Chapter 32
Brit had been jumpy ever since she’d climbed out of bed this morning, and the butterflies were having a field day in her stomach by the time she pulled into the driveway of her rented bungalow around four-fifteen. Trent’s blue F-250 sat at the curb, gleaming in the sunlight. No doubt he’d washed it.
The man himself had chosen to wait for her on the porch steps. She’d had chairs out there last summer but she retired those weather-beaten relics and hadn’t bought new ones.
He unfolded his six-foot-three frame and stood as she braked her truck in front of the garage that had once housed Model-Ts and was too small for even her vehicle.
He had a bit of a cowboy swagger as he strolled across the grass toward her, his prize-winning smile sending those butterflies whirling even faster. His hat shaded his eyes, but not enough to disguise the heat smoldering there.
He opened her door. “Thought you’d never get here.”
“Blame Mr. Abernathy. He never flosses.” She sounded like a breathless teenager. Her fingers wouldn’t work right as she struggled with the release for the seatbelt. What was it with him and seatbelts?
“Allow me.” Ducking down so he wouldn’t knock off his hat, he reached across her lap, bringing the earthy aroma of his aftershave closer as he neatly unsnapped the buckle.
Her heart rate tripled. “Don’t kiss me.”
“Not gonna.” He didn’t turn his head in her direction. “Much as I want to. I’m not following you into your house, either. Too tempting.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Me, either.” He stepped back and dug her key out of his pocket. “At first I took your suggestion and unlocked the door so I could wait inside. But the minute I walked in I started wondering if you’d kept the lantern lights up. I loved those things.”
“I left them up.”
“Ah. Well, I hotfooted it back out of your house before I got wound up.”
“Smart.”
“Which makes me think maybe you should take them down.”
“But you like them.”
“That’s my point. Taking them down would be a good de-escalation move.”
“I guess it would, but we don’t have to rush into it. We can leave them up a little while longer.”
“Well, good, then. I’ll have that to look forward to after my next shift at the Buffalo.”
And she could hardly wait to get him back in her bed. But they had an event to attend. “Um, we should probably?—”
“Right, right. Listen, since you don’t need money for anything, want to leave your wallet and just take this key?”
“Good idea.” She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and climbed out.
“Here you go.” He handed it over.
The key was warm from resting in his pocket. Even that small detail set her on fire. “I’ll also take my phone in case my mom needs to get in touch with me.”
“Of course.” His gaze swept over her and he swallowed. “I hope you can talk me down on the drive to the ranch. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
“I’ve been thinking about you, too.”
“Nice to hear, but it doesn’t help.” He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked with her back to the porch.
“Sorry I don’t have any porch furniture you can sit on. I used to but I got rid of the old stuff and haven’t replaced it yet.”
“No worries. The steps are fine.”
“I won’t be long. I just need to change clothes.”
“Take your time. I’ll be out here not thinking about you changing your clothes.”
“And I’ll be in there changing clothes not thinking about you sitting out here not thinking about me.”
“You’d better get going before the whole schedule collapses.”
“Yep.” She hurried up the steps. “See you in five.”
Moments later she tossed her work clothes in the hamper and returned to her bedroom to take a quick glance in her full-length mirror. She’d chosen the outfit with his parents in mind. She wanted to project an image of a wholesome, caring person who’d be a good mom for their first grandchild.
Her new jeans fit well but weren’t too tight. Her boots looked cute but not flashy and her paisley knit top in shades of blue had a girl-next-door vibe. Folks rarely dressed up at Rowdy Ranch, so she’d also be event-appropriate.
Even the wedding invitation had suggested wearing casual clothes. But she’d attended enough gatherings out there to know a little bling never hurt. The denim jacket and jeans she’d packed for the wedding sparkled a bit. But they weren’t overtly sexy, either.
She brushed her hair and her teeth. A quick refresh of her makeup and she was ready to head out the door with her small suitcase.
For the overnight part of the visit she’d tucked in sweats. She’d never cared for filmy negligees and in this case alluring nightwear would be like throwing a match on a bonfire.
Taking her phone, she left her purse on its hook by the door, pocketed her key and walked out on the porch. “Ready.”
He stood and turned around. “You look great.”
“Not too sexy?”
“You’re asking the wrong guy.” He stepped up on the porch. “Let me take that.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t quibble. Since he’d been eager to pick her up, naturally he’d want to carry her suitcase even if it wasn’t heavy.
“Did you bring a hat?”
“No. Thought about it, but the one I have is old and faded. Not classy enough for a wedding and I assume we won’t be going riding.”
“No. But I volunteered us to help set up for the ceremony.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“And if not, there are straw hats in the barn if you need one.” He handed her into the truck before stowing her suitcase in the back seat.
She hadn’t ridden in it since Tuesday night and the moment her tush settled into that plush seat, she was turned on by flashbacks.
