“Where’s Uncle Robbie?”
Aunt Gail reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two premade sandwiches. “He had to haul the tractor into town for some repairs. And, of course, I remembered too late that I needed some cheddar cheese.” She grinned at me. “I’m making your favorite tonight-- mac and cheese, or at least I was planning to. I forgot to remind him about the cheese, and he never remembers to take his cell phone with him.” She lowered the plates to the table and we sat.
“I could drive into town later and pick up some cheese.”
“That would be great. Are you sure?”
“Uh, mac and cheese? I think I can make the sacrifice.”
She looked over at me and some of the sparkle faded from her eyes. “So, Janie, tell me what happened. You sounded so distraught on the phone.”
“I’m sorry if I worried you, Aunt Gail. Everything just sort of went to crap all at once.” My voice wavered a bit so I stopped to take a bite of sandwich, hoping to squelch an eruption of emotion. I swallowed and took a breath as Aunt Gail waited patiently for me to continue. She had always been a much better listener than my mom, who would start in with her advice and lectures before I could even get three words out. “The company I was working for had to lay people off, and since I was as the bottom of the heap, I was the first to go. Almost immediately, Trey started acting differently toward me. He’d always seen us as this future power couple climbing the ranks together, sweeping up tons of money and prestige on our rise to glory and success. But then, suddenly, I was jobless . . . and, in his eyes, worthless.” I swallowed to relieve the thickness in my throat.
Aunt Gail reached across and patted my hand. “What an awful man.”
“He really is, but it took me a year to realize it, and I feel so ashamed.”
“No,” Aunt Gail protested. “You were young and--”
“Trey fit perfectly into my plan. He was successful, ambitious and handsome.” I gave a small grimace. “Although now I cringe just thinking about him.”
“Good. You should. He sounds truly monstrous.”
“The final blow came when a friend of mine needed to find a home for a stray kitten. I hadn’t had a pet since I left home for college, and I was sorely in need of a little furry friend. Trey exploded with rage telling me I had some nerve bringing a cat into his home without his permission.” My jaw clenched tightly just thinking about the fit he’d thrown. “Up until that point, I’d paid for half of that overpriced, cramped apartment, but once I was jobless, it became his home. I told him he was a selfish prick, and,” the words stuck in my throat, “he threw the glass he’d been holding.” I could sense Aunt Gail tense with anger as I spoke. “I have no idea if he’d truly meant to hit me, but we were through. I walked straight into the bedroom and packed.”
“I’m sure it was heartbreaking for you, but I’m glad you left.”
“You know something, it wasn’t all that heartbreaking. In fact, it was kind of freeing. Not even sure how I ended up with him in the first place.”
Aunt Gail sipped some iced tea. “The plan, remember? Maybe it’s time for you to veer away from that plan. Which reminds me, your mom called me just before she left on her cruise.” She looked at me over the brim of her glass. “She has never sounded happier.”
Aunt Gail knew how to get her point across without ever really pointing it out.
I picked up my sandwich. “I guess she’s finally learned how to veer.” A horse whinnied in the distance. “Oh my gosh, was that Queenie? How is she?”
“That sounded like Charger.” Aunt Gail rolled her eyes. “Your uncle bought himself a new gelding, and that horse is the most ornery, challenging animal I’ve ever met. I told Robbie he should have named him Widow Maker because that is what he’s going to make me. Ryder’s been coming over to work him, but I don’t know if he’ll ever be broke enough for Robbie to ride.” She picked a piece of lettuce off her sandwich and dropped it onto the plate. “I sort of hope not.”
“Ryder? I’d forgotten all about him.”
Aunt Gail’s brow arched at my obvious lie.
“He got married, didn’t he?”
She waved her hand. “That was over faster than a summer thunderstorm. They were never suited for each other. I think Ryder just married her to placate his father, who was sick with cancer at the time. After his father died, he got a quick divorce and left town for awhile. Ended up in some trouble with the law-- a bar brawl or something, I think, but he’s back now and he’s been fixing up the farm.”
