Midnight Ride

by Cat Johnson

  “I guess not.” Janie laughed, even though she wasn’t sure Tim would agree with his wife picturing another man during their date night.

  “Can you just imagine what he’d look like shirtless and sweaty and driving a tractor? Or unloading a hay truck? Damn.” Rene was apparently deep into her fantasies about Tyler already.

  Sad but true, Janie had thought some of the same things herself. Worse, chances were good one hot day she’d get to see all of those tantalizing scenes in real life. Then she’d have the actual sight of him to haunt her, rather than just her imaginings.

  Janie yanked her gaze from her friend to glance back at the object of their conversation. She saw him walking toward them and noticed a pronounced hitch in what yesterday had been a smooth stride.

  Frowning at his gait as he limped close enough to hear her, she asked, “What happened to you?”

  Tyler shook his head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  Her brows rose as she noted how he was still favoring one leg. “You’re not walking fine.”

  He brushed off her concern with the wave of a hand. “It’s nothing. I just landed bad. I’ve had worse. Believe me.”

  “Landed badly from what?” She crossed her arms, beginning to see Tyler was one of those men who refused to admit when he was hurting, even when there was clearly no hiding it.

  “There’s this horse I’m saddle breaking over at Rohn’s. I decided it was time for me to hop into the saddle. He had a different opinion on the matter. It’s nothing. Really.” By now he’d stopped his hobble and paused to stand, a bit crooked, in front of Janie. He angled his head toward Rene and tipped his hat. “Ma’am.”

  Janie realized Tyler had far more manners than she did. She’d rudely neglected to introduce him and he’d had to take matters into his own hands.

  “I’m sorry. Tyler, this is my friend Rene.”

  “Aunt Janie. How long do I have to circle?” The small voice came from behind them.

  Rene turned to smile. “That’s my impatient daughter, Khriste.”

  “Goodness, I forgot all about her.” Janie cringed as she turned toward the ring. “That’s good, sweetie. You can stop. Wait there. I’ll help you down and we’ll unsaddle him.”

  When it rained, it poured. Janie spent more hours alone in a day than she could count, but now she was being bombarded by people and situations needing her attention. Khriste would need help with the horse. Tyler was still obviously injured, though not admitting the extent of it, and Rene still wore a far-too-interested expression.

  First things first. “Tyler, you don’t have to work today if you’re hurt. Seriously.”

  “I’m not hurt—” He paused midway through his denial as Janie’s brows rose high. “I’m not hurt so bad I can’t lube up your harvester.”

  Rene’s eyes went wide in reaction to his statement. Janie knew her friend’s mind had taken a turn for the gutter. As Rene bit her lip, probably to hold in a laugh, Janie tried to concentrate on the situation with Tyler. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. I can unsaddle that horse for you, too. That way you can keep visiting with your friend.”

  “No, that’s fine. I was going to hose her down.”

  “I can handle that.” He turned toward the ring.

  “No, Tyler. You don’t have to—” Janie halted her protest since he’d already walked away from her.

  Pausing by the horse, he put one hand on the bridle. “Hey. I’m Tyler.”

  The little girl glanced down at him and smiled. “Hi. I’m Khriste and this is Bella. Aunt Janie is letting me ride her twice a week. I’ve only had a few lessons so far.”

  “That’s very cool of her. Do you know the proper way to get down?”

  “Yes. Can you hold her, though, so she doesn’t move?”

  “Sure thing.” Tyler gripped the bridle a bit tighter while Khriste kicked her feet out of the stirrups and swung both legs over until she was on her belly across the saddle, just the way Janie had showed her in their first lesson. She dropped to the ground on the left side of the horse and glanced up at Tyler. “Was that right?”

  “Pretty good for a beginner.” He nodded. “You want to help me hose Bella down after we take this saddle off her?”

  “Can I?”

  “Sure you can. That sun’s pretty hot today and she looks a little sweaty. She’ll enjoy a nice cool bath. Don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Khriste nodded her blond head so hard, her helmet looked like it might fly off.

