At Long Last; Book 4 of the Long Ranch Series

by Michel Prince

  “Right.” Ashleigh shook her head with a laugh and tried to lift Gideon’s head. Instead of scooting out, she was locked against the wall as the horse’s head pressed hard against her belly. “Okay, maybe you were telling the truth.”

  Unlatching the lock, Miles came into the stall and helped lift Gideon’s head as she scooted out from under him.

  The horse’s eyes tried to open, but he was too exhausted to fight with more than a snort of complaint.

  “You hungry? The lasagna’s probably cold now, but it wouldn’t take but a moment to heat it up.”

  Her stomach answered for her and she covered her belly in embarrassment.

  “Well, then can I escort you back to the house?”

  “Now you ask permission?” she smiled as he picked some straw out of her golden hair. “How?” She stared at some in her hand. “I didn’t lay on the ground.”

  “This stuff gets everywhere. The whole roll in the hay scenario plays out in a very uncomfortable and annoying way.”

  “I suppose you’ve had more than one girl in a stall then.”

  “It only takes one to know it’s not worth the bug bites and straw scratches, but that’s never really been my way.”

  “What is your way? Randomly kiss a girl on the street and see where it leads?”

  “Nope.” His fingers ran through her hair as he cradled her face in his hands.

  Heat rose from her core as he stepped closer.

  “I like taking my time, getting to know a girl.” His thumb stroked along her cheek. “Something about exploring every inch of her body helps me find direction.”

  Swallowing hard, she looked up into his eyes and felt her knees weaken. “I didn’t think men followed directions.”

  “I’m not most men.” He bent down and brushed his lips against her cheek until he found her ear. “I know how to read a woman’s body. Want me to tell you what yours is saying?”

  Ashleigh’s breath halted and she felt her nipples burning against her bra. Hard peaks had her body easy to read. A blind man could see she was a second from bursting. Now she wanted to beg Miles to kiss her. To touch every part of her and make her come alive. Her hands were already grasping his shirt and bunching it tight.

  As his lips caressed her neck, they traveled to the notch where her neck reached the collar bone. “You are saying so much to me,” he whispered and turned her, so she was flush against the wall. “Not one bit of it says to go away.” With a lick to enflamed skin, her knees buckled and he placed his leg between hers to keep her upright.

  “Miles,” she purred knowing this had to stop even if her body was begging her not to let go, release, be with someone. “I need to head home. It’s getting late.”

  “Sierra fell asleep on the couch.” Pulling back just enough, so he could place his forehead on hers.

  “She did?” Ashleigh swallowed hard and got lost once again in his eyes.

  “Yep.” His fingers drifted down her shoulders and softly slid the straps of her top down her arms. It was then she finally took in the darkness inside the small stall. “I thought rolling in the hay was overrated?”

  “Damn woman, I just wanted to play a little, but if it’s going to be like that, I’m sure I could find us an appropriate place.”

  “I wasn’t sayin’—Miles you know what—there’s just…”

  His lips captured hers and she pulled his body tighter to hers as she felt the hard bulge in his jeans. A moan escaped as the ache returned. When his tongue stroked hers, she could feel the wetness pooling.

  “You know what your problem is Ashleigh?” Miles asked as he broke their kiss and she tried to open her eyes as her lips kept searching for his. “You think too much.”

  “Guess that’s never been a problem for you, huh?”

  “Mine is always wanting to escape to someplace else.”

  “I’m going to advise you as the prosecutor’s assistant in the case against you, to not do that.”

  “That’s not the way I like to escape,” he admitted. “I get lost in stories. Reading takes me away.”

  “So you’re the one who has been reading those freaky tie ‘em up novels.”

  “Not quite. But I will tell you I’ve never been this turned on by a woman before. I want to jump out of my skin when I’m around you. Every inch of me wants to be next to you.”

  “It’s probably the lack of other options and fear of incarceration.”

  “Probably,” he replied with a tilt of his head as he brought one of the straps of her camisole back up and gently laid it on her shoulder. “The other option would be too bleak to even bring up.”

  “What other option is that?”

  “I’m a romantic with a degree in English Literature. I believe in soul mates, happily ever afters and worse yet, instant connections. The moment I saw you in the police station, something inside me shifted.”

  Ashleigh’s heart raced as his fingers held either side of her camisole strap, gliding up and down the thin strip of fabric. The back of his finger felt soft against her skin and sent sizzles of heat that made her breasts tingle.

  His eyes went from observing the action back to hers. “Tell me something Ash, any chance you believe in those things? Even if it’s just a little bit?”

  * * * *

  Of all the Longs, Miles was known for having the most self control. That being said he had thrown it all out the window when it came to Ashleigh Wood. He wanted her in a way he didn’t feel capable. Shutting out that part of his life, the connection, the draw for too many years had made it all rush to the surface. He couldn’t really want her this bad, could he? The physical attraction was a no brainer when it came to the hips and curves she had, but the rest…

  “Hey Miles, you find her?” Monty called.

  Miles stepped away from Ashleigh as he poked his head out of the stall.

  “Old snuggly got her,” he explained not wanting his brother to see the hard-on that had to be the cause of his misconstrued thinking around Ashleigh.

