Kate's Secret (Bluegrass Spirits Book 2)

by Kallypso Masters

  Katie tugged on his belt loop, and he nearly came in his pants.

  Have mercy!

  His fingers undid the rest of the buttons on her shirt, and he peeled it down her arms, exposing her high, firm breasts encased in a chaste white cotton bra. His breathing became shallow as he took in the sight. Never had he wanted anything—or anyone—this badly.

  Reaching behind her, he unclasped the hooks and pushed the cups away from her peaks only to replace them with his hands. She filled them nicely. Nothing wasted.

  “Daddy’s going to k—”

  Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head back and covered her lips with his, not wanting to hear another word about her domineering father. The man hadn’t thought much of Travis when she’d brought him out here for a first visit last month. Made Travis feel like manure under the old man’s boot, in fact.

  But, dammit, he and Katie loved each other, whether her father liked it or not. They were both twenty and didn’t need anyone’s permission to be together. If only she didn’t kowtow to the man so much. She needed to stand on her own two…

  Hell, he needed to quit thinking about Old Man Michaels. With his sweet, sexy Katie here with him on this hot spring night and a raging hard-on that had tormented him off and on since he’d met her, he had more important things to concentrate on.

  Travis lowered Katie onto the old quilt they’d borrowed from the barn. He hoped it would cushion her from the smooth but hard limestone.

  Sometime later, drunk on love this time, he stretched out beside her and stared up at the stars. He hated that he’d hurt her this first time, but hearing her scream his name as she’d exploded for him seconds before he’d come was just about the sweetest sound in the world.

  “So beautiful,” he said.

  “I love how many stars you can see in the sky out here. Not like when we’re on campus in the city. I hate being cooped up there.”

  “I’m not talking about the stars.” He leaned on his elbow and traced a finger from the side of her forehead, down her cheek, around the curve of her jaw, and lightly over her lips. She smiled and kissed his fingertip.

  “That was amazing,” she said, but then her smile faded. At least he hoped there’d be a next time—and soon. He bent to kiss her. When he pulled away again, he whispered, “You surprised the hell out of me.”

  Katie’s brows wrinkled. “You don’t think I’ll get preg—”

  He shut off the thought by pressing his finger firmly over her lips. “It’s our first time and we only did it once. I can’t believe the condom broke.” That had never happened before. Had he accidentally torn it in his haste to rip open the pouch with his teeth? “Don’t worry. I’ll get some new ones tomorrow.”

  She grew silent.

  He curled a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ll be fine, Katie, but if you do get pregnant, you know I’ll marry you.”

  “We already talked about waiting until we get our degrees and you establish yourself in your field first.”

  He grinned. “I like being established in your field.”

  She rolled her eyes and grinned. “You’re so corny.”

  At least he’d stopped her worrying about the possibility of getting pregnant tonight. They had already discussed how it was best to wait and have children later, once their careers were solid and they could afford them. Not that he really thought in a million years she’d come out of tonight with a baby. Some people had no success even when all the calculations were right and the stars aligned.

  She glanced away. “I’m going to have an uphill battle getting Daddy to like you. He isn’t happy with anyone I date.”

  “He’ll have to let go of you one of these days. It’s not like you’re going to abandon him or the farm. You love this place too much to leave it completely. I know and respect that.”

  She smiled, her body relaxing. “He’d love the offer you made to improve the outbuildings, if only he’d be open to making a few changes. Perhaps the place could turn a profit someday if we spruced things up some.”

  “And I built you an indoor arena to do everything you want to do,” he reminded her.

  She sighed then smiled. “Horses are expensive, so finding ways to offer services like riding lessons make sense.”

  “You’re a natural instructor. No one can sit a horse as well as you, either.”

  Even in the moonlight, the blush in her cheeks was visible. She didn’t have enough confidence in her abilities.

  “I love to teach, especially kids. Who knows? Maybe that will be my calling, although I’ll still need to do all the other things around here. Daddy isn’t getting any younger, and his heart’s not as strong as it once was.”

  Travis would never get her to leave this place so his best bet was to win over the old man.

  Easier said than done.

  * * *

  Angus snorted, tossing his head, and Travis blinked back to the present hot summer evening, shifting in the saddle to hide his hard-on. Katie seemed to be lost in thought, too, and still stared at the springhouse. More so at the entrance steps, where they’d made love with the wild abandon of youth. Not that he wouldn’t like to have another go on those steps. Damn, they’d been lucky she hadn’t wound up pregnant that first time This time, though, he wasn’t carrying protection. What would Dad say if he found out all those lessons during Travis’s teens about being responsible had been wasted? Not that he’d wanted to be with a woman in a long time.

  But he could control himself; he was a grown-ass man. And it wasn’t as if she was sending out vibes inviting him to do anything with her anyway. Quite the opposite, actually.

  Travis dismounted and tied the reins to an iron ring on the door before turning as Katie tightened her grip on Neptune’s mane and swung her leg over the rump of the horse. Her legs and ass encased in tight denim were as sexy as all get out. Sweet!

  She’d barely set foot on the ground before saying, “We should head back. I’m sure the horses in the barn are getting hungry.”

