“No.”
He pulled her close and lowered his mouth to hers. Immediately, his blood started pumping faster. He’d steered away from drugs all his life, afraid he’d follow in his parents’ footsteps, but Chloe was proving to be more intoxicating than any drug ever could be.
“Wait,” she said as she pulled back. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Chloe, stop worrying and let me kiss you.”
He did exactly that, losing himself in the feminine scent of her, the feel of her curves beneath his hands, the taste of her warm mouth. He backed her up until she was pressed against the wall. When her hands slid up over his chest, he growled into her mouth.
That seemed to light a fire in her because in the next instant she was unbuttoning his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
She smiled against his lips. “I’d think that was obvious.”
“You’re making it damned hard to resist you.”
“Then stop trying.”
They were both careful of his injuries, but they still managed to send clothing flying in all directions. Wyatt grabbed his packed bag and tossed it in the far corner. He eased down onto the bed then tugged Chloe’s hand so she’d join him.
When they were stretched out along the narrow bunk, he caressed her soft check. “You’re so beautiful. I can’t imagine why you’re here with me.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t been with beautiful women before.”
“None like you.”
“I’ve seen the girls who hang out at rodeos, hoping to score a cowboy. I’m nothing special.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
He ran his hand up her side, coming to rest next to her breast. He skimmed the soft fabric of her bra with his thumb then lowered his mouth to the mound that rose above it. Chloe sucked in a breath and arched toward him, making him go even harder.
Wyatt kissed her all the way up her neck then nuzzled her ear. “I know I should pull away, but I want you.”
After all, every man had his limits, and he’d reached his for resisting Chloe Brody.
* * *
CHLOE NEARLY CRIED out when Wyatt rolled away from her. No, she couldn’t be this close, have finally given herself permission to be with him, even if it were for only one night, to have him turn away. But she kept the words and feelings inside, and wondered how she could get dressed and leave the room without melting from the heat of her embarrassment.
Before she could formulate a plan, he was back beside her, stretching his long body next to hers. Then she realized what he’d done, protecting them both.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he caressed her cheek.
“I thought you were having second thoughts.”
“I should, but I’m not.”
She smiled. “Good.”
For one night, she was going to stop thinking rationally and enjoy herself. She just hoped her dad and brothers stayed far away from the barn.
Wyatt shifted, edging his leg between hers. He pulled her close and captured her mouth with his. Somewhere in the midst of the kiss, he freed her of her bra and panties. The sensation of skin on skin only increased her need to be as close to Wyatt at possible.
When Wyatt moved atop her, he paused and gently swept her hair away from her face. The way he looked at her—as if she were the most beautiful, precious thing in the world—made her heart swell. And in that moment she knew she was falling in love with him. She couldn’t allow herself to think about how much it was going to hurt when he left. If she let those thoughts into her head, she wouldn’t be able to enjoy what would likely be her only chance of being truly held in his arms, of being able to love him in this one small way.
When he captured her mouth again, she wasn’t able to wait any longer. She lifted her body toward his, and he slid into hers. She moaned into his mouth, and his hands found and entwined with hers as he started to move. Wyatt broke the kiss but used those talented lips to scorch a path down her neck until he found her breast. A flick of his tongue across the tip caused her to gasp and press him more firmly to her.
That action seemed to spur him to move faster. As he filled her with a pleasure she’d never truly known, she threw her head back. Her release built with each stroke, and she dug her fingers into the muscles of Wyatt’s back. Her breaths came shorter and closer together as she got closer and closer. When the release finally came, she couldn’t help the loud moan of pleasure. Wyatt made a couple more strokes before his entire body stiffened with his own release.
When he collapsed beside her, she smiled so wide she wouldn’t be surprised if she pulled a facial muscle. But then a sliver of common sense wormed its way into her brain, concern that he might have pushed himself way too hard tonight.
“Tell me the truth,” she said as she placed her hand against the slight stubble on his cheek. “Are you okay?”
Wyatt placed his warm hand at the curve of her hip and gave her a satisfied smile. “Haven’t felt this good in ages. I think you have the healing touch, Doc.”
She tried to playfully swat him, but he caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing each finger in turn while holding her gaze.
They kissed for a long time as Wyatt held her close. She knew she should dress and go in the house, but she just couldn’t force herself out of his arms. She was afraid that if she left his side, in the morning when she woke he’d be gone.
Not wanting to think about that yet, she snuggled close to him, willing to stay as long as he’d let her. With her head next to his chest, she listened to his steady heartbeat and thought that she wouldn’t mind listening to it every day for the rest of her life.
* * *
CHLOE WOKE TO the sound of laughter. Her first instinct was panic, until she remembered that she’d eased her way back into the house and her own bedroom in the middle of the night. She glanced at the clock, stunned to see it was an hour past when she normally woke each morning. Good thing it was one of her days off.
