Midnight Ride

by Cat Johnson

  “My grandma’s Stroganoff.” She spoke while taking out round one of the browned meat.

  “Mmm. I always loved that meal.”

  “Me too.” The pan sizzled as Janie dumped in the other half of the raw meat.

  “Who are you cooking for? You’re making a lot.”

  “Nobody. Just me. The family-sized package of beef was on sale. The leftovers will freeze.” She remained facing the counter, turning the meat as it browned faster than the first batch now that the cast-iron pan was good and hot.

  As she turned to the fridge to grab the Worcestershire sauce, she hoped Rene wouldn’t see the lie in her face.

  “So what are you going to do with your newfound freedom until you have to pick up Khriste?” She took extra time adding the remainder of the ingredients to the pan rather than turn back to her friend and risk more questions about why she was cooking so much.

  “Hmm. For starters, I think I’m going to get to the bottom of what has you acting so weird. Spill.”

  “There’s nothing—”

  “Janie, I’ve known you since you were that skinny little girl with the buck teeth and pigtails who used to spend summers with her grandparents. I know you better than anyone else in the world, including Tom, rest his soul. So tell me what’s up.” Rene took a gulp of wine and eyed Janie’s glass. “Drink up and then out with it.”

  She covered the pan with a lid and had no more excuses to avoid Rene’s stare. Picking up the wineglass she turned, dragged in a breath, and blurted out the truth. “I had sex with Tyler.”

  Rene’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped open, but no words came out.

  Janie shook her head. “Well, it was totally worth telling you the truth if it means you’re speechless.”

  “Oh. My. God. You slept with Tyler?” Rene pressed her hand to her chest and drew in a breath.

  Truth be told, there hadn’t been a whole lot of sleeping. Janie didn’t reveal that. Instead, she said, “It was stupid, right? Go on and say it.”

  “I will not. I’m happy for you. Jeez, I’m light-headed just thinking about it and it wasn’t even me.” She leaned forward, pushing her wineglass to the side. “So tell me how it was, as if I have to ask. It was amazing, right?”

  “Yes, it was amazing.” Janie covered her face with her hands. “And now what do I do?”

  “What do you mean, now what? Do it again. That’s what.”

  “What if he doesn’t want to do it again? And besides that, I shouldn’t want to.” Janie took a sip of wine to drown her sorrows.

  “Why not?”

  “Rene, it feels like a betrayal.”

  “Of Tom? Do you really think he would want you to spend the next half of your life alone?”

  When her friend put it that way, there was only one answer. “No.”

  “Then stop feeling bad.”

  Easier said than done.

  Thank God she’d moved into the bigger bedroom upstairs last year after Tom had died. Having sex with Tyler in a different room than she’d shared with her late husband made it feel a tiny bit less like she’d betrayed his memory.

  That room upstairs had been her grandfather’s for as long as she could remember. It was his when she and Tom married, so of course they used the bedroom on the first floor where Janie had always slept. After her grandfather died, she and Tom had never bothered to move. They’d been settled in their room on the first floor for so long, it seemed silly to switch.

  “In all seriousness, Janie, it’s all right. It’s horrible that Tom died, but you were there and you were his rock right up to the very end. That’s all over now. He’s gone and you’re alive, so live. Don’t you deserve that?”

  “I guess.” To her horror, her eyes began to mist.

  Rene reached out and squeezed her hand. “Let yourself be happy.”

  Janie let out a huff. “I can’t. He’s too young. He’s too good-looking.”

  “And these are problems, why?”

  “He probably has to fight off the women.”

  “And still he chose to be with you.”

  “What if all he was after was sex? What if he wanted to check off the Mrs. Robinson fantasy on his bucket list? Now that we did it, that could be it.”

  “Do you really believe that?” Rene leveled her gaze at Janie.

  “Maybe.” Not really. He was too attentive in so many ways. And harvesting her hay was a hell of a lot of work to go to just for a night of sex.

