After the kiss on the square, the last two hours of Payton's shift went downhill. The cardiac patient coded on the way to the hospital, and though she worked on him for a solid thirty minutes as Charlie raced them down the highway, there was no getting the old man back. As soon as they got him into the emergency room, the resident called time of death. She and Charlie drove back to the garage without conversation. It wasn't very often they lost someone.

Payton filled out her paperwork in the break room, then logged off shift. She gave Cooper, her replacement, a rundown of the calls as she passed him in the parking lot, then climbed into her truck. She felt ... emotional… PMS-y almost, just without the cramps. She felt like crying, but wasn't sure why. She'd lost patients before.

She drove home in a stupor. Parking the truck in its normal spot, she headed into the house to change out of her uniform. Mineer bugled to her, wanting to run, and she waved a hand. "I'll be out in a few, buddy."

Freshly changed, she went to the kitchen and drank down a glass of iced tea, then headed outside. It was only about four in the afternoon, still hot as Hades, but she needed to be outside. She headed for the barn where she checked on Espresso. The little mare whinnied when she heard Payton, and paced her stall. Latching a lead rope onto the mare's halter, she led her out to the hose at the corner of the barn. Essie's wound looked like it was already healing. The laceration had scabbed over already and it didn't look like she'd been chewing at it at all. If she left it alone, maybe she could get the stitches out sooner.

Payton could tell the mare wanted to run and be with her herd mates, but Payton kept a tight hold on her as she hosed her down. Essie still managed to dance around enough to purge some energy by the time Payton put her back into the stall with grain and hay.

Grabbing Mineer's saddle from the tack room, she headed out to the paddock.

They raced for miles, first across her land, then across the Blue Star. Payton didn't care where they went, but she wasn't surprised when they ended up at the outside gate to Cheyenne's. Her Jeep was in the driveway and Daisy barked, so Payton led the horse through the yard and tied him in the shade beneath the oak.

Carolyn, Cheyenne's oldest girl, jogged down the steps to hug her. "Hi, Payton."

"Hey, sweet thing. Enjoying summer vacation?”

Carolyn nodded, her thick copper colored hair hanging to the side of her face. "I am. Savannah is already going through withdrawal."

They laughed and Payton appreciated the normalcy. "Where's your mama?"

"In the kitchen, of course. She's got some kind of teacher birthday pot luck tomorrow."

When she walked in, Cheyenne was pouring a can of chicken stock into a crock pot. She'd already piled several ingredients inside and Payton leaned over, sniffing appreciatively. "That smells good. What is it?"

Cheyenne shrugged, a quizzical expression on her face. "Not sure exactly. I think it'll be some kind of chicken tortilla soup when I'm done."

Payton snorted. Cheyenne was one of those women that you'd love to hate because they were so perfect at everything, but you couldn't because they were so nice. If she said it was going to be tortilla soup, that's what it would be when she was done. Payton could cook as well, but Cheyenne just made it look so easy.

"I should have been a teacher," she sighed.

Cheyenne gave her a glance. "Bad day at work today?"

"Yeah. I'm off my schedule, and the last call was to the nursing home. Remember old man Thornsbury? Taught math in the high school years ago?"

Cheyenne frowned, then realization hit her. "Oh, yes! I had him for geometry. He was a sweet heart."

Payton nodded. She'd had him as well. "I lost him today."

"Oh, I'm so sorry honey." Cheyenne pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. "But he had to have been old. I mean, he was old when we had him in school."

"He was ninety-three," she confirmed.

"Did he have family?"

"Not that I saw. None local anyway."

Maybe that was what was bugging her. The fact that there was no family in the area for him. How lonely he must have been.

Payton's family was only a few miles away, but things had always been a little strained between them. After she'd disappointed them by going away to school rather than stay on the ranch, they hadn't been as open to her. It was almost like she'd betrayed them. Hunter had been fine with her decisions. He'd wanted to take over the ranch, even though he was several years younger than her.

But Daddy had been let down. And Payton felt guilty for letting him down.

For years he'd groomed her to take over the family legacy when he was gone, but she just hadn't wanted it. She had no problems with the ranching itself, but she didn't want to be locked into that way of life.

Mama had tried to understand, but she'd been raised in a ranching family as well and had never known anything different or dreamed of anything different. Payton had always loved ranching, but she'd wanted to help people more. She loved being a paramedic.

Did Brock love ranching? Or had he been brought up with the expectation that he would take over one day? She'd have to ask him sometime.

