Other than her constant physical exhaustion, coming here to work was the best decision she could’ve made. The ranch catered to families mostly, but had a few weeks during the summer that were for adults only. She loved teaching the little kids how to ride. There was nothing like seeing someone take a horse across the river for the first time. Where it was deep enough, the horse would swim with the rider on its back, and the shock and joy that showed on the riders’ faces were priceless.
The ranch was all about making the best memories they could for the people who paid to spend a week there. She loved being a part of their memories.
Jace continued to flirt with her, but when guests were around, he played it cool. Part of the fantasy of spending a week at a dude ranch was falling in love with one of the wranglers. The cowboys played their part, but never took it further than a dance with a guest. There was a fine line they all walked, to not mix fantasy and reality.
Sunday nights, when the guests went home, the wranglers came out to play. They still walked a fine line when it came to romancing fellow employees. It was frowned upon, although Renie was sure not all the cowboys and cowgirls slept alone every night as she did.
Renie was taking her first guests white water rafting, which meant she’d be away from the ranch for a couple days. She’d be staying with the guests at the Glenwood Springs Inn, and had the option of going along on the daily excursions or hanging out at the inn.
When she brought her overnight bag to the van, she was surprised to see Jace already in the driver’s seat.
“What’s up? Schedule change?”
“Signed myself up for it.”
“Should I stay here?”
“No way, cowgirl, you’re the reason I’m goin’ along.”
Renie’s toes curled when Jace smiled at her.
It took them an hour to drive from McCoy to Glenwood Springs. While the guests had a morning orientation with the rafting company, followed by their first trip down the river, Jace and Renie picked up the ranch supplies they were asked to bring back with them.
When they were done with their errands, Jace talked Renie into going to the hot springs. “Gotta take advantage of it while we can. Don’t know about you, but my muscles could use a good, long soak in some hot mineral water.”
Nothing sounded better, except she hadn’t brought a swimsuit with her.
“They sell ’em at the hot springs,” Jace told her. She wondered how many other female wranglers he’d brought here that hadn’t remembered their suit.
“What was that?” he asked her.
“What?”
“Sometimes your face gets this little pinch in it, as though you bit into somethin’ sour.”
“It does?”
He tweaked her nose. “Yeah, it does. So what were you thinkin’ about just then?”
“How this body hasn’t been in a bathing suit since last summer.”
Jace opened his mouth to say something, but didn’t.
“What?”
“I don’t think you’re gonna like what I have to say, so I think it would be best if I kept my mouth shut.”
“What? You can’t do that. God, are you agreeing with me?”
“Huh? What’re you talkin’ about now?”
“You don’t want to see me in a bathing suit?”
Instead of answering, Jace put his hand on the back of her neck and kissed her, hard on the mouth.
His lips left hers, but his hand still cupped her neck, keeping her close. “Now that I’ve kissed you, I can’t stop, Irene. For two weeks I’ve been thinkin’ about kissin’ you. Two long weeks. I’m done waitin’.”
Oh. She hadn’t expected this. Well she had, but not right now. And wow, he was a good kisser.
“I can’t help it.”
“Don’t.”
“What does that mean?”
“You are, um, a good kisser.”
He laughed again. “You are too, Irene.” He ran his fingers down the side of her face. “Such a formal name for such an informal girl. Where’d you get it? Are you named after somebody?”
“My grandmother, on my father’s side.”
“Got a nickname? Somethin’ people call you when they don’t want to be so formal?”
“Nope. I’m not a nickname kind of girl.”
“Tell me more about your family. I know your mom is married to my cousin. Are your parents divorced?”
“Nope. My father died before I was born.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Not something I’d kid about.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. How’d he die?”
“Fighter pilot, died in the Gulf War.”
“Wow. Gosh. I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard for you.”
“Since it was before I was born, it wasn’t something that I ever thought much about. My mom and my grandparents told me stories about him, and I’ve seen photos. But no, it wasn’t hard.”
He leaned in to kiss her again. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the day you drove into the ranch.”
“I thought you might be part of the welcoming committee.”
“Never helped any of the other wranglers with their bags, before or since.”
“Come on, don’t you try to play me, Jace Rice.”
“I’m serious. There’s somethin’ about you, Irene. You know dating is frowned upon at the ranch.”
“I got that impression. I also got the impression that not everyone follows the rules.”
He laughed. “No, not everyone does. As long as the parties involved are discreet, management looks the other way.”
“How much practice do you have being discreet?”
“You’re somethin’ else.” He laughed. “I can’t decide whether you’re the least confident, or most confident girl I’ve ever met.” He stopped smiling. “But I do know I want to get to know you better.”
Renie found a reasonably modest bathing suit at the hot springs and Jace was right about her muscles needing a good, long soak in the warm mineral water. The other thing she needed was a massage, so she booked one for later that afternoon. Jace thought that was a good idea, so he did too.
