Confident in Chaps (Crossroads Book 2)

by Em Petrova

  Shock met his statement.

  “Hold up—you need a barn raised by this weekend?” Cort’s eyes grew round. “You talkin’ an old-fashioned wood structure or a pole barn?”

  “Beau’s insisting on keeping the ranch like it was in the 1800s I swear. I told him a metal structure or pole barn can go up faster and cost less. He still ordered all the wood.”

  Cort shook his head. “That’s not possible in his timeframe.”

  “Tell me about it. I suggested they push back the dates.” For some reason, he stopped short of saying that Beau acted as stubborn as an old mule and refused to listen to reason on the matter. It felt wrong to bash the guy, especially when he really did like Beau and expected to become his brother-in-law someday.

  “Maybe we could organize some help from the other ranches around Crossroads,” Joss spoke up.

  Everyone looked at the woman, sitting on Cort’s knee, like an extension of him.

  She shrugged. “Well, it is Crossroads. The town’s known for people sticking their noses in each other’s business. Maybe they’d like to help out. We could get some of the church ladies to bring covered dishes and maybe roast a pig.”

  Kaoz perked up. “There’s an old spit on the ranch already. Needs some fixin’ up, but wouldn’t take much.”

  “Only need a pig,” Cort said.

  Kaoz thought on the hogs Brielle was busy fattening up. He could think of one in particular that would be mighty tasty and big enough to feed a lot of workers. “I know where we can get a pig.”

  “It’s settled then. Let’s spread the word and plan on starting Sunday after church.” Cort squeezed Joss’s knee. “Everyone good with that?”

  They nodded in agreement, and again, Kaoz felt much closer to actually doing some good for the ranch. It felt good to offer suggestions and help Beau put his dreams into action. Plus, maybe it would earn him brownie points with Brielle.

  Or apple pie points…

  He smiled to himself and polished off his beer.

  * * * * *

  When Brielle walked into the kitchen and spotted the bright-colored gift bag on the counter, her heart gave a little patter.

  She glanced around to make sure she stood alone and nobody had overheard her little gasp either. Seeing she was, she walked to the counter and pulled the bag toward her. The small slip of paper had her name on it. As if the gift could be from anybody but Kaoz.

  Slowly, she withdrew a tuft of pale pink tissue paper. A peek inside the bag had her groaning out loud.

  Perfume.

  Her favorite perfume.

  “Dammit,” she cussed. Did the man miss nothing?

  That’s what he’s trying to prove—that he does know me and does care.

  Biting on her lip, she drew out the perfume. Their local drugstore hadn’t carried the scent in months—where did Kaoz find it?

  She popped the small gold cap off and sniffed the spray nozzle, inhaling the sweet citrus and faint vanilla spice she loved. She didn’t realize she’d let her eyelids drift shut until Kaoz spoke from the doorway.

  She spun and stared at him, still holding the bottle. He leaned so casually against the doorjamb, his hat pushed up so she could clearly see the bright blue depths of his eyes. He was dusty from shoulders to the toes of his boots, but the smile he wore made her world a happier place. How many times had she seen the man in chaps? Damn what she wouldn’t give to see him in a pair right this second.

  “It’s right, isn’t it?” He pulled away from the jamb. His boots thumped on the tile floor as he crossed to her.

  She watched him come toward her, frozen by that dark look of pleasures promised. When he extracted the perfume from her hand and lightly sprayed the side of her neck, she sucked in a breath and held it.

  With maddening slowness, he leaned in. His nose brushed over her skin, and he inhaled the scent, leaving her shivering with desire and weak-kneed.

  How did the cowboy unravel her with a single sniff? It took everything she had not to turn and throw herself in his arms. Steeling her thighs, she remained still, heart beating hard and fast.

  “Mmm,” he rumbled so close to her neck she felt the vibration. “You smell delicious.”

  She gripped the edge of the counter. “H-how did you find a bottle?” she managed to croak in a stranger’s voice.