Despite the time, she lay in bed reliving every moment of the night before, from when her headlights had illuminated Wyatt in the middle of the road to when she’d felt herself drifting asleep in his arms. When she’d awakened a few hours later, he’d tried to get her to stay. But the idea of being caught by her dad or brothers mortified her. The long, thorough kiss he’d given her at the door to his little room nearly changed her mind.
As she’d crossed the distance between the barn and the house, she’d imagined it being the miles that lay between Texas and Wyoming.
Was Wyatt gone already? She bit her lip at that thought, but the loss wasn’t going to get any easier just because she was lying in her room avoiding it.
So she forced herself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. As the water ran over her skin, she imagined it was Wyatt’s hands again. He’d been wrong when he’d said that riding bulls was the only thing he knew how to do. Though she’d only been with a handful of men, Wyatt was far and away the best lover she’d ever had. And that was with him injured. Her body heated at the idea of what he might be like if he didn’t have to be careful of his injuries. Not that he’d been overly cautious the night before. He hadn’t left her wanting.
Before she went up in flames, Chloe got out of the shower and finished getting ready. When she opened the bathroom door, Wyatt stood on the other side, a smile tugging at his lips.
“Good morning, finally.”
“You’re still here.” She heard the relief in her voice and didn’t care if he did, too. After last night, there couldn’t be any doubt that she enjoyed being with him.
“I am.”
She glanced past him down the hallway.
“They’re already gone.”
“Oh.”
Wyatt wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Are
you nervous to be alone with me, Doc? Afraid I might have my way with you?”
Feeling mischievous, she looked up into his beautiful eyes. “Tease.”
The kiss he laid on her nearly caused her legs to buckle.
“It’s not a tease if I deliver.”
They stood in the hall kissing until Chloe knew she either had to head to the kitchen, or they were going to end up in her bed. She’d managed to not get caught the night before, but she wasn’t risking it again. At least not in her family’s home.
She reluctantly broke the kiss and edged past Wyatt. “I’ve got to have some coffee.”
Wyatt followed her. “Tiring night?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Nah, not much going on.”
Wyatt narrowed his eyes at her before picking up his pace. She squealed like a little kid and raced for the kitchen. He caught up to her and backed her against the countertop for another long, wonderful kiss.
“So what are we going to do today?” His words felt warm and suggestive against her wet lips.
“You’re not leaving?”
“Not today. The road will still be there tomorrow.”
She tried not to let it show just how happy that news made her, at least the part about him staying one more day. “You feel up to a ride around the ranch?”
“You’re actually suggesting I do something besides sit on the front porch?”
“Yep, you’re still ornery.” She turned to retrieve two travel mugs from the cabinet and filled them with coffee.
Wyatt stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I’d love to go for a ride.”
Several minutes later, she had two horses saddled and ready to go. She watched as Wyatt clenched his jaw when he pulled himself onto the horse, but she didn’t ask if he was okay. He was actually healing well considering the state he’d been in when he arrived at the hospital. Maybe all that bullheaded determination did work after all.
Chloe led the way, taking a familiar trail that led to one of the higher spots on the ranch where you could see for miles. They didn’t talk as they rode, but Chloe found the silence between them oddly comfortable. She caught herself smiling, happy to be spending the day out under the wide open sky with a man who had unknowingly filled that yawning empty spot within her. She flatly refused to think about how much bigger that emptiness was going to be when Wyatt left.
Give him a reason to stay.
Her dad’s words echoed in her mind again, but she couldn’t ask that of Wyatt. She didn’t have the right.
When they reached the vantage point she wanted him to see, she pulled her mount to a halt.
“I think your dad should have built his house here,” Wyatt said as he stopped beside her.
“It’s my favorite spot on the ranch. It’s not as high as some areas in the Hill Country, but I’ve always felt like I was on top of the world. I used to come up here after Mom died. Everyone told me she was in heaven, so I felt like I was closer to her here. I’d sit for hours.”
“That’s how I was whenever Grandpa would take me fishing. He had this favorite bend in the Snake River, and I still think it’s the prettiest place I’ve ever seen.”
“Did your dad go, too?”
“No.” His answer was fast, clipped, like all his answers to questions about his parents. But he must have realized how sharp he’d been because he glanced at her then sighed. “My dad wasn’t around. I was raised by my grandparents.”
She wanted to know more, but she didn’t want to ruin what could be their last day together by pressing for information he might not want to share.
They sat in silence for a few seconds, watching the grazing cattle and a hawk soaring high above.
Wyatt shifted on his horse. “You’re lucky to have this. And a family that’s so close.”
Though she didn’t know the details about his family, she saw that aloneness her dad had mentioned and it broke her heart.
“I am. I try not to forget that.”
