Chapter 2
Chapter Two
The place wasn’t large—it was a studio—but it looked plenty comfortable, with its own kitchenette, a big bed, and a great view from the window. He was sure it would have what little he’d need for the next month and a half.
He set his bags down on the bench at the foot of the bed and took a few minutes to unpack before heading back over to the main building to meet Claudia.
Claudia.
He’d been crushing hard on her since the moment he’d met her, but she’d still been with her husband back then.
Ex-husband now, which, he had to remind himself, didn’t mean she’d be any more interested in him than she had been when she was still married, or the times he’d seen her in Dallas after they’d split up.
There was that one really long talk they’d had at Micah and Arrow’s the last time he’d seen her.
His cousin and her man had gone inside to clean up after the going-away party they’d thrown for him at the end of the summer, leaving him with Claudia at the fire pit.
They’d talked well into the night, and he’d become even more captivated by her.
She was so smart, so kind, and subtly funny, and she had no idea how gorgeous she was.
But she’d still been pretty recently single, and he hadn’t wanted to push things with her.
But lord, he’d wanted her. He’d never been able to get her out of his mind.
Now she’d had time to settle into being single, to process the end of her marriage—or, he hoped she had.
And it couldn’t hurt to try. If nothing else, at least he’d get to spend a little time with her, and that felt important, too.
Because it wasn’t just some empty crush.
Sure, she was gorgeous, but he liked who she was, all sweetness under her sass, with a little edge she tried to keep hidden away, but he’d seen it a time or two.
She intrigued him.
When he walked into the lobby a few minutes later, he was reminded why. Her gorgeous, brown hair fell nearly to her waist, and his fingers itched to touch it, to run his hands through it. To wrap those silky locks in his fist and hold on tight.
No.
He had to treat her with the respect she deserved—that any woman deserved—and he sure as hell had to get his urges under control.
Of course, he would never do anything to make her uncomfortable, and it definitely wasn’t like him to exert his dominance unasked for.
But this woman was pure temptation wrapped up in a beautiful package that radiated a natural sensuality he thought she wasn’t even aware of.
Her slight French accent didn’t hurt, either.
“Hey,” he said in greeting.
“Hi,” she answered with a small, mysterious smile.
Oh, yeah. Pure temptation.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “Do you need to change out of your work clothes or anything?”
She glanced down at her dark jeans and hiking boots. “I can go like this. I grabbed this in case it’s cold out,” she said, holding up a down vest.
“It’s pretty chilly—you should probably put the vest on. Let’s go,” he said, offering his hand.
Claudia blinked for a moment, her long lashes coming down over her big brown eyes, and he realized taking her hand wasn’t exactly appropriate, so he waved it toward the door. She nodded, slipping the vest on as they headed outside while he wondered what the hell was wrong with him.
The mountain air was crisp and definitely on the cool side. The Douglas fir trees and Ponderosa pines were a dark, rich green, and there was snow on the mountain peaks surrounding the Ranch. It felt a little like home to him already.
“It’s beautiful here,” he said. “You must love living here.”
“I do. It’s so pretty. You should see it in the spring, when the grass is all green, and there are wildflowers blooming everywhere. But I love it in the winter time, too,” she said. “I feel so lucky to be here. It’s been healing for me.”
“It seems the Ranch is a healing place for a lot of people.” He gazed at the mountain peaks as they walked, then said quietly, “Maybe it will be for me, too.”
“Oh?”
He slowed and turned to Claudia. “Let’s just say I have some shit to deal with. And it’s not that I’m not excited to teach, or happy to help Arrow out so he and Micah can have a proper honeymoon, but part of why I wanted to come was them telling me this was a good place to do that.”
“Yes,” she agreed with a small nod. “Rawhide Ranch is a very healing place. There’s something about the place itself—these beautiful mountains, and the fresh air.
But really, it’s the way Master Derek and everyone who works here has helped to build this place, the energy they’ve created here. The sense of absolute safety.”
“I imagine having a safe place to land was helpful after going through a divorce. Not that I’ve ever been divorced, but it sounds like it can be rough.”
“You have no idea…” she muttered quietly before trailing off. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone there. But look, here we are. And there’s my friend Reese.”
A petite blonde woman wearing bright pink cowboy boots waved at them and Claudia waved back.
