by Stacy Finz
“Let’s giddy up,” he said and with one arm, swung Henry into his chair, making him giggle.
“Can I ride Reggie?”
“Nope, not for a few more days. Then, we’ll get you up on a horse. But not Reggie.” Ethan ruffled Henry’s hair.
“What about me? Can I ride Reggie?” Roni bounced up and down on her toes.
Ethan hefted her onto his shoulders and pushed Henry’s wheelchair out the door. “No one rides Reggie but me.”
“What about Mommy? Can she ride Reggie?”
Suddenly, Brynn felt her happy balloon deflate. It was absurd. Veronica was a little girl. She hadn’t mentioned Joey to be malicious. She’d mentioned her because she was Veronica’s mother. And children loved their mothers.
Brynn noticed that Ethan avoided the question, which for some odd reason bothered her more. What did she want him to say? No, your mother can’t ride my horse? She forced herself to brush any thought of Joey away.
When they got to the corral, Reggie and Choo Choo trotted up to the fence and blew through their noses, looking for snacks.
“Shoot, I forgot the carrots.”
Ethan put his hand at the small of her back and walked her to the barn. The strong smell of straw brought her back to the previous night and she could feel her face flush. She chanced a glance at Ethan and he winked. He was remembering too.
Roni followed them in, interrupting their walk down memory lane. “What are you doing in here?”
“Hold out your hand,” Ethan told her and filled it with a fistful of oats. “Share with Henry.” Roni raced out of the stable.
Ethan moved closer to Brynn, leaned in, his lips touching the whorl of her ear, and whispered, “Later.”
Brynn wasn’t sure if it was a promise or a warning but it sent a delicious shiver down her spine.
They went outside to find Henry feeding Choo Choo, who had lowered his head over the fence to reach his wheelchair. Roni had climbed up and was braiding Reggie’s mane. The scene was so adorable that Brynn snapped a few pictures with her phone and hastily texted them to her parents and Lexi.
Lexi immediately replied. “Too cute. Now, tagline that.”
“What’s so interesting?” Ethan looked over her shoulder at her phone.
“I sent my best friend pictures of the kids.”
“Dr. Daniels, can I sit up on the fence with Roni?” Veronica had climbed all the way up, like she had the last time.
He swung Henry up onto the top railing next to Roni. “Next week, you start work with the physical therapist.”
Brynn could feel her son’s resistance from only a few feet away. In New York, he had weekly sessions with an occupational therapist and hated them. Roni must’ve sensed his hesitation too because she put her hand on his leg and patted it, which didn’t improve Henry’s mood.
“I don’t want to,” he whined.
Before she could explain to him why it was important, Ethan hopped up on the fence.
“You trust me?” Henry nodded yes. “Good. After all that hard work you and I did last week we need to get you moving. Otherwise how are we going to get you onto the back of a horse, huh?” Ethan playfully messed up Henry’s hair. “Where’s your hat?”
“I forgot it.” Henry touched the top of his head just to make sure it wasn’t there.
Ethan’s lips curved up and for a second she was blinded by his wide smile. It was an irresistible combination of boyish and manly and it made her heart hammer in her chest.
“Who wants mac and cheese?” he asked and jumped down from the fence.
Both kids shouted, “I do. I do.”
They walked to the big house, Ethan pushing Henry’s wheelchair up the long driveway.
“I want to ride, too.” Roni tried to jump up on the footplate but Ethan wouldn’t let her.
Instead, he swung her up on his shoulders again and in a tenor, sang a bluegrass version of “Baby Shark.” Brynn liked it a heck of lot better than the original, which wasn’t saying a whole lot.
The kids joined in. Roni had clearly grown up with country music because she was laying on the twang. And Brynn had never seen Henry laugh so hard.
As soon as they got in the house the aroma of good cheddar cheese hit her so hard that for a second she considered suggesting that they stay in and eat at home. But the prospect of being alone with Ethan was too good to pass up, even for really killer mac and cheese.
Alma came out of the kitchen to greet them and Brynn wondered what Ethan had told her about them. He’d made it clear that their relationship, or whatever they were calling this, was an ethical breach. Were they supposed to be secretive about it? Or had he confided in Alma? She had to suspect something because how normal was it for a doctor to take his patient’s mother out for Mexican food?
Brynn realized the dynamic was a little different because she and Henry lived next door and that for all intents and purposes they were neighbors in a small town. Didn’t that allow them to be friends?
She also wondered what kind of relationship Alma had with Joey. It was silly, Brynn knew. But she couldn’t help wondering if the two women were close.
Later, in the cab of Ethan’s truck, as they drove along a windy two-lane highway in a part of the area Brynn had never been before she asked him, “What did you tell Alma about us?”
He was quiet for a few minutes, then said, “That I thought you needed to get out . . . have some time to yourself.”
But she wasn’t by herself, she was with him. “And she bought that?”
He chuckled. “Probably not. But for both our sakes she’s pretending to.”
“Because of your job?”
He gave a small shrug. “That and because my love life is my own.”
