Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) (16 page)

Cade leaned against the fence and crossed his arms. “That’s a shame. She’s put a lot of effort into this idea.”

“I don’t think Aria expected him to be in the chair at this point. But it’s not like she can force him to go to PT.”

Lexi sighed. “No, she can’t. And here they come! Oh, my God, that Linus is the cutest thing
ever
. Josh is missing out. Look at that saucy colt trotting along behind his mom. Adorable.”

“Nothing cuter,” Brant said, although his attention was on Aria, not the foal. Earlier her hair had been loose around her shoulders and she hadn’t been wearing a hat but now she was wearing one, her hair up under it, emphasizing the graceful curve of her slender neck. His gaze roamed hungrily over her hourglass figure showcased by her scoop-necked, yellow T-shirt and snug jeans. Anyone would think he’d never seen a beautiful woman before, but Aria was so...

At that moment he became aware that Lexi and Cade had stopped talking. When he glanced over to check on them, they were both watching him and grinning.

“Seems like you might have enjoyed washing her van,” Cade said in an undertone.

“Maybe.”

“You owe me one, bro.”

“And why’s that?”

“I totally took the fall in the Battle of the Sacred Flame.”

16

B
Y
THE
TIME
Aria arrived in the smaller pasture, Cade and Lexi had returned to their truck and Brant stood waiting behind the wheelchair. Lucy ignored it, perhaps because she had more room to move away in case she decided it was a threat to her and her foal. Linus took his cue from his mom.

Once Brant had convinced himself that Linus and Lucy wouldn’t shy away if he approached with the wheelchair, he sat in it. Aria was relieved. She would have done it for Josh’s sake, but wheelchairs gave her the creeps.

Brant didn’t seem to mind, but then again, Brant didn’t let very many things upset him. He looked completely at ease in that chair. She wondered if her dislike of it had been one of the reasons Lucy had backed away when they were in the stall.

No matter. Thanks to Brant, the wheelchair wouldn’t be a problem if she could get Josh out here tomorrow. He was running out of time, though. Tomorrow would be better than Tuesday, when everyone would be busy preparing for the students’ arrival on Wednesday.

Brant was laying a good foundation for Josh’s visit and she was grateful. Lounging in the chair, he coaxed Linus over with a series of soothing words and soft clucks of his tongue. Aria watched in fascination and a tinge of envy as the foal walked right up to him for some nose rubs and neck scratches.

Cade and Lexi stayed outside the fence, probably to minimize the number of distractions. “You’ve done a great job with him already,” Cade said. “If Hematite had been started like this, he’d be a different horse.”

Lexi reached over and laced her fingers through Cade’s. “And you never would have ended up with him.”

“That’s true. I guess things happen for a reason. But it’s fun to see this little guy getting exactly what he needs at a very young age.”

“It’s fun for me, too.” Brant exchanged a glance with his foster brother. “It helps, you know?”

“I do. Between the two of us we have this covered. I work with the ones who’re already messed up, and you make sure they don’t get messed up in the first place.”

Aria realized she’d just been privy to a rare acknowledgment of the challenges both men had faced. On the surface Brant seemed undamaged, but he wasn’t. Because of that damage he might choose to walk away and she had to accept that with a smile and gratitude for what he’d given her and Linus.

He continued to rub Linus’s soft coat as he looked over at Cade. “Speaking of your business, what’s your next project?”

“One of Lexi’s riding students just bought a mare with all kinds of problems. Lexi and I are going over there tomorrow to evaluate the situation and decide if she’d be a good teaching opportunity for the academy kids.”

“Nice.” Brant stroked down the length of Linus’s back and the colt shivered in delight. “Good for the mare and good for the kids.”

“I have great hopes for that mare,” Lexi said. “But if we don’t make tracks we won’t finish cleaning all the cabins today, which is a more immediate concern.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Cade smiled at her. “You just want to see me operating the vacuum cleaner. It gets you hot.”

“I won’t deny it.” Lexi winked at Aria. “Nothing sexier than a man wielding a vacuum, right, Aria?”

“Right. Unless it’s a man washing dishes.”

“But you know the best one of all?” Lexi paused for effect. “A man cleaning a toilet.”

“Oh,
yeah
.” Aria sighed. “That’s the ultimate turn-on.”

Cade shook his head. “You two are certifiable. Women like candy and flowers. Every guy knows that. Back me up on this, Ellison.”

“Sorry, bro. I’ve never had much luck with candy and flowers.”

“So what’s your secret weapon?”

Carried away by the teasing mood, Aria spoke without thinking. “Pie.”

Cade looked at her and blinked. “Pie?”

