Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) (10 page)

“I’m glad you like her,” Herb said.

“Me, too. Makes things easier.” He didn’t need to ask who they were talking about.

“I wasn’t sure you two would get along. She’s got her life planned out and I pity the person who throws a monkey wrench into those plans.”

“Like her brother?”

Herb sighed. “You know, in the beginning, I was all for this idea of hers. I’ve seen how horses can heal a person. Raising a foal to maturity is a privilege I’ve never had, but I can imagine the deep bond such a project would create. But Josh isn’t buying in.”

“Have you met him?”

“Not that I know of. I wasn’t his horse’s vet. Sheridan’s a small town, so I’ve probably run across him somewhere or other, but I don’t remember him. You must have known him, though.”

“Not really. I hate that Aria’s gone through all this for his sake and he doesn’t seem to give a damn.”

“Doesn’t sit well with me, either.” Herb stopped the truck next to the first rotted post and turned off the engine. “She’s a nice girl—I mean a nice
woman.
Rosie’s warned me about calling adult women girls. But at my age, Aria seems like a girl.”

“I’m well aware that she’s a girl.”

Herb chuckled. “I thought so. There’s a vibe between you two.”

“I admire what she’s attempting to do.”

“I’m guessing that’s not all you admire.”

“Yeah, I like her.”

“Is that so?” Herb nudged back his hat and gave him a long look. “She’s not your type.”

“Actually, she is my type. Like you said, she has her life all mapped out and doesn’t want anybody disturbing her plan. I won’t.”

Herb was quiet for a while and Brant had learned to respect those silences. Finally he spoke. “I don’t pretend to understand how things are these days. All I wanted at your age was to find the right girl—
woman
—settle down with her and have babies. I met Rosie and that was it. We didn’t have the babies, but that worked out okay.”

“Speaking from my own selfish viewpoint, it worked out great.”

“It did work out great. I wouldn’t change a thing.” He looked over at Brant. “But you don’t want what I wanted, do you?”

He considered his answer because he’d rather not insult his foster father’s choices. “I’m like a Plains Indian, moving from place to place dragging my possessions behind me on one of those contraptions they used.”

“A travois.”

“You’re so damned smart, Dad. I swear you could go on a game show and clean up.”

“That doesn’t interest me at all, but I get what you’re saying. You and Aria are two ships passing in the night.”

“Guess so, but that’s hard to do in a landlocked state like Wyoming. Maybe we should be eighteen-wheelers passing in the night.”

Herb apparently got a kick out of that one. He couldn’t seem to stop chuckling. “I wouldn’t use that analogy when you’re speaking to the lady. Women don’t appreciate being compared to a semi.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Making his foster father laugh was one of his favorite things to do. “You think the ship comment works any better though? Those ocean liners are
huge.
”

“Good point. Don’t say anything like that.” He smiled. “I know what kind of man you are, son. You’ll treat her with respect for whatever time you spend together. I’m not too worried about either of you. You’ve always been self-sufficient and she seems to be, too. Whatever happens with her brother, she’ll have that foal to love. I wonder if Linus was always supposed to be for her.”

“You could be right. She adores that little guy.” He hadn’t envisioned maintaining contact with Aria after the training was finished. Usually he made himself scarce once he’d socialized a foal. They needed to bond with the people who would be caring for them every day.

Logically he should treat the situation with Linus the same. He never wanted to give a woman the wrong impression, so he’d make sure Aria didn’t expect him to hang around.

Herb reached for the door handle. “Ready to tackle those ornery fence posts?”

“You bet.” He was smiling as he climbed out of the truck. Having the trust of a man like Herb Padgett was pure gold. He wouldn’t trade places with anyone.

10

A
RIA
WALKED
DOWN
to the barn energized by all that had happened today—Linus’s first experience in the pasture followed by a scandalous hour with Brant behind the barn. Then she’d met his best friend.

Learning how they’d become close had been an eye-opener. Not too many teenaged boys would have stood there and allowed themselves to be pounded on. Brant was even more unusual than she’d thought, and she’d been impressed from the moment he’d stepped into Lucy’s stall the night before.

