“I don’t wonder. I know you are. A theoretical physicist is way above my pay grade. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to kiss you.”
“So what do you say to a temporary diversion?”
“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not serious. That’s the whole point. My life is nothing but serious. My area is dark matter, and you don’t get much more obscure and hypothetical than that.” She scanned the crowd. “There’s Quinn in deep conversation with Ryker and April.”
“I see them.”
She started in that direction. “Let’s relay the message, but let’s offer to get the ice ourselves. I hate to pull him away now, when April and Ryker will be leaving pretty soon.”
“Then I’ll get the ice so you can stay until April and Ryker leave. I have my rental.”
“But you won’t know where you’re going. I’ve spent plenty of quality time with April since I got here. I’m good. But Quinn’s been knocking himself out getting ready for this, arranging horses for those who needed them and figuring out where to put all of them during the celebration. He hasn’t had much time to talk with the bride and groom.”
“Where did he put all those ponies?”
“They’re out in the pasture. The saddles and bridles are lined up on the top rail of the corral. See?”
“They sure are. I didn’t notice that before.”
“A few are already gone because guests are starting to leave. They just walk to the corral, get their tack and locate their horses. If they need help, they just get one of the Sawyer boys to go down to the corral with them.”
“Hard for me to imagine.”
“I suppose it is. You didn’t grow up like I did. Kendra taught me to ride when I was eight and I was out here every chance I could get, mostly with April and Mandy.” She waved to Quinn. “We have a message from Kendra!”
“Oh, yeah?” He thumbed back his Stetson. “What’s she need?”
“Ice, but Rory and I will get it. I know where it is and Rory has a rental car.”
Quinn’s lips twitched with the hint of a smile. “Sounds good.”
“We’ll probably be gone by the time you get back.” April gave her a hug.
“Have a fabulous time.” Damaris hugged Ryker goodbye, too. “You’ll love San Francisco. Call me when you get home.”
“I will.” April gave her one more hug. “I know you’re crazy busy with your project, but if you can possibly make another trip over, I’d love to see you.”
“I’ll do my best.”
April turned to Rory. “Will you be here when we get back from our trip?”
“I very well might be.”
“I hope so.”
Ryker extended his hand. “That goes for me, too, cuz. We didn’t get much time together, but if you’re here when we get back, I’ll take you up in the Beechcraft.”
“I’d like that.”
“We’re gonna have to go,” Damaris said. “Don’t want to have an ice crisis.” She glanced at Quinn. “Is the house open?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We’ll be off then.” She blew a kiss to April and Ryker before starting toward the parking area.
Rory kept pace with her. “You act like you know where you’re going.”
“I do.”
“How can you know which car is my rental?”
She grinned and swept a hand toward the row of pickups and SUVs. His tiny rental was half the size of every other vehicle there. “It’s not hard.”
“I see what you mean.” He fished the keys out of his jeans pocket. “Quinn doesn’t lock his house?”
“Most people don’t around here.”
He clicked the locks open on the rental. “Or vehicles?”
“Not usually.”
“I’ll have to tell ma and da that. They warned me to be sure and lock everything while I was in America. We don’t do it so much back home, either, but they thought it was different here.”
“Depends on where you live. In California, I lock up. I had to get used to it after Eagles Nest, where people tend not to worry about theft.” She glanced at him. “Do you want me to drive?”
“No, I will.”
“Then you need to get in on the other side.”
He looked disoriented for a second. Then he flashed her a smile. “I thought I’d just open your door for you, lass.”
“Nice save.”
He frowned. “Excuse me?”
What an adorable guy. “It means you salvaged a moment that was actually a screw up.”
“Oh.” His expression turned sheepish. “I’m still not used to the steerin’ wheel bein’ over there.”
“No wonder. You’ve only driven that way once in your life. I’d be happy to drive.”
“Thanks, but I need to get used to it.” He opened her door with a flourish. “And since I’m here…” He gestured toward the passenger seat.
“Thank you.” She paused before getting in, stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. Mm. Nice.
He blinked. “Was that for opening your door?”
“Nope. That was so you don’t lose track of the subject we were discussing before we volunteered for this ice run.”
Chapter Eight
Rory was in no mental shape to decide whether it was against his principles to begin an affair with Damaris, but it seemed he’d have to decide, anyway. It wasn’t the sort of thing you asked to take a rain check on. Or be allowed to sleep on before voting aye or nay.
That would be insulting to Damaris. Only one answer was appropriate when a beautiful, intelligent woman, not to mention soft and cuddly, made such an offer. That offer had come out of the most tempting mouth he’d encountered since starting his kissing career. The answer had to be yes, and hell, yes.
On the drive to Quinn’s house, she made her pitch. “I have a very demanding job. There’s fierce competition among the scientists. Who’s going to get that breakthrough? Who’s going to identify that illusive particle that will win them a place in scientific history?”
“My money’s on you, lass.”
“My parents say so, too.”
