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Maybe I did want it after all.
And I wanted it with Moira.
“Fuck,” I whispered, and behind me King whinnied loudly, stomping his feet. “What do you want?” I said into the darkness, but King sauntered away, snorting and shaking his head.
King and Moira had a lot in common. Both of them were bull-headed to a fault, and I’d seen the same fire behind Moira’s eyes that I’d seen in King’s.
I got King to like me, though. Maybe I did have a chance with Moira.
“Let’s go,” I said, then whistled to the horse. Instead of coming back over to me like I’d commanded, he took off like a bolt of lightning back toward the house. “Hey!” I screeched, but it was too late. He was gone in a flash and I was left alone to walk back through the dark.
So, I did, and I wasn’t happy about it. I eventually caught up with King near the paddock just as the sun was beginning to rise. George was already awake and was running back and forth looking slightly panicked. He paused midstep, peering at me as if he couldn’t see me clearly quite yet.
“Grant?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” I growled, pointing at King. “I took him out for a ride and he ditched me about two miles from here.”
George looked at King, shaking his head.
King, unbothered, just shook his long neck and accepted a scratch from George before trotting over to the stable for something to eat.
“I was thinking one of the farmhands got him saddled and he took off,” George said, leaning on the paddock as I walked through the gate. “I couldn’t find anyone though, so I figured they were hurt or something.”
“He’s not fully ready for a rider,” I replied, looking down at my grass-crusted boots. I glanced at my watch, the time reading was just after six. “I haven’t walked the property like this in a long time, though. I want to move some cattle down to the lower pasture today.”
“I can get that done,” George said. “You should get some sleep. Looks like you were out here all night.”
“Just about.” I could use a cup of coffee, more like it. I glanced at the house, which was still dark and silent. Moira would probably do anything to avoid me today after the kiss, but that was the last thing I wanted. “You should take the kid with you. It’d be good for him.”
George nodded, tipping his hat before he walked toward the stable to deal with King.
I walked toward the house, my chest tightening at the thought of running into Moira. What could I possibly say to her? That I was up all night thinking about her? That I wanted to her stay here? That I wantedher, more than anything?
I rolled my lower lip between my teeth as I walked up the porch steps, pushing open the screen door. The lights were off, the house dark and quiet with only the soft sounds of the sleeping mother and son coming from the living room. I quietly made a pot of coffee, wincing as the coffee machine began to pop and steam, the sound of it echoing through the room. Next, I pulled out some eggs and bacon from the refrigerator and cooked a quick breakfast for three people, instead of my one.
It felt good to have people to take care of.
“Hey,” Moira whispered from the archway. I set down my mug on the counter and turned around.
My shoulders relaxed at the sight of her. She was in my shirt, her hair tousled from sleep and her cheeks ruddy with the rush of embarrassment I was also feeling.
“Um… about last night—”
“Don’t apologize, Moira.”
“But I need to—”
“The last thing I want to hear,” I began, fixing my eyes on hers, “is you saying you’re sorry for kissing me.”
She swallowed thickly, the column of her throat bobbing with effort as I took a single step toward her, then another, until I’d closed the distance between us.
“Because I’m not sorry that you did,” I said in a low whisper, my voice sounding like it was full of gravel as I leaned down to whisper it against her cheek. She sucked in her breath as I brushed past her and walked upstairs, gripping my coffee mug so tightly I was sure I’d leave cracks on the handle.
I wasn’t even sure where I was going. I just had to get away from her.
The second I’d heard her voice in the kitchen and turned around to see her mussed from sleep… God, all I’d wanted to do is feel her lips on mine again. I’d wanted to press her up against the archway and run my hands beneath the shirt and over her soft, supple body.
I closed myself in my office, leaning on the door.
