01 Winters Thaw

by Mari Carr

  She pointed down the narrow hallway toward the rear of his trailer. “I assume your bedroom is back there?”

  “Won you over with my hot body, didn’t I?”

  She uncapped the salve and he crinkled his nose at the potent scent. “You wish. This will be easier on the bed.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Most things are easier on the bed.”

  She tilted her head. “One more sexual innuendo from you and I’m walking. Got it?”

  “Spoilsport.”

  She laughed as she headed down the hall. “Grab a bath towel if you have one.”

  He stopped briefly by his small bathroom and plucked one from the rack. Then he joined her in his bedroom. “What’s this for?”

  “I thought you could lay on it. It’ll keep your bedspread from getting sticky.” She kept her eyes glued to his face as she spoke, daring him to make another dirty comment.

  “You’re not playing fair.”

  Sienna winked. “Never said I would. Lay down, cowboy. On your stomach.”

  Daniel spread the towel out and crawled to the center of the mattress, while trying to discreetly adjust the hard-on that emerged the moment Sienna had entered his bedroom.

  Her knee lightly grazed his hip. He watched as she scooped some of the salve onto her hands and rubbed them together before pressing on his shoulder. Daniel groaned in relief.

  “God damn, that feels nice.”

  She deepened her touch, digging her fingers in and hitting all the right spots. “You’re wound up as tight as a spring. Try to relax.”

  “That would be easier if you’d move those sweet hands a little lo—” He paused, cutting off his dirty joke midstream.

  Her hands stopped moving. “A little what?”

  “Nope. Not saying it. I don’t want you to leave.”

  She chuckled and began caressing his stiff muscles again. “That bull did a number on you.”

  He nodded, her soothing massage taking effect quickly. A few more minutes with her talented hands and he’d be sound asleep. “Yeah. I guess so.”

  “I realize my dad brought you here to help the boys train for their rodeo competitions, but—” She stopped speaking. Daniel waited a few seconds, then he realized she wasn’t going to finish.

  “But you hate the idea of your brothers growing up to ride the bulls.”

  “It terrifies me.”

  He could understand her concerns. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think James will pursue a life on the circuit. It’s just a hobby for him. Sort of like the guys who play football in high school. They’re in it for the camaraderie, the fun, not the long run.”

  Sienna added more balm to her hands, then started rubbing his other shoulder. He didn’t bother to tell her that arm was fine. Her caresses were addictive. “It’s not James I’m worried about. It’s Doug.”

  “He’s young. A million things could come up between now and the time when he’s old enough to decide where he wants his life to take him.”

  His words didn’t seem to comfort her. “Maybe. But maybe not. Doug’s a lot like me. Once he latches on to something, it’s next to impossible to sway him. He seems hell-bent on riding the circuit as soon as he’s old enough.”

  “Does that mean you always knew you’d be a nurse?”

  She nodded. “Aunt Lucy swears I came out of the womb with my future predetermined.”

  Daniel wasn’t surprised. “Lucy is the aunt who is a nurse too, right?” Even after two weeks, he was still trying to put names with all the Compton faces. It was a big family.

  “Yeah. She is. I used to love to follow her around when she made house calls. She’s an amazing caregiver, so compassionate, patient, kind. I spent every summer from the time I was twelve until I graduated from high school as her assistant.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  “How so?” she asked.

  “I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life. Hell, I still don’t.”

  Her hands left his shoulders, moving lower along his back. If he were a cat, he swore to God, he’d start purring. She was working her magic, alleviating every bit of tension in his body, offering him comfort, relieving the pain. Lucy was right. She was born to be a nurse.

  “You didn’t always plan to ride bulls in the rodeo?”

  He shook his head once, too lethargic for much more motion than that. “No. I guess I was just your typical kid, full of crazy dreams about futures that wouldn’t happen. In elementary school, I told everyone I was going to be a famous football quarterback with a handful of Super Bowl rings. Then, in middle school, I figured I’d make an awesome rock star even though I’d never picked up a guitar and my singing sounds more like frogs croaking.”