  “Aw, come on, Katie. Let’s stay a bit. For old time’s sake.”

  Her gaze darted toward the steps again, her cheeks growing pinker, before she reached for Neptune’s reins and tied them on the same ring. She looked up at Travis, meeting his gaze momentarily. A spark of something hot flashed across her eyes. Or was it just wishful thinking?

  “Katie, I…” The time for talking was over. He placed one hand on her back and tipped her chin back with his other.

  “Travis, I don’t think this is a good—”

  He’d wanted to kiss her from the moment he’d seen her at the hospital. To touch her and be touched by her. Cutting off her words, his mouth crushed her lips before he eased off and tried to use a little finesse. All the years apart faded away, and it was as if they were both up here that first time again. She moaned, and he cupped her head before reining in his passion slightly. Didn’t want to scare her off, but he didn’t want to stop, either. He nibbled at her lower lip until she opened for him, and his tongue darted in and out playfully seeking…something. Perhaps the part of him that had been missing for thirteen years.

  Katie coiled her arms around his neck—whether to keep from falling or prolong the kiss, he wasn’t sure—but it certainly wasn’t the response of someone wanting to put an end to this kiss. He spread his legs before wrapping his arms around her waist to lift her short frame slightly and pull her against the length of his body as he deepened the kiss.

  “Oh, Travis,” she whispered against his mouth, still holding on rather than pushing him away.

  Her tongue met his at last, wrestling a bit before she made circular motions in his mouth. He sucked her tongue deeper, and she gasped. But he captured her sigh in his mouth. Her fingers ran through his hair. Katie moaned again, lighting a fire within him he needed to extinguish.

  Sweet Mother of God, I’ve missed you, Katie.

  Suddenly, her body stiffened. Sensing this moment might be coming to an end, he trailed kisses along her j
aw and down her neck hoping to prolong the pleasure. Her hand stroked his cheek at first then lowered to his shoulder, but as quickly as she’d melted into his kiss, she pushed him away.

  Both of them spent a few moments catching their breath without making eye contact.

  “You still make me crazy, Katie.”

  She waved away his words. “Let’s head back to the house.”

  How could she just shut down her emotions like that?

  She released the reins of both horses, handing him his, and was mounted and riding away before he’d even gotten back into his saddle. Angus danced around a moment at the indignity of being ridden again, but Travis controlled him more easily this time and took off after Katie, watching her hair lift and fall as she hightailed it back to the barn.

  You can try to run, Katie, but I’m not letting you go as easily this time.

  If she had a good reason not to explore something with him again, then she’d better spell it out. But she’d kissed him back just now. Yeah, she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Whatever had happened all those years ago couldn’t be undone.

  But he’d come back here for answers, and he damned well intended to get them.

  Chapter Seven

  Kate rode Neptune hard and fast back to the barn, as if putting some distance between herself and Travis would erase the way her traitorous body had wanted to ride him fast and hard as well when he’d kissed her moments ago.

  The blood still rushed through her body from the adrenaline of the gallop—okay, that kiss was probably responsible for most of the rush. Her lips tingled as though his were still crushed against them. Their tongues had entangled as their bodies pressed against one another. And she’d wanted more.

  At the barn, Kate pulled up on the reins and gripped Neptune’s mane as she dismounted.

  How am I going to convince him I want nothing to do with him when my body responds that way?

  The pounding of Angus’s hooves against the hard, dry ground told her she’d better get her emotions in check immediately. No way could she explain away her reaction to his potent kiss, so she’d simply ignore it.

  He’d taken her by surprise. She’d been lost in the memories of her first time with him there on the steps of the springhouse. No doubt, he’d been caught up in the same flashback. The visceral memory of his body heavy on hers all those years ago as they’d given in to many months of frustration, of depriving themselves of the pleasure and fulfillment only sex could give. Why had they waited so long back then? Well, she—not they. Travis had been wanting to deepen their relationship a lot sooner than she had.

  So if sex was so great, why hadn’t she found anyone else she wanted to be with in that way since? Someone who was worth taking a little time away from the farm?

  Because you use Travis as your measuring stick, and everyone else falls short.

  Kate could excuse her body’s response to him back then as being young and inexperienced, but she was thirty-three now. Okay, still relatively inexperienced when it came to sex, but her practical, prudent mind had no justification for deserting her this evening in almost the same way it had back then. At least she did have the wherewithal to stop him tonight with only a kiss. But oh, how her body now ached for more!

  How had they gone from a pleasure ride to coming close to riding each other in such a short time? Her attraction to him had been intense from the moment Travis had entered her cubicle in the emergency department at the hospital yesterday, but that didn’t mean she had to act upon those renegade emotions. She knew perfectly well how to relieve sexual tension on her own, but frankly, that didn’t appeal to her tonight.

  I want Travis.

  She loosened Neptune’s girth and removed his saddle, walking the horse to cool him down by the time Travis rode up. If only it were as easy for her to expel the excess heat from her body.

  “Tell me you didn’t feel what I felt,” Travis demanded as he dismounted nearby.

  Kate stumbled, holding onto the reins to keep herself from taking a tumble. “How would I know what you’re feeling, Travis?”

