Chapter Nine
Natalie twisted in front of the full-length mirror and reconsidered the chambray shirt she’d pulled on over her white tank top. From the front it gave her an easy, casual vibe, but from the back she had zero figure.
She shouldn’t care. Trevor was just a friend, which meant it didn’t matter what her booty looked like.
Scowling, she gathered up the tail of her shirt and tied it around her waist. Friend or not, there was no way she was sauntering into today looking like a sack of potatoes. She checked the effect over her shoulder, let out a satisfied harrumph, and cocked her hip in a sassy pose. Wyatt may not have appreciated her backside while they were married—had even gone so far as to suggest she needed to lose a few pounds in their last few years—but Natalie liked it. Especially in her favorite jeans with the pretty silver stitching on the pockets.
Levi’s voice ricocheted from the living room. “Mom, he’s here!”
Great, now both of her neighbors were probably sitting upright in their beds contemplating murder. Very few tenants were up and about in her apartment complex before ten o’clock on the weekends. Before eight o’clock was an absolute ghost town.
Steady footsteps sounded on the concrete walkway outside her window.
“Mom, did you hear me?”
“Yes, Levi. So did the people next door. Now, settle down.” She snagged her purse off the dresser and hurried into the living room. It felt weird not having her mom there, but she’d suspiciously come up with breakfast plans with some of her friends the night before. While she’d come clean with her mom about her and Trevor’s pretend relationship, Natalie had a feeling Maureen was still secretly planning their wedding.
Trevor’s sharp knock sounded on the door, and Natalie’s heart kicked in answer.
You’re just friends. That’s all. Over a week, she’d chanted that mantra, but those stupid flutters that came with the merest thought of Trevor refused to buy into the idea. She opened the door and caught her breath, the brilliant sunrise backlighting Trevor’s broad shoulders and narrow hips like something out of a movie. She stepped aside and waved him in. “Good morning.”
“It is now.” His smile matched his playful tone, but the deep appreciation as he ambled inside and gave her a thorough head to toe left her flushed and out of sorts. His gaze shifted to Levi and he hooked his thumbs in his pockets. “Nice boots, bud.”
Levi beamed and puffed out his chest. “Thanks! I told Mom if we were ridin’ horses we’d need some, so we went shoppin’.”
“Did you, now?” Trevor twisted toward Natalie, nodded toward her simple white Keds and cocked a lopsided grin. “I see mom didn’t splurge for her own pair.”
“Do you know what it costs to keep a growing boy in clothes? I promise you, answering endless questions about insurance claims all day doesn’t generate the paycheck you’d expect. I did good to get Levi a pair.” She slung her purse on her shoulder and feigned a casualness she absolutely didn’t feel. “Besides, I’m just along for the ride. I’ll take air-conditioning to the great outdoors any day.”
“Darlin’, if that’s the case, you haven’t been doing things right.” He waved Levi toward the door. “Come on, bud. Time to get your momma up on a horse.”
Natalie locked the front door and trailed the two of them down the stairs to the parking lot. The pair made for a sight almost as glorious as the early November sun creeping up the horizon. Trevor’s easy saunter was a beautiful thing to behold any day, but with her son beside him, chatting up a storm and watching Trevor’s every move, the moment was perfect.
When Trevor guided them to his huge silver truck parked in the back row, Levi’s strides quickened. “Whoa! You’ve got a dually!” He stopped and studied the long body with big eyes. “Mom, look! He’s got a Silverado Duramax Diesel Dually.” He turned to Trevor, all levity replaced with a sincerity reserved for conversation between men. “Bobby’s dad has a Ford, but your Chevy’s way better.”
Natalie stepped closer to Trevor and lowered her voice. “What’s a dually?”
Grinning, Trevor splayed his hand at the small of her back and steered her to the passenger side. “More tires in the back. I like to take my horses out on trail rides and the dually makes a better hauler when I’m pulling a trailer.”
“I bet it guzzles a lot of gas, too.”
“Well, it’s not gonna win any efficiency awards, that’s for sure.” He opened her door and held out a hand.
“Ain’t you gonna drive?” Levi said from beside her.
“Aren’t you going to drive,” Natalie said.
“Yeah, bud, I’m gonna drive,” Trevor said, “but I’m gonna get your momma settled first.”
Levi shrugged and strode forward, ready to climb in.
Trevor gently snagged him by the shoulder and pulled him back against his legs. “Ladies first, bud. We’ll get you settled in the back.”
Natalie hesitated and braced to smooth over Trevor’s gentle guidance, but Levi just nodded, cataloged the information away and waited for her to get on with business.