I chewed a bit faster as she spoke, as if some of my teen hormones had resurfaced with just the mention of his name.
Aunt Gail grinned at me. “And he is still a tall drink of water, that one. But he never got serious with anyone again. Or at least not that I know of.” She stood and carried her dishes to the sink. “Speaking of Queenie,” she said, Aunt Gail could snap to a different subject without taking a new breath, “she’s been standing out in the pasture with the other horses all day. She’d probably appreciate you taking her out for a little ride-- if you’re up for it.”
“I’m so up for it I can’t even tell you.” For the first time in months, I heard happiness in my tone. “But first, I’ll go into town to get that cheese.”
Town was really two parallel lines of outdated, quaint shops bordering a thinly paved stretch of road called Main, but it was the kind of place that made you feel at home even if you were from out of town. I pulled my car into one of the three spots in front of Bert’s Market and Sundries and hopped out. It was one of those stores that had a little bit of everything.
Bert’s beard had thickened along with his waist. He glanced up from his cash register and then his face popped up with a bright smile. “Janie Morris, you’re back. It’s about time.”
I waved. “Hey Bert, Aunt Gail sent me in for some cheddar cheese.”
“Straight back and to your left.”
I grabbed a package of cheese that looked as if it had been on the shelf for a good long while and returned to the check stand. The bell on the door rang behind me, and Bert nodded a silent greeting to the customer.
“Don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts since you were a teenager,” Bert said.
“I know, it’s terrible of me, but I went off to college and got too busy. But, now I’ve found my way back, and I’m glad.” And it couldn’t have been more true. All through college I’d convinced myself that I could only be happy in the bustling world of business and finance. Now I had my reservations.
Bert’s mustache had grown completely gray, and it twitched as he spoke. “That’ll be five, eighty-five.”
I reached into my pocked and pulled out the five dollar bill Aunt Gail had given me. “I have another dollar in my--” A large hand reached from behind me and a dollar bill fluttered to the counter.
I turned around. His shoulders had filled out, his arms had thickened with muscles and he’d added some tattoos, but his gaze was as familiar and unsettling as always.
Ryder stared down at me from a dark curtain of lashes, and I was instantly transported back to my teen years when one glance from those cool blue eyes could set my skin on fire. “You’re back, J.J.” It was the nickname he’d given me and hearing it now made me smile. He paid Bert for the gallon of milk he held.
Bert bagged the cheese and handed it to me with a wink.
“I’m visiting my aunt for a few weeks.” We walked outside. The black jeep he’d driven in high school, the very same jeep where we’d had more than one major kissing session, was parked next to my car.
“You drove all the way up here in a lawnmower?”
I lifted my chin. “Bob is not a lawnmower. He’s a Smart Car.”
His lazy smile, the smile that was one of his major weapons in charming a girl out of thinking straight, appeared. “You named it Bob?”
I shrugged. I was acting cool and smooth as whipped cream on the outside but for some silly reason my insides were churning like butter. “It se
emed to fit.”
That infectious gaze of his drew me in just like it always had. He stood there so cool and confident and familiar, the same boy who could sweet talk me into anything, it felt as if I’d never left. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah,” I said a little too loudly. “See you around.” I slid back into my puny car and had to make a conscious effort to slow down my breathing and the slight tremble in my hands. He backed his jeep out of the parking spot, and I watched him drive off as the tiny, annoyingly logical voice in my head reminded me that he was the last thing I needed right now.
Chapter 2
Queenie snorted softly as I buckled the bridle. She’d whinnied as soon as she saw me walking toward her in the field and I’d been overly pleased that she remembered me. I led her out of the barn to the garden bench that I’d always used to climb onto her wide, sloped back. It had seemed too hot and sticky for jeans and boots so I hadn’t changed. I slipped off my sandals and hiked my dress up to mid thigh.