  “All right. Let’s get her back to the barn.” Tyler turned the horse toward the building. “You want to lead her?”

  “Yes.” Kristie reached for the reins.

  “Nuh-uh. Stand on her left side. Always. Remember?”

  “Yeah. Aunt Janie told me that. I forgot.” Khriste looked crestfallen over her mistake, but Tyler’s smile revived her quickly enough.

  “That’s okay. I forget things sometimes, too.”

  Once Khriste had run to the other side of the horse, Tyler handed her the reins and the three of them—Khriste, Tyler, and the horse—walked slowly toward the barn.

  “Jeez, would you look at that?” Rene watched the unlikely trio walk away. “It’s so touching it could be a freaking Hallmark commercial.”

  Since Janie’s chest felt so tight just from watching the scene she couldn’t seem to look away from, she couldn’t argue.

  “No wonder you don’t want me to fix you up with the guy at church,” Rene continued.

  “What?” She tore her eyes off Tyler as he helped Khriste hook the horse up to the crossties in the aisle outside the stalls. “No. Stop. There’s nothing going on with Tyler.”

  “Nothing yet.” Rene’s tone dripped with suggestion.

  “What are you talking about?” Janie frowned. “You’re crazy.”

  “Janie, come on. A hot guy who’s good with kids and animals. There might not be anything going on yet, but there will be soon. Seriously, how do you keep your pants on when he’s around?”

  “Did you miss the fact he’s like twenty years old?”

  “He is not. He’s probably closer to twenty-five.”

  “Yeah. And I’m thirty-six.” Going on thirty-seven before the end of the year, a detail her best friend knew well.

  “So?” Rene asked.

  “What do you mean, so? That’s more than ten years.” As Janie’s voice rose along with her agitation, she glanced toward the barn to make sure Tyler wasn’t listening.

  “I know. Who cares? You’re not old enough to be his mother. In my book, that makes him fair game, and you should be chomping at the bit to play with him.”

  “You’re insane.”

  “No, I’m not. Older women being with younger men is perfectly acceptable nowadays. All the big stars do it.”

  “Yeah, in Hollywood. In case you haven’t noticed, this is Oklahoma.”

  “I know.” Rene’s eyes brightened. “You wouldn’t find a man like him in Los Angeles. They only grow them like that around here.”

  Janie’s frown deepened as she looked more closely at her friend. “Something’s happened to you.”

  Rene nodded. “Yup, I’m an old married lady with a kid, so I have to live through you and by reading naughty romance novels.” She looked in Tyler’s direction once more. “God, imagine having that hard body naked and on top of you.”

  “Jesus, Rene!” What Janie didn’t admit was the twisting low in her gut that image caused. “And why in the world would he want me when he can have countless girls his own age?”

  “Young guys like an older, more experienced woman.”

  Not knowing where Rene was getting her information, Janie shook her head at the whole concept. “I’m not all that experienced, you know. I got married to Tom right out of college.”

  Rene waved away that concern. “You know what I mean. I’m sure all young guys have a Mrs. Robinson experience on their bucket list.”

  Having no desire to play Mrs. Robinson, Janie had no wor
ds for her obviously insane friend.

  “Look, I’m not saying you should marry him, or even date him, but why can’t you two have a little fun? You’re available. He’s available—he is, isn’t he?”

  “I don’t know. See?” Janie lifted both hands. “I know next to nothing about him.”

  “You know he’s got Khriste wrapped around his little finger already. You know he came here hurt when he should probably be at the doctor’s office or at least home resting. Unless he’s so desperate for money that he can’t afford to take the day off, that proves he’s got a good work ethic.”

  The guilt must have shown on Janie’s face.

  “What? Why do you look like that?”

  “I’m not paying him.”

  Rene’s eyes grew wide. “You’re not paying—you mean he’s working here for free?”

  It sounded even worse hearing Rene say it. Janie scrambled to explain. “I offered to pay him. He won’t take it. I’m still going to try to make him take a portion of the money I get from selling the hay.”

