by Donna Alward
“Sounds nice,” Rylan answered.
Lacey and Quinn started talking about something to do with Amber, leaving Rylan and Kailey silent on their side of the table again.
“Sorry,” he offered quietly, eating another fry. “If I’d known you guys were here, I would have suggested somewhere else.”
“It’s just awkward, that’s all. We’re going to run into each other occasionally. We might as well get used to it.”
She wiped her fingers on her napkin, then picked up her fork and speared a slice of cucumber from her salad.
“Kailey...I’m sorry.”
“For?” She crunched the cucumber, determined to ignore the weird flutterings in her tummy.
“For being such a jerk that morning.”
She looked up quickly, checked to see if Quinn or Lacey had heard. Luckily, they were still engrossed in their own conversation. “This isn’t the place to discuss it.”
“I get the feeling you don’t want to discuss it at all, and that’s fine. But I do owe you the apology.”
Dammit. It was easier to hate him when he wasn’t doing the right thing.
Scratch that. The right thing would have been sticking around, at least until coffee. They could have agreed to go their separate ways or...whatever.
“Noted.” She stuck her fork savagely into the lettuce.
“Noted, but not accepted?” he asked. “I mean it, Kailey. I was totally in the wrong. Wouldn’t it be better if we could get along? As you said, we’re going to run into each other. And possibly more than occasionally. I’d like to put it behind us.”
She would, too, but she wasn’t sure she could until she understood why. Why had he felt the need to rush out before sunrise? Or was he really just a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy? She’d certainly seen that type before...though she hadn’t pegged Rylan as that kind. On top of Colt’s rather quick moving on, it had left her feeling, well, disposable. Not worth the trouble of sticking around, even for breakfast.
Sitting in the diner with a lunchtime crowd audience didn’t seem the right time or place to ask him why. But he was right. Their ranches were side by side. She was good friends with Carrie and Quinn, and Rylan’s brother and sister.
Then there was the fact that he wasn’t planning on staying at Crooked Valley forever. He was here to fulfill the terms of his grandfather’s will, so Lacey and Duke could keep the ranch in the family. Surely she could suck up her personal feelings for a few months. Couldn’t she? She’d gotten pretty good at hiding her feelings over the years. She’d had to when she’d taken a bigger role at the ranch and had become the boss of a largely male workforce.
“Consider it behind us,” she replied, pushing away her salad. She really wished Lacey would get a move on. Not that she was in the mood for more wedding details, but it would get her away from Rylan.
Rylan, whose gaze she could feel glued to the side of her face. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she sighed.
“What?”
“Thank you,” he said simply.
She looked at him and felt her animosity threaten to abandon her. He didn’t look cocky or insincere in any way. In fact, his eyes were completely earnest and his lips open just a little, so she could get the full effect of their bowed shape. The bottom one was just a little fuller than the top, and she remembered them being surprisingly soft and...capable.
He was as attractive as ever, but she’d learned her lesson and learned it well. Rylan Duggan was trouble, and trouble was the last thing she needed.
“You’re welcome.”
Lacey was finally finishing up her salad and Kailey figured she might escape without having to speak to him again, but once more Rylan picked up a new thread of conversation.
“I could use some advice,” he said, pushing away his plate. All that was left on it were the four toothpicks that had held his sandwich together, and the little dish that had contained his ketchup.
“Advice about what?” she asked. She hoped to God it wasn’t anything personal. An apology was one thing. But they hadn’t made that many amends yet.
“On the stock situation at Crooked Valley.”
That made her sit back. “Oh?”
He kept his voice low. “Quinn and I have been talking. He’s doing okay, but really, Quinn’s a cattle man. The little stock we’ve sent to competition has been handled by Randy. And I know Brandt stock. It’s top-notch. I wanted to run some ideas past you.”
Nothing he might have said would have surprised her more. On one hand, it was nice to know he respected her knowledge and opinion.