  A truck pulling into the drive caught Janie’s gaze and her heart thundered.

  “What’s wrong?” Rene spun to look behind her and then laughed. “Hmm, it seems Tyler’s here. So, what’s your next issue, because it looks like that last worry of yours—about never seeing him again—has been taken off the table.”

  A totally new worry gripped Janie. “Rene, you cannot let him know I told you anything about what happened.”

  “To be truthful, you haven’t. I asked for details and all I got was you blabbering about how you shouldn’t have done it.” Rene cocked a brow.

  “I can’t give you details.”

  Rene crossed her arms over her chest. “Then I can’t promise you I won’t accidentally let it slip that I know everything.”

  Tyler was already out of his truck and heading toward the kitchen door. Panicked, Janie gave in. “All right. I’ll tell you anything you want to know when he’s gone. Just keep your mouth shut in front of him. Okay?”

  “All right, but I’m gonna hold you to that.” Looking satisfied, Rene smiled.

  Blackmail was the only word Janie could come up with for what her supposed friend was doing to her, but there was no time to deal with that now because Tyler was at the back door.

  As was becoming his habit, he didn’t wait for her to get up or open the door, he knocked and then immediately pushed it open himself. He strode into the kitchen, his trademark smile making him look even better than usual.

  “Hey. You two kicking back with some drinks already? I like it. You’re my kinda girls.” He grinned wide, but not quite as wide as Rene did.

  “Tyler, it’s good to see you again.” Rene had a look about her. A look that said she knew something and it was in danger of spilling out.

  “Did you need something from me?” Janie asked. When Tyler’s smile beamed at her question she realized how suggestive it had sounded and added, “The tractor and, um, hay—they’re all right?”

  “Yes, as far as I know everything is just fine.” There seemed a secret message in his expression meant just for her.

  She imagined she could see it in his gaze. She definitely felt it. Like a pull between them. As if they both wanted to move closer, but held back because they weren’t alone. If Rene hadn’t been in the room when Tyler arrived, Janie could venture an educated guess as to where they’d be now. What they’d be doing. He’d have her pressed up against the counter, kissing her; that was, if he didn’t just scoop her up and carry her directly upstairs.

  Janie swallowed hard and tried to get her voice to function. “That’s good.”

  Still smiling, Tyler tipped his head toward the door. “I’m gonna get to work. I should be able to get that last field done today.”

  “Oh, great. Thanks.” Her gaze cut to Rene, who’d sat by uncharacteristically silent throughout her interaction with Tyler. She hated to ask it in front of Rene, but she saw no way around it. She sucked it up and said, “I hope you can stay for dinner. I got a big pot of beef Stroganoff on the stove.”

  “I’d love to.” His eyes met hers before he moved his focus to Rene. “Nice seeing you again.”

  After a tip of the slightly battered straw hat that still made him look hot as hell, he was out the door.

  Janie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and looked toward Rene, dreading the interrogation about Tyler she was sure would follow.

  “Holy cow.” Rene blew out a long, slow whistle and pressed a hand to her chest. “That man is enough to give a girl heart palpitations.�
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  Didn’t Janie know it. “I know, but what am I doing? This thing between us can’t go anywhere.”

  “Sweetie, why does it have to go anywhere besides the bedroom? You always were too serious, marrying the first guy you had sex with.”

  “I did not. I had sex before Tom . . . once.”

  Rene shook her head. “I’m still not so sure that first time counted. I mean, the guy kind of has to get his dick inside you before he comes all over you for it to count.”

  Janie blushed. This was what she got for telling Rene about that first awkward and embarrassing encounter. She was still bringing it up almost twenty years later.

  “Listen,” Rene continued. “Just have fun with him. I sure as hell would if I were you. Relax. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

  Enjoying it wasn’t the problem. Her fear of how bad she’d feel after it ended was.

  “So, I need to know everything.” Rene leaned forward.

