by Em Petrova
He was fine on his own, had been his whole life. So why now was he feeling so down and despondent about being alone? Maybe if he had work to do, he wouldn’t mind so much. But maybe his work had covered the loneliness for a long time and he was just now realizing it.
Either way, he needed to see how King felt about him working again, using the ATV. He’d head up there as soon as possible.
At least the horse was improving. He’d heard of pain and swelling rebounding like that, but since their night of icing the leg, it had continued to improve steadily the past two days. Now Gusto seemed to be tolerating the sprain better.
When the stall was mucked out, he filled the hay rack, made certain the horses had enough water and feed and made his slow way back to the house.
Entering the space gave him a pang, because it was far too easy to see Aria in all the rooms. Her ghost trailed him from kitchen to bedroom to living room, where he heard her tell him to prop up his foot.
Everything he did, the food he ate—hell, the air he breathed—was now connected to Aria.
He’d considered going into town and finding some gas station magazines to give him the scoop on her, but he couldn’t bring himself to read third-party information. He wanted to hear from her own sweet lips how she was faring and if she’d set things to rights after running away.
It was brave of her, he’d give her that. To stand up and announce you made a mistake and then make apologies took courage. He wished he’d been there to witness it.
A couple times he’d picked up the phone to call King and see if he had any info from Bellarose, but he’d put down the phone again. He wasn’t going to ask about her. It was enough that King and Bellarose thought something more was happening between him and Aria.
‘Course, there was. What had their time together been to her? Only a distraction, a way to forget her problems? He’d considered that she’d slept with him to completely break ties with her ex, a way to exorcise him from her memory.
At times, Wheeler wondered… when she looked at him while in the throes of passion… Well, if it could be more.
Because he was slowly coming to realize it had been more to him. Plenty more.
He was half in love with the woman. And if she came walking through that door right this moment, the rest of his heart would follow.
A man who could give her more, what she deserved, would drive down to the set of the show, grab her and show her what she meant to him. But he didn’t have the backing.
Part of his mind spoke up, whispering that King didn’t have everything perfect when Bellarose came into his life. Hell, she’d been the one to buy his first horse for training. The others had soon followed, and they’d achieved King’s dream together, meanwhile learning it was Bellarose’s dream as well.
Aria was a rancher’s daughter, appreciated hard work and good stock. But he’d seen the appreciation on her face when she looked around King’s spread compared to Wheeler’s. There was no comparison, unless you favored eighties décor in the house and a barn that could house more horses.
She’d told him she let choices be made for her, that life had taken over and she’d allowed it to happen. Was he guilty of the same?
When was the last time he’d dreamed of something, set a goal for himself? He was moving through life with an attitude of ‘good enough,’ and maybe good enough just wasn’t enough anymore.
Before Aria, an old dirt road and a sunset had been a pleasure for him. Now, he didn’t want those things without her.
Shit, he wasn’t only half in love. He was all in—boots, hat and everything between.
In a week, his entire world had shifted on its axis. He’d lost some, gained a lot.
If he could have Aria, that was.
Tucking his crutch beneath his arm, he went back out to the shed and grabbed a sledgehammer. It was time he made some choices of his own, starting with that ugly blue countertop in his kitchen, though oh, there were sweet memories of him kissing her against it.
* * * * *
“Aria.”
She turned at her name. It took a second for her mind to clear out the memories of Wheeler, touching her, tipping her head back to kiss her, before she realized her assistant stood before her holding a pile of fluffy towels.
“Ready for your massage?”
“Uh, yeah. Give me a minute please.” She gave her the barest smile. Since her return, everyone had been beyond kind to her, so much so that she felt guiltier. She didn’t deserve to be treated to massages and gifts of chocolates or good local wines. But everyone from actors to grips who hauled things around the set were treating her with care.
She’d kicked off her apologies by making that phone call to Jason. He hadn’t accepted her call—the first time. But when he finally called her back, she had given the heartfelt apology he deserved. Things weren’t exactly right between them, but she hoped in time he would recover and go on with his life. He was a good man and deserved more, and she’d told him so.
Then she’d gathered every single person who worked on the set of Redemption Falls and made a speech to them, apologizing for worrying them, scaring them. And explaining how wrong she’d been to handle the situation the way she had.
This had taken a burden off her chest, and she’d ended up in her trailer in tears. Bellarose had been sweet and come to her, caring for her like a big sister would and talking it out with plenty of hugs and finally a slice of rich cheesecake. Which made everything better.
Aria still felt overly sensitive, though, like she’d just been in a car wreck, and she’d flipped end over end until she didn’t know which way was up.
All she knew was Wheeler had centered her once before, and she needed to get to him again.
The sun had risen three times since she’d seen him, and the start of each day had given her a pang. Instead of getting easier to deal with, it was more difficult. What had he been doing? Certainly not following doctor’s orders, she knew that much. How was his foot and how was Gusto? Had the swelling been kept at bay? Bellarose had told her he’d started back on Blackwater, using the ATV to get around.
