by Darah Lace
“She went to tell Doc Harper.”
“Tell him what?” Mason swiveled to face both Bradi’s parents. Fresh tears gathered in Jenny’s blue eyes, reminding him of Bradi’s when she’d lashed out at him yesterday for being such an ass. Was that only yesterday? “What’s going on? Where’s she going?”
“Oh.” Jenny twisted her hands in the worn apron. “I thought she rode over to talk to you yesterday. She said her decision depended on you. But maybe…” She looked at Mike then back at Mason and lifted a shoulder. “Guess she decided on her own. We only found out this morning so…”
“Just tell the boy.” Mike rubbed a hand over his face. “He might be the only one who can talk some sense into her.”
“She’s leaving. Taking an internship with the PRCA.” Lowering herself to the arm of the sofa, Jenny dabbed at her eyes. “She told us a while back about the offer, but I thought for sure she wouldn’t take it. I mean, I know it’s a great opportunity, but…”
Mason’s stomach roiled. She was leaving?
“I don’t think she really wants to go,” Jenny continued, though Mason could barely hear her over the blood rushing through his ears. “But that could be my wishful thinking.”
Is that what she’d tried to talk to him about yesterday? The reason she’d been calling? Her dream had always been to come home and take over Doc Harper’s practice. She talked of nothing else in high school. Had something changed?
“No, I don’t think so.” Mason shook his head and started backing toward the door. He missed the knob twice before latching onto it and slinging the door open. The pictures on the wall rattled with the force. The sound yanked him from the stupor of disbelief and hurled him into action. Last night felt right. This didn’t. “What time does her flight leave?”
Jenny blinked but Mike sat forward. “Midnight.”
Nodding, Mason crossed the threshold and jumped all three steps of the porch in a run toward his truck. The engine roared as he stomped on the accelerator and threw the truck into reverse. Without letting off the gas, he shifted into first and the truck fishtailed down the drive toward the highway.
What if Bradi’s plans had changed? She had. And he sure as hell hadn’t seen that coming.
His foot eased off the gas pedal, doubt crowding in. What if last night was just the side of Bradi he hadn’t known existed? She’d said she needed to get laid. Wanted some down and dirty sex. No, there was more to it than that. He’d seen it in her eyes. She loved him.
Bradi might not have been the innocent he thought—hell, he’d set out to teach her a lesson and she’d wound up teaching him a few—but her pushing him until he broke wasn’t about being too drunk to know better or needing to scratch an itch. She’d wanted him. And deep down he knew she would never be that careless with their friendship.
But if she loved him, why the fuck was she leaving?
“Something to remember when I’m gone.”
Mason slammed on the brake and the truck skidded to a halt in the middle of the road.
She’d known.
She’d made love to him and all along she’d fucking known she was leaving. And he’d bet his last dollar she planned to go without a fucking word goodbye.
* * * * *
By the time Mason turned up the road to Clay Talbot’s ranch, he wasn’t any closer to figuring out what was going on in Bradi’s head. Or in his. One second he was pissed as hell. The next he was scared to death.
He’d stormed into the animal clinic, hollering her name and practically bitten the heads off everyone until someone told him she had gone out to Clay’s place with Doc Harper. Mason had muttered a quick apology and stalked out.
The reckless drive at speeds that nearly sent him into the ditch twice hadn’t calmed his anger, but at the sight of her car parked next to the Doc’s beat-up truck, he breathed his first sigh of relief since seeing her suitcases.
God, he couldn’t fuck this up. He had to get a grip on his temper before they talked.
Pulling behind her car so she couldn’t leave before he found her, he killed the engine, jumped out of the truck and slammed the door. He had no idea what he was going to say or do, but if she thought what they’d shared last night was just some souvenir to take with her, he would damn well set her straight.
Clay met him on the way out of the barn, looking as if he’d been up all night. “What brings you out this way? Or do I need to ask?”
“I need to talk to Bradi.”
