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“If he answers, I’m having you both committed,” Brett said, walking in and making himself at home pouring a cup of coffee.
“I might go without a fight, given my mood. What brings you over so early?” he asked, storing his plate in the dishwasher.
Leaning against the counter, Brett eyed him over the cup, taking a sip before replying, “I need your help bringing in the horses from the north pasture. The guys didn’t show up this morning.”
Shit.“None of them?” The college kids were part-time and rotated on weekends, which gave their full-time employees days off. When one couldn’t make it, they would trade off together.
“Nope. No calls, either. I didn’t bother checking with either Keith or Riley, who were scheduled. Allie and Lily are taking Nicole riding before that cold snap comes in later today, so I want to get back to choose her mount, and Reed has already left to help at the shelter.”
Well, that settled his plans. Now there was no time to drop in on Nicole for a much-needed talk, not with the morning and early afternoon taken assisting Brett, returning home to deal with the hands in private, and then leaving for Sunday dinner with their mom afterward. The only positive spin on the day was hearing about Nicole’s effort to socialize. The biggest negative was missing out on the privilege of teaching her to ride, his disappointment in the college hires a close second.
“Finish that, and let’s get going. We’re not riding far, so we’ll bring Chace.”
They made good time even with stopping to check on one of the oil wells, the ranch’s main income source. With Chace’s herding, the mustangs stayed close and moved at a steady pace, their sensitivity to weather changes also helping to move them along. Slade drove back to his place not happy about the next chore on his list. He’d much rather be riding out with Nicole for a frank talk than deciding whether to fire Keith and Riley. One thing was a given; he was fucking tired of dealing with their irresponsibility and ready to put an end to the destructive pranks of the last year. Which meant the possibility of letting Evan go also, whom he suspected was behind the damaging behavior, and then losing Jeff, who wouldn’t stay on without his friends.
Not how he cared to end the weekend or start the long cold winter.
Slade drove home with his mind on the employees, unprepared for a surprise visit from Nicole. His pulse quickened, an immediate reaction he’d come to expect whenever he clapped eyes on her, always followed by a strong sexual pull that exceeded his previous experiences. Those telltale signs were the reason he decided to push himself and her into more. He parked and opened the door, waiting for Chace to hop down before closing it and facing her as she strode forward. Her flannel-lined denim jacket flapped open wide enough to read the bold black lettering on her yellow top –IF MY DOG DOESN’T LIKE YOU WE CAN’T BE FRIENDS. No doubt Sam liked him, and, despite the shadows under her eyes, the rueful grin teasing the corners of her mouth gave him hope she was more open-minded today.
“Lily mentioned your place was the third house when I joined them for lunch at Allie’s. Here.” She thrust a Rubbermaid container at him. “Snickerdoodle cookies from scratch with my apology.”
Not one to pass up a good opportunity or olive branch, he took the cookies with one hand and cupped her nape with the other. Hauling her against him, he covered her gaping mouth with his. The pleasure of her soft lips yielding under his went straight to his groin, that supple body quivering against throwing him into a tailspin of aggressive need he struggled to control. To hell with dealing with irresponsible college kids. He’d much rather spend the time doing this. She opened under his assault, and he raided her mouth with tongue and teeth, every slide of her lips against his, each matching tongue stroke, the taste of her soft gums just as he remembered. He eased up before the temptation to push for more put his intentions at risk.
Slade lifted his head, retaining his hold as he said, “I’ll accept both if you go riding with me instead of Allie and Lily.”
“Oh, well.” Nicole stepped back and he dropped his hand, amused by seeing her flustered for the first time. “That wouldn’t be right.”
“They not only won’t mind, they’ll be thrilled. Their goal in life is to see me take the fall like my brothers.” Panic crossed her face and he rushed to set her at ease. “Relax. I’m only proposing a ride and an overdue talk.”
The blunt, prickly neighbor resurfaced, and she squared her shoulders. “You want to discuss sex.”
“Agree to ride with me and I’ll let you know what I want. Besides, you owe me two apologies. Consider this the second.”
“You play dirty.”
“Sweetheart, you have no idea.”
She looked over at Chace who lay in the grass. “Okay, if Allie and Lily are good with it. Can I pet your dog?”
“Chace.” He pointed to Nicole. “Friend.”
Slade set the cookies on the truck hood and pulled out his phone, watching Nicole smile as Chace danced around her, tail wagging faster when she talked to him. “Such a good boy, aren’t you?”
As his dog ate up the attention, he sent a text to have Bandit saddled then talked to Allie. As he thought, she was only too happy for Nicole to go out with him instead. He hung up, pocketed the phone, and grabbed the cookies. “Allie said have a good time and they’ll talk to you later. Ready?”
Her smile turned teasing. “Maybe now I’d rather play with Chace.”
If dogs brought out her softer side, Slade doubted Chace would mind if he used him as bait. “You can introduce him and Sam together later. I have a family dinner in a few hours, so we need to get going.”
***
THE TIME LIMIT HELPEDdispel Nicole’s reservations about Slade’s offer. She’d stopped by his place first hoping he’d greet her surprise visit and peace offering with gruff indifference, giving her a good excuse to keep her distance. Instead, he’d kissed her, damn it. With her lips tingling and pussy still fluttering, now all she could think about was a repeat of his sexual brand for relieving stress. Between changing the plans for the shelter and Natalie’s renewed harassment, she could use a few hours of mind-numbing orgasmic bliss again. She could delve into what appeared to be an irrefutable weakness when he touched her later.
I really read him wrong,she admitted as he held the truck door open for her. Nicole got in, regretting even more jumping to the wrong conclusion about Slade’s motive for visiting last weekend and walking out with that woman last night. She was lucky he was so willing to spend time with her and looking forward to riding. Maybe not today since he had a family obligation, but sometime soon, she hoped her olive branch was enough for a repeat of those hours upstairs at Casey’s. And that’s all she wanted, that short respite from missing the connection she’d shared with Tony.
After letting Chace in the back seat, he pulled out of the drive, saying, “It’s a few miles to the stables and barns. While you’re in such an agreeable mood, why don’t you tell me about the assault that left that scar.”
The out-of-the-blue request, stated in his usual matter-of-fact tone, caught her off guard. She paused in rubbing Chace’s chin before rallying enough to respond with her standard answer. “Because I don’t talk about it. How much of this state do you own anyway?”