Calling him had seemed a pale alternative for showing up herself, but she’d been playing catchup since returning to the set. There were scripts to learn, scenes that had not been shot because of her absence and needed to be executed quickly to remain on schedule.
She’d been trying not to think too much on the situation with Wheeler. Each time he popped into her mind, it was accompanied by a leap of excitement in her chest, and frankly, it was scaring her how much she longed to see him.
Rebound, she’d heard that word enough in celebrity circles. One star changes out for another as often as they change their designer undies. That wasn’t her, and she couldn’t drag Wheeler into something that would hurt him.
She respected him far too much to do that.
Cared for him.
When she went to the small space in the trailer where towels had been laid over the padded massage table, she hesitated in the doorway. This was an hour of her time she could spend another way.
Looking to her assistant, she said, “I think I’m going to cancel on this, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh. Of course. Whatever you want, Aria.”
“It’s just that there’s something I’ve been wanting to do, and I have just enough time. Do you think you can get me a car instead?”
Her assistant gave a wide smile and nodded. Ten minutes later, Aria was behind the wheel, following the GPS on her phone down into town. The small, quaint place reminded her of her home in Montana, stirring her with nostalgia. A library with a sign for kids’ reading hour, a church with a bright white steeple, grocery store, gas station.
Drugstore.
She pulled in and parked the car. Then she reached over and grabbed her ballcap off the passenger’s seat. With it tugged down low over her eyes, she hoped to be less recognizable than she was in the cowgirl hat she preferred. Since everybody knew her from Redemption Falls, she neede
d to look as far from that character as she could.
A glance in the mirror encouraged her that she could enter the drugstore, get what she wanted and leave without being recognized.
Inside was like any drugstore in America, and she browsed the aisles, picking up things she didn’t need so it didn’t appear that she was here with one thing in mind. Though it was the only thing on her mind since the moment Wheeler had grabbed her and kissed her days ago.
She located the condoms and dropped the biggest box she could find into her basket. Then she beelined it for the checkout. The clerk passed over the items without even looking at Aria, and relief hit full force when she managed to pay with cash and get out of the store without signing any autographs.
She was just setting the bag on the seat when she looked up and saw it. Wheeler’s truck, across the street and empty.
Her heart gave a wild jerk in her chest, and she had to lean on the car for a moment, forcing herself to breathe steadily.
In, out, Aria. Just like you’ve always done.
Except Wheeler was nearby, and she had approximately forty minutes left—and a big box of condoms.
How many of them could they use before she had to return to the set?
She took off across the street, barely needing to look both directions since it was such a quiet town. When she reached Wheeler’s truck, she laid a hand on the hood. Still warm, which meant he’d just gotten here and would likely take a while in the doctor’s office. Indecision struck—stay or go? Pop inside the office and see if she could find him? Or leave him a cute note on his dashboard as a surprise when he wrapped up?
She wanted to see him—bad. She’d wait. Leaning on the side, she watched the few people on the street as they visited various shops. Across the way was a tack shop. She hadn’t been inside one of those in far too long. A quick browse would kill some time and by the time she was finished, Wheeler would be out. She’d be fast so she didn’t miss him.
The shop was tiny and pristinely neat, each item having its own place. She admired hand-tooled tack that made her long to send a gift to her parents. She skimmed a fingertip over the artistic leatherwork but continued browsing, her mind on Wheeler. When she came across a gorgeous saddle, she paused to gape at it a moment. It was from a small shop in Texas, probably the best saddle she’d ever seen as far as craftsmanship went.
Another few minutes and she was eager to wait for Wheeler again. The shop bell trilled behind her as she hurried out, and she stepped onto the street, coming face-to-face with the gorgeous cowboy.
Her heart flipped over at the sight of his ruggedly handsome features. He’d shaved and the red shirt he wore accentuated his coloring and molded to his broad shoulders and chest.
His throat mottled with redness as he met her stare. “Aria, what are you doing here?”
“I was in town getting some things and I saw your truck. I thought I’d wait for you, but I popped into the tack shop.” She waved a hand at the storefront, as if he didn’t know the shop was situated here.
His jaw tightened, that tendon twitching in the crease as he stepped up to her. His stare traveled over her hair and face, down her body and back up, leaving her breathless and wanting to rip all her clothes off.
Inching closer, she squeezed her hands into fists to keep from pulling him against her and kissing those hard—yet so soft—lips.
“Christ, Aria. I want to put my hands on you so fucking bad.”
His words slithered through her, landing between her thighs in a warm knot. She searched his eyes. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“How have you been?” he grated out.
“I’m okay. Better, actually. It was good to apologize to everyone and take responsibility for what I did. How’s the foot?”
“Two more weeks before doc clears me for a walking cast. I can’t wait to chuck these into the fire and watch them burn.” He wiggled the crutches.
She gave a low laugh. “I’d like to watch that.” She gave him her sternest look. “You better follow his instructions.”
“Thought about taking the snippers to the cast too.”
“Don’t you dare!”
He grunted but didn’t offer any agreement on the matter. Then she saw a scrape along his wrist, just freshly scabbed.
