“So what’s a gator?” Allie asked as they headed back to the bunkhouse later that night. The puppy was sitting up in the basket and the knee scooter left a three-wheeled trail in the dirt behind her.
“A scaly reptile with a long tail and sharp teeth,” Cade answered absently, his mind still thinking about Nora’s earlier comment and the way the back of her hand kept brushing his as they followed behind Allie.
“No,” she said, stopping to turn her head and give him an eye roll. “Not that kind. When Zane was talking about us riding on some fence, Mandy said maybe I could do it if she loaned us her gator. At least, I think that’s what she said.”
“Oh, that. First of all, it’s just riding fence, not riding on it. And it just means walking, or riding your horse, along the fence line to find places where weather or animals have broken it loose or knocked it down.”
“You just watch for places where’s it’s broken?”
“That’s about it.”
“Well, I could do that. That doesn’t sound too hard.”
“No, it’s not. Spotting the problem isn’t hard, it’s the work it takes to fix it that’s the tough part.”
“You can say that again,” Nora muttered more to herself than to them.
“And to answer your question,” Cade continued, “a Gator is like a little utility vehicle cart deal that a lot of ranchers use around their places to haul things around.”
“A cart? You mean like a ranch golf cart?”
“In a sense. Although I don’t think any self-respecting ranchers would call it that. It’s a lot tougher than what you’d see out on a golf course. It’s more like a cross between a four-wheeler and a little truck. They usually have a small flatbed on the back to haul stuff.”
“Like a girl with a busted-up ankle?” she asked, a twinge of hope in her tone.
Cade chuckled. “I think that was the idea Mandy had in mind, yes.”
“Cool. That actually sounds kind of fun. Will you see if we can borrow theirs, and you can take Nora and me out on it?”
“Sure. If you want.” Cade tried to keep the surprise out of his voice. His daughter actually suggested doing something with him? Maybe they were making progress after all.
“I mean if you can make time in your busy schedule or if you don’t have any of the kind of pressing issues you seemed to have had for the past nine years, that is.”
Or maybe not. Baby steps, he reminded himself. One day at a time.
He opened the door of the bunkhouse, then hung back after Allie wheeled herself in. “I’m gonna talk to Nora for a minute. I’ll be there in a sec.”
“Knock yourself out,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m getting ready for bed.”
He waited until she’d pushed her bedroom door shut before turning toward Nora, glad to see she’d waited before going in. “Hey, uh, I know you said you had a lot of paperwork and stuff to do tomorrow.” He tried to keep the emphasis off the word do, just in case the knee nudge had been coincidentally timed. “But I was wondering if you might be interested in taking a ride with me.” Oh man, did he have to say ride? “I mean a horseback ride. You said you were interested in learning to ride. A horse.”
Just close your mouth, dude. He was making it worse.
Nora laughed. “Yes and yes. I am interested in learning to ride a horse, and I’m also interested in taking a ride with you.”
He tilted his head. Okay, that totally felt like a flirty comment. Was she doing that on purpose? She had to be doing that on purpose. “Okay. It’s a date then. Er, I mean, not a date-date. Unless you want it to be a date kind of thing.” He cleared his throat and took a step back. What the hell was wrong with him? He never had this much trouble talking to women. In fact, he didn’t usually have to talk at all. The buckle bunnies hanging around the rodeos weren’t usually interested in his sparkling wit or clever conversation.
But Nora was different.
He knew that. Felt it. He didn’t know exactly why, but he knew he wanted to make a good impression.
“Great. There’s a cool lake up in the mountains behind the ranch. It’s got a waterfall, and it’s real pretty. We could pack a lunch and head up there. There’s also a neat old homestead that might be fun to ride around.”
“That all sounds perfect. How about I put together some sandwiches and we’ll make a day of it?”
“Great.” Quit saying great. “I mean, sounds good. What say we meet in the barn around eleven? That’ll give me time to get some stuff done around here in the morning, then I’ll feel better about taking the afternoon off.”
“Perfect.”
Yeah, she was. And that thought both thrilled and terrified him.