She climbed in and swallowed around the knot blossoming in her throat. This was the kind of life she’d wished for Levi. For her son to have a coach and a role model he could rely on instead of a man who viewed him as a nuisance or a means to an end.
The forty-five-minute drive to Trevor’s ranch felt more like fifteen, and not one second of it lagged for conversation. Of course, most of it ping-ponged between Trevor and Levi, but with her son’s rampant curiosity, the topics kept her highly entertained. Planes, ranches, bars, and sports, Levi covered it all.
Several miles down a less-traveled country road, Trevor slowed in front of an open black iron gate. A rustic four-rung fence stretched on either side for what had to be at least a mile, and the winding driveway led to a dark wood home with a green tiled roof. While she’d never traveled to the mountains, the home’s design was exactly what she’d have expected to find at such a locale. “Is this your place?”
“Yep.”
The click of Levi’s seat belt coming unhitched sounded and his little hands curled around her seat back a second before his head popped up between them. “Wow! Cool house!”
“Thanks, bud.”
Levi pointed to a tan metal building off to one side. “Is that where you keep your planes?”
“Just a little Cessna 310,” Trevor said. “It’s the prop plane I told you about. I keep all my commercial planes at an airport south of downtown.”
Practically bouncing on the seat, Levi’s hands tightened on the seat back. “Can we fly it?”
Trevor drove them around the back of his house and parked outside the garage. Another truck like Trevor’s was parked off to one side, though it was black and splattered with mud. About fifty feet away was a miniature version of Trevor’s home, and a little beyond that was a barn that looked nicer than some high-end homes.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Trevor said to Levi. “You pay attention and earn those boots your mom bought, and I’ll take you out on the next trip. That work for you?”
“Yeah!” Scrambling to his door, Levi yanked the handle and hopped out.
Before Trevor could do the same, Natalie gripped his forearm and squeezed. “I appreciate this. Really I do. But I don’t think it’s smart to make Levi any more promises. We’re supposed to be winding down this farce to just friends, and he’ll be crushed enough by that alone.”
For several seconds, Trevor just stared at her, a mood she couldn’t quite pinpoint moving behind his pale blue eyes. “One thing you need to learn about me, darlin’. If I say I’ll do something, I mean it. I don’t give empty promises. Damn sure not to a seven-year-old boy who can charm the spots off a ladybug.” He twisted and cupped side of her face, the contact both comforting and possessive. “And the friends thing won’t be an act. That’s a promise I’m making you.”
Friends. He’d said friends. She was sure of it. But the tone behind the word caressed her in a far more intimate stroke. Charm the spots off a ladybug, indeed. God help her if Levi grew up to be as alluring of a man as Trevor. She’d have more love-struck girls sniffing around her house than she’d ever be able to deal with.
When she found her voice, it came out soft and shaky. “Okay.”
He grinned, clearly pleased he’d earned the answer he wanted. “Good.” His gaze dropped to her mouth and his smile slipped, a sexual focus slipping into place that set her whole body on fire.
Levi’s delighted voice rang across the clearing. “Mom, look! He’s got a dog!”
The mood broken, Trevor exited the truck and helped her out. By the time she stepped clear of the door, Levi was kneeling in the grass just outside the barn, his arms wrapped around a border collie who seemed determined to lick Levi’s entire face.
Trevor shut the passenger door and whistled sharp. “Lady, settle.”
On cue, Lady dropped to her butt, but her tail kept moving ninety miles an hour.
Levi took full advantage, moving in closer and rubbing both hands behind her ears. “Isn’t she cool, Mom? We need a dog like this. We could train her and everything.”
“Gee, thanks,” Natalie said low to Trevor.
He chuckled and urged her forward, that same claiming touch he’d given her a few times before settling low on her back. “Sorry. Wouldn’t be the full ranch experience without a dog though, now would it?”
A stocky man in seriously faded Wranglers, a white-and-blue-striped button-down and cowboy hat that had probably been white about ten years ago, strolled out of the barn and waved to Trevor. “Good timing, boss. Just got your boys rounded up and fed.”
Trevor held out his hand. “Appreciate it, Thomas.”
Thomas shook it, pounded Trevor on the back hard enough it had to have hurt, then turned his attention to her. “You must be Natalie?”
“I am.” She motioned toward Levi now running and dodging Lady, who seemed to think it was her sole mission in life to herd him their direction. “That’s my son, Levi.”