After a couple more minutes gazing out at the expanse of the ranch, Chloe pointed her horse toward the trail that meandered back toward the house. But when she reached the small stream that eventually emptied out into Blue Falls Lake, she reined in and dismounted.
She looked up at Wyatt as he approached. “Hungry?”
“I don’t think you’re going to catch any fish in that stream.”
She smiled. “Good thing for you I brought some sandwiches, then.”
“Scenery and sandwiches. I’m either being bribed or seduced.”
Heat flooded Chloe’s cheeks. She turned away and hoped she could blame it on the bright April sun. Was she trying to coerce him into staying without realizing it?
Without looking at him, she sat next to the creek and pulled out the sandwiches. When he joined her, she extended a wrapped sandwich to him. “Hope you like ham and cheese.”
“Sounds great.”
He seemed to be a man who was easy to please. If only he could be happy with a simple life in a small town. But how did someone who’d spent most of his life on the road settle down? Would they even know how?
She thought of Logan Bradshaw, Skyler’s husband. He’d been a confirmed rodeo rider until he’d fallen head over heels for Skyler and their baby.
Chloe shifted her gaze downstream. Wyatt wasn’t Logan, and she wasn’t Skyler. And there was no baby to help cement the relationship. Though she did believe that Logan would have given up his life on the circuit for Skyler alone. Chloe actually ached when she saw how Logan looked at Skyler, the same way so many of her friends’ husbands looked at them. Maybe Verona had put something in the Blue Falls water supply because it sure seemed there’d been a lot of happy matches in the past couple of years.
Instead of diving into his sandwich, he set it aside and lowered his mouth to hers. While their kisses earlier had been heated and hungry, this time they were soft and tender, paving the way for him to waltz right into the center of her heart.
Some sense of self-preservation allowed her to pull away.
Wyatt ran his thumb over her lower lip. “What’s wrong?”
“I... Last night was great, but I don’t want to let this go too far since you’re leaving, which is okay. I understand your life is elsewhere.”
He stared at her for several moments, as if memorizing the contours of her face. “I don’t know what the future holds. I never do. But sometimes it’s just nice to live in the moment and not worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
She opened her mouth to say...something, but then she realized she’d had much the same thought the night before when she’d made the decision to make love to him.
He must have seen her about to relent because in the next instant he was laying her back in the grass and kissing her. Her blood began to hum, and she wondered what it’d be like to make love out here under the bright blue sky.
They were getting so into each other that it took her a moment to realize why he suddenly pulled away. She’d never hated a cell phone so much in her life.
Chapter Fourteen
Wyatt nearly tossed the phone in the creek, but then he saw who was calling and answered.
“Hello?”
“Is this Wyatt Kelley?”
“Yes.”
“This is Erma Cavanaugh at Mountain View Nursing Center. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your grandfather passed away a short time ago.”
If he’d been hit in the chest with a cannonball, it couldn’t have hurt any more. And that didn’t make sense, not really, because in all honesty his grandfather had been gone a long time. At least the man he’d once been.
“Mr. Kelley?”
“Yes, I’m here. I mean, I’m in Texas right now, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He somehow mumbled his way through the answers to some questions, the ones Erma probably had asked countless other family members over the years. For a crazy, detached moment, he wondered if she had nightmares about those questions.
When he finally hung up, he startled when Chloe wrapped her hand around his. He’d somehow forgotten she was there.
“Your grandpa?”
He nodded. “He died this morning.” He didn’t know why he’d said it. The topic of his conversation with Erma couldn’t have been mistaken even just hearing the one side. “I have to go.”
He got to his feet and headed toward his horse before he remembered he should do the gentlemanly thing and help her to her feet. But by the time he’d turned around, she was already slipping her foot into her stirrup and pulling herself astride.
The ride back to the ranch was less leisurely than the ride out but just as quiet. He was lost in memories of his grandfather and all the details he had to deal with in the days ahead. Chloe probably just didn’t know the right thing to say, and he couldn’t fault her for that. What could a person say other than they were sorry? And the look on her face and the way she’d held his hand had already said that.
When they reached the barn, he realized his middle was aching from the ride. He hated to think what kind of pain he’d be in by the time he drove all the way to Laramie.
“Give me a few minutes to pack a bag.”
He looked at Chloe, confused. “What?”
She met his eyes and he saw a determination there that he’d seen outside the hospital that day he’d tried to leave on his own.
“I’m going with you.”
“To Wyoming?”
“Yes, to Wyoming.”
“Chloe, that doesn’t make any sense. You didn’t even know my grandpa.”
“No, but I know you. And no one should be alone to deal with something like this.”
He started to protest again, needing to keep her out of that part of his life. He’d probably made a mistake letting her in as much as he had, though he had to admit she’d made his heart feel lighter than he’d ever thought possible.
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