“Heyyy!” Reese called out. “Come on inside where it’s warm. You must be Brody. Sadie told me you were coming today. Welcome to the Petting Zoo.”
She held out her hand as they approached the door of the big barn, and Brody shook it, then Reese turned to give Claudia a quick hug.
“Wow, this is a great setup,” Brody said, looking around at the gaily painted stall doors, each with a name plaque mounted on it. “Are the animals all friendly?”
“Sure they are!” Reese assured him. “Couldn’t be a petting zoo, otherwise. And it looks like the very demanding Alfie would really like your attention at the moment.”
A brown and white alpaca leaned over its stall door, reaching toward him with his long neck, and Brody stroked a hand over his soft cheek. “Nice to meet you, Alfie.”
“Oh, the animals are gonna love you if you’re the kind of person who will talk to them,” Reese said.
“I’ve always loved animals. I’ve rescued a few myself and want to take in more of them.
I have a nice barn at my place in Colorado with some property, and I may as well put it to good use.
Derek mentioned I should talk with you and your Daddy, Arlo, to find out what it takes to get a rescue set up. ”
“We’d love to help in any way we can. The more animal rescues, the better,” Reese said. “Oh!” she exclaimed as a large gray parrot landed on her shoulder.
The bird took a lock of her hair in one foot and squawked, “Daddy says dinnertime!”
“This is Bossy P, my alarm clock,” she said with a giggle. “Guess I have to go. But we can definitely set up a time to chat about the rescue—I’ll tell my Daddy about it. Meanwhile, Claudia, you know your way around. Master Travis is gonna lock up here tonight, so nothing for you to worry about.”
“Of course. Go enjoy dinner with your Daddy,” Claudia said.
“I will. As long as he doesn’t make me eat broccoli.” Reese scrunched her nose for a moment, then broke into a smile again. “Have fun with the animals, Mr. Brody. Nite, Claudia.”
“’Nite, Reese,” Claudia said.
“Nice meeting you, Reese,” Brody told her. “And you, Bossy P.”
“Kiss the girl!” the parrot squawked over his shoulder.
If only he could.
Reese walked off with the parrot flapping his wings and quietly scolding her, and Brody turned to Claudia. “Okay. I’m ready for the tour.”
“Well, these are our goats, Clara and Clancy. They’re very sweet. Poor Clancy will faint at the sight of any bird, except for Bossy P, for some reason, but Clara is pretty fearless.”
Brody reached over the low stall door to scratch first one rough-furred head, then the other. “My goats are Nubians, too.”
“How many do you have?”
“I have four. They’re all very hard-core individuals.”
Claudia laughed. “Goats can be a handful! I find animals each have their own distinct personalities if you’re paying attention. What are their names?”
He let out a groan. “Okay… but just know they were all rescues, and I only named Delilah because she came to me as a baby. The others are Tornado, Scooter-Poots, and Screech because he screams when he wants something.”
Claudia laughed once more, a low, husky sound that he could feel in the pit of his stomach. “And what is the excuse for… what was its name? Scooter-Poots?”
“I honestly have no idea. But she was already a few years old when she came to me last year, so it stuck.”
She grinned and shook her head. “Come with me and I’ll introduce you to our cows. Stella has been with us since Reese arrived, but Elsa and Anna just came to us a few months ago. They’re still young, but that’s helpful—they can be raised to be comfortable around people.”
They spent the next hour moving around the barn, visiting the different animals, and the longer they spent together, the more Claudia seemed to relax.
He saw a soft side of her in her interactions with the animals, and a part of him was really pleased that she was an animal person.
Not that it should matter to him, but it did.
If he were being honest with himself—and the Ranch seemed to be the place to do that—everything about her mattered to him.
It shouldn’t. Or, not to this degree, at least. She was his cousin’s friend.
That was all. And maybe his friend, now that they’d be in the same place for a length of time.
And, if he was lucky enough, maybe a play partner while he was there.
Focus.
“Arrow mentioned there’s a therapy horse here, too.”
“Oh, yes, China. She’s a sweetheart. I sometimes come down here and sit with her for a while.
She’s very soothing.” Claudia’s brown gaze went a bit distant for a few moments.
“I like to sit on a bale of hay in her stall and read, or just brush her sometimes when I’m feeling stressed.
And I tell her my troubles. She’s a very good listener.
Does that sound strange? I don’t know… she helps me. ”