Convincing the Rancher

by Claire McEwen

  “You are not taking me to the local make-out spot, are you?” Tess asked, looking out at the rich darkness around the truck. “And, just to clarify, you’re not some kind of serial killer, correct?”

  Slaid’s husky laughter filled the cab. He leaned over, put his arm around her and kissed her hair. “Negative to both questions. Well, actually, I haven’t been to the local make-out spot lately, so I dunno, maybe this is the new place. Though the kids would probably be here by now if it was.”

  She tipped her face up. She could barely see him in the blackness, but she felt him, his warm breath on her skin and the brush of his lips across her mouth.

  “I wanted to show you a place I love,” he murmured.

  “Let me guess,” she murmured back. “This place you love is outside in the freezing cold.”

  “It is. But I’ve got blankets, Scotch and dark chocolate.”

  “Scotch and dark chocolate is one of my favorite combinations. Have you been talking to Samantha?”

  “I may have run into her the other day and mentioned I was thinking of taking you on a late-night picnic.”

  Warmth filled her at the idea of him seeking out her friend to find out what she liked. “Okay, fine. I’ll go out there and freeze with you. As long as we can come back in here and crank the heat when I cry mercy.”

  “You got it. But I promise I’ll keep you warm.”

  His low voice was already doing the job.

  They opened the doors of the cab and Tess gave a little gasp when she took a breath. It felt as if she was inhaling ice crystals. But she met Slaid at the back of the truck where he opened the tailgate and with no warning, put his hands under her arms and effortlessly lifted her onto the truck bed. Then he jumped up and walked to the back, where there were a few duffel bags and a thick foam pad rolled up.

  Tess sat on the edge of the truck and watched as he unrolled the foam, covered it in a blanket and pulled more blankets and even a down comforter out of the duffels. Pillows went against the back of the cab.

  “Okay, this is kind of cool and kind of creepy,” Tess said. “Who brings bedding on a date?”

  “Hang on! I’m not finished yet!” Slaid pulled out a small, low folding table and placed a bottle of Glenlivet, two glasses, a candle and an assortment of chocolate bars on it. He lit the candle and, in a final flourish, pulled out a single red rose and handed it to her. Its petals had been crushed a bit, but it only served to release its heavy perfume. Tess inhaled the sweet smell of the rose, completely out of place and exotic in the dark desert night.

  “There,” Slaid said, with a satisfied tone. “Hopefully more romantic then creepy.”

  Her laugh was sharp in the intense quiet around them. “And definitely warmer than sitting out here.” She got up from her perch and knelt down on the foam, pulled off her boots and climbed under the blankets. He did the same, poured them both a shot of Scotch and they leaned back on the pillows. Slaid clinked his glass to hers, saying, “To new adventures.”

  The burn of the alcohol and the smoky taste of the whiskey warmed Tess inside, and snuggling next to Slaid under the blankets quickly warmed the rest of her.

  “This is very cozy,” she said, “but why, exactly, are we here, and not at one of our houses, which are both empty tonight?”

  “Look up.”

  There were more stars above them than she’d known existed in the universe. Without the lights of the town competing with them, with the small moon setting, their glory was astounding. Layers and layers of crystal specks, extending into a space that her imagination couldn’t begin to comprehend. Slaid pulled her close, so she was leaning against his strong shoulder.

  “I wanted you to see this,” he murmured.

  Suddenly a light streaked across the sky. “Yipes!” Tess sat bolt upright.

  “Amazing.” Slaid’s voice held a reverence she’d never heard.

  “What was that?” Her heart was pounding.

  “The Southern Taurids.” Slaid pulled her gently back onto his shoulder. “Meteor showers.”

  “Really? We just saw a meteor?”

  “Yep. A bright one. You must be my good-luck charm. I rarely see anything like that.”

  Tess studied the sky, hoping something else would happen. She took another sip of her Scotch.

  “Chocolate?” Slaid offered, passing her a bar.

  “Hang on. I want to see if there’s any more.”

  He started laughing. “A girl refusing chocolate? Hmm, I think it’s actually happened.”

