Mountain Lion (4 page)

A
week or so later
, when Wyatt came to the barn for their usual ride, Valerie actually felt her heart skip a beat at his presence.

“Beautiful day,” he said, leaning against the barn wall and looking around. “The trees are turning. Our rides are going to just keep getting better. Well, until winter.” He gave her a bright smile, one that nearly knocked her on her butt. “I guess we better get in every good ride we can.”

“Don’t you have a big group over at the lodge right now?” she asked, combing Rose’s hair gently. “I understand if you can’t come out for rides as often.”

His brow lowered impatiently. “No. I hired someone to manage the social stuff at the lodge. I just don’t have the time. I’ve been doing too much on my own for too long.”

“Who?” she asked.

“John,” he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes. “Really? But he’s so lazy.”

“Yeah, but he likes people. And he’s good with social stuff. And all he has to do is run card games and movies and shuttle them around when they aren’t looking to do horse stuff. And since this is just some business conference, I don’t expect them to do much but eat and talk.”

She looked at him sidelong. “And you’d rather spend time with me.”

“Yup,” he said, pulling on a pair of riding gloves. “So where to today?”

She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

He was wearing a fitted flannel shirt, a cocked tan cowboy hat, and tight jeans that tucked into snakeskin boots. His blond hair was tufted by the wind and his golden eyes were calm and serene.

He looked gorgeous today, as usual.

“It’s going to be a good fall,” he said. “We have some bookings, but not too many. I’m looking to hire another person to help with concierge, but that’ll take a few weeks. People do like coming out here in the winter. For the views.”

“I’m sure,” she said hesitantly.

He went on, oblivious to the awkwardness between them. Damn her for being a naive, innocent woman who had to start falling for the one man who was nice to her.

Even if she couldn’t do anything about it.

“You good riding in the winter? We have some different protocols, but it’s good for the horses.” He went on.

“Of course,” she said. Then she hesitated.

She liked the sound of it, riding in the winter. It meant she’d still be here. But a part of her knew this couldn’t really go on forever.

She couldn’t just keep relying on him like this. She did like working here, but eventually, he’d want her to be better and move on, right? He’d hired her out of pity after all, and the bruises had long healed.

“What are you thinking over there?” he asked. “You’re being awfully quiet.”

“Just thinking about the future,” she said. “And how much things have changed since I ran. Even if this can’t last, I’m really liking it.”

“Why can’t it last?” he asked. “You can stay as long as you like.”

“Please,” she said. “One day, you’re going to bring a woman out here and marry her. And she won’t like you hanging out almost every day with your pity project.”

“You aren’t a pity project,” he said. “You’re a damn good employee.”

“I see,” she said.

“And a friend,” he said. “I’ve been way less lonely since you’ve been here.”

She wrinkled her nose. That made her feel like some kind of asexual substitute for the women he knew he should be with.

“Speaking of which, there’s this fair a few towns over. It’s a bit of a drive, but I’d love to take you there. Do some fall stuff I bet you’ve never done before.”

“Like what?”

“Caramel apples. A corn maze, if you want to do one. Maybe a haunted house.”

“Kid stuff,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

“Oh, come on. Fall’s the best season of the year!” he said, throwing his hands up. “Unless you’re scared.”

She shrugged. “Isn’t that the sort of thing you do on a date?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said. “But we’d just be going as friends. What do you say?”

She looked over at him warily. How could a man be so hot, so capable, and so incredibly stupid?

She might have had bad experiences. She might still be wary of people in general. But she wasn’t ice cold. She still was capable of having feelings, however broken they were.

And she hadn’t forgotten his touch that night on her porch. Or any other of their little accidental touches thereafter.

Sometimes she felt like the cat in her was waking up, responding to him. But that was silly. She couldn’t have much cat in her. She’d never been able to shift after all.

“Oh, come on,” he said. “Don’t say no. I’ll have to ask John or something.”

She laughed at that. “Okay, I’ll go.”

