“You can’t blame a man for trying.”
I reached up to caress the sexy stubble on his jaw. “Text me when you stop along your trip so I know you’re safe.”
His eyes regained their sparkle. “Of course. You’re my girl.” He leaned down to nuzzle the top of my head as he gathered me back in his arms.
I didn’t want to leave the warmth of his embrace, but couldn’t be greedy with something I didn’t deserve. “Get to bed. Four is going to come fast and furious.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
I gently pushed his chest. “I don’t want to be responsible for you falling asleep at the wheel.”
A lazy smile crept across his face. “You care about me?”
“Of course, I do.”
“But you won’t kiss me?”
“No.”
His eyebrows waggled. “Maybe when I return?”
I tried to give him a stern look, but a smile betrayed me. “Probably not. Maybe you should find a kissing girlfriend on your trip.”
He tipped his chin as though considering the idea, then gave me a mischievous grin. “Nah. I kind of like my non-kissing girlfriend.” He cradled my face in his huge hands. “I love your face.”
I wrinkled my nose, because I couldn’t do much more with him holding me.
“And I love the way your nose crinkles.”
I rolled my eyes.
“And how your gorgeous brown eyes make eye-rolling seem sexy.”
“Stop.” I took hold of his hands.
“It’s hard. I love everything about you, Lizzie.”
I shook my head at the charmer. “Go to bed, Kermie.”
Chapter 58
Bentley
Rays of sun burst from billowy clouds as through a prism. It would’ve been a perfect winter day if I didn’t have to share it with Garret. As I took Lizzie’s arm to walk out the door, I curled my lip as I saw that cocky cowboy standing by his truck.
“Hey, Ben. I didn’t know you were coming,” he hollered.
I bet he didn’t. The wily weasel probably thought he’d have Lizzie all to himself on the long ride to town.
“I always go to church with Lizzie,” I said as we approached his navy blue Dodge Big Horn. Another reason not to like the guy.
He winked. “Don’t you look prettier than a glob of butter melting on a stack of wheat cakes.”
Lizzie laughed as I groaned.
“Here, darlin’.” He took her hand and helped her inside the cab of his inferior truck.
“Thank you.”
With a cursory glance at me, he walked to his side.
I grabbed the handle hold and muttered, “Ferret,” as I pressed my top teeth into my bottom lip and made sucky noises.
Lizzie reached over to give me a hand. “Not you too. Your brother must have poisoned you.” As Garret’s door opened, she whispered, “Behave.”
I gave her a mock innocent expression, which made her laugh. Garret must’ve assumed she was happy to be with him, because his cheesy grin grew wider.
“Are you a member of Lizzie’s church?” I asked as we pulled away.
“No, little man. But Lizzie’s finer than a frog hair split four ways, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to check it out.”
I made a fist and wished I could let him check that out.
The drive seemed to take twice as long because Garret wouldn’t shut his trap. The guy must have been a fisherman, because his stories seemed larger than life. Unlike Lizzie, who gave him a sympathetic ear as he told about how close he’d been to his niece who’d been killed by a drunk driver, I stuck out my lips and wished for a roll of duct tape to muffle him.
“So…you and Rawson?”
I perked up at the mention of my brother.
Liz squirmed next to me. “Yeah.”
“How long have you two been together?”
“Uh, just recently.”
“Long enough to be downright embarrassing,” I interjected.
Her elbow jabbed my side. “Hush.”
“Are you open to dating other guys?” Hearing the smile in his voice made me want to punch the jerk. How dare he try to steal her from my brother.
I leaned forward to glare at him. “She’s Rawson’s girl.”
Ferret seemed to sense I meant business because he began regaling us with another tall tale. I didn’t believe half of it, but Liz seemed to eat up his self-aggrandizing stories, laughing and saying “Really?” until I wanted to barf. What was wrong with her?
After Sunday School, we piled into his truck to drive home. Exhausted from holding my head up so long, I nodded off when Garret’s brag session continued. Rodeo circuit. Football hero in high school. Equine Science degree from University of Florida. Humanitarian. Counselor for teens in the SADD program. Bleck! I could only take so much.
When I awoke, I heard him whispering. “I don’t know, darlin’. The more I find out about your boyfriend, the less I like him.”
“I wish you two would try to get along,” she murmured. “You both have a lot in common.”
“We only have one thing in common. You. He wants to use you. I want to protect you.”
Why that slimy toad! I noisily yawned and stretched my arms. “Are we almost there?”
“Hey, Ben.” Lizzie turned to face me. “Did you have a good nap?”
I shrugged and leaned forward to scowl at Ferret.
He began talking about his SADD group. “You should join, Ben. Don’t you think, darlin’?”
“If he wants.” Lizzie tried not to rope me into Garret’s loop.
He didn’t pick up on her hesitance. “The group’s like a second family. If you want more friends—solid friends with strong values—it’s the perfect place to come. You could drive in with Lizzie and me each Friday night.”
I was tempted to agree, just to watch over Lizzie, but I didn’t want to indicate I thought he was as cool as he seemed to think.
“No, thanks.”
“If you change your mind, just say the word. I’ve been helping kids like you for the last six months. It’s the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.”