Impressed and fascinated. She’d never met anyone quite like him. And when they were together she didn’t obsess about Josh.

Instantly she felt guilty. If she didn’t figure out how to help her brother, nobody would. He might be his own worst enemy, but she was his very best friend. She mustn’t lose sight of the goal—getting Josh on his feet.

When she stepped into the cool recesses of the barn, Brant was waiting for her at the far end. He’d propped his back and one booted foot against the side of the stall. He’d also traded his Stetson for an old straw cowboy hat. Seeing him wearing it reminded her that he was a hardworking cowhand who didn’t care about fashion and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.

His smile told her that he was happy to see her. His eyes told her he’d like nothing better than to pull her into his arms. God, help her, she wanted him to.

But instead of closing the gap between them, he stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I promised myself I wouldn’t kiss you, so you’d better stop looking at me like that.”

“How am I looking at you?”

“Like a chocoholic eyeing a plate of fudge.”

She laughed. “Is that so?”

“Yeah.” His voice was husky. “And I guarantee if you start sampling the fudge we’ll use up all of your fifteen minutes.”

She’d always been proud of her willpower. Then she’d kissed Brant Ellison. The prospect of feeling his mouth on hers drove every other thought from her mind.

“They need you more.” Taking a deep breath, he turned and opened the stall door. “They’re waitin’ on you.”

Humbled by his selfless gesture, she nodded and walked inside. Both Lucy and Linus came over, which made her heart squeeze. “Hey, there, my sweetie pies.” She took a piece of the carrot Rosie had given her and fed it to Lucy while stroking Linus’s coat. “I can’t believe how soft he is.”

“I know.” Brant stood in the open doorway. “Another good reason to get him used to being handled. The kids will all want to pet him.”

She glanced in his direction. “I’m glad you’ll be around to monitor the interaction so they don’t overdo it. Please tell me you didn’t have to wake them up just for this.”

“Nah, they were moving around when Herb and I got back from setting fence posts. Lucy was looking for more food. We have to keep it coming while she’s nursing Linus.”

“I’ll bet.” She returned her gaze to the horses and managed to rub Lucy’s nose and scratch Linus’s neck at the same time. “This project would have cost me a small fortune if Rosie and Herb hadn’t stepped in.”

“I can tell you feel obligated to them and I won’t minimize the gesture, but they love having a foal around and I’m sure putting his pictures online has brought loads of publicity to the academy.”

“I hope so. I’m sorry the birth didn’t happen when the students could see it.” She thought of how that would have changed things, specifically her relationship with him. “But not real sorry, to be honest.”

“I’m not, either.”

She gave Lucy another piece of carrot and a pat before crouching and using both hands to caress the foal. “He seems to like being stroked.”

“That’s a guy for you. Loves that stroking part.”

Lust gave her insides a tweak. “No fair making comments like that.”

“Sorry. When I’m watching you fondling him it’s tough to keep my mind from going there.”

“Did you get the postholes all dug?”

He chuckled. “Holes dug and posts in. Until this minute I hadn’t thought of that as a sexual image, either. Ah.” He blew out a breath. “I know a safe topic. The menu. Did you and Rosie get it figured out?”

“We did. I think it’s workable and won’t break the budget.”

“Good. What about Josephine Talley, the woman she hired to help cook for the first semester kids? Is she still on board?”

“She should be back from visiting her daughter before the students get here.” Aria ran her hands over Linus’s chest and laughed when he tried to nibble on her shirt.

“Don’t let him eat your clothes. They can pick up bad habits really fast.”

“I won’t let him.” She gently moved his nose away. “That’s not for you, kid.”

Linus gave her a long, blue-eyed stare. Then he turned toward his mother and soon was completely involved in nursing.

Aria stood. “I’ve been replaced. I think that’s it for now.” She gave Lucy the last piece of carrot and left the stall.

“And look at that.” He closed and latched the door before turning toward her. “You have five minutes to spare.”

