by Addison Fox
“That wasn’t a one-night stand, Reese. Not to me.”
She did smile with that. “I hate to burst your bubble, cowboy, but until this very moment it technically was a one-night stand.”
“Then how come I haven’t seen it that way?”
And he hadn’t. While he didn’t run rampant around the county, he did have experience with lone evenings between consenting adults. He knew what they looked like and fully understood how they served a single purpose: to scratch an itch.
His night with Reese hadn’t fit that description. Nowhere near it, as a matter of fact.
“I don’t do that very often. I’m not real sure of the rules, except for one.”
“What rule is that?” he asked.
“You don’t go chasing after the guy after it’s all done.”
Something unexpected settled deep in his chest. On one hand, it was humbling to know that she had wanted to see him again as much as he had wanted to see her. And on the other, it made him realize what a complete and absolute ass he had been.
“Those are the rules, you say?”
“Of course they are. Men don’t do what they don’t want to do, Hoyt. If you’d wanted to call, you would have.”
He practically felt her shutting down, pulling away from him, despite the closeness of their bodies. The reality was he had wanted to call, only he’d made that stubborn, idiotic choice to remain standoffish and aloof. And because of it, he’d left her thinking that she was unwanted and that their night together hadn’t meant anything to him.
“Not calling is on me. But so is making it up to you.”
“Making what up to me?”
“Convincing you that I want you. And that I have wanted you for the past three months.”
Since he was a man of action, he set out to do just that.
Still elevated up on his elbow, he used his free hand to once again trace the lines of her face. She was so beautiful, but it was more than that. More than her soft skin with those high cheekbones set off by those deep hazel eyes. It was the strength he saw, embedded in that gaze. It was the experiences she’d had, carved in the very fiber of her being. A woman who had sustained terrible loss, yet who still pushed forward, believing in the future. A future for herself, for her unborn child and for the students she taught every day.
There was strength there—strength that went well beyond the physical. And it humbled him.
Bending his head, he pressed his lips to hers, willing her to understand all that he felt and thought and believed.
Other than his family, he shared little of himself with anyone. Yet, he’d opened up to her. She knew his thoughts. She knew what mattered to him.
And she carried his future.
There’d be time to say all of that, to both reassure and promise that he wanted to build something with her, but for now it was up to him to show her.
Deepening the kiss, he returned his hands to her lush curves. All that was still unsaid between them moved to the background as their need for each other took over. There would be time for words later—he vowed that to himself—but for now it was enough to be together.
The insistent throb of desire came in marked waves, battering his body with the desperate need to join with her. With seeking fingers, he settled himself at the entrance to her body, even more turned on by the hot wetness he found. She was ready for him in the age-old beauty Mother Nature had created. Willing a calmness within himself he didn’t feel, he continued to focus on her. And slipped first one finger and then another into those tight welcoming folds.
The hitch of her breath and the restless movement of her legs against his told Hoyt all he needed to know. He kept up the gentle yet insistent movements, pushing her higher and higher with his fingers and the steady pressure of his palm. His mouth was relentless on hers, his tongue mimicking the actions of his fingers as he swallowed one delicious moan after another.
He knew the moment her pleasure crested, desire and need arcing between them like electricity. And felt himself fall a little farther into the abyss when she pulled him close, her lips pressed to his.
“Now, Hoyt. I need you. Now.”
With sudden realization, he stretched across her toward the night stand, his hand closing over a condom when a low throaty giggle met his ear. “Isn’t it a bit late for that?”
Something dark and dangerous swirled in his stomach. He’d never in his life been with a woman without the barrier of a condom and her offer tempted him beyond belief. “I don’t know...” He fumbled, struggling for the right words. “I mean, I’m clean and I haven’t been with anyone since we were together and—”
He stilled at the amusement that rode her features, such a wild departure from the seriousness that had filled the space between them only minutes before. “My doctor’s given me a clean bill of health, too. And since there’s no risk of pregnancy, maybe we can dispense with the formalities, if you know what I mean.”
“Dispense with—”
His lust addled brain struggled to keep up with her when her long fingers wrapped around his erection. Once again, that silky, seductive whisper filled his ear. “If you get my meaning.”
He got her meaning and more, especially when her fingers tightened, the deliberate pressure of her palm driving a wave of sensation rocketing through his already over-sensitized body. While he’d been focused on her pleasure, he knew his own ability to resist her was on a very tight leash. A few more strokes like that one and he’d be gone.
Lost.
And there was no way he was going there without her.
Moving overtop of her body, he allowed her to guide him home, overwhelmed by the feel of her as they joined. Heat enveloped him, exposing a wildness inside of him that was so elemental Hoyt had no idea it had even been there.
“Let go, cowboy.” That whisper once more. “Please.”
It was the please that said everything and like a dam cracking wide open, he began to move inside of her. With long, sure strokes, he filled her again and again, marveling at how easily she kept pace. And with the sure knowledge she’d take all he had to give and more, he lost himself to her, riding them both through the pleasure that seemed custom-made for the two of them.