On the other hand, it made her wonder if the apology had really been meant to soften her up into giving him free advice.
Well, either way, it wouldn’t hurt to state the obvious. “What Crooked Valley needs is some new breeding stock. A new stud, a couple of mares. But mostly a good stud that you can make some money off of breeding fees. That’ll help pad your program so you can grow it.”
“That’s what I thought.” He frowned.
“And Quinn probably knows that, too, but truth of the matter is Crooked Valley can’t afford to outlay that much money right now. It’s risky, even if the money was in the account. Am I right?”
He nodded. “Yes. According to Duke, our grandfather thought it would be fun to breed some rodeo stock. But it was more of a side thing than a focus, and it’s never paid its way or lived up to its potential.”
“I know Quinn and Duke have talked about selling it off.” Kailey made herself smile. What she’d said about potential was absolutely correct. There were a few mares in the stables that she’d love to get her hands on, breed them with Big Boy. If the Duggans did decide to call this side of the operation quits, she hoped she could get first dibs on some of the unrealized potential in the barn before it went to auction.
“I don’t think we’re at that point yet.”
Did he realize he’d said we? He was a temporary addition to the Crooked Valley operation, wasn’t he? Or perhaps he used the concept as cavalierly as he used his women.
And maybe she hadn’t quite accepted his apology. She bit down on her lip. It wasn’t like her to be this nasty, even in her thoughts. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like anything that Rylan Duggan made her feel.
Quinn coughed, interrupting their conversation. “Sorry to break this up,” he said. “But, Ry, I’ve got to get back.”
“No problem,” Kailey replied. “It wasn’t anything important.”
Rylan got up and reached back in his hip pocket for his wallet. She watched as the muscles in his shoulders and back shifted beneath his shirt, remembering what those very muscles looked like without the covering of cotton. He took out some bills and threw them on the table. “Lunch is on me, ladies. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”
Kailey’s face flamed. He was smiling his charming smile and smoothing everything over, wasn’t he? And it would be so easy to fall for that again.
Instead, she reached inside her purse, took out a twenty and dropped it on the table before picking up one of his bills and handing it back to him.
“I can pay my own way,” she said quietly, and without looking back, headed for the exit.
Kailey strode to Lacey’s car, anxious to get going and away from Rylan but trying to look more purposeful than actually running away. That was what he did, not her.
Her breath hitched a little, surprising her, and she gulped, trying to shut down the flood of emotion. She wasn’t acting like herself. The Kailey she knew was able to let things roll off her like water off a duck’s back. She took things in stride, put them in perspective.
That she couldn’t in this one particular instance bugged the hell out of her.
“Hey, wait up!” Lacey’s quick steps sounded behind her and Kailey, almost to the car, slowed.
Lacey was slightly out of breath. “Did someone light your tail on fire or what? And what was that whole deal with the bill, anyway?”
“I’m sorry.” Kailey looked
at Lacey and wanted to confide, yet held back. This was Rylan’s sister. Blood did run thicker than water, or so she’d heard. “I shouldn’t let it get to me so much.”
“You really don’t like Ry, do you?” Lacey put her handbag over her shoulder and studied Kailey.
It was probably the opposite—that she’d liked him too much. “It’s not that...” Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to explain.
Over Lacey’s shoulder, she saw Quinn and Rylan hop into Quinn’s truck and pull away from the curb.
She sighed. “How much do you know about Valentine’s Day?” Kailey asked her friend.
Lacey grinned. “I know that as I was leaving with Quinn, you were leaving with Rylan.”
That’s right. There’d been another, more successful, romance budding back in February. One that had ended with a far better result. “You went home with Quinn, and I had a romantic night at the Shady Pines Motel. With your brother.”
Lacey blushed a little. “I know, I know,” she said, flapping her hand as Kailey lifted an eyebrow. “I asked.”