Stepping closer, she smoothed her hands up his broad chest. “Must be your turn, then.”

He pulled her in tight. “I should warn you I worked up a sweat digging postholes.”

“Ask me if I mind.” She took off his hat and held it while she ran her fingers through his hair. It was still slightly damp.

“Do you mind?”

“That you work hard enough to sweat?” She breathed in the scent of earth and healthy male. “As it happens, I like that about you.”

He gazed down at her. “You know what I like about you?”

“What?”

“Everything.”

She flushed with pleasure. “Thank you.”

“But I can be more specific. For one thing you’re smart.” He kissed her forehead. “And you have amazing eyes.” He kissed the bridge of her nose. “And cheeks like satin.” He placed a kiss on each one. “I’d kiss your other cheeks, too, but I only have five minutes so I’ll save that for tonight.”

How easily he turned her on. Her heart pounded with excitement and their rendezvous was still hours away. “I’ll try to get there early, but I can’t promise that I’ll—”

“Shh.” He pressed a finger to her lips. “It doesn’t matter when you get there. The second you arrive I’ll be as hard as a tire iron.”

“Oh.” Enthralled by that potent image, she gazed up at him in breathless anticipation.

“You may not realize what an impression you’ve made on me.” Lazily he brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “I don’t just like you, Aria. I crave you.” And he kissed her, thrusting his tongue deep.

Her surrender was complete. She held nothing back as she melted against him, everything forgotten except this—a connection so powerful that her nipples tightened and her body trembled.

Slowly he lifted his mouth from hers. “You need to go.”

“Mmm.” She kept her eyes closed as she tried to remember where and why. Her legs felt rubbery. She didn’t want to wobble as she walked away from him. “Give me a sec.”

“Sure.” He rubbed her back.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and met his gaze.

He swallowed. “I swear, when you look at me like that, it’s all I can do not to haul you into the tack room and bolt the door.”

And she would go with him despite knowing she had to get home and talk to Josh. Her cherished self-control disappeared when she was in the grip of this intense longing. The realization alarmed her.

“It’s a bad idea to head to the tack room, though. For a lot of reasons.”

“Yes.” Good thing at least one of them was exercising restraint. She unwound her arms from his neck and discovered she was still clutching the straw hat. “I might have dented this some.”

He grinned. “Don’t know how you can tell. That’s one disreputable hat.”

“I like it on you.” Stepping back, she handed it to him. “Makes you look rough and ready.”

“I’m never rough.” He settled the hat back on his head. “But when it comes to you, I’m always ready.”

Damn, he was intoxicating! She fought the urge to throw herself into his arms and beg him to make love to her. Instead she smiled as she backed away. “See you tonight.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Me, either.” Understatement of the century, she thought as she turned and hurried out of the barn. But she couldn’t think about that now. Time to switch gears and focus on her top priority. Ideally, Josh should get acquainted with Linus before the students arrived.

That meant getting him out here tomorrow. Having Brant to herself might be tons of fun, but her decision to breed Lucy made no sense if she couldn’t get Josh involved. Linus was adorable and she loved knowing he existed, but he was supposed to serve a purpose. So far he wasn’t doing that.

Once she was in the van she checked the time on her phone. She wasn’t nearly as late as she’d feared, but she kept the needle slightly above the speed limit all the way back to her apartment complex. With luck she wouldn’t catch Josh working, which would give him the perfect excuse to blow her off.

He billed the tech company by the hour and by calculating how much he needed to live on, he’d left himself plenty of time for computer games. Apparently his competitive nature had to find another outlet so now he fought digital fire-breathing dragons.

When he answered the door, he looked annoyed. “Can it wait? I’m in the middle of something.”

“Are you working?”

“No.”

“Then it can’t wait.” Her patience was nearly gone. “I need to talk to you. Please shut off the TV.” She walked in without being invited and he had no choice but to roll his wheelchair out of her way unless he wanted her to run into it.

Fortunately he hadn’t become that belligerent. He clicked off the TV and she closed the door. Forcing herself to ignore the apartment littered with trash from the junk food he ate these days, she cleared a space on his couch and sat.

