And it hadn’t. Because of him. It made him wonder if he should start a relationship with Aurora. She’d faced so much pain and grief in her life. If he made the same mistakes with her that he did with Betty… he couldn’t even think that now. He needed to let her settle in, get used to her new home before he tried to form a relationship with her.
Which meant he needed to stay on target, a business target. “We have to go into Amarillo tomorrow,” he said, keeping his voice low. “We have paperwork that needs to be filled out and they need to photograph and print you.”
“I’ve been printed before,” she said. “And photographed.”
“Shush, we’re watching a movie,” Wyatt said.
“One you’ve seen a million times,” Holt said.
“Still, it’s a Bond film, not a Holt film. Be quiet.” Wyatt glared at Holt, who fought the urge to shoot him the finger. He would’ve if Aurora hadn’t been sitting next to him.
Holt jerked his head toward the open door. Aurora nodded, but when she got up she went to the table and put another scoop of mousse in her bowl. Holt glanced at Austin, who was grinning like he’d just won a Nobel Prize.
At the door to the veranda he stood and let her pass, and once they were outside they sat down in two of the wicker chairs his mother had picked out ages ago.
“I need to get Dana’s car back to her,” Aurora said. “I promised her it would be tomorrow. I’ve already imposed on them too much to break that promise.”
“Then we get up early, go to Amarillo and handle the paperwork, stop by here to pick up your friend’s car and then head to Dallas.”
“Busy day,” Aurora said.
Very busy, but not too busy that we can’t stop and get to know each other better, Holt wanted to say. “You know you just made whole sentences? I’m proud.”
“I did it while I was telling you about Ben’s death,” she said. He noticed she didn’t call it murder. That was a step in the right direction.
“Yeah, but you were off in another world then.” He wanted to ask if his holding her in the bathroom had any effect on how much she’d relaxed. Instead of bringing that up he said, “It’s the mousse, isn’t it? Chocolate loosens your tongue?”
Aurora giggled, and Holt felt his body stir. Her laugh was lyrical, sexy.
“Chocolate with freshly made whipped cream is especially good,” she said. “But I have to say it’s a good thing y’all don’t want me to cook for you. I’m not really good at it.”
“You’ll get better with practice,” he said.
“That’s what Dana said when she asked me to cook, and it never got any better.” She laughed again and Holt resisted the urge to put his hand on her thigh and gently squeeze. “When it was my night to cook I generally ordered out.”
“That can get expensive when there are seven of you,” he said. When she frowned he said, “The six of us and you.”
“Oh,” she said.
“So we’re back to one-word answers?”
“Oh, I see?”
This time they both laughed.
“I should go before it gets much darker,” she said. “What time do you want to leave in the morning?”
“It’s a little more than an hour’s drive to Amarillo,” he said. “We should leave about six.”
She stood, and when they went back through the room she said good night to his brothers. He was happy to see Wyatt waved at her. Maybe it wouldn’t take so long for his brother to get over the fact Holt had hired her without consulting everyone else.
They made their way downstairs and crossed to where she’d parked the UTV. “Text me when you get home so I know you made it.”
“Yes, Dad,” she said.
He lifted an eyebrow as she climbed behind the wheel.
“Be careful and stick to the path,” he said. “Snakes can come out at night.”
The look she gave him made him laugh. “You forget I grew up in Texas,” she said. “Most rattlers are tucked in their beds by now.”
She put the UTV in gear and drove off without saying goodbye. He was going to have to scold her for that. But he was happy to see that she seemed to be opening up a little. He’d teased her about the snakes just to see how she’d react. When she gave it as well as he did he knew things would get interesting with her.
At least he hoped so.
“You could have kept the car one more day.” Dana sat down on the bed and Aurora continued to stuff her clothes in a garbage bag, since she didn’t have a suitcase.
“It’s been a long day, but Mercy, the woman I’m replacing, has chemo treatments and I need to start as soon as possible.”
They’d been at the government offices at eight that morning, had gone back to the Ranch to pick up the car, and then headed for Dallas. They’d been slowed down by road construction and didn’t get to Dallas until after four, and that was after grabbing lunch in a drive-thru. They’d had very little conversation while they sat in his truck and ate, and at one point she was sure she heard Holt mumble, “Maybe it was the chocolate.”
When they’d arrived at Dana’s, Aurora had hurried to her room to gather her things. They had a long drive ahead of them and she wanted to get back to the Ranch. She felt comfortable there, and for some reason when they’d driven out of there this morning that feeling had disappeared. Not totally. She’d been happy to have Holt next to her but when they’d stopped at the social services office that morning for her to do her paperwork she felt as if everyone were staring at her, as if everyone knew she was a murderer. That feeling had stayed with her as they’d driven, and she’d found herself giving Holt what she knew he didn’t want—one- and two-word answers to questions. Finally he’d stopped asking and they’d driven in silence.
She shook her head to get rid of the guilt she felt over acting like she did. She picked up the few books she owned and handed three to Dana. “These need to go back to the library. Can you do that, or should we go by before we leave town?”
