by Cat Johnson
If this were any other time in Riley’s life, Skeeter wouldn’t be sitting in bed with her making small talk until she could fall asleep. Instead, he’d be exploring every inch of her, getting to know her in so many ways.
That time would come. God, he hoped it would. He hadn’t considered trying to have a serious girlfriend since he’d started traveling with the pro circuit. It had seemed impossible. Riley made him want to have one. To have her. She made it seem possible. They did live in the same world. It was very possible.
His pulse sped a bit thinking of lying down with Riley every night, just like this. Like this, but different because if they were together as a couple, they wouldn’t be talking right now. It was nearly impossible, but he yanked his mind off thoughts of making love to Riley. Of what the first time together would be like.
Riley couldn’t know about his internal conflict as she continued to talk. “Yeah, I guess they are different. I still hope she says yes.”
He smiled at her optimism. “Careful. Your romantic side is showing.”
She lifted one shoulder. “That’s okay. It’s only you here. I’ll play the tough stock contractor with the heart of steel tomorrow.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. The fact she felt she could show him a part of herself she couldn’t show others warmed him inside. “Close your eyes. The rest of the guys will be here tomorrow, and believe me, you’re gonna need all your energy to deal with them.”
“Nah. I know you’ll deal with them for me.” Her voice sounded dreamy as she sank heavier against him, but all Skeeter could think about was how much trust and faith she’d already placed in him. He’d do whatever it took to live up to her expectations. There was no way he was going to let her down.
“Skeeter?” She surprised him by speaking. She’d been silent for long enough after her pronouncement of her faith in him that he’d thought she might have drifted off.
“Yeah?”
“I liked our kiss.”
Skeeter smiled. “I liked it too.”
He felt her relax against him again. Her breathing slowed until it became a steady, deep rhythm. All the while, he tensed beside her. He’d never wanted a woman this much.
Damn. Sleep wouldn’t come easy for him tonight. Not with Riley on his mind. Definitely not with her pressed against him, waking parts of his body he wished would go back to sleep, at least for tonight.
Chapter Twelve
Riley woke to birds singing and what sounded like the front screen door banging shut. As her senses began to awaken, she smelled coffee and something else. Bacon. Her stomach rumbled. The sound of hushed voices filtered into her bedroom through the closed door.
The others were already awake and cooking. That she’d slept was amazing enough. That she’d overslept, even more so. She turned her head and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Seven in the morning. She never slept past six. Sometimes in the summer when the sun rose early she’d wake even earlier.
Then again, she’d never had Skeeter in her bed before. Drawing little circles on her arm with his fingertip while she lay against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
She stretched and reached one hand out to the side of the bed he’d lain on, now empty. How he’d snuck out without waking her, she didn’t know. It couldn’t have been easy since she’d fallen asleep while leaning against him.
It had been a perfect night. His kissing her. His holding her. His display of sweetness one more time when he worried she needed sleep… And it wouldn’t happen again. Not now that the rest of his friends were coming.
Riley could count on Mustang and Slade to keep occupied and out of their hair because of their girls. Garret and his wife, Silver, might not notice either. They’d be too into each other. But the other guys? No such luck. Aaron would see if Skeeter snuck out of the attic in the middle of the night. Chase too, when he arrived.
Thoughts of the new arrivals were motivation enough to get Riley moving. So was that bacon she smelled. She needed to get up and out of bed.
Even the coffee smelled good today. And she’d gone to the grocery store yesterday morning to prepare for the influx of guests so she had cream in the house to put in that coffee.
For the first morning since that dreadful night, she got up feeling hungry and excited and actually well rested. Skeeter had been right. A good night’s sleep had done her a world of good. She might just have to find some way to have him be her teddy bear again tonight. If even for a little while. Though truth be told, she wouldn’t mind him staying with her for the entire night, and doing more than sleeping.