Love life. It was just an expression for any kind of romantic entanglement, even a one-night stand. Still, Brynn was surprised that he would use those words. It gave her a secret pleasure that he had.
“Was she close with your ex?”
Ethan stole a sideways glance at her and answered succinctly, “No.”
She wanted to ask more about that, but his body language told her in no uncertain terms that the conversation was off the table. He was protective of his ex, a trait Brynn found laudable. But also gave her pause.
It wouldn’t do to fall for a guy who belonged to someone else already. And from their first and only meeting Joey made it clear that she still considered herself Mrs. Daniels, despite what she had done.
Brynn turned so she could look out the window at the scenery. Except for the slim light of the moon it was tough to make out much. From what she could tell, the land was similar to Nugget. Lots of tall trees and white-dusted mountains. She touched the window with her hand, trying to assess the temperature. It was just as cold as well.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“A few miles from Clio. That’s where the Mexican joint is.” His hand moved to her lap. “You hungry?”
“I could eat.” But mostly she wanted to spend time with him. “How were your surgeries?”
“Okay. A little girl whose mother’s boyfriend beat her so badly that both her femoral shafts were shattered.”
“Oh my God. That’s horrifying.”
“Ah, Jesus.” Ethan rubbed his hand down his face. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“No, it’s okay. That must be awful for you.” What kind of person did something like that? Not that Brynn was shocked altogether. Even at Henry’s hoity toity private school there was an incident a year ago where the staff had to notify social services about a student’s suspicious bruising. It showed it could happen anywhere. Abusers came in all shapes and colors and all socio-economic groups.
“Unfortunately, it’s a lot of my practice. That and bone deformities. It’s why this stem cell research is so important.”
“Thank goo
dness all these poor children have such a great doctor.”
“Yep, there’s that.” She saw him wink at her in the pale light of the truck cab.
He pulled off the highway into a dirt parking lot right off the side of the road. Next to the lot was a low-slung wooden building with a blinking neon sign. Roberto’s.
It wasn’t much. In fact, it was more like a taco stand with a drive-through than a restaurant. Inside, there was a walk-up counter, concrete floors, and a few tables covered in oilcloths. Bright Mexican tiles and Day of the Dead skulls adorned the walls, and a big sombrero hung over the door. In the corner was a drink station with aguas frescas and horchata in big jars.
“You’ll like it, I promise.” He squeezed her neck, letting his hands linger on her skin, giving her goosebumps.
The man behind the counter flashed Ethan a big smile, making it evident that Ethan was a regular. “Hola. Donde esta la señora?”
Despite her limited Spanish, she knew what the man was asking. The question was whether la señora referred to Joey or Alma.
“Home with her granddaughter,” Ethan said and introduced Brynn to Roberto himself.
They ordered their food and took a seat at one of the empty tables, waiting for their name to be called.
“I think old Roberto has a crush on my stepmother.”
“Well of course he does. She’s beautiful. And I had no idea she was famous.”
A look of pride flooded his face. “Famous in Reno, anyway.”
Their food came—Roberto brought it to their table. Ethan hadn’t been exaggerating, the chile relleno was the best she’d ever had. There was a place she and Mason used to go on 13th Street that wasn’t bad. But nothing compared to this.
They ate until Ethan broke the silence. “You talk to Griffin?”
“Uh-huh. Met him at the Gas and Go. I’ll try to help him out while I’m here.”
“That’s nice of you. Be sure to charge him handsomely. From what I hear he’s rich as the Sultan of Brunei.”
“Griffin?” An image of him in his greasy coveralls flitted through her head. “I mean, I figured he had some money to own a place like Sierra Heights or at least inherited well. But like really, really rich?”
“Yup. Word on the street, which isn’t always the most reliable, is that he’s descended from the Ramsey band of the Wigluk Nation. They own one of the largest casino resorts in California and Griffin gets dividends.”
“Wow. Do you believe it?”
“Yeah.” He said around a mouthful. “I sort of do, though he’s always struck me as salt of the earth. A really good guy. Besides the Gas and Go, he owns the only tow truck company in town. Drives the trucks himself. But I didn’t take you on a date to talk about Griffin Parks.”
“Is this a date?” Though the question came out slightly flirtatious, she hadn’t been exactly sure what this was. Maybe, like he’d told Alma, he was simply trying to give her a short respite from motherhood. A doctor taking a holistic approach. Keep the family happy and healthy, cure the child.
He looked at her with amusement, clearly finding her question funny. Or absurd. “Hell yeah it’s a date.” He swept his arms across the restaurant and his mouth quirked. “Only the best.”
She leaned across the table, admiring his handsomely chiseled face, the lips that had kissed her so thoroughly the night before, and the hazel eyes that seemed to see everything. “It might not be the Ritz Carleton but you were definitely right about the food.”
“I like it.” He gave her a slow perusal. “I like the company even better.”
Their eyes locked and she suddenly wanted to eat as fast as possible so they could leave and she could tear his clothes off inside his truck. She couldn’t remember ever being this attracted to a man. Not even Mason, who had been the love of her life once.
