don’t start that crap,” Travis said, rolling his eyes. “She’s only nine years older than me.”

  Nigel tipped his head to the side. “Is that all? Really? I’d have guessed more.”

  Travis snorted a laugh. “Better not let her hear you say that.”

  “Oh, I know exactly how old she is,” Nigel said with a brisk nod. “She’s forty-five. I remember that because she said something about having five years on me when I turned forty.”

  “Then what the hell did you mean, you’d have guessed more?”

  “You’re the one with the baby face. You tell me.”

  Travis bit back a snarl. “I’m thirty-six! I can’t help it if I don’t look my age.”

  “Yes, well, neither does Miranda.” Nigel sniffed, pursing his lips. “D’you know, I believe you’d be perfect for each other.”

  Slightly mollified, Travis couldn’t help but agree. Nevertheless, he was curious to hear Nigel’s take on it. “How so?”

  “She’s such a sensible woman. Never gives me a bit of guff when I tell her she’s doing something incorrectly. Always tries her best. Never argues.”

  Doesn’t sound like the woman I know. “That’s only true during a riding lesson. The rest of the time, she’s pretty opinionated.”

  Nigel went on as though Travis hadn’t spoken. “She never cries—just laughs at me when I fuss. Wish all of my students were like her.” He hung his head, sighing deeply. “Love that mare of hers, too. Awesome ass.”

  “Oh, yeah… What? Wait a minute, whose ass are you talking about?”

  “The mare’s.” With a dreamy look in his eyes, Nigel heaved another sigh. “Absolutely incredible. If Miranda could ever get her to engage that big engine, she’d be spectacular.”

  Travis cleared his throat with an effort as he recalled an even more spectacular ass bouncing up and down on his lap. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  * * * *

  Thankful that the horses had spent most of the night outside, Miranda did her best to take it easy while cleaning the stalls. While she worked, she listened closely, half hoping one of the horses would make a comment. However, after hearing only the usual snorts and nickers, she sighed with regret as she gave Kira a pat. “Too bad that wasn’t permanent. I’d be one helluva horse-trainer if we could actually discuss how to do a flying lead change.”

  As the rest of the day dragged on, she tackled another long-overdue chore. Sitting on the floor in front of the woodstove with her file box, she went through old bills and bank statements, tossing any unnecessary documents into the fire. By the time Travis arrived, she’d sat there so long, her legs were completely numb.

  “Damn, you must’ve really been bored to do that,” he declared after she’d explained her task. “I take it Levi isn’t here.”

  She nodded, holding out a hand. “He said he had to get back to work, but I think he just couldn’t wait to see Tabitha again.”

  Taking her hand, Travis helped her stand, then pulled her into his arms for a long, slow, deep kiss that would’ve made her knees weak whether her legs were asleep or not.

  “Believe me, I know the feeling.” He kissed her again before adding, “I really like your son, Miranda. It’s easy to see why you’re so proud of him.”

  “He never ceases to amaze me. I didn’t know what he�
��d say when he found out you’d been staying here with me.”

  Travis chuckled. “As I recall, he told you to marry me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “We had a little talk about that. Not sure I convinced him of anything, but—”

  “I thought he had the right idea, myself.”

  Drawing in a ragged breath, she gave him a tremulous smile. “A little premature, don’t you think?”

  “Not really.” He gave her left hand a meaningful squeeze. “Especially since you finally decided to take off your wedding ring.”

  “I knew that might be…awkward, but I didn’t mean for you to think—”

  He pressed another kiss to her lips, effectively silencing her. “Miranda. All it means is that you’ve decided you’re ready to move on. Not that you intend to marry me or anyone else.”

  She nodded. “Levi obviously didn’t see it that way. He’s never been one to beat around the bush, but…” She paused, feeling the flush rising in her cheeks. “He thinks I’m lonely living here all by myself. And maybe he’s right. I’ve been so busy with the horses and other things, I hadn’t realized... Anyway, I want you to know, it’s been wonderful having you here. I didn’t think it was such a good idea at first, but now...”

