Her brown eyes studied him closely as he spoke, and he felt an uncomfortable silence stretch between them until she smiled. “You’re not as bad as you think you are, and you’re not near as bad as people tease you about being.”
“That’s good to hear.” He flashed a relieved smile and tossed the blade of grass to the ground. The sun had started to set, and the pasture skies lit up with radiant colors splashing and slashing through the clouds.
∾
“This is one of my favorite times of day.” Julia leaned back on her hands and they both sat staring at the sunset. The sound of the creek splashed near their feet and Julia could just make out the scent of Graham’s cologne he’d applied for church that morning. She couldn’t think of a more peaceful spot.
“I try to catch sunrise and sunset each day, though I admit sometimes it’s just a passing glance.”
“The downside of working inside a building all day is that it limits my exposure to pretty clouds and sunshine most days.” Julia shrugged. “But I plan to soak in each and every one while I’m in Texas.”
“That’s why you’re on the front porch each morning.”
“Yep.” She smiled. “The mornings start out soft and then erupt into bright and marvelous colors. The evenings are deeper, richer and just set the mood for cozying up with a blanket. Even when it’s a bit warm outside.”
“Sunsets are my internal timer to remind me to go home and eat something.”
Julia snorted and then laughed as she looked at him.
He grinned and she loved seeing his dimples appear for a moment.
“You have a great smile, Graham.”
She sensed her compliment took him by surprise. He grew quiet, a bit antsy, and avoided direct eye contact. Her heart tripped a little further towards the man. As hard and tough as he was, a shyness lingered about him. Leaning towards him she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for the walk.” She pushed herself to her feet and reached for her flowers. Graham held them up to her before climbing to his own feet. When he stood, he towered over her, which she liked. He stared at her a moment and then nodded towards the houses. They’d taken a couple of steps when he stopped and gently grabbed her arm, spinning her towards him. Before she could catch her bearings, his lips grazed hers and his hands were gently cupping her face. Regaining her balance, she leaned into him, her own arm linking up and around his neck as he pulled her close and the kiss grew deeper. She tenderly pressed a hand to his chest and nudged him back a moment, reluctantly breaking contact from that serious scowl of a mouth that held such gentleness when it needed to. She rested her forehead against his chest and felt his fingers brush through her ponytail before she peered up at him. Those navy eyes that typically held a quiet fury or restrained temper were soft, vulnerable, and achingly beautiful. She kissed him once more and pulled away from his touch before she completely lost her senses.
Graham reached for her hand, brushing his thumb over her knuckles as he began walking back towards the guest house. Alice was inside at the stove, probably about to burn the house down again. “Want to come inside?” Julia asked.
Graham took a steadying breath. “I better not.”
She stood on the top step, he on ground level, which made her eyes level with his. She cupped a hand to his cheek and then lightly brushed her fingertips over his lips. Biting back a smile, she gave into the urge and pressed her lips to his again. One last kiss wouldn’t hurt. She felt his hand slip around her waist and pull her close as he slowly walked up the porch steps.
“Hey, do you use sesame oil or fish oil when you’re sautéing—” Alice’s voice trailed off as she spotted them. “Oh.” She darted back into the house, the two on the porch still oblivious to her interruption.
The sound of tires coming up the drive had Graham tugging back and glancing up to see two of his brothers pulling up to the house. “I should go now.”
“Yes. You should,” Julia agreed, her cheeks a rosy shade of pink for being caught kissing Graham.
“I’ll…” Graham stepped down and just stared at her. “I don’t really know what to say to you right now, if I’m being honest. Just that… well…” He cleared his throat as his brothers shut their truck doors and walked towards the main house.
“We’re here for the weekly update and a beer, Graham,” Lawrence called. “Meet ya inside.”
Julia watched as his front door closed and then looked down at him again. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“Yes. I do.” Graham rubbed a hand over his jaw and let loose one of his devastating smiles that turned her knees to jelly. “Maybe once my head clears, I can tell you how nice this evening was and that I enjoyed spending it with you.”
