It’s been months since I’ve been with anyone, in any capacity. I’m pretty sure the last human contact I had besides the cowboy at the bar was a drunken kiss on New Year’s Eve at Cisco’s bar in Juniper Ridge. What was his name? Jason?
Being around Miles is a bad idea. I don’t trust myself. Isolated up here in this small town, working in close quarters with no one else around. If I don’t get it together, we’re bound to make a mistake.
The other day, I caught a glimpse of him taking his long sleeve shirt off to switch to a t-shirt, and I almost lost it right there. If he had looked over at me, he would have probably seen me practically drooling. His tan abs like a washboard make me itch to run my hands up and down them. I can see him standing there when I close my eyes, sunlight outlining his large frame, black hair smattering across his chest.
A flush creeps back up into my cheeks. I’ve got to stop thinking about him. My calves ache as I push harder, running faster down the road. The faster I run, the easier it is to clear my head. Soon, all I can hear is my breathing and the sound of my runners hitting the dirt.
I’ve run halfway to the main ranch house when I feel calm enough to turn back towards my guest cabin. My breathing is shaky by the time I get back.
Good.
Maybe now I’ll be tired enough to get some more sleep. Uninterrupted, dreamless sleep. The flush that covered my entire body when I woke up is gone, and I’m only thinking about the relief of falling back into my soft bed.
The next thing I know, I’m curling back up into bed, Miles a distant memory.
“Love the hat, Katie.” Parker reaches out and taps the front of my hat brim enough it falls into my eyes just a bit.
“Thanks, it’s new,” I laugh, taking the beer he’s offering from his hand and pushing my hat back up onto my forehead. When I arrived at the ranch house for Sunday dinner, I was rushed into the great room at Isabella’s instructions, to ‘keep those boys in check.’ Although, I suspect she just wants me out of the way as she cooks.
Parker and I are the only ones here so far, but judging by the uneasy feeling in my gut, I’m sure Miles is near.
“Oh yeah? Where’d you get it?” Parker asks.
I tell him about the shop in town and Codie helping me pick it out. “I figured I should do at least one touristy thing while I’m here. I’m glad I did, it was fun. Plus, Codie invited me on a hike with her friends this week in the park.”
Parker grins, about to say something else, when the door to the back deck opens and Walter walks in. Not far behind him is Miles, nodding along to something Walter is telling him about cattle.
He takes up all of the air in the room when he enters. Jesus Christ, he’s wearing another black t-shirt that looks like it’s two sizes too small. For my own sanity, I should sneak into his closet and replace everything with one size up. I’m not sure how his biceps haven’t torn the sleeves yet.
Heat creeps up my neck, and I’m right back to where I was last night. Yearning.
My pulse races as Parker says something that my head can’t process. I can’t tear my eyes away from Miles. Visions of my dream play on a loop behind my eyes. Miles’s arms circling my waist. Miles’s breath skating across my neck. The feel of his skin, as hot as the sun on my face on a warm summer day.
As if he can feel me staring, Miles’s eyes snap up right at me. Like he can always sense exactly where I am. A current of electricity passes between us as he stares back. I wonder if it’s all in my head, or if it’s bothering him too. This energy between us.
“Mac,” he grumbles, joining Parker and I.
“Autry,” I smile back. It’s just a greeting, but it feels oddly intimate this time. I clear my throat, fixing my hat again as I remember Parker is standing right next to us.
“Seems Katie here got a new hat in town. At the place Codie Raisanan works at.” Parker hands Miles the beer in his other hand, nudging him in the arm. A lump forms in my throat as the veins on his hands bulge around the glass. Hopefully, he doesn’t notice my pulse hammering in my neck.
“Suits you.” Without another glance my way, he heads over to the couch. My heart doesn’t know whether to be giddy or offended. But, that’s nothing new. I always seem to be confused around Miles.
Miles hasn’t uttered another word by the time we sit down at the dining room table with Walter and Isabella. Walter leans his cane against the table, slowly lowering himself into the chair. I get the feeling he’s the type of man who wouldn’t appreciate people fawning all over him to help, so I hold my tongue.
“Where are you going hiking with Codie?” Parker passes the bowl of mashed potatoes to me across the table.
“I can’t remember the name. She said somewhere near Jenny Lake. Somewhere I’ve never been. Apparently they go hiking once a week,” I shrug, scooping a generous helping of potatoes onto my plate. Potatoes have always been my favorite food. You can eat them in so many ways. Baked, cut into fries, mashed, in bread. What other food can do that?
“I’m sure it’ll be a good one, her ex-husband is a park ranger so she probably knows all of the good spots.”
“Ex-husband? I didn’t know she was married.” Marriedanddivorced? She can’t have been that much older than me, if at all. Parker shrugs casually, as if I should have already known this. “But, she’s so young.”
“They got married right out of high school. It wasn’t dramatic or anything when they split up. They still have the same friends and everything. Pretty sure they were always just better as friends,” Parker says.
“Well, that’s good at least,” I nod. “I couldn’t imagine getting married so young.”
“There’s nothing wrong with getting married young.” Miles’s stern growl from beside me startles me enough, I almost drop my water glass.
