Shelby blinked at her grandfather, not certain what to make of the conversation.
“Are you roping at Wyatt’s place tonight?” Gramps asked, pushing his plate back.
“Uh… no. The rodeo grounds.” Shelby got to her feet, took the plates to the sink and ran water over them while her grandfather put plastic wrap over the remainder of the pot roast. “I’d better get changed.”
Practice was starting later tonight, so Shelby took her time re-braiding her hair and finding something clean to wear. Uncomfortable conversation.
And maybe more truth there than she wanted to deal with. She hadn’t faced her fears. She’d tossed down an ultimatum in a passive aggressive attempt to make Ty choose a safer occupation. Would he have been happy if he hadn’t ridden broncs? Maybe. But he wouldn’t be the guy he was today.
Was that good? Bad?
All she knew was she’d handled things poorly. Out of fear. And now… maybe… she had a chance to make things right?
Or she could leave them as they were, let Ty ride off into the sunset. Pursue his new goal.
Enjoy the time you have with him.
There was a very real possibility that he wouldn’t let her do that. That she’d shot him down one too many times.
When she came back down the hall, wearing her good boots and clean jeans, she found her grandfather already nodding off in his chair in front of the television—like he never used to do before.
Maybe this was part of aging. Maybe her grandfather’s internal clock had changed from night owl setting to early bird. And maybe his knees really were giving out. Maybe she was so worried about losing someone else in her life she was creating concern where there was none. Gramps wasn’t yet seventy. Young, really, as far as old guys went. Milo Kenyon was approaching ninety and showed no signs of slowing down.
But then Hawksley Carrigan had passed when he was younger than Gramps.
And wasn’t she getting morbid?
Shelby put on her hat, grabbed her gloves and rope and headed for her truck, then changed course and went to the machine shed instead. There was only one four-wheeler parked inside—the one Gramps rode. Her stomach automatically tightened. It was getting late and where in the hell was Ty?
Chapter Ten
Walking toward the pasture, Shelby shielded her eyes from the setting sun, and squinted toward the gap in the trees. Nothing. No sound. No four-wheeler. No Ty.
He’s a big boy.
And it was going to be dark soon.
If he’d broken down, he could walk back no problem, even if it was dark.
But if he’d rolled that damned quad, as could happen if a person wasn’t paying attention… Shelby’s stomach tightened even more.
Less than a year ago a person in a nearby community had died rolling a four-wheeler.
Heart in her throat, Shelby zipped her coat and headed for the remaining quad, firing it up and hoping the noise wouldn’t rouse her grandfather. Odds were that Ty had broken down. In fact, the odds were so favorable for breaking down she wasn’t going to allow herself to consider any other alternative.
Damn it to hell… what was happening to her? Ty comes back and suddenly she’s a basket case? Her first thoughts were those of mayhem and death? That needed to stop.
The sun was well below the tree tops when she got off the machine at the wire gate leading to the leased acreage and undid the latch. She dragged the gate across the dry grass and, since there were no cows in the vicinity, she left it down before driving on.
She followed the four-wheeler trail that led past new braces, t-posts, and tautly struck wire. Gramps had said they’d finished the north side of the riparian and were working their way down the south, but she hadn’t realized just how much of a job they’d already finished. Another day or two and they’d be done with both sides and then she and Gramps would be ready for spring and Ty would move on.
She followed the track away from the area where the land got marshy around the creek, rode over a small hill and half way down the other side she caught sight of Ty in her headlight, standing near the creek, hands on his hips.
His head came up as he heard the sound of the four-wheeler she rode.
Shelby gunned the four-wheeler across the remaining distance. Ty’s quad was half sunk in a nasty bog hole. He’d been digging around the wheels, and his jeans and boots were muddy up to his knees.
Shelby shook her head. “I won’t ask how.”
His voice was deadly as he said, “Probably wise.”
She got off her machine and they stood side by side for a silent moment, then she glanced over at him. “I can’t help it,” she said in a low voice. “How?”
“It was getting late and I wasn’t paying attention. I was looking across the field and hit it hard.”
“Why are you working so late?” It was almost two hours after his usual quitting time and he obviously hadn’t been stuck that long, because he hadn’t dug the wheels out yet.
“To get the fence done so that I can leave?”
All right, then…
She shoved her hands in her back pockets, ignoring his show of temper. “Want a ride back, or do you want to try to pull it out now?”
“Now.”
“I need to call Wyatt.” She glanced up at him after pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Why didn’t you call when you got into trouble?”
“Manly pride,” he muttered so low she could barely hear him.
Shelby made her call then put her phone away and propped her hands on her hips. “It’s been a long time since we tackled a situation like this.”
“Last time it was a tractor, if I recall.” His voice had softened an iota.
“Gramps was so pissed.”
Ty continued to study the four-wheeler as if it were the tractor all those years ago. “Someone should have been watching where they were going.”
Shelby also kept her eyes firmly on the half-sunk four-wheeler. “I was distracted,” she murmured.
Something about a hand working its way up her thigh. And it had felt so good right up until the tractor tipped drunkenly into the bog.