“We could get a couple’s massage.”
She rolled her eyes.
“What? I’m serious.”
“I don’t think so, cowboy.”
He pushed her up against the wall in the hallway outside the locker rooms, and brushed his lips under her ear. “Come on, Irene. Let’s make good use of our time away from the ranch.”
It would be so easy to let herself give into Jace, and why not? What was stopping her? Billy. Ha! Wasn’t that the reason she decided to work at the ranch in the first place—to forget all about him? Jace would certainly help that along. It was time she moved on from Billy Patterson, and since Billy was the only man she’d ever slept with, it was time to move on from that too.
“You know, you’re right.”
“Wait right here.” Jace walked back to the spa counter, and Renie heard him change the reservations from two individual massages to a couple’s massage.
He smiled. “All set.”
This wasn’t Renie’s first step in letting go of Billy, but it was definitely her biggest one.
They had rooms paid for by the ranch at the Glenwood Springs Inn on Sixth Street, but they booked a room at the Colorado Hotel since it was connected to the spa, and they could get the massage in their room.
Renie looked at the clock. It was almost seven, and she was starving. Spending time with Jace had definitely been the best way she could think of to work up an appetite. She bit his shoulder.
“Ow. You tryin’ to tell me something, girl?”
“I’m hungry. Feed me.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Later, cowboy…where’s the best place to eat in this town?”
“Depends on what you’re in the mood for, but Juicy Lucy’s Steakhouse is one of my favorites.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“M
ight be a wait on a Saturday night, but we can take a walk along the river if there is.”
She liked Jace, he was easy to be around, and as good in bed as he was a kisser. She hadn’t thought about Billy, before now, all afternoon. It was some kind of record.
“Whatcha’ thinkin’ about?”
“You.”
“Ah that makes me happy since you have such a sweet smile on your face.”
“You put it there.”
There was a wait, so they walked along the river and Jace asked her questions. They both loved to ski. In fact, Jace had thought about going pro a few years back. A torn ACL took him out of competition, but it had healed, and he was thinking about getting back into it.
He’d also been thinking about getting back on some bulls. It had been a while, longer than he intended for it to be, but, he felt like he was ready to try bull riding again.
Renie told him about her mom, and how she didn’t start barrel racing until she was forty. “If anyone has shown me it’s never too late to chase your dream, it’s my mom. And barrel racing isn’t for the faint of heart.” She told him about her accident too.
“You know, now that you’re telling me the story, I remember hearing about this. CB Rice was on tour, and there was an uproar about her being in a coma when she wasn’t.”
“Yep, that’s the story, but it’s way more complicated than that. She was in a coma, and then when she came out of it she was paralyzed. She made all of us who knew keep it a secret from Ben.”
Billy had been at her side through all of it. He’d been her rock. She closed her eyes trying to wipe Billy out of her brain, but it made it worse because there he was, plain as day, seared into her memory.
“It was a rough time, for everyone. Ben included.”
Jace put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “Sorry I brought it up.”
“It’s okay. She’s fine now. In fact, she’s back at it, competing again.”
“You’re proud of her.”
“I am, but…”
“But?”
“I’m not sure she’s proud of me.”
Renie wasn’t sure what made her tell Jace about quitting school, although she stopped short of telling him why. She told him that her heart wasn’t in it any longer, and with as hard as it was, and how expensive it was, she thought it better not to waste the money or time.
“You’d be a natural. I’ve watched you around the horses. You’re good with them. Think you might go back to it someday?”
“At this point, no. But never, say never, right?”
The buzzer went off in his pocket letting them know their table was ready. “I’ve enjoyed having you all to myself, Irene. It’s gonna be hard to go back to the ranch tomorrow and act like I’m not crazy about you.”
She smiled, and he pulled her close again. “Damn, I like your smile, cowgirl.”
11
If Renie thought she was sore when they left for Glenwood Springs, she was more so now. Although for an entirely different reason.
She and Jace were on their way to pick up the ranch guests from their rafting trip, and soon he wouldn’t be able to caress her cheek, or pull her in close for a kiss. She wouldn’t be able to stand behind him and wrap her arms around his waist, or run her lips across the strong muscles on his back. At least in public. She wondered how long it would be before the two of them could get away on their own again.
Jace pulled the van over at a scenic lookout and cut the engine.
“Why’d you stop?”
“Come here, girl. I need to kiss you a little while longer.” She groaned as he took her in his arms. “I need more of you, Irene.”
“I feel the same.”
“What’re we gonna do?”
“I guess we’ll learn how to be discreet.” She smirked.
“I’m not sure how you pulled off getting a cabin on your own, but I’m sure glad you did.”
That night, after the dancing was over and the guests retired for the night, Jace sneaked into Renie’s cabin.
“I think I’m gonna like sleepin’ with you, Irene.”
