32
H eather lifted her butt off the seat and hit the throttle, letting the four-wheeler bounce and roll over the uneven terrain without rattling her teeth. She twisted around to see how close the guys were behind her and found they were catching up. Swiveling back around, she considered going faster, but decided to do something different. Instead of pushing the throttle harder, she released it, then hit the brakes, letting the guys zip past her. As soon as they’d gone past, she cranked the handlebars all the way to the right and hit the throttle again.
As the ATV picked up speed, moving away, the guys swung wide, turning, to figure out where she was. Heather laughed and pushed the four-wheeler faster. When Aaron had first suggested bikes, she hadn’t been impressed. She’d spent all day the day before on the back of his bike and while she’d enjoyed the trip, it wasn’t something she wanted to do today or every day. But when she’d realized he meant dirt bikes and ATVs and that she’d get to drive her own, she’d been all in. Now, she was glad he’d suggested it. She hadn’t laughed like this or had quite this much fun in… she couldn’t say how long.
She didn’t know how long they chased each other around the fields, going in circles, up and down the hillocks and doing stupid shit that did little more than waste time and gas, but she had such a good time, she couldn’t care. Between that and how well Aaron and Matt had gotten along, she couldn’t think of the last time she’d had a better day.
As they pulled the vehicles up to the gas tank to be filled before they were put away for the day, she remembered how she’d planned to spend the afternoon. Nothing like this, but she likely would have ended up just as happy and tired, though in a different way. Those plans had been thrown out the window as soon as Matt had shown up.
“Was it determined where you’ll sleep?” she asked Matt after pulling off her helmet as the two of them took several steps away from the bikes and four wheeler, giving Aaron room to work. She hated the idea of putting him out of his own trailer.
“Jake said I can have his bunk in the bunkhouse. Since he won’t be using it.” Matt shot a scowl Aaron’s way, as if he was unhappy knowing where he would be instead of in his bunk, but she thought it was as much for show as anything else.
“But will you use it?” Heather didn’t know if she could sleep in a room full of men, or women, she didn’t know. She wouldn’t blame Matt if he couldn’t either.
He lifted one shoulder and let it fall in a dismissive gesture.
Her gaze flickered to Aaron, where he was busy working the pump and filling each of the vehicles one by one several feet away.
“Matt?” She wasn’t going to let him refuse to answer, even if it meant giving him the bed in the trailer while she took the couch. Aaron could sleep in his own bunk if Matt was going to be difficult.
He took a deep breath then forced it out his nose. “I’ll make do. Either in the bunk or the bed of my truck. I kind of like the idea of sleeping under the stars. It’s been too long since the last time I did it.”
“You can have the bed.” She watched his face, looking for any kind of tell, any reaction that would tell her what he was thinking. “I’ll take the couch.”
“The hell you will.” Matt spoke between clenched teeth. “The last thing I’ll do is take the good bed while putting you between me and the door. If that asshole,” he tilted his head back toward where Aaron was hanging up the gas pump. “Wasn’t already going to spend the night in your bed, then I’d be on the couch, between you and anything that might come through the door.”
“No one will come in at night. No one knows where I am.”
“And we’ll do our best to keep it that way. But I’m not so sure no one knows where you are, and I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure nothing happens to you. That may be the only thing he and I have in common.” Matt glared in Aaron’s direction, then without saying anything, took off toward where Matt had kicked up one stand and was walking the bike the few feet to the barn to put it away.
Heather shook her head. There was no way to get someone like Matt to see that she could take care of herself. He thought she needed him to protect her, and she had to admit, she liked the idea of being protected, but she wouldn’t let him keep her from doing what she felt was right. No matter what it was. With a sigh of her own, she went to the vehicles and stepped up onto the four-wheeler before starting it and driving it into the barn where it belonged.
“Well, what now?” she asked after Aaron took their helmets and hung them back on the wall where he’d taken them from earlier.
“Now, it’s almost dinner time,” Aaron said after consulting his watch. “After that we can join everyone around the firepits like last night, we can go into the bunkhouse and join in on the gaming tournaments, we can retreat to the trailer and do our own thing. Or we can skip dinner with the rest of the club, go into town and do our own thing. It’s up to you guys.”