“I remember that, too.”
The roughly spoken words made her insides tumble. Shelby let out a breath and turned and walked back to her four-wheeler. She did not want to dwell on how she’d been distracted the day they’d buried the tractor in a bog not that far from this very spot. Or the fact they’d made love afterwards.
She got the tow strap out of the milk crate, fastened to the back rack with bungee cords, and handed it to Ty. He hooked it to the front of the four-wheeler while Shelby turned hers in a circle, bringing the rear end as close to the buried machine as she dared. Ty fastened the other end of the strap and signaled Shelby with his hand. She moved her quad forward, the strap tightened and then the buried quad started moving. Ty signaled her to stop, climbed on the muddy machine, straightened out the wheels, then signaled Shelby to move again. She stopped as soon Ty was on dry ground.
Shelby got off her four-wheeler and waited while Ty unhooked the muddy strap and rolled it. He stowed it in the milk crate, then headed back to his machine and started it. She waited for him to pull up beside her then started back the way she’d come, her headlight now cutting through the darkness.
When they got back to the machine shed, Ty parked next to her and shut off the engine. The building was dark, but light filtered in from the yard lamp just outside.
“Thanks for the rescue.”
“I was getting concerned. I don’t like it when people aren’t where they’re supposed to be.”
His expression made Shelby wish she’d kept her mouth shut, but he didn’t ask for clarification. “I’ll try not to do it again.”
Like he’d be there long enough to do it again. She started out of the building, then stopped after stepping out onto the gravel. “Are you going to town tonight?”
“Why?”
He spoke warily and Shelby didn’t blame him. She moistened her lips. “I have lefto
ver pot roast in the house.”
He gave her a hard look. “After everything that’s gone down between us, why would you invite me to dinner?”
“I don’t know.” She spoke the truth flatly. “Maybe there are things to be said.”
“In front of Les?”
“Ten to one he’s still asleep.”
“This early?” Ty knew Les’s habits almost as well as she did, having worked with him for over a year.
“Crazy, I know. I made an appointment for him to get a quick checkup today, but he cancelled it.”
“I think I’d be more worried if he kept it.”
Shelby nodded. “Good point.” Great point, maybe. She’d love to discover that she was concerned over nothing more than the natural aging process.
Ty shook his head. “I appreciate it, Shelby, but honestly? Maybe it’s better if I don’t.”
“It’s just dinner.”
“No. It’s not.” He slid his hand behind her neck, his thumb caressing the edge of her jaw, making her want things she could not have. “This plan of yours… isn’t working.” He released her and took a step back, hooking his thumb in his belt loop as if to keep from touching her again.
“No. It is not.” Her voice was husky. She looked down at the ground. “I was afraid something had happened to you tonight.”
“It did.”
“No. I mean something… serious.” He didn’t say anything and when she looked up, she found him regarding her with a thoughtful expression on his face. “I realized today that I need to face my fears.”
He frowned at her. “What fears haven’t you faced? You’re roping again.”
“Yes. There’s that.” She pressed her lips together.
Hard. Tried to come up with an easy way to say what she needed to say. There wasn’t one. She had to face her fears, but she didn’t need to confess them, because confessing them would only serve to screw with Ty’s life.
“I’ve been stupid,” she finally said.
“How so?”
“I’ve wasted time. With you.”
His eyes went dark. “What do you mean?”
“I let anger and fear take control, even when I knew I was still attracted to you… and that there was still something between us.”
Ty frowned at her, as if he didn’t know what to make of what she’d just said, then he slowly reached out to take her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. “Damn it, Shelby,” he murmured against her hair.
But his arms tightened as she slid her hands around to his back and hung on.
“I’m not twenty-three any more. Things aren’t as black and white.” She leaned back to look into his face. “I guess what I’m saying it that I don’t need for you to stay. I need time with you while you’re here.”
And she did. She needed to feel him touch her, make love to her. Reassure herself that he was alive and well and with her. No one knew what the next day would bring, but they had today. She needed to get used to today being enough.
“You’re sure about this?”
When she could feel him growing hard against her belly? Oh, yeah. She was sure. But she had a hard time finding words, even one or two, as she stared up into his very serious expression. This meant something to him, just as it meant something to her. Maybe their lives would never align, but they had this moment, and she was not going to waste it.
“It’s a place to start.”
“I guess we’ve got to start somewhere.”
He studied her face for another long moment, as if giving her one last chance to bail, then lowered his head to meet her lips in a slow, heart-stopping kiss. Her hands moved up the sides of his face and this time she took off his hat without breaking the kiss, tossing it onto the four-wheeler rather than knocking it off. It hit the ground anyway.
He deepened the kiss, his tongue demanding her total focus, which was just wrong, because his hands were demanding the same thing. The light popped above them and then went out.
Ty pressed his mouth against the side of her neck, making her gasp as he hit the sensitive spot there he knew so well, then eased back and let his hands slide down her arms to her wrists.
“My place?” he asked lowly.
“Our only option,” she murmured.
