“Hmm,” he said, setting down his cup of tea and moving closer to her in slow, easy movements.
“I want to talk about this morning,” Lindsay said, scooting back from him. Every inch she moved back, Trent came two closer.
“What about it?” Trent asked, forgetting the spectacle he’d made of himself on the highway. His sole focus was on Lindsay’s lips and kissing away the bit of powdered sugar left behind from the cookie.
“You behaved like a spoiled child,” Lindsay said, putting her hand against his chest to keep him at arm’s length.
“What?” Trent said, sliding his focus from her lips to take in her face. “What did you say?”
“I said you behaved like a spoiled child this morning. All day, in fact. I tried to call you several times and I know you turned your phone off purposely. Really, Trent? Pouting and sulking? That is terribly immature of you.”
Trent slid back to his end of the couch and stared at his hands, all thoughts of kissing Lindsay flying away with her comments.
Lindsay stretched toward him and let her long, slender fingers rest on his arm. “Trent, what really happened this morning? It was like you turned into a completely different person.”
Trent leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees before shoving his hands into his hair. The enticing woman sitting next to him seemed determined to chip away what little of his pride remained and leave him without a shred of dignity.
“Trent? Talk to me,” Lindsay said, her voice pleading softly. “Please?”
Trent got up and walked around the room, finally stopping next to the window. Looking outside, the night was dark without a star glistening in the sky. “I’m sorry,” he finally said.
“That’s a start,” Lindsay said encouragingly from her spot on the couch.
“What do you want me to say, Lindsay?” Trent asked, bitterness lacing his tone as he turned to look at her. “That I acted like a first-class fool? That I’m a loser? That I’m incapable of providing protection to my girlfriend? That I shouldn’t date you anymore because you deserve someone better? That you should send me away and tell me to never come back?”
Astonished by Trent’s outburst, Lindsay sat staring at him a moment.
“I think you suffered a shortage of oxygen this morning,” she said, getting up and walking to where he slumped against the window frame, his emotions churning and exposed. When he continued staring at the floor, she bent down until he was looking into her face. As he raised his head, she straightened, putting a hand to his cheek. “What do you think you’ve done that is so unforgiveable that I’d not want to see you again?”
“I came over here to protect you, to keep you safe, and I couldn’t even get myself home. You had to take care of me. What kind of man does that? Not much of one, if you ask me.”
“Well, I didn’t ask you, you big lunk.” Lindsay grasped his chin in her hand, forcing him to see the emotion in her own eyes. “I thought you coming over, willing to run with me, was one of the nicest, sweetest things anyone has ever done. I didn’t expect you to be able to keep up with me, Trent. Not at all. It was the fact that you had barely any sleep and yet still wanted to make it possible for me to maintain my morning routine. I don’t think any less of you for making the effort. It’s entirely possible I never liked you any better than I did this morning, before your pouting episode, of course.”
“But,” Trent started to say something, but Lindsay cut him off.
“Must you always be in your macho mode? Good grief. If I had been the one who couldn’t keep up, what would you have done? I’ll tell you what. You would have carried me back home and never thought a thing about it. Your gesture was much appreciated, so why can’t you just leave it at that and move on? If you weren’t so determined to win the manly-man of the year contest, you could have said something before you got into such bad shape,” Lindsay pointed out, getting agitated. “Do you really think I’m so shallow, so stupid, that I’d let what happened this morning come between me and the most wonderful man I’ve ever dated?”
Trent snapped his focus onto her gaze and saw her smile.
“Lindsay,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “Do you really mean it?”
“Have you known me to waste time saying things I don’t mean?” she asked with her lips pressed against his warm neck where she could inhale his outdoorsy scent. “Trent, being in a relationship with someone isn’t all romance and roses. There’s a lot of plain old everyday stuff, too. I understand that. So should you. Although, I certainly do enjoy the romance part of it.”
Lindsay could feel Trent’s smile as his lips met hers softly, gaining intensity as the heat between them escalated. One moment they were by the window kissing, the next Trent was on top of her on the couch, burying his hands in her hair while every sensible thought raced out of her head.
Both dressed in Tshirts and jeans, Lindsay could feel Trent’s muscles bunch and tighten beneath her hands as she moved them along his chest and shoulders, creating explosive waves of sensations that threatened to pull her under.
Trent ran his hand down Lindsay’s side and discovered warm, soft skin where her shirt had bunched up near her waist. Trailing his fingers across the skin exposed between her jeans and the hem of the shirt, he felt a shiver ripple through her and deepened his kiss.
A loud thumping from the utility room interrupted them and Trent suddenly jerked away, startled by the sound.
“It’s the dog,” he said.
Lindsay’s eyes were dark and wide, with her chest still heaving from their kisses when Trent stood and pulled Lindsay up with him. He had to take a step back and swallow twice to keep from tumbling back onto the couch with her and picking up where they were interrupted. The part of his brain that hadn’t gone haywire was telling him he should be glad the dog needed some assistance before he took things too far.
Holding her hand in his, they walked to the utility room together and carefully opened the door. The dog was still on his side and quietly watched them with suspicious eyes.
