CHAPTER TWO
Brad stood stunned outside the cabin for several long minutes. He could hear her crying and was actually tempted to break down the door and go in and … he had no idea what he would do, but he felt horrible. He finally decided he’d probably just make things worse. He was already late getting back out to the pasture anyway and Luke was going to have his ass. He got back in his truck and headed out to the back forty to meet his brothers.
As he drove the familiar roads, he couldn’t help but wonder how things had gone wrong so quickly. His brothers always teased him about being a big klutz, and his mother affectionately called him her “bull in a china shop,” but he’d never knocked a beautiful woman down and poured food on her all in the same day. When he’d looked down and realized he could partially see her body, he’d lost his damned mind. It wasn’t like he’d never seen a woman before. The small town they lived in didn’t offer a lot by way of long-term relationships, but by virtue of the tourist attractions nearby and the guest ranch his family ran, there was no shortage of the short-term kind. He didn’t understand what it was about Stephanie that made him act like a fourteen-year-old boy, but if he’d had any hope of anything happening between them after he knocked her down, it was gone once he saw her standing there with the breakfast he brought her all over her feet and dripping from her ankles.
He saw his brother’s pickup and the hay trailer parked alongside the fence where the longhorns were grazing. He stopped his truck and before he had one long leg out the door he heard Luke holler, “Thanks for showing up.”
He looked at Reed, who was trying to maintain a neutral expression. Reed was a typical middle child; he did his best to stay out of just about everything. Luke took his older brother status to dizzying levels sometimes, and Reed rarely objected. Brad usually did and that caused he and his oldest brother to butt heads a lot, and then there was the mix-up with the girl Luke liked recently … he was definitely holding a grudge over that.
“One of the guests needed help,” he tried.
He stepped out of the truck and reached behind the seat for his gloves. Reed was holding on to one of the fence posts, and Luke was wrapping a thin wire around it. They’d had trouble with coyotes lately—the drought and the weather were forcing them to come down lower out of the hills in search of food. Unfortunately, the food they’d found had come in the form of some of the McMurtrys’ young stock. Luke was hoping an electrified fence might help to keep them out.
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Luke muttered as he stretched the wire along the barbed wire that was already in place between the two posts.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Can we not do this today?” Reed asked.
“I’m not doing anything,” Brad said, although he knew he was. He was mad at himself for the way he’d screwed things up with Stephanie, and he was looking for an outlet for that anger. Luke had as much as invited him in. “I’d just like to know what he means.”
Luke looked up at his little brother and wiped a bead of sweat out of his eye. It was already almost eighty degrees. By noon it would probably be close to one hundred. “What I mean is that it’s bad enough you’re always trolling the ranch looking for a new guest or someone else’s girl to take to your bed. Could you try not doing it on my time?”
“Your time? Like you’re the only one around here who works? And about her being someone else’s girl—”
“Guys, please!” Reed was between Luke and Brad now and he looked distressed. “You’re giving me a headache. Can we just finish this, please? I’m supposed to be back at the stables in an hour to help Mick with the first ride this morning.”
Luke and Brad momentarily glared at each other, but they both dropped it and worked side by side in silence for the next hour. When they finished wrapping the electric wire around the last section of fence, Reed said, “I have to get going.”
“I can help Mick,” Brad told him. He figured he had two choices; he could help Mick with the ride or he could spend the rest of the morning listening to Luke’s mouth. Reed looked at his older brother. It was another thing that really annoyed Brad, the way Reed deferred to their older brother about everything.
“I don’t give a shit,” Luke said, “as long as one of you is going to get some work done today.”
That settled it as far as Brad was concerned. He didn’t say anything else to either of his brothers. He pulled off his gloves, got back in the truck, and headed for the stables. None of them cared much for doing the rides with the guests. They were long and tedious and usually consisted of screaming children and city boys who wanted to be John Wayne. Today a long, tedious ride might be just what the doctor ordered.
He parked the truck in front of the corral where Mick already had three of the horses saddled up and ready to go. He walked into the tack house and grabbed a saddle for his own horse. Stepping out the back of the building, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled then saw the beautiful Palomino he’d had for six years look up from where she was grazing. It only took her a few seconds to start toward the corral at a dead run. When she saw the little crowd of guests that had already gathered, she did a little fancy step and bucked once. Brad smiled as he shook his head. She’s such a showoff.
“There’s my best girl. How are you, Issy?” Her name was Isatas, a Native American word for “Snow.” His father had found her up in the hills during one of the biggest storms known to Texas. It was a miracle she’d survived it and another miracle that being a wild pony, she’d followed him back to the ranch. He had given her to Brad for his seventeenth birthday and they’d been an item ever since.
Her name was pronounced EE-tas, but Brad nicknamed her Issy. The horse whinnied and rubbed her face against his. Brad gave her a few strokes along her muscular neck before tossing the blanket and saddle over her back. While he was tightening the cinch, he heard Mick asking what, if any, experience the guests had. Brad almost pulled it too tight and cut off poor Issy’s circulation when he heard the sound of that thick New Jersey accent. “I’ve never been on a horse.”
