She never talked about ex-boyfriends, which made him all that much more curious, he couldn’t imagine a woman like her hadn’t had a serious relationship before. Just thinking about it made his jealousy flare, but he quickly got it under control by reminding himself that whatever happened in the past was in the past. There was nothing to be gained by thinking about the other men that might have been in her life.
His plan to take her to a little cabin high in the mountains suddenly took on even more importance. What had started out to be a chance for Tabitha to test her riding skills had quickly become an opportunity for them to spend some time alone, which after their night in town seemed even more important to him. He’d never minded being with Sarah in a crowd, in fact they’d spent very little time alone, if he was honest with himself, but with Tabitha it was different. He didn’t want to share her with anyone. It was a strange and possessive feeling that he was going to have to learn to deal with, but for now he was going with it.
He had a week to get ready and with all the other things he had to do, it would barely be enough time. More than anything else, he wanted their night together to be special, but before that happened, he’d have to tell her about Sarah. Tabitha had a right to know about her, as uncomfortable as it might be. Deep down, he knew that he was over her, but it hadn’t been that long since she’d married Mike and it still hurt to think of her deception.
Pushing those thoughts from his mind by reminding himself that Tabitha was nothing like Sarah, he headed for the barn and the work that awaited him. Jack had been home to Australia, his first trip with Chloe and he would be demanding a full update on the sheep. He’d been gone for weeks and much to his surprise he’d missed his brother. Maybe living in America permanently wouldn’t be so bad. He still missed Australia, but not as much as he used to, and Tabitha was here.
By the time the day of their ride finally rolled around, Tabitha had worked herself into a serious case of the nerves. She was pacing restlessly around the kitchen, feeling a little strange in her new clothes. It had been years since she’d worn a pair of jeans, and although she’d been wearing the boots around home to get them broken in, they still felt stiff. For a moment she panicked, wondering what she was doing going up into the mountains with a virtual stranger.
But just as the panic started to get the better of her, Joe poked his head back into the kitchen and said, “Your Romeo is here.” When he saw the look on her face, he stepped back into the kitchen and pulled her aside. “Hey, relax. You look like you’re going to the dentist not on a romantic trip to the mountains. He’s a good guy, it’s going to be fine no matter what you decided to do up there.”
Tabitha felt the anxiety drain away. She hadn’t realized that she’d been worried about what might happen if she didn’t sleep with Owen, but hearing Joe’s words both identified the problem and fixed it. One thing she was certain of was that Owen wouldn’t force her to do anything she wasn’t ready for. Feeling much better she gave Joe a quick hug, and smiled at him.
“Thanks Joe. I needed to hear that. I’ve never been this worried about sex before, it’s weird.” She admitted.
“That’s because this time it means something. Now stop worrying and go have fun.” Joe said, and pushed her toward the door.
When she came out of the kitchen carrying the saddle bag that Owen had given her to pack her things in, he was standing in the middle of the empty dining room waiting for her. His eyes swept over her, taking in the jeans and shirt that they’d bought in town, desire lighting up his eyes and making her heart beat so loudly she was sure he could hear it. All her doubts vanished when their eyes met, the connection that seemed to bind them all that much stronger that day.
Owen’s heart swelled at the sight of Tabitha, a part of him had been afraid that she’d change her mind. Asking her to stay in the mountains for a night had been a risk. They were both adults and knew exactly what would happen if they spent the night together, and he didn’t know how much longer he could resist her. The desire he felt for Tabitha was like nothing he’d ever felt before, it was overpowering and consuming, but he had prepared himself for the possibility that she wouldn’t be ready. As hard as it might be, he was willing to wait until she was. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth it in the long run.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he said, “You look like you’re ready for a trail ride.”
“More than ready.” Tabitha said, with a big smile.
“Then let’s get this show in the road, we’ve got a long way to go by tonight. I hope it’s not going to be too much for you since it’s your first ride.” Owen said, taking the saddle bag from her.
“Well, the worse that can happen is that I’ll have a sore rear. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” She said, leading the way outside.
Owen stopped at her words, thinking that they could be taken several different ways. When he caught up with her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Then he looked down at her and said, “I hope so.”
Tabitha immediately understood that Owen wasn’t talking about riding, he was talking about them and she felt thrill run through her. This man did something strange to her, just being in his arms made her feel safe and protected, but there was more to the feeling than just that. He made her feel loved, she realized with a start, then decided that it wasn’t such a bad feeling. Unable to tell him that, she snuggled deeper into his arms, hoping he understood how happy she was with him.
Chapter 7
They’d only been on the trail for an hour when Owen asked if she needed to stop and rest. She was far from tired, in fact she’d discovered that Owen had been right about the boots. “I’m not tired at all; the boots are really helping.” She said, then rode on a head of him.
Owen was pleased to find that Tabitha was indeed a natural, she sat her horse like she’d been riding for years and seemed to understand what the horse was thinking and respond appropriately. Not only that, she looked very sexy on a horse, which was driving him crazy. The truth was that he wanted to stop so he could kiss her, but she seemed too oblivious to him right then, and too enthralled with riding and the view.
