They rode on, chatting about the terrain and the animals. There was so much he wanted to tell her, about coming up here during the summers and for school vacations. How he and Emma would go out exploring, even though his sister had always been more of a city girl.
Someday, he thought. Soon he would be able to tell her everything. Just a couple more weeks. The financial files were with the forensic accountant and he’d promised to have a report back to Brandon no later than the Wednesday before the gala. It was almost over.
The trail opened up into a grassy valley, bisected by Black Paw River.
He heard Paige gasp, and turned to see her gazing around in wonder.
“We’re here,” he said.
“It’s gorgeous! And there’s a waterfall!”
This used to be one of his favorite places as a kid. He couldn’t count how many times he’d ridden up here when he was younger.
He dismounted near a patch of scrubby old pines then helped Paige down. She stretched and grimaced a little.
“Sore behind?”
“It is a little tender.”
“You get used to it.” He tied the horses to branches where they could graze, then unhitched the blanket and basket from his saddle while Paige walked to the riverbed.
“Can you swim in it?” she asked, as he spread the blanket out several feet from the water.
“Only if you want to freeze your tail off. That water is cold. But there’s a hot spring about a quarter mile up from here. We’d have to walk to it, though.”
“I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
He wouldn’t have let her wear it if she had.
“So, what now?” she asked, sitting on the blanket.
He settled in beside her. “Whatever you want.”
Today they had no schedule, no agenda, no pressing deadlines to worry about. Today was all about doing whatever they wanted, even if that meant doing nothing at all.
Thirteen
Paige laid back on the blanket, the sun on her face, her belly full with the thick roast beef sandwiches and creamy potato salad they had eaten for lunch, listening to the gentle rush of the river at her side. So far, this had been a perfect day. She could see why Brandon loved it here, why he would never leave. She wouldn’t, either.
She tried to imagine what it would be like if Brandon didn’t just work the ranch, but owned it. If they were married and she lived here. As much as she loved her career, would she give it up for this?
It was a silly notion. Because not only did Brandon not own it, he would never ask her to come live here with him. He didn’t want a commitment.
But what if he did? What if he changed his mind and he asked her to move here? Would she consider leaving everything to be with him? The realization that her answer wasn’t an immediate “absolutely not,” was a bit shocking.
It would mean giving up her security and relying on someone other than herself to take care of her. She couldn’t imagine ever doing that. Not with someone in a career as unstable as Brandon’s. She’d been doing research on the internet about ranching, and foremen’s duties and what they made per year. If Brandon’s boss paid him the average for this region, including room and board, he wouldn’t be making much. Though she hated that it mattered to her, it did.
“Hey, you falling asleep on me?” Brandon asked from beside her.
She opened her eyes. He was on his stomach, propped up on his elbows. She shook her head. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“How this has been the perfect day.”
“It’s not over yet.” He rolled onto his side, scooting close.
She reached up and cupped the side of his face, felt the familiar softness of his beard against her palm, and couldn’t help wondering what he would look like without it. “Right now, I feel too relaxed to move.”
“That’s okay,” he said, toying with the top button on her shirt. “All you have to do is lie there while I make you feel good.”
“Here?”
“Why not?” He popped open the top button, then the next. “We’re all alone.”
“There’s no chance anyone will come up here?”
He shook his head. “No reason to.”
Well, if he was sure…
He unfastened the rest of the buttons and eased the sides apart, then he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to the swell of her breast, just above the cup of her bra. It felt so good, she decided to take him at his word.
“And if it makes you more comfortable,” he said, reaching down to unfasten her jeans, slipping his hand inside, “We can leave most of our clothes on.”
In theory it was a great idea, right up until the minute she realized that she wouldn’t be satisfied until he was inside her, and that just wasn’t going to be possible with their clothes on. And by then, as they undressed each other, she was too turned on to care who might be around. A week with the man and suddenly she was a budding exhibitionist.
After they made love they covered up with the blanket and cuddled for a bit, but it started to get too warm in the sun. Brandon suggested they head back to the ranch, freshen up, then go into Wild Ridge for dinner.
Though her behind was a little sore, the ride back was actually easier. When they reached the valley and the ranch came into view, Lucifer stomped the ground and tossed his head, which would have scared the hell out of her if she were the one on his back.
“He wants to run,” Brandon explained, pulling back on the reins. “He gets restless.”
“You can go if you want.”
“You sure? Buttercup will take you right back to the stable.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
He turned Lucifer in the opposite direction of the ranch, barely tapped his boot heels against the horse’s sides and made a clicking noise, and Lucifer shot off like a rocket.
Paige watched in awe as they bolted across the grassy expanse, so in tune with one another it was hard to tell where the animal ended and he began. Clearly, Brandon was born to ride a horse.
Though it would never make him financially successful, there was no doubt he belonged here on the ranch. It was in his blood.
