by Holly Rayner
He’s a proper cowboy! she thought to herself as her heart fluttered in her chest.
She couldn’t take her eyes off of Sean as he bent over the pump and played with the handle a few times, moving it up and down. His whole body was tensed, and she could imagine how lean and strong he was beneath his soft, well-fitted clothes.
“I see how this thing works,” he said. “Wanna hand me a balloon, and I’ll try it out?”
She did as directed, and for the next twenty minutes, they filled over a hundred helium balloons. Sean then set out over a dozen folding tables, while Delaney followed him around and lined the tables with chairs.
As they worked, they chatted about Sean’s ranch. Delaney was curious about the kinds of cattle he raised, and she had questions about the large vegetable garden that she’d spotted off to one side of his house.
At six thirty, with half an hour to go before the reunion started up, there was a crashing sound over by the door. Delaney had just finished stringing up some white fairy lights along the windows and was unloading a case of beer into the cooler.
She looked up just in time to see two adorable cattle dogs tumble into the barn, wrestling with each other while they ran. One, a black and white pup with two different-colored eyes, bumped into a chair and sent it crashing into another.
The other, who was mostly a gray-and-brown brindle pattern, with white paws, ducked out of the way just before bumping into the table.
Sean hurried over and righted the chairs. He spoke to the two dogs, who continued to wrestle. “Is that any way to play inside, guys? Come on.”
At the sound of his gentle reprimand, the two animals immediately stopped their roughhousing. They trotted over to Sean and sat at his feet. The black-and-white-spotted one cocked her head to the side as if she was listening for what Sean might say next.
“If you’re gonna play like that, better do it out in the yard,” he said. He pointed to the open barn doors, and immediately the two trotted off, avoiding chairs and tables on their way, and exited out into the evening.
Delaney tucked the last few beer bottles into the ice and then closed the cooler. She grinned and caught Sean’s eye.
“Those two sure seem to like you,” she said. “They’re yours?”
Sean joined Delaney at the bar. He picked up the white cloth that Delaney had brought along. “You want this over the top?” he asked, motioning to the exposed table.
She nodded.
He started putting out the tablecloth as he said, “That’s Sam and Lila. I wouldn’t say I own them so much as they own me. They’ve got me hook, line, and sinker, and boy do they know it. I’d do just about anything for those two.” He shook his head.
As if they knew Sean was talking about him, the two dogs ran back in through the open doors. This time, instead of banging into the tables and chairs, they ran up to Sean as if to check in with him.
“Go on; go play!” he told them. They trotted off, chasing each other at half pace in a big loop around the perimeter of the room.
“Rescues?” Delaney asked as she watched the two run out into the field again.
Sean nodded. “From New Mexico. They were at a crowded shelter, and I was passing through on my way to buy some cattle. I saw one of the shelter volunteers walking the two of them together, and we got to talking. Turned out that if no one took them within the week, they weren’t gonna make it. I couldn’t have that happen, so…”
Delaney smiled. “I get it,” she said. “Are they helpful out on the ranch?”
Sean laughed. “Sam can herd cattle when he wants to, but Lila likes playing too much to be bothered. They’re really not working dogs. The truth is, I spoil them something awful. They mostly goof around all day, but that’s the way I like it.”
Delaney was touched; it was clear to her that Sean was a true animal lover.
She started setting up wine bottles, and Sean reached for a sleeve of plastic cups.
As he opened it up, he said, “What about you? Any pets?”
“One cat,” she said. “Also very spoiled. I never thought I’d be the type of person to get excited about carpet-covered cat playgrounds, but I guess life is full of surprises.”
She placed out the last bottle of red.
“To be honest, I’m much more of a dog person, and I go gaga over horses. But my schedule isn’t right for having that kind of responsibility. I travel a lot for work.”
“What do you do?” he asked.
“I’m a large animal vet,” she said.
She folded up the cardboard from a six-pack box and tucked it in a milk crate along with some others.
“I run my own mobile clinic called Hooves with Heart. I mostly care for horses and cows, but sometimes sheep, goats, llamas… You name it.”
Sean raised his brows. “You run Hooves with Heart? I’ve heard that’s the best vet service in the state. I’ve been on the waiting list for years. How many other vets do you work with?”
“Just me,” Delaney said with a grin.
She was pleased that Sean had heard of her business. It was something she worked hard at and was passionate about, and it felt nice to have him acknowledge her success.
“Just you!” he said. “Dang, girl! I thought I was the king of working hard, and here you are, blowing me out of the water. You must work nonstop.”
“Pretty much,” she said. “I feel like I graduated college, started my business, blinked, and here we are, more than a decade later.”
He laughed. “I know the feeling,” he said. “You must love what you do. I’ve always respected vets. It takes a certain kind of person to walk that line between compassion for animals and the down-to-earth business of ranching.”
He paused what he was doing and just looked at her for a moment. She was unaccustomed to being bathed in so much direct attention. Usually, she was with rough-around-the-edges ranchers and farmers all day, not to mention muddy beasts of various shapes and sizes. It was a rare and welcome pleasure to enjoy Sean’s heartfelt compliments.
