“So did she?” Cap repeats.
“She fucking must have. I got to run. Thanks for this,” I hold up the paper.
“No problem.”
It is only when I am getting ready to open the door leaving the feed store, that something in me clicks. I turn back to Cap, “Hey Cap, your uncle Hoop, he’s been here his entire life, hasn't he?”
“Think so. Since high school at least. Yeah, since then. ‘Cause remember he’s on the boards for track?”
“Yeah. I remember that now. Is he around? There's something I'm trying to find out and I think he might know the answer.”
“Should be. I’ll let him know you’re looking for him. How soon?”
“Sooner the better.”
“Consider it done.”
“Thanks, man.”
I walk the block and a half to the newspaper, still clutching it in my hands. I am greeted by a cute receptionist with blond hair and blue eyes. I might have run into before, but I cannot remember her name.
“Good morning, can I help you?”
“I’m here for Miranda.”
“Sure.” She picks up the phone, “Miranda, Ryan John is here for you.”
“Thanks,” I smile. I watch Miranda waltz through the office toward me. A bounce in her step. She is clearly happy about the article. And fuck. She is a sight. Her face lights up as our eyes meet.
“Hi. Did you see the article? She did great, didn't she?”
“Did you put her up to this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Follow me outside.”
We stand on the sidewalk and I feel strange that anyone who cared, would notice us together on the street. I resist the urge to walk behind the building like I’d done at the post office. Old habits die hard, I guess.
“Are you mad at me?”
“I'm not sure what to think. This has you written all over it.”
“No. It doesn't. That was Brianna’s idea. All hers. Do you really think I would tell her about all the things you and I have discussed? I wouldn't do that!”
“No, I guess not. But do you agree with me, that this is extremely coincidental? See where I would be agitated?”
I hated how disappointed she looked, “maybe it's not as coincidental as you think. Maybe everyone can see how unhappy you are, except you.”
She turns on her heel and leaves me standing on the street, paper in hand.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Miranda
“What’s going on with you two? Are you guys dating?” Abby demanded, as she stood on the opposite side of my desk twirling her strawberry-blonde hair around her finger. Her square-lens glasses, made her eyes look smaller, squinty, as she waited for my answer.
“We’re supposed to be. I don't know after that.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“It happened so fast. One minute I was helping him with something and the next we’re declaring ourselves a couple.” Not completely accurate, but I hated the thought that he was upset with me. I hated that he thought I would try to sway Brianna’s article to something I wanted. Seriously, all writers and journalists knew you had to write from the heart. Otherwise, it wouldn't be as great. I would have to clarify this to him.
On the other hand, did I blame him for thinking that way? That is something I would have easily done when Golda hired me on at the paper. I would have heavily suggested something like that back then. This doubt, this self-destructive manner that always reared its ugly head, would never go away. I’d brought everything upon myself: people who didn't like me, didn't trust me, Ryan’s fear of the town disliking him for liking me as well as his instant belief that I had her change her article. It just became too much sometimes. It got to be too exhausting that there wasn’t a single person who believed in me unconditionally. Like Golda. That woman loved me hopelessly.
Tears pricked my eyes, “I’m sorry I didn't mention anything. The truth is, I thought it was too good to be true. And after that conversation, my thoughts were pretty accurate.”
“I understand. I just wish you would have-oh my gosh, are you the one he got in a fight over?”
“Please don't say anything. It would only make things worse.”
“I would never. What just happened outside?”
“Well apparently he didn't see the ‘Featured Author’ part on the first page about Brianna and the fact that that article was the first of three. He thinks I talked her into changing her article. He didn't wait around, or read, that I was able to help her get a three-part gig and she started with this one because it was so important to her.”
“He’ll come around. Don't give up on him yet. Maybe once he sees his sister, he’ll understand. In which case, he’ll come back to you begging for forgiveness!” she squeals.
“I hope so. We’ve been having a great time together.”
“Have you guys already…you know?” She lowers her voice, “fucked?”
I gasp, “Abby!”
“You are! Dying here!” She fanned her face and I laugh. “Well, I'm not getting any anytime soon. Not when I have a toddler at home.”
“Maybe if this works out with Ryan, the four of us could go out on a double date or something. Maybe we could even have Gina come. She could date one of the guys from the feed store.”
“Please. Which one? Thatcher? Cap? They are the type of boys our mothers warn us about.”
“Maybe Cap, but not Thatcher.”
“Trust me, Thatcher can be plenty bad. Anyone with tattoos like that, has to be bad. He wasn’t so much in high school but…” Abby’s voice trailed off as a visible tremor crosses her body. I vaguely recalled any of these guys from high school. Because I was hardly ever there.
“Oh, la la, I’m getting the feeling you know something I don't. You and Thatcher have a past?”
“A small one. We were more friends than anything else.” A blush creeps up her cheek and I know there is more to Thatcher than she’s willing to tell me.
“You dated Thatcher? Dish it.”
