Squealing with fright, she twisted around to see Rafe’s laughing face, and she playfully pummeled her fists against his broad chest.
“That was a mean trick! You scared the heck out of me!”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I was trying to catch you before you went into Gramps.” The amusement on his face dissolved as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and quickly brought his mouth down to hers. Lilly could do nothing but kiss him back and wonder how she’d gone for nearly four days without making love to the man.
When he finally lifted his head, he murmured, “I’ve been desperate to see you.”
“We had lunch together at the Green Lizard three days ago during my work break. And I’ve been here every morning,” she pointed out.
He frowned. “Having lunch with you was very nice. But it’s not the same as being alone with you. And for the past two mornings, I’ve had to head out early. We’ve been moving a herd of bulls over on the Red Canyon range.”
His hands were moving against her back, filling her body with delicious warmth and making it extremely hard to concentrate on his words. “Finished now?” she asked.
“No. We plan on wrapping up that job today. But I’ll be free tomorrow afternoon. I wanted to see if you could get off work for a few hours.”
Her smile coy, her fingers played with the tails of the red bandanna tied around his neck. Since they’d made love that night at her house, her body had been aching, craving to be close to him. Now that she was finally touching him again, she didn’t want to let him go. “I just happen to be off tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night.”
“You’re not kidding me, are you?”
“No. Why? You have a plan to take me to the Sierra Chateau again?”
He frowned with disbelief. “No. Do you want to go there again?”
“I was teasing, Rafe. I’d rather be—” she glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, then finished “—somewhere alone with you.”
“Funny how you seem to know exactly what I want to hear.” He kissed her then pulled back just enough to mouth against her lips. “I’m going to take you riding. To a quiet, beautiful place where it will be just the two of us. And maybe a few flowers and birds and butterflies.”
“Mmm. Sounds heavenly.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. I should be finished by noon, so come as soon as you can.”
As he eased her out of his arms, she asked, “You have to leave now? I thought you might visit with me while I work with Bart. He’d love your company and so would I,” she said.
“And I’d love to stay, but the men are waiting on me.” He lifted the back of her hand to his lips. “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. Promise.”
Her heart dancing with joy, she smiled at him. “I’ll make sure you keep that promise.”
He gave her one last kiss, then hurried down the stairs. Lilly watched him until he was out of sight then climbed the last two steps to the landing.
“So that’s why you’re late. You’ve been dallying around with my grandson.”
Jerking her head in the direction of Bart’s room, she saw the older man was standing in the open doorway, leaning heavily on his cane.
She marched toward him. “Bart! What are you doing? Spying on your nurse?”
“Spying, hell! Greta told me you’d left the kitchen ten minutes ago. I was trying to see if you’d fallen off the landing or something.”
Considering that his daughter-in-law had died from a fall on that very staircase, Lilly could hardly scold the man for being overly dramatic.
“I’m sorry if I worried you, Bart. Rafe caught me on the staircase and—”
“Yes, I could see how he caught you,” he said with a roll of his eyes, then slowly and carefully he turned and maneuvered his way back into the room.
Lilly supposed she should have been embarrassed to have Bart catch her kissing his grandson, but she wasn’t. She and Rafe were both unattached adults.
“What are you doing with my grandson, Lilly? Making a fool out of him?”
Lilly pressed her lips together as she waited for Bart to sit down in his easy chair. “I couldn’t do that even if I tried,” she told the older man.
“Hmm. I wouldn’t be so sure. Look at what you’ve got me doing.”
Lilly gave him a clever smile. “That’s only because you want to get back to being your old self. And you’re smart enough to know that if you do as I say you’ll get there.”
She sank onto a footstool near Bart’s chair and he motioned toward a breakfast tray sitting on an end table to his left.
“Let’s have a little coffee before we start.”
“All right. But don’t get the idea that you’re stalling. Your exercise clock won’t start until you do.”
Grinning slyly, he filled a china cup and added a dollop of cream before handing it to her. “You’re just like my late wife, Gilda. Always a stickler for staying on schedule.”
She took an appreciative sip while leisurely regarding him over the rim of her cup. Bart was continuing to make remarkable progress and the more she worked with him, the more she could see where the Calhoun family found its strength and determination. Everyone, including Chet Anderson, who’d personally asked her to take on this job, had warned her that she was in for a difficult time and described Bart as a mean SOB. But thankfully, she’d yet to see that side of the man. In fact, from the very first day she’d met Bart, she’d felt a connection to him. Just as she’d felt a connection to Rafe, only in a different way.
“You like my grandson that much, do you?” he asked bluntly.
Lilly nodded. “He’s a pretty special guy.”
Bart shook his head. “You surprise me, Lilly. I just didn’t think you were the type to fall for Rafe’s blarney. I thought you were wiser than that.”
How bad could it be, she wondered, to have his own grandfather deem him an unsuitable boyfriend for her?
“You were wise enough to make him the foreman of the Silver Horn. That tells me how you really regard your grandson.”
He stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Rafe is a damned good cowboy. No one has to tell him what needs to be done on the ranch. Even when he was only a boy, he understood what it took to keep things running smoothly. When he took on the foreman job, it took him a while to learn how to handle the men without making them hate him. That’s come along, too.” His gaze settled on Lilly’s face. “But being a good cowboy and responsible foreman doesn’t mean he’s worthy company for a woman. When it comes to females he’s never had a serious bone in his body.”
“I understand that, Bart. And I’m okay with it. Because I’m not looking for a husband.”
Even though he didn’t make an immediate reply, Lilly could see she’d surprised him. And why not? Rafe was a very eligible bachelor. Plenty of women would give their eye teeth to marry a man who was handsome, sexy and unbelievably wealthy. And maybe now that Bart had seen her kissing Rafe, he was worried she had the idea of marrying into the Calhoun fortune.
“That isn’t normal, Lilly. You ought to want a husband and children.”
Grimacing, she took another sip of coffee. “Why? Why do I need a husband and children? I’m just fine like I am.”
He snorted. “You’re all woman, Lilly. With a woman’s wishes. Go fool someone else, ’cause I’m not buying.”
She took one last drink from her cup then returned it to the tray. “Bart, you needn’t worry that I’m after Rafe’s share of the Calhoun fortune. Money has never interested me.”
His jaw clamped tight. “You’re making me mad as hell, young lady. The idea of you being after money never crossed my mind. I’m concerned about you. Not any damned Calhoun money!”
Shaking her head at him, she said, “All right, Bart. Th
ere’s no need for you get riled up or concerned. I’m here to make you healthy again. Not give you a setback.”
“Then you need to mind what I’m trying to tell you. Rafe is a rascal. He’ll break your heart. I don’t want to see that happen, Lilly. I’ve grown quite fond of you and it would hurt me to know that my grandson ever made you unhappy.”
As a small girl, both sets of Lilly’s grandparents had lived far away and her visits to them had been limited. And by the time she’d gone to work as a nurse, both grandfathers had passed away from health problems. Being around Bart made her think about both men and how much she missed not having them in her life. She also wondered if they’d be as ready to give her as much advice as Bart.
Her throat tight with emotion, she leaned forward and placed her hand on his arm. “I’m fond of you, too, Bart. And I promise, you don’t need to worry about me. I can deal with Rafe’s rascally ways.”
* * *
The next afternoon when Lilly met Rafe at the horse barn, Bart’s words of warning were far from her mind. The sky was azure-blue, the wind a gentle caress and Rafe’s smiles were full of adventure as he helped her into the saddle.
“I thought your horse was gray,” she said as they reined their mounts away from the barn.
“Oh, you’re talking about Roscoe. He’s been working hard and needs a rest today. This dun is Finn’s horse, Gunsmoke. Normally, my brother doesn’t allow anyone to touch him, but he felt like he owed me a favor.”
As their horses walked slowly abreast, Lilly looked at him with interest. “I take that to mean you resolved your differences?”
“We did. Twelve new horses for the working remuda are arriving tomorrow. I can hardly wait to see them.”
The excitement in his voice had her smiling. “Well, I hope today you’re not so preoccupied with thoughts of the new horses that you forget about me,” she teased.
“Not a chance.” Grinning, his gaze swept up and down her body. “You’re looking too cute to forget for even one minute. Where did you get that hat? It looks like someone sat on it.”
Reaching up, she adjusted the crumpled straw cowboy hat to a lower angle on her forehead. “I’ve had it for years. Since I was a teenager and rode horses with—”
“Don’t tell me. Blue Bravo.”
She playfully wrinkled her nose at him. “I should’ve never told you about Blue. Especially since I’ve never heard you talk about any of your girlfriends.”
“That’s because I never had one for more than a day or two. I didn’t have a longtime companion like you.”
Blue had been a companion, she thought, while Grant had been something else. More like an obsession, she supposed. So what was Rafe becoming to her? She didn’t want to try to answer that now. It was too complicated and this day was too special to ruin it with a serious contemplation.
“Hmm. I think I should warn you that your grandfather saw us kissing on the staircase yesterday. He keeps warning me that you’re a rascal. I assured him that I know what you are.”
He frowned. “Gee, thanks for making me sound like a real stand-up guy.”
She laughed then glanced around to notice they were nearing the end of the working ranch yard. Ahead of them was a far stretch of open range surrounded on two sides by a ridge of mountains.
“So where are we going?”
“West. That’s all I’m going to tell you for right now,” he said slyly.
“Just remember I’ve not ridden for over a year,” she warned him. “I’m not up to a marathon.”
“Don’t worry, sweet Lilly. We’re not going on a marathon. Just a little adventure.”
She’d been on an adventure from the very first day she’d met this man, Lilly thought. He was changing her life and she had to believe he was changing it for the better.
For the next forty minutes they rode at a leisurely pace until they reached a stand of foothills that Rafe called Eagle’s Ridge. On a narrow cattle trail, they began to climb upward through a sparse stand of lodgepole pine separated by steep slopes covered with short green grass. Farther along, huge boulders jutted from the ground and the dirt trail grew rockier. To Lilly’s relief, her mount, a little sorrel mare with a blaze face, was very sure-footed and picked her way carefully over the loose surface.
