One Hundred Choices (An Aspen Cove Novel Book 12)

by Kelly Collins

  “I’m fed. Usually, Wyatt cooks, but when he doesn’t, I work it out. He buys stuff and hasn’t minded sharing yet.”

  “I’m awful. I promise to stock you guys up this week.”

  Trinity didn’t mind much. She knew what hunger felt like. It wasn’t having Wyatt panfry burgers or bake a chicken. Between them, a chicken could last three days.

  “How do I look?”

  “Like you’re going on a date. Do you need anything else like perfume or makeup? I’ve got a boatload of it.”

  She looked at Abby’s clear face and couldn’t recall ever seeing her wear makeup. “Why would you have a boatload?”

  She frowned. “I met your brother’s ex. She wore lots of it, and I thought if I dolled myself up, your brother might find me more attractive.”

  Trinity laughed. “Angie isn’t attractive. She’s all sizzle and no steak.”

  Abby looked her over. “You’ve got the sizzle and the steak.”

  “With a little mascara and lip gloss, I think I’ll do.” She smoothed the dress over her thighs. “Thanks for this. Your kindness means a lot.” She walked out of the room and down the hallway. “I should be going.”

  “No, you don’t. If this is a date, he can pick you up here.”

  Trinity smiled. “You’re right.” This was the stuff she missed by living with men. She texted Wyatt and told him where she’d be when he was ready.

  While she waited, she put on the finishing touches and returned to the table for another cup of tea.

  She no sooner sat down when a knock sounded at the door.

  She jumped up, but Abby shook her head. “I’ll get it. Let’s make him wait a few seconds. It builds the excitement. Besides, he doesn’t need to see how eager you are.”

  “But I am eager. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been on a real date that didn’t happen after several beers and a late night?”

  “Someone who looks like you? I’d guess about two weeks.”

  She shook her head. “Sixteen years old. We went to the county fair, and I bloodied his nose when he tried to cop a feel on the Ferris wheel.”

  The second knock was louder. “No bloody noses tonight. Whatever happens, is up to you.” Abby walked to the door.

  A thousand butterflies swarmed Trinity’s stomach. She’d only considered the date, not where it would lead to. If it ended with him in her bed, she was okay with that. He’d treated her better than any man prior. Good behavior should be rewarded.

  Abby opened the door. “Evening, Wyatt.”

  “Abby.” He nodded and tipped his hat. There was something old fashioned and respectable when a cowboy took off his hat to greet a woman. Not many did these days, but then again, most cowboys were posers and not the real deal. Wyatt was authentic.

  “Would you like to come in for a beer or a coffee?”

  He looked past her to Trinity. His smile said everything his words hadn’t had a chance to. He liked what he saw.

  “No ma’am. I’ve made reservations at Trevi’s.”

  Abby turned and winked at Trinity. “How fancy.”

  Trinity walked over to him and kissed his cheek. He was dressed all in black from his boots to his hat. This wasn’t his regular wear. This was the cowboy equivalent of a tuxedo.

  “I’m ready.” She looked at Abby. “Thanks for everything.”

  Abby stood in the doorway after they walked out. “You kids have fun.”

  When they got to Wyatt’s truck, he opened the door and helped her inside. Before he closed it, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You made my heart stop tonight.”

  She smiled all the way to Copper Creek.

  When they arrived at the steakhouse, Wyatt exited and rushed around to get her door. It was charming the way he treated her like something special.

  At a table by a window, where the sun set before them, they dined and drank wine. She learned a lot about him. He shared how he’d been a city boy with a country heart. He’d walked onto his first ranch and wouldn’t leave until they gave him a job. He was eighteen. They shared their deepest fears. His was never amounting to more than a hired hand. Hers was never belonging.

  “What do you want to be when you grow up?” she asked.

  He smiled. It was a smile that made her heart want so much more.

  “I’ve always wanted to be the foreman. To lead instead of being led.” He twirled his wine glass and watched the red liquid fall from the sides. “Lloyd brought in a new guy.”

  She saw the hurt in his eyes. It would be something if Wyatt was unskilled, but he wasn’t. He moved cattle like others moved cars. It was a smooth transition from pasture to pasture. She was called a horse whisperer, but Wyatt was the same with cattle.

  “Do you think he’s going to replace you?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t live at the ranch, so that makes me less valuable.”

  “And this other guy can?”

  He reached across the table and held her hand. “He’s old and grizzled and doesn’t pose a threat to Dawson’s girls.”

  She huffed. “Neither do you. Do I need to come over every day and kiss you in front of someone?”

  He beamed. “Would you?”

  “If you thought it would help.”

  “God, Three. You sure do make a shit day turn into gold.”

  She considered her next question. It was one she asked every man she felt something for. How he answered would define the future.

  “Why do you like me?” She waited for the canned answer. The one that would get him a failing grade. If the first thing out of his mouth was because you’re pretty, she’d go home and climb into her bed. If he said anything else, she’d go to the bunkhouse and climb into his.

  He stared at her for a long minute. “There are many reasons why I like you. The first is probably because you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”

  Her heart leaped in her chest. “What else?”

