Saddle Up(32)

“There ain’t no harm in just lookin’,” Mitch teased.

Beth flashed her husband the evil eye. “Oh yeah? I promise you’ll suffer plenty of harm if you go lookin’, ol’ man.”

He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “You should know by now that I only have eyes for you, ’Lizbeth.”

“Don’t you dare try to cozy up to me now, Mitchell West.” She batted his hands away with a mock glower. “I’ll have you know we’ll be getting two double beds tonight.”

Miranda watched them with a vague feeling of wistfulness. Beth and Mitch had been together at least thirty years and had a comfortable, playful, and obviously passionate relationship. She wondered what it would be like to have that with someone.

Her mother and stepdad mostly ignored each other. They rarely conversed and hadn’t even kissed in years. It was sad to see a couple living together in isolation—people who shared their lives but never their hearts. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t been able to commit to Jason. He was a great guy, but he hadn’t shared her dreams and aspirations. She wondered if she’d ever find that—someone she could share her dreams with.

Though she and Keith were worlds apart in so many ways, somehow they’d shared a connection. Was it only transitory lust? Or could it have been something more. She wished they could have had a chance to find out.

“What about you, Keith?” Beth inquired, darting a sly look from Keith to Miranda. Had she picked up on the vibe between the two of them? “Are you staying in Reno tonight too?”

Keith tipped his hat back to glance at Miranda. “I was planning to drive down to Warm Springs today, but by the time we get another load on the trailer, it’ll be near dark. I don’t suppose that’s the best time to deliver a load of wild horses to a prison. Maybe it’d be better to wait and go tomorrow.”

“Probably would be best,” Mitch agreed with a sly look.

So he’d be staying in Reno tonight too? Miranda’s gaze riveted back to Keith. Was he thinking what she was thinking? His casual tone and blank expression gave nothing away.

“If that’s the case, would you mind if I went also?” Miranda asked, looking from Keith to Mitch.

“To the prison?” Mitch asked.

“Yes,” she said. “If we left early in the morning, maybe I could spend a couple of hours there and still get back to L.A. at a reasonable time.”

Keith shrugged. “I don’t mind as long as Mitch can arrange it.”

He had hardly spoken to her from the time they’d arrived at the processing facility. Although he’d been busy sorting and loading horses, it felt like he was intentionally keeping his distance from her. She wondered why.

Mitch scratched his chin. “Don’t see why not. You’ll need authorization from the warden, but we’ve been working with that facility for years. I ’magine you’ll be barraged with forms to sign, but I’ll make the call if you want to go.”

“Yes. I would.” She beamed.

“If you’re going to stay in town tonight, I hope you’ll join us for some supper,” Beth said.

“Thanks for the invitation,” Miranda replied. “But to be honest, after sleeping on the ground last night, I’m seriously craving room service, a long, hot bath, and a nice soft bed.”

*

With me. Keith wanted to blurt. He hadn’t planned to overnight in Reno, but her decision to stay had changed everything. If they had a second chance to be together, he wasn’t about to pass it up. “If you’re ready to go, I’ll give you a ride back to your car,” he offered.

“Thanks,” Miranda replied, but her smile held an uncertain edge as she packed up her gear.

He placed his hand on the small of her back, noting the slight shiver even at this light contact. There was a new tension between them now, an uneasy and unspoken anticipation. They drove in silence until reaching the end of the gravel road that marked the entrance to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse Adoption Center. Pulling up to her car, Keith put the truck in park. “Are you going to call the hotel for a room…or are you going to stay with me?”

“Stay with you?” She looked up in surprise. “That sounds a lot like a proposition.”

“Is that what you’d call it?” He asked with a grin. “I thought it sounded like a really good idea.”

“Or a really bad one,” she blurted. “I don’t get you. You were almost chilly toward me all day. Why this sudden about-face?”

“I was trying to make it easier on both of us, but it wasn’t easy,” he said. For the past few hours he’d tried to keep his mind focused on work, but couldn’t get the thought of her out of his mind—or ignore the ball-aching frustration he still felt every time he looked at her. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about last night.”

“Last night was one thing,” she replied, her expression wary. “But this is something else.”

“Last night was different for me too,” he said. “You are different.”

“Different how?” she asked, her gaze searching his.

He paused, not knowing exactly how to answer her. “I don’t deny I’ve been with a lot of women, Miranda, but I haven’t wanted anyone like this in a long time.” His eyes shuttered. “Too long. I still want you, and I think you still want me.”