  Sienna laughed. “Wow. There’s a perverse side of me that would like to hear you sing.”

  Daniel grinned. “Seriously toyed with the idea of being a cop in high school, but I have an aversion to guns.”

  “Really? So you aren’t a hunter?”

  Daniel knew hunting was a popular form of recreation in Wyoming—for sport and for food—but he’d never felt compelled to go out and kill a defenseless creature. “Nope. Not going to shoot something that doesn’t have the ability to shoot me back. Doesn’t seem fair.”

  He glanced over his shoulder in time to catch her impressed expression. “Good for you. Josh and his dad hunt all the time. Before we went off to college, they spent two weeks every fall on these big hunting excursions. The living room in his family’s home is filled with deer heads and stuffed turkeys, even a bobcat. It’s like Village of the Damned in there. Gives me the creeps.”

  “I can imagine it would.” He resisted the urge to point out that if she married Josh it was likely she’d be living in her own creepy animal graveyard.

  “So when did you realize you could ride the circuit?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Not sure there was an aha moment or if I just sort of fell into it. I graduated from high school and decided to take a year to travel around, see a bit more of this big-ass country of ours. I only made it as far as Colorado. Stopped off to see a rodeo. I’d participated in competitions most of my life, but in the East, it’s not quite at the same level as out here. Anyway, I was bitten. Signed up for some amateur shows, won more than I lost. Before I knew it, I was there, riding in the professional circuit. Best two years of my life.”

  “And then the bull?”

  “Yep. Bastard put a period to that career choice.”

  Her hands stilled, but she left them lying in the middle of his back. They were warm, comforting. “So what now? You plan to be a ranch hand the rest of your life?”

  He sat up, facing her. “I haven’t exactly figured that out yet.”

  She shook her head, a wrinkle forming in the center of her brow. “How can you stand that?”

  He chuckled. “Stand what?”

  “Just drifting around aimlessly with no direction, no goals.”

  He tilted his head. “I have a goal, Sienna.”

  She picked up his towel and wiped her hands on it. “Like what?”

  “I want to be happy.”

  “That’s your big goal? To be happy?”

  He stretched his shoulders, amazed by how much better he felt, how loose. She’d worked wonders on his tense muscles. “Can you think of a better ambition?”

  “I’m not saying that’s not a good thing to aspire to, but how do you intend to get there?”

  He glanced around his room. “I’m pretty happy right now.”

  “At Compass Ranch?”

  He nodded, though she’d missed his point. “Yeah, I like it here. Like your family and the work.”

  “Oh.”

  He shifted closer. “But when I said I’m happy now, I meant this moment, sitting here, with you.”

  A slight flush painted her cheeks. “Flirting will get you nowhere, Daniel Lennon. I have a boyfriend, remember?”

  He nodded, unconcerned by her reminder. Sienna needed a break from her well-
ordered life and he intended to see she got it. There was something about the unflappable woman that made him long to ruffle her feathers. “What do you do for fun, Sienna? I’ve been here two weeks and your life seems to consist of work, home, repeat. Don’t you ever go out?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll go out when Josh gets home. We like to go to the movies or out to dinner together.”

  He let his sarcastic tone say it all. “Wow.”

  She scowled. “I’m sure it doesn’t sound very exciting to you. I understand you went out with some of the hands last night. Rumors are flying around about you and the blonde waitress at Spurs.”

  He loved small towns. Never took long to get a reputation. Even one that wasn’t earned. “Oh yeah? What are the rumors?”

  Her face turned a bright shade of red. “I’m not about to say it aloud, but I’d certainly never be caught dead having sex in a public bathroom. They’re filthy.”

  He couldn’t help it. He laughed. He’d been propositioned by the waitress, but he hadn’t accepted her offer. Even so, it was more fun to let Sienna think he had. “Are you sure you want to get married, Sienna? Seems to me you may be better suited for life in a convent.”

