Flawless Surrender (The Surrender Trilogy, #2)(35)

Clint was in the barn working when she stepped inside. She took a second to admire the snug fit of his jeans, and the broad sweep of his shoulders from afar. He had settled right back into the ranching life as if he never left, and it suited him.

“Morning, cowboy,” she called out as she stepped over to pat a mare in the first stall.

His head came up and a wide grin split his face, deepening the cleft in his chin, and enhancing whatever it was that made him so damn attractive. “Morning, angel.” He dropped the crate of tools he was holding to the floor, and made a beeline for her. Just before he reached her side, he paused to check out her backside in her favorite pair of jeans. “Damn, you are one sexy woman, Zoey Carson.”

She cringed in her head when she heard herself giggle like a teenager. Did mature women planning to have an affair giggle at compliments?

“Thank you. What are you working on today?” she asked, feeling warmer when his hands found her hips and turned her into the cove of his body.

“Hmm? Oh, a little of this and a little of that, nothing so important that I can’t leave it for now. How about a little romp in the hay?” His eyebrows wiggled, and she caught herself before she giggled again.

“I was thinking more about going for a ride.”

Immediately she knew he had the wrong idea, but she enjoyed the way his face seemed to light up at the suggestion, so she didn’t correct it. “Oh, baby, you’re speaking my language now!” His head dipped as he kissed her breathless, pressing her back against the rough wood of the stall behind her.

It took every bit of inner will power to push him away and shake her head, “No, I don’t mean riding a cowboy, I mean riding a horse. I haven’t had a chance to refresh my skills, and I’ve been on the ranch for a week. Do you think Tanner would mind?”

Clint looked thoroughly dejected, “Am I so resistible that you would rather have a horse between your thighs than me?”

Zoey pressed a finger to his pouting lips. “Not a chance and you know it. However, I am not interested in a lecture from Tanner should he happen to catch us, and I am not a closet exhibitionist. I prefer my private life be private.”

Clint’s smile grew again, “Now that’s an answer I’ll accept, because ya didn’t say no. Come on, we’ll saddle up a couple of horses and explore the ranch together. Tanner has added some land to the Triple T that I haven’t gotten to check out yet.”

They were in the saddle in record time, and Zoey laughed along with Clint as he pointed out various spots and told stories from when the three boys were young. A little smidge of her was envious of their fantastic childhood. She had always dreamed about having parents who were responsible enough that she could be childishly irresponsible. Instead of swinging from trees and tipping cows, she was making herself dinner and dodging the bill collectors’ phone calls. In a quiet moment, Clint turned and looked at her carefully.

“How long have you been in love with Tanner?”

If she hadn’t been holding the reins in her hands she might have fallen out of the saddle in shock. “What?”

“After you went to sleep last night Dalton and I talked for a while. We both know you’re in love with Tanner, but we also know that you’re attracted to the two of us. Is it too much to hope that you might be open to a ménage relationship long term?”

Zoey couldn’t speak. She just gaped at him. Clint was the fun brother, not the serious one, but here he was asking her a very serious question. Forcing herself to continue breathing, she shrugged.

“Tanner and I have a history, yes. I’m not sure that I know what love is to be able to say I’m in love with him.” She was startled to see a glimmer of fear in his tawny brown eyes when she looked over at him. “I don’t know if a ménage relationship would work for the four of us. I really don’t know you and Dalton that well yet. I can’t say yes to it, but I won’t say no either.”

He gave her a reassuring wink, “That’s all I can ask for, angel. Give us some time to show Tanner that this could work.”

“Why are you so sure that it could? You’ve only been back in Texas for a week, and I don’t think you’ve even been into town more than twice yet.”

It was Clint’s turn to shrug. “I once asked pops how he knew that mama was the right woman for him, and he told me sometimes you just know. They met at a church picnic, and mama was already going steady with another guy. Pops says it was love at first sight for him and he wasn’t about to let her go without a fight. It took him six months to convince her he was serious about her, and four years of asking to get her to marry him.”

“Wow! Most people would have given up after four years.”

“What’s a few years when you have a lifetime ahead of you? Angel, I’m nothing but a broke down man who couldn’t make it as an actor. Just knowing you’ll consider me, makes me the happiest I’ve been in years.”

Zoey glanced at him warily to see if he was joking, but his expression remained serious. “I’m not sure I’m worthy of such adoration, Clint. I’m not exactly Miss America, and the only stories I can tell from my childhood are ones that involve mom getting high in the living room while I tried to study, or sleep. I never even knew where my dad was most of the time. Seems to me that trying to reach for your dreams, and failing, is a whole lot better than never trying.”