Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) (14 page)

“Say no more.” He reached over for the condom before sitting up and capturing her wrist. “I’m well and truly dried off. So here’s an idea. You lie down, I’ll put this on, and we’ll see what happens next.” He slid over to make room for her.

“I should take the washcloth back to the—”

“How about this?” He snatched it away and tossed it over the glass lampshade. “It’ll dry in a jiffy, and we have instant mood lighting.”

She glanced around the room. “Everything looks sort of greenish.”

“You don’t like greenish?” He ripped open the packet and rolled on the condom.

“As it turns out, I love greenish.” She stretched out beside him. “I’ll pretend you’re the frog prince.”

“You can pretend I’m the King of England for all I care.” He moved between her thighs. “Choose whatever royalty makes you happy.” He leaned down and kissed her sweet mouth.

“I don’t need royalty,” she murmured against his lips. “I just need you.”

14

A
RIA
LEFT
BEFORE
DAWN
, promising to be back at the ranch after breakfast with a rented wheelchair. She longed to head down to the barn to peek in on Lucy and Linus, but she wasn’t ready to advertise her overnight stay at the cabin. Brant had said he’d mentioned it to Ty, and Herb had probably guessed, so it wasn’t exactly a secret.

But having them know and meeting Herb in the early morning at the barn were two very different things. Brant understood that, thank goodness. He understood so many things without being told.

The drive back to Sheridan gave her a chance to think about this complicated man. He might be the kindest person she’d ever known, and yet he’d been given such a rotten start in life. Her heart ached when she thought about a twelve-year-old who’d essentially lost both parents, although his mother must not have been much of a parent. That Brant had retained his sunny disposition was a testament to his inborn optimism.

At one point during the night she’d gently asked about his dad. Apparently the guy had been so engrossed in his work that he’d been oblivious to both his wife’s and his son’s needs. Rosie and Herb had been a godsend, but that couldn’t have made up for having two neglectful parents for twelve years.

Brant had been conditioned to keep his connections with people loose and cheerful and she understood why. Despite the great sex and the bond of friendship they seemed to be developing, he wasn’t interested in maintaining contact after he’d finished with Linus. She’d suspected that from the beginning and at first she’d liked the idea because she didn’t want to be tied down any more than he did.

She didn’t like it so much anymore. The thought of losing contact with him in a few weeks filled her with sadness. He was becoming important to her and she couldn’t believe the reverse wasn’t true.

That didn’t mean she wanted a forever commitment from him. She had things to do and so did he. But if he’d consider keeping his sleeping bag stashed behind her couch, she’d be fine with that. And she would be there for him. He might not believe in that kind of relationship now, but if he’d give her a chance, she’d prove that it was possible.

At her apartment she showered and changed clothes. Before leaving the complex she glanced at Josh’s door and wished things were different with him. But they weren’t and taking a wheelchair out to the ranch today was actually more important than convincing Josh to go.

Getting the wheelchair had been easy. The owner of the medical supply place had taken several of her cooking classes. He let her in and handled the paperwork even though the sun had barely peeked over the horizon.

On her way out of town she stopped at her favorite bakery for a half dozen doughnuts. Then she picked up a latte at Rangeland Roasters, Sheridan’s newest coffee shop. It wasn’t the kind of healthy breakfast she usually had, which made it more fun.

Eating her sugary treat and drinking her coffee on the way out to the ranch, she smiled in anticipation of the day ahead. She looked forward to being with Linus and Lucy again, but she had to be honest with herself. Brant was the big draw.

And he really might leave after he finished training Linus. Her smile wobbled as she made herself face the possibility. He’d given her every reason to believe that he would end their relationship once his job was done.

Then why imagine that he might change his pattern for her? That kind of thinking led to heartache and disillusionment, which wouldn’t help her bolster Josh’s spirits. She’d be better off assuming he wouldn’t remain in her life.

He came out to meet her when she pulled up to the barn just as he had the morning before. But this time he nudged back his hat and kissed her the minute she climbed out of the van. Holding her close, he gazed into her eyes. “Missed you.”

“Missed you, too.” He seemed to be quite attached for a guy who didn’t do commitment. But until he announced a change in attitude she’d be a fool to place importance on the fact that he’d missed her.

“I see you got the wheelchair.”

“Yep. Told you I would. Are we okay with kissing in public?” She knew that ranch people were out and about at dawn. “Where is everybody?”