The preacher had it right. A bunch of young, single bull riders were not good to have in a house with a young woman alone, even though it was only one bull rider Pastor Porter needed to be concerned about. There was only one of these guys Riley was interested in. After that kiss, even if it did end much too soon, she believed he might be interested in her too.
She threw on a different T-shirt but didn’t want to take the time to do much more. Her braid was still in from last night. Maybe she could get away without redoing it. Torn between wanting to get out there to see Skeeter and wanting to look decent when she did, Riley glanced in the mirror. Hell, she looked fine. It was only breakfast. After they ate, she’d throw on a hat, go outside and get to work and no one would see her hair anyway.
After taking one more whiff of the tantalizing breakfast, Riley pulled open her bedroom door. She headed down the hall to the kitchen where she found both women already busy. “Good morning.”
Sage turned at Riley’s greeting and smiled. Her own hair hung in a long ponytail that swung when she moved. “Good morning. You sleep well?”
“I did.” Strange as it seemed, it was the truth. “I should be asking you how y’all slept.”
Jenna straightened from where she’d been bent over peering into the open oven door. “As well as I can with Slade snoring next to me.” She smiled wide. “But I miss him so much when we’re apart, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I kind of like being half awake all night. That way I know he’s really there next to me.”
Riley remembered what Skeeter had told her in confidence last night. Maybe Jenna wouldn’t have to be apart from Slade for much longer—if they could figure out the geographic issue.
“Michael—” Sage cringed, “—I mean Mustang sleeps like a log. Barely moves. Barely breathes as far as I can tell.”
A smile curved Riley’s lips. “Michael?”
Sage hissed in a breath through her teeth. “Yeah, that’s his real name. Please don’t tell him I slipped and called him that in front of you. He really hates it. Though he keeps calling me Little Bit in front of folks, so I guess fair is fair.”
“Mustang and Sage grew up next to each other. There are all sorts of childhood tales and nicknames for you to hear. You’ll get used to it.” Jenna grabbed a potholder from a hook on the wall and headed back to the stove.
The conversation made Riley realize she didn’t even know Skeeter’s real name and considering some of her thoughts about him recently, she really should. Riley was pretty sure his mother didn’t name him Skeeter when he was born, so she’d have to learn what his given name was.
She had a lot to learn about Skeeter and his friends. Hopefully they’d be around for a little while, and not just so she could hear the stories. It was nice having women in the house. Strange. Different, but nice.
Riley watched Jenna and Sage, both busy by the stove, while she stood doing nothing. She was being a horrible hostess. “Can I help with something?”
“We’ve got it covered.” Sage plucked a strip of bacon from the pan and laid it on a platter. “Sit. Grab some coffee and a piece of bacon before the boys come back and it’s all gone.”
That brought up another question. “Where are they, anyway?”
“Taking care of the animals. They should be in any minute.”
Riley frowned. Jeez, she was really slacking. What had happened to her? “I should help them.”
&
nbsp; “Stop. Sit. We’re here to help you, not the other way around.” Jenna spoke so matter of factly, it left no argument.
Well, maybe one. “Will they know what to do?”
“That may be up for debate.” Sage laughed. “I think they were fine working with the bulls, but from what I saw, Mustang and Skeeter didn’t see eye to eye as to the proper order of things as far as tending the horses. I think Skeeter won out in the end.”
Jenna pulled the cast-iron skillet out of the oven and set it on the stovetop before she turned to Riley. “Skeeter’s different here, have you noticed? Usually he just…you know, smiles and rolls with whatever the other guys want. But here he’s a real pit bull. It’s like he’s taken on the care of this place and Riley as his responsibility. So—” Jenna tossed the potholder on the counter and leveled her gaze on Riley, “—something going on with you two?”
“Don’t tell her, Riley,” Sage warned. “It’ll end up in her next book.”
Jenna frowned. “Hey, I use you people for inspiration only. Besides, I always change the names.”