  “You’re smart and funny and stubborn. You make awful oatmeal, but you’re thoughtful. I could go on forever and tell you all the things I find charming and frustrating. You can’t have one without the other. You’re the raisin in my muffin.”

  She scrunched her nose. “I hate raisins.”

  “But I love them.”

  Her breath caught. Was that his way of telling her he loved her? Was it possible to love someone without lying with them? In her experience, words of love and affection only slipped out breathless and sweaty between the sheets. The morning after, everyone forgot they’d been spoken.

  When the waitress picked up their plates and asked if they wanted dessert, Trinity looked at Wyatt. “Do you want cake here or something sweeter at home?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Wyatt paid the bill.

  “You know, you don’t have to offer your sweets because I took you to dinner.” He didn’t let go of her hand because touching her, however innocent, was almost enough—almost.

  “I didn’t offer because you took me to dinner. I’m worth far more than steak and wine.”

  “Yes, you are. Far more than I can afford or hope to deserve.”

  He walked her to his truck. At the door, he leaned in and took her mouth in a leisurely kiss. The kind of kiss that sent his nerve endings pulsing through his body.

  “Please tell me kissing isn’t the only thing you can do with those lips.”

  He stood back and smiled. “I’m going to devour you.” He loved a woman who knew what she wanted. Although Trinity didn’t complain much about her lot in life, he could see that she had a good feel for what made her happy. He was hoping his lips and tongue were part of the equation.

  He couldn’t offer her a house with a picket fence, but he could give her hours of languid strokes.

  “I’m happy to show you.” He opened the door and helped her inside.

  They held hands on the way back home. It wasn’t late, but it was dark when they arrived. They both stared at Tom’s truck.

  “I
s this going to be a problem for you?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “You’re not a problem for me. He’s not a problem for me.”

  “He used to be.”

  She leaned into his shoulder. “I’ve learned a lot lately. There are some battles worth fighting, and some that aren’t. People are assholes, and that fact isn’t going away. The only person I can control is me. I make my decisions, and I live with them.”

  “You’re right. Let’s go inside and make some good decisions.”

  When they entered the cabin, it was dark. He took her to his room and closed the door.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” He guided her to sit on the edge of his bed, and he dropped to his knees. “You have amazing legs.”

  “Hours in the saddle.”

  Dirty thoughts of her riding him for hours floated through his mind, but he kept them to himself. Instead, he ran his hands from the top of her boots to the hem of her skirt. “So soft.”

  “It’s a good thing Abby wears her dresses below her knees.”

  “You borrowed this dress?” He rested his hands on her thighs. He hated that she had so little. “What happened to your clothes? Surely, in Texas, you had more than a single outfit.”

  She flopped back on the bedspread. “I did. I had drawers full of clothes, but Blain Wallaby pissed me off.”

  “Men seem to do that a lot with you. I hope I never end up on your bad side.”

  “You were when you got me fired.”

  He took off his boots and lay on the bed beside her. “I didn’t get you fired. You quit.”

  She rolled to her side and stared into his eyes. “You’re right, but my firing was inevitable. Better to choose for myself than let someone else take my choice away.”

  “What made you leave everything in Texas?”

  “Do you want to talk about that or do something else?”

  He wanted the something else, but he was falling in love with Three, and knowing more about her was as appealing as getting naked. That was a lie, but it was more important than getting naked. Because she was a pretty woman, men rarely looked past the surface. He’d learned a few things over the years. A woman’s intelligence couldn’t be gauged by her cup size. Someone to talk with was far more entertaining than an easy lay. At the end of the day, it wasn’t outer beauty that kept love alive. It was the deep inner beauty that showed in a person’s soul.

  “I want to know you.” He laid a flat palm between her breasts. “What’s in here. It’s easy to fall in love with the outside of a person. It’s not complex. That part is pure attraction, but here.” He pressed against her chest above her heart. “This is where the good stuff is.”

  She smiled and cupped his face. “I don’t think anyone has ever said something like that to me.”

  He laughed. “You said it earlier. Men are assholes. Most. Not all. I can be, but I want to be something better. For you, I want to be more.”

  She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. “Be careful, Mr. Morrison, you almost sound like you’re in love.”

  He put his hand on her hip and tugged her close to him. “I am. Now let me love all of you. Give me your thoughts as well as your body.”

  He tugged the hem of the dress up to her hips and caressed the soft skin of her thighs. “Tell me everything.”

  She let out a breath. “My horse died. Blain gave me a horse, but when he let me go, he told me I could only leave with what I arrived with. Given that most of the clothes in my drawers were gifts or things I’d gotten while I was there, I left them behind. It was childish and immature. At my age, I should be past that, but sometimes my inner child lashes out. This time my temper tantrum left me with only the clothes on my back. If Trigger hadn’t been a fortune teller and seen that Wallaby Ranch wasn’t a long-term solution, I would have hitchhiked instead of driven. Divine intervention got me here in my old SUV. That and the love of an old man who’d seen far too many women come and go.”

  “I’m so glad you came here. Everything about you makes my life better.” He reached behind her and unzipped her dress. “How about that dessert?”

