by Maisey Yates
“Oh.” Now she felt bad. “But he wasn’t . . . upset?”
“No.”
“That’s good.” And it sort of irked her.
“Of course . . . he had that look. The kind he gets when he’s about to take on a particularly big problem.” Lark scrunched her nose. “I kind of don’t envy you.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Being Cole Mitchell’s problem, she knew, would not be a very happy place to be.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Lark said.
“Yeah,” she said, watching her walk out the door with a sense of foreboding closing in. She really didn’t need a determined cowboy out to try and convince her to marry him.
Although the idea of what that might entail was tempting . . .
Another knock interrupted her reverie. She was going to have to get used to dealing with people. This wasn’t the isolated cabin, or a house to herself. She was surprised by how accustomed she’d grown to living alone.
“Come in,” she said.
This time it was Cole, looking tall and broad and generally like fuel for her dearest late-night fantasies. She’d heard about this. About pregnant women getting . . . urges. Animalistic, sweaty, hungry-type urges. It had just seemed laughable to her when she’d been spending twelve of the twenty-four hours in the day with her head in the toilet. Now, though . . . now she was feeling differently.
“You settled okay?”
“Yes. And I unpacked, so you’re not going to be able to get any illicit thrills via an accidental sighting of my drawers.”
“That’s too bad. I’ve been short of thrills the past few years.”
“But not for most of your life?” she asked, remembering Lark’s earlier comment.
He frowned. “Meaning?”
“Oh, your sister mentioned something about you being quite . . . free with your favors.”
She was almost sure she saw a dull blush spread over his high cheekbones. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“I don’t know, Cole, little sisters tend to be pretty observant. One of mine almost got me grounded for my entire senior year thanks to some unwanted observation.”
“Does it bother you?”
“What? Your loose morals? Hardly.”
He laughed. “‘Loose morals’?”
“Sorry, something my mom would say. Scary.” She frowned. “This experience had better not turn me into my mother.”
“What’s your mother like? If you tell me, I can better look out for you and make sure you don’t morph into her.”
“Um . . . she’s strict. She didn’t like us to date. But she couldn’t wait for us to get married. She gives good hugs. She can make me feel like I’m about three inches tall. But she can also make me feel better when things go south. She’s my mom. It’s complicated.”
“I guess.”
Kelsey cleared her throat. “If she found out I turned down your proposal it would be the three-inches-tall thing.”
He rubbed his chin. “So she would be my ally.”
Kelsey narrowed her eyes. “I thought we had a deal.”
“Did you?” He smiled.
“I said we’d be friends.”
“Yes. And I asked you to marry me, because I think marriage is the best thing for us. I didn’t change my mind.”
“You did. You so did. You agreed with me, and then I agreed to move in here.”
He chuckled. “I don’t remember that.”
“You tricked me.”
“I can’t force you to marry me, Kelsey, so the only reason you have to look like that,” he said, probably indicating her open mouth and red cheeks, “is if you’re afraid I’ll be able to wear you down.”
“Never.”
His smile broadened and her stomach plummeted. Cocky, sexy bastard. “We’ll see. Good night.”
“Good night,” she bit out.
He turned and walked out of the room and she growled once the door closed. She wasn’t worried. She knew exactly what she wanted. Exactly.
“Stupid cowboy.”
***
Kelsey missed breakfast the next morning, really on accident, but she wasn’t too broken up about it. She hadn’t relished the idea of sitting around the table with Cole’s friends and family while they all glared at her over her refusal to marry him.
She grabbed an apple out of the big ceramic bowl placed on the check-in counter and wandered out onto the porch. Lark was hiding in her cave, working on her computer, and the men were all out working.
It was warm, the sun hitting the porch, soaking into her skin. She closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the sky, relishing the warmth, the quiet of her surroundings. It was so different here. She was starting to love it. Which was good in a way, since this would be a place where she spent a lot of time.
She tried to imagine it, coming here on the weekends with her baby. Braving insane snowfall to make it at Christmastime. Summer vacations later. Maybe sometimes her son or daughter would come without her.
She wasn’t going to think too much about that now.
She breathed in deeply, relishing the cleanness of the air, the faint scent of hay and horses. She’d never given a lot of thought to those smells before. It had been a part of her home, and home had never brought her any comfort. She’d felt too out of place.
Maybe the sudden enjoyment of it came from so many years of living in the city. Or maybe it was some sort of nesting instinct.
Except she wasn’t going to nest here. She was going to do that back in Portland. And she was excited about it.
She kept repeating the mantra in her head as she dodged puddles on her way down to the paddocks.
She saw Cade and Tyler standing against the fence, leaning over the top rail, watching the rider in the outdoor arena as he took a horse through a simple barrel course. Kelsey headed that direction, her eyes on the horse as it wove between barrels, dodging them closely without knocking them down.
The rider lifted his head, lifting the shadow his hat had cast from his face. It was Cole, his muscles shifting as he directed the horse.
Her thoughts scattered, a coherent syllable impossible to grasp as she watched the way his body moved with the horse’s. He rode the animal up to the fence and tugged the reins, dismounting in a smooth motion. Sweat beaded on his brow, darkened the back of his t-shirt.