“Touché,” she smiles and walks off, leaving me laughing at the irony of our discussion.
Thank God I only have a few hours left here. I wasn't sure if I was still invited to Ryan’s for trout or not. I’ve never had a relationship like this so I was confused on whether or not I should show up like he hadn't hurt my feelings or blow him off. If not for Brianna and the fact that she would be so excited about her article being printed today, I would skip dinner. Okay, and because I wanted to see him. And because this would be my first time being included for a family dinner. Like a real family dinner, at a home, with people who loved each other. It meant more to me than I’ve let on.
As the hours went on and I waited for five o’clock, I wracked my brain to come up with a solid plan on how to lure High Plains out of hiding. I’d reached out to a reporter in Florida that was local to where those papers had been filed that would tell us who formed the corporation and had yet to hear from him. Otherwise, I was out of ideas.
Finally, five came and filled with trepidation, I drove out to Ryan’s. When I pulled into his driveway, Casino and Chips were saddled and tied up to a hitching post just outside of their pens. Brianna stood next to Casino, brushing her mane, clearly getting ready for a ride.
I hop out of my car and she waves me over. Smiling from ear to ear, she hands me the brush, “Here. You do it.”
“Will she let me?”
“Of course. She loves it. Plus, when you ride her, you can be sure she’ll keep you safe.”
“I’m not riding her. I’ve never ridden a horse in my life.”
“Actually, I was hoping you would.”
Ryan’s soft voice behind me sends tingles down my spine. “Ride? With Brianna?”
“No. Ride with me.”
“I got them ready for you,” Brianna tells me. “By the way, um, thank you so much for helping with my article.”
She flies into my arms, hugging me tight. “You’re welcome. But you did this. Y
our writing is all yours and you did an excellent job on it. It's an amazing feeling seeing your first article in the paper.”
“She’s already cut it out to frame it. “
“Ryan, you aren't supposed to tell her that!”
I laugh, “It's okay. I did the same thing.”
“You did?”
“Who doesn't? It's a huge accomplishment.”
“See?”
She sticks her tongue out at Ryan, who is still behind me. I finally step to Casino and begin brushing her beautiful silky mane while the two of them banter and tease one another. She tells us to enjoy our ride and that's when I realize I’m actually going to have to sit on top of this massive creature.
Oh boy.
Ryan’s arms come around me, pulling me into his chest, “I'm sorry about earlier. I obviously hadn't read the entire paper. It was so…spot on with you seemingly reading into my soul, that I thought you guys must have talked about it.”
“She’s thirteen. I would never do that.”
“Almost fourteen.”
“Whatever. Still though, it really hurts that you think I’m willing to influence her writing and have the gall to ask her to change it.”
“This is a compliment, but you do have the ability to influence her. You do influence her. You’re an amazing journalist, a writer. She reads everything you put out there. We all do. I'm sorry. It was so coincidental and when Cap showed it to me, I’d had an argument with my uncle so I was already angry and I didn't think it through before I walked over and accused you. Forgive me.”
I stay quiet, enjoying this beautiful moment with the horses and the way their manes glisten in the sun. I hold onto the horse brush making slow strokes down her mane while his arms nestle around me and his arousal pressed firmly into my ass.
“Don't do it again, okay? It hurts too much to think you might possibly see me as everyone else does.”
I can feel him shaking his head behind me, “I don't think that. You’re smart. Beautiful. It's a shame people haven't taken the opportunity to get to know you. The real you. The you who you are now. Not the you of your youth, who, like everyone else was only trying to find themselves.”
“That's kind of you to say, but some of the things I did were mean.”
“We’ve all done bad things, Miranda. It's part of life.”
“Yeah right. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? I’ve bet you’ve never done anything bad in your life.”
“Don't kid yourself. I’m not perfect.”
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“What's the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
His rumbling laughter vibrates against my back, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“You wouldn't! Tell me.”
“Maybe some other time. Let's go for a ride.” He kisses my head before releasing me. “You’ve never been on a horse, right?”
“Never. But I’ve watched how people do it in movies.”
He laughs again. A sound I’ll never get tired of. “Well the movies make it look easy. Which, it will be on my girl here. But sometimes it's not. The most important thing is that you need to show her that you’re in control. For now, I’m not letting you go separately, I’m going to lead your horse with this rope and my horse...But it's still important that you exert control, that you’re the boss. “
“Okay,” I say meekly.
“You ready for this?”
“I think so.”
He helps me up onto the horse and eventually, my nerves settle down. It helps that Casino is so gentle. I can see that Ryan is her master. She loves him. Watches for him to make a move. It's surreal. The connection he has with these two magnificent creatures is an experience I won't likely forget. Watching him only makes me fall harder for him. Which seems so impossible because I feel like I couldn't possibly have stronger feelings than what I already have. But every moment I’m around him, he does something or says something that fills my heart more and more.
