by Em Petrova
Ford, wearing leather gloves and a vest, twirled the lasso as he walked toward the horse they were working with right now. The horse’s beautiful brown coat was glossy, catching the sunlight and rippling as he cantered away, always steps out of Ford’s reach.
“C’mon,” his brother said, low.
Easton chuckled. “He’s got the best of ya, brother.”
“Think you can do better?”
“Yeah, I do. I did win several buckles at the rodeo those years of high school for team ropin’. If you recall, I was header.”
Forgetting the horse, Ford strolled to the fence and handed off the rope.
Easton threw him a grin and took it, coiling it the way he liked in his own gloved hand before he vaulted over the fence into the paddock. The horse snorted at the new presence, and Case gave a laugh.
“He says you smell, cousin,” Case said.
“I’m sure I do. Where’d you get this horse anyway?”
“Paid half a year’s wages for him from a private seller, but he’ll be worth it if we can tame him. He’s pureblood,” Ford said, tipping his hat lower against the sun.
“Yeah? How’d you even afford a pureblood?”
“Owner had a helluva time breaking his daddy, and he didn’t have the time to put into this one. Said he wanted the horse with the best of the best.” Ford’s voice sounded with pride. “But obviously it’s not going to the therapy program Susannah runs. We need tame old mares for that.”
Easton tossed the rope and the horse shied away. The rope hit the dust and Case and Ford laughed.
Throwing them a wry smile, he coiled the rope again. Five tries later, the horse was edgier than ever and running the circumference of the paddock, mane and tail flowing in the breeze.
“Best to give him some time to cool off,” Ford said. Just then Aunt Maggie came out and rang the big bell on the porch. From all corners of the ranch, his cousins appeared. Everyone joined up on the porch and the morning turned into an immediate party.
By the time they got to the breakfast table, piled with platters of sausage links, scrambled eggs and toast, Easton’s embarrassing attempt to rope the new horse was aired to all.
“Dude, I’ve been in your seat so many times I’ve lost count,” Cash said with a chuckle.
“Not like I do a lot of ropin’ on the oil rig.” He was unaffected by their poking fun as he forked up six sausage links.
“How is your work on the rig?” Aunt Maggie asked from the head of the table.
Easton looked up and something passed between their gazes that told him she most likely knew something had happened, probably shared by his mother.
“It’s fine,” he said, forking up some eggs. “I’ll be back to it before long. Until then, I’ll keep on enjoying this good food. Sure beats energy drinks and bear claws.”
“Ooh, bear claws sound good, Momma,” Hank said. “Think you could bake some up for tomorrow’s breakfast?”
“I might if you actually can fix the fence of my chicken coop like I asked you two weeks ago,” she shot back in the sassy way of a Dalton woman.
“Touché,” Hank said with a grin. “It’ll be fixed by suppertime.”
As Easton ate, he thought of the feeling of camaraderie here among his people versus the atmosphere at work. It was different, but no less filled with the banter and teasing of people who held great affection for each other. A longing to return to his job broke over him.
“—Lilah.”
He jerked his head up at someone saying her name. Then his gaze darted to the door, heart lifting in excitement that she could be standing feet away. But she wasn’t.
He waited to hear what was said about Lilah. Witt spoke, bringing up the events of the previous night. As the family discussed it, and Ford threw in tidbits about how distraught Susannah had been during and afterward, Easton relived every moment of his stolen kisses with Lilah.
The way her body felt against his, the way she smelled… He couldn’t recall ever thinking those things about Katie, even after he’d gotten her in his arms.
Confused by his own thoughts, he heard himself say, “Aunt Maggie, would you mind if I invited Lilah to dinner tonight?”
She beamed at him. “It’s a wonderful idea. She’s done so much for us lately, and she’s a lovely girl.”
Ford grunted. “I’m sure Easton was thinking exactly that when he thought to invite her.”
If they’d been at their own table with their mother and father, Easton would have thrown a piece of buttered toast at Ford’s head. But he chomped down on it instead, polishing it off in four bites.
“Yes, do invite Lilah, Easton,” his aunt said, ignoring Ford’s outburst like she had so many times when they were kids.
He nodded. “I’ll drive up to her place later and do that.”
After breakfast, he took another round in the paddock with the horse but in the end, relinquished the lasso to Hank, who got it on the first try and managed to walk it calmly around the ring, training it to stop when commanded. Easton watched for a while and then got the chance to slip away.
Driving to the Sherman’s place had him jittery as a schoolboy. He might be stupid to lay his emotions on the line—again—and risk being rejected. But something about Lilah had him shoving down those worries and stepping up to bat.
The winding back roads gave him too many ideas about pulling off with her and taking her into his arms. Of hearing insects humming in the tall grasses as he eased deep inside her.
When he arrived at the small ranch, he gripped the steering wheel, a moment of panic setting in.
They hadn’t exactly parted on easy terms after the kiss last night. He had to pose the invitation to dinner in a way that sounded as if the family was making the request and not him.
