To say Kira had grown restless would be a vast understatement. Since having Pax for Christmas dinner last night, all she could think of was that kiss. He said he wasn’t sorry, but did that mean he enjoyed it? She’d never had a man kiss her back without touching her anywhere else...although she felt the passion from the softness of his lips throughout her entire body.
She’d woken early and made waffles with berries and tidied up in the small space. Now she just really wished she had something else to do besides baking. She could read or dig back into the Portland housing market, but none of that sounded appealing right now. She wanted out of the cabin, but she wasn’t sure where to go or what to do.
With the sun shining bright on a new blanket of pristine snow, she figured she could bundle up and set out toward the barns. Perhaps a stable hand would be in, and she could see the horses. If she was lucky, maybe she could ask for a ride. She’d never ridden a horse before, but since she was on a totally new adventure, she might as well give that a shot, too.
Kira quickly layered up her clothing to ward off the Wyoming elements and left her phone charging on her bedside table. She wanted to completely unplug from the world for now and she couldn’t do that when she was tied to a demanding device.
Once she felt like she wouldn’t turn into a popsicle, she waddled out onto the porch and inhaled the fresh, crisp air. She smiled at nothing in particular other than the beauty surrounding her. The snow-covered mountain peaks seemed to reach all the way up to the clear blue sky. The land stretched as far as she could see. The row of wood and stone cabins exactly like hers went off in either direction, making a perfect line. The biggest barn was maybe thirty yards away and, according to the booklet of information in her rental, that’s where the horses were kept and riding available on certain days and times. She hoped someone was in there today. With it being the day after Christmas, Pax might have given the employees some time off.
Every thought she had seemed to circle back to him, and when she thought of him, she thought of that brief, yet effective kiss. She shouldn’t have been so bold, but she meant it when she’d told him she wasn’t sorry. The whole point of her trip was to relax and put herself first, right? Well, the wine relaxed her, and kissing him had been a completely selfish choice. But she’d do it all over again if given the same circumstances.
Kira made her way down the cleared path from the cabins toward the barn. She huddled deeper into her coat and kept her gloved hands inside her pockets. The knitted cap on her head had been pulled down enough to keep her ears warm. She hated the cold, but she couldn’t hate the beauty of this dude ranch.
She wondered what made the place start to slide downhill. She couldn’t imagine someone ever letting such a stunning piece of land go unattended. Pax had hinted that he was working on restoring everything, but how had he come into such a problem that it needed restored? Did he have a financial issue that prevented him from running the ranch properly? Had he been manager and then taken over? Or maybe he was merely a stable hand put in charge for a while and had ideas of how to make this place prosper again. She had quite a variety of questions and figured he still would remain close-lipped about his personal business.
Perhaps that’s what made him so irritable at times. Worry over a business or personal life could take hold of someone’s emotions and send them into a roller-coaster tailspin. Maybe she could distract him...
Maybe they could distract each other.
The snow crunched beneath her boots as she made her way toward the open end of the barn. She stepped inside and was instantly enveloped by the warmth from the overhead heaters. The stalls lined either side of the wide concrete path. The walkway was completely clean of any straw or hay. The aroma of horses and other farm scents that weren’t entirely pleasant hit her. She supposed being on a ranch wasn’t all beauty and scented candles, even if it was Christmastime.
She walked a little further in, hoping to see someone who could assist her or let her ride. She had no clue what she was doing or even if animals came out in the winter like this. But hopefully she could learn something and get her mind off Pax for at least a few minutes.
A gorgeous spotted horse poked his head from over the half door. She didn’t know types or even if this was a boy or a girl, but she knew loveliness when she saw it.
“Hey, buddy.” She eased her way over, not sure if she could touch or not, so she kept her hands in her pockets. “You’re a big guy and so pretty. What’s your name?”
“Thunder.”
Kira jumped and spun around toward the doorway she’d just come through. Her heart beat faster than seconds ago, at both the fact she thought she was alone and because Pax strode through just as casual as you please.
“I didn’t know if anyone was here or not,” she stated, trying to relax her breathing after being startled. “Do you do everything around here?”
Pax made his way closer, his old boots scuffing along the concrete floors.
“Seems like it, but no.” He stopped just before her. “I was on my way down here when I saw you leaving the cabin.”