“She’s inside with Doc.” Clay hitched a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the barn. “I’ll be in the house if anything changes.”
Mason nodded, stepped into the shadows of the barn and stopped dead. Any reason or calm he’d gained—and there wasn’t much—fled as Bradi stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on Evan McNamara’s cheek. Her hand lingered on his arm and she laughed at something he said. Worse, the second she spotted Mason, her smile dissolved.
Rage blocked common sense, driving Mason forward. Her hand fell away as Evan turned around and offered his. “Montgomery.”
Mason ignored the gesture. “Fuck off.”
“Mason!” Her eyes widened in shock.
Evan laughed. “I was just leaving.”
“Evan, you don’t have to go.” Cheeks flushed as pink as her tank top, she glared at Mason. “What’s wrong with you?”
“That’s all right.” Evan held up his hands. “She’s all yours.”
“Damn right.” Mason ground his teeth, knowing he was screwing up but unable to stop himself.
As soon as Evan cleared the doorway, she jabbed his chest with her finger. “You had no business acting like that. He’s done nothing to you.” She shook her head and bent to grab the black bag at her feet. “What are you doing here anyway?”
The irritation in her voice stung both his pride and his heart. And didn’t do much for his temper. “We need to talk.”
“I’m busy.”
“Not too busy for Evan McNamara.” Damn. This wasn’t about Evan or his jealousy. No matter what he’d just seen, Mason knew she loved him. He just knew it. And it pissed him off that she was pushing him away. What he couldn’t figure out was why.
“Look, Mason—”
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t give a shit about him.” He grabbed her upper arms and hauled her against him. Her breath caught and she looked up at him with startled eyes. “God, Bradi, were you even going to say goodbye?” The color drained from her face along with her anger. She blinked and swallowed and he had his answer. “So last night meant nothing to you?”
She shoved at him. “That’s right, Mason. It was just sex.”
Bradi was never a good liar, but he’d hurt her and deserved whatever punishment she dished out. Still, he wouldn’t let her give up on him. “If that’s so, then why the hell are you running off?”
“She ain’t going nowhere, boy.” Doc poked his head over the stall door. “We got work to do.” He angled a frown at Bradi. “You got my bag? This little mama needs our help.”
Darting a nervous glance at the old man as he returned to his patient, then back at Mason, she whispered, “I can’t talk about this now.”
“You haven’t told him?”
“No.”
The band around his chest loosened. If she hadn’t told Doc about the other job, he still had time to change her mind. Inhaling a deep breath, he released her and folded his arms over his chest. “Go do what you have to. I’ll wait.”
“This could take a while. You should just go home.”
“So you can cut out on me like you did this morning?”
“Mason—”
“I’ll wait.”
“Fine.” She spun on her heel, stomped into the stall and shut the gate with a soft click. No doubt she wanted to slam it but already had the suffering animal in mind.
Mason leaned over the gate as she maneuvered to the far corner and squatted next to Doc. “Are you going to try to turn it?”
Doc handed what looked like a surgeon�
�s gown and a long plastic glove to Bradi. “No, you are.”
Top teeth latching on to her lower lip, she tied on the gown, slid the glove over her entire arm and knelt at the south end of the mare. From that moment forth, her training took over. She tuned out the world, totally oblivious to him or her surroundings, and focused on the mare and tiny life determined to enter the world backward.
The longer Bradi worked, the more convinced he was that she would hate the limitations of working the circuit. This was what she loved, what she was meant for. She knew exactly what to do and half the time she did it before Doc opened his mouth. Was she willing to give this up to work with the colic and minor injuries of rodeo stock? He didn’t think so.
After a long fifteen minutes of Doc mashing the horse’s belly and Bradi doing her best to maneuver the foal internally, she backed away. “I think I got it.”
The mare’s stomach contracted and two tiny hooves appeared. Bradi’s laughter filled the stall, and her gaze locked with his. The smile that lit her face melted his heart, and all anger faded.