"Morgan and I had lunch in the square today, and Brock stomped over like an angry bull just in time to hear Morgan proposition me."

Cheyenne choked out a laugh. "Oh, dear. I know it's not funny, but it kinda is."

Payton grinned. "Yeah. Not at the time. But don't be surprised if you hear some gossip. He kissed me right there in the square for all to see."

Cheyenne's mouth fell open and her big blue eyes got huge. "No way. Brock did? How on earth did you get him to do that?"

She shrugged. "Not sure, honestly. I gave him a peck on the cheek for checking on Espresso and it turned into more. I might have grabbed him by the neck and dragged him down, I don't remember. We were interrupted by the call."

Cheyenne gave the crock-pot a final stir and settled the lid on it. "Well, no matter who started it I'm glad it finally happened. What did he do?"

"Gave me a look that could have melted steel and told me he'd see me tonight."

Cheyenne gave her a grin. "So why are you here?"

"I needed to have the wind in my hair for a while, and I wanted to see you guys. I talk to you all the time but I haven't seen you since the round-up."

With a wave, Cheyenne moved them into the kitchen. "Yeah, we've been busy getting ready for summer plans. Savannah knows this is going to be the worst summer ever because one of her friends is moving to Galveston. Plus she'll be out of school and she's worried she's going to forget everything she learned. I've signed her up for a mathematics camp over by Kemp Lake but it doesn’t start for a couple weeks."

Payton scrunched up her nose. "A math camp? Really?"

Cheyenne nodded. "They build trebuchets and other geeky things that require math. She'll love it." She sighed. "Carolyn wants to go to Aspen with a girlfriend for a month, but she's torn because she wants to help out with the wedding preparations. And Grace is Grace. She'd rather be outside in the dirt with her animals than anything, so summer vacation is exactly that for her. May send her to Mama and Daddy's for a while to 'help out'."

"If all those things coincide, let's think about getting away for a girls' weekend."

Cheyenne held up a hand. "I thought about that, but I think we may throw a wedding shower instead. If Chad and Lora want to get married in September that only gives us three months to get everything done."

"Wow," Payton said, wincing. "I guess I didn't think about it being so close. I'm up for anything, you know that."

Cheyenne drew a tablet toward her and opened an app. "I thought you would be, so what do you think about this?"

For the next half-hour they brainstormed shower ideas, and even sent Garrett a few pins for his wedding board on Pinterest. So far he hadn't let them in on many of the details, and Francine was staying just as quiet.

By the time Payton left the house she was feeling so much better about everything that had happened that day.

Giving Mineer his head, she allowed the horse to decide where they went, and she wasn't surprised when he took off at a canter headed toward home. It was time for his dinner.

By the time they rode into the back pasture, the sun was almost completely down. There was a soft peach glow to everything as the light reflected off the clouds.

Brock's truck was parked in her driveway and he was sitting on the tailgate, drinking root beer from a bottle. Payton's heartbeat picked up as she dragged the tack from Mineer's back and led him to the hose for a quick rinse. The horse snorted when the cold water hit his flanks and spun around, splashing her in the process. "Settle down, jughead."

When she returned him to the pasture with his buddies, he jogged around for a moment, then began pawing at an area of loose dirt. Then he was rolling, completely obliterating the cleanliness she'd just worked for. Brock came to lean against the fence beside her and she glanced up at him. "Why do they do that? I can't keep any of them clean."

He chuckled as he handed her a fresh bottle of root beer and leaned against the fence beside her. "They do it because it feels good. When the hair starts to dry, it itches. They don't care what they look like, they care about what's comfortable."

"Hmmm… true."

She twisted off the cap of the root beer and took a heavy swallow. Perfect way to wash away the dust.

They watched Mineer get dirty, then Chico decided to roll as well. And when they lunged to their feet, both bolted into play. For several minutes the horses circled and lunged, biting at each other in play. Then the other two horses bolted into play too. It was a great show, and allowed her a few minutes to just enjoy standing next to Brock and watching them.

"Thank you for cutting up that tree and fixing the fence," she said finally. "I really appreciate it. Mineer and I rode by it on our way out."

"You're welcome. That tree had been dead a while. Looked like it had been struck by lightning at some point. I had Sean come out with me to work on it."

Payton leaned her head on her arms to look at him. "He's not a very talkative guy."

Brock barked out a laugh. "No, definitely not. I think he's seen and had to do a lot of bad things. But he's a good worker."

