Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
Hannah looked at the clock as her online meeting ended. She wasn’t excited to have to go up to Prescott for two weeks to meet with the private college up there. She’d tried to trade the job off, but many of her co-workers had children who’d just started a new school year. At least she’d have paid time-off next month, since she’d be working full time while up north.
Her negotiations, though, caused the meeting to run over. Now she barely had time to change for what she considered a date. Brody was supposed to come over to teach her a few line dances beneath the shade of her new patio, though it wasn’t exactly a patio. It was more two posts sunk in the ground to hold a roof up over the desert floor on the side of her house.
Since her front door faced west and she enjoyed the morning sun, she’d had the roof erected along the south side of the house, so depending on the time of day, she could sit outside in the shade. She’d eventually get some pavers and put them down. But it didn’t appear she’d be learning line dances as she expected. All Brody said was it was a surprise and to wear jeans.
She hoped he planned a hike up her mountain, not that it was hers, but that’s how she thought of it. Even though temperatures had fallen below a hundred, it was still pretty warm for jeans. But since Brody had given her no reason not to trust him, she pulled on a pair of white jeans that would reflect the sun. She added a sleeveless, light-blue button-down shirt, and slipped on her sneakers.
After throwing her sweats and blouse into the hamper in her closet, she walked into the kitchen/living room. Ever since the night at Boots n’ Brews, Brody had texted her every morning and they’d talked at night. She was quite sure she had a new ‘boyfriend,’ though at her age, thinking of him that way felt juvenile. Someone needed to come up with a name for adults to call the person of interest in their life. ‘Partner’ didn’t work, as they weren’t living together, even if they were neighbors. ‘Close friends’ didn’t really explain it either. Lover? Even at the thought, the butterflies in her belly that had started as soon as the work meeting ended seemed to multiply. She was getting ahead of herself.
Looking out the side window, she didn’t see an ATV or truck, so she walked to the fridge and pulled out an ice tea. No sooner had she unscrewed the top and took a sip then a knock sounded on her door. She set the bottle down, surprised.
Quickly she moved to the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s me. Why? Who else would it be?”
At the growl in Brody’s voice, she yanked the door open, only to find a smile on his face beneath his brown cowboy hat. Her butterflies went into overdrive at seeing him in a sleeveless, red-checkered shirt that showed off his rather large biceps.
She shrugged, holding back her own smile. “Well, I do have a gentleman burro who likes to visit me.”
He laughed, causing her butterflies to crash into each other. “I was afraid I’d have competition for your attention. Luckily, I came prepared.” He held up reins.
She stepped outside to see he had a horse tied to Chaos. “Oh, Brody!” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug before lifting her face to give him a kiss, which he willingly returned. As much as she enjoyed his mouth on hers, she stepped back, touched that he would teach her to ride. She didn’t want to make it appear as if his thoughtfulness was not appreciated.
“Hmm, I may just need to bring horses over every day.”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
His blue eyes appeared to darken at her comment. “I’ll take that as an invitation.”
Her heartbeat started to race at the look in his eyes. It made her feel completely desirable, as if he couldn’t wait to make her his.
“But first, I believe you requested a ride a few weeks ago. So I coerced Mandy into letting you borrow Breeze. She’s a good horse and can turn on a dime. Mandy uses her for barrel-racing exhibitions.”
Hannah walked over to the pretty tan horse with the blonde mane and tail, letting it smell her. “She’s beautiful.” She stroked the horse’s nose when it nudged her.
“What’s important is she’ll be good for a novice like you. Maximus is too large, and Havoc, my brother Jackson’s horse, lives up to his name. You never know what he’ll pull.”
“I didn’t realize horses had such different personalities, but it makes sense. I better change my shoes. After all, I do own cowboy boots.” She winked at him before talking to Breeze. “I’ll be right back.”
She strode into her house and quickly changed. She was beyond excited. To be trying something she’d wanted to do since she was a child, with a man she was infatuated with, meant it was going to be one of her best days.
After putting on her boots, she locked the casita and in no time, Brody had explained how to guide the horse and had her in the saddle. “I didn’t realize it would feel so high.”
“You’ll get used to it by the second mile. We’re just going to take a leisurely walk like you wanted.”
She was good with that. She liked learning new things in a safe manner.
Brody clicked his tongue and Chaos walked forward. When Breeze followed without being told, Hannah grabbed the pommel. But as the gait of the horse became familiar, she let go and held the reins loosely in her hands as Brody had instructed.