  “What’s happened?” She thought she saw a faint light traveling across the sky and pointed. “Wait—is that a meteor?”

  Slaid craned his neck to see where she pointed. “A satellite.”

  “Oh.” Disappointed, she looked up at him. “What’s actually happened?” she asked, going back to his previous comment.

  “You like it here.”

  It took a moment for the words to sink in. But when they did, she realized he was right. The past couple of days in Benson she’d felt more relaxed, more accepting and more balanced than she could ever remember feeling. But she didn’t want to get Slaid’s hopes up. She’d be leaving soon.

  “Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe I’ve just never seen a meteor before.”

  “Well, I’m glad I got to be here for your first.”

  Tess set the chocolate bar aside unopened and took another sip of her Scotch before setting it on the small table. “You know how else you could be my first?”

  “How?”

  “Like this.” She turned toward him, pulled herself up to his eye level and kissed him. He tasted like Scotch and warmth and everything she really wanted for dessert.

  He pulled back to look at her. “You mean you never had a good old-fashioned make-out session in the back of a truck?”

  “I’m a city girl, remember? Most of our illicit activity takes place indoors.”

  He set down his drink and pulled her up onto his lap, facing him. Then he unzipped her parka. “I can help with this deficit in your upbringing.”

  “Really?” she murmured against his mouth, kissing him again. “I’d appreciate that.”

  He hauled the blankets up around her shoulders, cocooning them both against the back of the truck. And then he kissed her, such a slow, intimate gesture that she felt his touch not only in her mouth but along her nerves and over her skin.

  When he finally ended the kiss, she wasn’t sure she was still breathing, she’d been so completely lost in it. She opened her eyes in shock and saw the same in his, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening between them. Then the haze cleared and a triumphant smile tilted his mouth. “That was pretty good, huh?” he said quietly.

  “It was great.” That was all she could manage before becoming completely distracted by the way her fingers felt sliding through his hair and down to caress the strong line of his jaw. She set her mouth over his, parting his lips, taking the same journey he’d taken, wanting to taste every part of him.

  His hands were under her parka, and she felt the touch of air on her skin when he slid her sweater up and unhooked her bra. His palms molded the curve of her ribs, surrounded her breasts, overwhelmingly gentle and insistent at once. She gasped deep in her throat, his mouth catching the sound.

  “Tess,” he whispered, and it seemed to give her name new meaning. He rolled her off him, laid her down carefully on the makeshift mattress pulling the quilts firmly around her again. His caring gesture only made her want him more. She fumbled with his silver belt buckle, unable to wrest it open with her shaking fingers until his big hand came over hers and they released the clasp together.

  He unzipped his jeans and pulled them off, then turned over to meet her gaze with eyes almost as black as the surrounding darkness. The intensity she saw there matched the feelings tangled up inside her, and she sat up and slid her own jeans off, pulling him down under the covers with her. He supported himself on one forearm, and his huge frame radiated heat all along her body; she f
orgot the intense cold of the almost-winter night, conscious only of its beauty. Every time she opened her eyes he was over her, a dark shadow framed in a million flying stars. His free hand left a trail of warmth in the path it traced over her stomach and hips, a warmth that turned to burning when he touched and teased between her legs.

  “Slaid.” She gasped his name, wanting him inside her, feeling like if it didn’t happen soon she might go up in flames, just like the meteor they’d seen earlier.

  He reached for his jeans and rummaged in the pockets, brought the condom to his mouth and ripped it open with his teeth. He growled as he did it, making her laugh as he slid the condom on and rolled to lie fully over her.

  His hands were braced on either side of her head, holding him up. With his weight over her, his warmth around her and inside her, she was immobilized, and she loved it. A groan of sheer pleasure vibrated through her but he didn’t move, just studied her face. “I want you, Tess. Like I’ve never wanted anyone. I dreamed of you for two long years, and now that you’re here, I don’t see how I’ll ever get enough of you.”

