Bad Boy Brody(15)

Not them.

Her.

So, when the path came to the river, when I could hear it around the corner, I paused for a moment.

Thousands of women wanted me in their bed, and I stood there like a nervous seventh grader for fuck’s sake.

I was embarrassed for myself, and rolling my eyes, I stepped around.

I didn’t expect her to be there. Why would she? Kellerman told me the horses ran over more than a hundred acres, but dear God, there she was.

Standing on the other side of the bank, she was running a hand through her hair.

I was entranced.

Jesus.

She was like a goddess.

It was like out of a cheesy movie scene. The moonlight sparkled on her golden hair. There were some darker strands that I saw now too. A slight mist was in the air, settled over the river and pooling around her feet. The only thing that was different was her clothing. There was no long flowing dress. She wore what any other woman would’ve worn, just a sweatshirt and jeans that were snug on her. She’d rolled them up so they ended above her knees, and when she moved back, I saw she wore regular sneakers. They were the kind used for hiking, which made sense.

Christ.

I almost laughed at myself. I’d been so convinced she was a ghost.

“You’re a real person.”

I hadn’t realized I spoke until her head jerked up. Her eyes found me, and she began to turn away.

“Don’t!” I started for her, my hand in the air, but I forced myself to stop. I’d spook her for sure then. When she didn’t move any farther, I softened my voice and added, “Please don’t.”

This was surreal.

When I saw she still wasn’t leaving, I took a step closer, lowering my hand. “I’m Brody. I’m working here on a movie.”

Her eyes widened, but she lifted her head to fully look at me. The flight instinct was waning toward curiosity. I could see how her lips parted, and she moved a strand of hair out of her way to see me better. Her eyes narrowed, and her head tilted up questioningly. “You’re famous.”

“I . . . uh . . . yeah.”

Again. Thousands of women swooned over me. This girl had me stuttering.

After clearing my throat, I said, “Can I ask, just so I know for myself, but . . . are you a fucking ghost?” Shit. What if she was one of those girls who was proper-like? I raked my hand through my hair. “I mean, are you—” Yeah. Anyway I sliced it—even taking out the curse word—I still sounded nuts.

She laughed.

She was laughing. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. The sound came out of her in waves and then she was shaking her head.

I found myself smiling, but I didn’t know why.

“Oh man.” She wiped at her eyes, her laughter beginning to fade. “I haven’t laughed like that for a while.”

“Yeah?” I was an idiot for feeling proud of that. Yep, I even had a boner like I used to walk around with in junior high. What was next? Fucking wet dreams again? I made a mental note to lay off the bourbon at night.

I gentled my smile, ducking my head a little. “I’m glad.”

I was flirting with her. I wasn’t ashamed. I was going to reel her in because, dammit, I needed her in a way I didn’t fully comprehend.

She laughed again. “Thank you. That was nice.”

“Can I ask what your name is?”

She swallowed, her eyes widening again.

I didn’t think she was going to answer.

Then, so softly I almost didn’t hear it, she whispered, “Morgan.”

“Morgan.” I nodded to myself. “And to be clear, just so I don’t think I’m going crazy, you’re not a ghost. Right?”

“No.” A few more chuckles. Her smile came back. “I’m not a ghost. I just spend a lot of time with horses. A lot.”

I grunted. “I figured.”

She nodded, falling silent.

I was searching for my next question, but I didn’t want to overwhelm her. I didn’t want to scare her away.

Then she surprised me when she spoke next. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“What?” My own eyes widened. Her words clicked in again. “A girlfriend? No.” Fuck yes. She wanted to know. She was interested.

I had hope.

I added, “I’m all alone.”

And yeah, that made me sound pathetic. This chick would think I was a loser. She’d run as fast as she could, and she could run faster than most. She had a freaking horse to do it for her. That would be a new low. A girl running away from me on a horse.

“You drink a lot.”

My head moved back. “What?”

She pointed to where my cabin was. “You drink a lot. Every night.”

A goddamn smile was stretching on my face. I couldn’t stop it. “Are you watching me?”

She shook her head. “I can smell it.”

Oh. That was new.

I gulped. “Really?”

Another small laugh, and she nodded. “Yeah.” She touched her nose. “I have better smell than normal people.”

Not the best way to impress someone.

I could only shake my head. “I don’t even know how to respond to that. Yeah.” Honesty it was going to be. “I do drink a lot.”

“Do you have a problem?”