Riding them into the heart of the storm, assured of a safe landing on the other side.
Chapter 15
Loretta huddled behind the back wall of the Reynolds Station stables, taking stock of her surroundings. The structure was large and sturdy and she was surprised to see just how big it was up close. A stable this size meant they had a heck of a lot of horses. It also meant a lot of destruction once the flames started lapping at all that wood.
She wanted this.
She knew she wanted it, but she had to ignore the heavy pounding in her throat as she gingerly held the loaded backpack in her hands.
She had no issue with the Reynolds family, but they’d been getting too chummy with Reese Grantham of late and it was time she sent another message. Targeting Reese’s house hadn’t worked out so far, so maybe going bigger was just what she needed to get the woman’s attention. Just what she needed to make Reese Grantham see the error of her ways.
If the Reynolds family was collateral damage, then so be it.
That was Hoyt Reynolds’s own damn fault for all the time he’d been spending with the ice queen.
His daily visits to her house hadn’t slowed, the two of them getting together every night to have dinner and who knew what else. She hadn’t been able to stake out the house every day but she usually managed a drive by in the evening after she put Ben and Charlie down. It was a risk to leave the kids, but she only lived a few miles away and the time out allowed her to keep tabs on the woman’s evenings.
All of which seemed occupied with Hoyt Reynolds.
Tonight had been a departure, that was for sure. But it had given her the time she nee
ded to put a new plan in place.
She’d been playing around with the Molotov cocktail idea for a while. Plenty of movies used them and it was a relatively simple concept. She’d originally thought to place one in Reese’s shed, but decided to go bigger when it became obvious Reese was spending the night at Casa Reynolds.
Add on the fact that Paul had the boys tonight and she had a chance to make her move.
The pack had grown heavy after trudging for at least a mile and a half over Reynolds property from the Farm to Market road that lined the northern end of their land, but it had been worth it. Her car was stowed behind a copse of trees that didn’t make it readily visible to passersby and the road was sparsely used at that.
She tried to slip in a back door and was surprised to find it locked. It was a layer of security she hadn’t expected and she quickly set about trying to pick the lock. Although she wasn’t an ace at working with locks, she knew enough and had prepared herself for a few obstacles. This was a working ranch, after all. It wasn’t likely they kept all their goods out in the open for anyone to breeze into.
It was also why she’d been careful about checking for cameras. A few had been posted at the entrance to the ranch as well as strategically around the property, but the spot she’d chosen to enter the land had been empty of digital eyes.
Just like Russ Grantham.
His actions had reinforced her idea of coming to the ranch to cause confusion and fear. He’d used the property and had gone undetected. Or would have gone undetected if that bitch Belle Granger hadn’t taken him down. But he sure as hell hadn’t been caught because of cameras.
How would you even begin to police acreage so vast it made up its own zip code?
You didn’t, Loretta thought with grim satisfaction. That’s what made it all so damn perfect.
The lock sprang free under her probing bobby pin and she turned the knob, pushing into the stable. She stood just inside the door and gave her eyes time to adjust. The moon was big and high tonight, likely the biggest flaw in her plan to go undetected, but she’d taken her shot and she was going to see this through.
The gentle breathing of the horses reached her first, before the movements of a few closest to her, registering her presence. A light whicker echoed from the nearest stall before the horse added a heavier whinny to his greeting.
“Shh, sweetheart. Hush now.” She kept her voice light, but the damn braying didn’t let up. Determined not to let the thought of all these animals trapped get to her, she moved forward, selecting the spot for her little surprise.
The extensive wood framing was perfect for what she’d planned. Add on the hay in each stall, and she had all the fuel she needed for a raging fire. Setting down her backpack, she set up her cocktail and went to work adding some accelerant to the ground and nearby wood beams that provided structural support to the roof.
That endless whinnying continued, with more and more of the horses growing curious to her presence, adding their voices to the mix. She stayed where she was, swinging arcs of fuel as she walked backward toward the door, not daring to go any farther into the barn for fear of additional cameras she hadn’t seen yet.
This would have to do.
Emptying the last of the grill fuel with a hard squeeze of the can, she stuffed it back into her pack and took the last few steps to the door. She made quick work of the wipes she’d brought with her, thoroughly cleaning her hands against any possible lighter fluid that had gotten on her skin. Satisfied she’d removed any and all traces, she shoved the used wet wipes into her pocket, her hand closing around the matches.
The last thing she did before closing the door behind her was light the match and toss it into the neat trail of fluid she’d laid down behind her.
Reese lay with her head pillowed against Hoyt’s chest, the feeling unfamiliar yet welcome. They’d spent the night together the first time they’d had sex, but other than that evening and a few nights with her college boyfriend, she’d spent relatively few times in her life actually sleeping with a man.