  He kissed her then, not letting her answer, maybe tired of hearing her protests and rationalizations about why they could never work out. She was tired of her rationalizing, too—sick of keeping sex in a sterile compartment. Under this blazing, fiery sky, she welcomed the emotions that flooded her, sensation radiating not just through her body but along the pathways of her mind, singing through her synapses until tears poured down her cheeks and she wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying.

  And only then did he begin to move inside her, so slowly, making sure she felt every moment. Desire combined with all her wild emotion, and she gripped his shoulders tightly to ground herself. But it was impossible to stay grounded when he pushed himself so fiercely inside her, when her body responded with such blazing joy. When they were finished, and he buried his face in her hair, murmuring her name like a prayer, she watched the sky. There was a shower of sparks above them, and she gasped. Slaid rolled over, looking up to try to see what she had.

  “I think you missed it,” she said. “I think they were small, far-away meteors. It looked like sparks from fireworks.”

  He laughed softly. “It’s the perfect opening.”

  “To what?” She was too languid, post sex to actually look at him.

  “To say something like, ‘Baby, I don’t need to see fireworks when we just made plenty of our own.’”

  “No!” she protested, cringing at his terrible pillow talk. And he took her hand and held it as they lay giggling, watching the sky for more glimpses of the meteors.

  * * *

  TESS DIDN’T KNOW when she’d been so completely content. She’d enjoyed all her favorite things tonight: Slaid, sex, chocolate and Scotch. Not to mention her new favorite thing: hot sex in a truck bed under a sky full of shooting stars. And then more sex back at her cottage in the comfortable bed. Sex with a wildness that had her gripping the iron bars of the headboard—and hoping her neighbors were heavy sleepers. She closed her eyes, and the memories of the night heated her skin in a way that had nothing to do with the hot bathwater she was immersed in.

  “You okay down there?” Slaid was the world’s best backrest, though it had been tricky to fit his huge body into the claw-foot tub. She was snuggled down between his thighs, the water up to her chin, letting the hot water take away the soreness of her muscles after all the insane things they’d just done.

  “Mmm...” She sighed. “I’m good. Very, very good. You?”

  “Never been better.” His fingers massaged her scalp. “I could get used to this.”

  Tess yawned and refused to listen to the voices in her head that conspired to pull her out of this moment by warning her not to get used to it, that all this was temporary. She didn’t want to think about that right now.

  “You’re sleepy.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” He lifted her easily to her feet and stood up behind her, holding her steady when she swayed slightly. He stepped out of the tub and insisted on lifting her up and over the edge, wrapping her in a soft bath towel and helping her dry her hair. They brushed their teeth side by side—another first for Tess.

  Slaid tucked her carefully into bed before lying down next to her and spooning her. “You want to tell me what’s going on?” he said, his breath stirring her hair.

  “Just so tired,” she breathed, feeling sleep approaching like a peaceful, cool fog. Her voice seemed so far way, as if it was coming from someone else when she whispered, “So tired of being alone. Never felt so safe before. Ever.” And then the warm darkness covered her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  SLAID WATCHED TESS ride Wendy around the corral. Devin was perched on the top rail fence giving her instructions. It was unbelievable, the way his son had taken to Tess. Despite acting tough, Devin missed having a mom. And there was something about Tess that he clicked with, some sort of understanding that they had. Maybe it stemmed from the day they’d met, when Devin had broken her fence. Slaid wasn’t happy about Devin’s behavior that day, but maybe it was good that his son had met Tess on his own terms, forging a bond with her before even knowing who she was. However it happened, he was grateful that his son liked the woman he’d fallen in love with.

  It would take some time to get used to those words. He’d said “I love you” to one other woman—Jeannette. But they’d been together since high school. Sure, he’d had a crush on her back then, been thrilled that she’d let him put his hand on her bra, but had he really been in love? He didn’t think so anymore. Not like this, at least—not like last night when he’d lain awake watching Tess sleep, making sure she was okay. Her last words haunted him... What had happened to her that she’d never felt safe before? She’d slept deeply, with a small smile on her face, until he’d kissed her goodbye in the early dawn, determined to get home before Cal’s family dropped off Devin.