My lips puckered into my nose. Was he inferring I was at risk of drinking or doing drugs? I’d feel rewarded if I could pop him in his big mouth.
I made ferret sounds until Lizzie’s elbow jabbed into me again. She’d become pretty darn good at that move.
Chapter 59
Rawson
My heart pounded and muscles flexed as I approached the round pen and leaned over the top post to watch Lizzie ride the newest two-year-old, Dun Run Out of Whiskey. She’d told me on the phone that she’d backed the young dun last week, but needed to get him used to the saddle. It still wasn’t his friend.
When she noticed me, she threw me a dazzling smile and circled the pen again. Ferret stood inside the paddock with a clipboard and pen, jotting down notes as Liz kept the horse at a steady three-quarter pace. As she brought the horse to a stop in front of me, I climbed the gate to greet her and chuckled at Ferret’s disgruntled expression.
“He’s looking good,” I said.
She dismounted with the grace of Aphrodite.
“So are you.” I grabbed her up in my arms and swung her around. When I set her on her feet, she blushed and patted the horse.
“Good job, Whiskers.”
“Whiskers? That’s no name for this fine beast. He’s Whiskey.”
Liz stuck out her tongue. “He doesn’t drink.”
“Neither do I, but Whiskers sounds like an old man with no teeth.”
She rubbed the dun’s ears and cracked a smile. “When did you get back?”
“About two minutes ago. I ran here as fast as I could to feast my eyes on beauty. They’ve been starving while I was away.” Two weeks on the road had felt like forever.
“You’re such a tease.” She opened the gate to lead the horse to its stall.
“Hey, darlin’,” Garret called. “Want to look over my notes?”
I co
cked an eyebrow. “Darlin’?”
She shook her head. “He calls everyone that.”
I snarled as I watched the Florida ferret swagger our direction. “Remind me to never call you darling again. He’s ruined the word.”
“Hey, Rawson,” he greeted me like a friend. “Welcome back.”
I gave him a cursory chin tilt.
He sidled up to Liz with his clipboard, getting a little closer than I liked. As they leaned their heads together to discuss horses, I slipped behind Liz and reached my arms around her waist. Blowing in her ears, I stuck my hands in the front pockets of her jeans. Of course, being women’s jeans, my hands only fit halfway. She stiffened in my arms, but I refused to retreat. Liz was my girl now, and Garret was going to damn well take note.
“Mmmm, baby,” I murmured, “I missed you.”
She pried my hands from her pockets and whipped around to face me. It was tempting to explore her back pockets now, but I figured that might freak her out.
“I missed you too. Don’t you have to get to the cows?”
I nuzzled her nose. “Cattle, Lizzie. Cows are—”
“I know. Females who’ve had babies.”
“That’s right. I don’t have to be back there until tomorrow.”
Throat clearing interrupted us. “Do you want to finish this?”
I glared at Garret as Lizzie pulled out of my arms. “We’ll go over it later. Can you put Whiskers away and saddle up Yakama Yoda?”
He acted a little perturbed as he took the rope from her.
“Later, Gare.” I sent him a taunting salute.
When he disappeared, Liz gave me a scolding look. “Keep your testosterone in check.”
“I will if you kiss me.”
She bit her lower lip. “You’re impossible.”
“I prefer incredible.” I hugged her again. “I’d like to kidnap you for the rest of the day and hold you hostage somewhere nice and toasty. What do you say, Stockholm? Are you game?”
The gold flecks in her brown eyes sparkled. “Tempting, but I need to finish up here.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” I winked. “See you at supper.”
A couple hours later after we finished the evening meal, I caught her in the hall. “Meet me out back in ten minutes. Dress warm. There’s a full moon tonight. Perfect for snowmobiling.”
When she returned bundled up in that burgundy coat I’d given her, looking all sexy in the moonlight, I wanted to drag her right back inside and kiss her thoroughly. Instead, I handed her a helmet and helped her strap it on tight.
She said something, but it muffled her words.
“What?” I yelled through mine.
“It feels weird,” she shouted.
“You’ll be glad you have it once we’re moving.” I grabbed her gloved hand and pulled her over to the Arctic Cat. Straddling the machine, I motioned for her to climb on behind me. “Hold on tight, sweetheart. This baby can go a whole lot faster than the ATV.”
I grinned like a fool as she clasped her hands around my stomach. Patting her to make sure she held tight, I pulled away from the house. Once we crested the hill, I let her rip. Racing through a wintry wonderland never ceased to thrill me. Snow covered evergreens drooped in reverent display and a magical mist rose from the ground as we screamed over hills and past gullies.
“You like it?” I yelled back to her as we rounded a bend.
I felt her grip tighten. “Love it!”
When we approached the top of a hill overlooking a moonlit meadow, I brought the snowmobile to a stop.
“Ready for a turn at the helm?”
Her grin froze and melted into a look of horror. “I don’t know how to drive one of these.”
I swung my leg around. “That’s why I’m going to teach you, babe. I can’t hog all the fun.”
“No, really. I don’t want to learn.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
She made a face.
“Come on. I’ll help you.”