He swung up behind the wheel and laid his hat on the dash before closing the door and buckling up. “Off we go.” He turned the key in the ignition. The engine rumbled but the radio was silent.
“No music?”
“I couldn’t handle it on the way in. Made me want to do things we don’t have time for. But if you?—”
“Let’s leave it off. I don’t need the extra stimulation, either. Just sitting in your cab gets me hot.”
“Don’t tell me that.” He pulled away from the curb. “Although Rance would love to know he was right. He promised me this truck would increase my odds with the ladies.”
“Has it?”
“Evidently. I’ve only tested it once and I’m batting a thousand.”
“It’s just been me?”
“So far it’s a one-woman truck.”
“Didn’t your mom ride in it yesterday?”
“She did, but Rance wasn’t referring to mothers when he said that. Plus Mom and Dad chose to sit in the back, so you’re the only one who’s ridden shotgun with me.”
“Huh. So what did Rance have to say last night?”
“That I should stick with our plan.”
“Does he think it’ll work?”
“No.”
“Do you?”
“Ask me again on Sunday morning. I’ll have more information.”
“Why?”
“We’re about to be surrounded by a whole bunch of people. We haven’t experienced that. Except for your mom at lunch and Dallas and Angie last night, it’s just been us.”
“Do crowds bother you?”
“No, but weddings do. I found that out at my brother’s. I probably should warn you about that. I’ll do my best to shake it off.”
“Is that why you invited me for the weekend? To help you through it?”
He smiled, putting a crease in his freshly shaved cheek. “No, ma’am. I invited you because you’d be coming out for the wedding and I wanted to make sure you’d stay and spend the night with me. Then I decided I might as well go for two nights.”
“But I can also be your support buddy if you start freaking out.”
“I didn’t freak out at Dallas’s I just got very depressed. The vows were similar to the ones in my ceremony, and I hated hearing them. They sounded so fake. So hollow.”
“I can imagine.”
“How about you? Do those words upset you at all?”
“Not really. They don’t make me either happy or sad because I don’t picture myself standing at the altar hearing them. But you did. You believed in those words and then everything fell apart. That has to be worse.”
“Don’t feel too sorry for me. This time I’ll be concentrating on how good it will feel once I’m lying in bed with you.”
“Won’t that be a risk for your easily excited friend?”
“Meaning you? Or my?—”
“Both. When you get a certain look in your eye, I’m toast.”
“You don’t have to do a damn thing and I’m toast. I hear you catch your breath on the phone and I’m ready to make a thirty-minute drive.” He sighed. “And we need to find a different topic.”
“Your parents?”
“That’ll do it.”
“Did you spend time together today?”
“Sure did. Dallas, Angie and I took them riding again. We went yesterday and they wanted to go again.”
“I didn’t know they were riders.”
“They weren’t back in February. They struggled to stay on. But they’ve been taking lessons so it’s more fun for them now.”
“That’s awesome.”
“I think so, since Dallas and I are settled in for the duration. I think they’re becoming attached to this place. Evidently they get a kick out of sleeping in the kids’ wing of the ranch house. They like the rustic atmosphere.”
“I think I’m gonna enjoy your parents.”
“They’ll enjoy you, too. If we’d only move in together, they’d be totally pleased with the situation.”
“Will my coming out to spend the next two nights with you give them false hope?”
“Yes, it will.”
“Should I try to make a case for our plan of action? Or rather, eventual inaction?”
“That depends on whether you’d be comfortable explaining how we’re going to wean ourselves off an activity we obviously enjoy.”
And oh, did she ever enjoy it. His comment was enough to heat her up again. Maybe talking about her mom would cool things down. “I told my mother about the new plan this morning.”
“How did that go?”
“She didn’t buy it.”
“Neither will my folks.”
“Probably not. And since I’m not wild about the idea of discussing it with them, I’ll just keep my mouth shut.”
“I think that’s for the best.”
And she was out of distractions and back to being extremely aware of the yummy man within easy reach. She longed to give his denim-clad thigh a squeeze. Not a good idea.
His chest heaved and he kept his gaze on the road. “I know what you’re thinking about.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Do so. Your breathing changed and you’re shifting around in your seat.”
“It’s this truck. It makes me remember the first night and then Tuesday night and then?—”
“Want me to sell it?”
“Sell it? Why in the world would you do that?”
“Then I could buy something boring that doesn’t turn you on. Seems like a logical solution to the problem and would help the cause.”
“No! You love this truck. I would never want you to sell it because I have a problem. I’ll deal with it. Put that crazy idea right out of your head.”
“Okay, but I would do it if that moves us closer to the goal.”
“That’s very noble of you, but we’ll find some other way to deescalate the situation.”
“Let me know what you come up with.”
“I will.” But at the moment, deescalating was the last thing on her mind.