CHAPTER 7
Ready for what? There was so much meaning loaded into his word. The challenge in his eyes was clear. He expected her to bolt. She’d never give him the satisfaction. Sterling was right about one thing. She’d die before she admitted any attraction to him. He might be even more drop dead gorgeous than ever, muscles chiseled to hard perfection. The scruff he’d grown in the last month gave him a rakish air that set her core vibrating. But Sterling loved the chase. Lived for it, whether it was women or dreams. She’d not become a casualty of either.
But if Sterling didn’t approve of her plans, she’d have to play his game. Treat him like one of her high maintenance clients. Soothe his ego enough to move ahead in the right direction. Travis had been a good friend to her family. Especially to her brother, Brodie. She was determined to raise as much money for Resolution Ranch as she could. And she wouldn’t let Sterling stand in the way of what she knew in her heart was the best way to raise money for the ranch. He could show her around the ranch, and she’d adjust her proposal to include a few of his suggestions and whatever else made him feel good. But then she’d continue with what she knew would give the ranch the biggest visibility.
Her biggest concern at the moment was keeping her libido in check. His arm hooked around her waist, sliding inside her jacket, pulling her flush against his chest. A shiver rippled down her spine pulling her nipples tight. She handed over the reins, and his legs tightened around her as he signaled Bingo forward.
They settled into an easy silence, and lulled by the movement of the horse, she relaxed into him, his hard chest a welcome support. She breathed deeply, the clean air sharp and cold in her nose. A hawk circled lazily overhead, a stark contrast to the deep blue of the late winter sky.
“You like it out here, don’t you?”
She liked how his chest rumbled against her back. And for the moment, she was grateful not to spar with him. “Mmmhmm. I’m not outside nearly as much as I like.”
“Why not spend more time here?”
“Easier said than done. My job is pretty demanding.”
“Of course,” he murmured, his mouth above her ear. “I’d expect nothing less than that from you.”
She swiveled her head and leaned back to catch his eye. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She quickly straightened, heart pounding. The heat in his eyes had been too much.
“Nothing. Just that you always delivered everything with a degree of excellence that was hard to top. I can’t imagine that’s changed.”
The admiration in his voice unsettled her. She could handle his teasing and goading. Gentle Sterling set her off-kilter. She cleared her throat. “So what goes here?”
“We’re working on repairing the fencing and the water delivery, but the plan is to bring in longhorns.”
Huh. While her brothers had broken the mold, and were on their way to developing the largest Bison herd in the region, most ranchers in the area ran Angus or Herefords. “Why longhorns?”
“First the novelty, but on deeper investigation, they’re a heartier animal.”
“My brothers switched to Bison for a similar reason.”
“Longhorns are amazing. First, they just look cool. But they have natural resistance to a number of diseases and parasites. And they’ll forage pretty much anything. For us, especially working with many who will be novices, it’s a great choice. The cows are smaller, the calves are easier to birth. Shall I go on?”
“Sure. I’m impressed you’ve learned so much already.” She liked hearing the excitement in his voice. It radiated off him and carried her along. In her mind’s eye, she could see the pasture in spring, full of wildflowers and spotty longhorns. She had to make the fundraiser a success.
“They’re easier to grass-finish, and your sister-in-law Jamey tells us there’s a market for quality grass-fed beef. And since they have more live births and calve into their teens, it looks profitable for us. At least on paper. And it should allow us the funds to continue bringing in mustangs.”
“Hope was telling me about that when I was home in January. I don’t know who’s more excited, you or her.”
“I think we’re all excited. Being a month out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a horse and a few guys to rely on… changes you.” His hand tightened around her. “I came home with focus. Purpose. I think we can make a go of this, and I want to give it my all. Anything to save someone like…” he took a shuddering breath. “A friend… I…” he stopped, voice thick with emotion, then shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Emma’s heart squeezed into a painful knot. She hated hearing the pain in his voice. She wanted to ask more, but she didn’t have the right. Not when most of the talking they did was sparring. She slid her hand along his arm, bringing it to rest over his.
She’d only ever seen him as invincible. Unassailable. Never thought of him as being capable of deeper feelings. But there was an unmistakable tone in someone’s voice when they’d experienced deep loss. She’d joined that club too early in life. It made her sensitive to other people’s loss. She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry, Sterling. For your loss.”
He squeezed her back in silent answer. He didn’t have to talk. She knew what he meant. They continued over another rise and skirted the pond where they’d all skinny-dipped in as teenagers.
Sterling spoke again, the emotion gone from his voice. “So why’d you stay away from Prairie?”
“I could ask the same of you.”
“That’s easy. There were no opportunities for adventure in Prairie. You remember, my parents are educators, so I didn’t grow up on a ranch. I wanted to be outside. Have an exciting life. See the world. West Point was a great opportunity.”
“Then why’d you retire?”
He stiffened in the saddle. “Got injured in a training op and had to leave the Rangers. I’m only good for desk jobs now.”
He said it with practiced ease, as if he didn’t care. But Emma heard the note of bitter disappointment in his voice. “Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, thanks to a new ACL and months of rehab. But I’ll always be an injury risk for the kinds of operations I want to be on. And at the end of the day, I guess I’m an all or nothing kind of guy. I made it into one of the most elite forces in the Army. Anything less than that was unacceptable. Better to cut my losses and start over. So when Travis called and offered me the foreman’s job, I jumped at the chance. A new adventure, but at least I’ll still be using my body and spending time outside.”