  But he hadn’t fooled his twenty-first-century son. Devin had hopped out of Cal’s parents’ SUV, and come straight over to where Slaid had been loading the truck with hay. “Where’s Tess?” he’d asked. And when Slaid had explained with all the false innocence that he could muster that Tess was likely at home where he’d left her last night, Devin had just laughed. “Jeez, Dad,” he’d said. “You don’t have to pretend with me.” And he’d given his dad a wink and headed toward the house, whistling merrily.

  From the mouths of babes. How did his son manage to be worldlier than him most of the time?

  Tess had arrived at the ranch for lunch. Slaid had grilled burgers and they’d all sat out on the patio, absorbing the meager sunshine while they ate. Devin had picked up where he’d left off last night, teasing Tess about her lack of football knowledge, which prompted them to get a football and teach Tess to throw and catch. And if Slaid had thrown in the occasional tackle, well, he was a guy, crazy about a beautiful woman—who could blame him for wanting to throw his arms around her and bring her, squealing and laughing, down to the ground once in a while?

  Once they’d shown Tess where to place her fingers along the laces, how to hold her elbow up to leverage the ball, she’d lobbed it right over their heads—which had impressed Devin. But best of all was the surprised look on her face as she watched it sail away, and the hilarious jumping dance she’d done afterward.

  He’d just stared at her, amazed. The icy cool Tess who’d glided into his office in her sexy power suit a few weeks ago was nowhere to be seen. And he was completely in love with this woman, her thick blond hair tossed in the wind, almost no trace of makeup on her beautiful face and her smile unguarded and ear to ear.

  Finally finished cleaning the paddock, Slaid picked up the manure-laden wheelbarrow and pushed it to the gate. Not his favorite job, but he figured he’d give Devin a break from his chores since he was having such a good time with Tess.

  Orlando came over and nuzzled him, hoping for a treat before Slaid left. “Later, big guy,” Slaid
told him, patting his neck. Orlando blew out an alfalfa-sweet horsey sigh and wandered off, clearly disgruntled.

  “Slaid!” Tess was calling to him, so he latched the gate and left the wheelbarrow where it was, walking down the hillside toward her. “Look at what Devin taught me!” She gently turned Wendy and gave her a little nudge, and the mustang broke into a slow jog around the paddock.

  “Push your weight into your legs,” Devin called, and Slaid remembered how, not too long ago, he’d been sitting right where Devin was, calling out the same advice to his son. Pride swelled. His boy had come a long way.

  Tess slowed Wendy back to a walk and looked over at Slaid, her eyes shining with a tentative pride. “What do you think?”

  He smiled, trying to figure out how to put into coherent words the way he felt right now. He couldn’t, so he stuck with, “It looks as if you belong up there.”

  He opened the gate and she rode Wendy out, dismounting stiffly while Slaid held the reins. Devin approached. “That was awesome, Tess!”

  She smiled at him, and Slaid saw true affection there. “Well, I had a great teacher,” she told him, and Devin beamed.

  “Want to go for a ride around the ranch?” Slaid asked. “Dev, we can show her the higher pastures and a bit of the mountains.”

  “Sure!” Devin had a huge grin on his face.

  “Why don’t you saddle up Orlando and Puck and I’ll grab us some food from the house?”

  “I’ll go with you,” Tess offered.

  He took her hand as they strolled up the driveway and kept it when they went inside. It wasn’t until he’d decided what sandwich makings to pull out of his fridge that he was willing to let go.

  * * *

  MAYBE IT WAS being with Devin and Slaid and listening to their good-natured, teasing rapport. Maybe it was the bright autumn sunshine, or that the world looked different from the back of a beautiful mustang like Wendy. Whatever it was, Tess saw the mountains differently today. Everything looked brighter, more cheerful, that it had before. The peaks still looked majestic, but not as forbidding as they once had. The creeks they crossed as they went higher up were more of a trickle now at the end of the dry season, but Tess easily imagined the way they’d roll and tumble with snowmelt in the spring. Then Slaid paused in the woods and they watched in silence as the aspen leaves fell around them, drifting like golden confetti through the forest.