“You’ll have to help her,” Doc instructed. “She’s been at it half the night. She’s worn out.”
An embarrassed flush crept up Bradi’s neck and face, as if remembering that they’d also been at it all night. She grabbed the forelegs, dug in her boot heels and used every ounce of her body weight to pull the foal, rocking back and forth. The mare pushed and the nose broke through. Another big push and, with Bradi pulling hard, the foal slipped from its mother. Crooning softly, Bradi grabbed a feed sack and started wiping down its long gangly legs.
Mason watched a few more minutes then backed away and walked to an empty corral at the far end of the barn. She’d be a while yet, wrapping things up, doing whatever it was she had to do. And he needed the time, now that he’d calmed down enough to think straight, to figure out where and when he’d screwed up.
Looking out over the back pasture, he played back the ride home from the creek. Based on what her mom said, Bradi’s decision depended on him, and she had been on her way to tell him about the job offer when he found her stuck in the mud with the calf.
He couldn’t remember much of their conversation but he did recall her saying she needed to talk to him, so obviously she hadn’t made her decision at that point. But then he’d been such an asshole and made her cry because her every touch made his cock brick-hard and he couldn’t think beyond the need to fuck her right there on his damn horse. He’d been too concerned with his own turmoil to notice hers.
And then at the house, she still seemed intent on talking until Deidre showed up and…
That’s okay, Mason. I know what I need to do.
Mason closed his eyes, remembering the look in hers. Crushed. Defeated. Resigned. All hidden behind a watery smile. He’d done more than hurt her feelings. He’d gone out of his way to push her away and then he’d put another woman first.
“God, Bradi, I’m sorry.”
Tell her that, dickhead.
He would. First he had to know if she was leaving because she wanted to or because he hadn’t given her a reason to stay. Whether she accepted the PRCA internship or not, it had to be what she wanted. But if she showed any sign of hesitation, one smidgeon of indecision, he’d fight hard and he’d fight dirty to keep her here with him.
And after all was said and done, if she truly wanted to go, he’d find the strength to step aside and let her.
* * * * *
Stepping from the barn and into the hot noon sun, Bradi shaded her eyes to search for Mason. She found him on the far side of the corral. All she had to do was turn around and walk away. He wouldn’t know she was gone until it was too late.
But her feet stayed rooted to the ground. She couldn’t do it. His display of jealousy earlier might have been a matter of pride, but he seemed truly hurt that she would leave without saying goodbye. After last night, she owed him that much.
Striding across the hard-packed dirt, she soaked in the sight of him. He stood with his back to her, a booted foot propped on the first rung of the fence, his jeans stretched tight across his ass. A maroon T-shirt hugged his shoulders and ballooned at his trim waist. She ached to slip her arms around him and hold on forever.
Instead, she leaned on the gate that opened to the pasture and pretended to study a patch of large oak trees in the distance. “Mom and foal are doing fine.”
“I had no doubts. You did a great job.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Did you tell Doc?”
“Not yet.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw him look at her but she stared straight ahead. “You need to tell him.”
“I know. I… I will.” She’d hemmed and hawed for a half hour before the call from Clay came about the mare and she’d eagerly used the excuse to postpone talking to Doc. But she couldn’t put it off much longer. “Lindsey invited him up to the house for lunch.”
He flicked the latch on the gate and she backed away to let him open it. “Come take a walk with me.”
“I really should talk to Doc and then get going.” She was taking the red-eye to Denver and needed to leave soon so her parents wouldn’t get stuck in Houston traffic.
A hand at the small of her back propelled her forward. He closed the gate and pointed to the grove of trees. “Just five minutes.”
Walking beside him, the silence raked over Bradi, much different from the silence of the ride home from the creek yesterday. Their relationship had changed overnight, and she had no one to blame but herself.
“This PRCA job, is it what you want?”
No. “It’s a good opportunity.”
