I stopped my shrug. “Dad is almost fully retired and told us to take over. So, let’s take over.”
After a few more seconds, Noah nodded. “Okay, I’ll see if Thatch has any ideas or might know someone and then put together some different marketing ideas.”
“Thanks.” I stood and closed my laptop screen, glad Noah had an interest and talent for marketing. I hated it, personally. “I’m going to the stables. I’ll be back later.”
Noah waved in my general direction, his head already bent over paper while his own laptop booted up. He and Thatch would be able to work together to find what we needed; I wasn’t worried. When we first sat down to figure out how to handle things going forward, Noah had requested to handle the Lodge branch of things, the cornerstone of the Ashland legacy. I should have been less surprised, but he said he had a vision and Thatch and I didn’t argue. Thatch would handle riding lessons, and hopefully an equine therapy program. He and I shared the responsibility of the horses, with help from a couple of ranchhands and local 4H teens, but I handled our trail rides and the finances.
The warm June air and sound of birds were a balm. It’d be July in a little over a week, and I knew the true heat was coming. Thankfully, It didn’t take long to walk from the house to the stables.
I stopped short just outside the main door, struck dumb.
Clara.
Her brown hair was unbound and fell in waves around her shoulders. I ached to run my fingers through it, to wrap it around my fist and tug her head back so I could explore the column of her throat with my mouth and teeth.
Get your shit together.
The blue sundress that hugged every dip and curve of her body was going to be the death of me. She was a vision – my salvation and damnation in one.
I approached slowly, almost afraid that if I moved too fast she’d spook.
“Hi, Beck.” Her voice was soft, lovely. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was nervous. But she wasn’t one for nerves. It was why she was a debate champion in high school.
“Morning.” My boots crunched the dirt until I stopped a foot away from Clara. It took everything in me not to pull her into my arms; the need to feel her in my arms was stealing every ounce of concentration. “You–” I choked on what to say – something, anything was better than the silence between us. We’d never had awkwardness between us, and I’ll be damned if I let it happen now.
Clearing my throat, I tried again. “You look beautiful.”
Her cheeks reddened.
My traitor of a cock pulsed in my jeans.
“Thanks, it has pockets.” She slid her hands into the folds of the dress as if to prove it, a grin brightening her expression.
“Not to take away from the dress or the pockets, but is there a reason you’re wearing it in the stables near horses and …” I waved my hand in the general direction of the stables behind her. I edged closer as I spoke but kept from reaching an arm around her waist.
She put her hands behind her back. I bit back a groan as the movement only served to emphasize the curve of her breasts in that dress. My cock strained against my clothes. I was an asshole, but I couldn’t stop myself from stepping just a little closer to her.
She closed the small gap between us until she had to tilt her head back to look up at me and my hands settled on her waist automatically.
Fuck, but she was beautiful. Full lips, long lashes, and honey brown eyes that held a hint of mischief and … hope, or nerves.
“Do you like it?”
I didn’t know what else to say except, “Yes, I do.”
She laid one hand on my chest, over my heart. There was no hiding the erratic rhythm, the proof of my desperate need for her.
“Beckett, did you mean what you said to Thatch last night?” That was hope in her eyes.
Shit.Had she heard me?“I’m trying to follow but … can you be more specific?”
Her face fell. “Oh, well, if you don’t remember, then don’t worry about it.” She started to step back, but I gripped just tight enough to hold her in place.
“You mean when he came out onto the patio and told us to get inside?”
She nodded, and it looked like she was holding back tears. Fuck, I was an asshole. “You said something under your breath as I walked by. Did you mean it?”
Shehadheard me.
