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“Good, because that’s not what I’m suggesting, just looking out for your welfare, all the way around.”
Before she could comment, he kissed her, long and deep enough to befuddle her thinking and send her libido skyrocketing, his heartbeat a steady thump against her palm. Then he was donning his hat and striding to the door, leaving her standing there to cope with a mass of needy, fired-up hormones by herself.
He turned as he opened the door, saying, “See you Saturday,” then left her filled with anticipation for the weekend.
Chapter Eight
Brett slid behind thewheel of his truck, catching movement at the window of Allie’s next door neighbor. He imagined there was little privacy in apartment living, and guessed someone was peeking to see who the stranger was visiting next door. Let them speculate, he thought, starting the truck. He had enough to think about in regard to where or even if Allie fit into his life. Given how much he had enjoyed sharing the simple lunch with her, he was starting to second guess whether she was a good fit for him.
He still struggled with the sucker punch of lust that hit him when she opened the door. That fast rush of blood engorging his cock was a quick and fiery response to a woman he hadn’t experienced since his sex driven college days. At his age, he understood interest in a woman, but he’d considered himself well beyond those days of thinking with his dick. Heading toward the highway back to the ranch, he forced himself to do some soul searching, something he’d engaged in a lot since the end of his marriage. By the time he drove into the garage, he couldn’t deny more than lust had swamped him when he’d witnessed Allie’s unguarded surprise at his unexpected visit and the undeniable pleasure in her bright blue eyes.
It was seeing that delight after she’d exhibited an air of indifference toward his departure without promises last weekend that answered his own question of whether he should take this step toward getting better acquainted. He could tell himself he was just ensuring her safety after the two threats against her, but the anticipation humming through his veins for seeing her again belied that excuse. How someone who was the complete opposite of the type of woman he was usually attracted to could cause him to do such an about face still eluded him.
Brett entered his house through the mudroom, hung his hat on a peg next to the door, and strode into the kitchen, remembering the glistening sheen coating Allie’s skin and her labored breathing. During dinner, he couldn’t help imagining her dancing, those firm abdominal muscles, left bare by her sports bra, undulating with the fast hip shimmies associated with the art. With her hair scooped up into a high ponytail, he could count four earrings adorning the curve of each ear, the short, triple gold loops attached to her lobes still swaying. He wondered if she owned any clothing in solid, plain colors but guessed not, given the bright neon swirls of her snug spandex shorts and matching top.
Brett changed clothes, pushing thoughts and questioning himself over Allie aside. After spotting Slade’s truck still parked at the stable when he’d returned, he strode down to the stable yard. Inside, he was greeted by his brother’s surly, “Where the hell have you been?” and four, guilt-ridden looks on the faces of their young hired hands.
Bristling at his tone, Brett barely managed to keep his reply civil. “Sorry, but I’m pretty sure I’m not responsible for whatever bug crawled up your ass. What’s going on?”
Stepping forward, Riley, a tall, lanky kid with sandy hair and brown eyes, replied, “It’s my fault, sir. I was the one responsible for checking that area. I’ll pack up my things and leave in the morning after we make sure we’ve rounded up all the livestock that got loose.”
Raising a brow, Slade stated, “Did I say you were fired, or I wanted you gone?”
Riley’s gaze turned uncertain. “Well, no, but I thought...”
With a slice of his hand, Slade cut the kid off and growled, “I’ll let you know when and if I want you gone. In the meantime, the four of you get back out there and help the rest of the hands until every head is accounted for or it grows too dark to keep searching. You’ve got less than an hour.”
Brett waited to say anything else until Riley, Keith, Evan, and Jeff hurried out, Evan flicking Slade an angry glare before brushing past him. He let the insolence go since Evan was fuming on his friend’s behalf. Ever since Slade had left the military he tended to blow a gasket over little things and fought to keep his temper under control.
“Care to talk about it?” Brett ventured, catching the guilt replacing the anger reflected in Slade’s gray eyes.
Slade blew out a breath, fisting his hands on his hips as his gaze swung to the stall next to him. “I blew up when Belle came limping into the stables an hour ago followed by Evan running in saying the gate had been left open. The horses and a good number of the cattle waiting to go to market wandered out.”
Evan, the quietest of the four friends, with unruly brown hair and serious hazel eyes, was hard to picture in a frantic state. Belle was a favorite mare of Slade’s, so Brett understood his concern. A lame horse could be anything from a slight sprain requiring ice packs and rest to a life-threatening fracture resulting in having to put the horse down.
“So either one or all the guys were negligent sometime today since all four were assigned stable and barn chores.” Riley appeared the most responsible of them these past weeks, focusing more on his work and making a good impression than the other three, which was why his admission took Brett by surprise. Keith and Jeff were good workers but liked to joke around more than they should on the job and were the two he would have suspected first of being negligent in their duties. Brett had no complaints about Evan’s work, only his occasional attitude, which he left up to Slade to deal with.