***
The next morning, Cade was up early and had fed the horses and taken a couple of bales of hay down to the cows before he came back to make breakfast for Allie. Nora had given her the morning off from therapy, since she’d be doing so much walking and moving as she shopped and had lunch. So he was glad to see she was still up and dressed and seemed excited about her day with the girls.
“Are you sure Scout will be okay?” she asked for the third time as she finished the plate of scrambled eggs Cade had made her.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll keep an eye on her this morning, then she’ll be with her mom at Bryn’s this afternoon. And Zane said he’s working on paperwork most of the day, so he’ll be right there in the house. She’ll be fine.”
A horn beeped in front of the bunkhouse, and Cade spotted Elle’s SUV through the front window. “You’d better go.” He helped get her and the knee scooter loaded into the car, then waved as Elle, Bryn, and Allie drove away. He was tempted to knock on Nora’s door. She hadn’t popped in for breakfast like she usually did, and he hoped she was feeling okay.
Hell, who was he kidding? He just wanted to see her. She’d been on his mind all morning and most of the night before. He’d been so distracted, Otis had snuck up on him in the barn and swiped the granola bar he’d absently set on the workbench. The dang goat had eaten the whole thing, wrapper and all, before he had a chance to rescue it. Cade couldn’t remember the last time a woman had had him so discombobulated.
Or the last time he’d so looked forward to spending time with one.
Three hours later, he was saddling the horses and trying not to check the time on his phone—again—when he heard her come into the barn. He knew it was her even before he’d turned around—he could smell her scent in the air, the light floral perfume she wore and the citrusy aroma of her shampoo.
“Hey” was all he could manage to say as he turned to look at her. She took his breath away. Her hair was loose and curled gently around her shoulders, and she was dressed simply in a pair of jeans, her new boots, and a soft pink T-shirt, but the denim hugged her curves in ways that had his mouth going dry. The look of excitement and slight nervousness on her face added to her beauty.
His daughter was around during most of the time they spent together, so today felt different, special. It was just the two of them, and the possibilities of the afternoon felt ripe in the air.
“Hey,” she answered, suddenly seeming shy. Their usual easy banter was gone as they stared at each other, and he wondered if she could see in his eyes how much he wanted her. She lifted the small tote she held. “I brought lunch. It’s nothing fancy—just sandwiches. And cookies.”
“You made cookies?”
“No, I’m a terrible cook,” she said with an easy laugh. “But I ran into the bakery again and bought some really good ones.”
He liked the way she could laugh at herself and not be embarrassed by her shortcomings. He wished he could do the same, instead of getting hung up on all the bad decisions he’d made and all the ways he’d failed his daughter. “Does that mean you tested them as you were packing our lunch?”
“Come on,” she said with mock offense. “Would I do such a thing?” She planted a hand on her hip. “Do you think I’m the kind of woman who eats her dessert before her meal?”
He chuckled but wisely kept his mouth shut.
She laughed with him. “Of course I did. And I brought you one too.” She pulled a single cookie from inside the bag and held it out to him. “It’s peanut butter. I remember you told me once that was your favorite.”
“Nora Fisher, I do like you,” he said, leaning forward to take a bite of the cookie. He groaned and licked the sugar from his lips. “This cookie tastes almost as good as you look.”
“And it’s about as nutty as you are.” She teased him as she playfully swatted his shoulder, but he noted the way the pink rose to her cheeks as he grinned and took the remaining bite of cookie from her hand. “And just as sweet.”
He wiped the crumbs from his mouth with the back of his hand and took the lunch bag from her. “You ready to learn how to ride?”
“Yes. No. I mean yes.” She twisted her hands together in front of her. “I mean, I want to, and I think I’m ready, but I’m still nervous.” She followed him over to where he’d saddled Gypsy, his palomino, and Bryn’s horse, Beauty. Her gaze traveled up the horse’s tall body. “They’re just so big.”
He brushed a hand over Beauty’s neck. “Yes, but this girl is one of the sweetest horses I’ve ever met. She’s really gentle. Bryn doesn’t know her history, but Zane thinks she must have been ridden quite a bit because she’s so calm with a rider.”
“I like calm. And sweet seems good too.”