  “Never underestimate a Bellamy.” He threw her a crooked smile, that up close, was totally capable of undressing her. She glanced down to find she still wore her old work clothes, surprisingly enough.

  This ridiculous moment couldn’t go on much longer. She stepped away from him. “Thank you, Kaoz.”

  He thumbed his hat in that other panty-wetting gesture she didn’t think she could live through seeing, not after his appearance, the burning look in his eyes and him leaning in to smell the perfume he spritzed on her throat.

  Goosebumps rose on her arms, which also left her nipples hard.

  Kaoz dipped his gaze to them, his smile widening. “You’re very welcome, sweet thing.”

  She’d given up on correcting him and telling him to use her name. Besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to anymore.

  He tipped his head, regarding her more seriously. “Beau said you took a ride to look for a view last night. Everything all right?”

  “Yes.” Did he have to know her so well?

  “Did you find a good view?”

  She nodded. “One I haven’t seen before.”

  His brow crinkled. “Wish I’d been there with you.”

  Her heart somersaulted.

  “Where were ya?” he asked.

  She told him the roads she took to reach the logged out site.

  He nodded. “I know of it. Cort and I hunted there once, years ago, when it was still untouched forest.”

  She twisted her fingers together to keep from reaching for the man. “It’s still pretty in a different way.”

  “Maybe you’ll take me with you next time. Or I can show you another view I found. I bet anything you’ve never been to this spot.”

  Arching a brow, she eyed him. “Do you know who you’re talking to? I’ve been chasing sunsets for at least five years. There isn’t a spot within a ten-mile radius of Crossroads I don’t know about.”

  He shrugged. “You’ll never know unless you agree to come with me.”

  “When?” she challenged in return, hand on her hip.

  “Tonight.”

  “You’re on.”

  He flashed his pearly whites and turned for the door. She called to him, and he swung to her again.

  “I tried to talk sense to Beau. He’s stuck on the idea of this traditional barn. I brought up a pole building like you suggested. I even tried to talk to him about another three-sided shelter like we have for the pigs, and he refuses.”

  “He’s got good reason behind his beliefs, like the fact horses have less skin problems and are easier to care for if we put them away in a safe place each night, but you’re right that you could make do with either of those solutions. Also, I was at the Bellamy last night and I have some workers gathered for Sunday afternoon.”

  Her eyes flew wide. “Seriously?”

  “Yup,” he drawled out. “One thing we need from you, though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “One o’ your pigs on a spit.”

  She scrubbed a hand over her eyes. “They have some growing to do before butchering season, but I think this is a good enough reason to agree to that.”

  His smiled flashed again. “I knew you were my sensible girl I can always count on.” With that statement, he took himself outside, leaving her to wonder at his words.

  Sensible—she’d take that compliment. Nothing a country girl wanted more than to be considered sensible. And she liked that she could be counted on too. But his girl?

  A ripple of feeling ran through her, from that breathless thrill of love at first—or a millionth sight—to hope that Kaoz didn’t get lazy with their relationship as he had before.

 
; After composing herself, and taking one more sniff of the perfume, she headed outside to continue her work. They had a lot to do if they were starting the barn Sunday. She shook her head—she still couldn’t believe Kaoz had managed to scrape up a construction crew. More than Beau had done, which led her straight to her brother.

  Time to have that heart-to-heart with him.

  As she crossed the yard, she spotted one of Kaoz’s socks and giggled. She looked up and saw the man dragging a huge tree limb out to add to his bonfire and smiled to herself. If anything, he was consistent in character. He kept life simple—it was one of the things she loved most about him. Sitting around a fire, hard work, beers with friends…

  That reminded her she still had his beer tap hidden away in her bedroom. Sooner or later she’d give it back to him. For some reason, it felt a bit odd to do so. He’d given her a diamond, and she’d only gotten his initials engraved on the beer tap they purchased together. A silly, small gesture that had taken on huge meaning at the time of their breakup. She realized now the hurt she experienced had been the reason behind taking the tap into her possession. But not once had Kaoz asked for that ring back, and deep down, she knew he never would.