“I’m going tomorrow so I can do it,” Dana said as she grabbed the books. “Have you had your mail forwarded?”
Aurora made a mental note to do it tomorrow and said so to her friend.
“By the way, that guy you’re with… wow. Are all his brothers that gorgeous?”
Aurora couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought you were married?”
“What’s the old saying; that doesn’t mean I can’t look? So, are they?”
“Yes.” Aurora glanced around the room. She didn’t own much, so there weren’t that many things to pack. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
“Anytime, my friend,” Dana said. “Your bed will always be here if you need it.”
Dana stood and the two women hugged. Dana crossed to the window and looked outside. “It looks dark out there. Maybe the two of you should stay here overnight and head back in the morning. You don’t want to get caught in a storm.”
“Holt will want to get back,” Aurora said. “We’ll be fine.”
She picked up the two trash bags. “Thank you again.”
“Like I said, anytime.”
They went into the living room, and both men stood as they walked in. Holt had his cowboy hat in his hand, and she could swear his boots were already pointed at the front door.
“Is that it?” he asked with a frown.
“This is all I own,” she said.
He put his hat on his head and grabbed them both from her. “I hate for us to run, but the weather is looking dicey.”
“You’d better get going,” Jake said. He put his arm around Aurora’s shoulders and squeezed. “Come back anytime and bring your friend. We’ve been talking fishing, and you know how much I love to fish.”
“That makes two of us,” Holt said.
After they’d said their goodbyes and climbed into the truck, Aurora’s chest tightened.
“What’s wrong?” he asked after they were on the highway.
“I’m nervous,” she said. “This is all so new to me. Pri
son, and Dana’s house, are the only two homes I really remember. My parents didn’t always want me at home, so I spent a lot of time at the library. When I was sixteen I got a job at the local movie theater. That’s where I met Ben.”
She stopped talking and she looked out the window at the passing scenery. “Sorry for the verbal diarrhea.”
“Keep going,” he said.
“I need something to drink,” she said.
He pulled off the highway at the next stop and she stayed in the truck while he ran in a convenience store and bought sodas. When they were back on the highway he said, “Finish your story. I’m listening.”
Aurora took a drink from her bottle and said, “I got pregnant when I was seventeen. My parents thought it was the perfect excuse to get rid of me.”
“Shotgun wedding?” Holt asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Three months after we were married I lost the baby.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I lost the baby because Ben got mad at me and slammed me to the floor.” Was it her imagination or did she see his hands tighten on the wheel?
“It got worse from there.” She took another swig from her soda. “Eleven years later he was dead.”
It had started to rain, slowly at first and then picking up as they drove. Thunder rolled across the area and lightning lit up the sky. The sounds made her nervous and she wrapped her arms as tightly around her chest as she could. The seat belt bit into her shoulder and she loosened her grip.
“You realize none of that was your fault?” he asked. He’d slowed down as the rain increased.
“According to my mother it was,” she said. “The first thing she asked me was what I did to make him mad.”
Hail started to hit the truck, small pellets at first, and Aurora clasped her hands together.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Enclosed space with lots of noise,” she said. “Not really.”
“I’ll find someplace to pull over.”
“Hopefully someplace we can go inside.” They were in the country, so the chances of that happening was slim to none. The hail grew in size, the stones hitting the windows and making her even more nervous.
“There’s a rest stop,” he said. He pulled off the road as the hail grew in size. Just as he parked the truck golf-ball sized hail started to fall. They hit the windshield and the sound of it cracking filled the cab.
Aurora screamed and covered her face with her hands.
“I’ll check to see if the building is unlocked,” he said.
“No, it’s golf-ball sized hail!” she yelled out, but he was already out of the truck. It was raining and hailing so hard she couldn’t see him, so when the back door of the truck cab opened she screamed again.
“It’s locked. Get in the back!” he ordered.
Aurora scrambled between the small space between the front seats, then lay down on the back seat at his order. The hail continued to beat on the truck, and when he placed his body over hers she grasped him tightly and buried her face in his chest.
“Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!” She grasped his shoulders in her hands. The hail sounded like gunshots as it slammed into the windows and truck. Her body shook with each strike.
“Shush, shush,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m here, I’ll take care of you, it’s all right.” He held her tight and whispered, “It won’t last long. It’ll be okay. Shush, shush, it’s okay.”
It didn’t feel like it was okay. Every time a hailstone hit the vehicle she felt the gun go off in her hand. She heard Ben groan in pain, and she saw blood. Aurora tightened her grip on Holt’s shirt. Feeling his weight on her finally offered her comfort, made her feel as if she would make it through this.
“It’s letting up,” he whispered. “My truck is probably beat to hell, but it’s letting up.”
Aurora sniffled, then laughed. “For the second day in a row I’ve smeared tears, snot, and makeup on your shirt.”
He laughed, and then to her amazement he leaned down and kissed her.