“You’re going to do great. It’s just like riding a bike.”
“Oh sure, if the bike were a thousand-pound, living, breathing animal that had a mind of its own and a possible aversion to a human being climbing onto its back.”
Cade chuckled as he tightened the cinch on the saddle. “You’re going to do fine. Let’s go through some safety measures though before you get on.” He talked her through the best way to mount and dismount the horse and went through the proper terminology of the horse’s tack.
She rubbed her hand over the horse’s neck and leaned in toward her ear. “Hi, Beauty. You’re a sweet horse, aren’t you? I’m Nora. Remember me? A few days ago, I brushed you and gave you that sugar cube at the fence? I’m nice too, and this is my first time riding a horse, so take it easy on me, okay?” The horse nodded her head and gave a huff, almost as if in agreement. Nora shifted her gaze to Cade. “You think I’m crazy? Talking to a horse?”
He shook his head as he put the tote containing their lunch into one of his saddlebags. “Not at all. I talk to my horse all the time. She’s a great listener.”
“And probably one of the few women in your life who doesn’t talk back.”
He chuckled. “Oh, she talks back plenty.” He patted Beauty’s rump. “Just like this one will talk to you. She’ll try to get away with a few things at first, you just need to show her you’re the boss.”
“How do I do that?”
“With a firm hand on the reins and steady commands in your voice.” He held her gaze. “You got this. And I’m right here with you.” He held out his hand. “You ready?”
She inhaled a deep breath, then put her hand in his. Trusting him. He squeezed it, noting the softness of her skin compared to the rough callousness of his. Drawing her hand up, he placed it on the saddle horn, then used his other hand to hold out the stirrup. “Just stick your foot in here, then use the saddle horn to pull yourself up until you can swing your leg over the horse’s rump.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she muttered as she gripped the saddle horn tighter and raised her foot toward the stirrup. “Oh gosh, that’s high,” she said, stumbling a little and almost tipping backward.
Cade took a step closer and slid his arm around her waist. “I got you.” She leaned into him, and as another flash of heat surged through him, he realized he didn’t really have her. Sure, he had her in his arms and was holding her steady as she leaned back into him. But it was more like she had him—all twisted up inside and nervous as heck.
The warm pressure of her back against his chest had his pulse racing. He’d had butterflies in his stomach before, but this felt like killer bees, buzzing and swarming and dive-bombing his gut. And all he was doing was helping her onto the horse. Imagine what was going to happen later when they got to the lake and he had her all to himself, really alone with her for the first time. The thought of it had his hands shaking as he gripped her hip.
She took another deep breath, then let go of the saddle horn and turned toward him. Reaching up to rest her hands on both sides of his face, she pulled him down and pressed her lips to his.
He felt that kiss all the way to his toes as they threatened to curl inside his boots. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, enjoying the warmth of her mouth and the press of her soft breasts to his chest. She tasted like coffee and spearmint and the feel of her against him was as intoxicating as a cold beer on a warm summer night.
She pulled back and peered up at him, her breath catching a little as she pressed her fingers to his cheek. “There. I just needed to get that out of the way. I was just as nervous wondering about if you still wanted to kiss me as I was about climbing onto this horse.”
He grinned. “Well, now you can put that out of your mind. There’s no doubt at all that I want to kiss you, darlin’.” Her lips curved into a satisfied grin as she turned back to the horse, and he kept his voice low as he leaned in close to her ear. “And if it helps, I plan to kiss other parts of you today beyond just your lips.”
She stumbled again as her foot missed the stirrup. “Holy hell. I thought that would take the edge off my nerves, but that comment has my heart practically pounding out of my chest.”
He chuckled. He liked the light flush of pink creeping up her neck and the way she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. “To tell you the truth, I’m glad to hear I make you a little nervous. I’m feelin’ as jumpy as a teenage boy out on my first date.”
She turned her head to the side. “You? Mr. Cool and Collected? You never strike me as nervous about anything.”
“Well then, I’m glad I’ve got you fooled.”