When he was too far to see clearly she tapped the horse’s belly with her heels, the way Brandon taught her, and Buttercup ambled back in the direction of the ranch. Paige was by no stretch of the imagination a natural on a horse, but she had enjoyed the ride and was beginning to feel more confident. She was a little sad that she would probably never ride one again.
She’d just made it to the stable when Brandon galloped up beside her, a little windblown, but looking happy. He dismounted, then helped her down.
“Go on in the house and get cleaned up. I’m going to give Lucifer a quick rubdown. I’ll be up in a bit.”
Paige was a little sweaty from the ride back, so she decided to take a quick shower, then Brandon came in the bathroom and got in with her, and gave her a rubdown, too.
When they were dressed, they climbed into the truck and drove to Wild Ridge. Brandon explained that it used to be a mining town in the 1800s, and was now a thriving tourist spot. Paige could see, as they pulled down the main strip, that it had retained its old-West charm. The town was rustic, but well-maintained with a slew of shops and attractions to appeal to the tourists.
Brandon took her to a brewery where the hostess knew him by name, and though there were other people waiting, she seated Brandon and Paige immediately. The benefits of being a local, she assumed. They drank beer, ate burgers and Brandon even managed to coax her out onto the dance floor a few times.
It seemed as though every time she thought she and Brandon couldn’t have more fun, he somehow managed to show her an even better time. Or maybe it was just that being with him made her very happy. She’d never known anyone like him. Though she hated the overused term, for lack of a better description, he was “real.” What you saw was what you got. No illusions, no pretenses. Just a sweet, charming, good man.
She had planned to nab the che
ck so Brandon wouldn’t have to pay again, but as usual he beat her to it. When she put up a fuss he said, “My turf, my responsibility.”
There was always some excuse why he should be the one to pay. But one of these days she would take him out.
They didn’t get back to the ranch until after midnight. She was just a little tipsy from the beer, and must have been exhausted from the busy day. She crawled into bed to wait for Brandon while he used the bathroom, and when she opened her eyes again, it was morning.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Brandon was standing by the armoire getting dressed. His hair was wet and a damp towel hung over the footboard. “What time is it?”
“A little after eight-thirty. You sure went out like a light last night. I left the room for two minutes and when I came back you were out cold.”
She yawned and stretched. “You should have woken me.”
He shrugged and pulled a T-shirt over his head. “I think we both needed a good night’s rest.”
“But it was my last night here.”
He walked around the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress beside her. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be.”
She wished that were possible. “You know I need to get back and work.”
“I don’t mean now.” He reached up to touch her cheek, tucked her hair behind her ear. “Maybe you could come back after the gala.”
Her breath caught. “You would want me to? I mean, I thought we agreed that after the gala we would be done.”
“Is that what you want?”
No. Not at all. And though part of her wanted to jump at the opportunity to keep seeing him, she knew from experience that long-distance relationships had a way of not working out. Besides, she and Brandon had no future. Their lives were too different.
But was she really ready to make that decision? Couldn’t they just take more of a wait-and-see stance?
“Let’s not make any definite plans,” she said. “Let’s just…see how things go.”
He shrugged. “Fair enough.”
She would have expected him to be at least a little disappointed. Instead, it seemed as though it didn’t really matter either way to him. Maybe he had only asked because he thought it was what she wanted, and he could take her or leave her.
He grabbed his socks from the foot of the bed. He pulled them on, followed by his boots. Then he looked at her and his brow lowered. “Hey, you okay?”
She must have looked as conflicted as she felt. She forced a smile and nodded. “Still half-asleep, I guess.”
“Well, get up. We have to get on the road.” He gave her a quick, minty kiss then rose to his feet. “We’ve been so busy, I haven’t had the chance to show you around the stables. You want to take a quick tour before we head out?”
“I’d like that.”
“Why don’t you get ready to go, then meet me outside?”
“I won’t be long.”
He left and she climbed out of bed. She cleaned up and got dressed, then packed her things back into her case. She wished she could stay longer, but it was probably better that she didn’t. It could be too easy to get caught up in the fantasy. She had to get back to her real life, to what was really important. She carried her bag down to the great room and set it by the door, then went to the kitchen so she could say goodbye to Ellie and thank her for her hospitality, but she wasn’t around.
She headed outside. Yesterday when they left for their ride, the stables had been bustling with activity. Maybe it was because it was early, or a Sunday, but no one was around. She found Brandon in the larger stable, in what she assumed was the business office. He sat at the desk, in front of the computer, staring intently at whatever was on the screen while typing at an impressive pace for someone who had just learned how to read.
“You’re fast,” she said.
Brandon jolted at the sound of her voice. “You startled me. I didn’t hear you come in.”
He hit a few more keys, clicked the mouse, then switched the monitor off.
“How did you learn to type like that?”
He rose from the chair. “A computer program at the library. I practice in my free time.”