The image of him as a warrior hovered in front of her. She didn’t know the first thing about the military outside of the movies. But he was dreamy enough to star in a movie. Her movies at least. She squirmed as heat snaked up her legs, settling in her core. Just thinking about him in motion, using that magnificent body he’d spent years honing, set her pussy throbbing.
So much so, she missed his question. “Say again?”
“You avoided my question. Why’d you leave?”
“You’d leave too if you had three older brothers bossing you around and treating you with kid gloves. Besides, I was made for bigger things.” His thumb really needed to stop caressing her rib cage. She couldn’t concentrate on anything else.
“Like what?”
“Same as you. Adventure. Travel. My job has taken me all over the world. Every time I take a vacation, I go someplace new. But being based in Kansas City lets me pop over to Prairie to see my nephew and the rest of the crew.”
“What’s the craziest adventure you’ve ever taken?”
She laughed low. “You have to promise not to tell my brothers. They’d shit their pants.”
His laugh shook them both. “Your secret’s safe with me.” He dipped his head and murmured into her ear. “I promise.”
Her pulse hammered at her throat as tingles rippled down her neck. She was playing with fire, but something about telling him felt so right. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “I spent three months traveling through Southeast Asia on my own.”
“Impressive. What was your favorite part?”
Wait. Where was the shock? “That’s it? You’re not going to go all caveman?”
He chuckled. “Is that what you expected?”
“That’s usually been the reaction. Some speech about how I shouldn’t solo travel.”
“My female colleagues in the Army would have strung me up by the balls if I’d ever hinted I didn’t think they could handle themselves. Besides, I’m sure your brothers taught you all the moves necessary to stay safe. I would have.”
Warmth spread across her chest at his admission. “They did. But I earned a black-belt in tae-kwan-do in college. He chuckled again. The sound toasted her insides like the hot whiskeys Jamey liked to make.
“No kidding? Remind me not to meet you in a dark alley.”
“They don’t know that either.”
“The secret life of Emma Sinclaire.”
She shrugged. “Something like that.”
“What other secrets do you have, Goldilocks?”
She didn’t miss the innuendo in his voice and it acted like an ice-bath. This was Sterling she was talking to. Her nemesis. The golden boy with flavor-of-the-week girlfriends. The one who was shameless about besting her at every turn. He couldn’t be her confidant. “You’ve heard enough for one day,” she said with regret. For a moment, things had felt… nice between them. And entirely too easy. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall head over heels for this newer version of Sterling. “What’s this?” she asked as she pointed to three trailers just on the other side of the rise from the main house.
“Temporary quarters. Those stakes and flags you see on the ground mark where we’ll be building a circle of tiny houses. Right now, we’re thinking about ten. I’ll have a larger house to the East that will also include the foreman’s office. Once they’re built, we’ll be ready to roll.”
The vision was truly impressive, and she had to admit, getting a personal view made her that much more excited about helping the ranch. As much as she hated to give him fodder for future shenanigans, she owed him her thanks. As the barn came into sight, she swallowed the tendril of doubt and spoke. “You were right. Seeing the ranch through your eyes has been a huge help. Thank you.” The words burned on her mouth, but she was a professional. She’d always give credit where credit was due.
His arm tightened around her middle. “My pleasure.”
“That woman, Kate. She looks so familiar. Don’t we know her?”
“Nope.”
“I’m sure of it. Are you sure she wasn’t one of your weekly girlfriends?”
He made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat as he dismounted. “Always so quick to think the worst of me.” He glanced up at her, eyes serious. “Truly. I’ve never seen her before in my life.”
His hand was there to steady her as she dismounted. “Got it?”
It was sweet. Those little touches of chivalry. But not enough to make her feel helpless, or incapable. Just… nice. She turned, but he hadn’t stepped back. Her stomach flip-flopped.
“I’m done with weekly girlfriends.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“I’ve changed Emma… Goldilocks.”
The intensity of him, of his darkened gaze. The way his voice had gone rough at the edges. The sheer overwhelming mass of him, set her insides throbbing with anticipation. But it was the earnest tilt of his mouth that sent her pulse off to the races. He reached up and wrapped a strand of hair around his finger, caressing it as if it were a talisman. “I’m not the man I was.”
Her mouth went dry. All she could hear was her pounding heart.
“Do you feel it too?” he murmured, continuing to twist her hair around his finger. His voice seeped into her pores. His gray eyes, molten. Hypnotic. She barely nodded, mouth parting slightly.
“Don’t fight it. Let’s not fight it.”
“That’s all I know how to do,” she whispered.
“Break your date tonight.”
“What date?”
Recognition flickered in his eyes. “The date you said you have tonight.”
What on earth? Realization hit her. The ‘plans’ she’d referenced earlier. Damn. So. Busted.
“There’s no date?” Something hot flashed in his eyes.
A shiver of attraction slithered down her spine even as her cheeks flamed. “No…. but I do have plans. For real.”
His eyes grew flinty as he let out a low laugh. “Liar. You’re just afraid you’ll throw yourself at me, aren’t you?”
So damned cocky. She socked him gently and stepped aside. “Keep telling yourself that.” Thank heavens the spell was broken before she’d done something stupid like kiss him.
“I expect new fundraising ideas by tomorrow,” he called after her as she made for her car.
“Goodbye Sterling.”