Tipping his hat just a fraction, he grinned enough to make his eyes crinkle at each side. Black hair peeked beneath the edges of his hat and curled a little at his shirt collar. The way he moved, he seemed as young and spry as Trevor, but his deeply tanned skin gave him an older appearance up close. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Thomas and his boys manage the ranch and take care of the horses for me,” Trevor said. “Known him since before I moved to Dallas.”
“Fifteen years, at least,” Thomas tacked on with a smirk. “First time he’s ever brought a pretty lady out to his place, though.”
Trevor slid his arm around Natalie’s shoulders and tucked her tight against him, but the smile on his face said the good-natured ribbing was a frequent occurrence between the two of them. “You keep flirting, I’ll rat you out with your wife, and you’ll have to sleep in the bunkhouse for a week.”
“Man, you’re lucky it’s only me bustin’ your chops. Tessa heard you were havin’ company and damn near came out herself to lay eyes on the woman who’d scored the invite.” Thomas winked at Natalie before shifting his focus back to Trevor. “Don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair directly. Workin’ on the fence in the north section this morning, then headin’ out. The boys are running errands with their momma.”
“Works for us.” Trevor tipped his head down to her. “You and Levi want a tour of the house first, or would you rather get right after the horses?”
Even if the place didn’t look like a mountain resort, she’d have jumped at a chance to see what kind of place a man like Trevor called home. “Considering I’m still not convinced I’ve got any business on a horse, I’ll start with the tour.”
Trevor’s eyes lit, a devilish glint that made her insides smolder even with chilled wind licking her cheeks. “You’re gettin’ on a horse, Nat. Only choice you’re getting is riding solo, or mounted up in front of me.”
Holy smokes.
The smolder flashed to a raging blaze, her all-too-vivid imagination conjuring up the feel of his hips pressed against hers and his muscled chest tight against her back. She cleared her throat and shifted her attention to Levi to hide the heat climbing up her face. “I can do solo.”
He gently squeezed her shoulder and leaned in close, his voice low and only for her, but just as potent as his woodsy scent. “Chicken.” Straightening, he spoke to Thomas. “I’ll handle Titan when we’re done, but do you mind gettin’ Deuce and Peso saddled up while I show them around?”
“Don’t mind a bit.” Thomas pinched the rim of his hat and tipped his head to Natalie. “Nice meeting you, ma’am. You and your kiddo come back this way, I’ll bring Tessa and the boys around for an intro.”
“I’d like that,” she said. Not that there would be another time around. Clearly, Trevor was the type who appreciated his privacy and had already gone out of his way to share it with her son. Letting herself think anything else was akin to riding an elephant across a barely iced-over pond.
Trevor’s sharp whistle pierced the quiet morning. “Let’s go, Lady.”
Snapping to attention, the collie darted toward Trevor, stopped, circled back to Levi to make sure he was headed in too, then raced right along beside him.
“I’m ready to ride!” Levi said, his lungs heaving from all the exercise.
“Got all day, bud.” Relinquishing his hold on Natalie, he waved Levi toward the house. “Gonna show your mom around and let you hit the head first. Then you can help me saddle up Titan.”
Moving in tight to Trevor’s side, Levi grabbed his hand and doubled his strides to keep up with Trevor’s longer ones.
Natalie’s own steps nearly faltered, the simple gesture from her son and the easy way Trevor accepted the connection drawing tears to her eyes. She swallowed to combat the burn crawling up her throat and dropped her gaze, pushing the emotion as deep as she could bury it. Later she could wallow in it. Could remember the image and savor it when Levi headed back to Wyatt. Right now was for making her boy happy and making sure he had enough memories to carry him through until he got home.
Two thickly padded loungers and at least ten different kinds of potted plants and flowers adorned the covered back porch. Trevor opened the back door and stepped aside.
Levi almost waltzed right through, but stopped two steps away, shuffled back and waited for her to go first.
She ruffled his head on the way past. “Such a gentleman. You do that for your nanna and you’ll end up with double desserts for a month.”
Trevor’s hushed voice sounded behind her. “Good job, bud.”
Letting out a shaky breath, she stopped in the open kitchen and let the homey space around her settle her rioting emotions. A wide trestle table with benches on each side and big, hand-carved chairs at each end sat in front of the huge picture window. On the opposite side of the room was a rock fireplace nearly big enough for Levi to stand in, fronted by a well-worn leather couch and two club chairs covered in an evergreen chenille. Perfect for cozying up on a cold night.