“Thanks,” she said. “That means a lot to me. I put a lot into my work.”
She looked back into his blue eyes and was struck once again by their depth. What’s going on beneath the surface for him? she wondered. Even when they were bantering back and forth, she got the feeling that there was a complexity to him.
She held his gaze for a moment and then looked away, toward a crate filled with red and white streamers.
“All that’s left is the streamers and banner,” she said. “What do you think about the Pepper Ridge colors?” She reached for a roll of white streamers. “I always thought they looked like Christmas colors… like we were perpetually getting ready for the holidays, and our mascot may as well have been Santa Claus.”
She tossed him the roll, and he caught it smoothly. He looked down at it. “Red and white, hm?” he said noncommittally.
She supposed maybe he didn’t want to comment on the colors, so she asked, “What were your school colors?”
He looked down at the streamers in his hand. He looked thoughtful, and Delaney wondered if he was taking a trip down memory lane.
“Something similar,” he said vaguely. He threw the roll up in the air and caught it. “Let’s get these up, why don’t we? I’ll grab a step ladder.”
“Great,” she said. “I’ll grab the banner and we can hang that while we’re at it.”
Delaney unfurled a long welcome banner and had it ready by the time Sean joined her at the front entrance. Before she could even start to climb, he took position on the ladder. She was grateful, seeing as she wasn’t crazy about heights. Once he was up high enough, she handed him one corner of the banner, along with a pushpin.
“It’s going to be strange to see some of my old classmates,” she said.
She watched him fasten one corner of the banner to the wall and then unravel a few feet of streamers and pin those up, too.
“I see a few of them once in a while—those of us who live in San Antoni
o bump into each other now and then, but some moved so far off…”
“I’m sure they’re going to be thrilled to see you,” Sean said.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said dreamily. “I guess I was friendly enough, back then, but I was also sort of aloof. I had my mind on my big dreams, and I didn’t want anyone to hold me back. I was sort of high-strung, kind of controlling.”
She shook her head. “Once, I remember really giving this girl hell because she didn’t do her half of our biology assignment. You’d have thought it was the end of the world, by the way I reacted. I was bent on getting into the right college, and I was afraid a C-minus was going to literally ruin my life.” She couldn’t help but laugh as she recalled her teenage self.
Sean finished tacking up streamers on one side, and together, they moved over to the other.
As Sean climbed up again, she said, “I was a completely different person back then. I’ve changed so much. I like to think I’m more relaxed, now. But to be honest, I think I’m a bit too controlling about my schedule, still. I’d like to change that.”
He held the corner of the banner in place with one hand and reached the other hand down for a pin. She handed it to him. Their fingers brushed, and she felt the familiar tingle of attraction.
As he stretched his long frame up to pin the banner, he spoke. “We’re all works in progress. I think you’re doing just fine.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I really am working on it. I want to have a better balance between my career and my social life. If I don’t figure that out, I’m going to grow old with Mr. Butters.”
“Sounds like he’s a lucky man,” Sean said.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s my cat,” she said.
He laughed, too. “So, I take it there’s no man in the picture for you?”
“Nope,” she said softly.
Her heart beat faster as she waited to see what Sean might say. His back was to her as he finished with pinning up the streamers. Then, he slowly descended the ladder.
As his feet touched the ground, he turned to her.
“Interesting,” he said slowly, the word weighted with meaning as it rolled off his tongue.
He moved closer to her, so that mere inches separated them. A jolt coursed through her core that felt like lightning. He was standing so close. Her knees felt weak. He looked at her with so much desire in his eyes that she felt it washing over her like a tidal wave. For the first time, she felt sure that their worlds were going to collide. More than that, she felt sure that she was going to enjoy the collision immensely—maybe more than she’d ever enjoyed anything in her entire life.
“Is it…?” she said. Her voice came out as almost a whisper.
He didn’t step away. “Very,” he said.
“And you?” she asked, looking up into his eyes. Heat from his body electrified the small gap that separated them. “Are you single?”
She held her breath as she waited for his response, though she knew on a deep level what it would be. No taken man would act like this unless he was interested. Even though she was sure he was available, relief coursed through her as he gave a subtle nod of his head.
The promise of what might happen between them seemed to suddenly become so palpable that it almost hurt. Delaney felt an aching need for the man just in front of her, and she almost lost sense of where she was and what she was doing as her eyes moved down to his kissable lips.
Just then, a voice sounded. “Delaney? Delaney Summers… is that you? Look at this place!”
The shrill voice sliced through the barn and seemed to echo off the walls.
Shocked back into reality, Delaney stepped back, away from Sean. She turned toward the woman who was hurrying across the barn floor, her stilettos clicking against the cement as she walked.
“Look at you! You look gorgeous! And look at this place…. It’s perfect!”
Delaney looked back at Sean. “I guess the evening is about to get started,” she said softly.
“It looks like it,” Sean said.
His deep, gruff whisper sent shockwaves of desire through her. She let her eyes linger on him for another minute. Then, she turned to greet the approaching woman, even though turning away from the smoking-hot cowboy at her side was the very last thing in the world that she wanted to do.