Chapter 5
Two days later, Aurora could still feel Holt’s lips on hers. After the kiss had broken he’d looked down at her with such tenderness that her heart had swelled. He’d kissed her again, this one deeper than the other. She’d moaned softly and opened her mouth to accept him inside her.
At just that moment someone had pounded on the hood of the truck and asked if they were okay. Holt had pulled back and scrambled to his knees, as quickly as he could for a man his size in the small enclosure of the back seat of the truck.
When they’d opened the door they’d found a state trooper standing there. “Everyone all right?” he’d asked, and they’d gotten out of the cab, surprised to find a large gathering of cars and trucks in the parking lot around them, all with the same shattered windows and beat up vehicle bodies from the golf-ball-sized hail that had rained down upon them.
They’d opened the rest stop building, which had been closed for renovations, and people waited for tow trucks or relatives to come and pick them up. Holt had called the ranch and Kyle and Wyatt had come down, complete with a tow truck to haul the ruined truck back to Bookman Springs.
They drove overnight, and Aurora had slept in the backseat. When they’d arrived at the ranch she’d hurried out of the truck and taken a UTV down to the cabins. She’d barely seen him since then, and she wasn’t sure how she would face him without throwing herself into his arms and begging him to kiss her again.
It had been so long, and a kiss from Ben had never felt that wonderful, had never made her tingle. She and Mercy had changed houses, with Aurora moving into the den mother’s cabin. Mercy had planned on moving to Amarillo so she could be closer to doctors and her treatment, but Kyle had asked her to stay. He would take her for her treatments, he’d said, and he didn’t want her having to pay rent, or be on her own.
Wyatt, whom Aurora had figured out was the strict rule follower of the siblings, had said Mercy couldn’t use the cabin because the state would figure out she wasn’t an abused woman, and the ranch would be in trouble.
“Then we’ll build another cabin, closer to the house,” Kyle had said. The next day there were contractors and other workers roaming around closer to the main house, and Aurora wondered if these were the men who had built the cabins, and if they knew what they were being used for now.
Their new charge wanted Mercy to help her, since she hadn’t really bonded with Aurora, so Aurora didn’t have much to do. She cleaned the house, then went over to Mercy’s cabin and did the same since Mercy and Kyle were in Amarillo. When she was done with that she opened her fridge and surveyed the mostly empty shelves.
“Time to shop,” she said. She grabbed a pen and paper and made a list, thinking of the various things she could make for lunches and dinners. It had to be easy things to make because cooking wasn’t one of her skills. As she jotted down ideas her mind wandered to when she was lying under Holt in the truck, to the feel of his body. Her nipples tightened and wetness grew between her legs and started to trickle between her folds.
An unexpected knock on the open back door made her jump. She turned to see the man in question standing on the other side of the screen door.
“May I come in?” he asked.
“You own the place,” she said.
When he didn’t come in she amended it to say, “Of course you can come in.”
When he was inside he took off his hat. “I may own it, but it is your home.”
She nodded. She understood what he meant, but she wanted him to just come in and make himself at home.
“Hawk asked me to come down and invite you for supper,” he said. “He’s making tacos.”
Disappointment surged through her. He wasn’t here because he wanted to be; he was here because Hawk had asked him to come down.
“Sounds delicious,” she said.
“You and I need to have a talk,” he said.
“Yes, we do,” she said. “I need t
o borrow a truck to go to the grocery store. I know you’re short one because yours was ruined, but I need to… the cupboards are getting bare.” She giggled in an effort to hide her nerves.
“You can borrow a truck, but going to the market is not what we need to talk about.” He put his hat on an end table. “May I sit?”
“It’s your house,” she said, and then she winced. “Sorry.”
“We’ll work on that.” He crossed his legs so his left boot rested on his right leg.
Aurora sat across from him, her mind trying to settle on what he wanted to talk about. If he were here to fire her she would lose her mind, especially after he’d kissed her as he had during the storm. She mentally shook her head. She hadn’t given him any reason to fire her. She needed to stop thinking everything would be negative.
When he didn’t talk she said, “Could I get you some tea? I just used the last bags. It’s one of the things I need to get at the store.”
“I’m attracted to you,” he said.
The words were so out of the blue that her mouth fell open and she said, “What?”
“You heard me.” He toyed with the spur on his boot.
“I’m not sure I understand,” she said.
He laughed, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sound. “It might have been years for you, but you understand when a man wants more with you than just friendship.”
She hadn’t dared to hear something like that, but here it was, staring her in the face. She didn’t know what to say, and she said as much. “The last time I was with a man I ended up killing him.”
“What happened wasn’t because of you,” Holt said. “So I’ll take my chances. If you don’t want a relationship with me tell me now, and I’ll let it drop.”
“I… uh… you…” Aurora managed to stutter out each word. She wasn’t sure what to say.
He chuckled and said, “If I didn’t know how good you were at one-word responses I would be walking out the door now. I’m going to take your inability to say anything as a yes.”
Aurora's Cowboy Daddy (Rescue Ranch) Page 4