“I won’t go into the gory details.” Kailey would spare Lacey that trauma. No one wanted to think of their brother that way! “But here’s the thing. I met Rylan at Christmas when he spent the holiday with your family. He’s a good-looking guy, Lace. Charming, too. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been interested. I’d been seeing someone off and on, but that had gone south in a big way. So when he was back less than two months later, and we were both at that Valentine’s Day dance...”
“One thing led to another.”
“It certainly did. It wasn’t something I’m in the habit of doing, either. I was more interested than I probably let on.” She gulped. It had sort of been...revenge sex. It just hadn’t been with someone random. She’d chosen. She’d chosen Ry.
“He didn’t return the sentiment?”
Kailey looked her friend straight in the eye. “Maybe we can finish this conversation in the car? Away from public consumption?”
At Lacey’s nod, they got inside the little sedan. Kailey turned in the passenger seat and faced her friend. She had to be honest here, even if Rylan was Lacey’s baby brother.
“Okay,” she continued. “When I woke up, he’d taken his things and checked out. His truck was gone...it was like he had never been there.”
Now Lacey frowned, a wrinkle forming between her perfectly groomed eyebrows. “He ran?”
“Like he couldn’t get away fast enough. And he hadn’t left enough cash with the room key, so I had to pay the difference.”
It had been the singularly most humiliating moment of her life. If he’d hung around, she might have been able to avoid going to the office and seeing Lyle Tucker behind the desk. The small smirk on his face had only added insult to injury as far as Kailey was concerned. It was enough to turn her off romance for a good long while.
“Oh, ouch,” Lacey said, frowning. “Hey, I love Ry. He’s my brother. But that was pretty crappy behavior.”
“Yeah, it was.” Kailey sighed. “And I know I should get over myself and just...I don’t know, put it behind me. Not let it get to me.”
Lacey looked far too hopeful for Kailey’s liking. “Could it be you still care for him?”
There was a very real chance of that, but Kailey would never admit to it. “I barely know him,” she replied. “And I’m very aware of how that makes me sound considering what we shared.” And what they hadn’t shared. Her shoulders slumped. “I made a mistake, that’s all. And I’m trying, really I am. We were chatting about the stock and stuff and doing fine until he insisted on paying the bill.” She sent Lacey a sheepish half smile. “I’m afraid it set me off, since he stiffed the motel, you know?”
“Maybe if you just talk to him—”
Kailey cut her off before she could finish the sentence. “No way. What’s done is done. It’ll be fine. I just need to put on my big-girl panties.”
Lacey laughed. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Duke is Quinn’s best man. You won’t be paired up for the day or anything.”
It didn’t. Because that was just for the ceremony, and maybe a few pictures. The rest of the night Duke and Carrie would be pasted together. And Kailey, the maid of honor, would be the old maid of the group.
Ugh.
“Speaking of...” She changed the subject. “Let’s get these errands done. We’re supposed to be focusing on your wedding, not my romantic drama.”
The mention of wedding errands was enough to set the efficient Lacey into action, and they talked about lace versus satin ribbon for the flowers and cake flavors as they headed down Main Street.
It was just too bad Kailey couldn’t get Rylan’s gray-blue eyes out of her mind, or the sound of his voice. She knew Lacey and Duke needed him to keep the ranch in the family, but honestly she hoped he wasn’t around much. Then life could get back to normal.
Chapter Three
Rylan pulled into the Crooked Valley yard at quarter past seven. Too late for dinner—though if he asked, Lacey would probably have leftovers—and still with enough daylight left that he could chill for a bit before falling into bed.
It would be good to move around for a while, loosen up the tight muscles that came from driving the better part of the day. The past two weekends he’d competed, both times in the money, once at the top. But it hadn’t been easy, either. He’d twisted his knee a little yesterday during an awkward dismount, and the rides had been tough, beating his body around enough that he felt it through his ribs and shoulders.