  “Oh, I think you know exactly what we both just experienced at the springhouse.” Travis loosened the cinch on Angus’s saddle and fell into step behind her. No doubt he was looking at her ass.

  She kept placing one foot in front of the other without further mishap, intent on getting into the barn without answering his question. “The horses need to cool down.” And so do I!

  But nothing was going to ease the ache Kate felt to her core short of making love with Travis—and that was out of the question. She had her daughter to think about this time.

  After about ten minutes of walking their horses, Kate led Neptune into his stall and removed his tack to continue the cool-down process with a rubdown while Travis took Angus to the box stall near the tack room. She listened as Travis carried on a conversation with Angus as though speaking with another person. They seemed to have hit it off.

  Why not? The man was definitely likable. Other than Travis’s cockiness and a tendency to be impulsive, she could find no faults in him. She picked up a currycomb and went to work on Neptune. The methodical rubbing motions soon had her lost in thoughts of what to do about Travis. And Chelsea.

  What a mess she’d made of all three of their lives.

  She hadn’t been fair or honest with either Chelsea or Travis, and the truth was going to come back to bite her in the ass—sooner than later. What would Travis say or do when he found out about Chelsea? How would Chelsea react to finding out who her father was? Would Travis want to be a part of Chelsea’s life?

  Undoubtedly. He was as responsible as the day was long, always wanting to protect and look after those he loved. On the other hand, what if for some unimaginable reason he chose not to remain a part of Chelsea’s life after meeting her?

  I don’t want her to go through life feeling rejected by a parent the way I was.

  The old tape ran through her head even though she’d found no basis in reality for the thought. Still, what if she’d misjudged him? She’d been all wrong about what Travis wanted in terms of a career and where he wanted to live. She’d dated him for months and hadn’t understood him at such a basic level. And now after a day, did she think she knew him any better? Until she could be one-hundred percent sure that Travis would be a stable presence in her daughter’s life, she needed to wait.

  And there was still the very real possibility she could lose Chelsea in a custody battle. What if Chelsea turned on her and decided she wanted to live with Travis because Kate had lied to her all this time?

  “Want me to put Angus back in the pasture, now that the fence is fixed?”

  Kate jumped at Travis’s intrusion into her thoughts about him, but nodded. “I’m sure he’d be in heaven. He’s missed being able to run around with free rein.”

  “I’ve missed riding. Haven’t been since I took my buddy’s kids up to Jackson’s place when their mom remarried last year.”

  “Jackson?”

  “My foreman. The one who lives near Franklin, Kentucky.”

  “Oh yeah.” Travis had an entirely new life in Tennessee.

  “Megan’s kids loved riding there, but she wound up marrying a man who has a couple horses and a small farm south of Nashville, so they’re overjoyed.”

  “I’m glad she found someone to be with and to help raise her kids, but it sounds like you were a substitute dad to them for a while.” Would he have picked up parenting skills that would help with Chelsea?

  “Hardly that. More like an adopted uncle. Megan’s done an amazing job raising them on her own, but it’s good she has someone again. Craig can rest in peace now.”

  What did she say to that? Fortunately, Travis had been there to come to the rescue.

  “I’m a bit thirsty after that ride. Mind if I come in for another glass of your sweet tea, Katie?”

  She couldn’t think of a way to say no that wouldn’t appear the height of rudeness. “Not at all.” They headed into the house
, and Travis took a seat in the kitchen while she poured his tea and her lemon water.

  They sat at the table and drank in silence a moment, until the solitude shattered when Travis asked, “Why are you so reluctant to admit we still have chemistry?”

  She nearly choked on her water. Staring at him while trying to find a reason that made sense, she said, “Because nothing could come of it other than a one-night stand, and I’m not interested in that.”

  “Says who? I mean, about nothing coming of it.”

  “You live three or four hours away.”

  “Four, but what difference does that make?”

  “Might as well be four days. You have responsibilities there, and I’m never going to give up my farm. I don’t think a long-distance relationship would suit either of us.”

  Not that she hadn’t gone all these years without any relationship whatsoever. But she wasn’t going to get involved with Travis. She couldn’t.

  “You’d be surprised what someone would do out of love for another.”

  Please don’t talk about love.

  Both had sacrificed a lot from the decision she’d made in college. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Let’s not complicate things by trying to rekindle what we had before.”

  Travis sighed and stood, carrying his glass to the sink. “Need me for anything else tonight?”

  Did she ever! But she had Chelsea to worry about. Becoming intimate with Travis again would only make their parting in a few days that much harder. She already had enough memories of him to haunt her for the rest of her life, not to mention any new ones.

  But what if he didn’t leave? One minute she wanted to tell him about his daughter, and the next she wanted to send him away again before Chelsea came home.

  She’d sleep on it again before doing something she might regret. “No. I’m fine. Good night, Travis.”

  “Nite, Katie.”

  She watched him walk out of the kitchen and then across the drive to the barn. Maybe a good workout would relieve some of this tension. Kate dressed in her sports bra and leggings before heading to the garage where she’d set up a gym to help stay fit on days when the extreme temperatures in summer and winter kept her from exercising.