License to Love (3 page)

When they reached the stables, he backed his truck up to
unload the hay, but he didn’t get out when he turned off the engine. “Listen,
I’ll find you something else to do.”

She nodded.

Trying not to grin again, he asked, “It was funny, wasn’t
it?”

Her head turned. When her gaze locked with his, the truck cab
grew suddenly smaller. He saw her Nez Perce heritage in her high, proud
cheekbones and skin the color of red baked clay. She had a face someone could
stare at for hours.

But not him. Right?

Brent knew she had her own agenda—not a relationship—on her
mind. Well, she wasn’t the only one.

Chapter Two

“So this is the reality behind the mystery,” she said as she
threw another shovel of dirty hay, and then watched her breath puff away in the
frigid evening air.
Smelly
cold air, since it carried the smell of the horse’s
waste.

“What’s that?” Brent’s face came into view over the wall
that separated the stalls they worked in. “What mystery?”

“I’ve just never seen cowboys in movies doing this stuff.”
Although, she didn’t remember watching too many westerns.

“Mucking stalls is mysterious? So, what do you know about
horse breeding?” He went back to work, but she saw his smile before his face
disappeared.

“Stop right there. I’ll stick to this for now.”
She liked
his smile.
That friendly smile had shocked her when he grinned yesterday,
even if he was laughing at her over lifting the stupid hay bales. He had a
cleft chin, something she liked in men, back when she was interested in them.
The only thing she wanted with Brent was a working partnership… and maybe
friendship.

Working was the operative word in working partnership.
They’d been busy all day. Here it was evening already, and they were still
cleaning horse stalls. He’d told her they wouldn’t normally do this so late,
but he’d spent the day showing her around.

At least they’d formed an unspoken truce and found a way to
work together. His remarks weren’t as cutting as when they’d first met.

She rested her shovel on the ground for a minute to rub the
small of her back. All this work had almost been worth the view of him on a
horse yesterday: tall and long and wearing his cowboy hat. She’d gawked at him
from around a corner, amazed by his control and grace as he moved around the
corral. She liked how he held his back straight when he rode.

He carried on an easy conversation with the two men who
worked at Ocean View too. She found herself almost wanting to talk and laugh
with them.

“Did you read those books I suggested?” he asked while he
worked. Hello reality, she chided herself.

“Yup.” All that knowledge sure did help with this particular
job, too.

“Ready to try riding tomorrow?”

She popped up this time to look at him. “Riding horses?”

Straightening, he turned around to look at her. “No, a
four-wheeler,” he said with a forced serious face.

She huffed at him and finished her job, betting he smiled
now that she wasn’t watching him. She needed a hot shower to warm her up, a
good dinner, and a good book to read.

Her body wasn’t used to this kind of work, but she welcomed
the experience. She also liked how busy it kept her. And boy, did he keep her
busy. Not only did he work her till the daylight faded - around five o’clock
thanks to old man winter - but he kept her mind busy with fantasies of what his
lean body could do for her.

Not that she’d ever let that happen, but he was just too
incredible. He looked like he would know just what to do and where to do it.
Missy!
Cool it. She needed to get out of there before she moaned at her thoughts.

“Okay, I’m done here.” She spoke with finality in case he
had some other chore in mind. Since he wasn’t finished, she watched him work
for a minute, expecting some kind of answer.

Good thing he wasn’t interested in women, because he could
seduce her if he had the right personality. Nice long legs, nice butt. She was
more of a face person, and he had one great face. Long and narrow. Startling
eyes in a unique blue color. She liked his sandy hair and secretive expression,
too. The few times he teased her, he had a gleam in his eyes that dared her to
break him.

“Okay,” he said as he set aside his shovel. He leaned
against a rail to wipe his brow with the long sleeve of his shirt. “Are you
settled in?”

Thinking of the messy cabin she now called home, she said,
“I thought you didn’t want me to stick around.”

“No need for you to be uncomfortable while you’re here.”

“But it won’t be long, right?” Shocked at herself, she took
a step toward the door to make a quick escape.

