Sunset Seduction

by Charlene Sands

  “Would you like to try it on?” Kat asked.

  “I… Uh, sure.”

  “Right this way.”

  “If you don’t like the fit, there’s a few others I think would be stunning. But let’s see how this one looks on you first.”

  Audrey followed Kat to a good-size dressing room with a three-way mirror. The other woman gently took the dress from her hand to place it on a satin hook. “I hope you like it. Let me know—”

  A child’s whimpering cry stopped her from finishing the sentence. “Oh, excuse me. That’s my son.” Kat rushed to the back room that was only steps away from the dressing area.

  Audrey watched her go, noting how the woman’s entire demeanor changed from cool professional to a woman with worry lines around her mouth.

  Audrey slipped out of her clothes and tried on the dress, peering at the fit from all angles in the mirror. Soft material crisscrossed her breasts and draped in pretty folds from the bodice down to her toes. The Empire style suited her body, and seeing herself in such a pretty gown gave her ego the boost it needed. Sophia had been right—the striking sapphire color did bring out the honey-blond of her hair. “Sold,” she said to the mirror.

  When she redressed in her own clothes and walked back to the sales floor, Kat stood by the counter with a dark-haired baby in her arms. “Shush now, baby. It’s okay.” She rocked him and the little boy was comforted. “I’m sorry. My son got a little fussy. He woke up from his nap early. Usually he sleeps for two hours in the afternoon.”

  The little boy, wrapped tight around his mother like a life preserver, and bobbing up and down in her arms, focused his eyes on Audrey. Jet-black hair curled at his nape and chubby cheeks, ruddy now from crying, pressed into his mother’s shoulder.

  “He’s beautiful,” Audrey said. “How old?”

  Kat continued cradling his head and rocking him. “Connor is nine months. I apologize about this. I’m only filling in for the owner who’s having minor surgery today. I promised to keep the shop open, unless Connor prevented it. He’s been good for most of the day.”

  “That’s very nice of you.” Sophia smiled at the boy. “Do you work here often?”

  “Not really. I’d love to, but Connor needs me at home with him.”

  Audrey’s heart warmed. Kat wasn’t the blonde bombshell type she’d originally thought her to be. The woman had certainly looked the part though. With highfalutin hair, deep rose-colored lips and stunning clothes, she left an impression. But looks deceived. Seeing her with her child convinced Audrey that she’d been wrong about her. The bond between mother and baby was strong. She beamed when she looked at him. Her voice held motherly pride when she spoke his name. She was a single mother raising a young son all alone.

  Audrey understood Luke’s reluctance to get involved with Kat now. That adorable baby had to be considered in the mix. Audrey respected Luke for his decision. The man had honor. He wouldn’t deliberately hurt anyone for his own selfish needs. Though she wasn’t thrilled with Luke lately, she had to give credit where it was due.

  Luke had done the right thing with Kat.

  With her, he’d been wrong.

  “Well, we won’t keep you another minute. I love the dress. I’ll take it.” And you can close up shop and take your sweet baby home.

  On the way back to the ranch, Audrey stared out of the windshield of Sophia’s car. “I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

  “You’re talking about Kat?”

  Audrey nodded. “Yes, I misjudged her.”

  “Maybe I did, too.”

  Audrey tilted her head toward Sophia. “All I saw was a beautiful woman, dressed to the hilt, hanging on Luke’s arm, and I assumed I knew the kind of woman she was.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You let your emotions rule your head. It happens when you’re in love,” Sophia said softly.

  Audrey stiffened in the seat. “I’m not in love.” Even to her own ears, her emphatic tone sounded unbelievable. Her shoulders slumped and she lost all of her fight. “Oh…am I that obvious?”

  “No, you’re not. Except to me. I recognize the signs. It wasn’t that long ago that I felt those same love/hate feelings for Logan. There were times I really despised him.”

  “Luke’s such a good guy. Sometimes, I feel guilty for giving him a hard time. But damn it, all of my life, decisions have been taken out of my hands. Luke’s still treating me like a kid, telling me what’s best for me. Pushing me away for my own good.”

