Authors: Mandy Harbin
Chapter
Three
Dawson
rolled over in his bed, groaning at the light peering through the window. He was technically awake, but he was still exhausted from yesterday. After a few bumps with Brindle first thing, he’d been worried she wouldn’t have the muster to oversee a ranch of her own, but after they’d run into Trent Presley, something had shifted in her. She’d become focused, determined even.
God, she was beautiful.
He huffed at his wayward thought as he got out of bed. Yes, Brindle was a beautiful woman. There was no denying that, but he had no right letting his thoughts drift toward her in any regard that wasn’t work related.
He reminded himself of this as he brushed his teeth.
Under the hot spray of the shower.
As he donned a pair of jeans and boots.
While he read the morning news on his tablet.
When he was sure he had all inappropriate thoughts of Brindle Attree lassoed, he left his room in search of coffee, thankful to find a pot still on … and that there was no sign of Brindle.
“I need a few more minutes,” he muttered as he poured a cup.
He was used to pushing any personal feelings aside when business was the objective. He was pro at it. No feelings, in and out, and on to the next business deal. He’d encountered beautiful, refined, powerful women many times over the years, too. He was man enough to acknowledge their beauty privately, but also smart enough not to allow anything sexual—whether mental or physical—get in the way of business. It was second nature to turn that part of him off.
Until he saw Brindle in Henry’s office. He’d figured he’d just been intrigued by her, by the woman his grandfather never talked about but had one way or another set up financially for the rest of her life after his death. But it went beyond that. Any lie he’d told himself that night flew out the window after he saw her get out of her old truck yesterday. His attraction to her was strong, and not something he was used to.
Taking a sip, he walked to the window overlooking the plains. In the distance, he saw someone on a horse with blonde hair flying behind her. He knew instantly it was Brindle. Jesus, she was ethereal as she rode. What he wouldn’t give to be out there with her right now.
He found his feet moving before he realized his brain had ordered them to do so. That or she was a siren, calling him to his death. He wasn’t ready to talk to her just yet, but he didn’t have the power to command his body to stop.
I’ll just join her for a ride.
Maybe getting up on a horse would help distract him from his musings.
He didn’t buy it, but he also didn’t care.
After walking outside, he hopped in the all-terrain vehicle and made his way to the closest barn. The one nearest his grandfather’s house—Brindle’s house—was one where she kept Autumn, the stud who mounted her, and a couple of other mares. When he’d asked why they weren’t in a larger group, Brindle had told him it was Autumn’s first foal and that the stud, although broken, was a spitfire. He did better with a smaller herd.
Dawson pulled up next to the barn and killed the engine. When he looked up, he saw Brindle heading toward him. Within seconds, she slowed and he walked towards her.
“Saw you driving this way,” she said as her leg swung over and she dismounted, the movement fluid, like a flag slicing in the wind.
“Figured after meeting the staff, checking out the stalls and buildings, and doing a cursory overview of monthly expenses, I figured I should start this day with the animals. Are any of the others already saddled?”
“You mean you want to ride?”
“Yes.”
“A horse?”
He almost chuckled. “Unless you can think of something else?” Where the hell had that come from? He quickly cleared his throat and silently cursed himself. “Yes, a horse,” he added quickly.
“Yes, I saddled Annabelle before taking Nellie out, but maybe we should find you a nice pony to start out with.”
He ignored the pony comment and asked “Nellie?” instead, unable to stop the chuckle this time. “As in, ‘Whoa Nellie’?”
She snorted. “I wasn’t the one who named her.” Brindle led Nellie toward the stalls, and Dawson followed on the other side of the horse. Once inside and Nellie was secured to the post, Brindle began brushing her. To keep from watching, he looked over at Annabelle, and immediately felt drawn to the horse. She was beautiful. Big, and brown, with white socks.
“Hey, girl,” he said as he ran his hand along her mane.
“Do I need to show you how to work the saddle?” Brindle called out with a chuckle.
He shut his eyes, fighting a smile at the sound of her laughter. “No, I can manage.” And the for fun, he added, “Where are the pedals?”
“Ha. Ha.”
“You know it was funny,” he said as he grabbed ahold, and swung his leg over the horse. He hadn’t done this in years, but when he was a kid, he always loved being around horses. “You know my grandfather is the one who taught me to ride,” he said, gazing at the roof, not sure where that had come from.
“Really?” her voice came from beside him, and he looked down, surprised he hadn’t heard her approach. “That’s great. You know he rode with me sometimes when he came out here.”
“He always loved them. Horses, I mean.” He leaned forward and patted Annabelle.
“Yeah. He was a good man,” Brindle said softly.
His gaze locked with hers as emotion filled his throat. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried but in this moment his eyes burned. Oh, he loved his grandfather very much, but emotion was a sign of weakness. He’d been taught at an early age to push anything sad or intrusive away. He blinked once. Twice. The feeling was gone almost as quickly as it had come.
“Yes, he was,” he said, sitting back up.
“Hold on, I’ll saddle Sebastian and ride with you. There’s a great spot up in the hills with a big pond. It’s breathtaking.”
Alone with Brindle in the middle of nowhere? He wasn’t sure if he could handle it. But instead he said, “All right.”
He watched her bustle around, gaining more appreciation for her by the minute, until she disappeared outside and led the stud in. She made quick work out of securing his saddle, and within no time she mounted herself.