He whipped his head around and there she was … sans eggs and gravy on her feet. Stephanie was facing Mick, her long blond hair spilling across her shoulders from underneath the straw hat she wore on her head. She had on a plaid button-up shirt and a pair of jeans that fit her like a glove and made him want to peel them off her. Mick was flashing his crooked smile at her and Brad didn’t like it. Didn’t like it one bit. The wrangler always used that lopsided smile on women he was interested in taking to bed.
“Put her on Buddy,” Brad yelled over to him. He didn’t often pull rank, not as much as Luke anyway, but there were some things worth using the McMurtry name for, and he thought Stephanie might be one of them.
Mick and Stephanie both looked at him. Brad thought she had the prettiest big, dark eyes he’d ever seen. She didn’t look happy to see him, and neither did Mick. “Hey Brad, I thought Reed was coming out.”
Brad climbed up on Issy’s back and rode closer to them. The sun was in Stephanie’s eyes as she squinted at him. He loved the way her dark irises sparkled with little flakes of gold. “Reed was busy,” he replied. He tipped his hat at Stephanie and smiled. She didn’t smile back.
“Who’s Buddy?” she asked.
“He’s one of our more gentle horses,” Brad said. “He leads the group so you’ll be up front near me.” He wasn’t sure, but it didn’t look like that instilled much confidence in her. She was probably afraid he’d knock her off the horse. Mick gave Brad another slightly annoyed look and went over to get Buddy. He led the black Arabian by his reins, and Stephanie stepped up on the four-foot wooden ramp they had built for the guests and slipped into the saddle gracefully. She looked like she’d been on a horse hundreds of times. He smiled at her again, and this time he got one in return. It was a nervous smile, but he’d take it. He winked at her. “You’re gonna love this.”
Once they had all nine guests lined up, Brad took the lead and Stephani
e and Mick fell in behind. They rode the narrow dirt trail away from the ranch, heading toward the hills slowly. He kept Issy in front but slightly to the side of Stephanie as they rode, watching her acclimate to the feeling of being on a horse’s back while taking in the scenery at the same time. They’d been riding for more than a half an hour when she finally spoke.
“It’s breathtaking.”
He smiled at her again and looked out across the range they were riding. “It is.” He nodded. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Where do you live, Stephanie?”
“I grew up in Newark,” she said, “in New Jersey. I moved to New York for college when I was eighteen and I’ve lived there since.”
“What do you do in New York?” He couldn’t imagine living in a city like New York. He’d only been there once—when he and Reed were in college, they went to a rodeo at Madison Square Gardens. The rodeo was great; the city was something else. Penn Station alone had completely overwhelmed him.
“I work for a lawyer.”
“I’ll bet that’s interesting.”
“It has its moments.” She smiled again. He was happy that she seemed to be warming up to him. They were approaching a pretty steep incline, so he pulled back on Issy’s reins and stopped. Buddy automatically stopped, and the rest of the horses followed his lead.
“When we go up this hill, just lean forward slightly and let your horse do the work. There are a couple of spots where they’ll probably gallop in order to get a little momentum, but don’t worry. They know what they’re doing, I promise.”
Mick repeated what Brad said to the back of the group, and when no one complained or freaked out, Brad clicked his tongue at Issy and started up. He glanced over his shoulder occasionally to make sure that Stephanie and the lady riding behind her were doing okay. Stephanie looked nervous, but Buddy was doing his job. When he did his little gallop, Brad saw her grip the rope so tightly that her knuckles turned white, but once they were at the top, she was smiling again. She looked almost euphoric. A few moments later she caught sight of the view that was the reason for bringing guests up here in the first place, and he heard her suck in a breath.
“Oh my God …”
He chuckled. “Yep. If you didn’t believe in Him already, this will do it for you.” He grew quiet then, and so did the rest of the group as soon as they each got to the top and saw what everyone was looking at. Brad knew that most of the guests probably flew right over this spot on their way to land at the airport in San Antonio, but it was an entirely different view from where they sat now. The sense of awe still overwhelmed him, and he’d lived here for twenty-four years and counting.
The world all seemed brand new from the top of a mountain. The wildflowers that took root underneath the winter snow were in full bloom now that it was late spring. One whole side of the hill appeared like a soft orange and yellow quilt below them. Brightly colored butterflies flitted from one to the next, gathering nectar, and below them the valley stretched out to provide miles of verdant green luster. There were two big hills just beyond that, and a stream ran down along the side of one of them, ending in a sparkling clear pond at the bottom.
Brad took another glance at Stephanie. The look on her face was reverent, and he thought she just might be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He knew that he had to find a way to convince her that he was more than the klutzy idiot who had made her morning miserable. He’d asked his mother about her this morning when he picked up the breakfast. Ma told him Stephanie was checked in for three weeks. That should give him more than enough time, as long as she was willing.
CHAPTER THREE
Stephanie quickly acclimated to life on the ranch. By her second week there, she had the routines down pat, and she was already regretting that in just one more week she’d have to go back to New York. That made her think about leaving Brad and never seeing him again, and the thought made her sadder than it should.