Sage let out a noise. “Yeah, as if we, and everyone who knows us, couldn’t figure out that I was Willow and Mustang was Horse in that last book of yours.”
“That last book was a best seller, so you should be proud you had even a small part in it.” Jenna turned back to Riley. “So? Spill. What’s the deal?”
Riley felt her cheeks heat. Whether her story wound up in one of Jenna’s bestselling romance novels or not wasn’t the issue. Things hadn’t progressed far enough with Skeeter for her to know what the deal was. She shrugged. “I like him.”
“Yeah. And…” Jenna’s eyes widened.
Riley gave in to the pressure. “He kissed me last night.”
A grin spread across Sage’s face. “He did? Oh my God. Was that the first time?”
Apparently being nosy wasn’t only Jenna’s thing. Sage was interested too. Riley nodded. “Yeah.”
“I love the first kiss. You never forget that one, you know?” Jenna seemed wistful, until she spun on Riley. “So what else?”
Too bad for Jenna there was nothing else. “Then he told me I needed sleep and put me to bed.”
Sage laughed. “That sounds like Skeeter. Always a sweetheart.”
The more they talked, the easier it felt to confide in these women. One her own age, one older, but still they had so much in common given the men in their lives were so connected. The guys were together sometimes twenty-four hours at a time. It felt good to talk to someone else who understood this crazy life these guys chose to live. The same life she and her father had chosen.
The closeness of that connection made Riley want to tell them everything. Well, almost everything.
“He lay next to me—fully dressed and on top of the covers—until I fell asleep.” Both women cooed at that revelation. Riley shook her head. “And please don’t tell him I told you…or he might not do it again.”
“Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about that.” Jenna shook her head. “It looks to me like he’s in this for the long haul.”
“But we hardly know each other. I mean, yeah we’ve been on the same circuit all season, but we never hung out.”
Sage smiled. “I don’t know. I’ve seen him looking at you during the events a few times.”
Jenna raised a brow. “I’ve seen a lot of the guys watching her during the events, until her father got a look at them too and shot them that look of his.”
As fresh as the grief was, Riley still had to laugh at the truth of what Jenna had said. “I guess it’s no wonder Skeeter and everyone else steered clear of me, huh?”
“True.” Jenna nodded. “But he was just being a typical dad protecting his little girl.”
“Yeah, I know.” There were those tears again, so close to the surface. Riley pushed them down and walked over to glance into the skillet on the stove. “So what’s that you cooked again?”
“A frittata. So easy. Eggs, milk and whatever else you have in the fridge. I used the shredded cheese you had in there and the leftover onions from last night’s dinner. I even threw in a bit of those hot peppers. Not too many. I’m not from Texas like this one.” Jenna tipped her head toward Sage.
Sage rolled her eyes. “Not all food in Texas is spicy.”
Jenna laughed. “Whatever you say.”
Riley watched the two banter as she moved to the coffee pot and took down a bunch of mugs from the cabinet above it. She envied Sage and Jenna. The way they were so easy around each other.
Then again, they lived in pretty close accommodations traveling in the trailer together the way they did. Maybe she didn’t want to get that close. There was something to be said for privacy. Especially if she had a man in her life. And wouldn’t it be nice when that happened.
Skeeter pushed through the screen door, Mustang and Slade right behind him. He spotted her in the kitchen and smiled.
Yeah, she could get used to him being around. That would be very nice.
“Downward-facing dog, everyone.” Chase stood in front of the row of grunting and groaning bull riders with his back to the setting sun. He contorted himself into a position no man should be able to make his body do. Skeeter tried to copy him as best he could, but he doubted he made a good show of it. Chase glanced up to check out the guys. “Get those knees straight, Skeeter.”
Easy for him to say. Skeeter did as told and felt the pull of muscles in the back of his legs.
“Slade, this isn’t a push up. Get your ass up higher. It’s more of an angle.” Chase stood, brushed off his hands and trotted to behind Slade. He reached down and grabbed the rider’s hips, pulling them up until he and Slade were in a pretty obscene-looking pose. “See. Now you get more of a stretch.”