Like now. Every so often as we trot along the dirt path, he keeps glancing at me, making sure I’m doing okay. And when our eyes meet, his azure eyes shine the way they do when we have sex and that little grin he gives me that makes him look like a young boy, has my heart going pitter-pat. He watches me like he wants me. Like at any moment, he’ll stop these horses and have his way with me. Blame it on the trotting, the vibrations of this saddle, how my legs are spread apart on this horse, but I’m ready. I’m so freaking ready suddenly every trot, every caress of the breeze along my skin and every glance he sends my way, has me on such high alert, I feel like all I’d have to do is press into the arch of this leather seat and I’d come in half a second.
“This is the place.”
I’m slightly embarrassed by my thoughts as I haven't paid attention this whole ride and now suddenly, we’re here. It's the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. We’ve come to a stop at a ledge and beyond this ledge, I can only see as far as my eyes will let me. Even though I’m straining them, pushing them to see farther. The sun is just getting ready to set on the horizon. Its bright ball is massively orange with its own pink halo circling around it. It's as if it's ready to swallow everything between us and her, it's as large as I’ve ever seen it.
“What do you think?”
I glance at Ryan and my heart stops. The setting sun has cast a light on his hair and face highlighting his angular cheekbones, his chestnut hair and his half-grin. He’s an angel. The sun clings to him setting off this illusion that his skin is glowing, his bright blue eyes sparkling under the heavens and I feel…I feel this euphoric sensation of perfection. Of an eternal place where angels and horses, maybe even horses with horns and colors so vivid, exist. Of a place so far away and yet so close to my heart, quiet tears begin cascading down my cheeks.
Before I know it, he’s there next to me, helping me down from Casino. “Why are you sad?”
“I’m not sad. It's so perfect, so beautiful. I’ve just never experienced something so breathtaking before. It's like, I can't even think of the words to express how I feel. My heart…it, it's bursting. This is the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. And you, I’m in love with you. I’m crazy about you. I know you probably think it's too soon to tell you that, but this moment just confirmed it.” I know I’m babbling. Going on and on with the tears still coming down. He must think I’m a bit crazy.
“I know, it is perfect. That's why I wanted to share it with you. You’ve just made it even more perfect. I will never forget this moment.”
“Me either,” it doesn't escape me that he doesn't tell me he loves me back. But it's okay. Looking at me the way he does, bringing me here to his spot proves he feels a lot more about me than the casual like.
“Come here.”
With a few wrangling from Chips, he produces a blanket he lays almost to the ledge and we settle into it. Before I know it, my panties are off and he is between my legs. The head of his cock pressing into me ever so slightly. His solid body holding me down. His breath fans against my lips as our foreheads touch.
“You’re so fucking wet.”
I know. And then he’s in me and it's not like all of the other times we’ve fucked. This is slow and sweet. Unhurried. His kisses are gentle, his rhythm languid and I know he loves me. Even if he isn't ready to tell me. He cherishes my body, and draws out my arousal and when I orgasm, the feeling is powerful. It drags on longer than normal and the pinpricks in my clit are so sensitized, it literally brings another orgasm in mere seconds after the first.
“The horses won't go over the ledge?” I ask as he still pumps into me.
He mumbles a no into my hair and neck, chuckling a little. He feels so good. He makes me crazy with want. He demands I come once more before he lets go and who am I to deny this unselfish request? It doesn't take long. With the sun now, almost hidden at the horizon, her gleaming tentacles spread out before her, Ryan and I orgasm together, making a perfect moment, better.
&
nbsp; Once we’re back at the house, horses unsaddled and brushed again, we enjoy his trout dinner. I have to admit, it's better than I guessed it might be. The dinner is everything I thought it would be. The kids laugh and joke having no problem with me being there. They talk about school and even about their parents. I couldn't have asked for a better evening. Having never experienced this sort of familial gathering, especially one so full of love and kindness, I’m on the verge of tears once again.
“You okay?” He asks me after dinner.
“I'm fine. It's been the most perfect day of my life, really. Thank you for everything tonight.”
“You’re welcome. We did it together though. It wouldn't have been as great if you weren't here.”
“I better get going. You guys will come by in the morning to pick me up?” After tonight, I cannot wait to go fishing. I’ve never been so excited in my life.
“You could always spend the night,” he suggests.
It's all been too good to be true, too perfect, somehow I cannot stay because I don't want to chance my luck. I'm Cinderella. At some point, this great day will fizzle out, won't it? I’m too scared to chance it.
“Not tonight. I have a few things to get down around the house. I’ll see you in the morning.” I kiss him goodbye. Say goodnight to Brianna and Alex and head home to sear this night in my brain, to write it down because I never want to forget it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ryan
Just as we’re leaving to pick up Miranda, Cap calls. “Hey.”
“My uncle Hoop is expecting you. Said you can swing by this morning’”
“Shit. I’m getting ready to pick up Miranda to go fishing for the weekend.”
Wet: A Small Town Romance (Love in Lone Star Book 1) Page 16