She turned her attention back to Thunder. He tipped his nose up and down and let out a neigh.
“He wants you to rub his nose,” Pax told her as he came to stand beside her.
“I wasn’t sure if I was allowed.” Kira pulled her hands from her pockets and removed her gloves. She clutched them in one hand and reached for the horse with the other. “Like this?”
She slid her fingertips up and down the space between his eyes.
“Just like that,” he confirmed. “Thunder has been here about a year, but he’s quite a flirt.”
She tossed Pax a glance and a grin. “Unlike his owner.”
Pax’s brow quirked. “You think I don’t flirt?”
“Not with me.”
He reached up and took her hand, pulling her from the horse. She turned to face him and let out a sigh.
“I’m not looking for a compliment or to rehash the kiss.”
“No?”
His strong hold warmed her hand where he still held on. Now her heart beat faster for an entirely different reason. While she didn’t mind the fact they were alone, she did wonder where a stable hand was, and why there weren’t more workers for such a vast ranch.
But any thoughts of employees or day-to-day operations here vanished as Pax inched closer, obliterating that gap between them. She didn’t recognize that look in his eyes and she hadn’t seen it before. Desire? Intrigue?
She’d obviously dated before, but everything about this interesting, almost mysterious man had her fully believing she might just be out of her element...and she really wasn’t mad about it. He gave her a zing of thrill that she’d never experienced and if nothing else came from this trip, he’d awakened something deep inside her.
“Are you going to kiss me again?” she asked, feeling bolder than ever.
His lips quirked. “I didn’t kiss you the first time. You kissed me.”
Semantics. Did it matter?
“Are you complaining?” she retorted. “Because you didn’t really touch me when I kissed you and I’d had wine, not enough to affect my thinking. I wanted to kiss you, but after you left I worried—”
His mouth covered hers, cutting off any words or thoughts she had. And he didn’t just touch her with his lips. No, he gripped her waist with his strong hands and tugged her toward him. Kira sank into his warmth and let him take the lead. Today she had a clearer head, not that she didn’t appreciate the brief encounter last night. But now? This moment was a game changer.
Pax eased his mouth from hers just slightly, but didn’t release his hold on her body.
“I didn’t touch you last night because it didn’t seem right. And if I had touched you, I didn’t know where to stop, or if that’s really what you wanted.”
Kira attempted to unpack all he’d just said. Once his words rolled through her mind for a minute, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well, you’re quite chatty. Had I known a kiss would have made you open up, I would have kissed you on day one.”
“I haven’t opened up, but I wasn’t going to do anything after you’d had a bottle of wine.”
“And what about now that I’ve only had a cup of coffee?” she countered.
Those dark eyes held hers for a moment. The muscle in his jaw ticked, but he released her and took the slightest step back, leaving her confused and wanting more.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do,” he muttered, almost as if frustrated with himself. “I didn’t plan on finding a guest attractive.”
“Yet here I am.”
His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, and she knew without a doubt she was getting to him. Honestly, she hadn’t expected this, either. Oh, her bestie had hinted more than once, and not so subtly, that Kira should find a cowboy and have a hot, holiday fling, but that hadn’t been Kira’s intention when agreeing to this trip. The overwhelming demands from clients, the high-maintenance mother, and the landlord from hell had nearly driven her out of her mind. Her only goal on this trip was to escape reality and now that she looked into Pax’s coal-like eyes, she realized she’d far surpassed even her own expectations.
“What brought you to the barn?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts and any idea that he might kiss her again.
Fine. She could pace herself and let the anticipation build. She had no idea what would happen between them, if anything, but she could enjoy the few weeks she had here and maybe learn a bit more about the man and the ranch.
This mindset was completely out of character for her, but so was a spur-of-the-moment trip alone to a brand-new area. There was something thrilling and exhilarating about experiencing all of this in a place where nobody knew her. She could be anyone she wanted, and if that was a woman who wanted to have a heated fling with a sexy cowboy, then that’s who she’d be while she was here.
“I was hoping to see the horses and maybe ride,” she told him, turning back to face Thunder. “But I wasn’t sure who all was working or if you gave them time off after the holidays or even if horses can go out in this weather.”
“I take it you know nothing about horses,” he snorted. “Yes, they can go out.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “It’s not a ‘must have’ on my list, but maybe before I go back to Portland, we could ride? I’m not sure you want a rookie on the back of a horse, but I could ride with one of the stable hands.”
