by AE Rought
But why?
He climbed behind the wheel, checking in the rear view for any obstructions. The Dodge started with a shudder. He sat behind the wheel until the engine settled into its dependable rhythm. He pulled the truck around to face the porch and found Kally there, bundled up and waiting for him. Her blonde hair danced on the breeze, her cheeks and nose pinkened by the cold.
His heart thumped and a silly smile crept across his face. Yup. A good day for a drive. Slade leaned across the bench seat and opened the door for Kally. He hoped to get a few answers to his questions on the way to Gillette. Even though they hadn’t had much time to talk, Slade felt a connection to Kally. It flared up the moment he scooped her into his arms, and he wondered if she felt it too. Time alone would be a good way to see where her heart and head were.
The drive to Gillette was filled with Slade asking questions and me dodging the personal relationship ones. By the time we’d reached Ilene’s store he knew everything there was about Susan and the boys, about my parents passing, even about my embarrassing chubby years in middle school. When it came to Matt and our dysfunctional relationship, my response was short. “We just weren’t good for each other.”
“Then why’d you stay?”
Everyone asked me the same question. The longer I was away from Matt and around a good man like Slade, the more I asked myself the same thing. “I’m not sure anymore. I used to love him.”
“So what happened?”
“Lots. Too much. Not enough.” I locked my jaw and turned to the window. I wanted to growl, release the churlish temper scorching my guts. “How much longer till we’re there? Going anywhere takes forever out here.”
“Yup. Welcome to Wyoming.” He chanced a long look at me before turning down a side street to look for a place to park. “I’ll leave the subject alone for now, Kally.”
He used my name, not the formal moniker, but my real name. The tension brought up at the mention of Matt melted. Tears formed, and I wiped them with my sleeve. “Say it again?”
“What? To leave it alone? Gosh, girl, if I’d know it was such a touchy subject I wouldn’t have—”
“No, silly, when you said my name.”
“Oh.” A blush reddened his cheeks. His voice slipped from husky to suede. “It just felt right, Kally.”
He parked the Dodge on the ground floor of a parking garage. Dark shadows swathed the truck, but a shaft of light caressed his face, brightening his eyes, heightening my reaction. My pulse raced, my lungs locked up and blood rushed to my cheeks. I was falling into him, falling for him and I never moved. He unlatched his seat belt and leaned in, his cologne tingling my nose. His gaze trailed my face, my throat, my body. His hand brushed my cheek. “I truly am sorry if I’ve upset you, Kally. I want to know you, know everything about you.”
I wrapped his fingers in mine. Desire for him rose in me, but I begged him to stop with my eyes. “Please give me time. It’s not very easy to talk about.”
Slade nodded. “Time moves slowly on the ranch, so you have all you need.”
“Thank you.” His fingers remained on my thigh after I released his hand.
“No.” He shook his head. “Thank you, for staying, for showing me new life on an old ranch.”
“There’s no need to thank me, Slade.”
His smile returned; he was a rogue in Wranglers. “Likewise.”
A high-pitched, annoyingly nasal female voice cut through the sporting goods section of Ilene’s workplace. “Slade Carlson! Fancy meeting you here.”
Her high set, platinum blonde hair resembled the shark fin on the other side of a rack of fishing supplies. Then she rounded the corner and only reinforced my killer shark visual. A wide, flat nose spread like the snout of a great white over a mouth full of teeth, which were bared in a predatory smile. “Good afternoon, Slade.” Her eyes tore over me while she extended her hand. “And who is this?”
“Hello, Cissy.” The name hissed through his teeth. “This is Kally Jensen. She’s a guest at the Fourth Moon.”
“Oh, really?” Her hand snapped over to me, which I shook once. She honed in on me, a seal swimming on the surface of her hunting grounds. “Cissy Rawlings, pleased to meet you. So, Kally, are you a new timeshare?”
Slade shook his head when I shot him a questioning glance. “No, Cissy. I’m actually staying in the main ranch house. Slade invited me.”