Luckily, Breeze didn’t like being behind, and soon Hannah found herself walking next to Brody. She liked how it felt.
“I see you added a portico to the side of your casita.”
Brody’s tone was neutral, but for some reason she sensed he wasn’t thrilled with that. “I did. I wanted a place to sit in the shade that didn’t block my sunrises or sunsets. They are so much more brilliant out here.”
“I imagine they are, without the tall buildings of downtown Phoenix obstructing the view.”
“Exactly. I’m hoping as the weather cools some more, I can spend more time under it.”
Brody didn’t respond to that, but he did pick up the pace, which had her grabbing the pommel again. As before, she moved with the horse after a while, and felt more comfortable. When Brody turned to the right, she gave a small tug on the reins and Breeze turned, making her feel quite accomplished.
Soon they were at the base of the mountains and they slowed to a walk again. Brody finally stopped next to a shady outcropping. After dismounting, he came around and had her swing her leg over. She misjudged how far it was to the ground, and would have fallen on her butt if he hadn’t caught her to him.
She laughed, perfectly happy to be in his arms, even if her back was to him. “Oops. You were right. I did get used to the height.”
“I told you, you would.” He didn’t let her go. “You looked good up there.” He spoke next to her ear, his breath sending tiny shivers up her arms. “Then again, you always look good.”
The little zing of pleasure his praise gave her turned into all-out excitement as he finished his sentence with a kiss on the back of her neck.
Then he dropped his arms. “Let’s bring the horses into the shade for a bit. There’s some desert grass they can nibble on if they want.”
Of course. She wasn’t used to thinking of the needs of animals. Obediently, she walked Breeze over to where Brody stood, looping the horse’s reins over a large rock. She found a similar-sized rock and did the same.
Brody pointed. “This appears to be a popular spot.”
She followed his hand and saw two cottontail rabbits a few yards up the incline munching on grass. They were adorable. “Well, it is shady, and both man and beast appreciate a reprieve from the heat. Though it’s definitely been pleasant the last few days.”
He wandered along the edge of the incline as if looking for something. “It’s amazing what you can find when you look. My brothers and I used to do scavenger hunts for fun. We’d start off with a list one of us made that had cactus needles and meteorite rocks, and we’d come back with snake skins that had been shed, desert mouse skulls, and eggshells.”
“Ewww. If it was me, I’d look for flowers and pretty rocks.”
He laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me. Let’s see who can find the better collectibles.”
“You’re on.” It didn’t take a minute for her to know she had a real challenge before her. The mountain base had some growth, but it was mostly rock and sand. Still, there had to be something pretty somewhere.
“Well, howdy.” Brody’s voice to her right had her looking over. He cupped something in his hand. “No peeking.”
She rolled her eyes before resuming her search for something pretty. The first item she found was a rock. It was covered in mica and shined when the sun hit it. She dropped that in her pocket. Her next item was a brittlebush, though its yellow flowers were brown now. Then she spotted something white above her. Climbing up a bit farther, she discovered a broken bird egg of some kind. What would Brody think of that? Pleased, she picked it up carefully.
At that moment, the horses whinnied loudly and she looked down to see them tugging at the reins. She was about to descend when the rocks that held their reins rolled down as the horses pulled away and took off at a run.
“Hannah, don’t move and don’t say anything.”
Her heart jumped into her throat at Brody’s words, but she stayed still except to move her eyes to where he was, a little to her right and below her, which made it difficult to see him. Did he see a snake near her? Is that what spooked the horses?
He cautiously moved into her vision. He walked around, and in slow motion climbed higher. As he drew closer, she realized he wasn’t looking at her but past her. What did he see? Sweat trickled down her back and her eyes smarted with unshed tears. Not knowing what threatened her was almost too much.
Slowly, so as not to startle whatever it was, she turned her head. As she lifted her gaze, she forgot to breathe. Just above her stood a mountain lion and he was staring right at her. Its ears were folded forward, and on meeting her eyes, it pulled up its upper lip and snarled.
“Don’t move.”
Brody’s command hit her just as she was about to run. Though she didn’t, her whole body began to shake and there was nothing she could do about that.
“Hey, you big cat. Git! Get out of here.”
The mountain lion turned its head to look at Brody. Its whole body leaned back on its hind legs in a crouch.