“You’ll ride with me.”
Kira blinked at the adamant statement he delivered without hesitation. Well, that was even better than she’d anticipated.
“I won’t turn that down,” she replied with a wink.
She reached once again and stroked Thunder’s nose. Animals fascinated her, but she didn’t even own one. She didn’t have time to care for one with her schedule and having one cooped up in her condo wouldn’t be fair to the pet. Of course, she didn’t have a condo anymore, so...
“Are you the only one here today, too?” she asked.
Pax leaned against the edge of the stall and adjusted his hat. “I’m the only one here through the first of the year.”
A flutter of excitement zinged through her, but she still had so many questions.
“I’m just surprised this place isn’t booked,” she told him, thinking out loud. “I know you said you were going through some changes, and I’m assuming that’s why my friend got the price so low, but still. It’s so peaceful and beautiful here. What all are you changing?”
Something dark glazed over his stare, but not a darkness that worried or scared her. No, this seemed to be more of a sadness she hadn’t seen from him before. Did the owner die and now Pax was left to run this sprawling place alone? Is that why he sent the employees home? Did he not have the funds to keep the dude ranch running?
“All of that is still up in the air,” he replied, offering no more information.
As much as Kira wanted to pry and learn more, she also had to respect his boundaries. Just because she’d gotten chatty last night after a few glasses of bubbly, didn’t mean he wanted to share his entire life story.
“So what are your plans for the day?” she asked, wondering if that would give her any more insight to his life outside of ranching.
“I have a meeting at noon in town and then some other business to tend to this afternoon. You plan on baking, or what are you doing?”
Baking. Oh my word. She’d totally forgotten his gift last night.
“I can’t believe it,” she muttered.
“What?”
“I had a gift for you when you came over for dinner, and it slipped my mind.”
He jerked like he’d been slapped. “A gift? What for?”
“Christmas, obviously. You know, yesterday was a holiday.”
“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think gifts were a thing between total strangers.”
The man didn’t gift anything? Or receive? Did he have absolutely nobody in his life?
A low level of dread settled in her belly. What if this ranch had belonged to like his grandfather and that was the only person he’d had in his life and now he was gone, leaving Pax to tend to everything?
Mercy, she read too many books. Her imagination wanted to run wild. But in her defense, what else should she think? She had nothing to go on, and the man was so tight-lipped about everything...except the fact he liked kissing her.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” he told her.
Kira stepped back from Thunder and turned to focus fully on Pax. The dark hat and coat with fitted jeans and worn black boots were a lethal combination to her hormones. No man should look this good, and no man dressed like this back in Portland. Perhaps that was just another of the many draws she had toward him. He was different in the most infatuating type of way. He didn’t want anything from her, except maybe another kiss, and he wasn’t nosy. The man was just trying to figure out how to make this ranch run again, and maybe she was just that distraction he needed. She didn’t mind if that’s the category he wanted to put her in. She wasn’t looking for anything long-term, either. Hell, she couldn’t even take time for a cat, let alone trying to feed into a relationship.
Pax didn’t seem like a forever type of guy. He seemed like he’d take a few extremely lucky lovers, letting them know well in advance that he wasn’t emotionally available for more. He’d keep his circle small, clearly if the idea of a Christmas present shocked him. He wouldn’t share his worries with anyone, he’d want to handle them on his own.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, his dark brows drawing inward.
Kira blinked. “Like what?”
“Like I’m being dissected.”
She shrugged. “Just admiring the view.”
He continued to stare at her with a gaze that she couldn’t quite read. He knew what he looked like. There was no need to stroke his ego anymore, but she also wasn’t going to lie or pretend like she wasn’t attracted. She’d already kissed him, so...
“You want to get off the property for a bit?” he asked.
Kira blinked and jolted at his abrupt invitation.
“Yeah, I surprised myself, too,” he added with another adjust of his hat. “I have a lunch meeting you can’t sit in on, but there’s shops and a coffee place in town you might enjoy.”
Kira clapped her gloved hands together. “Count me in. I’ll meet you at my cabin. I just need my phone and purse.”
She took off out of there, thrilled to see more of this adorable town, but even more excited that he’d thought to ask her. This trip had just taken a turn she hadn’t expected, but certainly welcomed.