Heck, the whole place was perfect for anything cozy. And didn’t that just give her mind more fuel for her already out-of-control thoughts. She eyed the exposed wood beams stretching up the vaulted ceiling then shifted to the pictures situated on each end of the mantel. An older man and woman sat side by side on a porch swing in one, both with gray hair, but their smiles full of youth and love. At the other end was a candid picture of six men, each of them seated at the table Trevor kept reserved for him and his friends at The Den. You couldn’t have picked a more motley crew. On first blush, none of them looked the type to hang out with the other, but the familiarity and comfort in the way they sat together spoke of a deep, unflinching bond.
Trevor’s voice drew her attention. “Those are my brothers.” He tapped Levi’s arm and pointed toward the opening on the far side of the fireplace. “Bathroom’s back that way on the right, bud. How about you take care of business before we head out?”
Levi nodded and strutted down the hall, his quick steps telegraphing how hard he was having to rein in his excitement.
She motioned to the picture. “They don’t look anything like you.”
“Some families you get by blood. Some you take by choice.” He nodded to the picture. “Everyone on that mantel is the latter.”
She spun back to the picture of the man and woman, questions poised on the tip of her tongue.
You’re just friends.
Swallowing her curiosity, she turned and tucked her hands in her back pockets. “Your home is lovely.”
He grinned and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “You expect something different?”
“I think you threw all my expectations out the window a few weeks ago.” She scanned the tidy space, looking for something, anything to knock him off his too-perfect pedestal. “Do you really keep this place all to yourself, or was your friend just giving you a hard time?”
“My dad comes out off and on, and my brothers stop by from time to time, but other than that, it’s pretty quiet.”
“That’s a shame.” Outside the picture window, unspoiled land stretched in soft rolling planes, intermittent clusters of trees rustling in a soft breeze. “A place like this is meant to be shared.”
“Maybe I’m just waiting on the right person to share it with.”
His retort stretched taut between them, the tenor of his voice laced with something between playful challenge and need. The dare she understood, his lighthearted flirtations with customers seemingly as second-nature as his swagger. But the need...that part was unexpected. A tiny crack in his otherwise unruffled veneer.
Before she could come up with a response to his odd statement, Trevor pushed off the counter and strolled her direction. “Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the place.”
The layout was simplistic, but made the most of the exceptional views with every oversized room boasting huge picture windows. Three guest rooms decorated in rich, yet welcoming colors of sage, cornflower blue, and gold took up one end of the house, none of them appearing to have ever been used. The rustic décor of Trevor’s office matched the kitchen and the rest of the living areas, but was offset by a multitude of model planes emblazoned with his company’s phoenix logo on the sides.
Natalie glanced up the stairs outside his office. “Your room is upstairs?”
“Nope. That’s the rec room. Pool tables, video games, and all the other stuff that proves I’m still a kid at heart.” He steered her around with one hand at her shoulder and motioned her ahead of him. “My room’s down there.”
A shadowed hallway with dark woodwork on either side stretched fifteen feet in front of her. The door at the end was closed, a perfect reminder of the very real line neither of them could afford to cross. She spun back around and clasped her hands in front of her. “I’m sure it’s lovely.”
He cocked one eyebrow. “Not curious?”
Oh, she was curious, all right. More so than she’d ever admit. But the last thing her brain needed was any more late-night fantasy fodder to work with. “More like I don’t want to intrude on your privacy.”
Grinning, he loosely coiled his fingers around her wrist and led her forward. “Not intruding if there’s an invitation, is it?”
She followed, her pulse thrumming stronger with every step and her skin tingling beneath his touch. Her mind scrambled for a polite reason to bail.
He opened the door and pulled her through behind him, only releasing his hold once he’d guided her to the center of the room.
A shiver snaked its way down her spine, the sensual awareness she’d tried to ignore since that first kiss blossoming to full bright. The rest of his home fit his lifestyle, but his bedroom fit the man. Rugged and edgy. A taste of refinement wrapped in rural trappings. A thick pale gray rug silenced her footsteps, and brilliant morning sunshine slanted from the massive picture window. Opposite the glass, an entire wall finished in raw, dark wood served as the backdrop for an opulent king-size bed covered in a chambray-covered down comforter.
She’d bet anything it was as soft as it looked. As decadent as the ideas just looking at it conjured.
Down the hall, a door clicked open.
“I’m ready!” Levi called. His quick footsteps sounded on the hardwoods. “Where are you guys?”
“Back here, bud,” Trevor answered, though his voice sounded as distracted as her thoughts.
Natalie shifted her focus to the rolling green vista beyond and tried to calm her heart’s haggard rhythm.