“Yes.” She’d started this so she’d have to finish it. From the corner of her eye she noticed Brant struggling not to laugh. “Pie is much more sensual than candy.”

Lexi nodded. “You are so right, sister. Candy is a cliché. Pie has infinitely more possibilities.”

“Then I guess it’s time I brought you a pie.” Cade glanced at Lexi. “What kind would you like?”

“I recommend cherry,” Brant said, and Aria almost lost it.

“That sounds good.” Lexi smiled at him. “I’d ten times rather have a cherry pie than a box of drugstore chocolates.”

“Duly noted. Pie it is. And we’re off to clean cabins.”

As their truck pulled away, Brant’s shoulders began shaking.
“Pie.”
He laughed until the tears came. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“I probably shouldn’t have.” Now that the moment was over she was having second thoughts.

“It’s fine.” He took a breath. “They’d already caught me ogling you as you brought Lucy and Linus to the pasture.”

“They did?”

“Couldn’t help myself.” He stopped petting Linus and stood. “You look luscious.”

“Thank you, but I didn’t do anything special.” Not quite true. Her shirt was new and she’d left her hair down today on purpose because she knew he liked it that way.

“You don’t have to do anything special to get my attention, but I have to ask, how did you stuff all your hair under your hat?”

“It’s easy.” She took off her hat and her hair spilled down around her shoulders. “Hold this.” She handed him the hat. Then she gathered her hair up and wound it in a circle on top of her head. “Hat, please.”

When he gave it to her, she used one hand to hold her hair in place and the other to cram on her hat. “Ta-da!”

He gazed at her in amazement. “That’s incredible.”

“When you have long hair, you have to figure out how to manage it when it’s likely to get in the way.”

“Like applying cherry pie to my cock?”

She gasped and looked around for potential eavesdroppers.

“Don’t worry. No one heard me except the horses and they won’t tell.” He drew her into his arms. “When you tied your hair back last night, it was one of the sexiest moves I’ve ever seen.” His eyes darkened. “If I could get away with it, I’d make love to you right here.”

The intensity in his gaze stirred her blood. “On the ground?”

“That’s one possibility.” He cupped her bottom and pulled her in tight. “But I’d rather do it up against the fence so I wouldn’t get that pretty yellow shirt dirty.” He lifted her to her toes and nestled his bulging fly between her thighs. “Damn, you feel good.”

“You, too.”

“But we can’t scare Linus.”

Moisture dampened her panties and she tilted her hips to make a better connection. “Yeah, I’d hate for him to be traumatized at a young age like I was.”

“He’s the only reason you’re still wearing all your clothes.” His fingers flexed. “The other horses wouldn’t care and nobody’s likely to show up for a while.”

“You talk big, but I’ll bet you’re not actually prepared to follow through.”

His eyes gleamed. “Wanna bet?”

“You’re kidding.” Her pulse raced. “You didn’t really bring a—”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Is it burning a hole in your pocket?”

“Damn near.”

“When did you plan to use it, pray tell?”

“If and when the opportunity presented itself. I wasn’t counting on anything, given how many people are roaming around, but I have one, just in case.”

“Now I’ll be thinking about having sex with you.”

He laughed. “Are you saying you wouldn’t think about it otherwise?”

“Oh, I would, but knowing you have a condom makes a big difference in my thought process.”

“Meaning you’ll be looking for opportunities, too?”

She sucked in a breath. “Uh-huh.”

Heat flashed in his gaze as he rocked his hips forward. “Lady, you sure get me hot. I’m gonna let you go before I do something I might regret.” He released her and stepped back. Then he bowed his head and took several deep breaths before looking at her again. “How about if I take the wheelchair back down to the barn while you stay here and play with Linus? He and Lucy could use more pasture time.”

As always, his self-control impressed her. He could have suggested they tuck Lucy and Linus in the birthing stall and go have some fun in the tack room. Instead he put the little foal’s needs ahead of his own. “Good idea.”

“I need to muck out some stalls, anyway. We want the barn in tip-top shape when the kids arrive.” He smiled. “The exercise should help.”

“Since I won’t be mucking stalls, guess I’ll romp with Linus.”

“I highly recommend it. Dancing around with a foal is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.” He folded up the wheelchair and tucked it under his arm. “I’ll come back in a while to check on you.”

“Okay.”

“See you soon.” Touching the brim of his hat in a typical cowboy farewell, he turned and left. She watched him make the long walk back to the barn lugging that wheelchair. She’d been so busy thinking about having sex with him that she’d temporarily forgotten what this morning’s activity had been about.