  “I don’t know what you want to hear.”

  “How about you start with those incredible chest muscles of his and move down from there.”

  Face burning, Janie reached for her wine. She was going to need some liquid courage to have this conversation. A thesaurus might not hurt, either.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Did you have a nice visit with your friend?” Even as he asked the question, Tyler looked relieved Rene was gone and they were alone as he strode across the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Janie.

  “Yes.” She felt her cheeks heat at the memory and dammit, he noticed.

  He eyed her with a smile. “Oh, my God. You told her about us, didn’t you?”

  She drew in a breath, about to deny it, but she couldn’t lie to him. “Yes. I’m so sorry. She knows me too well. She could see something was going on.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t mind if she knows, as long as you don’t.” His smile widened. “You know what this means?”

  “No, what?”

  “Now you have no excuse for us not to go out on a real date, since your friend already knows.”

  Janie shook her head. “Tyler, I don’t think we—”

  “So you’ll have sex with me, but you still won’t date me?” His brows rose.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. You’ll change your mind. I’ll just have to work a little harder to help you change it. Supper smells good, but I’m hungry for something else.” He hoisted her onto the counter and stepped between her legs. He leaned in and took her mouth in a deep kiss. Pulling back, he said, “Just so you know, I ran home and packed an overnight bag. It’s out in the truck.”

  “Oh.”

  The surprise must have shown on her face. He laughed and shook his head. “Janie. We both know chances are good that I’m staying the night. And we know as much as I intended on having time to run home before Rohn’s this morning, it didn’t exactly work out that way.”

  Remembering how he’d woken her this morning, and what followed, heated her insides to the boiling point. She really couldn’t argue with him.

  “Okay.”

  He must have been remembering the same thing. His eyes narrowed. Cupping her face, he pressed his mouth to hers, slipping his tongue between her lips in a kiss that stole her breath away.

  He drew back and glanced at the pot on the stove. “Will the food hold for a little bit?”

  The need showed clearly in his eyes. If they did what she assumed he wanted to do, and went upstairs, she knew they’d be there for a while. “Yeah. The burner’s on low. It can slow cook for another hour or two.”

  “Good.”

  In the blink of an eye, he’d planted her feet back on the floor, grabbed her hand, and they were on the way upstairs, as she’d anticipated.

  His seduction wasn’t as precise and deliberate as yesterday. This time, there was a chaotic urgency in Tyler’s movements.

  “I couldn’t get my mind off you all day.” He spoke as he yanked her shirt over her head, right where she stood. Once that was gone, he moved his hands down to unfasten her jeans. He pushed them and her underwear to the floor in one motion. “I mowed that whole damn hayfield with a hard-on because of you.”

  As he unfastened her bra and tossed it to the floor, she didn’t know quite what to say to that. Thank him? Apologize? It seemed he wasn’t looking for a response because he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed.

  Still standing, he started to strip, and the sight of him would have made it impossible for her to form sentences anyway.

  “Does Rene approve of me?” He glanced at her as he pulled open the drawer next to the bed where he’d stashed the three leftover condoms.

  It struck her how he already had made himself at home both in her bedroom and in her life. “Yes.”

  “I’m glad. That’ll make things easier.” Packets in hand, he crawled, naked, onto the mattress.

  “What things?” She watched as Tyler moved to kneel between her feet.

  “You and I going out,” he said, tossing the condoms to the bed next to them before running his palms over her bare skin.

  “We’re not going out.”

  “We’ll see about that.” With a hand on each of her ankles, he spread her legs. “I just have to convince you, is all.”

  His eyes held hers as he leaned low over the juncture between her thighs. Then she couldn’t see his face any longer as he dipped his head, and his effort to change her mind began in earnest.

  As she felt the heat of his mouth all the way to her core, she had to admit, even if only to herself, that Tyler could be very convincing when he put his mind to it.