Trevor moved in tight behind her before she’d so much as drawn a steady breath. His voice rumbled deep and decadent beside one ear. “How about you, Momma? Are you ready?”
Her eyes slid shut, and her core clenched. God, was she ready. Though what she wanted wasn’t something he’d likely be willing to give. At this rate, she’d never make it through the day. Watching Levi, eyes bright with undiluted hero worship and eager for every scrap of knowledge Trevor had to offer, was hard enough. Being this close, this intimate even without physical touch, would have her in a quivering puddle of mush before noon.
“I’m ready,” she said, hating the needy rasp of her voice when it came out and praying he’d chalk it up to her inexperience with horses.
You’re just friends.
Charade or not, it was all he had to offer. Entertaining any other ideas would only leave her with a welling hole of disappointment. A chasm ten times deeper than anything she’d felt running away from her marriage. She turned just as Levi rounded the entry, stepped away from the temptation of Trevor’s towering body, and forced a bright smile for her son. “What’s say we get this show on the road, huh?”
“Yeah!” Levi spun on his heel and strode down the hallway with the excited gait of a kid hopped up on too much sugar and adrenaline.
Natalie hustled right behind him, the heady press of desire Trevor had created and the unhurried clip of his boots behind her a seductively challenging presence.
Distance was good. Downright necessary if she wanted to make it through the hours ahead, but damned if a part of her wasn’t tempted to pause at the porch door and give Trevor the opportunity to pull her back inside.
Outside, brilliant sunshine blanketed the sweeping acreage, and the crisp November air rustled trees thick with deepening gold and russet leaves. A comforting silence as only nature could provide it whispered on the wind and whipped her hair across her face. She slowed her pace and drew the sweet scent of hay into her lungs.
Not the least bit interested in the beauty around him, Levi marched closer to the barn’s open sliding doors while Lady pranced dutifully at his side.
Trevor’s voice cut from behind her. “Hold up, bud. Time and a place to get yourself in high gear, but horses aren’t one of ‘em. You get me?”
Levi stopped and his shoulders snapped back to match his sharp “Yes, sir.” The overall response would have come off like a little soldier in training if he hadn’t promptly pinned his hands on his hips and practically bounced with impatience.
Ambling up beside her, Trevor matched his strides to hers and slipped his hand in hers as though he’d done it a thousand times before.
And God, it felt good. So good it was all she could do not to stop walking altogether, close her eyes and savor the contact.
The stretch of land between them and the barn was far enough he didn’t have to lower his voice, but he did it all the same. “You all right?”
No. Not really. More like on top of the world and terrified all in one breath. “I don’t know how to answer that.”
“How about just saying what’s on your mind?”
Boy, wasn’t that a scary proposition? She wasn’t sure she was ready to handle the ideas scampering around in her head, let alone share them with anyone else. “You’re easy to be with. Sometimes too easy.”
“Not sure there’s such a thing as too easy, and if there is, I can’t see how it’s a bad thing.”
She huffed out a short chuckle. “It’s bad if it makes me forget what we’ve agreed to or the consequences that go with it.”
His quick smile rivaled the sun and held zero remorse. “Then darlin’, too easy is exactly what I’m countin’ on.” He winked, released her hand and gave her a playful swat on her butt. “Now stow all that shit clouding your thoughts and get your head in the game. Time for you to cowgirl up.”
Before her thoughts could rewind and translate the underlying meaning behind his words, he’d upped his pace, covered the distance to Levi and steered him into the stable’s center aisle. Inside the shadowed confines, the temperature was at least five degrees cooler and the air thick with the scent of hay, horses and leather. It took two or three blinks for her eyes to adjust, but once they did, her lungs hitched.
Five spacious stalls lined each side of the barn, but at the far end of the long corridor, two gorgeous horses were saddled and tethered. One was a rich gray that bordered on silver, and another a deep brown with a black mane and shiny black points at his ears and feet.
Levi stood in front of the gray one, his head tipped back and eyes rounded with awe. His usual boisterous voice was couched with a gentle reverence. “Aren’t they pretty, Mom?”
Pretty didn’t cover it. All by themselves, the animals were proud and gorgeous creatures, patiently—or more like lovingly—waiting for Levi to take in the moment. Watching Trevor standing beside him, the sunlight haloing them both as Trevor taught him how to stroke the horse’s muzzle—that was priceless.
As quietly as she could, Natalie inched closer. “Will they bite?”