Or more accurately,
who
it had been about. As Brant had said, Josh was the reason behind everything they were doing, yet he wasn’t a participant in any of it. She was determined to change that. He simply had to come out with her tomorrow.

Turning around, she located Lucy and Linus. The foal was nursing while Lucy tore at the tender new grass with her strong teeth. Sunlight played over Lucy’s golden coat and Linus’s soft peach-colored fuzz. They were heartbreakingly beautiful. She pulled out her phone and took picture after picture.

She was still snapping away when Linus finished nursing and turned to look at her. Switching to video, she began talking to both him and Lucy. Mother and son started toward her and she kept filming until their noses were right in front of the screen. She couldn’t stop laughing.

She backed away to see if they’d follow. They did. Clicking off the phone, she turned around and began to jog. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw that Lucy was no longer interested and had gone back to grazing but Linus bounced along behind her. When she swerved he swerved, cavorting and kicking up his heels.

She turned the phone to video again while she jogged slowly backward. He followed, his scrawny tail waving. “We’re dancing, Linus!” With a playful snort he bucked and raced past her, his slender legs flashing in the sun.

As she turned and kept filming his race around the pasture, her throat tightened. She loved playing with this sweet baby horse. Josh would love it, too. But before he could truly enjoy the experience, he had to get on his feet.

* * *

T
HE
REST
OF
the day went quickly and Aria had no more time alone with Brant. When he returned to the pasture, he had Whitney and Ty with him. They’d finished installing the new showerheads and had decided to reward themselves by visiting Linus, the ranch’s new superstar.

After taking the mare and foal to the barn, they all walked to the bathhouse to admire the new showerheads. Then they checked on the cleaning job Lexi and Cade were doing. Aria got a kick out of watching the foster brothers tease each other even if it did mean she and Brant had constant chaperones.

The number of chaperones increased by two when Rosie and Herb came home loaded with groceries. Everyone gathered for a late lunch and Rosie grabbed the opportunity to get everyone’s advice on cabin assignments.

As Aria participated in the lively discussion, she pictured sixteen teenagers on the premises. Josh really should get out here before they arrived and she was the one who had to convince him.

She helped clean up the dishes and then Brant walked her out to the van.

“I can go fetch the wheelchair if you want,” he said. “Maybe you could get a partial refund. I don’t think we have a problem with any of the horses, including Linus.”

“No, we just have a problem with my brother.” She paused at the driver’s door and turned to him. “But could you stow the wheelchair in the barn for now? I plan to have Josh’s wheelchair mounted on the van when I drive out tomorrow morning.”

He shoved his hat to the back of his head and gazed at her without saying anything, but his expressive eyes said it all. He didn’t want her putting pressure on Josh.

“It’ll be fine.” She slid her hands up his chest and savored the firm muscles beneath his shirt. “I took more pictures and a video for him while I was out with Linus today.”

“Okay.” He slipped an arm around her waist and drew her in for a very sweet kiss.

The gentleness of it moved her. It wasn’t a kiss of lust, but one of caring. That made it very precious, indeed.

Easing back slowly, he gave her a warm smile of encouragement.

Her heart stalled. She would miss the sex when he was gone, but kisses and smiles like these didn’t come along every day. He’d begun to care for her, but he’d cared about that puppy he’d rescued, too. Then he’d given it away.

“Hey.” He cupped her cheek. “If that was the worst kiss in the world, just tell me and I’ll give you a better one.”

“Just the opposite. It was the best kiss in the world.”

He shook his head. “Nope. That’s impossible.”

“I’m the one rating it and I say it’s the best.”

“And I’m here to tell you that the best kiss in the world hasn’t been delivered to your sweet lips...yet.”

“Oh? And when should I expect it?”

“No telling. I get more inspired every time. At some point I may peak, but I’m not there yet. When I finally say ‘I can’t do any better than that,’ you’ll have experienced the best kiss in the world. But not until then.”

Of course he’d made her smile. He was talented that way. “Thanks for clearing it up for me. Sounds as if we have an interesting evening ahead of us.”

“I can guaran-damn-tee it. But don’t bring pie.”

“I won’t. Wouldn’t want to be redundant.”

“You couldn’t be if you tried.” He gave her a different kiss, a brisk, time-to-get-going kiss. Then he released her and helped her in. “Matilda, get her home safe.”

She leaned out the window. “See you tonight.”

“You bet. Now go before I have to kiss you again.”

“Right.” She put the van in Reverse.

Brant occupied her thoughts during the drive home, but when she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex, her stomach rolled. If Josh wouldn’t agree to go tomorrow...but he would. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.