  She shifted, and her boots hit the floor one by one. While she unbuttoned his shirt, he tugged at the dress, lifting it over her head and tossing it to the side.

  “That’s not mine.” She squirmed to move away, but he jumped up.

  “I’ve got it.” Seconds later, the lavender-colored dress hung in his closet. She’d undone the buttons of his shirt, so he shrugged it off and tossed it to his dresser.

  “Hurry up. I don’t want to turn thirty-one while I’m waiting.”

  She lay there in pink cotton panties and a white bra. There was nothing fancy about any of it, and yet, he’d never seen anything so sexy.

  He slowly unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. “What’s your hurry? We’ve got all night.”

  “Do you know how long it’s been?” She put her thumbs into the waistband of her underwear, ready to tug them down, but he stopped her with a shake of his head.

  “It doesn’t matter if it’s been a week or a year. I’m not rushing through this. Isn’t it time someone gave you something rather than took it?”

  He dropped his jeans and boxers. His arousal jutted out like a flag.

  “I’m ready for what you have to give me.” Her eyes stared at his length.

  “In due time. I thought you wanted to know if my tongue’s only talent was kissing.” He dropped to his knees at the end of the bed and gripped her ankles, tugging, so her bottom hit the edge of the mattress. He started those long languid strokes at her foot and made his way to the soft sensitive area at the inside of her knee.

  Each time he hit a ticklish spot, she giggled. It was a sound that filled him with joy. Trinity was a woman who hadn’t seen a lot of joy in her life, and her laughter was a gift she didn’t give everyone.

  He skipped everything in the center of her body and started back at the top of her head.

  “Why me, Three? Why do I get to be here with you?” Every man at the restaurant that night wanted her. Some women had that kind of sex appeal. They never fully understood their allure. That was what made them so attractive. Women who flaunted their beauty turned ugly mighty fast.

  “Because you see me. Really see me.”

  “Oh, I do.” He moved down her body, reaching underneath her to unfasten her bra. He tossed it aside and stared down at the perfect globes of alabaster skin and rose-colored buds. Sucking one into his mouth pulled a hiss from her. Not one of pain but of pleasure. He licked and laved until she was breathless and squirming. When he was certain she couldn’t take any more, he ran his tongue down her stomach until he reached the elastic band of her underwear. Running his thumbs under, he pulled them free and tossed them aside.

  For the next hour, he showed her how skilled his tongue could be. He counted the different moans and groans that slipped from her lips. The last one was his favorite sound until the next one came. He nipped, sucked, and pulled until her body shuddered beneath him. He continued until it happened again. When she lay limp on the mattress, he moved on top of her.

  “You ready for the good stuff?”

  Her eyes looked love drunk. Her skin flushed pink with passion.

  “That wasn’t the good stuff?” she asked.

  “No, baby. We’re only getting started.” He wrapped up and pressed into her. Hot and velvet and tight as a glove, she hugged on to him like he was the most challenging ride in her life.

  He pushed her to the edge multiple times.

  He wasn’t sixteen. He didn’t have the refractory time of a teen, but he had the staying power of a man, and he knew how to please a woman. When he was finished with Trinity, he wanted her to feel like no other man would ever do. Finished with Trinity … that will never happen.

  One taste of her was enough for him to know, he was an addict, and only she would satisfy his cravings.

  “Geez, Wyatt. What the hell are you made of?” She wrapped her
long legs around his thighs.

  “I’m all heart and steel.”

  “I feel it. All of it.”

  He stalled, and every inch of him shook. He was so ready to explode, but his heart needed to know.

  He looked beyond her messy blonde hair, and her sex flushed cheeks. Her perfect breasts reaching for his mouth and the tight fist of her throbbing around him, as he stared deep into her soulful eyes.

  “Do you think you could ever love a man like me?”

  She smiled up at him. “I think I already do.”

  He pumped into her until her body shuddered, and he released on the echoes of her words. I think I already do.

  Basking in the afterglow, he wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. Nothing would come between them again. She’d said it right earlier. Some things were worth fighting for, and some weren’t. Trinity was worth any fight he’d have to enter.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Could a morning get any better? Trinity rolled into Wyatt’s side, seeking out his warmth. Late spring nights dropped into the thirties in the mountains. The only heat in the bunkhouse came from the fireplace, which hadn’t been lit since she arrived.

  “Is it time to get up already?” His groggy voice whispered in her ear. “It feels like we just fell asleep.”

  She laughed. “Time to pay the piper.” She moved to get up, but Wyatt tugged her back against his nakedness.

  “Again?”

  He softly bit her shoulder. “I wish we had time, but we have work. Why didn’t we choose career fields where we could laze around on the weekend?”

  “Because you love cattle, and I love horses.” And you. “I’ll make the coffee if you get the shower started. We can conserve time and water by bathing together.”

  “I like the way you think even though it’s faulty because I plan to be thorough when lathering you up.”

  She climbed out of bed and rooted around in the dark for her clothes before she remembered he’d hung up Abby’s dress.

  Wyatt flipped on the light switch and stared at her. “Any way I can keep you locked in my room naked?”