Pax grabbed a blanket, then put it back and searched for another. He hadn’t been in this room in years, but this certainly wasn’t the same way Hank had set everything up. Pax shuffled things around on the shelving unit until he found the bridle he wanted. He should have come in here before thinking to take Kira out for a short ride. Now he looked incompetent, but getting a horse ready to ride wasn’t difficult, and he’d done this exact thing countless times when he’d worked here before. One of his duties had actually been to get the horses ready for the guests.
Now he only had one guest he wanted to impress.
Kira stood in the doorway and he tugged out a different blanket and handed it over. “Hold on to this,” he grumbled as he went back to find the right bridle.
“You sure we’re good to go?” she asked. “It’s no biggie if we can’t.”
Oh, they were going, and he was going to make a note to put Tate in this tack room and purge anything that was old and worn out, then make a list of anything that needed replaced.
“We’re fine,” Pax insisted. “Let me get one more thing.”
Finally he found one that was in good shape and wondered why these were just thrown in here in a haphazard manner anyway. He’d definitely be talking to Tate at the first chance he got.
“First we’re going to put his blanket on because that goes under the saddle,” Pax explained as he led her from the room.
He led her through the steps and found the proper saddle. Thankfully there was one in great shape, but that was something else that would have to be gone over. He wanted every single item in this stable to be new and worthy of a Hank Carson ranch.
“Hold on to the reins.” Pax handed over the leather straps and motioned toward the alley. “Bring him out here. I haven’t been on him, but Tate assured me he’s the gentlest giant and perfect for a beginner.”
“Why haven’t you ridden him?” she asked, holding on tightly. “I figured you’d have ridden each one.”
Pax thought over his answer. Kira still wasn’t aware that he owned the place, and honestly, he wasn’t purposely trying to keep it from her, it was just that he didn’t want to get too personal. He didn’t want to answer a bunch of questions that he wasn’t sure he’d have the answers to. Besides, none of this was Kira’s problem. And knowing her giving heart, she’d try to find a way to fix things and then she wouldn’t be fulfilling her friend’s request to relax and enjoy her break.
“I don’t get much time to ride,” he answered honestly. “So I’m using you as my excuse and we both get to have a fun day. We might even follow this up with a little surprise back at the main house.”
Her smile widened as she held the leather in one hand and reached to rub Colter’s nose with the other. “A surprise? Like hot chocolate or something better?”
Pax stared for a moment and then laughed. “The best surprise you could think of was hot chocolate?”
She shrugged and he figured anything he did would be an upgrade to what she requested. But he did pull out his cell and fire off a text to one of the few remaining staff he had other than Tate. He sent a sizable grocery list to be delivered before evening. He wanted everything ready and everyone gone by the time he and Kira returned.
“Ready?” he asked, pocketing his cell.
“I’m so excited.”
Her radiant smile beamed and he wanted to press the issue of her coming to his place, but at the same time, he respected her privacy and her right to decide. Not to mention, the main house wasn’t his space. He simply had to borrow the place while he was in town.
“Let’s walk him out.” Pax gestured toward the opening at the other end that led out to the fields. “Then I’ll get on and help you.”
“I’m nervous,” she stated as she led the horse out.
“Nothing to be nervous about. I’m right here and Colter has a gentle side.”
As soon as they reached the field, Pax took the reins from her and mounted the horse. Damn, this felt good. The view from atop a saddle was something he hadn’t seen for years and the instant his butt settled onto the leather... Hell, he couldn’t explain it. Something familiar and warm and soothing settled deep in his chest.
Pax glanced around the snowy land that glistened with the late afternoon sun. Was it any wonder Hank was so possessive of this place? Why he wanted everything to be perfect and top-notch? There was a serenity that couldn’t be bought and a peacefulness that couldn’t be described.
“Pax?”
He blinked and glanced over to Kira. He extended his hand for her to take hold.
“Put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your right leg over.”
She hoisted herself right up with ease as if she’d done it so many times before.
“You’re a natural already,” he praised. “You can either hold on to me or wherever your hands are comfortable. We won’t be going fast.”
In an instant, her arms circled his waist and she inched closer as her thighs framed his. Another mental click seemed to lock into place, like this was what he was meant to be doing. That whole idea was absurd, though. He’d only known Kira a week and he hadn’t been on this ranch in years. A stranger and an inheritance couldn’t completely transform his life from what he’d climbed and clawed to create. He simply basked in the newness of everything, that’s all. He didn’t want this life. None of this was on his career plan—short or long-term.
Kira’s chin rested on his shoulder, her head bumped his hat slightly, but he didn’t mind. Having her warmth press so solidly against him was just an added bonus and he wasn’t about to make her move.
“How far are we riding?” she murmured as he kicked his heel into Colter’s side.
“However far you want.” He led the horse toward the back of the land to an area he always loved. “Are you comfortable?”
Her grip on him tightened and the arousal in his gut grew.
“More than I thought I could be,” she stated.
The gentle rocking of their bodies from the stallion’s gait didn’t help his growing desires. This ride was supposed to be about fulfilling one of Kira’s goals and giving her an experience she’d never had. Not to try to turn everything about their relationship into sex.