By lunch, they were well ahead of the schedule he’d set out for them. He’d assumed that Tabitha would need to stop, but she didn’t seem the least bit tired. “How about we stop for lunch?” he asked, then swung down from the saddle, giving her no choice but to stop.
“Is it lunchtime already?” She asked, letting him help her down from the saddle, then letting out a little cry when her legs threatened to buckle under her.
Owen felt Tabitha’s legs begin to tremble and knew that she was going to fall, so he grabbed onto her. “Wow, I think we should have stopped sooner, sorry.”
Tabitha didn’t mind being in Owen’s arms, but her legs quickly adjusted to her weight once more, and she was able to stand on her own. “I didn’t expect that.” She said, laughing when Owen wouldn’t let her go.
“It happens sometimes when you’ve been riding awhile.” He said, loving the feeling of her in his arms.
“I’m okay now.” She said, looking up at him.
“I know.” He said, still not letting her go.
Once they’d stretched their legs and had lunch, they got back on the trail, Tabitha eager to reach their destination which Owen had refused to tell her about. “Just a hint?” She begged for the tenth time that afternoon.
“If you’re just patient you’ll see.” Owen said, with a chuckle. He’d never seen this side of Tabitha and he liked it. “We’re just a mile or so away.”
Tabitha shot him a dirty look, but he knew that she really didn’t mean it. When they came to a fork in the trail, she turned back to see which way they should go and he pointed to the left where there was a faint path through the trees. She looked at the path, then back at him, then took it when he gestured at it again.
“It’s not much of a path, but I promise it’s the one we want.” He reassured her, but took the lead a
nyway. The path had only been built the summer before and it was still rough, so he led the way through the trees.
When they finally emerged onto a plateau high on the mountain, Tabitha sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air and looked around her. The plateau was only about a mile wide, but it was breathtaking, with a steep drop off on one side, a cliff along the back, and best of all a cute little cabin nestled in the trees. When they stepped into the meadow, the grass was as tall as the horse’s bellies, and they fought to drop their heads and graze.
“Owen this is beautiful. How did you find it?” She asked, a huge smile on her face.
“It belongs to Jack and Chloe.” He said, digging in his heels to get his horse moving.
“It’s wonderful, but how did it get here?”
“Jack built it for Chloe as a wedding present. If you look carefully, you’ll see a cave back there in the rocks. They got trapped up here together last summer during a bad storm. Chloe came up here to save him.” Owen explained, then added with a wistful tone of voice. “He says that this is where he realized that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Chloe.”
Tabitha was silent for a second, then she quietly said, “Owen Montgomery, I think you have a romantic side.”
Owen grinned at her, thinking that he might just have a romantic side after all. He’d never really considered how romantic the cabin was, all he’d been thinking about was taking Tabitha to a place where they could be totally alone, but that was exactly what Jack had built the cabin for. Sarah had always told him romance was about flowers, expensive dinners, and jewelry, but now he realized that romance was more about the thought behind the gesture than the gesture itself.
“Let’s see if you still think that tomorrow.” He said, with a wry grin, hoping that Tabitha wouldn’t be disappointed in the cabin and him.
Once they’d taken care of the horses, who were perfectly happy to be left alone to graze on the lush grass of the meadow, they made their way to the cabin. Owen threw open the door with a flourish, knowing that he’d done everything he could have to make the little cabin attractive. Tabitha took one look at the cabin and fell in love with it, although small, it was cozy and just big enough for two.
There was a little kitchen complete with a stove, a refrigerator, and a sink. Beyond that there a small living area, and finally a door that led to a small bedroom down a short hallway. The big fireplace in the living room had a comfortable looking couch in front of it, and Tabitha hoped it would get cold enough that night for a fire.
Owen was waiting expectantly for Tabitha’s reaction, but almost immediately he knew that she loved the little cabin, the look on her face was enough to tell him that. He had to admit that the place looked good, the trip up here last week well worth the sore muscles he’d gotten. He’d had to get help from some of the herders, but it had been worth the favors he’d had to redeem.
Tabitha looked around her in amazement. The little cabin looked like someone had been living there. There were fresh flowers everywhere she looked, and the smell of freshly baked bread, in the bedroom she found a plush cover on the bed and wanted to sink into the fluffy pillows. It was like stepping into a fairy tale, she the princess and Owen the prince.
“Owen how did you do this? It’s wonderful.” She finally said, when she came out of the bedroom.
“I might have had a little help from some of the herders, but it was my idea.” Owen said, embarrassed, which was surprising since he’d taken so much gruff from the guys when he told them what he wanted that the embarrassment should have long vanished.
“It’s the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me.” Tabitha said, crossing the room and throwing herself in his arms, ready for the feel of his lips on hers.
Owen understood perfectly what she wanted and eagerly bent his head down to hers and captured her mouth in a kiss that left them both breathless. When they finally had to part for breath, Owen said, “As much as I enjoyed that, maybe we should think about dinner.”