Queenie stood as still as a sentry as I climbed onto her bare back. For the first ten years of her horsey life, Queenie had pulled a wagon around an amusement park, and Uncle Robbie said that the experience had made her the best trail horse in the world. He’d insisted that a meteor could come crashing down to Earth next to where she was grazing and Queenie would likely just flick her tail in irritation from having her lunch interrupted. Aside from several dull rides on rental horses, my only riding experiences had been on Aunt Gail’s farm, and Queenie had given me the confidence to learn quickly.
It was just an hour or so before dusk and the shadowy sunlight made the stretch of fields and pastures look endless. Birds were diving into the tall weeds along the side of the road hunting for their last meals before the settling darkness would banish them back to the safety of the trees. A rhythmic hammering in the distance pricked Queenie’s ears forward, and she picked up her heavy feet and plodded faster down the dirt path.
Ryder’s house came into view as we reached the top of the road. Again, the stupid rational voice in my head spoke up, telling me to turn around. For years, I’d stuck to my plan and listened to that sensible voice, and it had ended badly. I squeezed my legs against Queenie’s sides and prodded her forward.
Fresh, unpainted wood lay in stacks along the front of the house. Harold and Chuck, Ryder’s two giant dogs, heard us approach and lifted their big heads. Apparently Queenie and I were not exciting enough for more than a tail wag and short bark.
Ryder stood up from behind the balustrades on his newly built porch. He reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and then he scrubbed back his dark hair.
“Looks nice.” I was surprised but relieved to hear the confidence in my tone. Even though I was still feeling a blush all the way down to my toes, I was done behaving like a red cheeked school girl.
Ryder glanced around at his handiwork. “Thanks. It’s taken a hell of a lot longer than I’d expected.” He walked down the newly built steps. “Hey, Queenie.” He reached up and patted the mare’s neck. His gaze drifted along my bare legs. Then his long lashes lifted as he looked up at me. His throat moved as he swallowed hard and words seemed to be stuck in his throat at first. “You are a sight, Janie. A man could spend his whole damn day just looking at you.”
I smiled down at him. “And you’re still a smooth talker.”
“Yeah, it’s always worked for me.” A wicked smile turned up the side of his mouth. “Talked you right out of your jeans in your aunt’s barn, a day that is scorched into my brain forever. Never did get over the disappointment of your uncle coming across that yard and stopping us.”
“It’s a good thing he’s a loud sneezer, or we never would have heard him coming.”
He smiled up at me. “Want to come inside and see what I’ve done to the kitchen?”
“Sure.” I slid my leg around and he reached up to grab my waist. He brushed my body against his as he lowered me slowly to the ground. Taking the reins from my hand, he walked Queenie over to a patch of grass and she dropped her head to graze.
Ryder looked down at my bare feet. “I’m not great at keeping track of nails.” Without warning he swept me into his arms. I laughed and threw my arms around his neck.
“Remember when you got stuck in the middle of the river and you were too afraid to cross the rocks--”
“And you lifted me into your arms? Ryder Stevens, there isn’t a girl on this planet who could forget being swept up in your arms.” I looked at him and his nearness made me forget my words for a second and when I spoke they came out as a whisper. “Of course I remember.” I rested my head against his hard shoulder. He carried me up the porch steps and I pushed the screen door open with my foot.
Reluctantly, he lowered my feet to the floor. In the kitchen, the smell of cut pine mingled with fresh paint. I reached up and ran my hand over the new wood. “It’s beautiful, Ryder. You made all this cabinetry by yourself?” I looked over my shoulder to where he was leaning against the adjacent kitchen counter, watching me in a way that sent waves of heat through me.
“Yep. But this took me a hell of a lot longer than I’d expected too.” He looked around. “At the rate I’m going, and with having to stop for planting and harvesting, I figure I’ll be ninety-six by the time I get the whole house remodeled.”
