Authors: Mandy Harbin
He stepped closer to them, but stayed behind the door and out of their view. “Oh, this place is as good as mine. Keep showing me all the regular business stuff, and I just might be offering you a job.”
Well hell’s bells. An Attree was getting the biggest ranch in the county. And not just any Attree, but Trent’s ex.
Shouldn’t have dumped her so soon.
He could be running this place if the two of them were still together. Too late to worry about that now. He had some fixing to do.
“Sweetheart, you can’t afford me,” Dawson said. Richie Rich could call her that all he wanted, but Trent knew just what Brindle liked. He glanced at Kaya and felt irritated that he wouldn’t get to have his way with her.
Yet.
Right now, he had a plan to form and a ranch to take over. If he had to pretend he was in love with her, he’d do that, too. Whatever it took.
“Maybe not, but life isn’t all about money.”
The hell it wasn’t. He needed to think about this. Figure out the best way. Maybe he wouldn’t have to fake love. He could just take her down. He smiled and watched them as they drove off. Lots of possibilities were here. In fact, he knew just who he needed to call to talk about this.
Chapter
Five
The
sound of country music blared, jolting Brindle from her slumber. Before she was fully awake, she grabbed her cell phone. “Hello?”
“Autumn’s making noise. I think she’s—” Kaya gasped. “Her water just broke! It’s show time.”
Brindle ended the call without saying goodbye and jumped out of bed. There was no time to change out of her pajamas—at least her top was thick enough to hide the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra. Once a mare’s water broke, the foal could be there in five minutes. She hoped it’d be closer to twenty minutes.
“Dawson,” she yelled as she bounced out of her room, trying to put on her shoes and walk at the same time. “Wake up!”
His room was down the hall but she heard a crash before his door flew open.
She froze, staring at him, wild-eyed, hair mussed, and chest bared to her. His lounge pants hung low on his waist, exposing the chiseled V of his abdomen. Was she drooling?
“What?” he asked as his glazed eyes focused. Then they grew wide. “Autumn?”
Reality slapped her out of her man candy coma. “Yes, we have to hurry.”
He darted back through the door as he said, “Let me grab a shirt.”
“That’s all you have time for. Keys?” she yelled as she got her second shoe on.
She watched as he came back into view, tugging a shirt over his chest. He’d slipped on some house shoes, keys in his mouth. She turned and jogged for the door and heard him running behind her. They jumped into his vehicle, and he peeled out and down the road.
“Has she delivered?”
“No, water broke. But once that happens, we only have minutes left.”
He cursed and sped up. The lights from the barn came into view before it did, but they got there lightning fast. The truck skidded to a stop, and they both hopped out without another word.
“The heads out,” Kaya said as they entered. She looked over her shoulder at them. “She was too restless out in the field. I think she sensed a predator. I brought her in here to try and soothe her. Once she got settled, she laid down.” She looked at Brindle. “Isn’t that right girl, you’re ready to have this baby. Let’s get the shoulders out and then you can take a breather.”
She and Dawson walked over to the stall where Kaya was with Autumn. The horse’s abdomen contracted and the shoulders slid out.
“Good job!”
Brindle couldn’t hide her excitement. She’d worked so hard with Autumn and to finally see her not only get pregnant, but go to term, and now deliver. It was almost too much.
“You can’t unsee this,” Dawson said dryly.
She looked up at him, and he smiled crookedly at her. “Ha. Ha. You didn’t have to come.”
“Oh, yes I did. I get to check off seeing a horse head come out of the backend of another horse. It’s a dream come true.”
“Shut up,” she said with a chuckle and lightly hit his tummy. Jeez, it was hard as a rock. Not that she needed the tactile proof. She saw his hard body with her own eyes. In her line of work, she was used to seeing men with hard muscles, but seeing them on Dawson was totally different. She didn’t know why, but it was.
“Why isn’t she pushing?” he asked.
“She’s just taking a little break.”