  “Janie. The man is working for you for free. What more proof do you need that he’s interested in you?”

  “No, I don’t think so. He’s just being nice.” She shook her head and focused on the single white cloud in the sky rather than face her friend’s scrutiny.

  “You’re the one who’s crazy, Janie. Not me. Now come on. We’re going over there to watch your hired hottie bathe that horse. If we were at one of those male strip clubs in Vegas, we’d have to pay a bunch of money for a show this good. We’ve got it here for free.”

  Janie couldn’t help but laugh, even as she shook her head. “You are so bad.”

  Rene ignored the comment and started toward the barn. “Did you see how blue his eyes are?”

  That Janie couldn’t deny. “Yes. He has very nice eyes.”

  Blue and deep. The kind a woman could fall into and get lost in, which was exactly why Janie should steer clear of Tyler, no matter how incredibly adorable he looked squatting down next to Khriste as they sponged off the horse’s legs.

  They’d moved to within earshot, so Janie changed the subject to something safe. “Do you and Khriste want to stay for supper?”

  “Thanks, but I have to get home.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Janie knew she was going to make the same offer of dinner to Tyler. If he accepted it, she’d be here alone with him, only this time she’d have to deal with the images Rene had put in her head the whole time.

  Her heart beat a little harder as she tried, too late, to avoid noticing how incredible his ass looked in his jeans. She was in big trouble.

  Chapter Eleven

  Inside the tack room, Tyler easily lifted the little girl’s English saddle onto the rack. It probably only weighed about fifteen pounds, less than half of most Western saddles and far lighter than the one he used for roping.

  They’d turned Bella out into the pasture to dry off, and then he’d sent Khriste back to her mother. The little girl could have handled the weight, but she would never have been able to reach the top rack.

  He didn’t mind taking care of putting everything away by himself. Of course, Janie might have a different opinion on that. Having Khriste clean up all the equipment they’d used for the riding lesson and for the bath could very well be part of her teaching.

  Here he was, breaking the rules just like back in high school. That was one good reason he’d never teach riding or roping. Teachers had always made him twitch too much to ever want to be one himself.

  Then again, he’d never had a teacher who looked like Janie, or who was nearly as sexy as she was.

  He was just hanging up the bit and bridle when he heard the sounds of the women talking. Janie’s voice filtered to him from outside. “You sure you don’t want to stay? I made homemade macaroni and cheese and short ribs.”

  Tyler’s attention was piqued at the mention of Janie’s home cooking. After flipping the fleece saddle pad over a rack, he turned for the doorway. Ignoring the twinge in his ankle and the ache in his back from being thrown by the stallion at Rohn’s, he walked out of the tack room and into the glare of the sun. Leaning against the wooden post supporting the overhang above him, he crossed his arms and watched the scene with interest.

  “Thanks, but I’m sure. We gotta get home. Say thank you for your lesson,” Rene instructed her daughter.

  “Thank you, Aunt Janie.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Janie’s smile for the little girl emitted a warmth he wished were for him.

  “Bye, Tyler.” Khriste turned to him and waved so fast her little hand looked like hummingbird wings.

  He laughed at her enthusiasm. “Bye, Khriste. Thanks for helping me with Bella.”

  “You’re welcome. See ya.”

  “See ya.” He nodded.

  As her friends got into their car, Janie turned back toward Tyler. “You’re good with children.”

  “I’d better be good with kids. We’ve got a new little one who just joined my family.”

  “Oh.” She frowned. “Um, I didn’t realize you had a baby . . . or that you were married.”

  He laughed. “God, no. Not me. It’s my brother’s wife’s sister who had the baby. I still haven’t figured out exactly how or even if we’re technically related, but in any case, I figure the little rug rat’s gonna be visiting a lot, so . . .”

  She smiled and frowned at the same time. “I’m not sure, either. I guess you can be an honorary uncle. Kind of like I’m an honorary aunt to Khriste.”