“Peso? Are you kidding?” Trevor chuckled and patted the horse’s neck. “It’d take a whole lot of prodding and maybe Armageddon for either of these guys to bite anyone. Consider them the equivalent of two seasoned soldiers who’ve done and seen it all. You’ll never be safer.”
Well, that was good. Especially since one of them alone outweighed her by God only knew how much. Heck, the top of her head barely reached the top of their backs. “Well, he’s very handsome.”
Levi twisted enough to grin over his shoulder, but never stopped petting Peso. “Trevor said Peso’s a blue roan.” He glanced up at Trevor. “He’s mine, right?”
“Yep.” Trevor motioned to the saddle on Peso’s back. “Thomas brought one of his boy’s saddles over for you, so you’re good to go.”
The dark brown and black horse behind Trevor shifted enough to nuzzle the back of Trevor’s neck and snorted as though giving him a gentle reminder.
Completely unfazed or startled by the touch, Trevor turned and gave the horse his undivided attention.
Fascinated by the easy way Trevor interacted with the creature, Natalie sidled closer. “What’s his name?”
“This is Deuce. And you may as well get yourself within touching distance, because he’s a sucker for ladies and will pester me until you properly introduce yourself.”
Okay. Right. It was just a horse, and a friendly acting one at that. Surely if her seven-year-old could get nose-to-nose with one, she could, too. She inched closer, hands fisted close to her waist. “So, what do I do?”
Before Trevor could answer, Deuce stretched forward and nudged her hand with his nose.
Trevor’s laugher was as warm and velvety as the horse’s touch. “Whatever Deuce tells you to do, apparently.” He stroked one big hand down the center of Deuce’s forehead. “Pretty much anything with this guy works so long as you’re touching.”
Emboldened by the animal’s reaction, Natalie mimicked the way Levi had petted Peso and tentatively caressed his muzzle.
Deuce gently lifted his head as if to guide her hand higher and huffed out a hot breath.
Natalie giggled like a little girl, pure joy blossoming behind her chest. “He is a little bossy.”
Trevor grinned and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a commotion in a stall behind them.
Natalie spun just as a big black horse popped his head above one of the gates. He shook his head hard enough to toss his mane and whinnied in a way that said he wasn’t at all pleased.
“Deuce isn’t bossy,” Trevor said. “But that one is.” He strolled around her and up to the agitated animal like he didn’t have the least of concerns. “Pal, you’re gonna have to cool your jets for a few more while I get our friends settled.” Settling one hand on the horse’s neck, Trevor lowered his voice and mumbled something else Natalie couldn’t hear in his ear.
Whatever he said, the animal settled and actually greeted Trevor with a brush of his head against his shoulder.
Still gushing over Peso, Levi turned enough to ask, “Is that Titan?”
“Yep.” Trevor scratched Titan’s forelock and glanced back at Levi. “You wanna help me get him saddled up?”
“Yeah!” Despite Levi’s sudden and very loud enthusiasm, none of the horses seemed bothered.
“Um.” Natalie stepped away from Deuce, ready to put herself between Levi and Trevor. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Titan seemed upset.”
To his credit, Trevor at least tried to fight back his smile. “Nat, been workin’ with horses since I was nine. Titan was just jealous he wasn’t getting attention. He’s a little more high-strung, but I’m more than capable of handling him.” He paused long enough to make solid eye contact. “Calming the skittish ones is the best part.”
Her belly did a swoop and barrel roll to rival the hairiest thrill ride. “You’re sure?”
The gleam in his eyes added a heat wave to her already rioting reactions. “Oh, yeah. Absolutely sure.” Not taking his gaze off her, he motioned Levi closer. “Come on, bud. We’ll get Titan ready to go and then we’ll get you up on Peso.”
The next twenty minutes passed too quickly, the indescribable joy of watching Trevor work with Levi mingling with the soothing presence of Deuce and Peso beside her. She’d thought she’d found her balance and had just decided she’d be able to keep an even keel through the rest of the day when Trevor sauntered over, untied Peso’s reins, and led the big horse and her son out into the big corral.
With a distracted pat to Deuce’s neck, Natalie hurried after them. “What are you doing?”
This time Trevor didn’t even try to fight the smile. “Well, the goal of the day was to ride horses, so it seems a quick lesson on how Levi can get Peso from point A to point B might be in order.” He paused long enough to cast her a wink. “Best keep your ears open while we’re at it so you can do the same with Deuce.”
“But—”
All three heads turned calmly back at her—Trevor, Levi, and the blasted horse—as if to say, “Woman, please.”