Slade turned his head to glance over his shoulder at Chase. “Boy, I’ve knocked men out for doing less than that.”
Skeeter tried to keep his chuckle quiet before Slade decked him for laughing as well as beat up Chase for making him look like a fool.
“Just trying to help.” Chase shook his head and let go of Slade’s hips. He turned to look at Mustang. “Good position, Mustang. You’re real flexible.”
Mustang grinned. “That’s what she said.”
Aaron laughed at Mustang’s joke, but Skeeter was too miserable to appreciate much of anything right now.
The only thing that would make this more embarrassing would be if Riley and the other girls came out to watch this little yoga class Chase was running. Hopefully, they were too occupied with getting dinner ready. Sage was supposed to make her grandmother’s famous empanadas that Mustang was always bragging about. She’d promised to teach the other women how. That should keep them busy. Because the last thing he wanted was the girl he liked to see him failing miserably at yoga. Something he’d thought would be easy but sure as hell wasn’t.
Chase was behind him now, pushing between Skeeter’s shoulder blades until his nose nearly touched the ground. Skeeter couldn’t control his grunt of pain. “God almighty, Chase. Men’s bodies don’t bend this way.”
As Chase moved to Aaron and did the same thing to him, he said, “Mine does. So does Mustang’s.”
Slade let out a snort. “Wonder what that says about you two.”
“And why aren’t you picking on Garret?” Skeeter asked, looking behind him between his legs. He got a view of the row of guys behind him. Damn, they all looked stupid.
“Don’t worry. I’m getting to him.” Chase moved to Garret next. “Lean back. Put more weight on your feet, Garret. Head lower.”
“Ow. Shit, that hurts.” Garret lifted his head to scowl at Skeeter. “Thanks a lot, Skeets.”
“What the hell did I do?” Skeeter said between his legs as the blood rushing to his head from this position started to make him dizzy.
“He was ignoring me until you said something.”
“All right. Enough, you guys.” Chase walked to the front again. “Next position.”
“Thank God,” Aaron mu
mbled. When Chase was busy getting into the next pose, Aaron glanced at Skeeter. “So Riley’s looking good in those short shorts today.”
Skeeter straightened and spun to face Aaron. “Show a little respect, Aaron. She’s kind enough to put us up here and let us work out on her bulls.”
“I wasn’t being disrespectful. I was paying her a compliment. Women don’t mind compliments. It shows them a man is interested.”
Now that Aaron had arrived, Skeeter was beginning to wish he hadn’t. He frowned. “Since when are you interested in her anyway?”
“Since always.” Aaron let out a snort. “It was just her father was around looking as if he’d shoot any of us who dared come near her before.”
“Aaron, I’m warning you, don’t you be bothering her. She’s grieving her father.” And that was the only reason Skeeter hadn’t made more of a move to stake an official claim on this girl, with his friends and with her.
Kissing her last night had been questionable enough behavior on his part given the timing and the circumstances, not that he regretted that one bit. But now was not the time to move in on her, though he’d be damned if he stood by and watched while Aaron did.
Skeeter had to have faith in Riley and respect what she wanted. He could only hope she wouldn’t have been kissing him if she was interested in Aaron. Then again, her life was a mess and maybe she didn’t know what she wanted.
The whole thing was enough to make a man’s head spin, as much as if he were on top of one of Riley’s champion bucking bulls. Having his mind on Riley when it needed to be on his riding was not what he needed right now. And neither was Chase’s crazy idea for this workout.
“Warrior one pose. This stretches the groin, so it’s a good one for us riders.” In front of them, Chase moved through the steps of the next contortion.
Any rider who’d suffered a groin pull could appreciate that, though there had to be an easier way to stretch.
Chase continued, “Make sure to keep your back heel grounded and your lower back lengthened. And try not to tip your pelvis forward.”