Ash woke up cold on a hard floor in the middle-of-nowhere Plumas County, yet he couldn’t stop smiling. Why did no one tell him that being this happy could obliterate a cold, damp morning or a wooden slab for a bed? Why was there no guidebook that spelled it all out for you, letting you in on the best-kept secret that being ass over elbow in love fixed everything? Except both his ass and his elbow realized that he was in bed—or in a sleeping bag—alone. Warning alarms should have fired off inside his overactive imagination, but instead he just kept on smiling, confident that after what happened between him and Willow last night, there was no way she’d bolted, even if it had freaked her out.
Then he smelled the most glorious scent next to Willow Morgan’s shampoo…coffee. Ash pushed himself up to sitting and was ready to scavenge the nearby floor for something resembling clothes when Willow emerged through the tent’s flap with the French press he’d packed—a super-buff camping one, of course—along with two camping mugs.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Willow announcedand then held out her hand that held the two empty mugs, offering one to him.
“What time is it?” he asked, his voice gravel after several hours of not being used…and an hour or three of using his voice in ways he hadn’t known were possible… A deep growl emanating from somewhere in the depths of his soul? A string of curses as Willow sheathed him like a sword when he’d thought for sure she’d been ready to pass out? As the night before replayed in delicious, achingly slow motion, Ash began to ache—and stiffen—in the present.
“Almost eight,” she told him, dropping down to a crisscross-applesauce position as shepressedthe French press and then poured them each a steaming mug.
“Almosteight?” Ash said. “Who is up and boiling water for coffee at almost eight in the morning when we have this whole portion of the campsite to ourselves, which means sleeping in?”
Willow raised her brows, then dipped her gaze to where the flannel blanket had slid off his lap to expose his unhideable erection.
“You look pretty awake to me,” she teased.
“And you look like you’re wearing entirely too many clothes.” He set his coffee mug down and then did the same with hers. “Coffee can wait.” He tugged on the string to her hoodie and then took the liberty of unzipping it.
She laughed. “The coffee will get cold.”
“I’ll drink it cold.”
Willow groaned with mock exasperation but then climbed over him, sliding her yoga-pants-clad pelvis over his hardened length. She groaned again for a whole other reason and then pushed a grinning Ash onto his back.
That morning they did, in fact, drink their coffee cold.
***
It was well after ten when they’d tacked up Midnight and Holiday and taken to the trail. The morning chill was already gone, and the sun shone brightly overhead.
“How long did you rent that camping site for?” Willow asked as their two mares walked leisurely side by side.
“As long as we want it,” he told her. “Another night. A week. A month…”
She laughed. “We can’t just avoid the real world indefinitely. And you only told me to pack essentials.”
“There’s a general store at the check-in lodge.” Ash glanced in her direction. “Why can’t we avoid the real world indefinitely?” Hell, he could live in that tent and eat nothing but shitty mac and cheese until the end of time if Willow stayed with him.
She eyed him warily. “Because we have work to do,” Willow reminded him. “We have a song to write, record, and get approved by both of our labels. And don’t forget that Sloane has you in damage-control mode right now. I know you said you wanted to keep a low profile as far asmysocials are concerned, but shouldn’t you be making some sort of public statement about the…you know…”
“Arrest?” he asked with a laugh. “I know the song is important to you. It is to me too, but not because I’m looking to use it to boost my image. I don’t give a shit about my image.”
She stared at him for a few seconds, then shook her head and laughed, turning her attention back to the trail.
God, he loved seeing her in that straw hat and boots. But regardless of what Willow was wearing, she fit so well into Holiday’s saddle.
“You were made for riding,” he told her. “You took lessons as a kid, right?”
She glanced at him and nodded, then pivoted back to the direction they were riding. “In that first year, my adoptive parents tried anything and everything to get me ‘involved’ in my new life.” She let go of the reins with one hand to make air quotes. “I was so determined to resist. Dance classes?” She wrinkled her nose. “Gymnastics? No thanks.” She shrugged. “Then one day they took me to this horse farm, and something clicked. My mom…”She cleared her throat. “Mybirthmom…thought I was too young to ride when Colt started taking lessons. Guess when I finally got to do it, it made me feel closer to my brother.”
He knew enough of the rest not to push her any further. Colt, five years her senior, did not do well in foster care after he and Willow lost their mom, even landing himself in juvie for a short stint. Willow’s adoptive parents didn’t want to take in a troubled and supposedly violent teen and thought they were giving her a fresh start by separating her from her only living relative.
Ash gently brought Midnight to a halt as they reached their destination. He hopped down, grabbed his day pack, and tied her to the grazing post as Willow did the same with Holiday. When they were free and clear of the horses, he pulled her to him and simply hugged her while she held on tight.
“You okay?” he asked after she took several long inhales and exhales. “I didn’t mean to break the rules by bringing up the past.” He’d just wanted her to know how much he appreciated her riding, one of many in a long list of talents Willow Morgan possessed.
She gave him one final squeeze and then took a small step back so she could look up at him. “It’s okay,” she assured him with a bittersweet smile. “I lost a lot, but I have everything I want now…shortof having my mom back.” She flicked the brim of his hat and let out a soft laugh, her small attempt at the levity he knew she needed now.
“Everything?” Ash asked.