“Ty and Whitney are down at the bathhouse working on the showerheads. They had some issues yesterday and had to go back twice to the hardware store. They’re determined to finish today. Herb and Rosie are up at the house having breakfast. Cade and Lexi aren’t here yet. So I get to kiss you again.”

“Sounds like fun.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she vowed to enjoy the kiss for the temporary pleasure that it was and not read anything more into it. That worked for about two seconds. Nothing about his kiss felt temporary and in no time she’d resurrected her fantasy that he would stay.

He eased back. “Gotta stop now.”

“I know.” Good thing she was having trouble breathing or she might have asked him straight-out if he expected to leave her in a few weeks.

“You taste like doughnuts.”

“I have doughnuts.” It was a welcome change of subject. “Want some?”

He smiled. “It’s a poor substitute, but I’ll take it.”

“Turn me loose and I’ll get the box.”

“I’ll get it.” Releasing her, he leaned through the open driver’s door and picked up the box from the passenger seat. “If you keep bringing treats I’m gonna get fat.”

“Not if you stay active.”

He straightened. “What sort of activity did you have in mind, as if I didn’t know?”

“Laundry.”

He laughed. “It’s done, so you can relax.”

“Were the sheets a mess? They were, right?”

“Let’s just say that every cherry juice stain reminded me of you. If I had my way, I wouldn’t have bleached them out, but the sheets don’t belong to me.”

“Thanks for doing the laundry.” So he would have liked a permanent reminder of making love to her? That didn’t sound like a man who planned to ride off into the sunset.

“You’re welcome. Thanks for bringing doughnuts.” He opened the box. “Well, if it isn’t raised glazed. My favorite.”

“Are you sure you don’t just automatically say that about everything?”

“I don’t, I swear! I’m a real traditionalist when it comes to doughnuts. You can have all your frosting and jelly-filled and sprinkles. I like this kind best.” He pulled one out and took a generous bite. “Mmm.” He chewed and swallowed. “Super fresh. They must have just come out of the oven.”

“They did. My timing at the bakery was perfect.” She gestured at the two that were left. “You can have those. I had all I wanted on the drive out here.”

“You ate nine doughnuts all by yourself? Go, you!”

“No, I bought six and ate three.”

His hazel eyes gleamed. “Aw, come on. Nobody goes into a bakery and buys six doughnuts, especially on Sunday morning. You get a dozen. That’s how it’s done. It’s okay if you ate nine. I won’t judge.”

“But I didn’t! I only... You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

“Would I do that?” He licked the glaze from his fingers.

“Here, let me.” She took his big hand in both of hers and swiped her tongue over his thumb. Then she sucked on it.

“Oh, I see how it is.” His voice grew husky. “You’re a lady who believes in payback.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Very effective.”

“Mmm.”

“But you’ll need to stop now.”

She wasn’t about to. She didn’t care if his jeans were getting tight. Nine doughnuts, indeed. Moving from his thumb to his forefinger, she resumed her licking routine.

“Really, you’ll want to quit.”

“Why?” She drew his finger slowly into her mouth.

“Because my dad’s coming down from the house.”

She pulled his finger out so fast it made a popping sound. Her cheeks burned as she scrambled away from him. “Do you think he saw me doing that?”

“If he did, he won’t say a word. If it had been Cade, we’d never hear the end of it, so count yourself lucky.”

She gulped. “Let’s go get the wheelchair.”

Chuckling, he put the doughnut box back on the passenger seat and shut the door before following her to the back of the van. “Want me to make up a story about having a splinter? I could do that.”

“No stories. We’ll just pretend he didn’t see a thing.” She unfastened the brackets holding the wheelchair in place.

“Here, let me get it.” He stepped in and lifted the wheelchair down. “Could have been worse. You were really into that sucking business. No telling what you might have done next.”

“Nothing,”
she said in an undertone. “We’re going to forget all about it, okay?”

“Easy for you to say. You weren’t the one being sucked on.”

“Brant.”
She started to giggle, which was so unlike her. She wasn’t the giggling type.

“I see you have a wheelchair,” Herb said as he approached. “Is your brother here?”

Maybe he hadn’t noticed anything since she obviously wouldn’t leave her brother sitting in the van while she sucked on Brant’s finger. Another wave of giggles threatened as she turned to face Herb. “I rented this from the medical supply place.” She managed not to laugh but she couldn’t erase the grin.

Herb smiled back. “Must be a jolly group down at the medical supply place.”

