Chapter 17
KADE
There’s an excited energy racing through me as I bound up the front porch steps of Chloe’s cabin.
It’s a little after ten in the morning, I’ve got the day off, and I can’t think of anyone better to spend it with.
I rap my knuckles on the door, turning to look out at the view as I wait for her to answer.
Maybe I should have called first.
I ignore the niggling doubt, rocking back on my heels. If she wants me gone, I’ll go. But today I want to show her the ranch and everything that I love about it.
It feels like an eternity before I hear the door being unlocked behind me.
I turn to face Chloe, a wide grin on my face.
The only time she’s looked better than she does now was when she was in the midst of her orgasm.
Her hair’s sticking up from where she hasn’t had a chance to brush it yet, and sleep still lingers on her features, making her look soft and like home.
I drag my eyes away from the expanse of her bare, toned legs, barely concealed by the oversized white T-shirt and say, “Mornin’, buttercup.”
“Kade?” She rubs her eye with the hand not holding the door open. “What are you doing here?”
Sheepishly, I look down at the floor before looking up at her from under my lashes. “I thought I’d see if you wanna come out and play.”
She huffs out a laugh, the sound sinking into me like the early-morning sun as she leans against the end of the door and half hides behind it. “Is that the adult version or the PG version of ‘playing’?”
“Urgh,” I groan. “For my sins, this is the PG version, and as much as I wanna say ‘whichever you want,’ I do in fact want us to leave your cabin today.”
Stepping back to open the door wider, Chloe replies, “Well, I’m not going anywhere looking like this. You better come in while I get ready.”
I don’t move right away. Instead, I wait for her to meet my gaze before saying, “If you have plans, I can get lost. I know we’ve spent a lot of time together since you arrived and I don’t want you to feel like you have to oblige me.”
She tilts her head, twisting her mouth. “I don’t have any plans, and I like spending time with you.
” Her eyes grow heavy and she darts her tongue out to wet her bottom lip before adding, “Besides, I want to know what your PG version of ‘playing’ is now that I’m very well acquainted with your adult version. ”
Satisfied that she’s not just entertaining me, I remove my Stetson and cross the threshold, making sure to stuff my free hand into my pocket as I pass her. As much as I want to reach out and touch her, I don’t know that I could stop if I did and I really do want to show her the ranch today.
Chloe closes the door behind me before moving through the living room—avoiding my path—and rushing up the stairs. “I just need five minutes,” she calls.
“Take all the time you need.”
I hear her moving around before it falls quiet, and then from the top of the stairs she calls, “Do I have time for a shower?”
Grinning up at her, I reply, “Yeah, I’m in no rush.”
Her shoulders relax before she dashes out of sight, and the sound of the water running fills the cabin. I drop onto the couch, resting my head back and closing my eyes as her scent mixed with the cedar of the cabin walls wraps around me. There’s a familiarity to it that gives me comfort.
As I listen to the sounds of Chloe moving around above me, I can’t help but wonder if how I’m feeling now—this deep connection to her, like I knew her in a past life—is how my parents felt.
They always used to tell me about how from the day they first met, they were inseparable.
I brushed it off because I’d never met anybody who made me feel that way.
Hell, in my thirty years of existence, I’ve only had around four serious relationships, they always ended when someone wanted something the other didn’t, but something about Chloe makes me want to give her whatever it is she demands of me.
It doesn’t take her long to get ready, and within an hour, we’re in my truck heading back to Heartlands. A soft ballad plays on the stereo from whatever station she tuned it to when we climbed in. She taps her fingers against her bare thigh, humming along as she watches the land pass by.
“I know you touched on it at dinner, but what exactly does your family do?”
I glance at her before turning my attention back to the road.
“A lot of different things. We’ve got ties with ranches in Texas, where we essentially rent their land to keep our cattle.
We have workers there who are on our payroll but live in their accommodation.
There’s the agricultural side, which Wyatt is responsible for now.
Rodeo sponsorships, which means our name and brand are on everything at every event.
Like I said at dinner, we’ve got breeding contracts, land leases, the list goes on. I think you’ll find it pretty boring.”
“It actually sounds interesting and busy.”
I chuckle, reaching across to rest my hand on her warm thigh. “It is busy, but most of our work is done in the early hours of the morning, so it’s not so bad. I still have plenty of time to live a life.”
The rest of the drive is made in a comfortable quiet, and when we arrive at the ranch, I hop out, rounding the truck just in time to open Chloe’s door for her.
“Always such a gentleman,” she teases, slipping her hand into mine.
I tip my hat, winking at her as she hops out of the truck. “I’m always aiming to please.”
Our first stop will be the big red barn. It’s worn, with its peeling paint and weathered roof. It’s certainly seen better days, but I try to see it through Chloe’s eyes as we head toward it.
She falls into step with me, holding a hand up to shield her face from the sun. I should have got her a hat.
“How long has your family owned this place?” Chloe asks, lifting the camera she brought with her and taking some shots of the surrounding pastures.
“For generations. We can trace it back as far as our five times great-grandparents.” I shove my hands into my pockets as she snaps some pictures, ducking my head when she turns toward me and the click of the shutter sounds.
“Oh, come on, handsome. Let me get a couple of shots for my private collection.”
I step toward her, a grin on my face as I grip her hips. “Don’t you already have enough?”
Somewhere in the distance, a horse neighs, and the sound of the working ranch fills the air, but it all dims when I look at her. It’s been a matter of days, but I think I’m fucked when it comes to Chloe.
“Of you? Never,” she replies, breathlessly.
The air between us is charged, a heated fire of need blazing in her eyes as she looks up at me. If we weren’t standing in the middle of my family’s property with people working hard around us, I’d take her right now.
A sharp whistle bursts our little bubble. “Hey, no fucking in the middle of the ranch.”
Chloe looks away first, before my gaze follows hers, and I catch sight of Wyatt in the training paddock, a grin the size of Montana on his face.
“Did he just say what I think he said?”
“He did,” I reply, shaking my head. “Come, let’s get this tour over with so I can show you my favorite spot.”
Chloe slides her fingers between mine, her touch something I’m starting to get used to. There’s nobody around here to pretend for and so the fact that she’s choosing to hold my hand fills me with warmth as we head for the big red barn.
Inside, I introduce Chloe to the horses. She takes pictures of each of them, but more of my horse, Duke, and I can’t help but chuckle before leading her through a door at the back and showing her where we keep the tools and some of the machinery.
“This place is huge. Much bigger than it looks from the outside.” There’s a hint of awe in her tone as she looks around.
“Yeah, my dad had the old barn knocked down when he took over from his dad. We were expanding then, but nowhere near as much as we have since Grayson, my older brother, took over.”
Chloe leans against the wall, her eyes on me when she says, “So, you’ve told me what Wyatt does around here, but you haven’t told me what you do?”
“You don’t miss a thing, do you?” I tug on the back of my neck. “I do whatever is needed of me. Sometimes that’s breaking in a horse, fixing a piece of equipment, or supporting in meetings. No two days look the same.”
She narrows her eyes, tilting her head before she asks, “But it’s not where your passion lies?”
I move to the door that leads out into one of the pastures, pushing it open as I look around before shifting my focus back to her. She’s leaning against that wall, still watching me with an openness about her that tells me I don’t have to lie to myself when I’m with her.
“No, it’s not,” I admit, the words ripped from me like a confession.