“My bad,” Clay said. “I should have held her in place. Minnie’s easily spooked.”
Harley was pretty sure this had less to do with Minnie’s fear factor and more to do with the inexperience of the rider. But she fully appreciated Clay’s efforts to make her feel better. He held out a hand to help her up and she stared at it an uncomfortably long time before reaching up to take it.
Yeah, bad idea.
It wasn’t even the first time they’d touched, but that didn’t reduce its effect on her in any way. Warmth spread through her body as her entire focus went to the feel of his large, warm hand enveloping hers.
Their eyes met and held, and she realized he hadn’t let go of her hand even though she was on her feet. That meant they were just holding hands and staring at each other. She could lift up on tiptoe now, but he was a little too far away to kiss her. They’d have to step toward each other—
Minnie snorted and kicked next to Clay, abruptly pulling them out of the moment.
Clay stepped back, releasing Harley’s hand, and put his other hand on Minnie to steady her. “Let’s try this again. You know the drill.”
Grateful he didn’t try to tell her how to climb up, she went through the same motions as earlier, only this time with much more confidence. Knowing Clay was helping made a huge difference. Harley slid her left foot into the stirrup, pulled herself up, and settled onto Minnie’s saddle.
“Thank you,” Harley said as she arranged the reins into place.
Clay just nodded and headed over to his own horse. Kahlua was his horse’s name, she learned as Clay issued a command for her to stay. He made it look so easy as he climbed onto the beautiful black horse, then tugged gently on the reins to nudge Kahlua to trot to the left slightly.
“Ready?” Clay asked Harley.
She nodded, hoping she could remember how to do this. Her earlier fall had thrown her off slightly. She wasn’t even sure she could walk back to the truck at this point, let alone navigate an animal that weighed more than a thousand pounds.
As Harley scrambled to get a strong grip on the reins, Kahlua took off at a slow trot and Minnie followed. This was the part of horseback riding she’d forgotten. Often a horse would follow after another one, particularly if they were used to going for walks together.
Harley still needed to be in control, but Minnie seemed like a pretty well-behaved horse. She just had to worry if they neared a water source since she remembered there always seemed to be one horse that drifted off toward a lake or pond when there was one nearby.
“Do you ride out here often?” she asked when he’d slowed down to let her ride alongside him.
His eyes scanned their surroundings. “As often as I can. Some people meditate or do yoga or whatever. I just go for a ride. Best type of therapy you can find.”
She’d buy that. Already she felt a peace she hadn’t experienced in a while, just traveling this little path.
“You seem pretty good at this,” Clay said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a horse of your own.”
She shook her head, enjoying the way the slight breeze played with her hair. “I wish. When I was a kid, I actually asked for a pony every single year for both Christmas and my birthday. My parents just took us horseback riding on vacation as a compromise.”
“Horses are pretty expensive,” he said. “The cost for boarding alone… It’s just a lot.”
“Which is why horseback riding is so popular,” she pointed out. “The perfect family activity. Especially when you’re close to the mountains.”
“Another business venture?” he asked, but there was a little gleam in his eye that told her he was teasing her.
“I’m the one trying to convince you to sell and get out, remember?” she asked, keeping the same light, teasing tone. “But you don’t need all this land to make money boarding horses, do you?”
“Horses need room to roam,” he said. “Plus, this ride wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if we were just circling a small fenced area.”
He did have a point there. Still, unless it was profitable, it would make far more sense to start this business somewhere close to a big wooded area that was free for public use. She didn’t know how all that worked, but she was pretty sure her boss could advise him on that. She made a mental note to mention it later.
“You do make a good point,” she said instead. “It’s breathtaking out here.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” he said.
She now saw exactly what he was doing. In fact, it had probably been the point of the tour he’d given her earlier that day. He wanted to show her the beauty of the place so maybe, just maybe, she’d see why he didn’t want to sell.
But if he couldn’t make this place profitable, he’d lose it anyway. That was what she was trying to make him see. Maybe the part he couldn’t see, though, was that he couldn’t push through the problems he was having and find his way to a resolution. He wanted to believe, and she wanted to believe, too. But the reality was, it didn’t look good for Cedar Tree Ranch.
“You haven’t even seen the best part yet,” Clay called back.
He’d pulled ahead of her again and her horse just followed along. It was actually nice, having him lead the way like the guide on a paid horseback riding outing. She was prepared to lead her horse, but it was nice to just be able to sit back and enjoy the ride.
They rounded a bend and she saw exactly what he’d meant by ‘the best part.’ It was the body of water that seemed to be somewhere along every trail, whether in Montana, Washington, or any other part of the U.S. Sure enough, the horses made a beeline for it, but that seemed to be fine with Clay. He just wanted her to take a moment and see it.
And see how he could not sell this beautiful place.
“They get a little thirsty,” he said as Kahlua began lapping water from the edge of the pond. Taking his lead, Minnie sidled up beside him, putting Clay and Harley perfectly side by side.