  “Well, that looks like a pretty good gig. I won’t mind being that one bit.” He couldn’t help but notice she’d looked pretty shocked when she’d thought he was married, just like she looked pretty damn happy now she knew he wasn’t. That encouragement was all it took for him to ask, “So, you going to invite me for supper or what?”

  Janie’s brows rose high. “Yes, as a matter of fact I was . . . if you’d given me a chance.”

  “A man can’t take any chances when it comes to home-cooked mac and cheese and short ribs. I didn’t want to risk it.” Tyler grinned. “So, what time you planning on eating?”

  “What time would you like to eat?” There was a smirk on her face that belied the mocking in her tone.

  “Well, I was hoping to get a bit of work in on the machine before, if that’s all right.”

  “Of course it’s all right. You’re doing me a favor. How much time do you need?”

  A solid week alone with her wouldn’t be enough to quench his thirst, but they were talking about her machinery, so he shrugged. “An hour, I guess. Maybe an hour and a half.”

  “Okay. You got it.” She dropped her gaze down his body before bringing it back to his eyes. “You can wash up inside the house when you’re done, if you like.”

  Janie was checking him out. At least, he sure hoped she was because there was nothing he’d like better than for this woman to be attracted to him the way he was attracted to her.

  “I’ll do that. Thank you.”

  “Sure.” She hesitated almost as if she wanted to say more, or was thinking about it. “Um, I guess I’ll let you get to work. I’ll be inside, if you need me.”

  “All right.” He nodded and finally she turned and headed for the house.

  Smiling, Tyler folded his arms and leaned back against the post. His gaze dropped to the sway of her hips and her ass in those jeans. He knocked his hat back a notch to watch her better.

  Yup. Best thing he’d ever done, volunteering to help her with the fence post and then with the hay harvest. Hell, maybe his good fortune had begun even earlier that fateful night, when one crazy woman had chosen to take him outside for a kiss and fondle to piss off her fiancé.

  If he hadn’t had to hide out in her truck, who knows when he would have met Janie. Funny how fate worked. He shook his head at the wonder of it all and headed for the machine shed.

  Time seemed to fly. Tyler figured that was what happened when a man was trying to get two hours’ worth of w
ork done in an hour so he could get inside to the woman he was sweet on. Before he knew it, it was time for dinner, but it was all good. He’d gotten the equipment checked, tuned, and lubed. It was ready to start harvesting as soon as he could get away from Rohn’s to do it.

  Next dry, sunny afternoon he’d have to do just that, get away so he could cut Janie’s fields, but now it was time to make hay in a different matter. By sweet-talking Janie. He loved turning her cheeks pink with something or another he said. He’d realized a simple compliment would make her blush. That was a total turn-on. He smiled at that thought all the way to the house.

  Janie was in the kitchen and saw him standing there, but it was the polite thing to do, so he knocked on the back door even though he didn’t need to. His mama would be proud.

  Speaking of his mama, he’d have to text home and tell her he was eating out again tonight. Not that she’d care. Since Tuck had gotten married, it had been as if their middle-aged parents were on a honeymoon of their own. Going out all the time. Taking classes together. Acting like they were dating instead of married for forever.

  That was all fine with Tyler. He had things of his own to do. “Hey. Sorry I took so long.”

  “Not at all. You’re right on time.”

  He hooked a thumb toward the sink. “I’ll just wash up.”

  “You can use the bathroom if you’d like. It’s right off the hallway. There’s nicer soap in there than that stuff I use for the dishes.”

  Tyler smiled. What kind of soap it was didn’t exactly matter to him. There’d been times he’d been happy to have any soap at all, but he didn’t argue. “All right. I’ll do that.”

  “Spare towels are inside the closet,” she called after him.

  “Thanks.” He headed out of the kitchen door that led to a hall.

  It felt strange walking through Janie’s house alone. Seeing snippets of her life. Moving deeper into her private domain. He passed a doorway and peeked into a room that looked as if it was a guest room. There was a bed, a side table, a chair, and not much more. Tyler moved farther down the hallway and hit upon the bathroom.