“I think you just did.” Julia gave him an encouraging nod towards his house. “But you can tell me again in the morning.” She pointed to her porch. “I’ll be right here.”
“I like that plan. I’ll see you then.”
She felt the tingles from her hair down to her toes as he sized her up with one long last glance before turning and heading towards his house. When she stepped inside, Alice waited patiently by the stove, arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the counter.
“Well? How’s Graham?”
Breathless, Julia walked over to Alice and hugged her tight until Alice squirmed on a laugh. “Okay, okay. Get off of me.” She swatted Julia. “You’re glowing, so I’m assuming you finally planted one on him and it went in your favor.”
“Actually,” Julia beamed and danced a small jig. “he planted one on me.” She covered her mouth on a loud giggle.
Alice shook her head and smiled. “I see.”
“Oh Alice, he’s wonderful.” Julia walked towards the counter and grabbed a wine glass and poured. She glanced over at Alice’s and topped it off. “We talked, and he actually contributed to the conversation.”
“That is big.” Alice, impressed, listened as Julia gushed on and on. Her plan of keeping Julia in Texas to help run the clinic was underway better than expected. No, she hadn’t planned for Julia to fall for a Hastings brother, she was more hoping to convince her friend to fall in love with the animals at the clinic. But what a bonus if Graham came into the equation. And it looked as if Graham Hastings, whether he knew it or not, was well on his way to making Julia McComas fall in love with him.
“I don’t know what is going on with him today.” Seth beat his hat against his leg and plopped it back onto his head, dust settling around his shoulders.
“What do you mean?” Clint looked towards Graham as he talked with Hayes and accepted the reins to an old mare fully dressed in an extra saddle.
“I mean, it’s Monday and he’s off to go joyriding with Julia.”
“That so?” Clint, intrigued, leaned against the fence, his clasped hands hanging over the edge, his boot resting on the bottom rung as they watched their brother lead the horses further out into the pen.
“Yeah. When has he ever done something like this?”
“It would be a first.” Clint looked up as Lawrence walked up wiping his hands on his jeans.
“You believe this?” Clint pointed towards Graham as the oldest brother hoisted himself into his saddle.
Lawrence smiled. “Maybe he’s wanting to show Julia more of the ranch since Alice wants her to stay in Parks.”
“But Graham? Why would Alice choose Graham for a task like that? At least choose the most likeable brother.” Seth pointed to himself.
“Or most handsome.” Clint pointed to himself.
“Maybe she was going with mature,” Lawrence jested as he slipped his gloves on his hands and ducked through the fence to head to the stalls and help Hayes. He stopped to grab a dropped rein and hand it to Graham. “Got you a riding buddy this morning?”
“Julia.”
Lawrence, having witnessed Graham and Julia smooching on the porch the evening before, gave his brother a chummy grin. “That so? Plan on sneaking her out to the creek again? Steal some kisses?”
>
Graham’s expression never wavered as he stared at his brother. “Saw that, did you?”
“Just the kiss on the porch, but figured there had to be more than that one based on the way she looked at you.”
Graham grunted.
Lawrence held up his hands. “I haven’t said anything to the others. Though they’re wondering what’s got you neglecting work and riding around for fun this morning.”
“Horses need some exercise.”
“Riiiiight.” Lawrence laughed. “Work on that excuse a bit, G.”
“It’s none of their business. How’s that?”
“Rings with more of a Graham attitude. I like it.” Lawrence grinned. “And for what it’s worth, Graham, I like her too. Now, get. Have fun before I start sulking that I have to muck stalls while you spend time with a beautiful woman.”
“I think we’re all jealous of that.” Hayes emerged and clapped Graham’s horse on the rear to send him on his way. “He and Cal deserve a late start today considering they cleaned up Clint’s mess with the water pump. So, you really saw them kissing?”
Lawrence nodded. “Oh yeah. It wasn’t a little thing either. I think our big brother’s officially tangled up in love now.”
Hayes laughed. “Power to Julia.”