“I see,” she said, looking over at him.
Their gazes locked again, and Harley’s stomach did that now-familiar flippy-flop thing. She let out the puff of air she didn’t even know she’d been holding and tightened her fist around the reins. He’d look away any second. He had to. It wasn’t like they could kiss on horseback.
But Clay was moving closer to her. At first, she thought she was imagining it, but no, he was definitely moving toward her. And her body was involuntarily gravitating toward his. They were getting closer and closer as she was vaguely aware of the sound of horses lapping up water like they were way in the distance.
She felt the warmth of his breath first, then the gentle buzz of his energy as his face came within inches of hers. And then his lips were gently brushing hers, seeming to test the waters before committing to the kiss.
As he fully leaned in and kissed her, she reached up to touch his face with her free hand. She did it in large part to steady herself, but the feel of his stubbly jaw beneath her fingertips sent another jolt of electricity through her.
And then, almost as quickly as it had started, the kiss ended. Clay pulled back, looking down at her with undisguised desire in his eyes. That warmed her more than the kiss had, just the way he was looking at her.
She knew then that it was too late to turn back. She was falling for him, and she had no idea what she was going to do about it.
12
That.
Kiss.
They’d ridden back to the house in silence, mostly because Clay couldn’t seem to shake the cobwebs from his head. He wondered if it’d had the same impact on Harley.
He’d had no intention of kissing her. He certainly had thought about it over the past twenty-four hours. He’d thought about it so many times by the time he’d actually followed through with it, it had felt natural. But now that the kiss was out of the way, he couldn’t help but think it had been a horrible mistake.
She was leaving. In the morning. And, kiss or not, he was pretty sure she intended to leave
with a stack of signed documents on her passenger seat. The kiss had nothing to do with whether or not she’d expect him to sign that paperwork—she had more character than that. But it did pile some extra guilt onto him for having no intention of signing anything.
That wasn’t why the kiss had been a mistake, though. The mistake came from the fact that he’d pushed himself into this deeper than he already was, which would make watching her drive out of his life far tougher than it should be. By the time she climbed into that car of hers in the morning, she would have been in his life not much more than thirty-six hours. Her driving out of his life should have no impact on him whatsoever.
Now here he stood in his bathroom, getting ready for Taste of Canyon Falls. A date that wasn’t a date? If it wasn’t a date, though, why had he just spent the past twenty minutes showering, shaving, and getting dressed like it was?
The sound of his phone’s ringtone pulled him from his thoughts. He had to answer when his phone rang. It could be Hank or a potential customer. That was another not-so-good thing about running an unprofitable ranch. Too much was at stake to clock out at five o’clock.
He saw his dad’s name on his phone’s screen and had that familiar sinking feeling. He loved his dad’s calls, but it always served as a reminder that he was tanking the ranch his father had spent decades of his life building and growing.
“Hi, Dad,” he said, forcing himself to sound as casual and full of hope for the future as he was supposed to be.
“How’s it going?” Andrew Briscoe asked in his familiar gravelly voice.
“Great. We’re just heading out to Taste of Canyon Falls. How’s it going there?”
“Taste of Canyon Falls,” his dad repeated with a chuckle. “I forgot that was this weekend. We’re headed out to dinner with the neighbors. Just wanted to check in and see how my baby’s doing.”
His ‘baby’ was the ranch. Clay knew that all too well. And if Clay was babysitting, this was the call from the anxious parents checking in.
“Great,” Clay said, forcing more confidence into his voice than he felt. “I have everything under control.”
He listed out a few boring details about how many heads of cattle they had and what plans he had to move them out. The silence on the other end of the line seemed to grow heavier with every word.
“We’re heading into winter, you know,” his dad finally said. “Things are going to slow down.”
“Yeah.”
“I’d love to go over the books with you,” his dad said. “You know, for old time’s sake.”
He knew his father had no interest whatsoever in nostalgia-based bookkeeping. This was poorly disguised concern.
“Sure,” Clay said, hoping maybe his father would forget about it. “You’re supposed to be retired, though, remember? Enjoying life and all. Colton, Reilly, and I are handling things here.”
“Yeah, about that,” his father said. “I spoke to Colton a little while ago. He said some investor is interested in buying the land?”
Oh, great. He’d have to thank his brother for that. It shouldn’t surprise him, though.
“She’s leaving in the morning,” Clay said. “I’ve let her know I have no intention of signing that paperwork.”
“Good,” his dad said. “You know how I feel about that ranch. Make it work, like you promised when I left. I have full faith in you, boy.”
Clay hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until then. He let it out in one slow, silent exhale.
His dad had faith in him. That was what he’d said when he’d left for retirement. Clay hadn’t believed him then, and he didn’t believe him now, but he was feeling the pressure more than ever.
“Dad?” Clay asked. His voice sounded strangled, even to his own ears. “You know my goal is just to make sure I don’t let you down again?’
It took courage to say those words. They were long overdue. But he couldn’t believe how much better he felt, now that this was out in the open. The silence that followed was almost unbearable, though.