“Is it?”
She shrugged. “It’ll look good on my resume. And it’ll open doors later on.”
He nodded and motioned her out of the hot sun and onto a worn horse-trail. Sunlight sprinkled the path, which narrowed the deeper into the trees they walked. His arm brushed hers, sending a rush of tingling heat to her breasts. Her nipples drew into hard points.
She stepped ahead of him and kept to the middle of the trail, leaving no room for him to walk beside her. “I’ll get to travel.”
He grunted.
“And I’ll make good money,” she rambled on to keep from wondering if his eyes were glued to her ass. “Well, better money than here at the clinic.”
The trail opened into a clearing littered with several large blocks of limestone the size of her mom’s Toyota. Mason propped a hip against the nearest one and looked at her. “Since when did money become so important to you?”
“It’s not, at least for the reasons you think.” She hopped up to sit beside him. “I had a few scholarships, but Mason, I have a shitload of student loans to pay off. I can do that a lot faster if I take this internship.”
He nodded then looked at her. “Those are all good reasons to go. But you still haven’t answered my question. Is it what you want?”
What she wanted wasn’t possible but she couldn’t tell him that. She plucked a piece of straw from her jeans. “Why wouldn’t I want it?”
Straightening away from the rock, he moved in front of her and tipped her chin with a finger until his dark eyes held hers. “Why won’t you answer my question?”
Her heart pounded. He was too close, too inquisitive, too goddamn sexy. Bradi turned her head and jumped to her feet. Wrong move. She was sandwiched between the rock and Mason. She slid sideways but he blocked her with a thick thigh. His hips pressed her backward into the boulder and her belly fluttered. Oh god, he was definitely the proverbial hard place.
She flattened her hands against his chest and pushed. “I don’t know what you want from me but—”
“I want you to quit running from me.” His long tanned fingers gripped her upper arms and hauled her up against his chest. “And I want you to answer the fucking question.”
“I’m not running from you. I’m leaving town.”
“Yeah, without even telling me. Without saying goodbye.”
The hurt in his eyes tore
at her. But on the other hand, what did he really expect? “I’ve been coming and going for the last seven years and it never seemed to bother you.”
“That was before last night.”
“Last night was a mistake.”
“Is that how you really feel?”
“Mason, we both know you wouldn’t have wanted me in your bed if I hadn’t pushed you into it.”
“If you’ll recall…” His voice deepened and his eyelids drooped. He released one arm to drag a finger along her shoulder and down the scooped neck of her tank top. “I‘m the one who put you there.”
A shudder rippled through her and her breath turned shallow. She latched onto his wrist and looked around the clearing. “Mason, don’t.”
“No one can see us if that’s what you’re worried about.” His finger hooked the material and dragged it over her bra. His eyes burned with lust as they followed the movement. “I want to tie you to my bed again.”
Her grip tightened on his wrist but she arched into his touch. She didn’t have the will to fight him physically, even knowing how much it would hurt when it was over. “Mason, please. We can’t. I can’t.”
“Why not? You wanted it last night.” He dragged her bra down with her shirt. Her breast dropped then lifted, nipple hard and aching. “You begged for it.”
I wanted you. Begged for you. “That was different,” she whispered.
“Why?” His gaze lifted to hers. “Because you knew you were leaving?” His thumb rolled the beaded tip, eliciting a whimper from her. “What was I, Bradi? Just a little something for the road?”
Shame filtered in to dampen the pleasure. He was right. She would never have seduced him otherwise. But dammit, it hurt that he couldn’t see how much she loved him. She thrust his hand away and bucked against him.
Catching her hand, he twisted her arm behind her back. His face lowered until his breath mingled with hers. “Tell me I’m wrong, Bradi. Tell me last night was special.”
“So you won’t feel used?” The hurtful words just kept pouring out of her mouth. “The sheets on your bed weren’t even cold from an afternoon of fucking Deidre when you tied me to it.”