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The next few minutes are spent with me sitting on a long bench and Mrs. Steele shoving old cowboy boots into Brody’s arms as he kneels in front of me and slips them on one by one. My cheeks grow hotter with each brush of his fingers against the arch of my foot—which I happen to think he’s doing intentionally now—until I’m positive they might very well catch on fire.
His stupidly handsome smirk has never been more prominent as of right now. I’m close to giving him a mouthful of old leather.
“How do those feel?” he asks, soundingfartoo arrogant for my liking.
I wiggle my toes inside the boots and nearly moan at the comfort. As opposed to the boots Poppy lent me and the first few pairs Mrs. Steele had me try, these ones don’t clinch at the widest part of my foot. They fit snug, yet not too snug.
“They’re perfect,” I tell them both.
Brody cups my calf just above the top of the boot in his large hand, his eyes transfixed on my feet. My skin begins to itch with nerves, but I stay quiet, hoping that he’ll break through whatever he’s thinking right now.
Does he hate them? Do I look ridiculous?
He squeezes my calf before finally dragging his eyes up to meet mine. They’re dilated, the blue deeper and darker than usual. A shudder works through me at what that could possibly mean.
“Do they look okay?” I ask softly, not hiding the tremor of doubt in my tone.
He huffs a laugh, shaking his head slightly. “I’ve never seen anyone pull off a pair of boots so well.”
I roll my eyes to hide the effect that compliment has on me. “Maybe I’ll wear them every day, then.”
Slowly, he slides his hand up behind my knee, curling and digging his fingers into the sensitive muscle. A whimper gets stuck in my throat, and I ache to press my thighs together when I begin to throb between them.
“Please.” It’s a guttural word, hardly more than a groan.
I go to pull his hand from my leg, unable to take any more of this before I jump his goddamn bones, when a horrible screeching sound breaks through the thick tension between us. Flinching, he removes his hand himself and pushes to his feet. After running his fingers through his hair, he plucks his hat from the hook and drops it back on his head.
Mrs. Steele comes rushing back from wherever she slipped off to during the past few moments. “You’d better get out there and see what that was.”
I push to my feet at the same time Brody says, “Sounds like someone braked too hard and slid. Shouldn’t be anythin’ serious. Call me if you need anythin’, okay?”
The old woman kisses her grandson’s cheek in answer. After tucking a piece of paper into his jacket pocket, she flashes me a soft smile and disappears again, leaving the two of us alone.
Once Brody’s handed me a thicker jacket and we’ve stepped outside, I say, “I expect the best Steele Ranch tour that was ever given while you tell me all of your deepest and darkest secrets.”
“You don’t hold punches,” he replies.
“Nope. The old Anna did, but not this one. I think I’ve about had it with holding my punches.”
“Are you a lot different now than you were before you got here?”
I think about my answer for a minute, wanting to make sure I’ve collected my thoughts. “In some ways, yes. I’m still me, but depending on who you ask, I might be a better or worse version. I’ve always tried to speak my mind, but I was engaged to a man who tried to stifle that quirk of mine. It’s quite frustrating to think back on all the negatives in my past relationship and the fact I didn’t leave sooner.”
Brody keeps his expression deceptively blank as he takes my hand and helps me down the porch steps. I didn’t need the help, but I don’t think that matters to him.
“I think love makes people do crazy things,” he says, that damn steadying hand returning to my back as we start down a flattened snow path. “Careful, it’s a bit slick this mornin’.”
I heed his warning and watch my step. “Have you ever been in love?”
“In high school.”
“Ooh, high school sweethearts, huh?”
“I suppose so, yeah,” he hums.
“What happened?”
He exhales heavily. “Young love hardly ever works out. She never understood why I’d want to leave this place, and I didn’t understand why she would want to stay forever. I was a stubborn kid who thought he deserved better than to stick it out here forever.”
