“Where are we going?”
I smiled at her. “I thought we’d take a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Don’t worry. Nobody will even see us. We’re walking to the ranch.”
She smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”
We set off with our coffees out the back door and made our way to the ranch. On the way, we spoke about everything other than why she was really there. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it, and I didn’t want to push it. I was curious, but I figured she’d tell me in her own time.
“How’s your arm, by the way?” she asked.
I flexed it in front of her. “It’s doing good. Can you just imagine the sort of strength I have with both of them? I mean, I’d probably have won you two stuffed animals.”
She laughed. “You’re such a show-off. Have you seen your nemesis lately?”
“Nemesis?”
“The bull!”
“Ha! The bull. No, I’ve been ignoring him.”
“Good. He doesn’t deserve your friendship.”
“Oh, but Ryan called me and told me that someone uploaded a video of the bull throwing me off. I looked it up. It really looked bad.”
“It was bad! Now you know why we were all so worried.”
“Yeah, I guess I didn’t realize it was as bad as you all thought. I think I was just in such a daze that day.”
“Also, you were high on happy pills.”
I smiled. “Oh yeah. And sugar. That was fun.”
“That was fun,” she said and smiled. But I noticed a hint of sadness when she said it.
“Okay, we’re almost there,” I said. “And guess what we’re doing next?”
“Uh, you’re going to make me do some work at the ranch?”
I laughed. “Can you imagine what Harold would do if he found out that I did that? No, I’m not going to put you to work. We’re going riding.”
“BETTY!” she exclaimed, and her whole face lit up.
“No, I’m sorry, but Betty is mine. I’ll find you another horse,” I teased.
“Not a chance, mister. Betty is all mine. It’s two females against one male. We’ll win.”
“Just kidding. Of course, she’s all yours. She’s been moping since you’ve been gone, anyway.”
“Are you just saying that?”
I shook my head. “I’m actually not just saying that. She hasn’t been herself.” I wanted to add that I hadn’t been myself either, but I kept that part quiet.
When we got to the barn, Sloan ran straight to Betty. I noticed that she had tears in her eyes as she kissed the horse, and I watched with amazement as she saddled up without my help. Once she was on the horse, she looked at me.
“Come on, what are you waiting for? I think it’s time for another race, don’t you think?”
I grinned. “Okay, we can race again. But I’ll have you know, this time I’m not letting you win.”
“Oh yeah? Come on then; show me what you’ve got.”
I saddled up and joined her out onto the field. We rode around for a while and then made our way back to where we’d had our race the first time. I looked at her and smiled.
“So, what do I get if I win?” I asked.
“If you win then you get the satisfaction of having beaten me. But if I win, you have to make me steaks on that outdoor grill again.”
“This deal seems incredibly imbalanced.”
“Oh, are you scared?”
“Me? Scared? Of a little girl like you? Never!”
“Okay then, five, four, three, two, one, GO!”
We galloped toward the goal, with me slightly in front. Just like the last time I slowed down just before the end and let her win. She burst out into applause for herself.
“Woo hoo!” she yelled. Then she turned to look at me. “I’m glad to see I haven’t lost my touch.”
“You do know that I let you win, don’t you?”
She shook her head with defiance. “I’m sorry, but you simply cannot prove that fact. I hope you know that I expect a good outdoor dinner tonight.”
I sighed dramatically. “Well, a deal’s a deal.”
She chuckled, and we continued riding around. For the most part, our conversation revolved around the horses. We kept the topics light and funny. But every now and again, I’d see a shadow cross her face, and she’d look like she was about to cry. I wondered if she’d ever open up to me. I wondered what was going on in her life that was so bad she had to run away from it.
“You ready to go back?” I said after a few hours of riding.
She nodded. “Only if we can do this again tomorrow.”
“We can do it every day,” I said. I didn’t know how long she would be staying, but as long as she was there, we would find the time to ride.
We made our way back to the barn and put the horses away. Sloan went to grab some food and made sure that they all got fed.
“It’s strange to think that only a month and a bit ago you had never even touched a horse. Now look at you.”
She patted Betty and smiled. “Yeah. Well, it’s all thanks to you. You gave me a chance.”
She turned around and looked at me. Then, without saying a word, she walked right up to me and kissed me.
“I want you, Brady,” she whispered when we pulled away.
Every part of my body ached for her. “I want you too.”
“I want you right now.”
“Here? In the barn?”
She nodded. “I can’t wait.”
I looked around. We’d been riding around for ages, and we hadn’t seen anyone. And frankly, I wasn’t sure that I could wait either. I pulled her toward me.
“Neither can I.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sloan
It hadn’t been such a long time since I’d been with Brady, and yet with all the drama in my life, it felt like it had been forever. For the past few days, all I could think about was how my life was falling apart all around me, and how I was never going to recover from what had happened. But the moment my lips touched Brady’s, I forgot all about my problems. The longer we kissed, the more my cares and worries dissolved. I knew that there was no way I could stop myself. I wanted him, and I wasn’t going to wait.