The savage grin became a sick pantomime of the friendly tone in her voice. “Oh really?” Her pupils dilated, taking in her prey before the kill. “How fascinating.”
Slade wrapped my hand in his and nudged past the woman. “It’s been nice catching up, Cissy, but we have a lunch date.”
Her hand waggled above her hairline like the flash of a tail fin. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.”
God, I hope not. There was a distinct “kill the interloper” sense about the woman. I tugged on Slade’s hand. Continuing to plunge through the sporting goods section, he cast a quick look back. I pointed in Cissy’s general direction. “Who the hell was she?”
“Cissy Rawlings. She’s another Hulett area native. Her father has tried five times to buy property in Gillette. They have aspirations of world domination.”
I shuddered and Slade laughed. “My thoughts exactly.” He pointed to an escalator. “Ilene’s office and the Ladies’ clothing are just past the Housewares’ department.”
Ilene was on lunch break when we found her department. Knowing the long drive we had to return home, I started shopping without her. Slade was lucky I’d lost my purse, or he would have been holding it while he sat in the little chair by the fitting rooms. He sat patiently through a half a dozen jeans but started to fidget and sigh loudly when I debated on flannel or fleece tops. “If it makes any difference, I like the T-shirt and flannel combination you tried two outfits back.”
“Aww.” The lady in the next stall peeked out, looked Slade over and then gave me the thumbs up. “He’s a keeper, honey.”
“You think so?” I winked at Slade and then dashed off for a couple more shirts.
After I ducked back into the fitting room, Slade knocked on the door and then whispered through the slats. “If she liked that, then let’s see what she does with this…” His boots moved back away from the door before he spoke louder. “While you’re at it, girl, why don’t you get some new boots and a purse to match?”
My neighbor’s gasp was audible. My Cheshire grin was private, Slade shushed my giggle, however. Shoulder aching, I pulled on my old clothes, bunched up my new ones and then stepped out. Slade took part of my burden and then I aimed for the register closest to Ilene’s office.
Slade stopped in the middle of the main aisle. “Hey. Where are you going?”
“To check out.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re not. You’re going to go find boots and a bag.”
Scrambling to catch a pile of shirts, I stopped and turned. “I thought you were just joking around.”
“I was serious. You’re going to need boots—or shoes—and a bag, right? You should get them now and get all the shopping done at once.”
I couldn’t get past the shock. A man was encouraging me to shop? “You’re not kidding are you?”
“Serious as a heart attack, darlin’.” He shifted the mess of clothes to one arm and pointed back down the aisle. “The shoe department is over there.”
I followed his direction, passing the loafers and dawdling through the sneakers. They all looked the same, and none of them spoke up and said, “Buy me”. I turned to make a second pass through the athletic shoes and I heard an obvious snort. I spun on my heel and looked at Slade. He whistled and looked off at hardware. His hint was only slightly less subtle than a 2 X 4 to the head. Okay. I can take a hint. Maybe a pair of boots would be nice.
When it came to boots, I was a lost cause. I didn’t know crepe soles from composite, leather uppers from snakeskin. I knew which ones looked pretty. How sensible would pretty be on a cattle ranch?
�
��Slade? I don’t know anything about boots. Can you help me?”
“Sure thing.”
After trying on a few pairs and a lot of sensible advice, I settled on tan boots with synthetic soles and floral embroidery on the uppers. The trim along the top resembled cut lace. It was almost a shame to pull my jeans down over them. I walked down the aisle, sashayed past Slade and watched a smile of a different kind bloom on his face. Now I know what they meant by “walking tall”. I think I could learn to like wearing boots.
We put the boots back into their box and toted everything toward the register. On a special display stand I found the perfect bag, with leather colored similar to my new boots, a big silver buckle and fringe. The old me wouldn’t have been caught dead carrying it in Saint Joe, but the old me was gone. I stood in the aisle, running my finger on the buckle. For all I know, I could have been drooling.
“Quit fondling it and just grab it, Kally.”
I wrapped my fingers around the strap. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Slade made me walk back to Ilene’s office while he paid for the purchases. “I don’t want you feeling guilty, now scoot!”