"And how's your new group of problem children doing?"

Sighing, he rested one booted foot on the lowest board of the paddock. "Not bad. The boss mare that's taken over is something. I didn't want to break the group up yet but I may have to if she doesn't quit being such a bully. Just when I start to make headway with one of the horses she calls them away. Or chases them away. Today she bolted between the colt I was working with and me. Gave me a nip on the way through."

He rubbed a spot on his arm. There was a tear in the fabric of his plaid shirt almost an inch long. Payton couldn't resist running her finger into the hole to touch the hardness of his arm. The man was solid muscle.

"So, separate her."

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to."

They were quiet for several minutes, each lost in their thoughts.

"Have you talked to Cheyenne recently?"

"No. What's she into?"

Payton sighed. "Well, we were talking about the wedding shower. Since the wedding itself is so close, we're going to have to have the shower, like, in a couple weeks."

Brock grunted, looking out at the horses.

"How are you and Chad doing?"

He jerked his shoulders in a shrug. "Okay, I guess. I told him he really helped me out with the round up. I think we understand each other a little better now."

She thought about all the years of avoidance and angst. He was being very forthcoming right now. Maybe she'd push a little more.

"How did you guys get so far off track?"

He heaved a sigh. "I'm not even sure any more. When Chad left for the Marines, I think I was a little resentful, because I didn't feel like that was an option for me. I mean, from the day I was born, I was raised to take over and run the ranch someday. "

He jerked his chin toward the Blue Star.

"Then when he came back injured, I was pretty disgusted with myself for wishing I’d had the chance to go." He looked down at the ground, before glancing at her, his wild Caribbean eyes shadowed by memories. "It's taken me a while to figure all that out. I help out over at the Sweetwater Equine Center sometimes. Working with those vets…man, they are so appreciative of everything. It really made me feel like a big pile of shit for what I felt about my family back then and unappreciative of everything I had been."

"Wow," she said softly. "That's pretty insightful. And I'm not being sarcastic."

He flashed her a roguish grin, too handsome for his own good. "Thank you."

"I've volunteered at the Sweetwater Center too. It's a wonderful program."

He nodded his head. "It is. I wish I could do more for those guys."

"Is that where you met Sean?"

He gave her a narrow-eyed, considering look. "It is. I helped him out a little with one of the horses and he's been bitten by the western bug. He has family, a mother and sisters, I think, back in Philadelphia, but I don't believe he's going back east. I told him he could help out close to the barn for a while. He's not solid enough of a horseman to work the cattle yet, but the way he's going, it won't take long."

Payton shook her head against her arm. She'd known it had to have been something like that. "And you have another new guy. Williams, or something?"

"Wilson. Yes, I offered him a job, too. They're good guys that haven't gotten a decent chance or felt settled since they came home. I think about Chad when he came home years ago, not feeling like he fit in with his own family, and my heart hurts that I didn't help him with that. I will always be thankful that Duncan Wilde offered him the job he did. I don't know the man well, but he's made a lasting impression on a lot of people."

Payton shifted her stance, resting one boot on the lower board like he had. She lifted her head and gave him a smile. "I know what you mean. Chad's turned into an incredible man, and he'll be an even more incredible husband and father. He’s already head over heels about being Mercy’s dad and she loves him to pieces."

"Yeah." One side of Brock's mouth lifted in a smile.

Payton loved talking to him like this. So often, he was running from sunrise to sunset, from one job to another. He very rarely ever took time for himself, let alone others. She'd seen him go months without a haircut, until the black curls got so long they hung into his eyes and down over his collar. Now, though, they were trimmed tight and his jaw shaven, though this late in the evening stubble was darkening his skin. Though there were a lot of good-looking men in Honeywell, Texas but Brock was easily the most handsome man she'd ever seen.

What drew her most today though were the glimpses he was giving her into his mind and heart. Brock Lowell was known through the county as a bit of a playboy, a love ̓em and leave ̓em type, but Payton was seeing more than that.

That smile at the end when she mentioned Mercy made her curious about his reaction.

"Do you see yourself with kids, Brock?"

He glanced at her, then shrugged again. "Eventually. I never envisioned Chad being a dad, but I should have. He was always playing peacemaker when we were kids. Now after seeing him with Mercy, I can see him with a bunch of kids. Cheyenne was always going to be a mother. We all knew that. I think it's why she got into so much trouble with Wade, because she wanted kids sooner rather than later. Emily? I don't know. Two point three kids and a house in a subdivision? I'm not sure about her. Do you know anything about this guy she says she's engaged to?"