But he seemed to want to linger, unwrapping his burrito a few inches at a time. She liked staring at his hands. Strong, steady, healing hands. The hands of a surgeon.
“What?” He looked down at his burrito to see what was so interesting. “You want a bite?”
“I like your hands, that’s all.”
“Yeah?” He hitched his brows, checked out his hands, and returned a cocky grin. “Brynn?”
“Hmm?”
“You want to get out of here?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
He devoured the last bite of his burrito and drained his Dos Equis. Nudging his head at her chile relleno, he asked, “Do you want to take it for later?”
He didn’t wait for her to answer, just walked to the counter and asked for a to-go box. She wrapped up the rest of her dinner, waved goodbye to Roberto, before climbing into Ethan’s truck.
“Where now?” she asked. Going back to the cottage would be awkward with Alma just up the hill.
“We could go somewhere and park.” He laughed. “Or we could go to the Lumber Baron.”
Normally, she wasn’t the type to rent a room by the hour but the idea tempted her. She chewed on her bottom lip, debating with herself.
“I was kidding, Brynn.”
“You were?” she asked, disappointed. She wanted him to be as desperate for her as she was for him.
“We’ll go back to the cottage.”
Her eyes grew wide but she didn’t question it. Perhaps he didn’t have the same thing in mind as she did. But when they got to Nugget, he turned off on a road she didn’t recognize. A shortcut, maybe. Not a very good one. The road was rocky and rutted, bouncing them like a basketball. Without four-wheel drive, she was certain they would’ve gotten stuck.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
They came to a fence. Ethan put on the brake, hopped out of the truck, and opened a big metal gate under the glare of his headlights. As soon as he drove through, he locked it closed.
They continued on what appeared to be a riding or foot trail, lurching back and forth every time Ethan hit a pothole or bump. She could see the Feather River on her left and figured they were somewhere on the ranch. Probably a back entrance.
“Is this your land?”
“Yup. The gate is so a livestock trailer can get into the pasture to load the calves for market.”
“How far are we from the cottage?”
“Not far. Two or three miles.” He slanted her a sideways glance and took her hand.
She felt like a teenager, skulking around in the backyard of her parents’ Hamptons house, making sure the coast was clear before slipping off to a party she’d been forbidden from going to. It was a little silly. They were both single, consenting adults. Still, the sneaking around sort of added to the excitement. The anticipation.
The truck went over something hard, possibly a mound of dirt, and Brynn was momentarily vaulted out of her seat, which sent her into a fit of giggles.
Ethan caught her with his arm and started laughing too. “I guess this whole covert thing is a little overkill, you think?”
She held her fist to her mouth to try to stifle the laughter. That’s when he stopped the truck, reached over, and kissed her.
It was slow at first, just a mere touch of his lips to hers. Almost tentative. But then he caged her face in his hands and the kiss became urgent. Deeper and needy. He pulled her over the console on top of him while one of his hands searched the floor. And just like that the back of his seat reclined.
Then their hands were everywhere. Hers under his jacket and shirt, touching his taut, muscular abdomen. His, first in her hair, then on her breasts. She tried to remember whether she’d ever done anything like this in a car but had no recollection of it. The truth was her sex life had never been particularly adventurous.
But now she wanted to do everything. With Ethan.
Soon, their clothes were strewn across the cab as they reached for each other, desperate and need
y. He was touching her again, kissing her breasts as his hands stroked her bare back. She rocked against him, feeling denim scrape against her legs.
“Ethan.” She wrestled with his jeans.
“I’ve got ‘em.” He lifted up, taking her with him, and deftly pulled his Levi’s down with one hand. The boots were the problem. He couldn’t get his pant legs over his heels, not in the confining quarters of his truck.
While he struggled to untangle them, she got the giggles again.
“Shush,” he hushed her with his lips while managing to knock one boot off on the dashboard, then tossed it into the back seat. “Dammit.” The second boot wouldn’t budge.
Finally, he opened the door and by some miracle kept them from both tumbling out. “Hang on.” He slid her over to the other seat, turned sideways with his legs dangling out of the truck and pried off the other boot.
The pants came next, leaving him in a pair of black jockey shorts that barely contained his erection. He slammed the door shut. But the whoosh of cold air had turned her flesh to goosebumps.
He pulled her over him again, rubbing her arms and back until she was warm. Then he slid her panties down her legs and tossed them so that they landed next to her bra, which was hanging off the rearview mirror.
He spread her legs until she was straddling him and thrust up, letting her feel the length of him pressing against her groin. She moaned, frantic for more. He tested her with his fingers and she nearly climaxed right then and there.
“Please,” she whispered.
He freed himself from his shorts and impaled her. Neither of them moved at first. He just stayed inside of her, breathing hard. Then, slowly, she began to rock back and forth. He held her hips, guiding her so he could go deeper.
She whimpered with pleasure. Her head fell back as he began to thrust up, bouncing her on his lap. His hands moved up her rib cage and fondled her breasts as she cried out.
“Good?”
“So good,” she whispered and grasped his broad shoulders. “Don’t stop.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” He kissed her, his tongue delving inside her mouth while she rode him.