  “Gideon is a trip. Well, is she staying or not?”

  Bringing his head back inside the stall, he looked at her. “So are you?”

  “If it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”

  “We always have room.” He leaned down and captured her lips for a sweet second before popping his head back out to his brother. “Yep, we’re coming inside, so she can get some food.”

  “Alright,” Monty said and as he turned to leave, he called back, “Just remember straw scratches on your ass cheeks hurt somethin’ fierce.”

  Ashleigh dropped her head to Miles’ chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “We better head inside,” Miles urged. “That way, you can get your bed made up and stuff.”

  “My bed?” she questioned then started to regain her composure as she lifted the other strap of her camisole and placed it back on her shoulder where it belonged. “Soul mates or not, on Monday morning, I’ll be back to putting you away for life.”

  “You sure you want to do that? I’m kinda fun to have around.”

  “I’m not the type of girl that gets to have fun.”

  Miles pulled her into his arms, so he could feel the heat of her body pressed against his. With the pads of his fingers, he traced the center of her back. “Maybe before you head out in the morning, we can change that. Even if it’s just for an hour or so.”

  “Miles, I’ve got a schedule, a way of doing things that may seem like it can be disrupted, but it can’t.”

  Bringing his hand around to hers, he intertwined their fingers and they walked toward the house. He had no delusions she felt attracted to him. Every part of her body told him that. Her fight was internal with the responsibilities she’d been tasked with as a child. Those he could understand. The duties of those born first were no stranger to him. Although, he never had a sibling with a disability, he could understand the pull of duty. “You ever hold resentment for your sister?”

  “No, why should I?” she resp
onded with her head turned away from him.

  “Not even once?”

  “Well, I’m sure once in a while I was upset, but no, she’s my sister and I’ve known from the moment she came home…she was mine, not my parents. She was crying when she came through the door and my mother just sat the carrier down by the couch. She didn’t take her out or try to soothe her. She didn’t pose me for pictures with Sierra…she dumped her. My father had dropped her off because he wanted to get some headache medicine. I started rocking the carrier and singing to my sister and she calmed.”

  “You sing?”

  “No, but it’s better than being ignored. Sierra just wanted someone to talk to her. My parents didn’t even name her. I did.”

  “That’s rough.” They had made it to the back door of the house and walked into the kitchen.

  “Looking back, she had postpartum depression, but that didn’t excuse my father. They were a bit flighty to begin with. I’m surprised I even got vaccinated or registered for school.” She watched as he served her up a piece of lasagna and she looked in on her sister sleeping on the couch. “She’s exhausted, that ride on Gideon, then seeing the other horse.”

  “Trixie,” Miles said.

  “Yeah her, I know I can take her to more than three places, but this is the first one where she hasn’t completely freaked out at some point.”

  “There’s something about this ranch. Even with a few hundred heads of cattle roaming, it’s never been a place where we had much commotion.”

  “Miles I would like to…” She turned her head to the side and pulled out a chair to sit on right as the microwave dinged. “…I’m a package deal for any man and with you being up on charges even if you accepted that, I couldn’t be with you.”

  “Then quit,” he suggested as if he were going to marry her and take care of her and her sister for the rest of their lives.

  “I’m sorry?” She blanched before stabbing her lasagna with a fork.

  “Quit, Harp has another job for you, one that can’t conflict with you and me dating or more.”

  “I should quit my job, where I have seniority and a place to date you.” She shook her head at him. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I barely know you!”

  “And all I know about you is I want you in my arms—”

  “And bed,” she snipped.

  “That would be nice, but being in a man’s arms doesn’t necessarily mean sex. It means walking down the street, having dinner together, holding you during a scary movie.” Miles sat next to her at the table. “In bed would be nice, but I would love to get to know you. If nothing else, you’re neurotic enough to keep me on my toes and make my life fun.”

  “I’d fight you on that, but well, we both know that would be moot.” Ashleigh finished her dinner as they shifted the conversation. “So, did you get all the family business settled?”

  “Not even close, but at least we have one thing we know we won’t do.”

  “That’s something then.” She tucked a few loose strands behind her ear.

  Miles stilled as he marveled at her beauty.

  “Harper said something about you going ecofriendly or something.”

  “With the cattle gone, we have a lot of open acres with no purpose. Not really the way we roll as a family. Since the water may still be toxic to animals and most of the grazing land, we’re trying to make something positive out of a negative.” Miles tried to not get lost in Ashleigh’s moss green eyes. “Open space, no trees in New Mexico. We can’t guarantee the wind, but sun, that’s a whole other thing. If nothing else, we’ve been wasting it all these years. If we put the tiles in the right spot, we can still fence it off for when we get cattle again.”

  “How long before you can do that?”

  “Not sure yet. It’s been over a year since the initial spill, but the cleanup has only been going on for about six months. Federated didn’t even try to sneak the chemicals in to flush the system and it’s not like we can just dam up the water coming from the mountains, drain the aquifer, scrub it out and start again.”

  “No matter what happens, it’ll be years before we start making a profit again.”

  “What will you do in the mean time?”