She’d had visions of cooking nourishing meals for him at least five nights a week, but he’d brushed aside that offer. The apartment’s stale odor made her wonder how long since he’d cleaned. She’d attempted to do that for him and he’d told her he could operate a vacuum and mop from his wheelchair.

“I suppose this is about Lucy’s foal.” He shoved his fingers through his dark hair, the same shade as hers. He needed a haircut, but claimed that he didn’t.

“Yes, it’s about Linus.” She pulled her phone out of her purse. “He went into the pasture today. It was awesome. Rosie took a video and I want you to see it.”

He sighed. “Look, I’d rather not, okay?”

“Why?” She gazed at her brother, someone she loved with all her heart despite the fact that he’d turned into a moody, unpredictable man. “He’s amazing!”

“I’m sure he is, Aria. I’ve seen foals before and they’re cute as shit. But I’m over the horse thing. I tried to tell you that but you didn’t listen. You charged ahead with this idea of breeding Lucy. I wish you hadn’t.” He’d inherited the brown eyes that ran in the family and they gleamed with frustration.

She put the phone away. Then she took inventory of their surroundings before focusing on her brother. He used to be fit but now he looked soft and doughy. “Is this what you want for the rest of your life?”

“It’s not what I
want.
” His eyes flashed in defiance. “It’s what I can have.”

“That’s not true. The doctors said you could walk again, ride again, live a normal life.”

“Oh, sure. But I might have to use a damned cane. I can ride if someone helps me up on the damned horse. I can drive if I order a special plate and buy a specially equipped vehicle! No, thank you!”

She got it, then, for the first time since his accident. He’d rather live as a disabled person cut off from nearly everything and everyone he’d ever known than risk humiliation in the world he used to inhabit. As an eventer, he’d thought of himself as a warrior. That image had been permanently destroyed, so now he’d chosen to hide and be a warrior in the anonymous world of gamers.

But just because she understood didn’t mean she had to accept his decision. He was resigning himself to a half life, and she wouldn’t let him do that, not if she had a chance in hell of rescuing him.

“All right.” She faced the despair in his expression and vowed to replace it with hope. “Maybe I shouldn’t have bred Lucy in some misguided attempt to cheer you up.”

“You shouldn’t have, but once you get going, you’re unstoppable. You’ve been like that ever since I can remember.”

“And you’ve been my hero ever since I can remember.”

“Don’t say that.” He looked away. “I don’t need to hear it right now.”

“I think you do. Josh, there’s this little foal out at Thunder Mountain Ranch. He’s only one day old, but he has gumption. I didn’t know he’d turn out like that, but he seems to have been born with attitude. You were, too.”

“Yeah, well, things happen that can knock the attitude right out of you.”

“Watching Linus would make you laugh. You never laugh anymore.”

He gazed at her. “You’re not going to let up on me, are you?”

“It’s not in my nature.” She shrugged. “You said so just now.”

“Let me think about it.”

“Come with me tomorrow. Thunder Mountain Academy starts up again on Wednesday. Until then, it’s fairly quiet at the ranch.”

“I’m not making any promises.”

“Want to watch the video?”

He shook his head. “You know I’m a sucker for cute baby animals. It’s emotional blackmail.”

“I’m not above that.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’m your brother.” A hint of a smile touched his mouth. “You’ve been using emotional blackmail on me for years. I broke up with Clara Simpson because of you.”

“She was horrible! You should never have gone out with that skank!”

“I agree she was horrible, but she had a great body.”

“Don’t remind me. I saw every naked inch of it.”

“Yes, you did.” This time he gave her a real smile, almost a grin like the old Josh. “Those pictures were awesome. You could have sold them to every guy in school. I’m surprised you didn’t blackmail
her.
”

“I didn’t care about her. I just wanted evidence that she was two-timing you with Jerry Hauserman in the back of his pickup. I was thirteen, for God’s sake! I’d never seen people having sex before. I was traumatized.”