“Um, she has half a horse sticking out of her. Now’s not the time to call it day.”
“She won’t wait long,” Kaya said. “She’s just tired.”
After a few more minutes, the action started again.
“Breath,” Dawson said. “Push.”
“She’s not a human,” Brindle said as she leaned over the gate.
“Neigh,”
Dawson said with a cheesy horse impression.
“She’s not going to—.”
The horse neighed.
“See,” Dawson said with a lift of his chin.
“She’s probably telling you to leave her alone, so she can focus on pushing the foal out.” But Brindle wanted to laugh at Dawson’s playful side. Even with the jokes, he was completely engrossed with the scene before them. He was truly interested in the birthing process.
“That’s it,” Kaya said.
“Push,” Dawson said under his breath. With as much as this moment meant to Brindle, she had to admit, watching Dawson witness this for the first time was almost as rewarding. His shoulders were stiff and his knuckles white from where he gripped the top railing.
“Here is comes,” Kaya said as the rest of the horse slid out.
“Oooh,”
Dawson said at the same time, the word starting off low, then high, then ending low again as the foal came completely out.
“It’s a girl.”
“Yes!” Brindle said as she bounced and tried not to clap. The birth of that foal signifying the hard work of the last two years and one they could possibly breed one day.
Suddenly Dawson grabbed her and picked her up, laughing lightly. She giggled at his excited demeanor. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said, and he immediately put her down. He frowned at her, but his nearness overshadowed his concerned expression. She had to will her brain to work. “We’ll um, have to watch her for a few days. But this is good. This is very good.” She smiled widely.
He chuckled, playing his hands on her cheeks. He leaned closer, still smiling, but all she could think about was his hands on her face.
On. Her. Face.
His smile slowly faded. Her heart pounded in her chest. He didn’t move away. In fact, he came closer.
“Brindle,” he whispered, his eyes searching hers. She grabbed his wrists, but she wasn’t sure if she did it to push him away or to keep him from dropping his hands. He licked his lips, and the air suddenly disappeared from her lungs.
“She’s trying to stand,” Kaya said excitedly, completely oblivious to what was happening between Dawson and Brindle. “Can you see?”
On instinct, Brindle turned to lean over the gate, which broke the physical connection they just shared—watching as Kaya put a temporary identification bracelet on the new foal—But the emotional connection she had with Dawson? It was still there. Brindle could feel Dawson’s breath ruffling her hair he was so close, and she fought every desire bubbling up inside her to turn around and let him finish what he was going to do. Once she was sure she could speak, she said, “She’s beautiful.”
“Stunning,” Dawson said, the word blanketing her scalp, and she knew he wasn’t talking about the horse. The heat of his breath confirmed that he was looking down at her. She felt the truth of it in her bones.
This beautiful man wanted her. She was attracted to him, but she assumed that attraction was one sided. If he felt the same toward her, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to resist him, which was exactly what she needed to do. She had to find the will to step away even if only just for a few seconds, so she could wrap her head around this.
She eased to the side.
Dawson’s hand shot out, grabbing the railing and stopping her escape. Normally, if a man were to cage her like this, she’d smart off, but right now, it took everything inside her not to lean against him.
“Why isn’t Autumn getting up?” he asked as he stepped up against her. She’d thought his hands on her face was too intimate, but now she felt him everywhere. His question, though innocent was far from it. Words. Just words as his other hand came up and gripped her hip. She gasped at the contact. “Brindle?”
Ah, he’d asked a question. He was playing with her, she knew, but she had no idea how to stop him. If she wanted to stop him. The only thing she figured she could do was pretend nothing was happening. “Um.” Her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “She will. She’s resting.”
He made a noncommittal sound but said nothing else. She waited for the next question, but it never came. She wondered if he would step away now and give her the distance to maybe take a relaxing breath, but also that reprieve never came.
They stood there, watching. His hand firmly latched onto her hip.
Minutes ticked by. The foal eventually stood, as did the mare.