  “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with keeping my sexual encounters private and with someone that I love.”

  “Josh was your first, wasn’t he?” He knew the answer. There weren’t too many subjects Jade considered off-limits and she’d filled in that blank on Daniel’s third day on the ranch.

  Sienna glanced around the room, unwilling to look him in the eye. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”

  “And you’ve never been with anyone else?”

  She shook her head, still refusing to face him.

  “What a waste.”

  Her gaze flew to his. “It’s not a waste. It’s beautiful, romantic. We’re in love. Who says I have to sleep with a million different men just to have a full life?”

  “I’m not suggesting you go out and screw half the men in Compton Pass. But aren’t you curious? Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to take another man to your bed?”

  Sienna started to rise, but Daniel caught her hand.

  “This conversation is way too personal. You’re crossing a line, Daniel.”

  “No. I haven’t even started to cross it yet. But I will.” He tightened his grip on her wrist, though the action wasn’t necessary. She wasn’t trying to get away anymore. “It’s like you’re frozen in ice, Sienna. You’ve surrounded yourself with a thick, cold wall hoping it will preserve all the things you think you want and keep you safe from the unknown.”

  She didn’t respond, though he felt the slightest tremor in her hand.

  “You’re so focused on the end result, you’re stifling yourself. Have you ever said to hell with anything? Ever done something crazy without worrying about the consequences?”

  “That would be stupid, reckless,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, it would.” He leaned closer, drawing her near enough that he could feel the heat of her breath on his face. “Be reckless,” he dared her. “Just once. Right now.”

  She didn’t move, didn’t reject him as he closed the distance between them and kissed her. He kept the touch light at first, gentling her as he would a skittish horse. Her lips gradually softened beneath his. He lifted his hand to her face, cupping her smooth cheek with his palm before running his fingers through her long hair.

  Sienna’s name suited her. There was a fiery red fighting to be released from the muted brown she used to bury her true nature.

  She responded slowly but surely. Turning her head slightly, she allowed him to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted and he accepted her silent invitation, his tongue meeting hers halfway. She tasted so damn sweet.

  Her hands returned to his bare shoulders, her fingers gripping the muscles in a much sexier massage. It took all the strength in his body not to push her down on the mattress, to cover her body with his and show her the true meaning of recklessness. But he wouldn’t—couldn’t—do it. She wasn’t ready to accept his offer. And if he was a good guy, he wouldn’t make it. She had a boyfriend.

  He started to break the connection, but Sienna beat him to it. She rose quickly, moving backward until she hit the wall. “Shit. I can’t… We shouldn’t have—”

  He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “It’s okay, Sienna.”

  “No. It’s not. I don’t cheat on my boyfriend. This is wrong.”

  He couldn’t argue with that. He’d been an ass to push her. “I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.” He prayed to God he could keep that vow. Problem was he still longed to kiss her. Badly.

  She studied his face and he suspected she was searching for deceit.

  “I mean it, Sienna. I won’t touch you again until you ask me to.”

  “I’ll never ask for that.” Her voice was shaky.

  He was tempted to call her on the lie. She’d ask. He’d make damn sure she did, but until then…

  He remained silent.

  She looked toward the door, anxious for an escape. “I have to go.”

  He didn’t try to stop her. “Thanks for the salve and the massage.”

  She nodded, then left without another word.

  Sienna rushed from Daniel’s trailer, her head whirling. Why had she let that get so far out of hand? She’d never been tempted to let another man touch her, let alone kiss her. So why had she granted Daniel such liberties?

  Because you wanted it. You were dying to know what it would feel like to have his lips on yours.

  Daniel pushed buttons she didn’t realize existed. She’d always thought herself lucky in love. She and Josh were compatible in bed as well as out. It had never been hard for her to achieve an orgasm. Josh was a considerate, patient lover, and she had no complaints.