“I want you right now,” I whispered.
“Here? In the barn?” he asked.
She nodded. “I can’t wait.”
He looked around and pulled me toward him.
“Neither can I,” he whispered back and lifted up my shirt.
His hands were all over my body, touching me as if he’d forgotten what it felt like to be with me. I pulled off his shirt and found myself doing the same. I couldn’t get enough of him. I tugged at his jeans and grinned as he pulled them down. I pulled down mine, and as I leaned forward to kiss him, we both tripped on a bale of hay and fell to the ground.
I burst out laughing and pulled him on top of me. A piece of hay was poking into my hips, but I barely noticed it. Brady laughed too and moved on top of me. He pinned me down, spread out my arms to the side, and moved down my body.
“I missed your mouth,” he said as he kissed it.
“I missed your neck,” he said as he moved down toward my neck.
“I missed your collarbone.”
“I missed your breasts,” he whispered and kissed around each one. He tugged gently at my nipples.
“What else did you miss?” I asked when he’d paused to smile at me.
“Oh, so many things. But I’m not sure if I’m going to show you any more.”
“Brady!” I said. “You better show me. Didn’t you miss my stomach?”
He laughed and kissed my stomach. “I missed your stomach.”
He continued all the way until he’d reached the tips of my toes. My body shuddered with every kiss, every lick and every word he whispered. When he’d finished with my toes, he climbed back on top of me, and I pulled him in toward me.
“And mostly,” he said as he slid inside me, “I miss
ed you.”
“I missed you too.”
Sex with Brady after a week of no sex with Brady was even better than I had remembered it. It was hot and passionate. It was intoxicating and perfect. It was both slow and sweet as well as hot and heavy. Our passion ramped up quickly as we both tried to make up for lost time, our lovemaking reaching a brilliant crescendo as we eagerly reacquainted ourselves with each other’s bodies. By the time we were finished, we were both out of breath. I held onto him for a while longer, not wanting to let him go, and when he moved off me, I pulled him toward me.
“I think I’ve changed my mind,” I said.
“About what?”
“My king-sized bed. I mean, this is actually pretty comfortable too. Although—ow, I just realized that I’m lying naked on a lot of very sharp pieces of hay. Wow, I didn’t feel that the entire time we were having sex.” I also noticed that I hadn’t thought for one minute about any problems. He had somehow managed to numb my mind while igniting my body. I think I finally found a cure to not thinking about things.
He laughed. “I can’t believe we had sex in the barn.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve never had sex here before. I won’t believe you.”
“It’s true,” he said. “I’ve honestly never had sex in this barn before. Or any barn, for that matter. I’m never going to see this place in the same light again.”
He stood up and helped me to my feet. We both searched for our clothes, which we’d somehow managed to fling all over the place. I finally found everything and put it on, and then when I looked to the corner of the room, I burst out laughing.
“Uh, I forgot we had company.”
“What? Where? Who?” Brady said and looked around in panic.
I chuckled. “Betty. Oh dear, I feel so ashamed that she just saw us doing that. I’m sorry, Betty. Poor thing.”
He laughed. “We’ve scarred her for life. Hey, have you seen my sock anywhere?”
“Just the one?”
“Just the one. I found the other. Oh no, there it is . . .”
“Where?” I asked and looked at the direction he was gazing.
“It landed on Betty’s back.”
I giggled as I watched Brady walk over to the horse to get his sock. She didn’t even seem to notice.
“Oh no! I’m sorry, Betty.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here. The horses need to recover after what just happened.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows. “Uh, I seem to recall owning you a steak on my outdoor grill.”
“Oh yeah, how could I forget? Come on; I’m starving. Oh no! I just remembered we have to walk all the way back. I’m really working for this food today,” I said.
“Extra bread rolls for you, then.”
I smiled. I remembered the salad that I had shared with Victoria only a few days ago, and the look she’d given me when I’d suggested getting the sandwich. Not only was I going to eat the bread roll today, but I was going to enjoy it without even an ounce of guilt.
After a long walk, a shower, and then a grilled steak outside, I felt exhausted. Brady caught me yawning and grinned at me.
“Horse riding and walking is exhausting work,” he said.
“Nah, I don’t think that was what tired me out.”
He chuckled. “That’s true. Come on, let’s go to bed.”
When we got to his bedroom, I pulled out his t-shirt from my bag and showed it to him. “Look what made its way with me all the way to New York.”
“My t-shirt? How did that get in your bag?”
She shrugged. “I actually have no idea. But . . . oh, never mind,” I said, suddenly feeling shy.
“What?” he asked. “Sloan, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just . . . well, I don’t want this to come across as weird or anything. But I slept in your shirt when I was back home. It made me feel safe for some reason. I hope you don’t mind. Anyway, I brought it back for you.” My face was flushed with embarrassment. I could not believe that I’d actually said those words to him out loud. But when I looked up, I saw that he was smiling at me.