He seemed nervous. Flustered. Maybe it was better that she didn’t mention his reading skills, since it obviously made him uncomfortable.
“Have you seen Ellie?” she asked. “I wanted to say goodbye.”
“Church. Along with most of the men. She makes them go. She says it keeps them honest.”
She wondered if that meant that Brandon usually went, too. For some reason, that was hard to picture. “I guess that’s why it’s so quiet around here.”
“Sundays are like that. You ready for that tour?”
She nodded. “Ready.”
Taking her hand, he walked her through the larger stable first, then the smaller one. She had assumed the smell of the fresh hay mixed with the pungent aroma of the animals would have been unpleasant, and was surprised to find that she sort of liked it. And the animals themselves were beautiful. Some were so huge they towered over her, while others were smaller breeds. She didn’t know what most of the equipment was for that he pointed out, and the terminology was unfamiliar to her, but Brandon clearly knew his stuff. The more she saw of the operation, of him in action, the more impressed she was.
After they had taken a quick walk through the barn, Paige noticed the long, narrow building set farther to the back.
“Is that where the men sleep?”
“Yep.”
“Can I see it?”
He shrugged. “Sure. I doubt anyone is there right now, anyway.”
If Paige needed a reality check, something to kill the fantasy, seeing the ranch hands’ quarters did the trick. The building was comprised of a kitchen area with two tables long enough to hold at least a dozen men each, and a social area with couches and chairs and an older-looking, large-screen television with a big, rabbit-eared antenna on top. A second, larger room was the communal sleeping area. Rows of bunk beds lined the walls on either side, all neatly made. There were doors on the opposite end, which she assumed led to the bathrooms.
It looked disturbingly similar to the women’s shelter she and her mom had stayed in when they lost their trailer, and just standing in the doorway set her nerves on edge, brought her back to that time.
She couldn’t imagine ever living that way again. The possibility scared the hell out of her. “You said the foreman gets his own place?”
“It’s around back. I’d show it to you, but Clint is using it. It’s a lot like your apartment, but all one room. And about half the size.”
Meaning the entire residence couldn’t have been much larger than her living room. For a single guy that probably wasn’t too bad, but what if the foreman decided to get married?
It didn’t matter either way to her, because despite how she felt about Brandon, seeing this part of his life was a stark reminder of why their relationship would never be more than an affair. They were just too different.
And how many times would she have to tell herself that before it finally started to sink in?
Her anxiety must have shown, because Brandon put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You okay?”
She manufactured a smile. “Fine. Just a little tired, I guess.”
“Well, why don’t we get going. You can sleep on the way if you want.”
“I may just do that.”
They gathered their things and loaded up the truck and were on the road before ten. Paige leaned her seat back and closed her eyes, but she couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to talk, either, so she sat motionless, so he would think she was dozing, and listened to him sing along with the radio. Didn’t it just figure that he had an above-average singing voice? The man was perfect in every way. Well, every way except the one that really mattered to her.
And the irony of the situation was that even if she could change him, she wouldn’t want to. She was the one
with the problem, the issues. She was flawed, not him. He was fine just the way he was, and she didn’t deserve him. And it was clear that the longer she let this drag on, the harder it would be to pull away later.
Though this past week had been one of the happiest in her life, it was time to let go.
Fourteen
Since Brandon dropped her off at her apartment Sunday, Paige had been an emotional wreck. All she had to do was think about Brandon and her eyes started to well. And she never cried. She’d broken up with guys she’d been seeing for months and hadn’t felt nearly this awful. And she hadn’t even broken up with him yet!
She’d spent most of the ride home preparing herself, but as he’d carried her bag to her door and said goodbye, she hadn’t had the guts to say the words.
She spent the next three days trying to work up the courage to do it, avoiding his calls for fear that hearing his voice would crack the hard shell she was trying desperately to erect around her heart.
She finally went to his hotel room Wednesday night to talk, to tell him it was over, but he opened the door and she saw him standing there looking so adorable and so happy to see her. The next thing she knew she was in his arms kissing him, tears streaming down her face.
She could see Brandon was confused by her emotional meltdown, but he didn’t question it. He just kissed her tears away, then made love to her so sweetly, so passionately, she knew it was hopeless. She couldn’t end it. Not yet.
That was five days ago, and she had seen him practically every night since. And now they only had five days until the gala, when they would end things for good. Yet, every time she thought about their relationship being over, she got a knot in her chest so tight she could barely breathe. Somehow she was the happiest, and most miserable, she’d ever been in her life.
Poor Cheryl didn’t know what to think of Paige’s sudden change in personality. They’d worked together for almost three years and Paige had never been so fragile. It made her think of her mom, and the way she used to act after Paige’s dad died. The idea that she was anything like her mom scared the hell out of her. And brought her to tears for about the tenth time that day.
Exposed: Her Undercover Millionaire Page 13