Her heart panged with warmth. She could use a new friend. “Me, too.”
“Hey, everyone, I’d like you to meet Katherine Grady. She goes by Kat.”
At the sound of Luke’s voice, Audrey whirled toward the kitchen door. A Marilyn Monroe look-alike with platinum-blond hair stood beside him, her wide green eyes fashionably made-up to match her pretty emerald-and-blue outfit. She held on to Luke’s arm and darn if Audrey didn’t hone right in on that. A flashback of rodeo groupies—pouty pink lips and all—came to mind. Her heart sank. She struggled to keep her expression from taking a nosedive in front of everybody.
“Nice to meet you,” Kat said, her voice soft as butter.
Suddenly, Audrey’s head clouded up and spun. It was like the time she’d climbed onto the mechanical bull at Dusty’s Dancehall in Texas. She’d been sixteen and trying to prove to the guys she wasn’t a child. As soon as the bull started bucking, everything in that honky-tonk got blurry real fast. Only this was worse.
The world around her began to fade. Her legs went numb. She reached forward to grip the kitchen counter and missed, scraping her fingernails on the sharp edges. Desperate to hold on, her arms flailed. She needed support. But it was too late.
Blackness surrounded her.
Right before all the lights went out.
Three
Audrey woke to Luke hovering over her. Her body was flattened out on the Slade kitchen floor and her head ached like crazy. She blinked and stared into his concerned eyes as the palm of his hand rested on her hot face. Her cheeks stung, so she figured she’d been slapped a time or two. Relief filled his voice when he spoke to her. “Audrey Faith, you gave us a scare.”
She tried to lift her head up. Two Lukes appeared in her line of vision. She blinked one of them away and as she eased back down, Luke’s other hand cushioned her head. “How long was I out?” she asked quietly.
“Not long. Does this happen often?” he asked.
“This was the first time,” she said, feeling a little bit ridiculous. Four pairs of eyes—including the blonde woman’s—ogled her.
“You fainted.” Sophia spoke softly, holding a bottle of smelling salt in her hand. “Luke rushed over to you. He got to you before we had to use this. It was just a few seconds.”
A few seconds too many, she thought.
“What happened, honey?” Luke asked.
“I’m not sure. I got light-headed. Then everything went black.”
“Logan’s calling the doctor,” Sophia said.
“Oh, no. I don’t need a doctor.” Audrey made a move to sit up again and when twin Lukes didn’t appear, she figured she was good to go. His hand to her back, he helped hinge her forward slowly. “My head’s not spinning anymore. I think…it’s just…”
What was it? She didn’t know why she’d fainted. It couldn’t have been because Kat showed up attached to Luke at the hip. She’d seen Luke with other women before. No amount of nose twitching would make them disappear, though. And as a smitten teen, she’d daydream of trading places with the females on his arm. Audrey knew that this time it wasn’t Kat’s presence that made her see stars.
She’d been overly tired today and a little stressed. A reasonable excuse came to mind. “I might’ve caught a bug or something.”
“Now I’m sorry I woke you up for dinner,” Sophia said, her expression grim. “You probably needed your sleep.”
Logan entered the room with the phone to his ear. “I can’t get hold of the doctor. Maybe we should take her to emergency.”
Luke nodded. “Good idea.”
“No, it’s not necessary.” Audrey summoned all of her strength, planted her feet and rose to full height, refusing Luke’s extended arm for support. There. She wasn’t dizzy anymore. Whatever happened had been freakish, but it had passed. “I feel better already. I think all I need is a good night’s sleep. It’s a bug and I need to rest. Honestly.” She glanced at Logan first, then at Luke, giving him a pointed look. No way was she going to disrupt their evening by going to the hospital. Besides, she really did feel better.
The men darted glances at each other. “What do you think?” Luke said to Logan.
“I’m fine,” she said a little more firmly.
Logan shrugged. “She looks fine, Luke.”
Sophia added, “You can check on her during the night, Luke.”
Kat, who had been quiet throughout this exchange, raised a perfectly arched brow at that.
“You sure you’re feeling okay?” Luke asked, his genuine concern touching something deep and lasting in her heart. As if she needed another reason to worship him.
She nodded, did a pirouette right in the middle of the kitchen—ending with a flourish a gymnast would be proud of—and gave him a big smile. “I promise I’m okay.”
“As long as I’ve got your promise, we’re good. I’ll walk you to your room.”
She wanted to protest. She could walk to her own room, for heaven’s sake, but the envious look in Kat Whoever-she-was’s eyes made her accept his invitation. “Sure.”
She turned to Sophia and Logan, giving them each a big hug. And then, magnanimously, she put out her hand to Kat. “So good to meet you,” she said, as if she hadn’t just made a spectacle of herself by fainting.
“I hope you’re feeling better soon.” Kat cupped her hand and gave a little squeeze.
Audrey’s gaze shifted to her white knight. “If Luke has anything to say about it, I will.”