“I know, man. She’s tougher than I thought if she can turn Graham to romantic mush.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It was just a kiss,” Hayes said. “It will take more than that to convince Graham to take any future steps. He’s married to this ranch. And Julia… not sure she’s the type of woman who’d be happy out here.”
Lawrence lifted his shoulders and let them drop. “We’ll see. All I know is that both of them had stars in their eyes yesterday. And if we hadn’t driven up to the house, I imagine Alice would have had to hose ‘em off.”
Hayes smirked. “Now that I would have liked to have seen.” He clapped Lawrence on the back as he led him into the horse barn and to their newest addition.
∾
Julia watched as Graham rode up on his horse with another fully saddled next to his. He tied the reins of both to the porch railing before walking up the steps to knock on the door. Her heart hammered in her chest. Just seeing him ride up the lane had her pulse skyrocketing, cheeks flushing, and hands jittering. Did she really kiss him yesterday? Yes. Oh yes, she did. She nibbled her bottom lip at the memory and felt heat rise up her neck. He looked more relaxed this morning, his shoulders not as stiff, his mouth still set in a firm line, but his jaw wasn’t clenched. He was at ease coming to her door after their last encounter. He didn’t seem nervous to see her, though she felt she would bolt out of her skin the moment he looked at her. What was she to do about these feelings towards him? She was leaving in six days. It wasn’t near enough time to truly get to know him, but her heart squeezed at the thought of not seeing him every day. She’d gotten used to seeing the tall and handsome cowboy next door. What would it be like to just see them in photos at the museum? Nothing would ever compare to the sight of the Hastings brothers working out in the fields. No photograph, no painting, no sculpture could capture the strength, determination, and appeal of the real-life version of a working cattleman. She opened the door, his head was down, his hat shading his face. But when he heard the door, he looked up and flashed that quick, knee-weakening smile of his. She was thankful Alice had already left for work that morning so as not to ruin the sweet moment of them just staring at one another. He extended his hand to her and a thrill shot up her arm when she placed hers in his. Another horse emerged on the horizon at break-neck speed and had them watching as Hayes struggled to bring it to a halt.
“Everything okay?” Julia, hand on her heart, started towards the brother but Graham held her back as the horse stomped his feet and turned in fast circles, Hayes’s grip on the reins tightening as he continued to command the horse. Finally, the horse stutter-stepped and came to a stop.
Hayes flashed a relieved grin at Graham. “Sorry for the interruption, guys.” He patted the horse’s neck and heaved exhausted breaths. “This guy is slowly coming to terms with a rider on his back.”
“Battle of the wills.” Graham nodded in approval. “Good job getting him out of the pen to let him run. Seems it’s what he needed.”
“Yep. Realized it the other day. He needed to run off some of this pent-up anger.”
“We all need to every now and then.”
Hayes tipped his hat to Julia. “Mornin’, Julia.”
She smiled. “I thought there was an emergency. I’m glad it was nothing serious. But you be careful up there, Hayes. That horse doesn’t seem too keen on having you in the saddle.”
“He’ll get used to me.”
“Hayes, the horse whisperer,” Graham assured Julia.
“I try.” Hayes nodded towards the horse designated for Julia. “Trained that one myself. She’s one of the most docile we own. She’ll be good for a beginner.”
“Thanks.” Julia walked towards the horse and brushed a hand down the soft nose. The tan hide was smooth as silk and the horse nuzzled Julia’s hand. “She seems to like me.”
“She will.” Hayes’s horse stepped nervously in place. “I think he’s got the itch to get moving again. Maybe I’ll see you two out there. I’ll try to avoid running into you with this guy. Don’t want to him to stir the others up. Later.” He turned the horse in the direction he’d come and released some pressure on the reins. It was only a matter of seconds before the horse was off in a sprinting gallop. Hayes’ hat blew off his head and landed in the driveway, the brother unbothered as he held on tight and let the horse fly.
“He’s extremely brave, isn’t he?” Julia shook her head in wonder. “I couldn’t do that. I’d be scared to death.”
“Years of practice. Hayes is the best, though. People travel from all over to let him break and train their horses.”