Kay observed the pair, examined the placenta, took notes. Every now and then she’d give an update on their vitals. The pair were both doing very well. But Brindle? Her heart never slowed, the heat of his hand searing her skin.
“I think we should let them bond. Alone,” Dawson said just loud enough for her to hear. Then to Kaya, “You did excellent tonight, please call if any issues arise.”
“Sure thing,” she said, not looking up from her work.
Dawson guided her to his truck, opened the door, lifted her up onto the seat, and buckled her in. She wanted to tell him she wasn’t an invalid but the words wouldn’t come. After they drove off, she still couldn’t find the strength to say anything, not about their almost kiss, his arms around her, or even the foaling. She was so focused on finding her voice that when they pulled up to the cabin, she realized they’d sat in silence all the way back. When he killed the engine and didn’t move, she found the fire she needed to get out and go inside. She just needed space from him to gather her thoughts. She heard his door shut before she made it inside, but didn’t look back. She walked straight to her room almost sighing in relief when she’d made it and started to close the door behind her.
She gasped as she realized he stood in the entryway, hand on the doorjamb.
“Why are you running away?”
“I-I’m not.”
She took a step back, and he walked in, shutting the door behind him and enclosing the two in the small space of her bedroom. But where she’d only taken one step away, he continued toward her.
“What are you doing?”
“You know what I’m doing,” he said, his voice tight, raw with barely banked desire.
“Dawson,” she breathed, his name dying on her lips as he grabbed her hair.
When his lips landed on hers, she no longer cared about any protests. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted any other man before, and if he desired her just the same, she’d willing give him whatever he wanted.
She’d worry about tomorrow another day.
Chapter
Six
After
he shut off his truck, he gripped the steering wheel to keep from tackling her right there. He’d been unable to control his need for her the moment he realized he’d put his hands on her cheeks back at the barn. He’d needed to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her. And kiss her everywhere. If Kaya hadn’t talked, he was sure he’d have taken Brindle right there on top of the hay like some rutting teenage cowboy alone with a girl for the first time. But even after Kaya had spoken, the spell still hadn’t been broken. He’d needed to touch her, smell her. He knew the instant she was going to run, and he’d blocked her before thinking better of it. When it came to business, he was always controlling, but he was never that way with women. If they didn’t return his interest, he moved on. Of course, he rarely encountered a woman who didn’t give in once he set his sights on her. But Brindle was different. She roused some long dormant beast within. One he had no idea was buried deep inside. Even now, that part of him wanted to rip her clothes off and claim her as his. When he thought he had control enough to get out of the truck like a gentleman, he took a fortifying breath, but Brindle suddenly fled.
He got out immediately and followed her inside. Did she think she’d run from him? He shut the door behind them, and continue stalking her down the hallway. Because that was exactly what he was doing. His prey was running, and the need to capture her far exceeded all rational thought. He grabbed the doorjamb and edge of the door before she could shut him out completely.
She gasped, wide-eyed when she saw him standing there.
“Why are you running away?”
“I-I’m not.”
She took a step back, and he walked in, shutting the door behind him as he had the front door. He continued toward her, glad she wasn’t stumbling away. No matter how much he wanted her, if she told him to get out he would. The fact that she wasn’t putting more distance between them had his insides roaring.
“What are you doing?”
“You know what I’m doing,” he said, not recognizing the rare sexuality in his own voice.
“Dawson,” she breathed, and hearing that needy sound from her, his name on her lips like that broke the threadbare hold he had on his control. His hands dove into her hair, fisting it as his mouth claimed hers.
She opened to him immediately, and his tongue met hers, sending fire throughout him. Her acquiesce tamed this wild need to possess her if only just a little. Her eager lips reassured him that she wasn’t going anywhere. Her need, her acceptance of him—of this—gave him the strength to lasso his runaway fervor, calm his ardor for her enough to make sure the both of them enjoyed every second, rather than taking her in a mad fury of their bodies.