“Good,” Wyatt said. “Next Friday.”

“It’s a date,” she said, then snapped her mouth closed, hoping he didn’t take it wrong.

He just winked at her, gave her a friendly wave, and strode off.

She looked down at his ass, knowing he’d never suspect her of it.

What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.

W
yatt pulled on a soft
, pine-green fleece jacket that set off his skin well and went with his dark jeans and sneakers.

He wanted to look good tonight. Not that it would matter to Val, but since he was the one taking her on probably the first “date” of her life, he wanted to be someone she’d be proud to be with.

He thought he was doing a pretty good job of keeping things professional, even if he did really enjoy spending time with her on their rides.

She was fun to talk to, a great listener. She also knew when to be quiet, when to just be still and look at a sunset. Those moments made a deep calm and contentment settle in Wyatt.

Yes, that’s what he felt around her. Contentment.

He put his keys in his pocket, grabbed his phone and his wallet, and then shut the door to his room and headed down the steps to the ground level of the lodge.

He hadn’t expected her to be waiting inside the lobby, and his heart thumped unexpectedly when he saw her.

She looked… different.

Maybe it was just the lack of bruises on her face. Instead, she had clear, healthy skin with a hint of freckles over her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She was lightly tanned.

She was wearing a checked shirt, as usual, but it was a little less baggy, and he could make out more of her curves. There was even a little cleavage showing at the collar. Her jeans were tucked into cowboy boots that hugged her calves.

Maybe it was her hair? Her hair was down over her shoulders in natural blond waves, accenting her natural beauty.

Why had he never noticed she had such a pretty face? He supposed he’d been trying not to stare at it while it was healing, because it made her uncomfortable.

But now that he could see it and she was wearing a nervous but excited expression, he could see she was absolutely beautiful.

Suddenly, he felt a little less sure of his ability to keep things strictly friendly after all.

He gulped, his throat dry, and walked down the stairs. Her blue eyes shone like wildflowers under her blond lashes, and her small nose was wrinkled as she looked him over.

“You’re all dressed up fancy,” she said, looking down at herself. “I have nothing to wear.”

“Nonsense,” he said. “You look great.”

Too great.

She was supposed to be his friend. His buddy. Not a woman he was attracted to.

He tried to stay brisk and business-like as he led the way out the front door and over to the garage where his truck was parked. When they got to it, he unlocked it with his remote and wondered if he should open the door for her.

No one had ever told him the rules for taking a friend on a date.

He decided to let chivalry win out and opened her door. He was rewarded with a confused stare in her blue eyes as she folded her arms over her ample chest, causing her breasts to press together in a way that made his mouth dry.

“I could have done that myself,” she said.

“That’s not the point,” he said lightly, handing her into the truck and then shutting the door. He got in on his side and started it up. “I mean, you could buy your own birthday presents too, right? But why not let other people do it?”

“But it’s because I’m a woman,” she said, crinkling her brow. “Right?”

“It’s because I respect you,” he said. “But if you’d rather I didn’t, then I’ll stop.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s just confusing.”

Yeah, it was.

She had no right looking like that. Soft, pretty, and sumptuous. Her hair was long and silky and thick, making him wonder what it would feel like wrapped around his hand.

“So,” he said, starting up conversation to distract himself. “You’ve had a few weeks working with Wayne and some of the others. Do you still hate all men?”

She was quiet for a moment, and when he looked over at her for an answer, he caught her studying him with shy blue eyes. “No, not all men.”

That sent a shudder up his spine. Did that mean what he thought it meant? He frowned.

“No, no,” she said, putting up both hands. “I just mean I think of you as a friend. Like you said.”

He
had
said that, hadn’t he? So why was he so irritated to hear it parroted back at him? Friends. Friends?

Friends.

“Did I say something wrong?” she asked, looking as nervous as he felt.

“No… no,” he said, palming the wheel as they took a hard turn. She gripped her seat, and he vowed to drive more smoothly. As soon as his heart stopped pounding in his chest.