Payton shook her head. "Not a thing. It was as much of a surprise to me as it was you guys. I feel so bad for Jackson."

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "He's been quieter than normal recently, which means he's not talking at all. And when he does talk, he snaps."

"He's been hooked on her a long time," she told him softly. Just like she'd been hooked on Brock.

"What's up with your shifts?" he asked.

Payton leaned out, holding the boards and leaned forward, stretching. "Cooper has been into something and requested a few more days. Not sure what he's doing exactly. I figure about the time I get used to the shift, he'll wanna swap back."

She glanced at Brock, then had to look again. There was an aroused look in his eyes, similar to how he'd looked when she'd walked out of the pond toward him. Oh, the stretch. She hadn't actually been doing it for him, but if it worked… so be it.

"What is your end game, Payton," he asked quietly. "What are we doing here?"

She blinked at him. "We're doing whatever we want," she whispered.

His face darkened with emotion and he clenched the top board in his hands, similar to the way she had when she'd stretched. His fists gripped the board like he was going to rip it off the posts. Her eyes drifted south, to the obvious erection behind his zipper. Good to know.

"This is not a good idea, Payton."

She sighed, tired of the argument. "Why not? Let's untie all these nots you have. Give me your reasons."

He turned to glare at her. "Because you're my sister's best friend. I'm not going to fuck that up."

She turned to face him as well, her hands on her hips.

"I appreciate the concern," she said truthfully. "I really do. But Cheyenne and I have been friends forever. Whether I'm dating you or not won't matter to her. She knows that we kissed and that I'm trying to get you to open your eyes and really see me. She is completely, one hundred percent in favor of us in a relationship."

He gaped at her. "You told her?"

"Of course I did. She's my best friend."

Payton didn't tell him that Cheyenne had seen the attraction between them already. That might actually be a bit too much for him to take in and make him lock down.

He crossed his arms over his chest, making his biceps look impossibly huge. "You're too young to know what you're getting into with me."

"Oh, really?" she crossed her arms and stepped into his space. "How old do I need to be to fuck you?"

His face flushed with color she could see even in the night, but he stood his ground. "Is that all you're looking for? Because I know you, Payton. You won't give yourself to a man without some kind of emotional investment."

She tipped her head to him. "You are exactly right, Brock."

Then she stared at him, waiting for him to connect her words with her actions. When he did his eyes widened, and he suddenly looked unsure of himself. "Payton ..."

She held up a hand. "Before you go all holier than thou, I want you to think about something. I've seen you at your best and at your worst over the years. I know you have a reputation, but I admire the man you've turned into. I know you think I'm so much younger than you, but I'm really not. Five years was a lot when we were kids, but it's not anymore. We've both matured. I've seen and done things in my job you cannot imagine." She thought about Mr. Thornsbury, and having no family to care if you lived or died. "But I'm done pussyfooting around and hoping you'll notice me someday. You've noticed me now. And I don't care if it's because of the wedding romance in the air or because you're just tired of me pushing, but we're going to see where this goes."

When he didn't turn and run screaming into the night, she thought that was a good beginning. Leaning into his space, she pressed a kiss to the edge of his hard jaw, then another, till she was working her way down his neck. He held himself rigid before her, but she could feel that his breathing had picked up.

Taking another step closer, she pressed her breasts against his chest and rested her hands on his hips. She tucked her head beneath his chin and kissed his exposed chest where the horse had bitten the button off. The dark hair tickled her lips, but also made her want to comb it with her fingernails.

"Come on, Brock," she whispered into the night. "Take a chance. This could be really good for both of us."

The silence drew out, but he didn't move. Then, when she'd almost given up hope, some starch went out of his spine and he relaxed into her hold. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, and she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. "This is not going to end well."

"Now, see, there's one of those nots again. I think we just need to remove that word from your vocabulary."

He snorted.

"I don't think this is going to end well."

She pulled back and shook her head at him. "Just because you used a contraction it doesn't mean I'm going to let it fly. No more nots."

She smiled at him as she said it, and held a finger up in command. He curled her finger into his fist and leaned down to take her mouth.

Payton gasped as he cupped her head and curled over her, his lips firm on her own. He tasted like root beer, which she assumed must have aphrodisiac properties because she couldn't get enough of him. The man could kiss like nobody's business, and she allowed him to bend her over his arm. He kissed her jaw, then moved down her neck, then finally to the crease of her breasts. He kissed her exactly where she'd kissed him, but it took on a completely different tone when he did it.