  Janie woke up in bed alone, a little stiff, and sore in places that sent her mind directly to memories of the night with Tyler. As consciousness fought back sleep, she glanced at the empty side of the bed, then farther away to the rest of the room. His boots were on the floor by the wall where he’d tossed them and his hat was on the top of the dresser.

  If she knew one thing for sure, it was that if his hat and boots were here, the cowboy himself hadn’t gone too far. She stretched, wondering exactly where he’d got to, until an aroma good enough to inspire her to get out of bed, tired or not, hit her.

  Bacon.

  Now that she knew where he was and what he was doing, Janie flipped back the covers. If Tyler was in the kitchen cooking, she had time to use the bathroom and make herself look halfway presentable before seeing him.

  She stood and padded barefoot to the doorway and paused. Tyler might be downstairs, but reminders of him were all over her bathroom. His overnight bag sat on the tile floor, but most of the contents were out of it. She moved to the sink and stood for a moment, slowly absorbing the evidence of the presence of a man in her life again.

  His things littered the space around the sink. She picked up the deodorant sitting next to his toothbrush, pulled off the top, and sniffed. It smelled like him—a nice warm, spicy scent. Janie should know his scent by now. She’d spent enough time pressed up against his chest while they made love that she knew his smell intimately. She’d also spent plenty of time tucked under his arm in bed trying to fall asleep over the past two nights.

  He slept like the dead. Her? Not so much, but that was nothing new. She had to admit that not sleeping while pressed up against his hard, warm body was very nice compared to not sleeping while alone in bed.

  There was also a razor and shaving cream out. Seeing it sent her mind back to the feel of his stubble—against her face while they kissed, between her thighs while he did other things. The memory sent a flutter through her.

  Janie resisted the urge to tidy up behind him, the way she had for so many years as a wife. Yes, it was her house, but these weren’t her things, and putting them all back into the small leather travel case resting on the back of the toilet tank felt like an invasion of his privacy. Funny, though, how she did lean in to try and take a peek at what else was in his bag.

  She spotted the white plastic dental floss and a bottle of generic-brand
pain relievers within the dark recesses of his bag easily enough, and beneath those things was another strip of condoms. Her face heated. She pushed past the knowledge that he obviously didn’t want to run out of those and moved on in her visual invasion of his privacy.

  There was a small wooden bristle brush inside the bag. From where she stood, she could see it wasn’t a hairbrush, but rather a hat brush.

  Just looking at Tyler’s traveling case revealed so many personal things about him. He traveled with a super-sized bottle of the cheap brand of ibuprofen, but he owned what appeared to be a top-of-the-line hat brush.

  Typical cowboy—practiced at cutting costs, almost always in pain, but still worried about his hat looking good. She smiled and turned back to the sink. She had to brush her teeth and make herself look at least a little bit presentable before going downstairs. Tyler and bacon were waiting.

  She put on a bra because she felt really naked without one, but she didn’t get fully dressed for the day. Jeans and boots would come later, but shorts and a T-shirt would do for breakfast.

  When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could hear the telltale sounds of cooking. The water running in the sink, before it turned off and a drawer opened and closed. By the sound of things, this guy, whom she’d only met a few days ago, was making himself at home in her kitchen, and it didn’t feel at all as strange as it probably should.

  Knowing from experience that she was going to feel the emptiness twofold in every room he’d occupied in her home once he was gone, she still had let him into her life. She was clearly a glutton for punishment. That didn’t stop her from pausing in the doorway to watch and admire him from behind.

  Barefoot and in jeans, he faced away from her. His back muscles moved beneath the tight cotton of his T-shirt as he reached into the cabinet and took down two plates.

  He turned and put one at each place on the kitchen table, which was already set with napkins and forks. He caught sight of her hovering in the doorway and smiled. “Mornin’.”

  “Good morning.” She took a step forward as he did the same. He met her where she stood and reeled her in by one arm for a quick kiss.