  “Outside jobs maybe? We all have the qualifications. Monty was looking into investments, but I don’t see anyone approving that.”

  “He’s not good at investing?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea. We aren’t the type to put five on a horse and let it ride. We’re the ones on the back of the horse, making sure it’s crossing the finish line first.”

  “This trial must be really hard on you,” Ashleigh reasoned. “I know you all went to Mexico to get Julio Vasquez yourself. Leaving it up to Harper to convict him must have been hard on you.”

  “By then, no, she was one of us practically.”

  “But not officially.”

  “Not by a long shot, but Monty wanted her and bad. She’d been one of us since that first night on the beach. Not that he would admit it. He plays off what happened, but between you, me and the wall, she had him sprung from the moment they met.”

  “That a Long family trait?” she mused.

  “Probably.”

  “So, I’m the first girl that you’ve been sprung on, huh?”

  “You’re the first woman in a long time that made me rethink my choices in life.” Miles turned away for a moment. “Why weren’t you in the courtroom with Harper for Julio’s trial?”

  “Sierra had an echo that day. I helped her prep. Got all the documents together and Harper’s not the type of lawyer that needs help when the spotlight’s on.”

  “You’re a rancher too then,” he teased and tucked the hair behind her ear again after it had fallen. “You feed, water and exercise your lawyers before sending them out for the slaughter.”

  “That’s a twisted way to look at my job,” she said with a yawn. Covering her mouth, she shook her head again. “Excuse me, where’s my bed?”

  “Upstairs, second door on the left.”

  “It’s not your room is it?”

  “Mine’s down the road a piece. This is Walt’s home.”

  “Where’s Harper?”

  “At mine too. It’s okay, right now this is the best place for you. You’ll be sleeping in Sunny’s room actually. He’s headed out to the cabin for the night since my parents won’t let him sleep in the same bed as my sister. Fiancé or not.”

  “Harper lives with you, doesn’t she?”

  “Since they got married yes, before that, nope. She’ll be staying there until their house is done. Same with Melody. What can I say our family tends to stick to the same house until we’re grown and ready to have our own family. Difference is, MeMaw’s hitting eighty, unlike previous generations where we passed much earlier in life. Mix that with too many damn kids and well, we’re just figuring out all our land. Maybe Harper will take you to see her new house.”

  “How can you afford all that?’

  “We ride the horse ourselves remember? Owing people isn’t really what we like to do, so we’re all pitching in. Idol hands and all…it’s better for us overall.”

  “But with a ranch that won’t be making money for a few years at least, how are you going to survive?”

  “Family pulls together. You know all about that right?”

  Ashleigh glanced into the living room. The light from the kitchen fell on Sierra’s toes, so it wasn’t at a point where it could wake her. Looking down at her plate, Ashleigh let out a long sigh. “Sacrifices.”

  “How much are you willing to?”

  “Sacrifice?” she asked and once again, her gaze drifted to the living room. “Any and everything.”

  “Just don’t give up something before you know it’s an obstacle.”

  * * * *

  Ashleigh woke the next morning, wishing she’d had just gone home. Maybe she could get Sierra out of the house and on the road before Miles found his way to his cousin’s home. The Longs were
a family in turmoil and yet, they didn’t run from it, if anything they were coming closer together. Building homes and looking to the future. They didn’t see the devastation of their land and livelihood as anything more than something they needed to grow from.

  As she found her way back downstairs, she took in the pictures along the staircase. At the top of the stairs were the more recent ones. Wedding photos where Nessa was the flower girl for the only Long, no longer living in New Mexico. Although, the wedding was still at the Long Ranch. A beautiful sunset, like the one from last night, painted the backdrop of the dark haired and lightly tanned bride as she stood facing the caramel skinned groom. Ashleigh still believed JT Long must be a good guy, even with him wearing a black hat like the rest of the cowboys lined up as groomsmen. Sunny was the best man, with Walt, Clayton, Monty and Miles in tow.

  With each step down, she saw the progression of the family. Even though this was Walt’s house, he had pictures, both candid and posed, of his brothers JT and Clayton from grade school to the present with the women they loved. His wedding and family pictures dotted the wall and she saw when Miles had been a groomsmen, probably over a decade ago. He still looked the same, maybe he’d weathered a bit from work and time, but the handsome face that assaulted her dreams last night was again, not quite smiling back at her.

  “Hey sleepy head,” she said as she finally stepped away from the family gallery and found her sister eating homemade biscuits, eggs and bacon in the kitchen.

  “I’m not a sleepy head. I woke up early. This is a ranch, you need to get up early to tend to the animals.”

  “That’s why you crashed on the couch because of all the hard work you did?”

  The backdoor opened and Melody Long came in. Ashleigh had met with her a few times during trial prep for Julio Vasquez. Stronger than most people she’d met over the years, somehow Melody had an air about her that said there wasn’t a vulnerable bone in her body. With her razor cut short hair that reminded Ashleigh of Halle Berry from a decade ago, she wished she could pull off that look. No muss, no fuss, just get up and go without even so much as a brush through her hair. Melody had striking facial features that pulled the look together perfectly.