Trent got more water and dribbled it into the dog’s mouth while Lindsay rubbed its head and talked softly to it.
“Get some rest, buddy,” Trent said to the dog, backing out of the room. “I’ll check on you later.”
Lindsay gathered up their mugs of now-cold tea and the plate with the few remaining cookies and took them back to the kitchen. She locked the back door, turned off the lights in the kitchen, except for the one over the stove, and went to lock the front door. Trent leaned against the wall, watching her, wanting her.
He had no idea how Trey managed to keep his hands off Cady for the three months she lived in their house as housekeeper and cook before they were married. Right now, all he wanted was to sweep Lindsay into his arms, carry her down the hall and forget that he was a gentleman and a church-going man.
Leaning forward, he snagged Lindsay around the waist as she attempted to walk past him to turn off the lamp on a side table.
“Trent, I have to work tomorrow and you need some sleep,” she said, softening at his touch. Although her words held caution, she offered no resistance to his kisses.
“I know,” he rumbled in her ear, his warm breath tempting and teasing her senses.
When she pushed against his chest, he gave her another kiss before dropping his arms. She hurried down the hall and came back with sheets, blankets and a pillow. He helped her make a bed on the couch and followed her down the hall, stopping outside her bedroom.
“Goodnight, princess,” he said, bringing the palm of her hand to his lips. “Dream happy dreams.”
“I will,” she whispered, not trusting herself to give him another kiss. She backed into the room and quietly shut her door.
Trent let out a longsuffering sigh and went back to the couch. He left his clothes on and tried to go to sleep, but visions of Lindsay, her hair fanned out on her pillow and soft lips parted, invaded his thoughts and kept him wide-awake.
&nbs
p; It was a good thing the Thompson brothers lived by the creed that chivalry wasn’t dead or he could be in a heap of trouble.
Chapter Sixteen
And what's romance? Usually, a nice little tale where you have everything as you like it, where rain never wets your jacket and gnats never bite your nose, and it's always daisy-time.
D.H. Lawrence
Relentless pounding pierced through the deep slumber that finally claimed Trent’s weary body. Disoriented, he rolled over, falling from the couch to the floor and smacking his elbow on the coffee table.
Muttering darkly to himself, he stumbled to the door and jerked it open.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” Travis teased, stepping inside. “I thought I better come over here and make sure you behaved yourself last night.”
Trent glared at Travis as he gathered up his covers from the floor and tossed them on the couch, sinking down onto one end. His back was killing him from trying to sleep on the too-short piece of furniture and he’d been up almost every hour checking on the dog.
“So, how’s the dog?” Travis asked, looking around Lindsay’s small but tidy home. The sound of water running came down the hall from the bathroom, so he assumed Lindsay was awake.
“He was doing okay an hour ago. I checked on him throughout the night and tried to keep him hydrated. Want to see?”
“Sure,” Travis said, following Trent back to the utility room. Opening the door, Trent talked to the dog while Travis peeked around the corner. The dog lifted its head and appeared to be greeting Trent.
“Hey, buddy, are you feeling better?” Trent asked, giving the dog more water and scratching its head.
“That’s a big dog,” Travis said from behind Trent. The dog growled before settling back down.
“He’s not overly friendly,” Trent said giving the dog another pat on his head.
“I kind of got that idea,” Travis said backing away from the door. “What are you going to do with him?”
“I’d like to bring him home to recuperate,” Trent said. “I think part of the problem is that he was half-starved. If we can rehabilitate him, he might make someone a good dog.”
“What kind of dog do you think he is?” Travis asked, eying the large animal as Trent closed the utility room door.
“I think he’s a Chesapeake Bay Retriever from his build and color. I’m fairly certain that’s the right breed, but I’ll check to make sure,” Trent said, leaning against the counter. “They are very intelligent dogs with a protective nature. Some Chesapeakes are assertive but if you can work with them, make them social, they generally make good family dogs. I don’t think this guy is much past puppyhood, so there’s the chance he’s trainable.”
“Good luck making him into Lassie,” Travis said with a laugh. “Do you need help moving him?”
“Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind,” Trent said, going back to the living room and folding his sheets and blankets, leaving them in a neat pile on the end of the couch. “I want to tell Lindsay goodbye, then we’ll load up and go.”
“Go where?” Lindsay asked coming into the front room smelling so good Trent had a hard time staying upright. Her long hair floated around her and that warm, woodsy scent he associated solely with her tickled his nose. She wore a peach blouse and black pencil skirt, dressed and ready for work.
“To the ranch,” Trent said, struggling to keep his thoughts and feelings in check. The last thing he needed was to further embarrass himself in front of his brother. “I want to take the dog with me. He’s doing better this morning and I think we can move him there.”
“Oh. I… um...” Lindsay cut herself off. She liked the idea of having a dog and hoped with Trent’s help she could tame and train this one. “That’s probably for the best.”
“I’ll need your help taking care of him and then changing his bad attitude,” Trent said, slipping his arm around Lindsay’s shoulder as the three of them walked into the kitchen. “I know you have a talent for that.”
She looked at him and he shot her a wink.