“It’s not them. It’s him.” She pointed to Brant.

“Ah.” Herb nodded as if that explained everything. “So if your brother’s not here, what’s with the wheelchair?”

“We came up with the concept yesterday,” Brant said.

“It was Brant’s idea.” Aria thought he should get credit for it. “He figured if we can get Linus used to it before Josh shows up, their first meeting would go a lot smoother.”

“But I didn’t know if we could get one on a Sunday morning. Aria pulled that off.”

Herb glanced at her. “I have a feeling you can do about anything you set your mind to.”

“Thanks, Herb.” She was grateful for that kind of support. “I hope you’re right. I didn’t anticipate Josh being so stubborn.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Herb waved his hand as if dismissing the problem as unimportant. “Sometimes people react just like horses. Leave them alone, give them time to think about the situation, and they might become more cooperative.”

“That’s pretty much what Brant said.”
Maybe it would work with that cowboy, too.

“Mind if I watch and see how it goes? I’m kind of curious, myself.”

“Of course you can. You and Rosie have been so supportive through all this. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Just teach Rosie to make coq au vin and you can board Lucy and Linus here as long as you want.”

“Okay.” She loved seeing the twinkle in his eyes.

He turned back to Brant. “This wheelchair won’t roll worth a damn on gravel, will it?”

“I was just going to carry it into the barn.” He paused. “But I see what you mean.”

“I hadn’t thought that through, either,” Aria said. “When Josh comes out here, I’ll need to drive the van right up to the door.” She’d wanted him to watch Linus run in the pasture, too. Navigating over there could be tricky.

Herb rubbed his chin and looked around. “We’re not exactly wheelchair accessible at Thunder Mountain Academy.”

“Please don’t worry about it on Josh’s account.”

“He’s the reason I’m thinking about the issue,” Herb said, “but there’s more to it than that. What if we had a visiting parent who uses a wheelchair to get around? Or maybe even an instructor who needs one?”

“It wouldn’t be that tough to figure out.” Brant lifted his hat and set it more firmly on his head. “You might have to pave some walkways and have Damon and Phil build a few ramps. A long weekend would be enough time to finish everything.”

Herb nodded. “I’ll talk to Rosie. I’m surprised she hasn’t thought of it.”

“If you need to retrofit the area for wheelchair access, that’s fine,” Aria said. “But please don’t rush into it because of Josh. For one thing, he might assume you’d done it for him.” She shuddered to think what Josh’s reaction would be to freshly poured asphalt paths and recently constructed ramps.

“I agree that seeing new ramps could make him self-conscious, no matter how we explained it.”

She sighed in relief. “Thanks.”

“But thinking about Josh’s visit was a good thing. We have an issue that should be addressed. In fact, I wouldn’t mind talking to Josh about it when he comes out. He might be able to offer some suggestions.”

“Um, maybe.” Her brother had a long way to go mentally before he’d be willing to consult with Herb on making Thunder Mountain wheelchair accessible.

“Enough about that.” Herb’s smile told her he understood her misgivings. “Let’s get this experiment with Linus underway.” He glanced at Brant. “I’m guessing you have a procedure in mind.”

“I do.” Brant hoisted the folded wheelchair under one arm and they all started toward the barn. “We want Lucy and Linus to accept the wheelchair, but we also want them to understand its function. I’d like Aria to be sitting in it when I roll it into the stall. That way they can see it’s a method for carrying people around.”

“I can do that,” Aria said.

“Then we might as well start here, at the entrance.” He unfolded the wheelchair and placed it on the barn floor. “Hop in.”

“Okay.” The footrests were in the upright position, so she stepped past them before turning and sitting.

“Lift up your feet.” He adjusted the footrests so she could prop her boots on them.

Settling her feet on the metal footrests disoriented her in a way she hadn’t anticipated. No part of her was touching the ground. That also was true when she was driving a car, but there she felt more in control. “I’ve never sat in one of these before.”

“You never tried out your brother’s?”

“No.” And she hadn’t wanted to, either. Sitting in his chair would mean looking at the world from his perspective. She’d resisted that, maybe because she was so determined to get him out of that chair. “I should have, though, to find out what it’s like for him. It feels weird.”

Brant crouched in front of her, his hat tipped back and his expression gentle. “How so?”

“I just had this flash of ‘what if this was the only way I could get around?’ I take up more floor space, but I’m low to the ground. I have the view of an eight-year-old.”