Chapter 12 Honey
Honey
We spend the next few hours with Luke giving me the tour of his family’s land. The Montana mountains rise up in the distance, their peaks still dusted with snow even though it’s a warm, breezy day down here in the valley.
The late afternoon sun casts everything in gold, from the sprawling pastures to the distant cattle. Even the pine forests climbing the hillsides look gold-dusted. It’s breathtaking, all that wild beauty stretching on forever.
And Luke’s taking me deeper into it, to this haven, this kingdom, that belongs to his family.
Raising a kid here would be beyond my wildest dreams.
“Your ranch is incredible,” I tell him. “And not at all what I was picturing.”
“What were you picturing?”
“You said this place had fallen on some hard times, so I was picturing… you know, hard times. As far as I can see, this looks like a freaking postcard.”
“The grass starting to grow back helps. It looked like hell after all the rain. I would have invited you here sooner, but I figured I’d have a hard time selling you on an expensive mud pit.
” His turquoise eyes nearly sparkle in the sunlight.
“Now, come with me. I’ve been saving the best for second-to-last. ”
“What’s the best?”
“You’ll see.”
I follow him to the stables, where horses with shiny coats munch on fresh hay. He introduces me to all of them and they immediately come up to him with eager snuffles and warm, dark eyes.
The border collie, Daisy, follows us everywhere, and she gazes up at Luke as adoringly as the rest of the animals.
A man who’s adored by animals is the greenest of green flags.
“Apparently your female fan club transcends all species.” My tone is teasing, but there’s a feeling of something sincere and warm and overwhelming swelling inside my chest.
He rubs Daisy’s head affectionately. “These girls just love me because I give ‘em treats.”
“It’s a pretty good method you’ve got there.”
“It is.” He meets my teasing smile with one of his own. “Notice how I reeled you in with cake and candy hearts that very first night?”
I feel fizzy inside. Today has been full of surprises that should have knocked me on my ass, should have me terrified.
Instead, I’m starting to brim with excitement. A sense of possibility.
“You devil!” I laugh. “Have you been playing me this whole time?”
He pulls me close, his hands settling on my waist. “Madison, I wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you. Just had a hell of a time figuring out how to have you, and most importantly—keep you.”
He murmurs, “I thought I was lucky when you started giving me the time of day. But this right here, having you on my family land, making you laugh, getting to put my hands on your body…”
His hand moves from my waist to my stomach, where his fingers splay out across my lower belly. “Whatever the future brings… never dreamed I’d get this lucky.”
It’s another one of those things that a man says that, apparently, just makes you have to kiss him.
“You’ve got a real way with words,” I breathe, as his lips trail along my jaw.
His teeth graze the shell of my ear. The sensation of his tongue touching my skin sends sparks of pleasure shooting down my body.
He’s got me pushed up against the wall of the stables, where the saddles rest on racks. When I breathe in, I smell leather and Luke.
His cock is hard through his jeans, pressing insistently against my belly as we make out. I run my hands all along his body, feeling his strong muscles through his clothes.
He tears his mouth from mine on a ragged breath. “I promised myself that next time with you would be in a proper bed.”
“Sounds like something a gentleman would say.” My hand slides down to trace his erection through his jeans. “But you don’t feel like a gentleman to me.”
He presses his forehead to mine. “You’re a menace.”
He kisses me again.
Eventually, we manage to part from each other, and Luke takes me by the hand to the other side of the stables.
We stop before a stall at the far end, away from the bustle of the main entrance.
The late afternoon light filters through the high windows, illuminating the dust motes floating through the air.
A mare with a golden coat and ivory mane and tail is standing next to her colt, who shares her uniquely golden coat. He has a white marking between his eyes that looks like a heart.
They’re both so beautiful it steals my breath.
“This is them,” I murmur. “The birth you stayed up for.”
“That’s right.” Luke’s hand finds the small of my back, warm and steady. “Meet Honey and her boy. Still working on a name for this guy. Even if there were unexpected twists, everyone got a happy ending.”
The colt wobbles on spindly legs, pressing close to his mother’s flank. Honey nickers softly, her dark eyes watchful but calm.
“Can I...?” I reach toward the stall door.
“Yeah, come on.” Luke unlatches it and guides me inside with a hand on my hip. “Honey’s gentle. Raised her from a filly myself.”
The mare watches us approach, ears pricked forward with curiosity rather than alarm.
I extend my hand slowly, letting her sniff my palm before stroking her neck. Her coat is warm and silky beneath my fingers.
“She’s incredible,” I breathe.
“She is.” But when I glance behind me at Luke, he’s not looking at the horse. He’s looking at me, something soft and unguarded in his expression.
“That night,” he says, “when things got complicated, when I thought we might lose them both…” He moves closer, his chest against my back, arms coming around my waist. “All I could think about was calling you. I was wrung out in every way, and all I wanted in that moment was to hear your voice.”
My hand stills on Honey’s neck. The colt peeks around his mother, investigating us with bold curiosity.
Luke’s chin rests on top of my head as he embraces me. “Had my phone in my hand at four in the morning, your number pulled up. Kept thinking about how good it would feel to hear you talk me through it. Tell me it was going to be okay.”
I turn my head slightly, catching his eye. The vulnerability in his face makes something in my chest squeeze. This strong, capable man admitting he needed me—not just wanted, but needed—in his darkest moment.
“Why didn’t you call me?” I ask.
“Didn’t want to wake you. Didn’t know if I had the right to lean on you like that.”
I turn in his arms to face him fully, needing to see his eyes.
“I would’ve answered.” My voice comes out thick with emotion. “Of course I would have answered.”
His hands slide up my back, pulling me closer until there’s no space left between us. “Yeah?”
“In a heartbeat.”
I reach up to touch his face, my palm against the rough stubble of his jaw. My throat burns with everything I’m feeling.
“I’ve wanted to be the person you reach for when things get tough for a long time now. No matter how hard I tried to keep my distance… the truth is, our relationship never ended at closing time.”
He catches my hand, kissing my palm before pulling me against his chest. His lips find the sensitive spot just below my ear.
“I recall a certain someone telling me her heart was closed for business,” he murmurs.
A shiver runs through me at the warmth of his breath on my skin. I tilt my head to give him better access, one hand reaching back to thread through his hair.
“I guess it took a cowboy with an MBA to open it back up.”
His arms band tighter around my waist, and I feel him smile against my neck.
“Best investment I’ll ever make.”