“Hey, just trying to be nice.” He looked perplexed, maybe
even annoyed at her. He had one eyebrow lower than the other in what she
already recognized as his scowl.

“You’re right. We don’t need to be so mean to each other.
I’m used to competing with everyone at work, I guess.” She wanted to rub her
sore shoulders, but she couldn’t let herself in front of him. “Yes, I’m settled
in some. See you tomorrow, Brent.”

Touching his hat, he called, “Your first riding lesson.”

She couldn’t wait, she thought, but she stopped by the door
and turned. He watched her expectantly. “I’m sorry,” she said, “About Ben, that
you lost a good friend.”

That shouldn’t have been so hard, or taken her so long, but
she felt her nerves act up while he stared at her.

“Thanks, goodnight.” He turned away, moving onto another
task. She felt uneasy as she left, wondering how he was dealing with the loss.

The night seemed blacker than any other night of her life.
The ever present clouds blocked the moon and starlight, while sending the
thinnest ocean mist into the air. The place was majestic, she had to give it
that. Not anything like the small, dry town where she grew up in Nevada.
Wouldn’t Brent laugh if he knew she wasn’t the city girl she looked?

She’d even caught herself slipping into the easy talk she’d
worked so hard to remove from her speech. After hiding her past for so long, it
baffled her that she wanted Brent to know. She didn’t like him thinking she was
some snob who looked down at his country lifestyle.

But why did she care?

She walked on the road back to Ben’s place, thankful for the
pole lights at the edge of the corral. She quickened her pace, pushing her
hands down into her coat pockets.

“Missy!” She heard his footsteps crunching on the gravel as
he ran toward her and turned to wait for him to catch up. Those long legs could
move, couldn’t they? Her body tingled even while she cursed it.

“Is everything okay?” she asked and tried her hardest to
hide her relief at seeing him. He slowed and pulled in a deep breath.

“I can’t let you walk home by yourself.”

She wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t that big of a deal if
he wanted to be a gentleman. That’s what she told herself anyway. He was such a
funny mix of naughty and nice. They started off together, and she asked, “Are
there cougars out here?”

“I haven’t seen any this close,” he said. She didn’t like
the uncertainty of that answer, but he didn’t sound worried. “So what did you
do before you came here?”

“I married old men for their money,” she said with a sly
smile. Ducking her head didn’t hide it, even in this dim light.

“I deserved that.” His voice sounded like he grinned. “But I
want to know.”

“Advertising. I spent three years with the same company,
building my clientele list, and I was promoted twice.” She’d still be there if
it weren’t for the lies and her ruined reputation. She thought of going back,
applying at another firm in another city, but Russ, her former boss, would
never give her a good reference. “My career might be over.”

That hadn’t been the best thing to say. He didn’t ask about
it, so she hoped he either hadn’t heard or didn’t care. They took several steps
in silence. Unbearable silence, but she couldn’t find her tongue to speak.

“Do you want to go back to that?” he asked softly, his head
tilted. Apparently he had heard her loud and clear, and now his eyes were
trained on her face.

She tried to laugh. “Yeah, yeah. You don’t want me here.”

“I didn’t mean that, and you know it,” he nudged her arm. The
touch startled her. Then she realized they hadn’t touched before that. Shrugging,
she left the question unanswered.

They were about to her door when she said, “So you’ve been
around horses all your life, but did you grow up in Oregon?”

“West Coast born and bred,” he said. “I can’t live without
the ocean, the mountains, and streams all over the place.” His voice carried
pride and love, the way it did when he talked about the ranch. Some people are
defined by their home, by their surroundings, but Brent and Ocean View Stables
seemed to be two halves to a whole. He had a love for this land that she wanted
to understand.

They stepped up to her door and she found herself wanting to
keep the conversation going.

“You don’t mind the rain and fog?” She gestured around them
at the wet darkness. The change was refreshing and invigorating for her now,
but that could wear off.

“We do have dry summers. Nice autumns, too.” He looked
amused. “But I like the rain, keeps the tall trees watered.”

“Don’t cowboys belong in Texas?”