But that’s what it was, wasn’t it? They’d agreed on a short-term fling, but something about that seemed so cheap and almost, well, dirty. Kira deserved better than something cheap and dirty. Who did she have to go back to once she returned home? A bunch of clients that only used her for her services, but didn’t get to know the actual woman? She had a friend who had forced her on this trip, and she had her mother who obviously was too self-absorbed in her own life.
She still had no home, but she did have a prospect. That made him feel a little better about her returning to Portland. But he fully intended to have a host of options for her as well, because deals fell through all the time and she was using a rooky agent. He didn’t want to just throw his power around, but he would if that meant she would get the best housing option. He had no idea about her budget, but he’d work around that as well.
“You’re pretty quiet.”
Her soft words and warm breath on his cheek pulled him from his thoughts.
“Just enjoying the moment,” he replied.
“I can’t imagine living here. I don’t know that I would ever want to do anything else but ride horses and explore the beauty.”
That’s exactly how he’d felt as a teen. He thought he’d always be here, but then his home life wasn’t getting any better and he wanted, no needed, some distance. He’d never felt like his home had been a safe place for him with the way his parents were always arguing. One would move out, then come back. Then the fighting and cycle would start all over again. Real estate had been a draw for him because he wanted people to feel like they had a safe place to land.
And maybe that’s why he was so protective of Kira right now. He wanted her to have a place to go to when she returned where she felt safe and right at home. He had no clue how a sexual relationship turned him into some crazy version of a Fairy Godmother, but here he was.
“How often do you get to ride?” she asked.
“Not often enough.”
A niggle of guilt speared his heart. He should tell her the truth about the land and his status. He didn’t take her as the type to be a money-hungry woman, but there was that part of him that appreciated his privacy. He valued his space and keeping to himself and he didn’t want her to look at him any differently.
But then, if she went to the party at Vaughn and Allie’s she’d have to know the full truth because she’d hear chatter and he wouldn’t put her in a position to look foolish in front of a crowd.
“We’re going to a party on New Year’s Eve,” he told her.
“Oh, we are? Was that an invitation or demand?”
Yeah, his delivery did need some work.
“Will you come with me?” he amended, steering the stallion toward the right and around the frozen pond. “It’s a friend of mine hosting. Well, he and his fiancée.”
“Do they expect you to bring someone? I understand if you need a night with friends. I’m not holding you hostage every evening.”
The idea of going without her seemed to be the best choice to save himself a whole host of questions from the ladies, but on the other hand, attending alone seemed wrong. From the little he knew about Mason, Vaughn, and Kahlil’s ladies, Kira would very likely fit right in.
And he wasn’t so sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“The choice is yours,” he informed her. “I hate the idea of you ringing in the New Year with your dead tree and stack of books.”
She swatted his chest and let out the sweetest laughter in his ear.
“I’ll have you know my stack of books has gotten me through some difficult days. There’s nothing wrong with escaping reality when you want or need to.”
“Then escape reality and come to the party with me.”
“I don’t have any party clothes to wear.”
He’d buy her anything she wanted because he realized just how much he wanted her to be on his arm.
“We can fix that,” he stated.
They rode a bit further in silence and Kira tipped her head to rest her cheek on his back. Everything in him went completely primal. A week ago they were strangers and now she trusted him to protect her on this new journey. His heart swelled and he cursed himself for even allowing such an emotion to creep in. He couldn’t let his heart get involved. He hadn’t opened up his life to anyone outside of business since Hank. That man had really made a world of difference in Pax’s life. Having unloving, distracted parents made the very act of loving anyone difficult. He didn’t have much to base his feelings on.
Hank and Edith had always welcomed him like a son, and he had adored them both. When he’d left town, those were the two faces he’d missed the most.
And now he was back and neither one of them were here. He knew death was part of life, but that hurt more than the absence of his own parents.
“Do you want to give me a hint as to the surprise when we get back?” she asked.
“Not really. That wouldn’t make it a surprise anymore.”
“Is it food?” she asked.
He said nothing as he made his way toward the old path he used to ride with guests.
“Is it an actual present or something you want to show me?” she went on. “Did you bake a cake? Put up a real Christmas tree?”
“Why would I do that when it’s after Christmas now?” he countered, amused that she was relentless in her guessing.
“Because they’re festive and fun.”
“No. There’s no tree, festive or dead.”
“Hmmm... You got me a new stack of books? I saw a little bookstore in town, but didn’t get a chance to pop in.”
“No books.”
But he’d make a note to get her there so she could buy all she wanted.
“Then what could it be?” she cried. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“Well you’ve been driving me crazy since you got here, so I guess we’re both even.”
Her hold on him tightened, but she said nothing else. There. Let her think about that nugget of information. He hadn’t meant to say that, but he wasn’t sorry for his outburst. She deserved to know the hold she had on him.
She nestled deeper against his back as he continued to steer Colter along the snowy paths. He’d thought of explaining everything to Kira, but the silence and beauty of the day seemed to be enough for both of them. He’d done more talking with her than he had any other woman outside of work. He’d also said more than enough. He’d exposed a little too much and now he had to keep calm. He didn’t want more than what they already shared, but he wasn’t in a hurry to see things end, either.
He didn’t know where that left them in the end, but the inevitable date was approaching. Soon she’d be just a cluster of memories and the thought of her leaving already left a void he couldn’t explain.