But he was home now. And while he wouldn’t admit it to Lacey, it was nice to have a home base. Not that working in Wyoming had been bad. His boss had been good to him. Paid him well.
Ry’s needs were simple and he’d been careful with his money. As a result he had a rather nice little nest egg built up for a rainy day.
A rainy day that might have arrived. He still had some thinking to do before making any firm decisions. Still, it didn’t hurt for a man to have his ear to the ground.
But first he had to get unhitched. He could hear the dogs, Molly and Ranger, barking inside when he hopped out of the truck and moved to disconnect the camper. It took very little time for him to have it level and ready, just the way he liked it.
No one was home, so he went in the back door and emptied his dirty clothes from his duffel into the washing machine. After petting the dogs and putting some water in their bowl, he took a quick scrounge of the fridge and found leftover meatloaf. Ry sliced a huge hunk and put it between two slices of homemade bread for his dinner, then grabbed a beer from the fridge before heading back outside.
It was quiet. Almost too quiet. What he’d really like to do was go for a swim, let the cool water soothe his tired muscles. With more than an hour of daylight left, he shoved the last crust of bread into his mouth, washed it down with the beer, and struck out for the western edge of the property.
He’d discovered the bend in the creek quite by accident a few days after he’d arrived at the ranch. He’d been out riding, familiarizing himself with the place, and he’d started following the creek toward the property line. He knew at some point the land became Brandt property, but he didn’t know when and where. It took him a good half hour to make his way to the spot he’d found before, where the rushing, burbling sound faded to a soft lapping. It was wide enough, deep enough to swim. With the warm sun bathing his face, he stepped through the tall grass to the edge and prepared to strip to his briefs.
And halted, with his hands on the button of his jeans. There was already a pile of clothes on the ground, a heap of denim and a pale green T-shirt next to running shoes. Women’s running shoes.
He snapped his gaze to the water at just the right moment to see a woman surface in the stillness, parting the water with a soft splash and then swiping her hair back off her face.
Kailey.
His body reacted in a typical way and he shifted his weight to the other foot, unsure of what to do. What were the chances of him
getting out of here without attracting her attention? Slim to none, he would imagine. Standing here staring was another ill-advised move... Damn. It didn’t really matter what he did, it would be wrong. After leaving Kailey the way he had, he’d come to expect it from her.
He took a step backward and dry grass crackled beneath his feet. Maybe she wouldn’t hear. He’d approached after all, and she hadn’t been the wiser. But no such luck this time. Her head snapped around and she saw him standing there, next to her mound of clothing, and he could see her blush even though they were several yards apart.
“Sorry,” he called. “I’ll go.”
He’d turned halfway around when her voice stopped him. “What are you doing here, Rylan?”
He hesitated and faced the pool—and her—again. “I was going to go for a swim. I saw this place a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect.”
“It is. Don’t go. I’m done anyway. If you don’t mind turning your back for a few minutes, I’ll leave you in peace.”
He swallowed, hard. Looked down at her clothes. He didn’t see any underwear, and he let out a relieved breath. He wasn’t sure his body, or his imagination for that matter, could take knowing she was skinny dipping.
“Don’t get out on my account. Really, I’ll just go back home.”
He’d taken two more steps when she called after him. “Are things going to be this awkward between us forever?”
Forever was a long time. He called back, “I’m not staying forever, so I doubt it.”
She didn’t answer, but he heard a splash and dared to look over his shoulder.
She’d disappeared again. Lord, but the woman knew how to get under his skin. Far more than she realized.
The water parted and she popped up again. Screw it, he thought. He was tired and hot and achy, and he wanted a swim. She could stay or she could go, but she didn’t own sole rights to the swimming hole.
He went back to where her clothes were and began unbuttoning his shirt. Kailey had switched from treading water to floating on her back. Only little bits of her were exposed. The tips of her breasts in a white bra and he could just see the edge of matching white underwear.
