Chapter 4
Devon
“D inner was incredible,” I told Reese as we enjoyed a glass of wine in the living room after dinner.
I wasn’t trying to flatter her.
She was an amazing cook, and she’d fed me until I couldn’t eat another bite, which was unusual for me since I had an extremely healthy appetite.
The stir-fry had been some of the tastiest I’d ever had, and I’d never known that stuffed apples could be that good.
I couldn’t say that I’d learned a lot about her from being in her apartment except that she’d been telling the truth about her love for cooking.
She’d obviously brought a few things with her when she’d moved, like the smattering of vintage items I’d seen scattered around her living room.
I’d only seen one large photo on a tiny vintage table along the wall. She’d told me it was her favorite picture of her parents.
Otherwise…nothing that really said anything significant about her past.
Reese’s apartment was so small that she didn’t have a table, so we had eaten on TV trays in her living room.
She was obviously getting comfortable with me because we’d talked a lot throughout our dinner.
She didn’t seem hesitant to answer my questions, but I was a lot more subtle, asking less invasive getting-to-know-her questions.
I wasn’t grilling her like I used to, and I found myself interested in her answers simply because she was a fascinating woman.
Just like her decorating, her interests were eclectic, and she was knowledgeable on more subjects than I’d expected.
I’d discovered that she loved to read everything from nonfiction to romance, so that might be where she acquired her knowledge.
She was incredibly intelligent, even more so than I’d thought earlier.
I was starting to find myself asking questions about things I didn’t need to know simply because I was intrigued by the way her mind worked.
How was it possible that I’d known Reese for months, but had never realized that she was probably a woman I could actually like?
Hell, that was probably my fault because I’d put her on the defensive almost immediately.
The only problem I had with spending time in Reese’s company was that my dick was starting to like her, too.
Every damn time she laughed or smiled at me, my cock responded instantly.
I’d always known she was beautiful.
I knew a lot of beautiful women.
But the more that I got to know Reese, the more attractive she became to me.
I was trying to avoid getting close to her physically because she smelled like citrus and vanilla. It was a pleasant scent, and it definitely shouldn’t be seductive, but it was for me.
That was a problem, and something I needed to get a grip on right now.
I just wished that my body and mind were in agreement.
I watched as her tongue darted out to delicately lick her lips after a sip of her wine.
Christ! I wanted nothing more than to conquer those lips myself, and a guy could have fantastic fantasies about that tongue and where he wanted it on his body.
Right. Fucking. Now.
Put a lid on it, Remington. Not going to happen!
I tried to remember why I was really here with Reese, but over the course of the last two hours, the lines were starting to get a little blurry for me.
“Are you okay?” Reese asked softly. “You got quiet. Was the food too spicy? I could get you an antacid if you need it.”
I held up a hand. “I’m good. I was just thinking about that great food and savoring a good glass of wine.”
And I was a major liar, which I hated.
In reality, I was fantasizing about all of the things I could do to her curvy body if I could just get her naked.
I also wanted to know all of her secrets now, and not just to protect my family.
For some damn reason, I wanted to protect Reese, too.
I sensed a vulnerability in her that concerned me, and my instinct was to protect her.
She was being a little more forthcoming, but that quick glint of fear in her eyes I saw occasionally was very real.
She hid it well, and it was probably something most people would never notice, but I could sense it as well.
If I hit on a topic she didn’t want to talk about, I could literally feel her hesitation, even though she covered it up almost immediately.
What in the hell was going on with Reese Martin, and why in the hell did I give a shit about the possibility of hitting on a topic that scared her?
How had she gone from a possible threat to someone I wanted to protect in a matter of hours?
She very well could be lying to all of us, but instead of that pissing me off like it used to, I found myself asking why she’d do something like that.
Everyone had a past.
Past heartache.
Past mistakes.
Things that had happened in the past that we regretted.
No one who liked her was going to judge her for that.
Had some asshole broken her heart and she was here in Montana to escape that heartache?
That theory just didn’t ring true to me unless he was still a threat to her in some way.
My gut told me that Reese wasn’t the type to dump her entire life in the city to escape heartache in rural Montana.
“Thank you for offering to teach me to ride,” she said. “I’m sorry now that I accused you of having ulterior motives.”
Okay, now I felt guilty, and that almost never happened.
I did have ulterior motives, and her comment made me feel like a prick.
Wanting to distract myself, I questioned, “Any idea what kind of horse you want to learn to ride on? Any fears about riding?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’m excited. My only experience with riding is being led around on a pony as a kid. I guess my only fear is getting on a gigantic horse and being so high off the ground. You’re the teacher. I’ll be happy to take whatever horse you suggest. Do you have a lot of horses?”
I nodded. “Quite a few. I think I’d put you on Luna. She’s a Gypsy Vanner horse. A beautiful tobiano black and white from champion lines. She was Mom’s horse, but she had to scale down her riding to one horse because of her arthritis, so I took Luna. She has a sweet disposition and she’s not very intimidating. It’s a short breed in general, but they’re muscular and strong. I think you two would be perfect for each other, and she doesn’t get enough exercise. She’s a little too small for me and my barn manager, so Lauren exercises her for me when she can. She also exercises Mom’s horse that she still has at the ranch when my mother isn’t able to ride.”
Reese smiled. “I can help. Once I can ride, I’d help your mom out when she needs it and exercise Luna every day for you. It’s the least I can do to pay you back for teaching me to ride. I know Lauren gets busy when she’s on an important project, and she favors one of Tanner’s horses.”