He was right. I’d feel guilty as hell when the final tally came up. He knows me so well already. It was an oddly comforting feeling and made my heart swell even though an element of fear accompanied it. Letting him know me was letting down my guard. Letting him in was something I wouldn’t fight. I knocked on Ilene’s door and waited.
Ilene squealed when she opened the door and found me on the other side. She saw Slade feet away at the counter and then wrapped my hand in hers and pulled me in. There was no preamble, no “Hi, how are you?”. “So, tell me everything. Did he kiss you yet?”
“Slow down, Ilene. No, he didn’t kiss me yet.” Pausing, I shuffled my feet and peeked around the door and back at my cowboy. I melted a little inside when he smiled. “He did something better, Ilene, something so much more intimate.”
“Ohmygod!” Her eyes were wild, almost rabid. “What?”
“While I sat bawling in his bathtub because my shoulder hurt, he came in and washed my hair for me.”
Her voice rose. “He did? Did he see you naked?”
I shook my head. “He handed me towels to cover myself before he knelt behind the tub.”
Ilene’s jaw fell, then she pulled it up into a soft smile. “Oh, Kally, how kind and thoughtful could he be?”
“Ilene, he is wonderful. I like him and I don’t want to. I don’t want to fall too fast, like some rebound crush, and then find myself stuck with another Matt.”
Ilene motioned to stop what we were saying. I cast a quick glance around the corner. Slade was weighed down like a pack animal and headed for the office. Ilene whispered. “He is not another Matt, Kally. I’m telling you, I think you were meant for each other.”
My heart said one thing. My mind said another. “Maybe.”
Slade turned sideways to ease the packages through the doorjamb. “Maybe what?”
Ilene scrambled for an answer. “Maybe we can get together next weekend. I heard Butch’s Roadhouse has great food.”
He turned to me, and I smiled weakly. Lying would be impossible with him. Please don’t ask me what we were talking about.
“Next weekend? The Friday after Thanksgiving?”
“Sure. Will Friday work for you?” Ilene and I exchanged glances and she shrugged her shoulders.
He looked at her calendar on the wall. “Should work just fine. And if you want, you can spend the night at the ranch and then go with us in the morning to cut a Christmas tree.”
“Sounds great. I’ll have to clear it with the hubby at home.”
“Heck, bring him too. We have plenty of room.”
Ilene tilted her head toward the phone. “Let me make a couple of calls, and then I’ll call you at home later, okay?”
“Oh, Ilene, I can’t wait.” I hugged her, and then we parted. Ilene went back to work, and Slade and I headed for home. By the time the parcels were loaded into the bed of the truck, my stomach was growling, and my shoulder ached. Slade ushered me into the cab of the truck and then shut the door for me. A huge growl rolled through my stomach and Slade laughed.
“Hungry?”
“Starving.” Another rumble just enforced my answer.
He gave me a quick look before starting the Dodge. “Mind hitting a drive-thru so we can eat on the way home?”
I pressed back against my gurgling stomach. “Actually, a burger sounds damned good.”
Slade laughed. “A girl after my own heart.”
“Just don’t let the secret out.” I knew I didn’t need to say it, but it was fun to play.
The Burger King drive-thru wasn’t busy for mid afternoon. We both ordered the biggest meal they had. The juicy beef felt good going down. It warmed my guts and quieted the grumblings. Slade however finished his off and belched before I could eat my last five fries. “I win.”
“Well, if I’d know it was a race…”
He gave me a sidelong glance. “I still would have won.”
Nodding my head, I had to concede. “Probably.”
I settled into the bench seat and leaned against Slade’s shoulder. Even though my shoulder ached, the hum of the tires on the pavement and the warmth of the sun hitting the back window soon lulled me into a comfortable doze. I snuggled against him and then, in a brash moment, unbuttoned his jacket and smelled his cologne. I curled my arms into my jacket. “Hey, Slade.”
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“Thanks for today.”
“No thanks necessary. Now, you go to sleep for awhile and we’ll be home before you know it.”