He got out of the truck and his boots hit the dirt drive. The yard was freshly mown and the scent of grass flooded him with a feeling of homecoming. That and the hummingbirds flitting to and from the feeders hanging from the low porch drew him up to the front door.
He rapped on it, his heart thumping a little harder. Lilah was home—he’d seen her truck with that damned broken door handle parked out front. After another knock, the door opened and the mesh screen door stood between him and the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
Lilah’s mouth fell open. “Easton.”
“Hey.” He placed a palm on the doorframe, wishing he was touching her. “Just wanted to extend an invitation to dinner. Aunt Maggie said you’ve done so much for the Daltons recently.”
She pushed open the screen door, and he stepped back as she crowded onto the porch. “Um. Sure, I guess. Thank you.”
He ran his gaze all over her, from the top of her curls to her beautiful eyes framed by darker lashes and the kissable tip of her nose. Then her mouth… God, that had dirty thoughts roaming through his mind.
“Easton—”
“Damn, you’re beautiful,” he cut her off.
A flush climbed her throat. He’d forgotten how hard it was to watch her blush. At the Halloween party as kids, she’d practically been on fire when he asked her to go out to the hay ride with him. What a jerk he’d been to her. He more than wanted to make up for it now.
He leaned against the wall, unable to unhinge his stare from her.
“I’m covered in barn filth.” She waved a hand over her dirty jeans and boots. “I just came in from mucking stalls.”
He hadn’t noticed but now he only found her more alluring. “You’re lovely.”
She flushed brighter.
“And prettier when you’re blushing.”
“Why must you always point out my flaws?”
“Who says they’re flaws?”
“Easton…” She wet her lips, and he locked onto her mouth. Finding himself leaning closer until she stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Easton, you’re moving too fast for me. In fact, I can’t get involved with you at all.”
He straightened. “Why not?”
“I… It would just never work. We’re very different, come from different worlds.”
He waved a hand at the beauty of Texas. “Looks like we’re in the same world to me.”
“You know what I mean. Your job would keep you away a lot, and mine does too. We’d never see each other. Those kisses last night—” She broke off as one of her brothers rode into the yard on a farm vehicle. She whispered, “We can’t do that again.”
Like hell. He’d have her across his lap as soon as he got her alone.
She dragged in a deep breath, and his attention shifted to her breasts. A handful each. Perfect.
She clapped her hands in front of his face. “Easton, you’re really an ass, you know that, right? I’ll come to dinner but only because the Daltons have been kind to me and Susannah’s my best friend. But my decision has nothing to do with you.”
“Okay, I deserved that. But,” he lowered his voice, hovering over her, “I think you liked those kisses too.”
She shifted her gaze away but brought it right back to his. An electric current ran between them for a solid heartbeat.
“Why don’t I wait while you get cleaned up and I’ll drive you to Paradise Valley?”
She swallowed hard. “I’m capable of driving myself.”
“Of course you are. But I’m asking you to ride with me.” He waited for her answer, feeling a weird sensation in his chest he hadn’t experienced before. It felt like all the hope in the world had been sucked inside him, and one word from her—yes—would have him bursting like a firework on the Fourth of July.
The flip side, though… Well, he wasn’t going to entertain the thought of her saying no.
“Okay, fine. It’ll take me a bit to clean up.”
His heart leaped. “I’ll sit right here if it’s all right.” He pointed to one of the wooden chairs.
“Okay, can I offer you some tea or something?”
“I’m good.” He was more than good.
She nodded and disappeared inside, letting the screen clatter shut behind her. He looked at the chair and then out at her truck parked in the sun. He headed for it.
Five minutes later he pretty much had it figured out that she needed a new door handle and not just some tweaks with a screwdriver. He’d head to the junkyard nearby and see if he could find one for her. Maybe even surprise her someday by just fixing it.
He settled back on the porch and looked out over the land. Fields as far as the eye could see, dotted with cattle. The brother he’d seen before cut across on the motorized vehicle, moving out of sight.
Easton was just thinking that cold tea sounded good right about now when the screen opened. He jumped to his feet. Lilah looked into his eyes, and he felt it like a touch.
His heart tripped harder. “Still beautiful.”
She dipped her head. “Easton, you don’t have to flatter me with compliments.”
“I know that—I want to.” Before she could raise any more protestations, he jerked his head toward his truck. “C’mon.”
* * * * *
Upstairs Lilah had given herself a stern talking to about considering this to be more than a friendly invitation to dinner. But when Easton paused to place a hand on the small of her back and guide her down the porch steps, that small flutter inside her grew.
They took a couple steps and a shout brought her head up. She drank in the scene in a heartbeat—the horse galloping hell-bent across land it never got to run unless it jumped the fence like this one was prone to do. And her brother Cody sprinting after it, rope in hand.
“Damn, Ranger’s gotten out again. That horse’ll be the death of Cody,” she cried.
Easton pulled away from her and ran to his truck. She hadn’t known such a big man could move so fast, but he was a blur when he grabbed a coil of rope from the back and sprinted off after the horse.
Lilah clapped a hand over her mouth as she looked on at the scene. Easton shouted for Cody to head around his flank and push him Easton’s way. When the horse cut right, Easton tossed the lasso and it landed squarely over its head.