Natalie stopped and forced her arms to relax at her sides. “Sorry. They’re just really big and Levi’s...well...”
Levi groaned and offered a long-suffering “Moom.”
Trevor patiently motioned her closer. “Come on, Momma. You can listen and be close at the same time.”
As soon as she was within distance, Trevor handed her the reins and focused on Levi. “You ready, bud?”
Levi quickly bobbed his head.
Not waiting for any further encouragement, Trevor lifted Levi up and onto the saddle and set about adjusting his stirrups. Once done, he helped Levi guide his boots into place, took the reins from Natalie, and knotted them at the end. “You remember how I said Peso’s been around a while?” he said to Levi.
“Yep.”
“Well, that means he knows his job and a little goes a long way. You want to start moving, you nudge him with your heels. You want to go right, you lay the reins to your right. You want to go left, you lay them left.”
“What if I want to stop?”
“You ease back and tell him to whoa. Peso’s a light touch, and I’ll be close if you need me.”
Levi gave a quick, sharp nod. “Got it.”
“All right, bud.” Trevor stroked the side of Peso’s neck and shifted a few steps in front of the horse. “Give him your heels and let’s see how you do.”
Natalie held her breath and crossed her arms across her chest, her fists as white-knuckled as they could get.
Eyebrows pinched into a sharp V and mouth pressed into a concentrated line, Levi bounced his heels off Peso’s sides.
Lo and behold, the horse rambled forward nice and easy. Left. Right. Stop. Forward. Over and over, Trevor put Levi and Peso through their paces, always close by in case either of them needed him. In fact, the whole routine went so smooth and easy, it was if they’d been born to be together. Two males happily bonding over a shared joy despite their difference in age. Or maybe it was age span that made it so beautiful. One man handing down knowledge to another with care and reverence.
Trying not to call too much attention to herself, she snaked her phone from her back pocket, waited until Trevor stepped in for more coaching and snapped a handful of shots. She zoomed on the last one and her breath caught.
Her boy beamed down from his horse while Trevor watched him with open pride. Two absolute peas in a pod surrounded by brilliant sunshine and genuinely grounded in the moment.
Trevor’s voice cut through her quiet appreciation of the image. “All right, bud. You practice while I get your mom in the saddle.”
Oh. Shit.
If she’d had a half a second more before Trevor turned around and pinned her with a knowing smirk, she’d have hauled ass back to the house. Instead, her stubborn streak kicked. She tucked her phone back in her pocket and forced her chin up a notch.
“You get all that?” he said, headed toward Deuce still tied up at the end of the barn’s center alley.
“Nudge with your heels, ease back on the reins to stop, left and right to turn.” Simple. Easy enough her kid could do it. At least that was the line she was going to feed herself while she prayed Deuce was as obliging as Peso.
“Paying attention in class. I like it.” Trevor ambled closer with Deuce close at his side, the horse’s reins dangling from his easy grip and a wicked smile on his face. Once they were close enough, Trevor guided her up to Deuce’s side facing the saddle and moved in close to her back. His breath ghosted warm against her cheek. “Gotta admit though. Was kind of hopin’ you’d need me to mount up behind you to get started.”
Before she could overcome the shiver that danced down her spine, he handed her the reins and guided her hands to the saddle horn. “Put your hands right here. I’m going give you a leg up and you swing your right leg over Deuce, all right?”
No. She wasn’t all right. Wasn’t even sure her lungs had found a way to function after that last visual he’d given her mind to chew on. She didn’t dare tear her gaze away from the saddle for fear he’d know exactly where her thoughts had gone.
“I can still saddle up behind you if you want,” he murmured.
Bad idea. A deliciously tempting and perfect idea, but still a bad one in the long run. “No, I can do it. I just...I was picturing it in my head.”
He chuckled so low and dirty it resonated straight between her thighs. “Believe me, darlin’. I was picturing it, too.” He bent and picked her left leg up so he gripped her around her ankle and shin. “Ready?”
She let out a long, slow breath and nodded.
In a whoosh so powerful it knocked her senses for a loop, she was up, astride Deuce’s back, and gripping the saddle horn for all she was worth.
Trevor covered her hand with his and gave a gentle squeeze. “Easy. Just take a deep breath.”
Easy. Yeah, right. He wasn’t the one teetering on top of a powerful animal and completely out of control. On the tail of that thought, her gaze shot to Levi across the corral.
Unlike her, he was happily owning his place in the saddle and dutifully practicing his commands with the reins.
Trevor’s voice drifted through her fear, soft and patient. “Give me your hand, Nat.”
