Chapter Nine
“You sure have been gone a lot lately,” Jasper Fletcher said to his son the following day.
Riley looked up from grooming his stallion.
He’d taken Meteor for a ride, cooled him off, and was now brushing his coat.
Both he and the horse enjoyed the grooming.
“I know. Is that a problem?” He felt a little guilty even though he knew there were plenty of people around to help take care of the ranch, and his father didn’t need to do any more than he wanted.
As for the horse business, it had been slow as molasses lately.
He hoped it would pick up after the holidays.
“No.” He rubbed his nose. “But I don’t remember you being gone so much before. Not even when you were going out with those other girls. It’s this new girl you’ve been seeing, isn’t it? Must be pretty serious.”
A couple of Riley’s dogs, Salt and Pepper, came to him demanding to be petted. At the moment he had seven dogs, all of them rescues of some sort. He stopped messing with Meteor for a moment to pet them.
“If you want to know who it is, just ask.”
Jasper stuck his hands in his jeans and rocked on his boots. “Dang it, Riley. What do you think I’m doing?”
“You’re not usually this subtle.”
“I told Lorraine this wouldn’t work. Women,” he added, disgusted.
He might as well tell him. In fact, he was a little shocked his parents hadn’t already heard. “It’s Letty.”
Jasper stared at him blankly. “Letty? Our Letty?”
“Yep. Letty.”
“But she’s—”
“Watch it. She’s not, and never has been, my sister.”
“I wasn’t gonna say that. I’m surprised is all. Are you in love with her? Because if you’re just messing around and you hurt her—”
“I’m not messing around and I’m not planning on hurting her.” As for being in love with her, he wasn’t there yet. Probably. But he knew he wanted their fling, for want of a better word, to last beyond New Year’s.
First, of course, it had to get started.
“Well, good. How does Letty feel about you?”
This was one of the longest conversations he could remember having with his father. Frankly, it was weird. Jasper was usually a man of few words. “Jury’s still out on that. Tell Mom not to worry. I’ll tell you if there’s something you need to know.”
“You’d better talk to your mother yourself.”
True. She’d be pissed and worse, hurt, if he didn’t talk to her. “I’ll be up to the house after I finish with Meteor.”
Shaking his head, Jasper walked off muttering, “Letty. Now there’s a surprise.”
*
Letty had gone to the Garden of Lights at Crawford Park at Christmastime for the last couple of years.
But she hadn’t been to it with a man. She wouldn’t have thought the experience would be completely different than going alone or with girlfriends, but it was.
Why did it surprise her that Riley was fun and attentive?
Maybe because she wasn’t accustomed to being with him on a date?
The man had brought her flowers. She’d been so shocked when he’d showed up at her door with a beautiful bouquet of red roses and amaryllis she’d simply stared at him.
“You might want to find a vase and put them in water.”
“Come in.” She took the arrangement from him. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“Why do you look so surprised? Haven’t other men you’ve dated given you flowers?”
She started to lie but decided that was stupid. Besides, she didn’t want to lie to Riley. “No. Not any time in recent history.”
“So you’ve only dated dumbasses?”
She laughed. “Apparently.”
After finding a vase and putting water in it, she arranged the bouquet and set the arrangement down on her small dining room table. “They’re so pretty.”
“I’m glad you like them. Are you ready to go?”
“Let me get my coat.”
The Garden of Lights was a popular activity for adults and children alike.
To start, the path led a winding route through trees lit with purple, blue, and green lights.
Next came Santa and his sleigh, his elves, and his reindeer outlined in twinkling lights of red, green, and white.
Other fairy-tale figures and Christmas scenes were lit up along the way in all kinds of colors.
There was a huge arch to walk through with pink icicle-like lights hanging to form a roof, and multi-colored lights along the side.
It was an explosion of colors and whimsy and Letty adored it.
Letty walked with her arm tucked through the crook of Riley’s elbow. Since they were both bundled up there was no sense trying to hold hands. “It really is beautiful,” Letty said. “Like a fairyland of lights.”
“Hold up,” Riley said, as a trio of children darted in front of them, causing Letty to stumble. He grabbed her before she face-planted.
Letty admitted the whole thing was romantic. She’d had no idea Riley had such a romantic streak. She’d heard women talking about him before, naturally. But while they talked about him being hot, sexy, and a lot of fun, she’d never heard anyone refer to him as a romantic.
“You sure are going to a lot of trouble for me.”
“What do you mean?” Riley asked.
“Fresh-cut flowers, the Garden of Lights, even the Stroll. Everything to make a girl swoon.”
“Swoon? You’ve been reading too much Regency romance.”
“And what would you know about Regency romance?”
“I have a sister. Back when I was in high school, before you came to live with us, she used to read those along with all the animal stories and nonfiction about ranching. She probably still does, which you ought to know considering you’re a librarian.”
Letty stared at him. “Did you ever read any of them?”
He laughed. “I glanced through a few but I never actually read one.”
“You read enough to know the word swoon.”
“Back cover copy,” he said.
She shook her head, shocked that a man as…macho as Riley appeared, would even look at a romance. And a Regency one at that? Wasn’t the man just full of surprises.
After the light show they went back to Letty’s apartment. “I have beer if you want one.”
“No thanks. But I’ll take water.”
She got them both a bottle of water and sat beside him on the couch.
“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” Why was she so nervous?
It wasn’t as if she’d never been with a man before.
But Riley was different, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
The problem, she realized, was she feared that once she and Riley made love, she wouldn’t be able to call it a fling.
She’d want more and that couldn’t happen.
No marriage, kids, and picket fences for her. She’d made that decision long ago.
Good Lord, what if she fell in love with him? Resisting Riley was hard. No, impossible. She should never have agreed to go out with him. She should tell him she’d changed her mind and there would be no fling. No more kisses, no more romance.
“What’s going on in that brilliant mind of yours?”
“Nothing. And I’m not brilliant.”
“You’re the smartest woman I know.”
If she were smart, she’d have backed out of this whole thing before it went so far. “I want this to be a fun fling. Nothing serious. So you don’t need to romance me. No more flowers or romantic outings. No mistletoe kisses.”
He busted out laughing. She wanted to pinch him.
“What’s so damn funny?”
“Have you ever had a fling?”
“Not really.” She’d dated, sure. But she’d never really had a fling.
“Romance is part of having a fling.”
“Who says?”
“I do.” He put his arms around her and pulled her close.
She stared into his eyes. Such a beautiful blue. Full of laughter at the moment. “You know what else is part of a fling?” he asked in his deep, sexy voice.
“I can guess.”
“Kissing.” And then he kissed her.
Yeah, those times before hadn’t been a fluke.
Riley knew how to kiss. He knew how to make her heart flutter with a kiss.
He took his time, his tongue sweeping her mouth, beckoning hers to dance with his.
She couldn’t help but respond. Why was she trying not to respond, anyway?
Wasn’t this something she’d always wanted?
It wasn’t a chaste kiss. His lips, his tongue, promised more. Much more. Her arms crept up around his neck as she leaned into the kiss.
Very slowly he lifted his mouth and smiled, looking deep into her eyes. Kissed her forehead and got up. “Want to come to the house tomorrow after work?”
She was still reeling from the kiss. How did he do that, make her want more, want everything with a simple kiss?
“You’re leaving?”
“Early day tomorrow.”
“Every day is early on a ranch.”
“True. Come to the ranch. My parents would love to see you.”
“Do they know about us?”
“What do you think?”
“Of course they do. They’re okay with it?”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t matter if they weren’t. I’m a grown man. They have no say in who I date.”