  When she found Beau, he stood in the middle of the field, gazing at nothing. Probably dreaming, as usual, she thought. She approached from the side so he saw her.

  He withdrew his hands from his pockets and plucked a high blade of grass from the field. “I can see you’re here to say somethin’ to me.”

  She nodded. They never did beat around the bush much. “I don’t have to tell you that I’m concerned about how inflexible you’ve been, Beau. I know you have plans for this ranch, but you also brought Kaoz in to shoulder part of the burden—and for guidance as well. He really does know his stuff. I’ve seen it firsthand. And he’s getting things done, while you’ve been spinning wheels making decisions or being plain stubborn.”

  For a long moment, her brother remained silent, staring at the ground. She studied his profile, wondering if she’d been too harsh. In the end, he needed to know—and make changes.

  She went on, “You realize Kaoz organized a crew to build the barn? But we’re still in a time jam. If you call the people bringing the horses, I’m sure you can convince them to let the horses remain outside for now—we can scab together some lean-to in order to give them some shade—but this wouldn’t be happening in such a rush if you had listened to me. And I hate to say it, but Kaoz too.”

  He snapped his head up sharply. “He wants you back.”

  Her heart pounded somewhere around her windpipe. “I know.”

  “I won’t tell you what to do or not do, Brielle. You’ve known your mind since you were three. But be careful, all right? He shows up and wines and dines you. He buys you perfume and—”

  “How did you know about that?” she choked out.

  “I looked in the bag. Look, I don’t care what you do with your life. If you love him, then I wish you the best life together. But if you’re even a little bit unsure, then exercise caution.”

  “Is that what you’re doing with Kaoz? He gives advice and you don’t take it because you don’t trust him?”

  Beau stared at her for a long heartbeat as if contemplating it. “I trust he won’t lead the ranch into the toilet. But I have my mind set on things being the way I want them. We either do this barn right the first time or we’ll be building another within five years for the other horses I plan to buy or breed.”

  Finally, she understood her brother’s stance on the matter. After all these months spent working together, she felt like she stood on the same plot of ground as he did. “I understand,” she told him.

  “Do you? I’m not trying to be difficult or stubborn, as you put it. I only want things the way I want them so I don’t have to change things up down the road. We need a real barn, one big enough to accommodate not only the horses we have coming but more in the future.”

  “Okay, well, that’s good to know. You could have clued me in a lot sooner, though.” She gave him her sassiest tone, which he chuckled over.

  Doffing his hat, he ran his fingers through his longish hair, the same light brown streaky blond color as hers. “I do appreciate what Kaoz has done here. I appreciate what he’s doing. Without him…” He cut off and gave her a guilty look, as if he didn’t quite want to admit he liked her ex.

  She shoved him in the shoulder. “Maybe you should marry the guy.”

  That roused a long, deep laugh from Beau, and he jammed his hat down in order to free his hand to wipe tears of mirth from his eyes. “If you’re done telling me off, I want to let you know that we’ll be baling hay tomorrow, weather permittin’. Kaoz secured a tractor, wagon and an extra hand for the job…but we sure could use your help, Brielle.”

  She beamed at him. “Of course. I’m here. I told you I’d be by your side to build your dream, and I am. I guess we’ve got a lot to do if we’re spending tomorrow in the field.”

  “Yep. And Kaoz brought up the question of our mineral rights too. I can’t find the papers.”

  “I know where they are. But why does he want them?” Her brow crinkled.

  “He’s trying to milk the ranch for all it’s worth. What’s on top of as well as beneath the ground and everything we can grow or raise on it is fair game. I never considered that angle, but if we do own all the rights, we have a backup plan if we get in financial trouble.”

