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In a matter of seconds, I was standing, raising my ticket in the air as numbers were shouted across the stadium. Day squealed, and Moira laughed as I shouted, fought for, and eventually secured three of the horses brought in the first round.
By the third round of bidding, I sweating and red in the face as a man a few rows down from us seemed to take pleasure in outbidding me over and over again until the horse I wanted was finally mine.
Moira was bright with excitement, and anytime I got a little ahead of myself with the curses and jabs toward my rival bidder, she gripped my thigh, pinching me with her manicured nails.
She didn’t know I’d continued to act like a raging fool only to feel her touch over and over.
By the fourth round of bidding, I had six new horses, all of which George would be picking up at the end of the weekend when he loaded up whatever cattle he’d purchase during his time at the auction.
I eventually sat down, going over my notes while Moira braved the crowd for hotdogs and cheeseburgers to bring back to Day, who said he was going to starve to death even with two corndogs and a bag of popcorn in his belly.
The kid was growing like a weed, but a wild summer beneath the Montana sun will do that to a boy.
By the time I got them back in my truck, Day asleep on my shoulder the entire walk through the crowded parking lot, it was almost nine at night.
The drive back to Hot Springs was a quiet one, Day passed out in the backseat and Moira with her head pressed against the window, looking out over the star-filled sky as we sped home.
But then her hand settled against my thigh, and I spent the rest of the drive wondering what the hell was going to happen when we got home.
I wondered what had changed between last night and right now. Had I done, or said something that made her feel safer with me, more trusting that intentions with both her and her son were true?
By the time we reached the ranch, I was reeling, but kept my cool as I put my truck in park and turned off the engine.
“It’s late, you should just stay over at my place,” I whispered.
She didn’t argue as I carefully lifted Day out of the backseat, and she followed behind me as I brought him inside and laid him on the couch, Jenny hopping up beside him and curling up over his legs.
Moira went into the kitchen while I tucked Day in for the night. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the light above the stovetop turn on, casting a muted amber glow across the kitchen floor. She turned on the sink, and then it was silent.
I walked into the kitchen, watching her look out the kitchen window for a moment.
“What’re you thinking about?” I asked softly, my voice a gravelly whisper. She turned around, a glass of water in her hand.
“Thank you for today. It felt good to get off the ranch for a while.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I think Day had a good time.”
“He did,” I replied, meeting her eyes. The air in the room seemed to shift, that blanket of electricity between us sucking the oxygen from the room as she took a step forward. “I want you to sleep in a bed tonight,” I said, tilting my head to look her up and down. I took off my hat, setting it on the kitchen counter before continuing. “Let me show you the guest room upstairs.”
ChapterTwenty
Moira
Iwas still reeling from watching Grant let loose at the auction. It had been so primal, and I got to see him in a totally new light as the bidding war rolled into the second hour.
He’d been fighting with some other cowboy over an old horse, who was probably nearing the end of its life. Knowing that Grant was bidding on these horses just to give them a home to spend however long they had… well, something inside my heart finally clicked.
Grant was a good man. He was responsible, caring, and trustworthy. He wanted the best for people and animals alike.
He also wanted me, despite the fact that I was hard to love, stubborn, and a hot fucking mess.
Now I was standing in his kitchen, shakily holding a glass of water I had no intention of drinking. I just needed to do something with my hands while he tucked my son into bed to stop myself from rushing at him, telling him I was sorry, that I was damn fool, and that I felt the same way he did.
“Let me show you the guest groom upstairs,” he said in a whisper. He extended a hand to me, and I took it, letting him lead me through the house and up the stairs without letting go.
The heat coming off of him as he clutched my hand was almost fevered. I felt the heat creeping through my body, the breath catching in my throat as he reached the top of the stairs.
