Where did that come from? She didn’t need anyone.
* * * *
Look at that. Her hair flying and dancing with the horse’s gait, Missy rode Speckle with an ease that usually came with years of riding. The smile, too, went with a deep love of horses and joy of riding.
Maybe she hadn’t grown up in the lifestyle, but it suited her. And he’d never seen anyone look as good as she did on a horse. Relaxed, in rhythm, and graceful.
She’d been all over the property lately, and he hoped it was to look for him. He stepped away from the corner of the stables and raised a hand. She turned Speckle and trotted up, a cautious smile on her face.
“Brent.” She wore that burgundy sweater that made him want to touch her. While its color put a rose tone to her skin, it clung to her in all the right places.
“Howdy, stranger.” Brent almost grinned when he thought of what his friends would say about him using reverse psychology.
Missy didn’t want him to push her or ask about her past, so he wouldn’t. His quiet, steady way would win her over. Not that his emotion about her felt quiet in any way. Working with her day after day made them louder and louder, harder to control.
“Taking her in?” he asked, shoving his hands into his coat pockets to keep them warm.
“Yeah. What are you up to?” She swung down and led Speckle into the stable yard.
“Just hanging around,” he said, keeping it vague, and managed to keep the grin off his face as he walked in with her. She didn’t need to know how glad he was to see her again.
She looked amazing as she fed and brushed the horse. So natural and caring. When she led Speckle back into her stall, the rain suddenly came down hard enough to make a thundering sound through the stable roof.
“I was thinking about my brother,” she said as she moved on to pet a different horse. He busied himself by bringing hay over.
“I’ve done some of that lately.” He kept his tone light, but those weren’t words with a light meaning.
“Do you miss him?” she asked, then answered herself. “Of course you do. I’m sorry if it’s hard having me here, instead of him.”
He stopped to look at her. “Listen, the circumstances aren’t great, but I’m glad you’re here.”
“You are?” She turned this time, and her eyes had that same lost look he’d seen the first time they spoke. “I wish I'd gotten my priorities straight and come for a visit sooner. He invited me. I guess you don’t know that since he didn’t even tell you about me.” She turned back to her work.
“Missy, he didn’t tell me about the rest of his life. That’s how men are. He didn’t know much about me before we became friends. Even when Amanda left, he didn’t ask me to explain.”
“Amanda?”
Shoot, he’d just blown the mood, and now he had to explain. “She’s the reason I have that house. She was a part of this when it started, but she took off after two months. I guess that’s why I thought you’d see life on a ranch and head back to the city.”
“One woman, all women, huh? I’ve made the same mistake about men.” She flicked a look over at him, and he decided to take that as apology for her turning him out the other day. He’d heard enough to know her old boss had taken advantage of her.
“So are you heading anywhere for Thanksgiving?”
She looked surprised at the change in subject, but didn't call him on it.
“I don’t do much for any holiday. Maybe watch football.”
Was he supposed to laugh at that? He’d never heard of a woman who didn’t celebrate the holidays. “I wasn’t sure if you have family in the area.”
“I don’t have family anywhere, not anymore.” She moved on to a new horse and began to brush, as if this wasn’t a heavy conversation. But it wasn’t the weather and it did matter.
“I guess I forgot to tell you.” He started talking while he thought it through. “If you’re here on the ranch, you have to celebrate with us.”
“That’s a ranch rule?”
“Yup. Dale and Ivan and me, we all thought maybe we could get the little woman to cook for us.”
She whipped around and threw hay at him. “So that’s what this is about?”
“Well, we’ll all pitch in. Isn’t that the true spirit of Thanksgiving? We can cook at my house. Watch the game. Drink some beer. It’ll be fun.”
A smile brightened her face, warming her eyes as well. It was the first real smile he’d seen on her since before they’d kissed and that was something he shouldn’t be thinking about. If he wanted her to feel comfortable about joining them, he needed to be a friend.
“Well . . .” she said, biting her lip. Keeping his gaze off her mouth, he decided he could be a gentleman for a day. Not think about her lips, or brown eyes, or that petite body.
“Make that a yes, and I’ll buy the turkey and everything to go with it.”
“I actually can cook a turkey,” she said. He lifted his brows in disbelief. “I can. I’m better at big dinners than preparing an everyday meal. Just wait and see.”
He had her. Or so he thought. Maybe she had him.
Chapter Six
At the rumble outside at eight in the morning, Missy went to the window and found Brent turning off his truck and stepping out. Why did the man have to be so breathtaking? So cool and hot at the same time?
She opened the door. “That’s an awful big alarm clock.”
“Weren’t you up?”
“Yeah, I was.” Barely. She’d just finished breakfast. “What’s up?”
There had to be a reason he had his truck here. He nudged his hat back and walked up the steps. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll haul off some of this junk.”
“Oh.” They both knew the junk meant Ben’s things, but she could see in his face that he needed to keep it light if he was going to do this. “That’d be fine. I put everything I don't need in his bedroom.”
“Mind if I look through all of it?”
She wanted to wrap her arms around him as she sensed his pain. “Of course. You don’t have to ask me that.”