“Hey,” he called, lifting his chin in greeting as he took a water bottle from a fence post.
She waved and Tyler and Cade turned, offering her a greeting. Neither of them seemed to be scowling at her, so maybe Cole hadn’t mentioned the whole her-rejecting-his-proposal thing.
“What’s up?” she asked, lifting her foot and resting it on the bottom rail of the fence.
“Giving the horses some exercise, keeping them sharp for when we have visitors,” Tyler answered.
“Cole drew the short straw,” Cade said.
Cole raised his eyebrow. “And I can still ride.”
Cade flipped Cole his middle finger while still smiling at Kelsey. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Great,” she said.
“Have you heard from Alexa?” That question came from Tyler.
“Uh . . . not recently. Have you?” The smug smile on his face told her he had. “Good for you,” she said. “I fully expect you to make an attempt at taming her.”
A faint blush colored his cheeks, and he looked down. “I don’t want to tame her. I just want to try to keep up.”
The quiet admission made her throat get all tight and painful, emotion getting her in a stranglehold. If Cole had proposed with a line like that she would have been a goner. Well, maybe not. Because the real beauty in Tyler’s words was that they weren’t a line. And if Alexa wasn’t a huge idiot, she would give him a serious chance.
“You should tell her that,” Kelsey said, her throat still constricted.
Cole took his hat off and set it on the fence, then gripped the hem of his shirt and tugged it up over his head, his muscles
putting on a fantastic show with the motion. “Hot work,” he commented, straightening and resting his hand on the top rail.
Her mouth dried.
Dear. Lord.
She’d known he was hot. The cut of that cowboy denim did nothing to disguise the round, muscular, sexy firmness that was his ass. But his chest, his abs . . . he was like a statue come to life, perfectly formed, every line, every muscle, moving in harmony and making her feel shivery.
He was gratuitous was what he was. It wasn’t even that warm. And there he was, shirtless, with well-fitted, low-riding jeans that showcased a big, distracting . . . belt buckle.
She cleared her throat. “I can see that. That it’s . . . hot.” She bit her lip. “Hot work.”
He arched a brow, his mouth curving up into a half smile. He knew. He knew just what he was doing. Cocky bastard. “Well, I’m just about done.”
“Good. I mean . . . that’s fine. Don’t women usually barrel race?” she asked.
“In rodeos? Yeah. But if that comment was meant to imply it might be easy or wimpy, I welcome you to give it a try.” His smile widened.
“What? No. I wasn’t implying that. Why would you think I was implying that? Because I said women did it? That’s . . . well, that’s sexist, is what it is.”
“Is that what you call it?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Cade,” Tyler said, straightening from his position. “I have to go check that thing? Did you want to go check?”
“Yep.” Cade pushed off the fence and followed Tyler, his gait uneven as he made his way toward the barn.
“I see what they did,” she said. “I see what you’re doing,” she called after them.
“What are they doing?”
“Either they’re leaving us to fight or . . .” She turned to face him and her eyes met one very interesting nipple, covered with just the right amount of chest hair. She raised her focus. “Or fight.”
“I see. Are we going to fight?”
“I don’t know. Are you mad at me about yesterday?”
“Nope.”
“Oh.” That was almost disappointing. Although, really, it just reinforced her feelings on the subject. If he wasn’t even mad about her refusal, that said a lot about his feelings. Not that feelings mattered. Because they didn’t. At all.
“Did you want me to be mad?” he asked, leaning over the fence. She was grateful to have it between them. Her hands itched to touch his chest, to find out if it was as firm and hot as it looked.
She’d never, ever touched a chest that looked quite like that. Her ex had been pale. And his chest had been sort of concave. Nothing like the broad expanse of drool-worthy flesh that Cole possessed.
Egad. She needed a cold shower.
“No. I don’t want you to be mad.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, nodding his head, that maddening smile still in place. “In fact, you’re a little pissed that I’m not.”
She sputtered. “What? What would give you that idea?”
“It’s a woman thing, right? You want me to feel rejected.”
“No.”
He shrugged one shoulder and turned, taking his horse’s reins in his hands. The big, glossy animal followed him and he headed toward the barn. She stared at his back for a moment. Broad shoulders, trim waist, narrow hips, and his butt . . . oh . . .
She shook her head and followed him along the outside of the fence. “Okay, maybe a little bit. A woman wants to have her refusal mean something. That seems normal, right?”
“And how about my ego?” he said, tossing her a look over his shoulder. “How am I supposed to feel about you seeming completely at ease turning me down?”
“Um . . . I don’t know. A little annoyed, I guess.”
“I don’t know if annoyed is the right word.” He bent down alongside of his horse and lifted her leg, pulling it back and taking a plastic tool from his pocket, then using it to clean out her hoof. Then he moved and did the same to the rest of her hooves. And Kelsey couldn’t help but stare. He showed so much care for the horse, so much gentleness.
