Chapter 8 #2
He said I’d know if he was, which was no lie. I most definitely recognize the charming smile beneath eyes that appear unable to look away from me. His shoulders are relaxed and his expression untroubled. Everything about him has me feeling like a teenager again.
I wish I could take a picture. He’s my fantasy come to life, not only looking the part of how I remember him so clearly but owning the role in its entirety.
But pulling out my phone to take a photo would be crossing a line, I’m sure.
Though he still tempts me to do it anyway.
“We’re not talking about Bluebelly, are we? ”
The corners of his mouth tilt up again as he hums. He leans forward and whispers, “No, we’re not.”
“Why’d you come to the ranch today?”
The left cheek tugs upward. “I came to see you, Pris.”
“What about?”
He points into the distance, and replies, “The cost of a cart and horse to plow my field.”
“What?” I try to soften the pinch of my brows, hoping not to do more damage than the sun already has to my skin.
He laughs from the gut and shakes his head. “Is it so shocking that I just came out to spend time with you?”
I’d love to play it cool, but I’ve never been one to hide my feelings. “You did?” But did I have to sound like I’m swooning over the man? Inwardly, I roll my eyes at myself this time.
“I did. I can help where you need me. Your dad told me one of the guys is out for a few days.”
Mortification hits like a train. “He called you?” I knew it was too good to believe that he came just to see me.
“No. He just told me when I got here.”
Okay, fine. That’s the best of the scenarios it could have been. The giddiness returns and has me batting my eyelashes like a fool for him. “Oh. Right. Yes, they had a baby.”
“That’s nice.”
“They’re a sweet couple, so . . .” I let my words trail off, not sure I want to have a long conversation about this. Looking west, I think of the chores that need to get done.
He says, “I called my folks to let them know I’m helping out. They’re spending the day with Beckett, so put me to work, boss. I’m here to get my hands dirty.”
My throat goes dry. Nothing about him wanting to get his hands dirty makes me think about chores around the ranch, but my thoughts do head straight for the bedroom.
Good Lord, I really need to get some action.
“Um . . .” Sunrise starts stomping, her go to when she’s ready to get moving again.
“I was heading up to get a bottle of water and then over to the equipment building on the far side of the ranch to work on an irrigation issue. That shouldn’t take long, but it would be nice to have company if you want to come along. ”
“Lead the way.”
Glancing at the shine that reflects off the black coat of the horse, I say, “I think Nightfall will lead the way. Though I love his spirit, he prefers being in front and struggles with being a team player. It’s impressive that he let you saddle him. He’s picky.”
“So am I,” he says, reaching down to rub the side of his neck. “Maybe he sensed we’re the same.”
Both are handsome. I’ll give him that.
“We’ll be racing the sunset if we don’t get going. Five hours can fly when you’re running behind.”
“I’m ready,” he says, rubbing his palms together with the leather rein trapped between them.
“Follow the cornfield and then past the lettuce and cabbages. You’ll see the metal building.”
We ride. Sunrise lets Nightfall take the lead since he was going to anyway. She doesn’t need the glory. Never being a showy horse, she knows her worth. Gotta respect her for it.
When we reach the warehouse-style building, we dismount and lead the horses to the water, dropping their reins around the hooks. I leave my hat on the horn of the saddle and stop at the opening to the building and turn back.
I make sure to catch Tagger drop to his feet.
It’s still quite the sight—his arms flexing every muscle as if they’re in competition for most cut.
His ass is hidden by denim, but that doesn’t keep me from noticing the indention on the side I’m closest to.
And when he lifts his hat, he swipes his fingers through his hair, sending droplets of sweat to roll down his neck.
Walking past him, I try to keep from ogling after the show he just put on for me. It’s a struggle, so I switch gears. “How sore will you be tomorrow?”
“Unable to walk, I suspect.” He chuckles, following close.
I glance back at him over my shoulder. “It’s been a while.”
“More than a while, but it felt good to ride again.”
“That first time back is always a bitch, but you’ll settle back in.
” I grab a wrench from the peg wall and head to the far side, where our tractor is hooked to the system trailer.
“Maybe not before you leave, though.” Ducking under the right side, I peer up at the bolt.
An inkling of something twists in my chest. I have no right to concern myself with his visit, but seeing him around again has been nice.
“Probably not.” Grabbing the top slider bar, he ducks underneath. “Where’d you learn to fix this thing?”
“Hands-on like everything else.” I remove my phone from the holster again. “And technology helps.” Lowering the wrench with the bolt in the same hand, I set them down, then search for a fix online. It doesn’t take long before I find the blockage and reattach the feeder pipe and then the bolt again.
“I’m impressed, little Pris.”
“Don’t be. It’s learning by necessity, not by choice.”
He files around the tractor just as I duck out from under the irrigation system.
“Still.” He nods. “Impressed.”
Though I used to be intimidated to jump in, not wanting to screw up anything, but I don’t really think about this type of thing anymore.
It’s just part of a day’s work. As soon as I hang the wrench back up, I say, “You wanted to get your hands dirty. How do you feel about helping me herd the cattle from the lower field to the upper pasture? They’ve been in the lower field all night and today. We need to rotate them out.”
“Sounds like my kind of job.”
“You remember how to do it, right?” I ask as we walk back to the horses.
He shoots me a sideways glare and grabs my hat. “Don’t worry about me, babe.” He places my hat on my head, then zips the toggle up to secure the strap under my chin. “I know how to do it, alright.”
I tease, “It will be like riding a bike or—”
“Or?”
I bite my lip as he latches his hands together to give me a lift onto my horse again. I can get up on my own, but I’ll accept the offer. Swinging my leg over, I sit up straight in my saddle, then move my hips to adjust. “Making love. It’s just not something you forget.”
Tag’s eyes haven’t left my body where I’ve found the most comfortable spot on my saddle.
I watch his Adam’s apple dip and then rise again with his eyes.
I thought it was fun teasing him, but his expression makes me wonder if I took it too far.
“I . . . Not that.” I release a heavy sigh.
“Sorry. I thought we could joke about that, but—”
“We can.” He leaves to get the reins from the hook and hands them to me. Our hands meet, and neither of us moves. “This is new with you.”
“Bad new?”
“Good new.” He smiles, relieving me like the words. His gaze drops to my lips and back up again. “I like this new stage with you.”
“Me too.” I’m so quiet that I don’t know if he heard me.
His gaze is fixated on the connection that has me tingling inside from his touch. Turning his palm up, he captures my hand and runs his thumb over my knuckles to my wrist and back again. I can’t see his eyes, and his expression of indifference twists my belly.
Suddenly releasing me, he says, “The cattle aren’t going to herd themselves.” Walking to his horse, he gets on like an old pro and takes off on Nightfall, leaving me and Sunrise here wondering what went wrong when it felt like so much was going right.