With one throw.
That never happened with Ranger.
Easton jerked the rope and dug in his heels, but still Ranger dragged him a good ten feet before Cody ran up and forced him to a stop.
Lilah hurried to them, panting after holding her breath for so long as she watched. Easton shot her a wry grin. “Wish my cousins and brother had been here to see that. I got more practice with ropin’ than I would have liked this morning.”
“Thanks for your help, Dalton,” Cody said, catching the horse’s halter to get him moving back to the barn.
Easton wiped the dust off his jeans. “Just in the right place at the right time.”
She caught herself smiling at him and quickly turned her gaze away. “Do you want to wash up before we go?”
His intense stare pinned her to the ground. She couldn’t even move a toe if she tried. “Maybe I like bein’ a little dirty,” he said, voice low and rough.
Her stomach dipped and heated. She opened her mouth but snapped it shut. What to even say to that?
“Well then.” She tilted her head toward the truck. The faster they got to the Daltons’ ranch, the sooner she would be surrounded by enough people to distract her from Easton’s gaze.
They started walking toward the truck, and she found the skin of her lower back prickling, almost begging for Easton to put his hand there again. But he didn’t, just opened the passenger door for her and closed it when she’d climbed in.
Once he was seated behind the wheel, they turned to each other. He stared at her lips, and she wet them nervously. No, she was not thinking of his kisses, the way his hot tongue ruled her mouth.
“Tonight the maze is open to the public,” she said.
“That’s right.” He made no move to start the engine.
“I was thinking that we closed all the gaps, but it might be smart to put a guard in every branch of the maze.”
His eyes cleared and he nodded. “Sound plan.” He gripped the wheel, and she noted how tightly. As if he was fighting to keep from touching her…
Great, now she was making things up in her head. Pretty soon she’d have a stick in hand, scratching their initials in the dirt like she had as a kid. Damn him for coming back into her life and confusing her all over again.
She buckled her seatbelt and folded her hands in her lap. As they bumped down the driveway, she shot glances at him. Muscled forearms with veins snaking down them and disappearing into the rolled sleeves of his western shirt.
If she could describe her ideal type of man, this would be it. Clad in boots, hat and denim and with piercing eyes she wanted to stare into all day long.
She pushed out a sigh.
He turned his head her way. “That sounded heavy. Whatcha thinkin’ about?”
She floundered for something to tell him. Work came to mind. “A place down in the next county that just burned. The family’s pretty distraught and I’m trying to reassure them that their land will be good for grazing again in a few months. In the meantime, their neighbors are fostering their cattle.”
“That sounds like a neighborly thing to do.”
“Yeah, except now they’re asking for payment for use of their land. And the family’s hurting enough after losing so much.”
Easton’s brows drew down. “That’s pretty shitty of them.”
“It is. I’m worried about the family. I’ve been tossing around doing some type of charity event for them. I know they’re proud, though, and could take the gesture badly.”
He pushed out a sigh too and navigated a bend in the road. Two deer bounded out, and he had to brake for them. “Good huntin’ season this fall, looks like. I’ve seen a lot of deer this summer. Back to the family, what if you were to ask Susannah for a portion of the profits from tonight’s maze to go to the family? Then it’s coming from the Daltons, who are respected in these parts.”
She thought on that. “It’s a great id
ea, and I do wonder if they’d view the help from the Daltons as fellow rancher to rancher. I’ll see what Susannah thinks about it. I can’t ask her to give part of her earnings without her being a hundred percent willing.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, here I am allocating her funds as well. Best to talk to her about the situation.”
They rode for another minute or two before she said, “You did great with that horse back there.”
He barked out a laugh. “Like I said, I wish my family’d been there to witness it. You’ll have to vouch for me, okay?” He swung his stare to her, pinning her in the seat and causing that low flutter in her belly again.
“I will.”
“It felt good to land that loop on the horse. I don’t get to do that as often as I’d like.”
“But you like your job? On the oil rig?”
He was silent for a minute, making her rethink her decision to ask him such a question. Maybe he wasn’t willing to confide something more personal like that.
“Yeah, I love it. But I… I made a big mistake that cost the company a lot of money, so they gave me a month off.”
She let out a trickle of air. “That’s got to be hard.”
“It’s no picnic. But I’ll survive and I won’t screw up again.”
She nodded. “You can’t beat yourself up, Easton. You’re human.”
“Yeah, I can. My mind wasn’t on the job, and I screwed up majorly because of it.”
“So next time you’ll do better. We might not be kids anymore, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still learning in life.”
He removed his attention from the road and fixed it on her. “You always were smarter than all of us, Lilah.”
She dipped her head. “In school I was teased for being a nerd. By high school, I learned to embrace it. I think my family was secretly shocked when I told them the direction I wanted to go in my career. They all expected I’d go into science or astronomy or something.”
“I can see that. What was the turning point for you?”
She was aware of how slow they were driving, and suddenly she wondered if the old couples they often saw out for Sunday drives were actually enjoying conversation the way she and Easton were.