Ty led her though the darkness, around the barn and to the trailer, where he opened the door and ushered her inside. He crossed the room to snap on a small lamp, but Shelby gave her head a shake and he snapped it off again. The windows of the trailer were clearly visible from the living room where her grandfather might no longer be sleeping. Besides that, she didn’t need to see him. She knew him. Every inch of him and she was going to renew the acquaintanceship. She pulled her shirt over her head, dropped it on the floor behind her. She heard the pop of pearl snaps as Ty followed suit. Next time they’d undress each other. Next time they would play the games. Right now she needed him. In her. He hadn’t even touched her and her breath seemed to be coming in ragged gasps.
And then his hands were on her. Big, warm, rough, and callused. She caught her lip between her teeth, closed her eyes as his palm skimmed over her naked flesh, cupping her breasts, reacquainting himself with her sensitive nipples. She was getting warmer, wetter, with each new caress, and when his hand slid down over her ass, dipping between her legs from behind, teasing her clit, she almost exploded.
She jerked back and even in the dim light, she could sense his questions. Too much? Too soon?
As if.
She narrowed her eyes, holding his gaze as she put her hands on his chest and started slowly backing him toward the bunk. When his legs hit the edge, she pushed. Ty went down, snagging her by the waist and pulling her with him at the last second. Shelby gasped and laughed as she landed on top of him. He kept hold of her and rolled and the next thing she knew she was beneath him. He laughed softly, then propped himself on his elbows and took her face between his hands, kissing her deeply. Shelby kissed him back, savoring the feeling of being trapped beneath his long, hard body. She broke the kiss, nipping his lip before and trailing her mouth along his neck and jawline, tasting the salt on his flesh, drawing in his scent before reaching between them to take his swollen cock in her hand. If anything it got bigger as she circled it with her fingers.
Ty rolled off from her, dropping an arm over her and pulling closer as he reached between her legs to once again explore her very hot, wet depths. He muttered something against her hair as he teased her clit, and his cock bobbing in her hand.
“Now,” she murmured against his neck. Next time would be slow.
Ty did not need a second invitation. He put a hand on her hip and rolled her beneath him. Their hands met at his erection and together they guided him in. Shelby’s breath stopped as he slowly pushed inside of her and then, when he hit the end, she suddenly gasped and bucked against him.
Her orgasm hit her hard, taking both by surprise. Ty stilled for all of a nanosecond before he started moving, his strokes long and slow as if he were savoring every second of being inside of her. Then he started moving fast, more desperately, and toward the end, he was hammering her. And she loved it. Shelby felt another climax building and just as he slammed into her one final time, she arched against him—hard—and the world around her shattered again…
Best damned shattering ever.
Shelby felt dizzy as she let her head roll on the mattress. Ty pulled in a ragged breath before he slowly lowered himself, collapsing on his side next to her. Shelby dropped a limp arm over his side.
“Next time will be more civilized,” he finally muttered when he’d caught his breath.
She smiled a little. “I hope not.”
*
Ty hadn’t intended to fall asleep. He woke with a start, then stilled as he realized Shelby was still in his arms. Where she belonged. She raised sleepy eyes, a sensual smile curving her full lips.
“Again?” she murmured.
He laughed and she curled back into him. “Yeah. Again. In a bit.” He pulled her a
little closer. “Are you glad we did this?”
“Yes.” She stretched against him, her smooth thighs pressing against his legs. “It wasn’t like we could keep doing things the way we were. Pretending we didn’t feel anything.”
“It was kind of miserable.” And he didn’t want to go there again. He idly stroked a hand over her hair. “Do you want to tell me more about these fears that you’re facing?”
“They’re just… things I need to work through.”
“Alone?” She nodded against his shoulder. “So what happens now?”
She ran her palm over his chest, idly playing with the hair there. “We take things slowly. See what happens.”
“No declarations? No commitments?” Because they’d been committed before and he didn’t see where it wouldn’t be possible to be committed again.
She looked up at him. “I honestly don’t know.”
“If you were to ask me not to ride—”
“I won’t.” The words popped out of her mouth instantly and he could see that she’d given the matter some thought. He could also see that she was dead serious.
She settled her palm on his chest and rested her chin on it. “I did that once before. I won’t do it again.”
“Are you sure?”
She smiled a little. “Yeah. I am.”
There were still things between them. Things they weren’t saying, things that needed worked out. And Ty honestly didn’t know if they would ever be able to do that, but he was willing to live with the here and now.
He lifted her free hand to his mouth, kissed her knuckles. And damned if his dick didn’t take notice that his mouth was at work. And Shelby noticed and arched her pelvis against him.
He pulled her up on top of him. They could—no, they would—continue this conversation later.
Chapter Eleven
On the morning of the rodeo, two days after Shelby and Ty made love, Shelby set a cup of coffee beside Gramps’s breakfast plate, then headed off to the living room to call Paul Barlow. She’d tried to call him twice before, but he hadn’t answered and he hadn’t responded to her voice mails. But this time the phone only rang twice before a cheerful feminine voice said hello.
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