The Sweetest Taboo (A Modern Vintage Romance)

Chapter 7

Istayed the weekend, and then the following week. After his apology, Rowan became a model citizen, and even Ace started behaving decently. With Deb off to New York and Caitlyn absent, the tension in the ranch house noticeably eased.

When Caitlyn was around, her visits were brief, and I suspected Ace was still trying to win her back. I”d advised him to simply tell her how he truly felt, instead of continuing with this foolish charade, but he insisted that Caitlyn wouldn”t respond well to that approach.

”She already thinks I”m a wimp compared to Ro, I don”t think I”ll help my case by telling her I made up a girlfriend to make her jealous.”

But the main reason I didn”t leave was because I was having fun…finally. I”d been to an American country fair, I”d gone on a hayride, eaten the best barbecue ever, and was finally having the holiday Ace had promised me.

Rowan showed me his ranch, taking me riding, which was both pleasure and pain because we were living on some sexual edge, not giving in but not staying away, either.

The Ledger Ranch, I”d learned, was in what was called the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness that sprawled across southern Montana and part of Wyoming. The area was vast, and a lot of the untouched landscape was epitomized by rugged, wild beauty, and dominated by dramatic mountains, including Granite Peak, Montana”s highest at over 12,800 feet. In the past week, I”d seen a lot of the area that was a mosaic of alpine meadows, deep forests, and clear ice-water lakes.

One morning during breakfast, Rowan suggested getting me back in the saddle.

Ace cocked an eyebrow. ”You”re going to let her ride her own horse?” he wondered.

My eyes widened. ”Really?”

Rowan smiled indulgently. ”Sure. But I”ll hold the reins, just in case. It isn”t too far. Ace, you coming along?”

Ace looked at his watch and shook his head. ”I”m sorry, Isha, I…I have an appointment.”

He was probably seeing Caitlyn, and I hated that he felt he had to pretend I”d feel bad about it. I wish he”d come clean, at least with Rowan, but he was adamant that he wanted it to be a secret. In any case, I didn’t want to get drawn into his drama with his brother when I was here for just another few days.

“No problem. You do you,” I said, using my favorite American idiom.

Rowan didn’t comment even though I’d expected him to. He seemed almost pleased that Ace was making himself scarce.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“It’s a surprise,” he replied with a smile that made my heart beat faster. This Rowan, this easy-going, fun Rowan, was irresistible.

We set off in the late morning, the sun already painting the world in vibrant hues. I loved Montana. The dense forests and open meadows made the terrain a mix of gentle slopes and jagged mountains. The air was filled with the scent of pine and wildflowers, a sweet fragrance that followed us as we rode. The rhythm of the horses” hooves against the earth was a comforting, steady beat.

After a half hour, the trees thinned, and the sound of water whispered through the air. The path opened onto a scene so breathtaking, it felt like stepping into a painting. The lake lay nestled in a valley, its surface a perfect mirror, reflecting the azure sky and the towering mountains beyond. The water was a crystal-clear blue, so transparent I could see the smooth stones that lined the bottom. Around us, the land rose sharply, the mountains standing sentinel, their peaks dusted with snow despite the warmth of the season.

We dismounted, and while Rowan secured the horses, I walked to the water”s edge. The grass underfoot was soft, dotted with wildflowers that nodded in the gentle breeze. The silence was profound, broken only by the occasional call of a bird or the soft murmur of the water lapping against the shore. It was a secluded paradise, a place untouched by time.

Rowan watched me take it all in, a smile playing on his lips.

”Welcome to Hidden Lake.” His voice was filled with pride and affection.

”The water looks tempting,” I murmured as I stood beside what could only be called a picture-postcard perfect scene.

His hands were on the buttons of his shirt. ”Want to go for a swim?”

”I don”t have a swimsuit.”

”It”s just us here, darlin”.”

I blushed, and my eyes looked down at my boots in embarrassment. He lifted my chin to look at me.

”Sometimes, I almost believe you”re as innocent as you look.”

I raised my eyebrows him, not liking what he”d said. ”Excuse me?”

He grinned. ”Come on, I”ll look the other way. As long you do me the same courtesy.”

He kept his promise, and I almost did. That man had one fine-naked arse, which I saw before he dove into the clear water. I followed, taking tentative steps.

It was magic. The heat of the day and the cool of the water.

”You”re a damn good swimmer. Where did you learn?” Rowan asked.

”I worked in a gym for a while. I had free access to the facilities, which included an Olympic-size swimming pool. How about you?”

He chuckled. ”My first swimming lesson was as a toddler, right here.”

We swam in silence. I pushed myself hard, reveling in the burn of the exercise.

”Having fun?” Rowan asked as I draped my arms around a rock where the lake was shallow enough for me to stand.

”This is amazing.”

”I”m glad.”

He ran a hand down my naked back, and I shivered. ”Please stop doing that.”

”Doing what?”

”Touching me.”

”You don”t like to be touched, darlin”?”

I felt gauche and unsophisticated when I wanted to be one of those women who flirted with ease and could handle a man like Rowan.

”It unnerves me when you do it,” I told him honestly. I didn”t know how to play coy or hide how I felt.

”Unnerves me, too,” he murmured, tracing my spine from my neck to where I was covered by the water. He suddenly moved his hand away, and I was equal parts relieved and disappointed.

We remained in comfortable silence for a long while until Rowan asked, ”You hungry?”

”You know what? I actually am. There”s something about all this fresh air.”

Lunch was a simple affair, sandwiches, and fruit, but it tasted like a feast in the beauty of our surroundings. The hours slipped by with lazy contentment, the sun tracing its path across the sky until it began its descent, painting the mountains in shades of gold and pink.

”You love ranching.” It was a statement and not a question.

”I do.”

”Aren”t you supposed to be busy instead of hanging out with me?” I was sitting next to him on a warm rock, watching the pristine beauty around us.

He lay down beside me, using a towel he”d brought in his saddle bag as a pillow, his hands locked at his neck.

”I”ve been asking myself that same question, Isha.”

My mouth went dry. ”And?”

He turned to face me. ”I don”t have a good answer.”

”Do you have a bad one?”

”Several,” he chuckled. ”I love the ranch, the land. I always have. Some of my best memories were made here. Deb never appreciated it, and I think it rubbed off on Ace. He sees the ranch as a way to make money.”

”How do you see it?”

”As a way of life. The Ledger Ranch has been in our family for generations. Our sweat and blood have gone into making it what it is. And each generation has added to the legacy, which is what I”m doing.”

The passion and intensity in his voice were more attractive than his naked torso, which was tempting to touch. Which was why I was sitting with my hands locked around my legs, my chin resting on my knees.

”How about you, Isha? What do you love?”

I shrugged. ”I love my friend Yasmine. She and I…she”s my family, my only family. I don”t think I love anything or anyone else. I like many things.”

”Love is a big word for you.”

I nodded. ”Yes…as it should be, don”t you think? When people say I love cheeseburgers, or I love spotted dick…I don”t get it. How can you love things?”

”Why the hell would someone love a spotted dick?”

I laughed. ”What do you think a spotted dick is?”

”A dick that”s infected?”

”It”s a dessert…a pudding.”

”Shaped like a dick?”

”No, like a pudding but it has raisins in it, hence the spotted part,” I explained.

”You Brits are weird,” he stated.

As we prepared to leave, I took one last look at the lake, the mountains, and the endless sky. This place, this moment with Rowan, felt like a gift—a slice of serenity and beauty in the wild heart of Montana. I didn”t tell him, but I was certain that being here with him would become one of my most cherished memories.