  She mentally shook her head in awe at Kaoz. She knew he was good, but this was a different level of thinking good. Only a business-minded person could come up with such options, and she saw now that his going off to New Mexico really had benefitted him. Which made her question whether she came down too hard on the man.

  He was sweet on her. Sweet to her. And he sure knew how to kiss. Those callused hands could do things to her body she couldn’t even begin to put into words.

  Thinking on those months she felt so ignored, she wondered if she hadn’t ignored his dream of going West too. She hadn’t asked him very much about his months spent there—she was too busy feeling neglected.

  Guess it comes down to us both being to blame.

  As she strolled across the field again, she stroked her fingers down the side of her throat and smelled the sweet traces of the perfume Kaoz bought her. Maybe it was time to heal—to give them another try.

  Chapter Six

  Kaoz spotted Brielle standing a short distance away. Spine to him, her long hair trailing over her shoulders. A few pieces of hay clinging to her faded sweatshirt. She hummed so soft it took his ears a moment to tune in to the melody.

  Our song.

  The country ballad had been one they danced to down at the bar one night. She sang it a lot those first few months they were a couple, and soon the song made them smile at each other whenever they heard it.

  His heart hit his toes and bounced up into his throat. He tugged off his hat and clutched it against his chest, simply watching her sway to the music.

  God, he loved that woman so much it hurt. He’d come close to losing her, but if he ever truly did… He swallowed. He couldn’t even consider that level of pain.

  As she worked the grooming brush over the mare’s coat, her toned arms drew his attention. He slid his gaze over her curves to her ass, lightly muscled from hard work and riding as often as she could.

  He watched her for long moments. When she finished drawing the brush over the horse’s coat and gave the animal a pat, he finally spoke up. “Brielle.”

  She looked straight at him as though she knew he’d been standing there the entire time. He couldn’t help but smile as he stared into her eyes.

  “If you’re finished, I hoped you’d take a ride with me.”

  He saw a flicker of nervousness in her eyes. She raked her fingers through the horse’s mane as she contemplated his offer.

  At last, she nodded. “Let me clean up a bit.”

  Happiness rioted in his chest. What he hoped to gain back with Brielle was some of the close
ness they’d lost over the past few months. Reconnecting meant everything to him—he couldn’t screw this up.

  “I’ll meet ya at the truck when you’re ready.”

  She arched a brow. “What if I’m one of those girls who takes two hours to shower, put on makeup and curl my hair?”

  “You’re not,” he said with conviction. “Here, I’ll lead the horse out to pasture so you have a few more minutes to work on your hair.”

  Narrowing her eyes on him, she sassed, “You sayin’ my hair could use work?”

  “I love it loose like that—you know it.” Without saying more, he took hold of the horse’s rope and led her toward the gate. Behind him, he heard Brielle go into the building and return the brush to its rightful spot on the shelf.

  Minutes later, he leaned against his truck, waiting for her. For some reason, he felt jittery with nerves. This wasn’t a first date, or even a second or third, so he had no clue as to why he felt so keyed up about having Brielle alone. Maybe because he hoped things would be different between them, that some of their past banter and easygoing manners with each other would return.

  No pressure or anything.

  She came out of the house in clean jeans, a red top and her tan cowgirl boots, looking as pretty as a summer’s day. To his delight, she’d left her hair loose—to please him? He sure hoped so.

  At her approach, he drew away from the truck and opened her door for her, catching a whiff of the perfume he bought her. She paused before getting in. “You know this isn’t a date.”

  “Of course not. It’s only a ride.” He waved toward the passenger seat, and she slipped in.

  When he climbed behind the wheel, he threw her a look, thinking of the times they’d sat here together. How easy those times had been—maybe too easy. Maybe every relationship required a work-on-it period and if they bypassed that step, trouble seeped in.

  He started the engine and backed out.

  “Where are we going?”

  He let his smile spread over his face. “Have to wait and see.”

  “You know I hate surprises.”

  He shot her a look. “I call bull on that.”