“What’s this about food?” Matt asked, rubbing his belly idly.
Heather laughed. Matt wasn’t greedy but she’d never known him to turn down food, no matter how good or bad it might be. Not that the food on the ranch was bad. Despite that it seemed to be the prospects doing all the cooking, she’d found the few meals she’d had here so far to be nothing but good. Was it gourmet restaurant fare? No. But it tasted good and there was more than enough for everyone and that was more than she could say about her own cooking. Sure she could make enough for everyone, but whether they wanted to eat what she’d cooked was a different matter. She could barely boil water without trouble.
Okay, so she might be exaggerating, a bit. She could make a few, simple meals, but nothing like what these guys seemed to be doing and definitely not in the volume or frequency. Mostly she lived on sandwiches, scrambled eggs and fast food. Not that she had much option for fast food out here.
“I’m up for whatever you guys want to do. Dinner sounds good, as always. After that, firepit, games, trailer, I’m up for whatever.” She wasn’t much for video games, but she’d sit and watch while the guys played if that’s what they wanted to do and be happy just to be able to spend time with them.
“Food it is. We’ll figure later out when it gets here.” Aaron motioned for them to leave the barn. Heather led the way, Matt not far behind her. Aaron brought up the rear, turning out the lights and closing the door behind himself.
“I don’t know about you two, but I need to wash up a bit before I eat. If you don’t mind, I’m going to step into the trailer for a few minutes.”
“No problem. I’m going to do the same in the bunkhouse,” Matt said.
Heather headed for the trailer, stepping up inside and heading for the bathroom. As she washed her face, she got a good look at herself and realized she needed more than just her face and hands washed. Her clothes probably had five pounds of dust and dirt on them.
Without thinking much about it she peeled out of her clothes and dropped them into the basket she’d put in the shower for dirty clothes. She would shower in the bunkhouse so she might as well get some use out of the space.
She pulled the band from the end of her braid and was working her fingers through the weaving on her way to the bedroom wearing nothing more than her bra and panties when the door to the trailer opened.
“Who’s there?” she called out, freezing. She wanted to scream because she hadn’t been able to keep her voice from shaking. Her heart thundered in her chest. The pistol Matt had insisted she bring with her was next to the bed. She hadn’t thought she’d need it.
“It’s me, Lynnie,” Aaron’s voice came back.
She leaned back against the door frame, letting her head fall back as she took a deep breath in relief. There were people everywhere. No one was here on the ranch to kidnap her, and she should have known better.
“Are you all right?” The concern in his voice made her open her eyes and turn to look at him, her head still propped against the door.
“Yeah, I just wasn’t expecting anyone, and when you came in, every stupid possibility flashed through my head.” She rolled her eyes at her stupidity, stood, and continued into the bedroom. “It wasn’t pretty. Especially after this morning’s news.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you. Either this morning or just now. I didn’t know you were changing, or I would have given you a head’s up that I was coming in.” He glanced down at himself. “I realized how dusty I am and was going to grab a clean shirt.” One corner of his mouth quirked up as his gaze skimmed down her body then back up. “I should have known you’d think of the same thing.”
She closed the distance between them, wanting to feel something good, something to replace the cold flash of panic that lingered in her veins. Without asking, she slid her hands up under the hem of his shirt and shoved it up, sliding her hands along his torso as she did. She wanted a kiss but wanted his dusty shirt out of the way first.
Aaron took the hint, reached behind his head, and tugged the shirt off. He tossed it into the corner he’d been using for his dirty clothes. Heather stepped into his personal space, slid her hands around his waist and stretched up to press her lips against his. His hands came around her body, smoothed down her torso and came to rest for a moment on top of her butt.
She relaxed into him letting his warmth and strength surround her for a moment. Aaron deepened the kiss, his hands smoothing down over her ass, then grabbing and lifting. She wrapped her legs around his waist and lost herself in his touch. How did he seem to know just what she needed?