“Do they put pressure on you?” Despite the urgency of getting ice reinforcements, he took the dirt road to the highway slowly. The headlamps revealed the same ruts he’d encountered earlier and he did his best to avoid them.
“They don’t. They just think I’m awesome.”
“Are they scientists, too?” He gripped the wheel of the wee vehicle, which shimmied when he accidentally hit a rut. Having Damaris along was comforting, though it meant his hat had to go on the dash. But the cramped space brought him closer to Damaris.
“No, they’re in real estate. They don’t totally understand what my research is about, but they’re convinced someday I’ll win the Nobel Prize.”
“That’s touchin’.” He stopped at the main highway and turned to her. “Would you like to win it?”
“Who wouldn’t? But mostly it would be fun because they’d be so happy for me.” She looked left and right. “There’s no traffic. You can pull out. Go left and take the first road on your right.”
He followed her directions and was once again on a bumpy dirt road that required sharp eyes and a firm grip on the wheel. “I’m guessin’ you love your work.”
“I do. I can’t imagine anything better. It’s just recently I’ve been stymied with my current project. It’s a good time to take a break. I don’t do that often.”
“How often?”
“This trip is my first real vacation in…I’d say four years.”
“Four years?”
“It might be closer to five. I’d have to figure it out. Let’s see…I went to Disneyland with friends from the department the last time I took time off. You know what? It has been five years.”
“What about dating?”
“You’re kidding, right? I’m the most boring date you can imagine. I don’t have time to keep up with pop culture or current events
. Not many men want to talk about dark matter over dinner.”
“I would.”
“Thank you, but that’s just it. I don’t want to talk about dark matter, because it’s all I think about at work. I want to talk about something else, but I don’t have a store of amusing anecdotes or a treasure trove of amazing facts.”
“You know about bats.”
“A little. Not enough to take me through a dinner date.”
“You know how to ride.”
“Now that is true. But you can’t imagine how few people care. It sucks as a conversational topic. I say guess what? I know how to ride a horse! And they say that’s nice and that’s the end of it.”
“I care that you’re a good rider. You have a skill I want to learn.”
“I’d be happy to teach you. I don’t have a whole lot to do this week, which isn’t true of everybody else around here.”
“I’ll take you up on that offer.” He took a deep breath. “And the other one, too.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Gladly. Any man would count himself lucky to be invited into your bed.”
“It’s gallant of you to say so.” She sounded breathless.
“It’s the truth.” His breathing wasn’t all that steady, either.
“We, um, need to consider where this bedding will take place. If Kendra and Quinn are staying at Wild Creek Ranch, I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting jiggy in one of the bedrooms.”
“Good.” He hadn’t heard the term jiggy before but in context he could figure it out. “I wouldn’t, either.”
“Sometimes she spends the night at Quinn’s though.”
“That would help.”
“How do you feel about doing it outside?”
“A possibility.” The more they discussed it, the more he was willing to do it in a broom closet.
“Do we have a plan, then?”
“Seems as if we do.” And he had a wee problem going on below his belt because of this topic. He barely had enough room in the driver’s seat with the seat pushed back as far as it would go. Crunched as he was, arousal made it worse.
He cleared his throat. “I should mention that I’m ill-prepared for this adventure we’ve been talkin’ about. I’ll need to visit the pharmacy tomorrow.”
“Pills and Pop. You’ll have to check the hours because not everything is open on Sunday.”
“I’ll look it up on my phone.”
“Ellie Mae works at Pills and Pop. Did she tell you?”
“No. She was more interested in finding out whether a Scotsman wears anythin’ under his kilt.”
“You’re liable to get that question a lot. Many American women are fixated on the idea of a Scotsman going commando under his kilt.”
“Evidently. The thing is, there’s no definitive answer.” The topic of kilts had helped calm his tadger. “Everybody chooses differently. But Ellie Mae wasn’t satisfied with that answer.”
“I’m sure she wasn’t. She’s a pistol.” The outline of a low-slung ranch house appeared at the end of the road. Lights shone from the porch and through one of the front windows. “We’re here.”
“Where should I park?”
“In front of the house is fine.”
He parked the rental, shut off the headlamps and opened his door. Then he managed to extricate himself without groaning out loud. By the time he’d retrieved his hat from the dash and joined her on the wide front porch, his jeans no longer pinched so bad.
He probably didn’t need the hat right now, but he loved wearing it. Settling it on his head, he waited as she opened the front door. Opening it for her made no sense in this case, but he was getting confused about protocol.
Might as well ask. “I have a question about doors.”
She paused and looked back at him. “Like this one?”
“Well, not really, because you’re in charge of this operation so I’d expect you to open it instead of me. But what about vehicle doors? Do cowboys always open them for ladies?”
“Mostly they do. Sometimes it’s just not convenient.” She smiled. “Trying to get a bead on cowboy manners?”
“Aye.”
“Opening doors is one part of it. Your hat’s another part, like tipping it when you meet a woman. Or touching the brim with two fingers as you say goodbye.”