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me. And please don’t give it back to me. It’s yours. Will you wear it tonight?”
I pulled off my clothes and put his t-shirt on. “How does it look?” I said as I twirled around.
“It looks so much better on you than it ever did on me.”
I crawled into bed beside him and felt his warm body against mine. It had been nice wearing his t-shirt at night, but it was far better having him next to me. He switched the light off and kissed me goodnight.
“Brady . . . .” I said after a few minutes.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for not asking me about what’s going on, and for just being there for me.”
“I’ll always be there for you, Sloan.”
I smiled in the dark as I felt his hands reach out to squeeze mine.
“I promise to tell you everything soon. I just didn’t want to think about it today. I wanted nothing more than a full day of just being with you. A problem free day.”
“Did you get that?”
“Oh, I got more than that. Today was perfect.”
“I’m glad. I want you to have fewer problem days and more perfect days.”
“I’ll try. Goodnight, Brady.”
“Goodnight, Sloan.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brady
I woke up with Sloan lying in my arms. She was still fast asleep, and I could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she slept. She looked so peaceful, and I wondered why she was here. I was curious, but at the same time, I knew I didn’t really care why. She was here, and that was all that mattered. I’d been a loner for most of my life, and I assumed that I would always be a loner. The fact that some woman had managed to find her way into my heart, still surprised me. Especially since that woman was a famous actress from New York with a very different background from my own. I knew that she wasn’t going to be here forever. Soon, I’d go back to being a loner. But it was nice having her around for now. And the fact that she had chosen to come and see me when she could’ve gone anywhere in the world made me happy.
I felt her stir, and when she turned around, she smiled at me.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” I whispered.
“Morning, cowboy.”
“Sleep well?”
She nodded. “I did.”
“Good. Take your time getting up. I’m going down to make up some breakfast.”
“Thank you,” she said, and I could see she was still half asleep.
I went downstairs and started the breakfast. I decided to make her bacon and eggs, as I’d received a fresh batch of eggs the previous morning. I toasted some farm bread and got the coffee ready.
“Oh, this smells incredible,” she said as she walked into the room.
I grinned at the sight of her. She was still wearing my t-shirt, and she’d put on a pair of socks. She looked incredibly cute, and I liked that she hadn’t rushed to put on makeup or get dressed. That was the Sloan from before. This Sloan trusted me enough to be herself.
“That t-shirt really suits you,” I said.
She tugged at it slightly and smiled. “It’s so comfortable.”
I placed all the food on the table, and we both sat down to eat.
“This is delicious, Brady,” she said as she took a bite of the buttered toast.
“I’m glad you like it. Nothing more important than a hearty breakfast.”
She grinned. “And nothing quite like farm bread. You know, when I was in New York I tried to order a sandwich from the café. I was with my friend for lunch, and she looked at me as if I’d gone crazy.”
“For ordering a sandwich? What’s wrong with that?”
“Carbs, darling,” she drawled in a posh New York accent.
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah. Apparently, I’d be th
e talk of the town for eating bread. In the end, I just ordered a salad to keep the peace.”
I shook my head. That was a life that I just couldn’t understand. I don’t think I would ever understand it. “That’s very sad.”
“Yeah,” she said sadly. I could see that there was something on her mind, but she still wasn’t saying anything.
“Unfortunately, I have to go to work today,” I said to Sloan. “I would love nothing more than to spend the day with you, but I feel bad leaving Harold in the lurch. And the other guys that work there are all so unreliable. I hope you don’t mind.”
She smiled. “I love Harold. Of course I don’t mind.”
“Unless you want to come with? I don’t mind if you join. Even though you will be a rather big distraction for me,” I said as I remembered the time in the barn the day before.
“Nah, I better not. Poor Betty has seen enough. Honestly, I’ll be fine. You go to work. I’m quite okay with just staying here. I wouldn’t mind a day of doing nothing for a change.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure,” she said.
After breakfast, I made my way to the ranch and found Harold walking around.
“Sorry I’m a little later than usual,” I said when I got to him.
He laughed. “You’re still earlier than everyone else. Honestly, it’s not a big deal. So, how’s Sloan?”
“She’s okay. She speaks so highly of you, by the way.”
“She’s a lovely girl.”
I smiled. “Yeah, she is. Anyway, thanks for the day off yesterday. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem at all. Why don’t you take the week off, Brady? I’m sure you want to spend some time with her, and I don’t mind. It’s just one week.”
“Thanks, Harold. I appreciate the offer. But I know that there is a lot of work to be done here, and if I take the week off, then I’m only going to make things worse for me next week. Anyway, I think that she’ll be fine at the house. I think she just wants a bit of time to herself. I invited her to the ranch, but she wanted some alone time.”
“Okay, sure. I understand. But the offer still stands if you need it.”
“Thank you.”
“Is everything okay, Brady?”
I shrugged. I had no idea what was going on. “I don’t know.”
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