The comment flew over the men’s heads, but Sophia had a glint in her eye as Luke walked Audrey out of the kitchen.
Once they reached her bedroom, Luke turned the knob and opened the door. “I’ll check in on you later.”
“Not necessary, really.”
“I’m gonna insist, Audrey.”
She didn’t like the idea of Luke coming to her room during the night. Well, okay, she would like the idea if his motives were different. Regardless of his friendship with Casey, she wasn’t his obligation. She could fend for herself. He didn’t need to lose sleep over her.
When she paused for a moment he added, “Your welfare is my responsibility as long as you’re under my roof. You fainted tonight. We don’t know why.”
“I told you why.”
“You’re guessing, but you don’t know for sure.”
He wasn’t letting this drop. Mr. Nice Guy was also a Good Samaritan.
An idea popped into her head. “How about if you text me?”
He chuckled from deep in his throat and a boyish gleam lit his eyes. “You’re sleeping three doors down.”
“It could be fun. And you don’t have to be disturbed.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll text you. I’ve got your number.”
“Great. Well then, good night.”
“Sleep tight, Audrey.”
After closing the door to Luke, her lungs released a whoosh of air, and she slumped against the door as the last bit of her energy seeped out. She was more tired than she’d let on to the Slades. She’d never fainted before. What was that all about? She chalked it up to emotional angst seeing Luke again. By all rights she should feel exhausted after the highs and lows she experienced today. The lowest was finding out that Luke had no memory of their night together. That had been a crushing blow, and she hadn’t been allowed time to absorb the implications and heal her wounded heart and deflated ego.
Audrey undressed with deliberately slow moves, carefully peeling off her clothes. No sense tempting fate. A sudden move here or there and she might find herself on the floor again without a dashing prince to awaken her.
She hung up her blouse in a double-wide closet and folded her jeans in half, putting them across a captain’s chair in the corner of the room. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, then climbed into bed, giving Jewel a little nudge. “Why aren’t you a curl-up kind of cat?”
The cat was stretched out, taking up most of the width of the bed, and the prod moved her only enough to give Audrey room to climb
in. She sank into the comfort awarded her in that small space. She picked up the remote control and clicked on the television. Mindless babbling might just comfort her to sleep tonight. She settled on a reality show that Susanna constantly raved about. Her friend, the reality-show junkie, watched them all and had recommended this one specifically for Audrey.
“Wannabes and Wranglers,” Audrey mumbled, sinking into the pillow.
The first ten minutes entertained her enough to keep watching the city slickers trying to replicate life in a mock-up Western town. Poor John Wannabe was having trouble saddling up his horse. He got the cinch all wrong and the saddle might have slipped off if it weren’t for Wrangler Beth, who’d come to the rescue. They were teamed up for a series of challenges and it was Beth’s job to turn John into a horseman in less than two months. John was halfway into his on-camera, heartfelt confession explaining how Beth made him nervous because she was so beautiful when Audrey’s cell phone barked. The ruff-ruff ringtone had Jewel lifting her head sharply to listen. “It’s just a text,” she explained to her cat.
She picked up her phone from the nightstand and read Luke’s message.
Are you sleeping yet?
She punched in an answer.
Obviously not.
What are you doing?
Watching Wannabes and Wranglers. I’m fine.
A few seconds later, another text came through.
Glad you’re fine. I’m watching that, too.
Really? Luke watched reality shows? She found that hard to believe.
Because Beth is so hot?
It only took a few seconds for Luke to respond.
Yes.
Then a few moments later:
But I like the concept, too.
What do you think of John? she texted, closing her eyes briefly after typing in the question.
His next text came instantly.
Not a fast learner.
Audrey smiled as she punched in her reply.
He’s distracted by Beth.
So am I. She knows her way around a stallion.
Hardy, har-har. Look, John finally got the horse saddled right. Beth’s teaching him how to mount.
That should come naturally to a man.
Was he teasing? She immediately wrote back, A woman, too, if the stallion’s worthy.
An image flashed through her mind of her mounting Luke and taking them both for a sweet ride. His hips had arched and he’d bucked from underneath, meeting her every stride with a fierceness that penetrated her body and soul. The notion layered through her belly in warm waves.
His next text came through.
Mounting a horse, I meant.
Right. You don’t fool me, Luke.
I never did. You almost ready to turn in?
Yes. Go to sleep. I’m fine.
Lights out.
I’ve already done that once tonight.
Funny. Wake me if you need me, Audrey.
That was a loaded comment and a dozen needs regarding Luke flitted through her mind.
Night, Luke.
Night.
Well, it wasn’t text sex or anything close, but Audrey turned off the television and fell fast asleep with a big smile on her face.
* * *
At seven o’clock the next morning, Audrey was greeted with another text from Luke.
Are you up yet?
She was never one to sleep late.
Up and dressed,
she keyed into the phone and then added,
Feeling fine.