  “Does he know how you feel about him?”

  She shook her head. “No. I mean, I haven’t told him. But we’ve…we’ve had a night…or two.”

  Sophia took her eyes off the road to give her a long look. “A night or two? Are you saying…?”

  Audrey nodded. She was tired of holding everything inside. Sophia was her friend and she trusted her. She spent the rest of the drive home confessing to Sophia what had happened between her and Luke these past few weeks. Most of it rushed out of her mouth, unpracticed and brutally honest. Sophia asked a few questions here and there but by the time they’d driven through the gates of Sunset Ranch, her friend had gotten the whole picture.

  “Wow. That’s an amazing story,” Sophia said. “Now it’s all beginning to make sense.”

  “I know. I should have told Luke the second I saw him that it was me in the cabin.”

  “Luke does like honesty.”

  “He wasn’t thrilled with me. We had an argument about it. So do you think I should tell him how I feel?”

  Sophia wrinkled her nose and thought about it a second. “Yes, but only when you know the time is right.”

  “How am I supposed to know that?”

  “Well, if he tells you first, that would be a good time.” She grinned.

  Audrey rolled her eyes. “Like that’ll ever happen.”

  “Don’t be so certain it won’t. Luke might surprise you.”

  “I’ve loved him for so long and now that I’m here living under his roof, I’m no closer to getting what I want than when I was a kid, except I’ve got a few great memories to take to my grave.”

  Sophia’s eyes warmed with sympathy. She set her hand on her arm. “I’m going to stop by the cottage. I have something you might need, Audrey. I hope you don’t think I’m meddling.”

  “I’d never think that. You’ve been so good to me since I’ve been here and I really value your friendship. So what is it? A magic love potion? The key to Luke’s heart?”

  Sophia’s shook her head and didn’t laugh at her attempt at levity. “Nothing like that. Luke’s my good friend, too, and we’re family now. And well, just remember I want what’s best for both of you. And again, I hope I’m not out of line here.”

  “Okay. I’ll remember that.” Sophia’s serious tone made her clamp her mouth shut and wait.

  Sophia parked the car in front of the cottage, which was now under renovation to add on several rooms to enlarge the house. “Logan’s not home. I’ll only be a moment.”

  When Sophia returned with a small white bag in her hand, she sat in the driver’s seat and handed it over to her. “I hope this is…whatever you want it to be.” There was joy in her eyes and caution, too. “Open it in the privacy of your bedroom, Audrey.”

  A shiver rode up and down her spine.

  Audrey looked down at the drugstore bag in her lap and knew what it was. The shape of the rectangular box inside removed any doubt she’d had. “I take it this isn’t lubricating jelly.”

  Sophia cracked a smile. “No.”

  Denial had been her constant companion and now Sophia was making her face the music. Audrey didn’t want to think about the possibilities, but the signs—or should she say, symptoms—were all there and Audrey, coward that she was, had done a good job of ignoring them.

  “I keep a few on hand. Logan and I have been trying. No one knows that but you now.”

  Audrey lifted her eyes to Sophia. “Thanks for trusting me with that. I hope it happens.�
�

  “It will,” Sophia said, a confident glow in her eyes.

  She nodded. “You’re right, of course. I should find out.” She grasped the edges of the bag, rolling them up tight and taking a swallow. “Luke deserves to know the truth.”

  Sophia leaned over and wrapped her arms around her. She spoke with sincerity. “My concern is for you, Audrey. You need to know the truth. But only when you’re ready.”

  Tears burned behind her eyes. Emotions overwhelmed her. With a lump in her throat and her belly churning, she couldn’t get the words out she wanted to say. Finally, she managed, “You’re…a…good friend, Sophia.”

  * * *

  That night, Audrey tossed and turned in her bed. The home pregnancy test sat on the bathroom counter, still unopened, still in the bag. She wasn’t ready. She didn’t know when she’d ever be ready. Her life was one screwed-up mess right now.

  Her restless movements annoyed Jewel so much that the cat gave her a sour look, jumped down from the bed and curled up on the captain’s chair by the window. “Sorry, Jewel,” she said. “You can have the bed back. I’m leaving for a while.”