He broke away from her mouth, dragging slow kisses on a path to her neck. Her head fell back on a moan, the sound causing his hips to thrust toward her of their own volition.
But then she grabbed his waist, holding it against her, the little vixen. He had to bend slightly to keep their pelvises melded, but he didn’t care. She wanted them touching there, who was he to not give her that? And no way was he taking his mouth off her.
“Oh god,” she breathed.
That was it. He needed her on her back. He squatted and lifted her into his arms. They didn’t have far to go to reach the bed, but he didn’t want to take the chance of her tripping if he walked her backward instead. Her little hands slipped onto his cheeks, and she pulled him down for a kiss as he carried her. He had no time to wonder if she liked this, a man taking charge. But by the end of the night he would learn everything she loved about intimacy. He placed her on the bed. Before he let her lean back, he pulled her pajama top from her body.
He groaned. “Jesus, woman. You’ve been braless all night.” How had he missed that? She wasn’t small at all. He’d been trying his best not to stare at her assets that he hadn’t seen her pebbled nipples through the soft material. He moved, crowding her as she eased back, but before she could get too far, he swooped down and captured one hard nub between his lips.
She gasped and grabbed his head as he suckled, but she couldn’t keep him from moving to the other after the first one was hard and wet.
“Dawson.”
His name rented through the air.
He growled at her neediness and immediately rid her body of the rest of her clothes. His soon followed, though he couldn’t be sure who was the one that fought his pants off. With nothing else separating them, he forged a path of sensual kisses down her abdomen and to the apex of her thighs. She was already wet and ready for him, but he needed her scent in him.
Needed
it!
Without warning, he devoured her, his mouth sucking and lapping. Her knees shook beside his head, and it made him feel more powerful than any business merger had. This. This woman. This woman’s
reaction
to him was not only humbling, but more intoxicating than the rarest of Scotches. And her taste? Ambrosia. If he had known this woman existed, he’d have sought her out years ago, but now that he had found her, he had to have her completely.
Her body began to quake all over before her knees slammed against his ears and she began to scream—a sound that was now burned into his soul. He didn’t let her finish before he climbed, draping himself over her and pushing into her warm, welcoming heat.
“Oh,”
she gasped.
“So hot—damn it! Hold on.” He pulled out immediately, realizing he’d forgotten the condom. He’d never done that before. Never. He jumped off the bed, darted into his room, and fished several out of his luggage. His hands shook as he ripped one open while walking back into her room. She’d propped herself on her elbows and watched as he walked in. Did she realize how seductive she looked just then? He rolled on the condom with one hand, tossed the rest onto the nightstand, and climbed onto the bed. He gave her no warning before plunging back into her.
“Brindle,” he groaned, thankful she’d already climaxed because he wasn’t going to last long. Normally he’d drag it out, make sure his partner came several times before taking his pleasure, but he couldn’t do it. Not this time. And it wasn’t because he just needed release. Oh no, something deep within him felt there was more to this than anything he’d ever experienced before.
He held her to him as he pumped into her over and over. Time ceased to exist. It could have been minutes or hours. He didn’t know, nor did he care. But at some point sweat from his exertion dripped from his forehead onto her cheek, and his head followed suit, dropping onto her face as he grunted. She hiked her leg on his hip and muttered unintelligible words as she rocked into him.
“That’s it,” he cooed as he took her.
“Dawson,” she said, almost a question.
“’S all right, baby. Let me feel it. Give it to me, Brindle. I need it. I
need
it.”
She tightened around him and screamed. It was too much. He roared as he plowed into her, filling the condom and losing a piece of his soul to her in the process.
They panted as he held her. After several minutes, he knew he should get it up and let her get cleaned, but he couldn’t. He could not let her go. Not yet.
Not yet.
What was wrong with him? Why did he feel such a strong need for this woman? He didn’t know the answer, but if he was truthful with himself, he feared the possibility.
I’m falling in love with her.