Not five seconds later, Luke was knocking on her bedroom door. “That was fast,” she muttered, tossing her phone down on the bed to pull the door open.
He leaned against the door frame, eyeing her from top to bottom, doing a clean sweep and making her wish she’d had something to wear besides her faded jeans and oversize shirt. At least she’d managed to put a comb through her hair and pull it back into a ponytail.
Luke came to her freshly shaven, with that same hint of lime wafting in the air, his longish clean hair curling at the ends. One strand slashed across his forehead to rest on his brow. Audrey mentally sighed. The crisp tight fit of his jeans and snug hug of a dark blue canvas shirt were enough to still her heart. “Mornin’.”
“Hi.”
“Sleep well?”
“Very well.” It was no lie.
“No fainting spells today?”
“None, and I feel great.”
Luke’s lips twisted downward. “Do me a favor and don’t do that again.”
“You don’t have to keep checking on me.”
“I came to deliver a message. Breakfast is ready. Cereal and toast. Unless…”
“Unless…I cook up something better?”
“You can stir a pot and I’m hungry.”
“When are you not? How does bacon and eggs over easy sound?”
“Throw in half a dozen buttermilk pancakes and we’ve got a deal.”
“Okay, but only if you admit you opened my door last night to peek in on me.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and planted his feet firmly. “I’m admitting nothing.”
“What kind of cereal do you want?”
Luke’s shoulders drooped and he sighed. “Okay, fine. I peeked in on you.”
Food blackmail always worked.
“I slept better knowing Casey’s little sister was sleeping soundly.”
She did a mental eye roll. How old did she have to be before Luke stopped thinking of her as Casey’s younger sister? “You make the coffee…I’m assuming you know how…and I’ll get to work on the rest.”
“It’s a deal.”
The cat jumped down from the bed, took a long stretch and strode over to Luke. She rubbed her body along his legs and bowed her back like a rainbow, purring loudly. Audrey could take a lesson or two in flirting from her cat.
Luke bent to scratch her under the chin. “I think it’s time Miss Jewel got out of this room.”
“I agree. I was going to ask if it’s okay if she roams around the ranch today.”
“Yeah, no problem. She’s probably smart enough to stay out of trouble.”
“She’s only used up one of her nine lives. She’s got eight more to go.”
With that, they headed to the kitchen. During breakfast, Luke mentioned Kat again and Audrey asked him about her. “She’s just a friend” was all he said with a shrug of the shoulder.
Audrey figured the woman would never forget her, though. She’d made a lasting impression. How many people fainted the second they were introduced?
After breakfast, Luke gave her a grand tour of the ranch and explained her duties as wrangler. She was to groom and exercise the horses, make sure they were fed properly and assist the head wrangler, Ward Halliday. They wouldn’t be working with Trib today, and that was fine with her because she had some shopping to do in town when she finished up her duties.
Luke left her in the barn with Hunter Halliday, Ward’s son, who was leaving for college in a few weeks. The big, strapping boy with a friendly smile showed her around the barn and introduced her to each one of the ranch hands during the course of the day. They were nice men who spoke politely and had nothing but respect for the horses on the property.
“We don’t sell a horse every day,” Hunter said. “Sometimes, only one or two a week, but once they go, you miss them. It’s best if you ride them and train them and try not to get close to them. The Slades take care with who they sell a horse to. You gotta tell yourself they’re going to a good home.”
Hunter used a currycomb on the mare he was grooming while Audrey stood up on a footstool and braided a thoroughbred’s mane, something she’d learned to do when she was thirteen. “I volunteer at a horse rescue at home. I know it’s not easy saying goodbye.”
Hunter nodded.
They worked together on the horses into the morning. Jewel pretty much stayed by her side in the barn, sitting up regally and taking swipes at the flies buzzing around her head. It see
med to keep her entertained. And for the remainder of the morning, they took horses out that hadn’t been exercised yesterday. Hunter showed her different paths to follow and made sure the horses got a good workout before they switched them out. More grooming followed and by midafternoon their work was done.
Audrey’s clothes stuck to her body and the skin exposed to the hot sun was layered with a fine coating of trail dust. Her mouth could spit cotton, as Casey would say, and her bones ached a little, but she’d never been happier.
She was in her element.
After her work was done, she hummed her way back to the house with Jewel in her arms. “You earned your keep today,” she said. “Those dang flies didn’t stand a chance.”
The shower she took was quick and efficient, cleansing her body of barn grime, and within minutes, Audrey was clean and ready to go.
She had a shopping date with Sophia this afternoon.
* * *
“Sophia, I can’t possibly wear all of these things.” Draped over Audrey’s arms and threatening to topple her were two pairs of slacks, three pairs of designer jeans, four blouses, a stylish leather jacket and, so that all was not lost, a skimpy cherry-red thong swimsuit that Audrey wouldn’t think of ever wearing out in public.
Sunset Seduction Page 5