Brody took two steps closer, coming into her field of vision as she kept her eyes on the hundred-pound creature. Brody’s arms were raised above his head. “You want a piece of me? I guarantee you’re going to have to fight for it.”
The animal’s ears flattened back on its head and a snarl issued forth that sent the hair on her arms to stand on end, her fear not about her but Brody.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said get.” Brody waved a broken branch of a mesquite tree.
Even as the big cat’s weight started to shift forward, Hannah’s muscles tensed as her heart stopped.
The animal jumped toward Brody, who swung the branch forward.
But the mountain lion landed higher on the slope and continued upward, obviously deciding that humans weren’t worth it.
Her breath escaped in a whoosh as all her muscles collapsed under her and she lay on the slope as Brody reached her. His arms wrapped around her and he squeezed her tight, even as they slid downward a couple of feet.
“Shit, Hannah.”
She grasped his shirt in her fists as she cried into his shoulder. She had no idea why she was crying. He was safe. She was safe, thanks to him. There was no reason to cry, yet the tears continued and her body shook.
Brody stroked her back. “It’s okay. He’s gone. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
At his words, her chest tightened with a yearning so strong, it made it hard to breathe. No one had ever said anything like that to her. No one. Then, as if someone turned on a light in a darkened room, she understood. She loved Brody.
She’d been afraid of being attacked, but her fear escalated when the big cat looked as if he’d go after Brody instead. She’d wanted to pounce on it, however irrational that was.
“Hey there.” Brody leaned away and used one hand to turn her face toward him. “You’re okay.”
She nodded, sniffing at the same time. “I know. I have no idea why I’m crying and shaking.”
He gave her a soft smile, even as he brushed tears from her cheek. “Not shaking as much now though. It’s the adrenaline rush, or rather coming down from it. Simply put, it’s your body showing its relief.”
“What about you then? Why aren’t you shaking and crying with relief?”
“Oh, I’m crying on the inside. I wasn’t so much afraid as pissed. First the horses run off with the only gun I brought, and then that mountain lion threatens my girl. I was having none of his crap.” Brody shook his head, his brows lowered, but his lips twitched.
She pulled away. “Are you telling me you weren’t even a little afraid?”
“Heck, no. I was shittin’ in my pants that he’d attack you. But I was pissed because I also didn’t want to hurt him. We’re in his territory, and he had the right to be here. He’s the very animal I want to protect once I become a wildlife manager. And yet the ungrateful ass wanted to go after you. That infuriated me.”
She raised her brows, not because he was joking, but because he was serious and not making much sense. Her only conclusion was that he was afraid and angry at the same time. “A wildlife manager? You mean like the police of the animal world?”
“Something like that, but there’s so much more to it. It’s about being that buffer between the animal kingdom and mankind. I guess kind of like what just happened.”
This was new information about him. She’d known he was honorable, but his future career proved he was a modern-day knight in shining armor…with flaws of course. She wasn’t that love-struck. “That’s very admirable. Is there a lot of schooling for that?”
At her question, his body stiffened. “Not too much. We should probably get down from here and get the horses.”
She lay next to him, so she scrambled up. In her haste, she fell back on her butt. “Ouch.”
He rose smoothly, moving like the big cat they’d just encountered. “Here.”
He held his hand out and she took it. But as he pulled her up, he clasped her against him. “Hannah. I…” He stared at her a moment then cupped the back of her head and kissed her.
It wasn’t a sensual kiss. It was demanding, claiming, and yet protective all at once, and she felt it right down to her toes. She met his need with her own, beyond grateful that he was unharmed and she was in his arms.
Just as she thought she’d have to break away to breathe, he did instead, but he didn’t go far. He leaned his forehead against hers. “I want you.”
His words were so soft that she wasn’t sure if she hadn’t simply read his lips, but his message sent a thrill down to her core. “Yes.”
A quiet chuckle rumbled through him. “Good.” He stood straight, separating them, but took hold of her hand. “Let’s get you back.”
They descended together and when they made it to the desert floor, he scanned the area. Both horses were within sight, but a long walk away. He let go of her hand. “You might want to cover your ears.” No sooner had he said that than he let out a loud whistle and she did cover her ears.
Chaos lifted his head, but didn’t move.
“Damn scaredy cat. We’ll need to walk a little closer. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She glanced back up the mountain, just to make sure the horses didn’t see something they missed. Not seeing the mountain lion anywhere, though it was the exact same color as the mountain and would blend in seamlessly anyway, she faced forward. “Let’s go get our horses.”