“Lots of people ride out here. Just wait till you get a
horse down on the sand. The trails are great, too, with the view of the ocean.”

Did her cold cowboy just warm up to her? Instinct almost
made her jump for a smart remark, but another part of her—the bigger part—was
tired of keeping up the front.

“Thanks for walking me.” She paused at the door and looked
at him in the porch light. He’d pushed his hands down in his jeans pockets, but
pulled one free to nudge his hat back. She didn’t want him to go just yet.
“I’ve been wondering . . . What are your plans for this place?”

A sudden smile brightened his face. “I could talk on that
all night. Ben and I used to talk about it while we rode over the property,
about buying more horses, maybe more land later on. We want to make this into a
real resort with cabins.”

His excitement dimmed. She felt his loss then, remembered at
the same minute that Ben wasn’t here for those future days. They nodded before
she went in. Inside, she leaned against the closed door and heard his first
steps as he left.

* * * *

The picture seemed off... she leaned against the corral
rail, but the ground wasn’t dusty and the sun didn’t beat down on her.

Instead, tall cedars surrounded them, with graceful limbs
bowing as they leaned out. Wispy clouds lay up in the sky like streaks of
whipped cream while the sun warmed her skin. She smelled salt in the air, mixed
with forest scents. The oddity was completed by the seagulls that called out to
each other. She looked down from the birds just as Brent led Jeffrey out of the
stable entrance.

Brent’s jeans hugged his legs all the way up. Then his shirt
molded to his trim waist before stretching across his shoulders. She looked at
the horse as he drew closer so he wouldn’t see the way she admired every inch
of him.

“I’m going to ride your horse?” Could it be a good sign? Or
did he plan a big joke on her? She hated uncertainty worse than anything, and
he put her on shaky ground time and time again.

“I trust him, and believe me, you’ll want a horse we can
trust.” He motioned for her to come over. That authoritative gesture sent hot
licks of want up her. The sensation shocked her senseless for a minute. He
motioned again.

“Okay, okay.”
Keep your senses about you, girl
. The
speckled monster pawed the ground and looked her over. She joined Brent on the
horse’s left side.

“Offer your hand, like you did before.” Brent instructed.
“He senses your fear.”

Fear? She wanted to argue, but she wasn’t much of a liar.
After she looked at Brent, she held out her hand and Jeffrey rubbed his soft
nose in it.

“All right, boy,” Brent soothed. “This lady needs to learn
how to ride, and you’re just the horse to do it.”

After he reassured the horse, he turned to her. “You said
you’re fast learner, right?”

Was that a dare? “I am.”

“We’ll get you up there, then you can get used to how it
feels. Next you’ll practice leading him with the reins. Now watch.” He grabbed
the saddle, put his foot in the stirrup, and swung up. After he dismounted, he
nodded for her to try.

Just like that, huh?

“Hand here.” He took her hand and pulled it up. She jumped
at his touch. A small jump, but she felt it all the way through her.

His hat threw shade over his eyes, but she was pretty sure
he’d seen.

“Foot there,” he said. She nodded and pretended not to hear
the amusement just begging to slip through his steady voice. She did as instructed
and placed her foot in the stirrup.

“Up and at ‘em.” He swatted her bottom as she started up.

“Ahh!” Her foot came back down and she spun around to stare
at him, open-mouthed. No other man had ever made her body tingle like this so
she couldn’t tell if it was frustration or heat running through her.

“Sorry, ma’am, just messing around.” His dazzling smile
faded into a remorseful grin. She licked her lips and tried to make it look
like an angry gesture. Brows scrunched, she placed her hands again and tried to
do what he’d shown her. She made it halfway up before the thought of him behind
her, so close, sent her right back down.

“Darn it!” Not only did Brent laugh, but the two men joined
in from the other side of the fence. She hadn’t been aware they were watching
her.

“Ignore them.” Brent rested an arm against the horse, then
rested his forehead against his arm. He couldn’t be fed up with her already,
she worried, before gritting her teeth and waiting. This could not be that
hard.