“Are you ready to see one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever lay your eyes on?”
When she smiled, he was quite sure he already had.
“Lead the way.”
* * * * *
Brindle
had been mentally kicking herself all the way to the pond. It was only the second day the man was here, and they were already going to be alone at an intimate location. Sure, she could tell herself it was part of giving him the complete tour of the ranch, but she knew better. Him acquiring knowledge of a small area on the land that had nothing to do with the horses or their breeding wasn’t relevant to anything remotely related to business. So why even bring it up?
You know why
. She sighed, knowing full well she did. She was attracted to Dawson, and some part deep down had a need to gain his approval even on something as personal as her pond.
Her favorite spot was an area she could escape to when life got to be too rough. Or a place to go when she needed alone time for less dramatic reasons. It was easy to get swept away in the peaceful serenity of the landscape. Sometimes she just needed a recharge, and it was her place to do just that. Whatever she needed, the pond seemed to pull the answers or the strength right from her.
“This is remarkable,” he said trotting up next to her as they neared their destination.
She hummed in response, as she looked across the horizon. She’d been leading the way up the trail and had been grateful for the time to collect herself. She felt more prepared now, but she needed to learn from this and figure out a way to keep herself from blurting out suggestions like this again.
They came to a spot next to a bending tree, adjacent to the pond. They dismounted and tied the horses before strolling toward the sloping edge of the water.
“How did you find this?”
“Google Maps,” she said, displaying false seriousness, but couldn’t stop from cracking a smile.
“You have no poker face,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching, although she knew he was allowing her to see his reaction.
“I think you were born with one.”
He laughed at that. “It’s never a good thing to show your hand before you’re ready.”
“I’m horrible at cards—”
“Because you have tells—”
“Stop,” she said with a chuckle. “I was going to say, I’m horrible at them because I don’t know how to shuffle.”
“What?” he asked, looking genuinely shocked. “How did you go your whole life without picking up that skill? Everybody can shuffle.”
“Not me. I don’t even own a deck. I do play solitaire on my tablet, though.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“Figured you’d say that,” she said and rolled her eyes before sitting on the grass. He took a seat next to her, so she distracted herself by pulling out a weed and twisting it around in her hands.
“When did you decide to work with horses?” he asked as he reached out and copied her actions, pulling a piece of grass and twining it around his fingers.
“When I was little, I always wanted a pony.” She shrugged and looked at him through his lashes. “What little girl doesn’t, right?” She didn’t wait for confirmation. “We moved around a lot, but the only places my dad could afford were dumps in the middle of nowhere. Usually someone had horses around. For years I’d find myself watching caretakers tend to them, and one day, a nice old man saw me watching and offered to show me.” She couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Mr. Peters. Everyone thought him old and crotchety, but he’d always been nice to her. “We only lived there a couple of months after that, but I soaked up everything he taught me. By the time I’d hit high school, my dad owed money to half the county.” She looked over the water, remembering those formidable years of her life, and regretting she had to spend them with a father like that. “Anyway, no ranch would hire me because I was either too young, a girl, or an Attree. I waited tables for a bit, and when a local ranch changed owners, I jumped at the chance to apply. I worked as a ranch hand while I continued to wait tables. I was exhausted all the time, but I loved it.”
“And how did you end up here?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him.
“I know the official details. I want your version.”
She licked her lips. “I caught the eye of a rancher who already worked here.”
“Presley.”
She nodded slowly. “He was a regular at the diner. Always sweet. Tipped well.” She laughed without humor. “One day we got to talking and I told him about working with horses. He got me an interview with the ranch manager at Buckley, but I don’t think either of them expected Mr. Winthrop to be there that day. I’m just glad I actually knew enough to get the job legitimately.”
“I’m just glad you know what a tablet and Google is,” he said with that dry humor of his.
“Ha. Ha.” She crossed her arms over her legs and shook her head. “Do people realize how much of a comedian you are?”
“Actually, no,” he said and pulled as he leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sun. “That’s how I usually prefer it.”
“Well, I feel special, then,” she said offhandedly, but immediately regretted it. He sat up, looked at her, opened his mouth, but frowned as if he’d checked the words and had decided not to let them free. “I was a little worried about your technology skills before coming to the ranch.”
“Huh?”
“You’re doing really well gathering the information I need. I was worried you’d be someone without any business sense and I’d have to start with the very basics first.” Was that a backhanded compliment? She huffed and opened her mouth, but he lifted a hand to stop her. “No offense, but I knew nothing about you. I still don’t know much. Well, other than what we just talked about and what my people gleaned from their research the night we met.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t call the IRS to get my tax records.”
His mouth flattened.
“Oh my god,” she said slowly, staring at him in disbelief. “You did.”
“Not the IRS. At least I don’t think so.”
How could he have done that? “You realize that’s a huge invasion of privacy, right? I mean, I get you pulling records on the ranch, but on me personally? That was none of your business.”
“Hey, hey,” he said softly as he touched her shoulder. Electricity shot down her spine from that one little caress, numbing her senses and igniting a reaction much stronger than the anger she’d felt seconds ago.
Need. She felt an enormously heavy sense of need.
The air was suddenly thick and tangible. Her heart banged in her chest as if trying to break free. Her mouth painfully dry as another area of her body stole all the moisture.