“I think I’m gonna like sleepin’ with you too, Bil-Jace.”
He had to have heard her, but Jace didn’t say anything about her almost calling him Billy.
Billy couldn’t stand it any longer. It had been almost three months to the day since Renie walked out of the hospital in San Antonio, and out of his life.
His baby girl just turned six months old, and was sleeping longer at night, which made his life easier. On the other hand, she was crawling. Billy had to watch her every second, or she’d get into something.
Dottie helped him babyproof his house. He loved the fireplaces in Liv’s house—his house, but now that he had a baby, he cursed them. There wasn’t a way he could figure out, besides putting pillows on the hearths and corners of every one of them, to keep Willow from bumping her head.
If he weren’t having nightmares about Willow getting hurt on something he’d overlooked, he was dreaming about Renie. Both caused him an equal amount of pain.
This morning, more than usual, Renie was on his mind. He still hadn’t heard a word from her, although he hadn’t expected to.
He called Liv, who was out on the rodeo circuit.
“Hey-o, Billy,” she answered.
“Hey, Livvie. How goes chasin’ the cans?”
“Great, but we sure miss you out here. No matter where I am people ask me when you’ll be back.”
“What do you tell them?”
“I don’t tell them anything, Billy. It isn’t up to me to tell them why you aren’t here.”
“Appreciate that, Livvie.”
Billy figured everyone knew about Willow anyway. The rodeo world was a small one.
“I’m calling about Renie.”
“I know.”
“How is she?”
“She’s doing better. At least I think she is. I haven’t talked to her in a few days.”
“How long you been out?”
“Not long. I didn’t want to leave until Renie did, and that was only three weeks ago.”
“Where’d she go?”
“She’s working at Black Mountain Ranch this summer.”
“The dude ranch? My daddy worked there when he was a youngin’.”
“That’s the one. She doesn’t know it, but your daddy helped get her the job.”
“She’ll be there all summer?”
“Yes, Billy. She will.”
It was May. She’d be gone until September.
“I gotta go, Livvie. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Billy. I understand.”
He needed to sit down, catch his breath, and figure out how in the hell he’d last another four months without any chance of seeing her.
Knowing the thing between her and Jace would end when summer did made it easy between them. They stayed so busy at the ranch, some days they saw each other, some days they didn’t. There wasn’t time for them to disagree, or have any relationship “issues.”
Jace would seek her out at dinner, sometimes he’d sit with her, but not every night. He tried to get at least one dance in with her a night, although it wasn’t always possible. Jace was a good-looking cowboy, and there was usually a line of ranch guests waiting to dance with him—some of whom were not enthusiastic about giving him up at the end of a song.
It didn’t make Renie jealous, it made her laugh. She did a lot of dancing with guests herself. Her favorite dance partners were the little boys who reminded her of Jake and Luke. She missed her stepbrothers, and her mom. She even missed Ben.
She realized she hadn’t been allowing herself to miss anyone. Missing someone reminded her of the person she missed the most. At some point in the last couple of weeks, she’d been able to think about other people in her life, people outside the fences of Black Mountain Ranch, without automatically thinking about Billy Patterson.
She called her mom the next night before dinner.
> “Hi, Mom,” she said when her mother answered her cell phone.
“Renie! Oh my goodness. It is so good to hear your voice. How are you?”
“I’m good. I miss you.”
“I miss you too, honey.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in Lewisburg, Ohio, of all places.”
“How’s it going?”
“Second in the money for the region.”
“Woohoo!” Renie shouted.
“It is so good to hear you ‘woohooing.’”
“It feels good to be doing it.”
“Are you having a good time?”
“I am, Mom. It’s the best thing I could’ve done for myself. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s hard work.”
They talked for a few more minutes about the ranch, Jake and Luke, and Ben’s new album, which he’d almost finished recording. Liv told her that Paige had been traveling with her from time to time, and Mark was sitting in on a few tracks on Ben’s record. They even talked about Will and Matt, Ben’s brothers, and his parents. They ran out of people to talk about, but the air hung heavy on their call.
“Dottie and Bill asked me to tell you they miss you the next time I talked to you.”
“I miss them, too. You can tell them that.”
Her mom didn’t say anything else and Renie didn’t ask. “Okay, I better go, they’re ringing the dinner bell. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, honey.”
Renie hung up and looked up at the stars. “Damn you, Billy Patterson, you’re not getting back in. Not ever,” she said, feeling as though she wanted to shake her fists at the sky.
“Who’s Billy Patterson?” Jace asked, walking up behind her.
“Jace, you scared me,”
“Come on, Irene, tell me. Who is he?”
“Nobody important.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying. He’s not important.”
“You talk in your sleep.”
She did? This was the first he mentioned it.
Dance with Me (Cowboys of Crested Butte Book 2) Page 10