  “Why, Miranda.” Clasping her upper arms, he leaned back slightly, his tone light and teasing. “Does this mean you want me to stay on?”

  “That’s up to you. I know you have your own home and other things to take care of. It would be selfish of me to expect you to stay forever.”

  “Not selfish at all. These past few days have been the best of my life, but Stuart was pretty glad to see me last night.” He paused, shaking his head. “He just hasn’t been the same since his divorce.”

  “Maybe he needs to get out more. I know of at least three women I could fix him up with.”

  “Yes, but if it turns out like your last matchmaking attempt, he’ll fall for you—and then where would we be?”

  “Not likely,” she said. “Once he meets Christina, he’ll never look twice at me.”

  “Maybe—although I can’t see him having any more in common with her than I did.” He shot her a sidelong glance. “And yes, I know she thought I was boring. Of course, the fact that I was only pretending to be interested in her might have had something to do with it.”

  “You were pretending?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to think I didn’t like your friends, so I picked one.”

  “Yeah, the prettiest,” she said with a wry smile. “I’m sure that was a really tough decision for you.”

  “She was the first one I met. It seemed sort of mean to make her think I’d met her first and then decided on one of the others.”

  At least he was considerate. “That was nice of you, even though you weren’t entirely truthful. You told me things were going pretty well. Her story was completely different.”

  “I didn’t want you to think it was my fault,” he said sheepishly. “I wanted it to be her fault so you wouldn’t get mad at me and never speak to me again—or hug me.” He paused for a moment. “You know, that day at Nigel’s when you hugged me, I thought you were just doing it to be kind, but there was more to it than that, wasn’t there?”

  She nodded. “I’d been itching for an excuse to get my arms around you for a long time.” Taking a deep breath, she plunged onward. “It was tough feeling the way I did all the while believing you’d already ruled me out.” If he’d had any idea what she’d been thinking back then... “I hadn’t looked at a man in ages, and you never once looked back.”

  “Oh, yes I did. You just didn’t see it. Hell, I scheduled all my appointments at Nigel’s so I could be there when you had your lesson.”

  “Really?” And I’d considered changing days so I wouldn’t see him anymore. “What would you have done if I’d quit taking lessons?”

  “I have absolutely no idea. There for a while, I didn’t even know your last name. I suppose I could have pumped Nigel for information—although after the Christmas party, I at least knew where you lived. I’d have found some reason to turn up on your doorstep.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Even though I knew you were married, I couldn’t help how I felt.”

  “Me, neither. You wouldn’t believe the fantasies I used to have about you.”

  “I might,” he drawled. “I had some pretty hot ones myself.”

  His slow, lip-curling smile made Miranda wonder if any of them involved getting his cock sucked during lunch—which might explain a few things. Not that she’d minded.

  “Speaking of fantasies...” His eyebrows lifted suggestively as his long, sexy dimples began to emerge.

  “What about them?”

  “I’ve been having one all day.” Moving closer, he placed his hands on her hips.

  “About what?” If it involves licking your succulent dick, count me in…

  “Remember when we talked about lying out on the deck in a sleeping bag?” Kissing her neck, he skimmed his fingers up and down her spine.

  “That reminds me, I found two of them when I was cleaning.”

  He nodded. “I noticed them setting in the hallway last night.” He pulled her against his groin. His hard cock was right there, straining against the zipper of his jeans, begging for her attention. “So how about it, Miranda? Wanna spend the night under the stars with me?”

  “As long as we put lots of padding underneath the sleeping bags. I’m not so sure my ribs can take lying on the deck all night.”

  “I brought one of those inflatable mattresses from home. Stuart used to sleep on it when he first moved in with me. I thought it might come in handy sometime.”

  “You thought right. It’s not supposed to rain tonight, is it?”

  “Nope,” he replied. “For once, it’s not going to rain or be very cold. And I don’t have any appointments until eleven.”

  His tongue grazed the side of her neck, releasing a flood of tingles.