Or if not sleeping, she corrected herself, spending the night together in the same bed.
They’d made love once more before both falling asleep around midnight, but now here she was, wide awake and thinking at full speed at—she glanced over him toward the bedside clock—2:00 a.m.
Few thoughts were welcome or productive at 2:00 a.m.
She should know, because she’d seen her fair share of that ungodly hour throughout her life, worrying over her family or their actions.
The night had been a revelation, especially the news that he wanted to call her...after. While she believed him—Hoyt had no reason to lie—it seemed like such a waste on both their parts. There was a genuine attraction there, so why hadn’t either of them acted on it?
Did it even matter anymore?
They were together now, even if they had, by some odd, unspoken agreement, decided not to speak about the future.
Yet, that future had seemed starkly real when he laid his head against her stomach, listening for their child’s heartbeat.
Oh, she’d done her level best to hide it, but that moment had nearly undone her. The feel of his large body against hers and the weight of his head cradled against her belly and the sight of him listening to their child...
Well, what was a pregnant woman expected to withstand?
If her ovaries hadn’t already been occupied by emitting hormones for her growing child, they’d likely have exploded at the tender gesture.
As it was, she’d barely held back the tightness in her throat that had threatened a heap of tears.
Suddenly restless, Reese disengaged herself, careful not to wake Hoyt. He groaned slightly, then rolled onto his stomach, oblivious to the world. She’d take the time—just a few seconds, really—to look at him. That familiar stretch of jaw, now covered in a day’s growth of beard, made her want to reach out and touch him but she held back, not wanting to wake him. The thick muscles of his back, now relaxed in sleep, were still rather impressive as he sprawled across the mattress. And even his feet, peeking from under the edge of the sheet, drew her attention.
The man was just big.
Every time she tried to find a different descriptor, she kept coming back to that one. Big and raw and masculine and—oh, goodness, she needed to get some distance. Needed to find a way to keep her heart from swelling in her chest and her mind from envisioning a future.
Wasn’t that the real crux of it?
What they shared now was heady and passionate and of the moment. What she was really looking for was forever. As much as she wanted to believe they would find their way there, the obstacles that lay before them seemed much too high.
Not to mention the fact that the man hadn’t talked about forever. Oh, he’d talked of marriage, but the sort that was a chore or something you did out of a sense of responsibility.
Not out of love.
Suddenly unable to stare at him a moment longer she grabbed his T-shirt and slipped into it, walking to the window to stare out into the night. Although the ranch house was large, Hoyt’s wing was in the back, facing the stables. Moonlight washed over the corral and farther beyond she saw the large brand for Reynolds Station that sat perched above the horse stables.
Had there ever been a time in her life when she didn’t recognize that image? The large R with the S entwined below it, wrapped up in a thick iron circle.
She’d asked her father once what the word station meant. He’d been confused, thinking she meant a TV station, until she explained her question. Everyone in the Pass knew the three large ranching families but both Vasquez and Crown had used more familiar words to name their ranches. Vasquez and Sons Estate and Crown Ranch were familiar and easy to understand.
Russ had laughed when he finally understood her meaning and explained that station was an Australian term used to describe a ranch or
a farm.
“Why not just call it a ranch?” Reese wanted to know.
“I don’t know, sweetie. Maybe you should ask Arden next time you see her in school.”
“I guess so.” Reese chewed her lip a moment, considering the news. “I mean, are they from Australia?”
“I don’t think so.” Russ rubbed his forehead in thought as he made the last turn into town. “I think they’re fifth-generation Texans, like us.”
“So before that?”
Russ laughed again. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I just don’t know. If it would help, next time I see Mrs. Reynolds, I’ll make a point to ask her.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
It was funny, she thought; even then, the Reynolds family had fascinated her. She remembered how she used to watch Ace Reynolds walk through town, a dreamy teenager in cowboy boots and jeans that fit him to a tee. Tate had been a little closer to her in age but he’d only ever had eyes for Belle and most of the girls had always respected that, including her. But it was Hoyt she’d really watched, anyway.
Even when they were in school, nary a farm in sight, he was a cowboy through and through. He’d worn boots as long as she’d known him, only changing into sneakers for gym. Although he’d been a year ahead of her, they’d shared a double period of English and composition when she was in ninth grade and he in tenth. He’d done every one of his papers on ranching or the history of the American cowboy.
With her mind already drifting, floating from those random memories to more recent ones, her gaze continued to roam around the backyard. The empty paddock looked calm and settled, almost as if it lay in wait for tomorrow’s activity. In addition to being a working cattle ranch, she knew the Reynolds family had a reputation for training horses. Undoubtedly, the paddock got plenty of use when training season was in high gear. Just that evening at dinner, Hoyt and Tate had both mentioned another delivery of rescued mustangs from an organization they’d obviously worked with before. Both men had sounded excited about the new arrivals.
Would her child learn to ride a horse?
