Chapter 24
Hayes
Letters and numbers swirled around as I tried to refocus on the data in front of me. My workday had ended hours ago, but I was cramming for a last-minute trip to DC.
Early in my career with the Triticum Group, I had fallen prey to the never-ending rat race.
I would get into the office hours before anyone else, then work through dinner and often into the evening.
It took quite a few cycles of hitting burnout and then flooring it again to realize that things were rarely ever that pressing.
Most tasks and emails could wait for a few hours.
Now, I tried not to work past five, or whatever five was if I started my workday early for meetings with international buyers. Tonight, it was nearing seven o’clock and I was still at Granddad’s desk. Well, my desk. It was still strange to think of the house as mine.
Most of Granddad’s things still lived where they always had. I used his pens and his notepads. Ledgers and handwritten accounting books were still stuffed in the drawers. I had made space for my computer on top of the desk, but that was it.
A gentle tap on the door’s glass pane caught my attention. One glance at Catherine and I was done for the day.
I closed my laptop and waved her in as I stood. Catherine was in a smart pair of pink trousers, a billowy white blouse, heels, and pearls. I let out a slow whistle. “Look at you, all dressed up. No cabin work today?”
“Actually, I was in town,” she said as she tucked her softly curled hair behind her ears.
“Errands?”
“No, I held a meeting at the elementary school with some teachers and administrators from across the county and pitched the concept for the Learning Cottage. I wanted to go ahead and grease the wheels so that when school starts in August, I already have an in with educators to host field trips or after-school programs. Some reps from the local FFA chapters came too, so that was exciting. I think it went well.”
I blinked. “You did all that today?”
She shrugged. “Well, Mason had some guys tearing out the steps, putting in the ramp, and painting the Learning Cottage, so I couldn’t exactly mess around in there.
” She was being humble, and I hated that.
I also hated that she hadn’t looped me in on it.
I would have cleared my entire schedule to be there for her.
“And you didn’t tell me?” I didn’t want to admit how much it stung, but it did.
I loved hearing her talk about her project.
Catherine lit up like a firecracker when she was passionate about something.
She truly came alive. I didn’t want to take that away from her.
I wanted to stand in the shadows and watch her shine.
Catherine shrugged and trailed her manicured fingertips along the edge of the desk. “You’ve been cramming for when you go to that conference the week after next. I didn’t want to bother you. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is.”
“You’re never a bother. I would have gone with you.”
She smiled. “And as chivalrous as that is, you have your own responsibilities. How’s prep going?”
“I’ve got everything memorized already. I’m just overthinking it.” I raked my hand through my hair. “I need to get out of the house.”
Catherine twirled the keys to her Mustang around her finger. “Wanna take her for a spin?”
I chuckled. “I have something else in mind. Have you had dinner yet?”
She shook her head.
“Change clothes. Nothing nice. Meet me at the stables in half an hour.”
—
“Darn, I was hoping we’d be streaking from the stables to the pond to go skinny-dipping again,” Catherine teased as she let herself into the stables.
I thought back to the night I had found her out there, floating in the pond with those beautiful breasts peeking out of the water like something elusive and arcane.
I thought about the way she wrapped her body around mine and clung to me, how fucking good that felt.
Not just because she was naked, although that was definitely a plus. But because I had gotten to hold her.
I shouldn’t have been greedy for more, especially because we had spent the last few nights sharing the same bed, but I was.
Catherine always fell asleep on the far side of the mattress. Maybe she was trying to be a respectful bedmate. Maybe she was trying to redefine what was real and what was a business deal. Maybe she was just exhausted.
I knew I was.
Each morning, I rose far more tired than I had been when I went to bed. I couldn’t stop looking at her long enough to actually fall asleep, but just being in her presence gave me the respite I desperately needed.
Catherine’s gentle companionship swept away my grief like an autumn breeze rustling through fallen leaves. The rise and fall of her chest was the altar where I laid my burdens. She had become the quiet place where I found refuge.
Catherine had come to the estate to help me save it, but I would have given every penny to my name and every blade of grass in the valley just to have her close.
And she had no idea.
Catherine paused at the stall closest to the entrance where Dorothy the calf was happily snoozing away. “It’s hard work being adorable, isn’t it?” she cooed.