  Audrey slipped out of her bed and dressed, tucking her T-shirt into her jeans, putting her boots on and striding out the bedroom door. It was well past midnight and she’d pay for her twitchy sleeplessness in the morning, but right now, she needed to walk and clear her head.

  She tiptoed past Luke’s room and out of the house, heading for the stables. Where else would she go when she needed comfort? She stopped at the barn that held the prized animals that made up the bulk of Sunset Ranch. Some horses were awake, shuffling around in their stalls. She whispered hellos to them and smiled at the others that were asleep in the prone position, lying on the soft hay and looking so peaceful.

  That peace eluded her tonight.

  “How’s it going, Rusty?” She peered at a reddish-brown gelding making his approach. “You can’t sleep, either?” When he hung his head over the stall’s door, she gave his silky coat a pat and threaded her fingers through his coarse mane. The textures, smooth against rough, brought a smile to her face. The scent of straw and dung, of earth and dust, comforted her in ways that warmed her heart. “Yeah, we both had a long day, didn’t we?” She rubbed her face along his and was awarded with an affectionate nuzzle.

  As she passed by the stalls and other horses approached, she gave each one of them attention, but her restlessness didn’t fully subside. She was still antsy. Still unsettled. Her feet moved and she kept on walking. Out of that barn, into the dark and even farther, until she came upon the special building—the barn where she’d been unconsciously heading all along.

  You’re tempting fate, Audrey.

  Yet she kept taking the strides, kept digging her boot heels in and moving forward until she reached her final destination and stared into the coal-black, dangerous eyes of the stallion.

  “Hello, Trib.”

  * * *

  Beams of sunlight brightened the darkness behind her eyes and she lifted her lids. Morning dawned and a groan from deep in her belly emerged to greet the day. She’d only gotten a few hours of sleep. But as tired as she was, her nerves tingled with excitement when her first thoughts to emerge were of the stallion she’d visited last night. Trib hadn’t been such a hard case after all. In the solitude of the night, with darkness surrounding them, Audrey had made headway with the stallion. It was only slight, but it was headway she could bank on. The horse had been at loose ends. She could relate. She’d felt the same way. And in a weird sort of way, she’d bonded with Trib. He’d come halfway. They’d talked. Well, she’d talked and the horse had patiently listened. They were two lost souls, more lonely than anything else. Trib had been isolated from the animals. He didn’t like that, and although he didn’t play well with others among the horse population, how else would he learn to get along? Audrey had to work with him, privately and at night, when it was just the two of them.

  She would build his trust.

  Jewel scratched at the door. The cat was eager to start her day. She liked the ranch, had free rein to wander the grounds, annoy the penned-up animals and catch creepy-crawly bugs.

  “Okay. I’ll let you out.”

  Audrey tossed her covers off and sat up. Her head spun. Waves of dizziness hit her. Oh, no. Fainting again wasn’t an option. When it didn’t happen, she thanked her lucky stars. She’d open that drugstore bag soon, but right now, the room and her head merged onto one axis and she was grateful. She brought deep breaths into her lungs and rose. Steady on her feet now, she took cautious steps to the door to let Jewel out. “Don’t get into trouble.”

  Audrey moved slowly about the room. Just in case. When she was sure she’d remain upright, she showered and dressed. She had a full day of work ahead of her. Weekends knew no free time on a working ranch. Chores still needed doing.

  She plopped a hat on her head and hurried down the hallway. Her tummy tender, she opted to bypass the kitchen and skip breakfast this morning. She strode out the front door and headed straight for the barn. She had horses to exercise and groom and she’d promised Ward to look over the feed order, to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

  She waved at Boyd and Jimmy, two of the hands working in the corral, and bounded inside the barn. She stopped short when she saw Luke in the middle of the barn. He held a besotted Jewel in his arms and was spoiling the cat by scratching her under the chin. Jewel purred loudly. Audrey could swear the cat’s mouth curved up into a smile.

  “Mornin’,” Luke said, walking over.