“What did you do?” She reached to touch his arm, and he jerked at her touch. God, they were both as jumpy as kids who’d just experienced their first kiss. Not knowing if they should touch, wanting to so badly.
“Just work around the house. It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t sound like you’re staying off your foot, and I know you’ve been working up at King’s.” Her words fell away.
His eyes darkened, and a long heartbeat stretched between them. He opened his mouth to speak, but a man down the street called out his name. Wheeler didn’t look up till the second call.
“Dammit,” he said faintly. Aria looked up at him but turned to face the man. An older gentleman in a canvas jacket and tan cowboy hat, dusty boots and all the hard, weathered skin of a man who spent a lifetime in the elements working with cattle. He also was bent at the shoulders under some invisible weight.
Wheeler stuck out his hand as the man reached them. They shook, but the man had his attention on Aria. “What a pleasure to see such a lovely young woman on my trip to town.”
“Spence Wood, this is a friend of mine, Aria. Aria, Spence’s been a friend of my family since I was in diapers.”
“Well, son, that statement makes me feel damn old. Pardon my language, miss.” He turned and shook her hand as well. When he retained her fingers a second too long, he gave her a smile. “A woman who knows horses. I can tell by the calluses.”
She grinned, and he returned the gesture, though she noted how his happiness didn’t quite stretch to his eyes. Something was troubling the man.
“Maybe you heard of my problems, Wheeler.”
“Not that I can think,” he responded.
“Well, I heard of yours, young man. You’re lucky you didn’t break your neck and not just your foot. How’s the horse?”
“Sprain’s gonna take a while to heal, but we’re hopeful for a good outcome.” Wheeler shot Aria a glance.
The man went on, “I’m finally giving it up this year.”
A beat of silence followed. “Givin’ it up?” Wheeler echoed.
“Yeah, I’ve been in a sinking ship with ranchin’ for four or five years now. I just can’t hold on any longer, and my wife’s had some issues with her health. We’re pullin’ out, moving to Spokane to be closer to good doctors, and I’m sellin’ it all.”
Wheeler let out a low whistle and shook his head. “Damn, that’s hard. I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Ranchin’ ain’t the business it used to be, and I’m getting along in years. Not training the reining horses as much. You wouldn’t be in the market for a good pair, would ya?” He eyed Wheeler.
At the mention of reining horses, Aria sucked in a gasp and held it.
“They aren’t that old, just getting them started really, but they’re showing real promise.”
“Man, I’d love to jump on that opportunity.”
“Could use the cash, if I’m honest,” Spence went on.
Wheeler pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Being laid up this way, I’m in my own tough predicament and I can’t spare the money. Even so, I’m not sure I could afford that pair, knowing what they must be worth.”
“I’d like to help you out, but—”
Aria took a step forward. “We’ll take them. Give me a price and I’ll have a check for you in an hour.”
The man’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at her. “Why, here’s a filly who knows her mind. Wheeler, where you been hiding this gem? I feel like I know you from somewhere, young lady.”
“I get that a lot,” she said with a smile. “I’m serious that we’ll take the horses.” She felt Wheeler’s heavy stare on her and threw him a nervous smile.
He named
a price and she arched a brow. “Seems like you’re low-balling me.”
Spence chuckled. “This is a sharp one, for sure. It’s a fair offer for liquidation. Take it or leave it, young lady.”
“I’ll take it,” she said at once.
“Well, that’s real good news. I’m glad to see them go to a good home with people who know what they’re worth. Let me give you a card with my number.” He fished into his wallet and came out with a white business card with his ranch logo on it as well as his phone number and address. “You can pick them up there at the address too. Just call ahead first, if ya would. Sometimes my wife’s got appointments.”
“Of course.” She stuck out her hand, and he shook on the deal. “Thank you.”
* * * * *
The second Spence was out of earshot, Wheeler grabbed Aria’s arm and pulled her over. Bending to her ear, he said, “Did you just buy two very expensive horses?”
“Uh-huh. I’m excited!”
“Aria.”
She turned those big brown eyes on him.
He couldn’t hold back.
“Fuck.” He slammed his mouth over hers, breaking away as quickly as he’d kissed her but wanting so much more.
“Wheeler!”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t kiss you in public—there’s probably someone taking pictures right now. I shouldn’t have done it, but…” He locked his stare on her ripe lips and damn if he wasn’t gonna kiss her again if he didn’t do something fast.
He hobbled a few feet to his truck, whipped open the door and ushered her in. She slid onto the seat and he slammed the door before moving to the driver’s side. Here, they were still in plain sight, so he couldn’t lunge for her and thrust his tongue down her throat, but at least they weren’t standing on the sidewalk for anybody with a phone to snap their photo.
She twisted in the seat, a grin lighting her beautiful features. “What a lucky buy that was! Who would ever give up a pair of reining horses that have already begun their training for that price?”
“Oh God.” She really didn’t see a problem, did she?
“What’s wrong?”
“Aria. You can’t buy those horses and put them on my land.”