It was enough for now.
In the near distance, just beyond a stand of trees, the creek gurgled and splashed. While Natalie got the baby out of the truck, Aaron removed the fishing poles and other gear he’d packed earlier.
“There’s no moon tonight.” She stared at the sky.
Shiloh, wide awake, wiggled her small arms and legs.
“Not to worry.” Aaron held up a kerosene lantern. “I came prepared.”
“Me, too.” Natalie patted the diaper bag. “Speaking of which…”
He lowered the tailgate. “Change her on this while I carry our stuff down.”
By the time she finished with Shiloh, Aaron had everything unloaded. Together they wove through the trees and walked down the small incline to the creek bank.
“This is nice,” Natalie said upon seeing their makeshift fishing camp.
He’d set up two folding chairs a safe distance from the bank. Between the two chairs was a small cooler containing cold drinks. The fishing poles and tackle box lay on the ground in front of the chairs, and the lantern hung from a tree branch.
“You got all this at the ranch?”
“We’re well stocked. As the brochure says, the only necessity we don’t provide is a fishing license.”
“You have way too much free time if you’re reading ranch brochures.” Her laugh was low yet full of life.
He liked the sound of it, and mentally added laughter to the list of a hundred or so other things he liked about her.
“Thanks for bringing this.” Natalie placed Shiloh’s carrier on the small plastic tarp he’d brought and laid out beside one of the chairs.
“I didn’t want to have to put her on the ground.”
“I love fishing.” Natalie bent and retrieved one of the poles, affording Aaron a dandy view of her jean-clad backside.
“It’s one of my favorite sports, too,” he muttered, his attention focused, his body stirring in response.
“Oh my gosh. I don’t believe you brought this.” She picked up a Sesame Street fishing pole and turned around. “I think Shiloh’s still too young to hold this.”
“Maybe not.” Glad for the distraction, Aaron grabbed one of the pole holders he’d brought and pushed it into the ground beside Shiloh.
“You’re not serious.”
“There’s a pole holder for you, too, if you want.”
“Then what would I do with my hands?”
So much for being distracted. “I’m sure we can come up with something.”
“Like drinking soda?”
He swore he detected a hint of teasing in her tone. But it just might be his imagination running away with him.
“I’ll bait the hooks,” Aaron said. If he didn’t get busy with fishing, he’d be tempted to get busy with something else entirely. “You grab us those sodas.”
“Hey, I’m an avid fisherman, remember? I can bait my own hook.”
“If you’re that good, then bait Shiloh’s pole and mine while you’re at it.”
They fished for nearly an hour with only a few nibbles to show for their efforts. Aaron didn’t care. He enjoyed talking to Natalie. When Shiloh started to cry, Natalie excused herself and went to the truck. He recalled his first day on the ranch when he’d walked into Jake’s office and discovered her nursing Shiloh. Tonight, like then, he saw nothing, but his mind nonetheless conjured an image.
What he felt about that image had little to do with sex and a lot to do with his longing for a wife and family. When he’d first lost Hailey, he couldn’t conceive of making a life with another woman. Eventually, his grief lessened, but he still didn’t view the women he met as potential love interests.
Until Natalie.
“I had two job offers recently,” he said when she returned. “Well, one serious offer. The other could turn into something serious if I pursue it.”
“Rodeoing?” She held Shiloh against her shoulder and rubbed her back. The baby looked ready to drop off any second.
“No. Believe it or not, they’re both in the media. One television, one, the serious offer, in radio.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe it? You used to be on that cable rodeo show and have done, what, three broadcasts with KRDS?”
He chuckled. “I guess it still surprises me that I wound up in broadcasting. It was never my goal. I’m just a cowboy.”
“Would either of the jobs take you away from the foundation?”
Natalie had resettled Shiloh in the carrier and was fussing over her, adjusting the blanket just so. She was a good mother. Another one of the hundred or so things he liked about her. And she could bait a hook like a pro.
“That’s the really nice part,” he said. “I’d only have to work a few days a week. The bad part is I’d have to be on the road those days.”
“I wouldn’t mind traveling now and again.”
“This from a girl who lives at the same place she works.”
“You’d probably be shocked to learn I can count on ten fingers the number of times I’ve visited Phoenix. And I’ve never been out of Arizona.”
He was shocked. “Where would you go if you could pick anyplace in the world?”
“Hawaii.” She sighed wistfully. “On a cruise. For two weeks.”
“Cruise? Are you afraid of flying?”
“Don’t know.” She shrugged. “I haven’t ever done it.”
“Then why the cruise? And why two weeks?”
“Because for once in my life I want people to wait on me. Pick up after me. Bring me my food. Listen to my complaints and bend over backward to ensure that I’m happy.”
“You’ve thought a lot about this.”
“For years.” She removed her pole from the holder and tested the line. “But no matter where I went, I’d always come home to Bear Creek Ranch. There’s no place I’d rather live.”
“Tell me about Drew.”
Frowning, she fiddled with her reel. “I’d rather talk about Hawaii.”
“He must have had some redeeming qualities.”
