“I don’t know. It’s a bit much for a horse sale,” Riley hedged, staring at the dress.
“I’m sure you’ll go out for dinner or something. You don’t want to appear as if you belong in a nursing home in your twenties,” Tara exclaimed as she ran to her room. A minute later, she returned with a small makeup bag. “I’ll dry your hair first, put the dress on, then I’ll do your makeup.”
“All right. We need to hurry, we only have an hour,” Riley said nervously. For the past week, she and Garrett stayed up after Tara went to bed to binge-watch her new comedy series. His hand played with hers, and he kissed her goodnight. She touched her fingers to her mouth, imagining the feel of his lips against hers.
Butterflies hit her stomach when it occurred to her, they’d be alone the entire day. Did he like her? Using Tara’s favorite word, she hadn’t gone on a date in ‘forever.’
Tara dried her hair and used the brush to curl the ends. They moved into the bedroom to slip into the dress. She sat on the bed as Tara worked the material up her legs. The massive bruise matched the dress, making her giggle. Riley stood while Tara adjusted it over her waist and slipped the straps over her shoulders. Tara pulled the ties into a bow, pushing her breasts up. She stepped back and admired her sister.
“It’s perfect, Riley. You resemble Mom,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Come on, let’s do your makeup.”
Riley made her way into the bathroom and halted in front of the mirror. She saw her mother’s image staring back at her, and tears filled her eyes.
“Don’t cry,” Tara admonished. “You’ll make your face all blotchy.”
Riley laughed. “Thanks, Tara.”
She sat down while Tara put her new skills to use. When she finished, Riley barely recognized herself. When did she stop caring about her appearance? She supposed the many nights she lay awake, worried her dad might hurt Tara. At first, Riley convinced herself she imagined his hostility toward his youngest daughter. Then, Tara kept having little accidents while in her father’s care, while Riley worked the ranch. Then the drinking got heavier, and the accusations started.
“Riley, if you want to get going, you need to let me put on your boots.” She moved into the bedroom, where Tara slipped on her cowgirl boots. They didn’t quite match, but horse sales tended to get muddy. Regardless of Garrett’s vow to push her in a wheelchair, she planned to stay on her feet to study the horses up close.
Riley rose and smoothed out the dress while Tara handed her the matching sweater.
“Tara,” Garrett called from the kitchen. “Julio and Rebecca pulled into the driveway. Do you need more time?”
“No, I’m done. I only need to grab my backpack,” she yelled. She gave her sister a hug and grinned excitedly as she scampered out of the room. Riley went into the bathroom, suddenly nervous about her appearance. She fixed a wayward curl, slipped the lip gloss in her pocket, and made her way to the kitchen.
Tara practically leaptfrom the porch and sprinted across the yard, yelling goodbye, showing her excitement abouthanging out with another teen. Garrett waved as Julio backed out of the driveway. Shaking his head, he entered the cabin, intending to help Riley.
His breath caught in his throat as he saw her standing in her doorway, appearing unsure of herself. The dress color complemented her skin. He loved her hair down, with a slight curl at the ends. Her eyes seemed unusually bright, and her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink as he stared at her in awe. “You look stunning. You’re almost too pretty to take to a horse sale.”
Riley glanced down, playing with the bow string, which seemed to hold her breasts in place. His heart raced, anticipating them bursting out of the bodice. “I told Tara it seemed too much,” Riley said, turning around. “Give me a minute, and I’ll change.”
“No,” he demanded as he strode across the room toward her. She twisted toward him as he took the sweater from her and placed it around her shoulders. “I like you in this. It sure beats those ugly dresses I bought you. I should’ve never listened to the saleswoman. Where did this come from?”
Riley stared down at her boots. “Rachel gave it to me. Please don’t think I’m ungrateful. I appreciate the ones you purchased for me.”
His thumb grazed her cheek. The urge to carry her to the bed and make love to her grew stronger as she gazed at him innocently. Her breasts threatened to spill over the top as the dress emphasized her small waist and curvy hips and backside.
“I didn’t think anything about it,” Garrett murmured as he cupped the back of her head, angling her for his kiss. The ones they shared over the week grew in intensity. This time, the spark grew into a flame as their tongues caressed and tangled for control. Riley gave as good as she got. Shemoaned and leaned into him. Her good arm wrapped around his neck as he pulled her body against his.
His hand slid to her bottom, feeling the firm, tight muscles, making him let out a feral growl.
“Hmmm,” she breathed as he stepped back. Desire showed in her eyes, and he wanted to fulfill her wish desperately. His dick throbbed almost painfully as he cleared his throat.
“I believe I promised you a horse sale. We’d best be going if we want to get there early enough to check out a few of them,” he said, his voice sounding strangled.
“Let me grab something, and I’ll be right out,” she said breathlessly. Turning toward her room, he watched as she took her pain pills and the cash, which she counted the day before, and stuffed them in her boot.
“Do you have a purse?” he asked.
“Nope. I prefer it this way. Who wants to lug a bag around everywhere you go? I never understood how people spent hundreds of dollars on one and then complained because they didn’t want it to get wet or set it on the ground. Then why waste perfectly good money?” she said, making her way to the porch.
“You have a valid point,” he conceded as he helped her inside his truck and propped her leg. “I know you’ll fight me as soon as we get there about the wheelchair. If you keep it up and your toes don’t swell, we’ll use the crutches until you get tired.”
Riley smiled and happily nodded at his compromise.
His heart soared at the thought of how the simplest things seemed to delight her.