I forced her to scoot forward and encircled her waist. For the next half hour, I taught her how to drive the most amazing winter machine on earth. I won’t lie and say she was any good. Lizzie downright sucked, jerking us forward, then braking like there was a diesel truck in front of us. But she gradually improved.
“Now give it all you got. Full power.”
She accelerated across the meadow, but didn’t come close to harnessing the power the machine could unleash.
“Come on, Lizzie. You can do better than this,” I yelled.
She stopped at the end of the meadow and we switched spots. “Watch and learn, babe.”
I punched the gas and heard her squeal as she clung on for dear life. After crossing the meadow in half the time it’d taken her, I turned the Arctic Cat around and hopped off.
“Ready to try again?”
“It’s more fun holding onto you.”
“No doubt, but we can’t finish without you letting loose a bit. You don’t do that enough.”
We traded places and I reminded her of which hand to use for what. Cuddling her close, I looked over her shoulder. “Now punch it.”
When she did, I laughed and hollered like a banshee. As we whizzed across the powdery snow, her muffled laughter warmed me in the sub-zero temperatures.
“That’s my girl!” Saying those words and knowing they were true flooded me with heat that defied winter. When she came to a stop, I squeezed her. “You’re a natural.”
“Liar.”
“Okay, maybe not natural. But you did damn good.”
She cocked an eyebrow.
“I mean dang good.”
We switched seats and explored the moonlit meadow some more. Spending time together buried the plaguing fears that had followed me on my travels. I’d called her twice to discover she was with Ferret at one of his stupid meetings, and I’d almost lost it. The thought of her spending one second outside of work with that man didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t trust the sneaky rodent.
Chapter 60
Rawson
My body started tingling as I pulled my Arctic Cat up to the garage and cut the engine. My Pavlov’s response to Liz. I’d done everything in my power, including losing sleep the last few nights, to ensure the cattle were settled so I could spend the evening with her.
With a spring in my step, I headed to the house. At the porch, running footsteps from behind made me pause and turn. Chance materialized from the shadows, out of breath.
I tensed and clenched my fists. “What’s up, man?” Please don’t say Damon, I silently chanted.
“It’s Damon.”
I grit my teeth and put a hand on his shoulder to turn him away from the house. My night was ruined.
“What happened?”
“I did my best, Roz…”
I winced at the hated nickname. Only Damon got away with calling me that, and occasionally some chick I met while with him.
“…but he got away.” He rubbed his swollen cheek.
“Where did he go?” When he didn’t answer, I shook him. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t know. He punched me and took off with my truck.”
“How did he get your keys?”
His expression told me what he was too embarrassed to admit.
“You left them in the ignition?”
He wrung his hands.
I kicked gravel. “I told you to keep them on you at all times.”
“I know. All I did was go in to use the bathroom. How was I supposed to know he’d sucker-punch me?”
I started pacing. Liz was expecting me. I’d texted her to say I’d be by to watch a movie. I couldn’t ditch out on her, but who knew what Damon would do in his state of mind if I didn’t find him.
I glared at him. “I’m docking you a night’s pay…maybe even two.”
“Fine. But can you help me find my truck?”
I hissed. This was the fourth time I’d had to drop my plans to go clean up after hi
m because he couldn’t control my friend.
“Hey, Stash.”
I swore under my breath. “Play along,” I ordered as Liz skipped down the porch steps. “I don’t want her knowing anything.” I turned and held out my arms for a hug. “Hey, sweetheart. Where’s your coat?”
“I saw you pull up and came to find you.”
My smile felt forced, but she didn’t seem to notice in the dark.
“Hey, Chance.” She smiled at him.
“Chance just told me Abe’s in a bind. I’m afraid I’ll have to skip out on our movie.”
“Yeah, it’s really bad. Abe is ticked.”
I ground my teeth at Chance’s poor acting. He sounded like a robot.
Lizzie pulled back to look at me. “I’ll go with you to help.”
I lifted my gloved hand to her cheek. “You’re the best.” The girl still hadn’t let me kiss her, but somehow she still had me wrapped around her finger. It killed me to lie to her. “I’d love to take you, babe, but it’ll be dirty work.”
She tilted her head. “I’m not afraid of a little dirt. Besides, I can keep you company.”
Guilt gnawed at me, making it impossible to even throw out a joke. My night with my girl had been shattered by one guy’s carelessness.
“We’ll be out late. I don’t want you tired for mucking in the morning.” I leaned down to kiss her brow. “Let me walk you inside.” I trudged slowly, bummed at missing out on my night with her. At the door, I squeezed her hand. “Sorry.” Oh, if only she knew how I longed to hold her and feel the peace only she made me feel. It was a big reason why I put up with her insane dating rules. No other girl would’ve made that torture worthwhile; but Lizzie had enough other positives that I could overlook her asinine boundaries.
“Don’t be. I think you’re amazing to help out after already working a full day.” She hugged me.
“I’ll make it up to you. I will.” Blowing her a kiss, I turned away, feeling like a snake.
Chance wore a wary look as I approached. Since Liz still stood on the porch, I gave him a clenched teeth smile. “Let’s go.”
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