She’d really tried not to get attached to him, but he made it hard. He seemed to be everywhere she went on the ranch, and the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to. He was a contrast like no one she’d ever met. He had the body of a god and the face of a movie star, but he either didn’t notice, or it hadn’t made him arrogant the way it might any other man. He was also polite and professional one minute and goofy and clumsy the next. It was like they’d taken a man and a boy and wrapped them together in a perfect package.
She had no idea what he saw in her, but she’d slowly started to believe he wouldn’t put so much effort into spending time with her if he didn’t see something. He hadn’t tried to have sex with her so he wasn’t looking for a one-night stand. She told herself it could also mean he wasn’t attracted to her, but the way he looked at her most of the time begged to differ.
This particular morning he’d caught her after breakfast and asked if she wanted to take a walk.
“I got my work done early today and I don’t have anything else to do until this afternoon.”
“Hmm, I was going to take another horseback ride this morning.”
“Aw, come on. You’ve done the ride every day. Take a walk with me.”
She was a little nervous about being completely alone with him. So far, the time she’d spent with him had been in common areas where other people were at least nearby. He ate all of his meals at her table and walked her back and forth to the main house. On the days when he led the trail rides, he rode next to her, and conversation with him had become almost as easy as breathing. Not wanting to be alone with him wasn’t about her not trusting him. He’d been nothing but a gentleman, if she ignored the lust in his eyes when he looked at her. That was hard to ignore, though, and it made her worry about her own impulse control, should she have him all to herself. At the same time, the idea of maybe just a kiss was so thrilling she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“Okay, a walk sounds nice.” He walked her back to the cabin to get her hiking boots, and once she had them on, he led her out toward the dirt road that circled the field in front of her cabin. As they walked, he reached out his hand and she took it. His hand felt warm and comfortable in hers, and it made her want more. She was glad when he started talking so she could get her mind off of how badly she wanted to kiss him.
“So, do you have any siblings?”
“Nope, I’m an only child,” she said.
“Lucky girl.” He was smiling, but something in his eyes told her he was at least partially serious.
“I take it that means you do have siblings?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t met them. I have two brothers. They don’t usually eat meals with the guests, but they both spend a lot of time up at the main house.”
“I’ve probably seen them and just didn’t know they were your brothers. Do they look like you?”
“I’m much better looking.” He grinned. “Have you had a chance to talk much with Ma?”
“She always says hello at meal time, but she’s a really busy lady, and in high demand.”
“Yep, that’s my mom. She does everything.”
“She’s amazing, and her cooking is indescribable. I haven’t eaten this well in a long time.” Stephanie wasn’t lying. If she wasn’t worried about her weight before, she would be after this vacation. The meals were all home-cooked and rich in flavor and calories.
“She is pretty amazing. If not for her this place would have fallen apart a long time ago.”
They walked slowly as they talked and Stephanie had a chance to take in parts of the ranch she hadn’t seen yet. She’d point things out and ask him questions, and he had answers for most of it. If he didn’t, he’d tell her to ask Ma when she saw her. They walked past well-tended acres of fields and green pastures where horses or long-horned cattle roamed. Some of the buildings and barns were well-worn and others looked brand new. There were holding pens and small fenced-off fields for sheep and goats, and of course the horse corral. As they approached it
, she asked, “How many horses does the ranch have?”
“We had twenty-seven at last count. A couple of our mares are pregnant, so technically twenty-nine,” he said with a smile then suddenly stopped walking and turned toward her. “Stephanie?”
She loved the way her name sounded on his lips. She realized at that moment, as they stood with their bodies almost touching, that she’d never felt this kind of attraction to any man, not even Richard. He brought one of his hands up and cupped her face. She instinctively leaned into his touch. That seemed to be the consent he was looking for, and he pulled her toward him closing the small space between them. Every nerve ending in her body was raw, even before his lips came down and met hers. They were as soft as she’d imagined, and at first he just moved them softly against hers.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. That caused her to whimper slightly; he took advantage of her parted lips and slid his warm tongue into her mouth. His hands were moving up and down her back, the feeling of them on her body thrilling. He let his tongue explore her mouth languidly, as if he had all day and was going to take it. She brought hers up to meet his and they danced together for what seemed like an eternity … a blissful one.
Stephanie knew that if nothing else ever happened between them, she was never going to forget this kiss. When he finally broke it so they could both suck air into their lungs, she whimpered again. Then she opened her eyes and looked at his gorgeous face. He was smiling at her.
In a voice that still lacked air, he said, “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
She smiled back. “I’ve wanted you to for a long time.”
He leaned his forehead into hers. “Well in that case, I have a list of other things I want to do that we should talk about.”
She giggled nervously, knowing that if he started telling her what he wanted in that sexy voice, she’d have hell saying no. She felt his lips work their way down the side of her face back toward her lips again. As soon as they touched, the spell was broken by the sound of a long, desperate whinny.
To Have And Hold A Cowboy (Cowboy Nuptials Book 1) Page 2