Chapter 4
Sean
Sean’s gaze was fixed on Delaney as she crossed the barn.
Though she’d looked stunning on the day she’d come to check out the barn, tonight, she looked even more spectacular. Her jeans fit just right, and the lacy cut of her top accentuated her curves in all the right places.
She’s single, he thought, as he watched her greet the woman in the middle of the room. He vaguely recognized the woman from a few of the remedial math classes he’d been in—was her name Marcie? Or maybe Melanie? He couldn’t quite remember. Many details from his time in high school had faded over the years, except for those memories of Delaney.
A man entered the barn. He held up a set of keys and jingled them in his hands. “Marybeth, you’re in charge of the keys tonight!” he said.
Marybeth! Sean thought. That’s it.
Marybeth rolled her eyes. “Of course, I’m the DD tonight,” she said. “Tommy here keeps talking about how he’s going to get trashed tonight. Just like the old days, hm?” She smiled at Delaney. “Delaney, honey, did you do all this yourself? It looks great!”
Delaney turned to face Sean. She waved him over. “Sean helped,” she said.
Sean hesitated. He wanted to bow out of the evening’s events before too many people arrived, but he wasn’t sure how. The three in the middle of the room, Delaney, Marybeth, and Tommy, seemed to be waiting for him.
What’s the harm in chatting for a minute? he thought.
He crossed the room. “Hey there,” he said carefully. “Sean Macintyre.” He stuck out his hand.
Tommy enthusiastically pumped it up and down in a jovial handshake.
“So you’re the lucky guy, huh? Delaney sure is something, isn’t she? Everyone in high school dreamed about marrying her one day, you know.” He winked at Delaney.
Marybeth elbowed her husband. “Tommy, stop,” she said. Then, she spoke to Delaney and Sean. “Sorry. He’s excited—has been for months.”
She looked between Sean and Delaney. “I have to admit, we all did wonder who Delaney would finally settle down with. How long have you two been together?”
Sean was flattered that these two old classmates of his assumed that he was Delaney’s partner. He looked to Delaney, wondering if she was going to jump in to correct them, or if he should. Her cheeks became just slightly more rose-tinted than they’d been before, and she laughed.
“Oh, no, we’re not—” She stopped, and met Sean’s eye.
Sean waited for her to go on. When she didn’t, he jumped in. “I’m the venue owner, actually.”
“You own this place? Like, this whole ranch?” Marybeth gushed. “It’s amazing! That house is to die for. I bet it would go in a flash on today’s market—just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “All these New York millionaires are moving to Texas, you know. They want to become ranchers.”
“She would know—Marybeth here is in real estate,” Tommy said. He pointed to the bar. “Hey, is that the beer?”
Delaney nodded.
Marybeth continued as Tommy made a beeline for the alcohol. A few more people arrived, and two men greeted Tommy with loud hollers. “It’s T-Dog!” one shouted out. “Tommy the Terror!” said another.
Sean grimaced. He recognized both men—they’d been big shots on the Pepper Ridge football team. He couldn’t remember their names, but he sensed that he didn’t want to stick around long enough to be reminded. As much as he enjoyed being by Delaney’s side, he had no desire to be surrounded by his old classmates.
Marybeth spoke up before he could come up with a polite way to excuse himself.
“Seriously, Sean, if you ever decide to sell,
you should give me a call.” She fished a business card out of her purse.
“Thanks,” Sean said. “I’ve no intention of selling, though. This place is my sanctuary.” He thought of his ritual of watching the sunset from his porch.
Marybeth tilted her head to the side a bit as she watched Sean tuck the card into his pocket.
“It’s so funny,” she said. “I could swear I’ve heard your voice before. Are you a radio DJ or something?”
Sean swallowed. Definitely time to get out of here, he thought to himself.
He was careful to keep his tone flat as he responded. “No, ma’am,” he said.
Tommy returned with a beer in his hand and his buddies trailing behind him. More people streamed through the doors. Out of the corner of his eye, Sean noted the arrival of Jake Millhouse, Delaney’s old boyfriend.
A familiar sense of dislike passed over Sean. Jake had always been an ass in high school, and Sean wondered if he’d changed much. He stayed rooted to the spot next to Delaney as Jake approached. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to stand by her side, because Jake had taken that position in senior year.
Marybeth spoke again. “Funny. You just sounded familiar. Jake, honey! Look at you, just as tall and handsome as ever. We were just telling Sean Macintyre here how nice his ranch is. Isn’t it something else?”
Sean watched Jake’s calculating gaze size him up and then evaluate the gap between Delaney and him. It was clear that Jake didn’t like Sean’s proximity to his ex-girlfriend. Jake’s eyes lingered on Delaney and then passed back over to Sean.
Distain oozed off of him as he said, “It’s all right. Nothin’ that special.”
Marybeth laughed nervously.
Delaney spoke up. “Jake, you haven’t changed one bit, have you?” She turned to Sean. “Jake owns the Millhouse Ranch up by Whistler Creek, about an hour east of here. Have you been?”