They’d talked about hauling all the papers off to the dump, but she hadn’t rushed him on it. She carried out the smaller boxes while he took the heavier ones. Brent didn’t stop to look at anything until they came across a box full of photos in the bedroom.
She paused in the doorway when she saw him, sitting on the floor to look through the pictures. Leaving quietly, she waited in the living room. Twenty minutes passed before he carried the box out. She didn’t plan to say anything about it, but he stopped beside her.
“You might want to keep that one.” He handed her a picture.
It showed her standing beside Ben, both with uncertain smiles on their faces.
“Thanks . . . this is when we met. We didn’t know what to think of each other.”
Her emotions seemed in check till she heard her shaky breathing. His arms came around her in that instant and she didn’t debate this time before falling into his arms.
His breath came out shaky, too. She cried for a brother she hardly knew . . . while he mourned a friend. Thank heaven he never pointed that out, not since the first day.
Those thoughts dropped from her mind when she smelled his freshness from a shower, the soapy smell of his skin. His well-toned body felt strong against her. Minutes slipped by and she didn’t care, not with her eyes closed and their hearts beating against each other.
“Well . . . I should get going. I’ll be back, though.”
* * * *
Three hours later, Brent backed his truck up to Missy’s steps so they could unload the bed he’d bought. Missy still hadn’t gone into Ben’s room, so he wanted to get her a new bed. Maybe that would help. Finding it hadn’t taken three hours, but he’d needed some time to think about what he’d found in Ben’s things.
He turned off the truck’s engine and looked down at the papers in the seat beside him.
A will. His messy, unorganized friend had started a will. Si
nce it was hand written, and not notarized, it might not stand up legally, but it had been Ben’s wishes just the same. Now what would he do with it?
If Missy read it, she might leave.
The front door of the house creaked and he stuffed the papers in his glove compartment. Hitching an arm out the window, he watched her walk down the steps.
“You didn’t have to do this.” She pulled on her red coat. He stepped out and met her at the back of the truck.
“I wanted to.” The wind caught her hair and whipped it in her face. He watched the silky strands feather on the breeze, then pushed aside his fascination with her hair to answer, “It’s overdue. I shouldn’t have left you with all of Ben’s things.”
He knew Ben had been her brother, but since she hadn’t known him all that well, this was his responsibility.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“No need.” He stared at her too long.
She shifted her weight, signaling her discomfort, so he lowered the tailgate and they carried it inside together.
They worked well together, whether caring for the horses or moving furniture.
Just imagine what they could do . . . together . . . in the bedroom.
He stood back, looking at the bed, all ready with the mattresses on it. They were alone in her bedroom, and his mind wouldn’t behave.
“Brent?” Missy asked, her voice soft and shy. Biting his tongue, he hoped she hadn’t caught the look in his face as he imagined them naked together on the bed.
Turning, she looked unsure of herself with a little smile tugging at her lips. He lost the power to think as he looked at her, those lips and big brown eyes full of questions, so he raised his eyebrows and made a noise.
“I haven’t been horseback riding on the beach yet.”
“No?” he asked, wanting to stare at her all day, but he noticed her smile fade. Oh, yeah, time to answer the question. “Sure, we can go. Is now okay?”
She flashed him a relieved smile. “We could pack a lunch,” she suggested.
Hiding his own smile, he said, “I’ll fix it.”
When he teased her, her unease seemed to melt and she nudged his arm. They left her bedroom, grabbed their coats, and headed for his house.
This being friendly worked out pretty well, except for when his imagination put together different scenarios of how he could get her clothes off.
She wandered around while he fixed sandwiches. When he didn’t hear her, he stepped to the hallway and saw her looking at the fireplace - his favorite place in the house.
He liked to sit there with a beer, watch the flames, or read a magazine. Though, with Missy with him, he’d have different things to do.
Almost laughing at himself, he turned to finish making their lunch. They needed to hurry so they could have some daylight to enjoy the beach.
“Ready?” he called as he retrieved their coats from the closest. He grabbed a ski cap he kept on the closet shelf and pulled it on her head when she came over.
“You might want that. The wind can give you an ache in your ears and jaw.”
“Thanks,” she said, fingering the wooly material. It came down to her brows, framing her face. She didn't seem to know how beautiful she looked. Or she didn’t until she saw the look on his face. He could tell she noticed when her cheeks turned pink.
He gave her hair a gentle tug and opened the door. For one second, he wondered if she would stay around or run off. But he ignored the thought, choosing to enjoy the day. They headed to the pasture where the horses were grazing.
“I can tell why we separate the stallion from the mares, but why do you keep the geldings apart?” she asked as they reached the fence.
“They can still try to pull rank. The stallion will fight the geldings, too.” He paused to open the gate. Several horses came toward them, including Jeffery and Speckle. “I like to play it safe since we take on boarder horses. The last thing our reputation needs is a wounded boarder.”
They led their horses to the stables to saddle them. When her gaze met his, he felt an immediate physical reaction, right where she could see it if she looked down. She sure could turn him on, but he didn’t let her know. No, he wanted her to trust him.