I quickly finished getting Elvis tacked up. “Takes one to know one.”
The barn cat weaved through Catherine’s ankles as she left Dorothy to sleep and joined me. “Why, Hayes Wilder. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like me.”
“I’ve always liked you,” I said rather nonchalantly.
Catherine rolled her eyes, but it was paired with a good-natured smile. “I don’t mean like that.”
I caught her around the waist and planted a hard kiss square on her mouth.
“I know exactly what you meant, Cath.” I backed her up against the wall, trusting the horse to wait there for a second.
Catherine gasped into my mouth as I kissed her again.
“I’ve always liked you, but from the second you swore in the middle of the funeral, I’ve been obsessed with you. ”
Catherine hooked her fingers in my belt loops and yanked my hips to hers as she nipped my lip.
I wrapped my hand around her throat and slowly smoothed it up the graceful column until I cupped her jaw. “That wasn’t very nice.”
Mischief twinkled in those heart-stopping eyes. “I never said I was nice.”
I kissed the corner of her mouth. “That so?”
“Maybe you should let me show you.” She reached down and squeezed the outline of my cock.
I almost came in my fucking jeans. “Cameras,” I whispered against her lips.
“Take me on a ride, then,” she whispered in reply, giving my dick one last squeeze.
She slipped out from between me and the wall and skipped over to Elvis like nothing had happened.
“I’m gonna need a minute,” I muttered as I adjusted the front of my jeans.
Elvis glared at me.
Getting Maisey ready to ride was a sobering task, cooling my simmering blood in an instant.
She was so damn giddy to go on a ride that she tripped over her own feet coming out of the stall.
Catherine kept her occupied with gentle hands and words while I got her secured in the cross ties to safely tack her up.
Since Elvis was more experienced, I rigged the basket to his saddle. Even though there was a mounting block for Catherine to use, I stole the opportunity to help her up…and grab her ass.
Catherine and I meandered through the lower pastures as the sun began to settle below the mountains. We rode side by side, her on Elvis and me on Maisey, and headed for the far side of the estate, where the mountains were quickly cloaking the valley in a veil.
“I know it wasn’t that long ago, but this feels a lot different than the last time we went riding,” she said, finally breaking the silence.
I knew exactly what she meant. The marriage had gone exactly to plan but had been nothing like I expected.
We made our way to the edge of the foothills. But instead of heading up to the kissing rock, we found an open spot in the valley close to the old hitching post that marked the trailhead.
I secured the horses, trusting Elvis to babysit Maisey. Catherine stood tall and regal, staring down the wide expanse of the valley. I watched her as I unfastened the picnic basket and blanket from Elvis and spread it out.
“My, my,” Catherine said, turning around and surveying my handiwork. “This is quite the setup.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a good comment or a disappointed one, so I kept rearranging the snacks I had pilfered from the kitchen back at the house.
“Can’t say I’ve ever met a woman who didn’t like bread, cheese, or chocolate.”
“That’s because she would be a traitor to the sisterhood,” Catherine said with a laugh as she toed off her boots and joined me on the blanket. “This looks amazing.” Her lips curved in a smile when she saw the bottle in my hand. “And you brought wine for me?”
“No glasses. I didn’t want them to break.”
“I’m not above a plastic cup or drinking from the bottle,” she said as she tore open a crusty baguette, layered it with a slice of cheese, and took a bite.
I didn’t care about the wine. I didn’t care about the chocolate. Her eyes held my attention, and she wasn’t even looking at me.
“Something on your mind?” Catherine asked as she found the corkscrew and opened the bottle of wine.
I stole a piece of chocolate. “Just enjoying the peace and quiet.”
“I bet it’s a lot different than Bethesda,” she said between bites.
“Somewhat.”
Catherine cocked her head, leaving the door open for me to elaborate if I wanted to.
Frankly, I never wanted to elaborate. But with her, I couldn’t help myself. “Bethesda never felt like home. Not like this.”
“How long did you live there?”
“Quite a few years, actually. But with the commute, my car felt more like home. I bought my house just a few years ago, but didn’t live there much before Granddad passed away.”
Catherine’s eyes darted to the mountains. “Right…because you were…engaged.”