Chapter 12
12
GAbrIEL
“F uck, I’d rush you to the altar now if I could.” Her eyes about bulge out of their sockets, and I try not to laugh as I wink at her, showing her it was a joke. Sort of. When she said it was her fiancé, I about threw the coffee cup across the room. But then she told me ex-fiancé, and I calmed down a bit. But only a bit. My nerves were still high-strung, and I had to tell myself I was only angry because if she had a fiancé and fucked me, that would make me an asshole. But I would be lying to myself. The reason I was pissed was because she couldn’t belong to someone else, not as long as I was here.
“Good to know I have options at least.” She looks at the phone as it beeps before she ignores it and looks back at me. Her hair is wild from me spending most of the night with it in my fists. Her eyes are bright green this morning but look like they have yellow in them like a sunflower. In other words, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Ever.
“Just keeping it real with you, Sweetheart.” I take a gulp of my black coffee, trying to decide whether I’m going to make her breakfast or walk over to her, pluck her out of her chair, and let her ride me. I’m thinking I’ll go for the second option when the phone rings, and I know it’s not hers because it’s coming from the door where my jacket is.
“That would be yours,” she notes, picking up her coffee. I push off the counter to walk to my jacket, but I stop beside her, surprising her when I grab her hair and tug it back so she is looking up at me. Her eyes gloss over as I bend to kiss her lips before going to my phone.
Pulling it out of my jacket pocket, I see that it’s my cousin Charlie. “Hey.” I put the phone to my ear.
“Hey, you are like an hour late,” he huffs. “Do you think you’ll be joining us before lunch?”
“It’s not even seven thirty,” I point out, “but I’m on my way. I just have to make breakfast, and I’m coming.”
“We have food here.”
“Wasn’t going to make the food for me,” I say, and he chuckles. I look over at Zara, who is looking at her phone and then turning it over, probably so I don’t see. I shouldn’t care, but I fucking do.
“Big bad wolf finally got laid.” He laughs. “I can’t wait to see the spring in your step.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I assure him. “Got to head home and change first, switch out the truck.”
“I’ll alert the boys,” he says, hanging up.
“You don’t have to cook me breakfast, Cowboy,” she says when I toss my phone on the table and turn back to the kitchen.
“Sweetheart, I know I don’t have to, but I want to.” I avoid looking at her. I open the cupboards until I find what I need. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Usually scrambled,” she tells me, and I go about cutting the bacon into little pieces before tossing it in the pan.
“What’s your plan for the day?” I ask her as I whisk the two eggs in a bowl and add a splash of milk with some pepper.
“I have a couple of emails to look over, and then I’m going to go grocery shopping.” She heaves a sigh when her phone rings again.
“You might as well answer it,” I suggest, wanting to pick up the phone myself and see what the asshole has to say.
"Fuck that," she snaps, “I said what I had to say to him. There is literally nothing else to discuss.”
I add the eggs in the pan with the bacon, making a sort of scrambled hash but without the cheese. When it’s done, I grab a plate, pouring the eggs on it before walking to the table and setting it in front of her. “This smells delicious.” She looks up at me, and again, I take the opportunity to kiss her lips. “My mouth is watering.”
“Well, you worked hard this morning.” I wink. “I’m going to get my things,” I tell her, not wanting to just leave but knowing I have no choice, “and get out of your hair.”
“I think that’s the only place you didn’t get into, Cowboy.” She picks up the fork and puts some of the eggs on it.
“Keep talking like that, Sweetheart,” I warn her, “and you’ll be eating cold eggs.” I kiss her again before I go back upstairs to the bedroom to grab my T-shirt, putting it on before grabbing my socks and boots. When I walk back downstairs, I find her in the kitchen rinsing off her plate and cleaning up.
I wrap my arms around her, and she looks up at me from the side. “Um, I was just thinking.”
“Yeah.”
“Sofia is my sister-in-law.” I nod at her, knowing exactly where this is going. “And well, I don’t really want this to get back to anyone back home.”
“You want this to be our thing?” I ask her.
“I think it would be better for both of us if we just keep this to ourselves.”
I should be happy she wants this. All I need is for everyone to know I fucked Sofia’s sister-in-law. My Uncle Casey would whoop my ass, but something about keeping it a secret doesn’t sit well with me. “I guess that would be good.” I kiss her. “We’ll play it by ear.” I turn and walk out of the kitchen to the table to grab my phone.
“Play it by ear?” I turn to see her wiping her hands. “There isn’t anything to play. We hooked up twice?—”
“For now,” I cut in, shoving my phone in my back pocket, then putting my hands on my hips. “I have to go; we can discuss this later.”
“Later?” She follows me to the door as I grab my jacket.
“I’ll come by to make sure you’re okay.” I hold my jacket in my hand.
“I’ve been here a week, and I’ve been fine.” She stands toe to toe with me.