“And then the kitchen and porch will be old and you’ll have to start all over again.”
He laughed. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear only to remember too late about the ugly bruise. He closed the distance between us with two heated steps. Anger flickered in his eyes as he raised his hand, his callused fingertips grazing the bruised skin lightly.
“It was an accident,” I said quickly. “I’ve left him.”
His jaw twitched beneath the dark stubble as he lowered his hand. He looked at me. “What an asshole. God, J. J., if you were mine, I’d stand in front of a moving train just to protect you.”
The truth was, even when we were just two teens having a good time in each other’s company, I’d always felt incredibly safe with Ryder.
His gaze drifted down to my lips, and I closed my eyes in anticipation of a long, hard kiss. The ring of a phone broke the charged silence that had swept in around us. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“Hey, Robbie.Yep, I’ll be there in a few.” He slid the phone back into his pocket. “Your uncle’s record of interrupting us remains unchallenged. Mind if I walk back to your aunt’s with you and Queenie? I’ve got to ride your uncle’s crazy horse.”
“Sure,” I said with a good measure of disappointment. “I should be getting back anyhow.”
He led me out to the porch and sat down on the steps to pull off his work boots and pull on his cowboy boots. “I don’t have the heart to tell your uncle, but I don’t know if this horse will ever be tame enough for him to ride.” He stood and whistled. His two dogs jumped up and trotted lazily behind.
In the city, the summer heat never seemed to leave, as if the closely set buildings and crush of people kept it trapped, but out in the wide open, the hot summer air shifted easily to a cool, comforting breeze. It pushed the hem of my dress up higher on my thighs and I made several futile attempts to push it back down. The entire process seemed to amuse Ryder.
“What’s so funny?”
“Who are you hiding those silky thighs from? I’ve already seen them-- more than once if I recall.”
It seemed I’d blushed more often in the past few hours than I had in the past four years. “Now how would you remember this particular pair of silky thighs, when you’ve seen so many?”
He laughed. “My reputation has always been greatly exaggerated.” He walked alongside of Queenie and looked up at me. “And even if I have seen more than my share of thighs, I’d never forget yours.”
Chapter 3
Aunt Gail and Uncle Robbie had gone to bed and aside from the usual chorus of crickets, the occasional
snort of a sleepy horse and the settling walls of the old house, a peaceful quiet had fallen over the farm.
Ryder had ridden Charger for one long, harrowing hour during which I’d traded off between gasping in horror and holding my breath in angst. He’d managed to remain in the saddle and Aunt Gail had rewarded him with macaroni and cheese when he was done. More than once, the toe of his boot had tapped my bare calf under the table and even that small, harmless flirtation had left me with an insatiable urge to be in his arms.
Just as I went to slide of my dress and get into bed, something small smacked the bedroom window. It was a sound I’d heard before, and my heart raced ahead as I hurried to the window and pushed it open.
Ryder stared up at me from the front yard. “Hey J. J., come out and play.” It was the same line he’d always used and it had always worked. I pulled on my sandals and, just like I had as a teenager, I tiptoed down the stairs and out the front door.
I ran up to him and he wrapped me in his strong arms. He gazed down at me. “There was no way I was going to sleep tonight knowing my favorite pair of lips--” He reached down, and I gasped as his callused fingertips reached under the hem of my dress and slid along the skin of my leg. “--And silky thighs were just five hundred yards down the road.” He dropped his arms and grabbed hold of my hand. I was certain he would lead me back to his house, but instead we headed into Uncle Robbie’s barn.
I looked at him questioningly.
“I told you it’s been etched in my brain. I don’t think I can ever go easily to my grave until we finish what we started here.” I followed him obediently up to the hayloft. A soft quilt and bottle of wine waited for us. A half moon provided just enough light and cast a warm glow through the open loft window.
“I don’t remember the blanket or the wine last time,” I said.