Payton moaned and held his head against her, praying that he wasn't going to suddenly jerk away and give her one of his 'not' variations.

Brock Lowell kissed her long and hard, deep and rhythmically, his tongue gliding against her own just like she'd always dreamed of him doing. And it was so much better than she could have ever expected.

Yes, she knew he had experience, but experience didn't always equate to competence. Brock was way more than competent. She would definitely rank him as exceptional.

Payton's head spun as he lifted her vertical and for the first time in her life she thought she might pass out. Arousal tightened her body, and her clothes were aggravating. She wanted to strip off in the moonlight and have her way with him, but when her hands moved to the buttons of her shirt he stilled her.

"I know you don't wanna hear it," he rasped, "but I'm gonna give you another don't. If we're going to do this, I don't want to move too fast. That's one sure way to fuck everything up. Give me time. You’re nothing like most of the women I date and I don’t want to act with you the way I usually do."

Payton blinked, surprised, stunned, but she could kind of appreciate what he said. "Okay. What do you have in mind?"

He drew in a deep, steadying breath. She wondered if she shouldn't step back from him, but nixed that idea. He felt too good to her. The fact that she had her hands on him right this minute and he wasn't pulling away was truly something. Her hips were nestled against his as well, leaving no doubt that he was ready to take care of her if she pushed.

It had already been more than a decade. She could wait a few more days or even weeks if he wanted. As long as they were working toward something, she was cool with whatever he wanted to do.

"I don't know. Let's, uh, go on a date or something."

Payton drew back in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded once. Though she couldn't see it well, she felt the motion.

"I'm game. You tell me when and where and I'll be ready."

He thought for a moment. "I have to do a few things tomorrow, but would you like to go to Lubbock with me Saturday? Will you be off?"

She thought about her schedule. "Yes, I'll be off."

"I have to deliver a horse down there. Maybe we can just make a day of it."

A smile spread her lips. "That sounds wonderful. Really. What time do you want to leave?"

"Eight, before it gets too hot."

She nodded and stood on tiptoe to press a kiss to his lips. "All right then. It's a date, Brock Lowell."

He seemed a little startled at the words, like they didn't normally apply to him, but he smiled slightly. "Okay. I'm gonna head home. I have a few things to do before I can hit the sack."

Payton closed her eyes as she thought about Brock stepping from the shower, glistening, before he dried off and headed to bed, bare as the day he was born.

"Okay" she forced out. "I'll see you Saturday morning. Good night, Brock."

She let go of him reluctantly, stepping back against the fence. She watched his ass as he turned and walked away. Now that was a million dollar pair of Wranglers.

---

Brock felt dazed as he climbed into the truck and drove away from Payton's place. What the hell had he just agreed to?

He had no time for a relationship. The ranch was busier than ever. There was a crew coming to paint the barns and patch the big barn's roof on the western corner where the wind had flipped it up. Then Wednesday he had five thousand fence posts being delivered, as well as four times that many cedar plank boards. The entire driveway up to the house was going to be lined with four board fence, rather than the barbed wire and woven wire stuff there now. The fence had needed to be redone several years ago, rather than patched here and there, so the wedding was a good excuse to get it all done. His foreseeable free time was nil.

The memory of Payton's full breasts pressing into his chest teased at him. He'd been with other women just as built, but he couldn't remember their names let alone their faces. Yeah, maybe he was a little hard up. It had been a while since he'd gone out with anyone. Was that why she was affecting him the way she was?

Guiding the truck around a pothole, he thought about her words. There was a natural inclination to avoid any kind of relationship with her. Yes, he’d been a bit of a dog when it came to dating women, but he was a gentleman at heart, and gentlemen didn't kiss their sister's best friend.

Although he had already. Several times, and her sweetness was becoming an addiction.

Cheyenne knew about them though. Frowning, he gripped the steering wheel in both fists, wondering what the hell he was going to do. Payton was a beautiful, sexy woman. Plus, she was smart, specifically ranch smart. If he showed up with cow shit on his shirt, she didn't even bat an eye. It took a strong woman to be a rancher's wife.

Brock jerked the truck to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes. Wife? Where the fuck had that come from?

Making sure there was no traffic on the deserted road he shoved the truck into park, then rested his head against the steering wheel. This was not going the way he expected at all.

Payton was a wonderful girl, woman. But she was too good for him.