When Tabitha whined and tried to kiss him again, he said, “We have all night.” But then gave in and kissed her again just to make sure she understood that they were only postponing the inevitable for later.
Tabitha normally wouldn’t have been so aggressive, and was a little shocked by her behavior. But when she’d seen the cabin, she’d known that this was right. Once she’d made up her mind, she didn’t want to wait, to worry about what it might be like to be with Owen. Most of her sexual experiences had gone along in similar fashion, one night of passion that eventually led to occasional sex that was never more than satisfactory. But she had a feeling that it might be different with Owen. He stirred her in ways that no man had ever been able to stir her before, and it wasn’t just physical; he’d managed to find his way into her heart.
That thought stopped her for just long enough to allow Owen to escape from her grasp and cross to the kitchen, a huge smile on his face. To her surprise, he pulled a casserole dish out of the refrigerator, which he showed her was cooled by a huge block of ice, then took off the cover. Tabitha knew at once what he was holding, the smell of pasta sauce wafting up to her nose.
“Did you make that?”
“Yep, all the Montgomery men can cook, my mother insisted on it.” He said, then added, “Jack’s more a gourmet chef than I am, but I can make a good lasagna.”
“It looks wonderful.” Tabitha said, then laughed when her stomach growled.
“See I told you that we needed to eat.” Owen said, sliding the lasagna in the oven and turning it on. “It’ll be ready in no time, the solar oven heats food quickly. Why don’t you go get settled?”
After they’d both unpacked their saddle bags, they made themselves comfortable on the porch of the little cabin in the swing that hung from the thick rafters. They sat in silence, conversation unnecessary as they listened to the sound of the forest, and enjoyed the fresh clear pine scented air. When the lasagna was nearly ready, Owen disappeared into the house, ordering Tabitha to stay put.
He came to get her a few minutes later and led her to a little table set for two complete with candles. The lasagna tasted just as good as it smelled and she couldn’t help but take a second helping when Owen offered. “I couldn’t have done any better myself.” She said, taking another bite.
“It was my mother’s specialty.” Owen said, a touch of sadness in his voice.
“You must miss her a lot. Tell me about her.” Tabitha offered, her heart going out to Owen, she may not live close to her parents, but they were still an important part of her life.
To both their amazement that was exactly what Owen did. Ge talked about his mother, stories about growing up with a woman who was determined to make her boys self-sufficient when by all rights they could have done absolutely nothing for the rest of their lives and still had money to spare. As he talked, it felt like something that had been tied up inside him began to unravel and he began to breathe a little bit easier.
Together they cleaned up the kitchen, Tabitha aware that she and Owen had grown closer over the day, a closeness that had nothing to do with the physical attraction between them. Owen too felt close to Tabitha and knew that she’d allowed him to open up as no woman had ever done, but his thoughts were also on the night to come. As they were drying the last dish, the horses began to whinny and stamp around outside the cabin.
“Stay here.” Owen ordered and grabbed the gun he’d set by the door when they’d first come in.
Tabitha hadn’t given it much thought, but she knew that they were in bear country, and although Owen had assured her that there hadn’t been any sightings, she suddenly had visions of a ten-foot-tall bear walking across their meadow. But Owen was back almost immediately, after he set the gun back where it had been, he pulled her onto the porch and pointed across the meadow.
There standing in the shadow of the trees was the moose they’d seen before, or at least it looked like the same moose. “Is it…” She whispered
, knowing that Owen would understand what she was asking.
He nodded his head and took her hand, together they slowly crept up to the moose, being a quiet as they could. When they’d gotten as close as comfort would allow, Owen leaned up against a tree and pulled Tabitha back against him. Together they watched the moose, who looked over to where they were standing several times, but seemed to consider them no threat and kept grazing on the lush grass.
“He knows we’re here and doesn’t mind.” Tabitha whispered, looking up at Owen, thinking that this was even better than that night they’d gone out to dinner.
“He knowns we’re not a threat.” Owen whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
The sun had nearly gone down and it was getting cold. Tabitha had shivered several times, but she wasn’t willing to leave the moose just yet. She was hoping to see the mama and her baby, they’d been with the bull the last time, and they might still be. Just as the last rays of sunlight were touching the tops of the trees, her patience was rewarded when the buck bellowed deep in his throat.
In only a few minutes, the cow and calf came into the meadow and walked over to the bull who nudged the female, then pushed them both into the security of the trees. Tabitha had never seen anything so amazing in her entire life and it was all she could do not to cry, but Owen must have been feeling the same emotion because he took a deep breath. Tabitha hoped that he was seeing what she was, the perfect little family with the baby making them complete.
They walked back to the cabin in silence, no words necessary to explain what they were both feeling. By the time they got back to the cabin, Tabitha was shivering so Owen started the fire in the living room and pulled her onto his lap, then covered them both with a blanket. Within minutes between the fire and Owen’s body heat, Tabitha had quit shivering and was instead quivering with desire.
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