Saddle Up(66)

“It’s been my grandmother’s home for over fifty years,” Miranda replied. Now that he’d set the tone, she had no choice but to follow suit with inane small talk. “It’s also where my grandfather grew up. His parents homesteaded the place during the depression. They came out West and never looked back.”

“You sound like you’re happy here,” he remarked.

“I am. I never could have imagined doing anything like this, but everything just seems to have led to it.”

“There isn’t any chance I can still talk you out of it, is there?” he asked.

“No, Keith. The deal is signed. I couldn’t back out even if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. I’m even hoping you’ll come to see this as a good thing.”

“That’s doubtful,” he said.

The two old geldings grazing in the pasture suddenly caught the stallion’s attention. He blew out a loud snort and leapt off the trailer to charge down the fence line, neck arched and ears flat. Keith sprang into action, closing the trailer door and then the corral gate to lock him in.

“We need to be very careful to keep him away from them.” He nodded to Jesse and Doc. “Blue Eye is going to see any other male as a threat to his harem. There wouldn’t be an issue if there weren’t any mares around, but once mares are in the mix, a stud horse can be a real pain in the ass to keep. It probably would have been better if I’d brought geldings instead of mares. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep the mares separate from your geldings, just in case this guy should get out.”

“It shouldn’t be any problem. There’s plenty of room here. The ranch has two corrals and over two thousand acres of pastures.”

*

After they unloaded and fed all the horses, Miranda showed Keith around the ranch. Even though he’d come with the best of intentions, his resistance was slipping fast. It had taken him less than five minutes to realize he’d only been fooling himself to think he could ever maintain a platonic relationship with Miranda. He’d been fighting the urge to touch her from the moment he climbed down from his truck.

“Do you want to see the bunkhouse now?” she asked.

“Sure. Let me just grab my stuff.”

Walking side by side, he noticed her long strides perfectly matched his. He didn’t stifle the impulse to rest his hand on her lower back. She glanced up at him, her gray eyes flickering. He broke the contact only to grab his two bags. His hungry eyes were glued to her shapely little denim-clad ass as he followed her to the bunkhouse. His thoughts and emotions were jumbled as she fumbled with the lock. His resolution was already weakening.

She opened the door to the single-story split-log cabin and beckoned him inside. “It’s not much, but I hope you’ll feel at home here. This is the living area. We cleaned the place and aired it out last week, and replaced all the linens. There’s a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot in the kitchenette, but we’re happy to feed you over at the house.”

He gave the room a cursory inspection. It was sparsely furnished, just an overstuffed sofa, end table, a television, and a recliner. There was a multipurpose wood-burning stove between the living room and kitchenette. It was more than adequate for his needs.

She turned to face him, her expression soft and inviting. “I really mean that, Keith. I want you to feel welcome here. Your coming means more than I can say.”

“I already told you not to read too much into it,” he replied brusquely. “I’m not a convert to your ‘save the mustangs’ campaign, Miranda.”

“But you are here,” she countered. “I think I’m reading that part right enough.”

“I’m here for you,” he said.

“Is that so?” she whispered. “Then what are you waiting for?”

The look in her eyes was a blatant invitation, but Keith still resisted. “I told you before that it’s a bad idea to mix business with pleasure.”

“But you didn’t want the paycheck, did you?” she countered softly.

“No. I don’t need your money,” he said.

“Since you refused my offer of payment, technically this isn’t a business arrangement, is it?” She toyed with a golden curl. “The way I see it, it’s more like a friend doing a favor for a friend.”

“Even so, if this is going to work out, we need to set some ground rules and abide by them.”

“Should I show you the rest?” she asked, ignoring his remark. “The bedroom used to have two sets of oversized bunks,” she said. “We’ve replaced those with a full-size bed. I think you’ll find it quite comfortable.” She licked her lips. “Do you want to see it?”

He hesitated. The last thing he needed was to be alone with her in a bedroom. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her. He did, maybe too much, and that was the root of the problem.

“I’m not so sure we should go in there. If we do, there’s no turning back again.” If they continued down this path, all his good intentions would soon be nothing more than the paving stones to hell.

She tipped her chin to meet his eyes. “But I don’t want to turn back. We’ve had too much of that already. I want us to move forward again. The real question is, do you?”

“I’ve already told you I can’t make any promises. I don’t know what my future holds.”