Grinning, she opened the door and looked at the dog that stared at her uncertainly.
“Well, buddy, looks like you are about to be moved to posh living quarters up at the ranch. What do you think of that?”
The dog blinked at her and put his head back down.
“I’ll take that to mean he is quite excited about it,” Lindsay said with a soft laugh. “What can I do to help move him?”
“How about hold the doors open?” Trent said as he stepped over the dog and grasped two corners of his blanket. Travis bent down and picked up the other two and working carefully, they lifted the dog and carried him out to Trent’s pickup, gently placing him on the back seat.
“I’ll meet you at the house,” Travis said, then turned to Lindsay. “Have a good day. Thanks for putting up with big-mouth.”
“Bye, Travis,” she said, giving him a friendly wave.
Trent walked Lindsay back up the porch steps and as soon as Travis disappeared down the driveway, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that left them both breathless and slightly off-kilter.
“Thanks, Princess, for everything,” Trent said, inhaling her scent, trying to get his fill for the day. “Come by the house after school and you can see how the dog’s doing.”
“I’ll plan on it,” Lindsay said, tugging him back for another hug when he started down the steps. “Have a good day, cowboy.”
“Oh, I will,” Trent assured her, walking backward down the sidewalk. “I’ll be thinking of you.”
Getting home with the dog, Trent decided to set him up in an empty stall in the barn. It would take a lot for the dog to get out with the stall door closed and he didn’t think it would bother the horses. They were finishing up with calving and no cows were currently in the barn.
Travis helped him get the dog situated. Before they finished, Cady leaned around the stall door to ask if she could help with anything.
“Not right now,” Trent said, as he and Travis backed off, giving the dog some space to calm down and relax. Trent was glad to see the wound hadn’t bled through the bandage, which was a good sign. “I’ll let him rest a while then change his bandage. When I take off the muzzle, we’ll see if he feels up to eating something. Until we find out his temperament, you and Cass should probably give him a wide swath.”
“Okay,” Cady said, surprised by the size of the dog. She had never owned a pet and it took a few weeks to get used to their two cow dogs, Bob and Bonnie, when she first moved out to the ranch.
“Let’s leave him alone for a while,” Trent said, giving Cady an affectionate pat on the shoulder as they walked back to the house.
“I heard you spent the night at Lindsay’s and according to her, your gallantry should be duly noted,” Cady said as they walked up the steps into the mudroom. Travis and Trent removed their boots and hung up their hats.
“Is there anything you two women don’t discuss?” Trent said, somewhat disconcerted to know his girlfriend and sister-in-law spent so much time talking about him.
“Plenty. You, however, have been a topic of considerable interest for quite some time,” Cady teased as she tied on an apron and went back to breakfast preparations.
“I think I should really be worried now,” Trent said, pouring a cup of coffee and taking a sip. He felt ravenous this morning and couldn’t wait to dig into the golden pancakes, spicy sausages and fluffy scrambled eggs Cady was serving for breakfast.
“Just give it up, bro,” Travis said, sitting down on a barstool beside him. They knew better than to get in Cady’s way while she was cooking, but she was always grateful to accept their help when it came time to put the food on the table. “I’m going to run into Portland today if anyone wants to go along.”
“Not me,” Cady said, flipping the last pancake with practiced ease. “I promised Aunt Viv I’d help do some deep cleaning at the church this afternoon. But thanks for the offer, Travis.”
“How about you, man?” T
ravis asked, eyeing Trent, already knowing his answer.
“Nope. I don’t’ want to leave the dog alone too long and I don’t trust it not to bite anyone else.”
“I figured as much,” Travis said, drinking his coffee. “I know we are about to get really busy with spring farm work, so I want to make this trip while I still have time.” Travis, who had only been home from the service since the end of December, was the wild child of the family. The military had definitely helped him grow up, but he still loved the thrill of adventure and the unique rush he felt when his adrenaline was pumping. The winter months hadn’t offered him many thrills to seek except snowboarding and skiing. He was more than ready for spring.
“You could take Cass with you,” Cady said, not looking up at Travis so she could maintain her serious expression. “She’d love to go along.”
“Oh, well, um…” Travis said, feeling like he was about to be trapped in a corner. Before he could respond, Trey came in and gave a nod toward his brothers as he washed up at the sink.
“I’m just kidding,” Cady said with a mischievous smile. “I know her chatter would drive you crazy before you got halfway there.”
“You’re a cruel woman, Cady Thompson,” Travis said, shaking his head at her.
“She’s a cruel, ruthless, slave driver,” Trey said with a laugh, sweeping Cady into his arms and dropping her into a dip. “And she’s all mine.”
Giving her a passionate kiss, right in front of his brothers, Trey raised her back up and popped her on the bottom before pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“If you can’t behave yourself, Trey, there’ll be no breakfast for you,” Cady said, tugging her blouse down where it had ridden up with Trey’s antics, trying to ignore the heat that filled her cheeks.
Trey grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows, making Trent and Travis both hide their smiles. They were thrilled to see their oldest brother so in love with his beautiful wife. They never thought the day would come when he’d get married. When he finally fell in love, he fell hard and fast.
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