Since it’d reached late afternoon already, he picked up the pace along the trail. “How does it feel?” he asked.
“Fine. Speckle shows me what to do.”
That was what he wanted to hear. “We keep a slow pace when we take tourists out, but I don’t want to be too late today. Wouldn’t do for Speckle to stumble in the dark and pitch you on your heard.”
Mist came in from the river. It added more moisture to the air, making it feel thick and heavy. A soft silence enveloped the forest except for the noise they made.
As they neared the top of the hill, he slowed so they could see the ocean. Today the mist blocked most of their view.
Brent glanced at Missy as they guided the horses down the beach trail. She sat comfortably in the saddle, although focused on the trail.
“Nice work,” he told her. “You’ve got it.”
Scotch Broom bushes lined the path until the bottom of the trail before it opened and they were on the beach. Missy pulled in a breath at the view. Sand stretched out all around them and waves pounded the beach ahead.
Pulling up beside him, she said, “It’s loud.”
He liked the wonder in her eyes, and how red her lips were from the cold air. It took him a minute to see she had turned her gaze to him.
“I’ve been biting my tongue and not telling you how beautiful you are,” he said with reverence. There wasn’t any change in her expression, but she didn’t look away, either. “Caught you by surprise?” he asked.
She laughed. “You do that a lot.” Her breathless voice stirred his passion. Should he tell her what she did to him?
No, he’d learned his lesson when he rushed her before, so he’d take it slow. “Want to ride down the beach a ways?”
Excitement lit up her eyes. She nudged Speckle and they set off, nice and slow to enjoy the ocean. He’d been around the cold ocean, the sea gulls, the foghorns all his life, but he could tell it was new for her. She watched the birds as they swooped and darted over the endless banter of water and sand.
“Here comes a big one,” he said.
“How do you know?”
“It’ll be the seventh. Everything’s got a pattern.” He paused alongside her horse. The next wave rose up higher, crashed, and came racing up the sand.
“It’s going to get us!” She backed her horse up. Speckle flicked an ear, and looked at him as if to say, She’s a newbie. The wave did reach them, but the horses weren’t afraid of the ocean.
A bank of fog hung in the air above them, leaving stillness underneath. Even while the ocean fought the land, the air stood still.
“Where did the wind go?” she asked him.
“It does this once in a while, fall or springtime.” He’d walked it all his life, but today was new for him. Today was with her.
She glanced at him and smiled.
“Hungry?” he asked. At her nod, he led the way back toward the brush near the hill. Staying by the horses, they sat on the sand with the sandwiches.
“Thanks for today,” she said before taking a bite. After chewing for a minute she added, “For the furniture, and all this.”
“My pleasure.” He meant that, too, in a big way. Watching her ride, watching her watch him back. It was all his pleasure.
A desperate need filled him. He wanted to kiss her, but he’d been unable to gauge if that’s what she wanted.
While they ate, she turned her gaze toward the waves and sky. Hardly a soul had ventured out today. That could have something to do with the fading daylight and falling temperatures.
The fog made it seem later, darker, and he knew they should head back. He didn’t want her riding up the hill for the first time in the dark.
She turned to him. “It’s almost dark.”
“Yeah, time to go,” h
e agreed and stood, offering his hand. Hers felt cold, another reason to leave.
When she stood, her body nearly brushed his. At first, she looked at his chin. He knew she could sense the mood, sense how he watched her.
She raised her gaze to meet his. After a searching, thoughtful look, she rose on her toes and softly kissed his cheek.
The woman was killing him.
She mounted her horse and waited for him. Yeah, he’d follow her anywhere. But would she let him? Did she want to stay with him? He couldn’t even tell if this was the start of something or just a nice day for her.
He let her lead the way back up the hill and through the forest. They didn’t speak. How could they?
He felt something like respect for the time, for that kiss, and for the feelings that must be boiling inside her. He wanted to take it slow, for her.
After they brushed the horses, he walked her home. Her mind seemed to be turning something over, and he hoped it was him. She glanced at him several times, but didn’t say much.
At her door, he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. If lightening could touch lightly, it did.
The look in her eyes asked for more. Instead, he touched his hat and headed back to the stables. The horses needed their blankets since the temperature was already flirting with freezing.
He smiled on his way there because he’d tricked her into taking an evening off. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving, and he planned to take full advantage of having her in his house all day. She’d need her rest tonight.
* * * *
Missy rolled over onto her back, rubbed her hair out of her face, and stretched. The alarm clock clicked on and Alan Jackson’s smooth, sweet voice filled the room. “Good morning to you, too. And happy Thanksgiving!”
She sat up on the edge of the bed - the new one Brent had brought back for her - to listen to the rest of the song before turning if off. She’d changed everything about herself when she moved to Las Vegas, everything except her love of country music, which she‘d hidden.
She hadn’t sung in the shower in a while. She did today while lathering on coconut body wash and extra conditioner in her hair. When she dressed, she pulled on an olive green sweater that Brent hadn’t seen yet.
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