He held me at arm’s length and looked down on me. His eyes searched. “You sure, cause I don’t think I believe you.”
I blew out a breath. “Just a run in with Glenn about leaving his tack all over the place.”
His brow was creased with concern as he looked over my shoulder. “And you dealt with him?”
Nodding, my belief in him felt like a bird soaring into the sky. High and free, with nothing but open space to explore. He didn’t offer to deal with Glenn for me. He didn’t suggest that he could do a better job of it. He trusted me.
“Good for you. The guys in the bunk house are always complaining about him leaving his shit around. I’ll keep an eye on him but I’m sure he’ll listen to you.” He grinned. “I mean I would hate to get on your bad side, I bet he shit his pants.”
My laugh was empty and hollow. “Yeah, he did.” I cleared my throat and ran a hand down his shirt. “How was the bull viewing?”
He grimaced. “Looks like we’ve got to go to Nebraska, Omaha to be exact.”
“Really? Shit. That’s a long way away, honey.”
He sighed heavily. “Yeah, I know.” He looked at me through one eye. “Want to come with me? We could make it a cool road trip after Thanksgiving. What do you think?”
“Me?” My heart felt like it was hammering in my throat, my stomach flipping with excitement at the idea that we were making plans. He wanted me to go with him. He wanted us to do something as a couple. We really were more.
“Yeah, you. You’d be so much better company than Gunner and I’m guessing you’ll fart less in the truck.”
“Yeah, I’d love to.” Nodding and smiling like both were going out of fashion, I grabbed his hands. “It sounds amazing.”
Pulling me tight against his chest, Wilder sighed. “It will be Brownie, believe me, it will be.”
As we stood wrapped around each other I saw movement from the corner of my eye. There leaning against the stable wall was Glenn, watching us like we were a wolf he was getting ready to hunt. A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the wind. Something in his expression made my skin crawl, like insects skittering across my arms.
“You fancy getting out of here?” Wilder asked, bringing my attention back to him. “Get some air into our lungs?”
Glenn pushed off the wall and walked away making me feel more at ease. “That would be incredible.”
An hour later, we were saddled up and heading toward the mountains, a blanket strapped to Wilder’s horse. The autumn air was crisp but not cold, each breath scented faintly with pine and earth. The aspen leaves glowed gold against the deep blue sky I loved so much, sunlight catching on them like they were made of coins.
“Where are we going?” I asked as Dreamy and I followed him and Alice, picking our way up a narrow trail.
“You’ll see.” That crooked grin of his made my stomach flip. “Trust me.”
We rode in comfortable silence, the rhythm of our horses’ hooves on stone blending with the soft whisper of wind through the trees. Twenty minutes later, Wilder led us to a clearing I’d never seen before—a small meadow surrounded by towering pines, the grass long and wild, with a view of the valley that stole my breath and held it captive.
“Wilder, this is beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” he said, dismounting and coming to help me down. His hands lingered at my waist as my feet touched the ground, his thumbs brushing small, lazy circles into my hips. “Been wanting to bring you here.”
While he dealt with the horses, I spread the blanket in the center of the meadow. The grass was thick and soft beneath it, and when I lay back to look up at the sky, it felt like I was floating in that endless blue.
“What are you thinking about?” Wilder asked, settling beside me withtwo bottles of beer from his saddlebag.
“How perfect this is. How perfect we are.” I turned my head toward him. “How crazy it is that I went from thinking you were just good sex to… this.”
His eyes darkened, the corners of his mouth curving. “Just good sex, huh?”
“Incredible sex,” I corrected with a grin. “Earth-shattering, life-changing, ruined-me-for-everyone-else sex.”
“That’s better.” He leaned over me, bracing himself on his forearms, his shadow falling across my face. “And now?”
“Now it’s so much more than that.” My fingers traced the hard line of his jaw, feeling the faint rasp of stubble beneath my touch. “Now it’s everything.”
His mouth found mine, soft at first, tasting of beer and heat, then deeper when I opened to him. The kiss tasted like promises and forever, like the first time you exhale after holding your breath for too long.