Eventually, the trail reached the crest of the mountain and Rafe reined his horse to a stop in the shade of an enormous white fir tree. Lilly pulled up alongside him and pushed a hand against the small of her back.
“That was quite a climb,” she said. “How much farther are we going?”
He looked at her with concern. “Not far. Are you too tired to go on?”
She shook her head. “No. But I will be ready for a rest. Are we still on Silver Horn land?”
His smile was indulgent. “Lilly, if you rode all day in any direction from the house, you’d never get off Horn land.”
“I should have known that,” she said with a shake of her head, then glanced around her at the tall fir trees, the slabs of rocks and sprouts of pink and yellow wildflowers bending in the breeze. “It’s no wonder you love this place so much. It’s beautiful.”
She looked over to see he was gazing at her and his expression was soft and gentle, so much so that gazing back at him tightened her throat with emotion. Dear Lord, he wasn’t supposed to be affecting her this way, she thought. She wasn’t supposed to be feeling this much for him or letting herself imagine the two of them riding together long after they’d turned old and gray.
“It makes me happy that you appreciate the land, Lilly. Happier than you could ever know.”
“And it makes me happy that you’re showing it to me. So we’re even,” she said huskily.
Reaching over, he briefly touched her cheek then clucked to his horse. “Follow me. We’re almost to our destination,” he told her.
With the trail turning to steep switchbacks, the descent to the bottom of the ridge took twenty minutes. By the time they reached flat ground, Lilly was definitely ready to dismount. Her legs were trembling with fatigue and her back was aching, but the pain was instantly forgotten as the horses stepped into an open meadow full of tall grass and patches of red and purple wildflowers.
“This is spectacular, Rafe! This must be our stopping spot.”
“Not yet.” He pointed toward a line of trees on the opposite side of the meadow. “We’re going there.”
“But Rafe, this meadow is gorgeous and the horses can graze here. Let’s get down.”
He shook his head, which prompted her to groan.
“All right,” she conceded. “But I’m warning you. This next place better be good!”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. We’ll take some time to visit the meadow, too.”
Mollified by his promise, she nudged the sorrel forward and followed him to the stand of trees. Once they entered the shady canopy, she could hear the sound of trickling water.
Down a short trail to the left, the trees suddenly opened up to a wide creek where knee-deep water tumbled over large boulders and bleached, fallen logs. In places, willows grew along the creek bank, while other spots were filled with cattails and Indian paintbrush.
A few feet away from the water’s edge, Rafe dismounted Gunsmoke then helped her down from the saddle.
Once she was standing on the ground his hands lingered on the sides of her waist and Lilly was grateful for the support.
“I thought I was in pretty good shape,” she said with a little laugh. “But my legs feel like two flimsy twigs.”
“Riding uses muscles you don’t know you have. You need to be doing this more. Think you can walk okay?”
“Sure. I’m not that bad off.”
He loosened the girths on both horses and dropped their reins so both animals could move freely to get a drink or nip at the grass.
> “They’ll stick close by,” he assured her. He lifted a pair of saddlebags from his mount then motioned for her to follow him.
After skirting around a pair of tall fir trees, they came face-to-face with a huge boulder blocking the path.
“What now? Am I supposed to turn into a squirrel and scamper over that thing?”
He laughed. “Either climb rock or wade water. Take your pick.”
“You didn’t bring me on a leisurely ride. You brought me on a death march,” she joked.
Laughing, he said, “C’mon. I’ll help you over.”
A minute later, they were standing safely on the other side and Lilly was staring around her in complete wonder. A string of head-high boulders created a U shape that opened to the creek. The flat surface inside the hidden space was several yards wide and covered with a carpet of thick green grass. Wildflowers grew along the base of the rocks and higher along the tiny fissures of cracks created by years of eroding wind and water. Above their heads boughs of white fir and pine created fingers of cool shade and filled the air with the pungent scent of evergreen.
“Oh, my,” she said in a low, awe-filled voice. “I thought the meadow was gorgeous, but this is incredible. Rafe. It’s like a hidden room with a view of the creek.”
“I have many favorite spots on the ranch. But this one is at the top of my list.” He glanced at her. “Do you really like it?”
“I love it! It’s like we’re almost in another world.”
He dropped the saddlebags to the ground and reached for her. Lilly went all too willingly in his arms and as the front of her body settled against his, she sighed with undisguised pleasure.
“I’ve been dreaming about having you here with me, Lilly. With no phones or people. No sounds except the birds and the wind in the pines.”
He pushed the hat from her head and the stampede string caught against her throat and caused the crumpled straw to dangle against her back. With the headgear out of the way, he thrust his fingers into her hair and combed the flattened strands back from her face.
Lilly’s heart quickened and suddenly it didn’t matter that her legs were spongy and her mouth dry from thirst. Making love to Rafe was all that her mind could focus on and she tilted her face invitingly up to his.
One Tall, Dusty Cowboy (Men of the West Book 29) Page 12