  Heavens. She’d hoped to avoid him today.

  “Morning, Luke.”

  “You missed breakfast. Ellie made bacon, eggs and biscuits.”

  Her empty stomach jerked at the mention of food. The Slade housekeeper was back. She’d heard she was a great cook. And now her stomach rumbled. “I wasn’t hungry.” She’d been queasy.

  Luke glanced at her old jeans, sloppy blouse and straw hat. She’d been wearing clothes from Sunset Lodge’s gift shop but today she’d opted for ultimate comfort rather than style.

  “You don’t have to work 24/7, Audrey. You already put in your five days.”

  “I don’t consider it work. I enjoy caring for the animals.” She shrugged. “Besides, what else would I do?”

  Luke stared at her. His throat worked as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. A moment passed between them. Then he sighed. “Whatever it is women do with their spare time.”

  “I’m not like most women.”

  Luke bent to put Jewel down and when he came up, he was inches from her face. His voice dropped an octave. “I know, Audrey.”

  She held her breath. Being near Luke did things to her equilibrium and she’d already had one bout of dizziness today. “Then you know I’d rather be with them than anything else.”

  “Okay,” he said, nodding. “But I’m giving the weekend staff time off in honor of Logan and Sophia’s engagement party. Most of the hands are invited and they could use the time.”

  Darn. She’d almost forgotten about the party. She wished it was any day but today, though. She hadn’t started the day off on a chipper note.

  “I haven’t gotten daily reports from you about Trib,” he said.

  “That’s because you’ve been right there, watching me.”

  “I can’t see a darn thing from where I’m standing and you know it, Audrey Faith. And if I’m in the area and see you over there, there’s no harm in me being nearby. The horse doesn’t know I’m there.”

  Audrey wouldn’t argue the point. “He’s coming around. I see some progress. He’s lonely in there, Luke. I think he needs company.”

  “Female company?”

  Audrey blushed down to her toes. She wasn’t usually prone to turning five shades of red at the mention of sex, but with Luke’s expression of surprise as if he should’ve been the one to think of it, Audrey couldn’t keep the color from her cheeks. “It’s not his time, Luke. I meant that he’s isolated in t
here. We need to give him some freedom. He needs to be around other horses.”

  “He’ll try to lord over them. The horses here are all high-strung. They’re pretty good one-on-one and they manage to get along, but I don’t know if Trib’s ego could take it. I’m afraid of what he’d do.”

  “We have to trust him sometime.”

  Luke spoke through thinned lips. “You’re big on trust, aren’t you?”

  Jewel rubbed against her legs and Audrey bent to pick her up. She rocked her like a baby and the cat purred quietly this time. “Yes. I’m big on trust.”

  Unfortunately, Luke wasn’t. Not when it came to Trib and not when it came to her. He didn’t have much trust in himself, either. He always did the honorable thing; that was Luke. But he didn’t trust enough to free up his feelings. He wasn’t a man who would let down his guard when it mattered most. He didn’t trust his own instincts.

  “I’ll give it some thought.”

  She nodded and there wasn’t anything more to say at the moment.

  They stood facing each other in awkward silence. Audrey kept her eyes focused on him. If he wanted to turn away, he could do so, but she held firm.

  Luke’s eyes narrowed until they were only slivers of blue. His lips tightened and he huffed out on a breath, “I guess I’ll see you later on tonight. About five o’clock?”

  His enthusiasm wasn’t ego-boosting. He sounded like he was going to his own hanging. Her chin went up and she couldn’t hold her irritation back. “I’ll be ready…I guess.”

  Luke raised his brows at her retort and then walked away.

  It was clear Luke wasn’t looking forward to being her escort for the evening. Pain cut through her gut at the notion. Pangs of pride withered away as she thought about how he’d tried to get out of it, to think up another solution. But in the end, Luke had done the honorable thing. He wouldn’t let Sophia or Logan down. He would see her to the party, be polite all night and then make sure she arrived home safely.

  She could fake an excuse and not go. But then, Sophia would be disappointed that she wasn’t there. And she valued their budding friendship too much to do that.