“Now, you’ll really be fine.” I grin. “Now come and give me a kiss goodbye, Sweetheart.” I reach forward, yanking her to me. Putting one hand around her waist, I lift her the distance until she’s where I want her. “Have a good day.” I bend and kiss her, thinking she’s not going to kiss me back, but the minute my tongue touches hers, it’s like the fire lights up in her eyes again.
“Fuck.” I put her down and step away. “Haven’t ever thought once about missing a day of work.” I wink at her. “Drive safe, Sweetheart.” I open the door and walk outside and down the steps. I pull open the door to my truck, looking back over and seeing her standing there in her robe, knowing she has nothing on under it.
“Get in the truck, Cowboy.” She smiles at me. “No one has the time to fuck the day away.” I can’t help but laugh when she shuts the door, making sure she locks it after herself. Only when I’m driving away from her do I realize I didn’t get her number.
I pull up Sofia’s number, calling her, and she answers after one ring in a whisper, “What the hell are you doing calling me so early in the morning?” It turns out to be a hiss also.
“You have a child, who probably is up with the roosters.” I chuckle.
“What do you want?”
“Can you send me Zara’s number?” I ask, and she groans.
“Absolutely not.” Her voice rises, and then she must remember she has to be quiet. “Are you out of your damn mind?”
“I’m just going to let her know if she needs anything, to call me.” I mean, I’m not lying per se.
She pffts out. “Yeah, okay.” She then groans, “Gabriel, please, for the love of God, do not do this.”
“I’m not doing anything.” I turn into my driveway. “I’m trying to help you by offering her my number.”
“No, you went over there last night and saw how drop-dead gorgeous she is, and now you want to get all in that.” She calls it like she sees it. “I’m telling you that it’s not a good idea for either of you.” I ignore the last part and walk up the two steps to the porch before putting in the code at my door. “Just forget she’s even there.”
“Okay, fine, I’ll just go over there today and get her number.” I kick off my boots before rushing to my bedroom.
“No, no, no,” she chants. “I’m calling Pops.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine, then you’ll just start rumors for nothing.”
“Gabriel, I swear to?—”
“Don’t you use the Lord’s name in vain,” I repeat what our great-grandmother always says.
“I’m hanging up on you,” she warns me before she does it. I look down at the phone, wondering if she really did it and see that she really did.
I pull off my shirt and jeans before grabbing my work jeans and a thermal long-sleeve shirt before rushing out the door and making my way to the barn. I pull up at the same time as my cousin JB. “Are you just getting here?” he asks me, shocked. Usually when we get a whole herd coming in, all hands are on deck.
“Alarm clock didn’t work,” I lie to him, walking into the barn and seeing Charlie there with his father, Quinn, and my Uncle Casey, who looks over at me. My eyes go to my father’s, whose eyebrows rise when he sees me walking in.
“Where the fuck have you been?” my uncle asks me when I get close enough.
“I slept in.” I avoid looking at anyone and look around at nothing.
“You slept in?” My father immediately calls me on my bullshit. “You haven’t slept in since you were one day old.” He glares at me. “Hated sleep, thought you would be missing out on something.”
“He was with a girl.” Charlie snickers, and JB smacks my shoulder.
“Thought you were walking lighter. Your balls aren’t hitting your knees anymore,” JB jokes, snickering.
“Are we going to stand around and discuss my balls”—I grab my cowboy hat from the hook by the desk—“or are we going to unload the horses?” I don’t wait for them to answer me before I walk out.
“The horse whisperer has spoken,” Quinn says, and I look over my shoulder when he uses my nickname. “Saddle up.”
From the time I was able to sit up straight, I was on a horse. I was on them with my father, uncle, cousins—if they were going on the horse, I wanted on with them too. There was something about getting on a wild horse and showing her how she could trust you. How you could tame her. Apparently, I had a gift, and that was it. From when I was ten, I think, they took me with them when they received the horses. I would help guide them into their new stable and pick a couple to train. I knew this was what I wanted to do. The bar sort of fell into my lap. My grandmother used to own it but then passed it to Amelia, but then she was thinking of selling it. So my sister, Aubrey, and I decided to buy it and expand. She takes care of the big one while I run the smaller one, which is where I met Zara.
I walk into the stall my horse is in, grabbing his reins. “How are we doing today?” I ask him as I walk with him out to the field.
“Don’t know what you did last night,” Charlie says, “but you are definitely walking lighter.” They all laugh, but my Uncle Casey just eyes me. There is no smile on his face but a look that says he’s watching me.
I put my foot in my stirrup before mounting my boy. “We have a long day, boys.” I look at them. “Time to work and not think about what I’ve been doing with my balls.”
“The question is,” my father ponders, coming beside me on his own horse, “who have you been doing?”
I look down at the reins in my hands. “You should know, Dad, a gentleman never tells.” I smirk, before giving my boy a little kick.