  Until Daniel Lennon showed up at Compton Pass. He made her imagine things she’d never considered, never desired with Josh. She and Josh had learned about sex with each other. They’d both been virgins when they met, so they’d fumbled through, found their own way. Just because they didn’t exactly set the sheets on fire didn’t mean it wasn’t good. It was comfortable, easy with Josh. Sweet.

  Daniel struck Sienna as a man who could teach her things she’d only read about in erotic romance books. And suddenly, she was dying of lust, anxious to try them.

  It bugged her that while she’d never longed to try those things with Josh, the same didn’t hold true for Daniel. Her body physically ached every time they were in the same vicinity. Her nipples tightened, her pussy tingled and her skin flushed.

  Josh would be home in a few weeks. God. If she could keep her libido under control until then, she could get some of this pent-up sexual frustration out of her system. Maybe she’d even suggest to Josh that they spice up their vanilla sex life. Then she’d convince him to come home for Christmas so they could really explore some new things. She could do this.

  She had to.

  “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  Sienna jumped, startled when Jade emerged from the stable. “Jesus!”

  Jade threw her hands up. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Sienna put her hand over her heart, trying to calm it. It had been racing since she left Daniel’s trailer. “It’s okay. I didn’t see you there.”

  Jade glanced to the left, following the direction Sienna had come. “Where were you?”

  Sienna considered lying, but it was pointless. Jade could read her face too well. “Daniel overdid it today working with the horses and then teaching Doug barrel racing techniques. I offered some salve to soothe his stiff shoulder.”

  Jade smiled. “Only the salve or did you rub it on too?”

  Sienna rolled her eyes. “I’m a nurse, Jade. He was in pain and I helped alleviate it.”

  “I bet there are a few other pains in Daniel Lennon’s body he’d let you ease if you’d let him.”

  “Don’t be vulgar.”

  “A lit
tle dirty fun with Daniel might be just what you need. I bet that man could teach you some new tricks. And it’s obvious he’s into you.”

  Sienna frowned, disagreeing with Jade’s assessment. “Daniel’s into women in general. He’s a player. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumor about Lacey going down on him in the bathroom at Spurs last night. Hell, you work there. You must’ve seen it.”

  Jade rolled her eyes. “It’s a complete lie. Lacey caught sight of Daniel when he came in with the hands. She likes to mark her territory whenever a hot new buck comes to town. She followed him to the bathroom all right, but I’d bet Compass Ranch nothing happened. For one thing, there wasn’t enough time. Secondly, I saw Daniel and Lacey’s faces when they came out. She was putting on a good front, but I could tell she’d been rejected, and he was annoyed, plain and simple.”

  Sienna wondered why Daniel didn’t attempt to clear his name when she mentioned the rumor. “Regardless of what he did or didn’t do with Lacey, I’m not interested.”

  Jade grinned. “Really? Tell me again, Sienna. When did you go completely blind? That guy is sex in blue jeans. I wouldn’t mind taking a tumble with him in the hayloft. I hope to hell he’s still here during the summertime. What’s he look like without his shirt on? Bet he’s built like a brick shit house.”

  “You need to stop hanging out with ranch hands all the time.”

  Jade didn’t back down. “Don’t hold out, See. Put me out of my misery.”

  Sienna recalled the scars on Daniel’s chest. They seemed to make him uncomfortable. “He’s okay.”

  Jade laughed. “You’re such a shitty liar.”

  “This whole conversation is pointless. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m in a relationship. I’m not about to throw away what Josh and I have for a roll in the hay with some cowboy who probably won’t be here come spring.”

  “Remind me again. What is it you and Josh have exactly?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? You know damn well we’re committed to each other. Our futures are set. Together.”

  Jade smirked. “I understand that you think so, but I’m starting to doubt whether or not Josh is still on board with the Sienna Life Plan. Have you asked him lately?”

  Sienna tried to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that said Jade was right. Josh had been distant since returning to college this year without her. She blamed it on the miles and the fact they were both busy, but her gut instinct told her it was more than that. “It’s not my life plan, Jade. It’s ours. Josh is as committed to me as I am to him.”