He undid the girth on the saddle and slid it off of her back, hoisting it up over his shoulder and carrying it to the tack room. Kelsey leaned against the door, feeling like she was privy to something personal. It seemed so much a part of him, the barn, the horse, the work.
She wasn’t sure if anything had ever felt that natural to her. Writing, maybe. It was easy for her to spill her thoughts out onto the page. Easy when she was able to think it all out, change it around and perfect it before anyone saw it.
A lot easier than dealing with people, family, boyfriends, in person.
She wondered what it would be like to feel like a part of where you came from, instead of like a tenant in every place you went.
She watched him finish with the horse and put her back in her stall. He was still shirtless.
She swallowed. “So, now what?”
“Do you want to look around a little bit?”
Strangely, she did. “Yeah, that would be great.”
“So in this barn, we have the tack room.” She followed him, puffs of dust rising from the dirty floor with each footstep. He indicated the open door. The room was clean, with a cement slab for a floor and everything organized to the extreme. “If you can’t find it, you waste time,” he said, explaining the order.
“And this is where the older rodeo horses are kept,” she said. “So where are your other horses?”
“Do you want to head over to the other barn?”
“That would be great.”
“It’s a short walk. I didn’t realize you hadn’t been to see them.”
“I haven’t spent that much time down on this side of the property. I’ve been getting over being sick, and then trying to get back into the swing of working again.”
“How is that going?” he asked.
“Better. Although I still find myself in the awkward position of wanting to eat junk food while I spout the importance of lean protein.”
“Have you had elk?”
She curled her lip. “What? No.”
“That’s lean protein.”
“I’ll pass.”
“You might like it,” he said.
“Ech. Show me the horses.” She followed his broad, sexy back across to another structure that bore the name of the ranch across the top in wrought iron letters. “Seriously, that’s kind of ironic. Elk Haven Stables. You were just talking about eating them; what kind of haven is that?”
“Don’t be so literal,” he said.
“The elk would appreciate it if you were a little less confusing.”
“You speak for the elk now?”
“I am the Lorax,” she said.
He laughed. “Okay then, come over here. This is where we have the horses we breed for the rodeo. We used to do a little more training before we sold them, but with Cade out of commission it’s just not practical.”
“And he really can’t ride?”
“Not without a lot of pain. He tries sometimes, but he’s an idiot.”
“He doesn’t want things to be different,” she said softly.
“I know that feeling,” Cole said.
“I’ll bet.” She leaned back against the wall and looked at the line of stalls.
Cole stopped and turned to her, resting his palm flat by her head, his eyes intent on hers. He smelled good. Like sweat and hard work, and man. Like so many things she hadn’t been around in a long time.
He lifted his other hand and brushed her hair back from her face. Her heart started to beat faster, and her lips felt suddenly dry. He lowered his head, his nose brushing against hers. Her breath stopped, freezing in her lungs.
She searched his face, trying to see what he was thinking. Trying to guess what he might do next.
He closed the distance between them, and she sighed in relief. His lips were hot and firm, everything she remembered and more. She raised her hands and pressed them flat against his bare che
st, a shock of attraction hitting her, immobilizing her for a moment.
All she could do in that instant was take and enjoy. The feel of him, the taste of him. He wasn’t like any other man she’d kissed, he wasn’t like any other man she’d met.
She wanted to melt into him. Wanted to lean on his strength.
His arms came around her, strong, perfect. He drew her against him and she slid her hands up to his shoulders, around to cup the back of his head, weaving her fingers in his dark hair.
He tilted his head and slid his tongue over the seam of her lips. She opened to him, inviting him in. His tongue moved against hers, and a groan rose in her chest. He tightened his hold on her, and she arched into him. She felt hyper-sensitized. Everything that touched him felt good. Her lips, her breasts. She felt even better when the hard ridge of his erection pushed against her hip and one large hand came down to cup her butt and bring her in even tighter.
She wanted him. She couldn’t remember ever wanting anyone like this before. Couldn’t remember feeling the desperate need to just have someone then and there, against a wall, on the floor, without any thought to who might walk in.
She couldn’t remember it, because it had never happened. Not with anyone but Cole.
He pulled his lips from hers and spread kisses down her neck, to her collarbone.
“Oh, yes,” she said, her hands moving to his belt buckle, logical thought down for the count.
Cole jumped away from her and she stood frozen, her brain fuzzy from arousal, her body still demanding that he get back up against her right this instant.
She was almost afraid to follow Cole’s gaze, but she managed to. Cade was there, in the doorway.
“Are you going to work these horses next?” he asked, showing a completely uncharacteristic amount of grace by not asking why they’d been about to get it on against the barn wall.
“Yeah,” Cole said. “So, I’ll catch up with you later?” He directed the question at her.
Cole could feel the relief radiate off of Kelsey when he gave her the out.
He needed to be hosed down. The presence of his younger brother had gone a long way in cooling his arousal, but he was still uncomfortably hard.
Kelsey offered a short smile and scurried out of the barn. She was probably going to hide in her room for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe he could join her. That thought did nothing to lessen the problem that was making his jeans feel like they were too tight.