Another self-satisfied smile stole across her lips, and she raised her chin as she turned back to the horse. The sight of her bare neck was too tempting, and Cade bent forward and pressed a kiss to her skin. She closed her eyes as she stilled and tilted her head slightly away as if to give him more space to nibble. He placed another kiss on that soft indent just below her earlobe and was rewarded with a soft kitten-like sound. He felt the vibration of it in her throat. She was pressed back against him, and if he didn’t stop, she was going to feel the vibration of him rising to the occasion.
“If we don’t get you on this horse soon, I’m going to have to pull you into that stack of hay over there and strip you out of those snug jeans. With my teeth.”
“Promises. Promises,” she said with a laugh. But it was more of a breathy giggle—a sound that he liked more than he thought he would. She reached back up for the saddle and this time managed to get her boot into the stirrup. He slid his hand under her perfectly curved butt to give her a boost as she pulled herself up and landed in the saddle. “I did it.”
“You sure did.”
She squirmed around as she settled into a comfortable spot in the saddle, then he handed her the reins. “Hold these while I go take a quick cold shower.”
She laughed again, this one more bawdy than giggly. “As much as I loved both the stroke to my ego that comment gave me and that stroke of my ass as you just helped me into the saddle, don’t you dare leave me alone up here.”
He chuckled with her. He liked that she could surprise him with an occasional unexpected comment. “I’m not going anywhere.” Adjusting himself as he walked, he crossed back to his horse and swung up into the saddle. “We’re gonna take it nice and slow and head across the pasture first before we work our way up the trail on the mountain. Beauty has taken this trail hundreds of times, so trust her that she knows what she’s doing.” Then at least someone around here will know what the hell they’re doing, he thought as he tugged the reins to the side, leading Gypsy out of the barn and toward the pasture. Because he certainly didn’t have a clue.
There was not one single shred of intelligent thought that made sense for him to get involved with his daughter’s physical therapist. Besides the fact that he was dealing with being a real parent for the first time in his life, he was totally jeopardizing his daughter’s recovery by falling for the one woman who she seemed to trust the most in this awful situation. Yet for some reason, he was letting his second brain make decisions that could threaten to topple the fragile house of cards he’d been building with Allie.
And make no mistake—he was falling.
He slowed to let Beauty come abreast of Gypsy and snuck a glance at Nora. She was sitting tall in the saddle, the reins gripped tightly in her hands, but her cheeks were flushed and a proud smile covered her face. She was beautiful in her own right, but sitting astride the horse with the blue sky in the background and the soft breeze blowing a strand of hair across her cheek, she was gorgeous, and he had to swallow at the sight of her.
“I’m doing it,” she said, the pride evident in her voice. “I’m really doing it.”
“You sure are. You’re doing great,” he told her as he led them through the pasture and toward the mountainside rising behind it.
They made it across without incident, the two horses content to plod through the field. Beauty occasionally tried to bend her head to nibble a blade of grass, but Cade instructed Nora to pull up on the reins and urge her forward with a gentle pressure of her legs.
“I think I’m really starting to get the hang of it,” she said, then faltered a little as they headed into the trees and up the mountain trail. “Oh, gosh. This trail seems steeper when you’re on the back of the horse.”
“Trust the horse. She doesn’t want to fall any more than you do. Her feet are steadier than you think.”
Nora let out a small yelp as Beauty’s front foot slipped on a loose piece of shale. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the saddle horn.
“Relax. She can feel how tense you are.” Cade turned in his saddle to address her. “Look around at the trees. It’s a gorgeous day. Take a deep breath and try to settle as you take in this cool forest around you.”
Nora took a deep breath, then slowly let it out as she rolled her shoulders. “It is beautiful in here. You can smell the pine trees and the scent of sage and wildflowers. And it’s cooler with the clouds coming in.”
The sudden shift in sunlight had him searching the sky through the breaks in the trees, and he noted the black clouds moving swiftly across it. He frowned as he urged Gypsy forward at a slightly faster pace. “We may have to make a detour on our way to the lake. This area is known for sudden thunderstorms coming over the mountains, and it looks like we may get caught in one. There’s a hunting cabin right over this ridge we can take shelter in to wait out the rain. I think we should have plenty of time to make it there before the storm hits.”
He thought wrong.