“I thought so once. That was before he asked to abdicate his rights to Shiloh.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Besides the fact he’s a jerk?” She returned her pole to the holder.
“I can understand parents don’t always get along and have to split up. But to abandon your kid?”
“I think his new wife is behind it. She isn’t keen on their baby having an older half sister.”
“They have a baby?”
“About to.”
Jerk was right. Drew hadn’t wasted any time hooking up with another woman.
Aaron reached for Natalie’s hand. “That must be really hard on you.”
“It’s for the best,” she said resolutely. “Drew doesn’t deserve Shiloh.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them staring at the black water rushing past. “I’m not saying death is better than being dumped by a loser like Drew. But you loved Hailey, and you cherish your memories of her. If you’d had children, you could have told them about how wonderful their mother was. I don’t know what to tell Shiloh.” Natalie glanced down at her sleeping baby.
“When it’s time, the right thing will come to you.”
“I hope so.”
“Hailey and I almost had a child.”
“You did?”
“She was pregnant when she died.”
“Oh, Aaron,” Natalie gasped and gripped his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t tell anybody at the time of the accident. I was having enough trouble coping as it was. I finally told Jake a few weeks ago. He took it hard.”
“I can imagine.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “How awful for everyone. You, especially.” She lifted his hand to her cheek. It was damp from her tears.
Aaron felt one more crack in his heart heal. Without conscious thought, he leaned toward her. She did the same.
Their lips no sooner touched then a sharp click sounded, followed by a loud whirring.
<
br /> She drew back with a start. “What’s that?”
Had it been any other interruption, Aaron might have been annoyed. Instead, he laughed.
“I think your daughter just landed her first fish.”
Chapter Fourteen
Natalie didn’t suffer a single moment of indecision while Aaron walked her to her front door. She was going to kiss him good-night. If he didn’t make the first move, she would.
He’d been right about them only having a week to figure out if what they had going between them was worth fighting the many obstacles facing them, only one of which was Jake. Aaron’s potential new job was perhaps the most difficult obstacle. Relationships tended to suffer from frequent periods of separation.
One step at a time, she told herself. First, the good-night kiss.
She hadn’t counted on a sleeping baby in a carrier and a cumbersome diaper bag getting in the way of intimacy. She wanted both her arms free to wrap around Aaron.
He unwittingly obliged. “Here, I’ll hold Shiloh while you get the door.”
“Thanks.”
He took the carrier from her, and she dug her key out of her pants pocket. Bear Creek Ranch was a safe place to live, but as a single mother with a baby, Natalie took no chances. Unfortunately, more than one cabin had been broken into or vandalized by juveniles.
“Thanks for tonight,” she said, unlocking the door. “I had a great time even though I was outfished by my daughter.”
“Great enough to go out with me tomorrow night?”
She stuffed the key back in her pocket, opened the door and looked back over her shoulder at him. “Why don’t you come inside, and we’ll talk about it.”
Enough light shone through the open door for her to clearly see his face. What wasn’t clear to her were the emotions flitting across it.
“You need to know something first.”
“What’s that?”
His seriousness caused her to doubt herself. Had she come on too strong? Put him in an awkward position? Given him the wrong idea? The diaper bag on her shoulder suddenly weighed a hundred pounds.
“If I’m alone with you in your cabin, I’m going to kiss you.”
Her exhale of relief came out as a shudder of anticipation. She remembered what he’d said about kissing her that day they were in the employee dining area. Going to, not try. He’d said it again tonight with the same conviction.
“I’m counting on it.” Taking Shiloh from him, she stepped inside.
He followed and stopped her in the middle of the living room with a hand on her arm. “Here. Alone with you. I might not be able to stop at just a kiss.” His grip on her arm melted into a caress that grew increasingly bolder. “I haven’t been with a woman since Hailey. I haven’t wanted to until now.”
She swallowed and hoped he didn’t notice her trembling hands. “I haven’t been with a man since Drew,” she said softly. “And he was the only one.”
Aaron groaned, low and ragged. “Maybe we should rethink this kiss. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
If not for Shiloh, Natalie might have gone into his arms. “You always say the right thing.”
“I’m not trying to.” He removed his cowboy hat and raked a hand through his hair. “You’d tell me to get lost if you heard what I really want to say.”
“I might not. I might be thinking the same thing.” She started toward Shiloh’s bedroom. “Wait here while I put her to bed. Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge. When I get done, we’ll talk more about that kiss.”
Shiloh cooperated by not waking up while Natalie changed her diaper and dressed her in a sleeper. Fishing and being outside all evening had thrown them both off schedule. She doubted Shiloh would sleep her usual six hours straight through.
Nuzzling a satiny cheek, Natalie laid Shiloh in the bassinet. Her daughter was growing so fast. Soon, next week probably, she’d have to buy a crib. When she reached over to adjust the night-light, she was startled to find Aaron standing in the doorway studying her.
For a moment, neither of them moved. It had been a long time since a man desired her and made that desire known. She wanted to savor the sensation a while longer.