  “Ooh, baby…”

  Chapter 26

  Miranda awoke to the sound of birds chirping, the sun’s heat on her face, and the solid warmth of Travis spooned up against her back. They’d fallen asleep in the same position they’d made love, her body still humming from the feel of him rocking into her from behind. A muted snuffle and a soft thumping nearby prompted her open her eyes to meet expectant gazes from all three of her dogs. She was about to nudge Travis when the dogs leaped up in unison and dashed down the steps, barking madly.

  Rising up on her elbow, she cocked her head. “D’you hear something?”

  “You mean aside from the dogs?” Judging from his tone, he hadn’t appreciated the canine wake-up call. “Sounds like a car going down the road.”

  She hesitated, listening. “Holy shit, what day is it?”

  “March first,” he replied, yawning. “Please don’t tell me you’re disoriented again.”

  Sitting up the rest of the way, she unzipped the sleeping bag, praying she wouldn’t jam it in her haste. “I am not disoriented and that is not a car going down the road. It’s someone coming up the driveway. Probably the meter reader. She usually comes on the first of the month.”

  “So?”

  Miranda got to her feet, gesturing frantically toward the meter on the wall by the door, which was less than six feet from where they were lying. “So, the meter is right there.”

  Travis scrambled out of the sleeping bag in record time, proving how quickly he could move when the need arose. They made it inside just as the car reached the house and came to a stop. Naked and giggling, they darted into the kitchen.

  “Damn, that was close,” Travis exclaimed as they heard the car drive away.

  Hands pressed tightly to her side as she rested her hip against the edge of the table, Miranda could scarcely control her laughter enough to speak. “We probably would’ve given that sweet little old lady a heart attack.”

  “She’s probably seen a lot worse,” Travis said, chuckling. “Besides, if we’d been inside the sleepin
g bag, she might not have realized we were naked.”

  “True, but why else would we be sleeping on the deck when we’ve got a perfectly good bed in the house?”

  “She still wouldn’t have actually seen anything.” With a low whistle, his heated gaze roamed up and down her body. “Unlike what I’m seeing now. Wow.”

  Suddenly, Miranda felt more exposed than she’d ever been in her life, almost as though she’d been caught naked by a stranger. Fighting the urge to cover herself, she attempted a puzzled frown. “It’s not like you’re seeing anything you haven’t seen before—is it?”

  “Must be the morning light—or maybe it’s because we’re in the kitchen.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a seductive smirk as he flicked an eyebrow. “C’mere and kiss me like you did the first time.” His voice dropped to a low rasp. “Like you could swallow me whole.”

  A swift, downward glance certainly demonstrated the impossibility of swallowing his dick whole—but I’m perfectly willing to give it a try. Fascinated, Miranda couldn’t recall that it had ever been quite so enormous before.

  Guess it’s that morning light thing…

  Her brief attack of modesty completely forgotten, she hurled herself into his embrace. Winding her arms around his neck, she pulled his head down and devoured him, astonished at the unbridled hunger that made her crave even more. Sliding her hands down his back, she stroked his tight, muscular ass, seizing it with both hands, squeezing hard as she pulled him tightly against her.

  His hard, drooling cock now trapped between them, she pushed his hips side to side, spreading his slick cock syrup over her skin. Exhaling as her name escaped his lips, he thrust his tongue deep into the recesses of her mouth. As their tongues sparred with one another, Travis imitated her hold on him, pressing his fingers into her buttocks as he inched her backward until her bottom rested on the edge of the table. Pulling her leg up with one hand, he slid the other hand between her legs, soaking his fingers in the flood of moisture from her pussy.

  Unable to maintain her grip on his ass, Miranda snaked her arms around him and held on, her fingertips roaming through the soft hair on the back of his head. With a ragged breath, he tore his mouth from hers and dipped his head to her breast. His tongue was warm on her nipple, and he laved it mercilessly while circling her clit with his thumb. Overwhelming sensations washed through her, leaving her too weak to hold on.