“She does,” I confirmed. “She exercises Mom’s horse and Luna as a favor. Tanner gave her the horse she likes to ride, and they have a bond. What happens if you end up hating to ride?”
“I won’t,” she said confidently. “I’ve always been an animal lover. I’ve just never had the opportunity to learn to ride a horse.”
“Come early on Saturday,” I instructed. “We’ll go over some safety stuff and the basics of riding before I get you on Luna. You said you liked to swim. Bring a suit. I have an indoor pool and a hot tub. You might want to soak for a while. You’ll be sore when you first start riding.”
“Are you saying that my butt is going to hurt?” she said jokingly.
“Pretty much,” I responded, trying not to think about her gorgeous ass that I’d be more than willing to massage for her after her ride. “Unless you exercise your glutes and all of the other muscles you need to ride, you’ll be sore. Sitting on a horse in the same position stretches muscles you didn’t know you had.”
“I don’t get the exercise I used to,” she said wistfully. “There’s no gym here, and Montana is way too cold for a winter walk. Now that it’s getting warmer, I’ll be able to get outdoors more. I love to walk and take hikes, but not when it’s as cold as it’s been over the winter.”
I nodded. “That’s why I have an indoor pool and a gym.”
She laughed, and the musical sound made my gut ache. “I don’t think I’m fitting any exercise equipment into this apartment,” she joked. “I thought about an exercise bike or a treadmill, but I’m not sure where I’d put it.”
She was right. There was barely room for furniture, and if her bedroom looked like Hannah’s had, it was barely big enough for a decent sized bed and a dresser.
“Have you always had a place this small?” I asked curiously. “I think I’d go crazy if I was confined to this small of a space in the winter.”
She hesitated for a second before she answered, “No. But I really don’t mind this place being small. It’s just me here. I don’t have to waste a lot of time cleaning, and it feels…safer. I wish the kitchen was a little bigger, but I don’t have a lot of choice of apartments in Crystal Fork. They’re all pretty small, and there really aren’t any rental homes here. Most people own and live in their homes.”
The fact that she mentioned feeling safer here didn’t escape me, but I got the feeling I shouldn’t push her on that comment right now.
I was going to have to let her keep some of her secrets until she felt comfortable enough to share.
I’d make the mistake of grilling her about her former life once, and that had pushed her away.
I tried to be a guy who never did stupid things more than once.
“Nobody really rents homes here,” I agreed. “We’re not exactly high on the list of tourist destinations in Montana. If you ever want to use my pool or my gym, feel free.”
She shook her head. “I’d never intrude on you like that, and I’m not sure that I should overstay my welcome on Saturday. I’m sure you’re a busy guy, and you’re already taking the time out of your weekend to teach me to ride.”
I shrugged. “Everyone helps each other here. We don’t consider helping other people in town an inconvenience. I have a big place. I’d never even know you were there.”
She looked a little flustered as she asked, “What if you have…company? That would be a little awkward.”
I grinned at her. “Are you asking if I have wild orgies at my house every night?”
“I didn’t mean that ,” she said as she sent me a scolding look that was kind of adorable. “But you must date sometimes. You’re a single guy.”
“I don’t bring dates back to Crystal Fork,” I replied, amused. “None of my previous dates would have any interest in hanging out here, and I’d never date anyone here.”
Honestly, I didn’t really date at all.
Yeah, I’d had two women that I’d hooked up with occasionally in Billings and Bozeman. Like me, they hadn’t wanted any romantic entanglement.
Eventually, we’d just gone our separate ways.
One of them had ended up in a committed relationship even though she’d always sworn that it was never going to happen, and the other had moved to New York.
Truth was, it had been a while since I’d gotten laid, but it hadn’t bothered me enough to seek out another arrangement.
The rumors about me being some kind of a playboy were highly inflated.
I was no angel. I’d had a few brief flings in my travels, too, but I hadn’t done that in a long time.
My sex drive was still healthy, but those experiences were kind of empty and pointless once the sex part of it was over.
Maybe I’d grown up and realized that there was more to life than getting laid every single night.
My attraction to Reese had surprised me.
I hadn’t felt this attracted to a woman in a long time, and it was disconcerting that it just happened to be a woman who was completely off-limits.
“Why would you never date someone who lived here?” Reese asked curiously.
“Not happening,” I grumbled. “I’ve known most of the single women here since we were kids. We’ve been friends forever. There actually aren’t a lot of single women here that are my age.”
I had to remind myself not to tell her that almost every single female in Crystal Fork wanted a commitment, marriage, and kids.
If I wanted Reese to think that I hadn’t settled down because I’d never met the right woman, that wasn’t a comment I wanted to come out of my mouth right now.
“Just bring your suit and a change of clothes on Saturday,” I added. “You’re definitely not going to be running into any company at my place. Spending time with you is something I want to do, Reese. It’s not an inconvenience.”
She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she looked at me like she was trying to figure me out.
Fuck! I knew she still didn’t trust me, and that bugged the shit out of me for some reason.
She was actually a smart woman, and probably right not to trust me since I wasn’t exactly being honest with her, either.
I hated the relief I felt when she finally nodded slowly in agreement.
I also hated the fact that I wasn’t sure if I was relieved because I wanted to pry information out of her or if I just wanted to spend the day with her.
Today was Thursday.
I had two days to get my priorities straight and my dick in check so I could focus on my real objective.
I would get over this attraction to Reese, and I’d definitely get the information I wanted.