She forced her attention back to the task at hand, though it took a handful of blinks and a good headshake to get her mind back on topic. “Sorry, it’s just really, really high up here.”
“Yep. Another thirty minutes and you’ll love it, trust me.” He urged her hand off the saddle horn and guided it toward Deuce’s neck. “Lean over, give him a pat, and let him know you’re all right. He already knows you’re nervous, and it’ll make you both feel better.”
Well, that made sense. Nursing 101 was to connect with the patient wherever possible. Although, in this scenario she wasn’t even remotely in control. At least not yet.
Patient as always, Trevor gave her time to get her bearings then put her through the same routine he had with Levi. Surprisingly, it was as simple as it had looked, even if her heart had bucked and threatened to gallop right out of her chest through the first ten minutes.
After she’d circled the corral a few times and demonstrated a tolerable ability to direct Deuce one way or the other, Trevor murmured something low in Deuce’s ear and moseyed toward the barn.
Natalie straightened from the comfortable position she’d finally adopted in the saddle. “Where are you going?”
He laughed and shook his head in that way men reserved for perplexing women. “Gonna need my horse if we’re going to actually ride somewhere outside the fence, darlin’.” With that, he disappeared into the shadows.
“You’re doin’ really good, Mom.” Like he’d been doing it his whole life, Levi guided Peso her direction. “This is gonna be awesome.”
It would be. Maybe not for her butt, which was already questioning the soundness of agreeing to this whole affair, but if the glow on her son’s face was any gauge, the day was on target to be stellar. “You just promise me you’ll do what Trevor says. And don’t do anything to spook your horse.”
“Peso won’t spook. Trevor said he’s a vateran.”
“A veteran,” she corrected, trying not to focus on the fact that way too many veterans suffered from PTSD. “But you still need to follow Trevor’s rules, and don’t let yourself get too cocky.”
Levi’s gaze slid past her shoulder and his eyes got huge.
Natalie twisted in the saddle to see what had grabbed her son’s attention and barely stifled an appreciative whoa to match Levi’s dumbfounded look. Day-to-day Trevor was a walking, talking thing of beauty, but Trevor astride a big black quarter horse complete with a worn straw cowboy hat was an image to strike ninety percent of the female population stupid. God, he was handsome. One hundred percent man, in his element, and totally in control.
He steered Titan their direction. While his body appeared at ease, there was also a focus behind his expression and movements she hadn’t seen as he worked with Deuce and Peso. Which, considering the bristling energy that emanated from Titan, made a whole lot of sense. “Okay, Levi. Want to see you put Peso through the routine one more time before we head out.”
Levi nodded his agreement without so much as a beat of hesitation and gave Peso a nudge with his heels.
For a kid who’d only seen a horse at the fair, he really was doing exceptionally well. Though, she wasn’t sure how much of that was due to Levi, the horse, or the man who’d done the teaching.
A quiet sigh slipped free, a mix of appreciation and concern releasing with it. This whole charade was dangerous. Not just to Levi, but to her as well. Being around Trevor—the person he was and the genuine life he led—it was all too easy to fall off track.
She felt more than saw Trevor and Titan move alongside her. “You doin’ okay?”
She shook her head, the truth coming out as soft as the gentle breeze against her cheeks. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
He stopped studying Levi’s progression and turned his assessing gaze on her. “Not sure if we’re talking about riding horses or the fact that we’re both still thinkin’ about giving my sheets a good tussle.”
She swallowed, her throat as dry as the dirt beneath their horses’ feet. “Maybe it’s both.”
His lips quirked in a devilish grin, and he did something that made Titan sidle closer to Deuce. Curling his hand around her nape, he captured her mouth with his.
Worry, questions and details winged straight to the brilliant blue skies overhead, chased into nothingness by the potent and oh-so toe-curling brush of his firm lips. In that second, she was free. Grounded and happy with so much lightness in her soul the sun seemed dim in comparison.
He lifted his head only enough to whisper against her mouth. “You gonna let all that chatter in your head go now? Or do you need another dose to tide you over?”
Oh, she could go with another dose. Several of them actually. And preferably in a location where she could do a better job of adding her hands into the mix. “I’m good,” she said instead.
Straightening in his saddle, he turned his attention back on Levi and let out a sharp whistle. “All right, Levi. Time to go. Bring Peso over here and I’ll open the gate.” As soon as he’d finished his instruction, he leaned over and lowered his voice. “As for both of your worries, I’d say your horse is out of the stall and your ass is in the saddle. Might as well hang on and enjoy the ride.”