“And whose horse is that?”
“Soon to be mine.”
Her eyes widened. “Graham, no.” She shook her head and he laughed.
“Why not?”
“That horse is dangerous. And what’s wrong with the one you have?”
He lovingly patted his horse. “Trisket’s getting a bit old. I want her to have some rest.”
“But that death trap?” Julia pointed to the dust cloud that remained from Hayes’s journey.
“He’s still got some work ahead of him on that one,” Graham admitted. “By the time I sit in the saddle, the horse will be docile and manageable. Though, I’m hoping it will keep a bit of the spirit he has. Now come on, let’s get you saddled up.” He walked her to the side of the horse. “Grip the saddle horn and place your left boot… shoe,” he corrected, noticing her foot attire, “into the stir up. Now hoist yourself up.” He helped her into the saddle and she nervously gripped the saddle horn with both hands.
“I-I-I don’t know about this, Graham.”
“You’re doing great. Just stay calm and steady.” He untied both sets of reins from the porch and hoisted himself into his own saddle. He started to hand her the reins and she shook her head.
“Just give me a second.” Julia breathed slow, deep breaths. “It’s so high. What if I fall?”
“You won’t,” he assured her.
“But what if I do? What if she doesn’t like me and bucks me off? Or runs like Hayes’ horse? I won’t be able to hold on like he did.” Panic began to rise.
“Julia,” Graham waited until she met his calm gaze. “you’ll be fine. Now take the reins.”
She did and he showed her how to hold them in her hands and how to guide and direct the horse. The horse, named Vivica, was as laid back as Hayes had claimed, for which Julia was extremely grateful. She moved in any direction Julia wished to go, but mostly followed alongside Graham’s horse as if they were old friends.
“How are you doing?” Graham asked as they cleared the first pasture and headed onto a grass road towards the next.
“Better. She is sweet. I t
hink I’m getting the hang of it.” Julia relaxed in the saddle as they reached an open pasture covered in wildflowers. She noticed Graham’s keen eyes surveying the field, no doubt looking for predators of some sort. She liked that he was always on guard. A yell called out and had them both turning in their saddles to see Hayes headed straight for them, his wild horse out of control and the brother barely hanging on.
Julia’s horse’s ears twitched and nervously trotted to the side and Graham’s pulled her nose the opposite direction to avoid collision as Hayes continued his blazing journey towards them. Julia’s horse continued to stir, and panic began to rise in Julia’s chest. She gripped the reins. “Whoa girl. Easy. Easy.” She tried to sound at ease, but the horse jerked her head and as soon as Hayes barreled past them, Julia’s horse took off. She screamed as she gripped the reins and tried to halt Vivica. She heard Graham behind her, his horse giving him fits as well, but his didn’t erupt into a full gallop. She focused on the fast-moving ground beneath her and felt sick to her stomach. Hayes’ horse was already bucking up and down in the pasture, poor Hayes holding on for dear life as he tried to maintain some semblance of control. He was losing. And so was Julia. “Graham!” she screamed, as Vivica raced across the pasture. She felt her hands begin to cramp and one of the reins slipped from her grasp. Embracing the fact she was either going to fall off, pass out, or die, Julia closed her eyes.
She heard the pounding of hooves and turned to see Graham riding up fast, his hand outstretched. “Don’t move!” he yelled.
Like she could. It was taking all her might to hold onto the saddle horn and the rein in her hand. Graham’s horse fell into step with her own and he leaned over to try and catch her loose rein. Julia prayed he’d be able to grab it. But he missed. He slapped the reins of his own horse to urge it onward to make another pass at her reins. He successfully grabbed it and tugged not only on his own horse’s reins but hers as well. The two horses began to slow their paces until finally he was able to bring them to a stop. She dropped her chin to her chest and couldn’t help the tears that erupted. Her hands, shaking from the crash of adrenaline that coursed through her veins, lifted from the saddle horn as Graham reached for them. She wasn’t sure how he managed to pluck her from her horse, but next thing she knew she straddled his saddle facing backwards, her head buried in his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her.
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