“I hope I wasn’t intruding,” he said.
“It’s all right.”
“You’re incredibly beautiful.”
Her hand went automatically to her hair. “After working all day and fishing tonight, I must be a mess.”
“Anything but.” His gaze was hot and unwavering.
She went to him, her eyes never leaving his face.
“Are you sure, querida?” He pulled her out into the hallway. “Because once we start, there’s no stopping. No going back.”
“My whole world is this ranch.”
“I know. And I don’t want you to jeopardize your place here because of me.”
“You don’t understand.” She lifted a hand and skimmed her knuckles across his bristled jawline. “I live here. I work here. I spend most of my free time here.” Her fingers glided down the column of his neck and dipped beneath the collar of his shirt. He tensed at the slight but potent contact. “I want you to take me places tonight I’ve never been, show me things I’ve never seen. Excite me in ways I never dreamed possible.”
A groan came from deep in his chest. He lowered his head for that kiss they’d been talking so much about.
“Not here.” She slipped away from him.
He hesitated.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I wasn’t counting on…this. I don’t have any protection with me.”
She smiled, pleased that he hadn’t assumed their date would automatically end with them in bed together. “I have some in the bathroom drawer.” She started to explain the condoms were left over from when she and Drew were together, but decided she’d brought up his name enough for one evening. The next few hours belonged to her and Aaron alone.
Refusing to turn on the bathroom light and ruin the seductive mood, she fumbled in the dark, finally locating the condoms in the back of the drawer. Together, they went into the bedroom. She was acutely aware of him in the darkness. The rustle of his clothing. The muffled thud of his boots on her carpeted floor. His uneven breathing, so like her own.
She removed a condom from the box and set both on the nightstand. If she had known ahead of time they’d wind up here, she would have put candles out. Aaron by flickering candlelight would be worth seeing.
She sensed him behind her and turned. In the next instant, she was where she’d wanted to be all evening. In his arms.
No sooner did his tongue touch her lips than she parted them, her soft moan encouraging him to sample every corner of her mouth. This kiss wasn’t like the one on her porch steps and definitely not like the practically chaste one in the employee dining area. No, this kiss was pure heat, pure hunger, pure passion.
One of his hands found the small of her back and pulled her flush against him. The hard ridge of his erection pressed into the junction of her legs, and she went weak from a sudden surge of pleasure. Sighing, she reached up to sift her fingers through his hair. It was thick and softer than she’d expected. Her leg wound around his calf, bringing them into even closer contact.
He broke away from her only to lower his head and tantalize the sensitive spot beneath her ear with his tongue. Simultaneously, his hand yanked at her shirt. The fabric stuck in the waistband of her jeans and seemed to defeat him. He uttered a desperate curse and yanked harder.
She stepped back. “Wait.”
“Sorry,” he said in a strained voice. “I got carried away.”
“No. That’s not it.” With trembling fingers, she pulled her shirt from her pants and over her head, then tossed it on the floor. “You were taking too long.”
“I’m out of practice,” he said and drew her to him again.
His worn work shirt rubbing against her bra gave her goose bumps. She wondered how his bare skin would feel on hers. He must have been wondering the same thing, t
oo, for he tugged at the snaps of his shirt, freeing them one by one. Each pop heightened Natalie’s anticipation. No sooner did he have the shirt unfastened than she helped him out of it. His undershirt came next. Then her bra.
His skin was warm, almost feverish. The muscles of his back and shoulders were corded and powerful. She would have kept exploring the contours of his muscled frame all night, but he apparently had other plans.
He cupped her breast and ran the pad of his thumb over her nipple. It instantly formed a tight bud. She moaned her enjoyment only to gasp when a small amount of breast milk leaked out.
“I…ah…” Embarrassed, she tried to push his hand away.
He wouldn’t let her. “So sweet,” he murmured and continued to rub her damp nipple with his thumb. Then, to her shock and intense enjoyment, he lowered his head and licked the moisture from her.
“Aaron.” Her knees went weak when his mouth grew bolder and his caresses hotter. Her need, great to begin with, intensified.
Without warning, he straightened, unfastening his belt buckle as he did. Seconds later, she heard the zipper of his jeans. He kicked off his boots and shed the remainder of his clothes. Her hands went right to him and discovered he was entirely naked.
What she wouldn’t give for those candles now.
He didn’t wait for her to undress, and finished the job himself, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down her legs. When he finished, they found the bed and tumbled onto it, a glorious tangle of arms and legs. He rolled her onto her back, pinning her to the mattress and bringing their antics to a tantalizing halt.
She couldn’t see his eyes in the dark but imagined they were boring into hers. Impulsively, she reached up and traced the contours of his face with her fingers. When her hand ventured close to his mouth, he turned his head and kissed her palm.
“I care about you, querida. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
She believed him. “I care about you, too.” As soon as she said the words, she realized she could easily feel a whole lot more for him.
Aaron’s hands roamed her body, touching and teasing. Lowering his head to her breast, he tasted her again. When the sensation became unbearable, she arched her back and pleaded with him to stop.
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