“I’ve seen that in the movies.” Wouldn’t be hard to get in the habit of doing it. He followed her into Quinn’s house where a table lamp was on in the living room and the scent of a wood fire lingered in the air.
“Talking about hats…when did you get yours?” She went left, flipped on an overhead and went into the kitchen.
“I stopped at a Western wear place after I picked up the car.”
“I wondered if you’d found one in Scotland.” She kept going. “The ice is this way.”
“Didn’t think of getting one in Scotland.” Quinn kept a tidy kitchen. Not surprising. “Don’t know if I could even get one, especially on short notice.”
“But you must have been strongly motivated to own one before you arrived at the ranch.” Opening the kitchen door, she turned on another light and walked out on an enclosed back porch.
“I figured it was the first step.”
“For what?” She lifted the lid on a large freezer chest.
“Becomin’ a cowboy.”
She turned to him and smiled. “That’s what you’re going for?”
“Why not? I’m in Montana, livin’ on a ranch, and looks like I’ll have a top-notch riding teacher. You just gave me some tips on manners. What’s left?”
“Well, there’s something called the cowboy way.” She started loading him up with bags of ice.
“Never heard of it. What’s it mean?”
“I doubt I could explain it in a few words. In fact, I might not be the one to explain it at all. Quinn could do it way better. For example, did you happen to wonder why he had a rope handy to pull out that fawn?”
“I meant to ask him, but there was never time.”
“He’d probably explain that as part of the cowboy way.” She paused and counted the bags in his arms. “I think what you have plus what I can carry should be enough. If you’ll take those out and put them in the trunk, I’ll follow behind with a few more.”
“All right.”
“You don’t have to wait for me. I’ll be right behind you.”
“I won’t. I’m just takin’ a minute to look at you. You’re beautiful. Your glasses frame your face and emphasize your green eyes.”
“They do?”
“Very well.”
“Oh. Good, I guess. I do prefer them to the contacts.”
“You’re beautiful both ways. Now I need to get rid of this ice before my chest hair freezes.” He retraced his way through the house, which wasn’t as big as Kendra’s but had similar cushy furniture and an appealing lived-in look.
A newspaper and a book lay in a basket near an easy chair and wildflowers in a Mason jar sat on the coffee table. The rural ambiance reminded him of Scotland. No wonder his gran and grandpa had spent several years in Montana. They’d been sheep farmers, and were sheep farmers, still.
He dumped the bags of ice into the trunk and added the ones Damaris brought out. Clutching bags of ice to his chest had cooled his entire body. He shouldn’t have the same problem going back as he had coming here.
He put on a grand show as he helped her into the car, which made her laugh. Then he touched two fingers to the brim of his hat before closing the door and walking around to the driver’s side.
Laying his hat on the dash, he climbed in. “How’m I doin’?”
“Spectacularly. You’ll be a cowboy before you know it.”
“Before you go back to California?” He started the car. This adventure had a time stamp. He’d be wise to remember that.
“I don’t know. That’s asking a lot of yourself.”
“I usually do.” He switched on the headlamps, turned the car around and started down the dirt road.
“Now, see, that’s the sort of thing a cowboy would say. They give a hundred percent to whatever they take on.”
“I don’t know of any other way of bein’.”
“Then you’re more than halfway there. But you might need to pace yourself. By now you must be running on fumes.”
“Aye. Lack of sleep is catchin’ up with me. There’s just one more thing I want to do when we get back. Then I’ll head inside.”
“What’s that?”
“If the band’s still playin’, I want to dance with you once more.”
“In the grass?”
“Up on the platform.”
Her breath hitched.
“I know you can do it.” He glanced over at her. “Are you willin’?”
“Yes. And if I make a fool of myself, so what?”
“That’s the spirit, lass.”
Chapter Nine
The band wasn’t playing after Damaris and Rory unloaded the bags of ice and delivered them to the ranch kitchen. She paused to check out the situation before leaving the front porch. “Maybe we won’t get that dance, after all.” She was disappointed for his sake but relieved for herself.
“They haven’t put away their instruments, so I don’t think they’re done for the night. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and started down the steps. “Let’s see if they know one of my favorite Scottish tunes. If they play it in the right tempo, it’s perfect for dancin’.”
She hurried with him over to the platform. Letting go of her hand, he vaulted onto it, not bothering to walk around to the steps. He might not have enjoyed working in the distillery warehouse, but he was built for heavy lifting.
The band members nodded as he talked with them. When he hopped down and came back to her, he was all smiles. “They know it! They’ll play one last set before they leave. We made it in time.”
“That’s great!”
He cupped his big hands around her shoulders. “I hear the words comin’ out of that beautiful mouth, but those green eyes say somethin’ different. Am I askin’ too much?”
“No. I want to. Mostly.”
He met her gaze and smiled. “Then let’s dance.”
A Cowboy’s Worth: The McGavin Brothers Page 6