“Are you still stuck on what happened years ago?” Andrew asked. “I thought we worked that out.”
“We did, but…”
“I’m proud of you, boy,” Andrew said. “No matter what happens, I’m proud of you.”
It was like a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. He felt unbelievably light all of a sudden. But he knew what the ranch’s books looked like. If he sent them to his father, panic would ensue immediately. His dad would see the ranch sinking deeper and deeper toward the red. By spring, there would be no way they could meet their expenses every month and it was doubtful they’d see a miracle turnaround in their income in the freezing winter months when the town of Canyon Falls pretty much shut down. It was no longer about proving himself to his father. It was about saving what his family had worked so hard to build.
“Clay?”
That was his mom’s voice. She’d apparently wrangled Dad’s cell phone from his grip so she could talk to him. Clay immediately felt his stress levels drop by at least fifty percent.
“Hey, Mom,” he said in a much softer voice than he’d used with his father. It had always been that way. His relationship with each parent was as different as night and day.
“I hear you have company this week,” his mom said.
Wow. Word seemed to travel fast, especially considering his parents were literally on the other side of the country.
“She’s Jared’s vacation rental guest, actually,” he told his mom. “Jared’s dropping the ball on his rental business.”
“Hmm,” his mom said. “Well, it sounds like you’re having a good time despite that.”
For the first time, he’d stopped to really think about what was going on with Jared and his vacation rental situation. He’d mostly been avoiding finding a reason for Harley to leave his house. Otherwise, he would have questioned the whole thing.
But now that he thought about it, it didn’t make much sense. Colton had supposedly spoken to Jared just that morning. Surely if Jared could place a phone call, he could respond to an email. Plus, his mom didn’t sound all that surprised or concerned that Jared hadn’t dealt with the situation.
Something bigger was going on here. Something that reached all the way to his parents’ home.
“What do you know, Mom?” he asked. “Are you playing matchmaker or something?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Clay,” she said lightly. “Oops, I have to go. Dad’s pointing to the clock on the wall, which apparently means we’re going to be late. Love and kisses. Can’t wait to see you!”
And with that, she was gone. Clay didn’t need an answer, though. He knew his mother. He knew his youngest brother, too. Jared and his mom had absolutely conspired to make sure the gorgeous, single renter who was spending two nights here would have no choice but to stay in one of Clay’s many unused guest bedrooms.
Sighing, Clay headed out to meet Harley. He couldn’t say he was angry about it, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Not only was Harley leaving in the morning, but she was also leaving without what she’d come to get. It was because of him that she was about to lose her job, and there was nothing he could do about it. As his father had pretty much said, selling the ranch was out of the equation. He had to make it work. There was no other choice.
13
The sneakers completely ruined the look.
Despite the chilly weather, and the fact that they’d be outside, Harley had slipped into the dress she’d bought for wearing if they went to dinner. Unfortunately, though, she’d intended to wear her all-too-versatile ballet flats with this dress. The very ballet flats that were still on the front porch of Jared’s cabin, covered in now-dry cow poop.
And Clay had just called out to her. That meant he was ready to go. She needed to step it up.
Frowning down at her shoes, she headed out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen. Maybe if she looked confident, he wouldn’t notice her shoes. In fact, she’d bet
plenty of people would have tennis shoes on with their dress clothes, especially if they were coming straight from work. She was guessing tons of walking was associated with tasting food from multiple restaurants.
Clay said nothing when she emerged from the hallway. He just frowned at her shoes then spun and headed out of the house, leaving her standing there. What was that? Was she supposed to follow him or something?
Before she could move, though, the front door opened and she heard his footsteps on the hardwood floor. Boot steps, actually, because what other type of shoes would a rancher wear for a night on the town?
“I think you need these. They had all day to dry out. I’m sure they’re clean.”
Clean? She stared at his left hand, which was carrying both of her ballet flats. Ballet flats that were most noticeably not covered in poop.
“I had to use some pretty intense cleanser,” he said. “But they polished up okay. I figured you’d rather have them a little scuffed up than…well, you know.”
Yes, she knew. She walked toward him and took the flats from his hand. Amazing. They looked better than they had when she’d left her house. How was it possible?
“Wow, thank you. This…this…” She didn’t know how to say it, but it was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a long, long time. If ever. Forget showing up with flowers or pulling out her chair at dinner. Cleaning cow poop off a pair of shoes was the new romantic-gentleman move.
He rolled his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “No big deal. I just added it to my morning chores. I think that will go a little better with your dress.”
Harley wasn’t sure what to say to all that. She settled for blurting out, “Thank you.” Then she scooted off her sneakers without untying them and slid her feet into her nice, clean dress flats.
“Ready?” he asked, turning and starting toward the door.
It was then that Harley put her finger on why she felt so unsettled all of a sudden. Despite the romantic gesture with the shoes—which he’d done earlier that day—something was off between them, and it was coming from his end.
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