Kally adjusted herself while he held the steering wheel with one arm and wrapped the other around her. She pulled the bag with her pajamas onto the seat and then packed it between them like a pillow. A comfort settled in him with his arm nestled on her shoulder and her silky hair beneath his fingers. “Right” was always an abstract concept for Slade, but just then, with her body next to his and the sun coming through the window, he understood what it meant.
He never felt it on the ranch after the wanderlust hit. It was the feeling he had missed with his past girlfriends. It took a girl from outside of the ranching life to show him what he was missing. Slade squeezed her softly in thanks and was rewarded with her resting a hand on his thigh.
At Moorcroft, Slade turned left onto Highway 14 toward Keyhole State Park. There was no longer a lingering doubt for Slade. Kally’s head, and her heart, were here with him and her friend. The uncertainties he had about the abuse in her past were gone too. The evasive manner in which she answered questions about her past boyfriend, and her defensive manner when pressed, told him this girl’s heart needed healing just as much as her body. It was up to Kally to admit it and Slade knew. She needed to feel comfortable enough in herself and with him before she would shine a light on those shadows in her past.
The hard part was waiting. Something he was never good at.
The area past Kanode Road, north of the reservoir was one of his favorite areas in the northeast corner of Wyoming. It reminded him of the less wooded areas of the back eighty acres of the Fourth Moon; only the ranch lacked the grandeur of Keyhole Reservoir. He debated on waking Kally, but her comfort and the soft expression on her face was nothing he wanted to disturb. She lost her broken doll appearance when she slept.
The intersection of Cabin Creek Road and Route 24 was deserted when he reached it. He aimed the Dodge north again, traveling the last few miles to home. Evening shrouded the ranch when Slade turned onto the back drive into the ranch. Right about Rancher’s Row, where the smell of wood smoke permeated the cab, Kally awoke. She inhaled deeply, yawned and stretched, running her hand up his chest. “It’s good to be home.”
Yes it is. Good to be home with you.
The house was quiet and dark when he parked the truck close to the front porch. Slade handed Kally the keys to the front door in order to free his hands to grab
her bags. He hoped she would learn he was a good man and good men treated their women like royalty.
Kally’s eyes searched his boots instead of his face when she spoke. “I’m sorry for sleeping so long.”
“Don’t be sorry, silly girl. I told you to take a nap.”
She shrugged her shoulders and turned into the broken doll. “But, still…”
“Still, nothing.” In a frozen moment, his hand passed the point where she normally flinched. She didn’t. He exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and rested his hand on her shoulder. “You have nothing to apologize for, Kally.”
“Well, if you insist.” Her smile returned. The porcelain doll disappeared.
“I do insist.” He bent and gathered her bags to his chest. “Now come on, let’s get your new things squared away.”
“Right behind you, cowboy.” He turned in time to catch her ogling his butt. Her deep blush told him she was right behind him and enjoying the view.
Yup, I like you a lot, Miss Jensen.
Slade and Kally: Letting Go of the Reins, Book 1
Chapter Eight
I had hoped for a quiet evening. Susan’s phone call shattered my fantasy. After dinner and dessert of an anti-inflammatory and painkillers, we retired to the great room to watch the fire and stare out the windows at the hills. The ranch’s main phone line lit up, blinking its red light into the office shadows, and the phone’s ring interrupted our fireside chat. Slade and I held a locked gaze for a sequence of rings.
“Hardly anybody uses the main ranch line.” Trepidation soured the air when he scrambled into the office, set off from the great room, and grabbed the phone. His form was shadowed, a silhouette in the office doorway. “Fourth Moon Ranch, how may I help you? Yes, Susan.” Slade cast a quick glance at me. “Kally’s fine. Okay, I’ll hand the phone over to her.”
His eyes were shadowed, storms passing over the blue ice. There was no light on his face. His smile was gone. My stomach flipped and then sank. I suddenly dreaded taking the phone from him but found myself reaching for it anyway. My mouth was dry. I had to swallow twice before I could talk. “Hi, Sue. What’s up?”