He didn’t think he’d have any problem taking her out. They’d been fine on their rides. He’d really only ever been thinking about watching out for her or when they should make a call about the men who had hurt her or making sure she was getting settled into life on the ranch.

He hadn’t ever planned to start feeling this way about her. But without the horses and nature around, it seemed much harder to focus away from the fact that she was a desirable woman and he was attracted to her.

And liked her.

And found her interesting and fun to be with.

That was dangerous.

She didn’t need one more guy perving on her. Not with what she’d been through. Not when she seemed to only want him for a friend, despite the way she looked at him.

He knew people could be attracted to someone and still not want to do anything about it.

But in his case, he did want to do something about it. He rubbed his hand over his chin and told himself to calm down. Just a simple date. No big deal.

Just a simple hangout. At night. In the dark. With a bunch of other families and couples.

Sure.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You look tense.”

He laughed. He liked that about her, that she would always speak her mind. “I’m fine. I just. Well, hell. I’ll just come right out and say it. You look nice tonight. More than nice.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I did my hair in braids so it would dry like this.”

“It looks great,” he said.

“You look nice too,” she said.

Damn, now it really did feel like a date.

“So what do you want to do first when we get there?” he asked. “Corn maze? Eat treats?”

“I’ll have to see when we get there,” she said. “I may just want to do all of it at once.”

“All right,” he said. “We’ll do as much as we can, then. I guarantee it.”

But given that he’d also promised she wasn’t his type and that he wouldn’t look at her that way, he didn’t have much faith in his promises lately.

V
al was all too
aware of Wyatt sitting next to her, looking far too good in that green fleece jacket and those tight-fitting jeans that showed off large, taut thighs.

She squirmed on her chair and couldn’t wait to get out when the truck came to a stop outside a huge clearing with lots of hung lights and decorated buildings.

She didn’t wait for him to get her door. Instead, she jumped out and ran around the truck to get a look at everything in front of her.

She was twenty-two years old. She shouldn’t be this excited to be at what amounted to a Halloween amusement park.

But she was.

There were people milling about around stands that sold delicious looking items and buying tickets for a game that involved smashing pumpkins.

There was an ominous black sign pointing toward a large barn that housed something called “The Haunted Horror.” Cheesy, but it made her grin.

She’d never minded scary things or scary movies. When they’d come on the small TV in her family’s trailer, she’d always liked watching them. Whereas her dad would rather be out drinking.

Still, observing everyone walking around her, she couldn’t help feeling uncultured. Out of place. She’d only gone to high school and then stayed home to help raise horses. And fight off Lyle.

The people around here were simple but dressed well. They’d probably travelled from nicer parts of Montana, where she’d travelled from a more remote part. And they were probably educated. Like Wyatt.

Wayne said Wyatt had completed his MBA online, to help him in running the ranch.

Maybe she could do one of those online degrees one day. If she was smart enough.

Wyatt came up behind her, making her jump. “What do you think?” he asked.

She folded her arms and tried not to look up at him. She didn’t want to look at that straight nose. Those high, carved cheekbones. That solid, male jaw. Or those glowing golden eyes.

Not to mention that thick, tawny hair.

He made her aware of feelings she’d never known she could have. She thought she was deadened to men in general. That she was broken that way and would never want them.

Now she realized it was just Lyle she didn’t want. And the other guys at camp who’d tried to come on to her.

So why did she have to start wanting the one that
didn’t
want her?

She could tell he was feeling awkward on the date. He’d been quiet and stiff in the car, and he was still walking and acting like he had a stick up his butt.

Was he that put out by having to take her here on a pity date when he didn’t even like her?

Maybe he just didn’t see her that way. She’d hoped, when she chose her tighter clothes and did her hair for him, to maybe make him notice her in a different way.

But looking around now, seeing elegant, skinny women with nice sweaters and jeans so tight they looked poured into them, she didn’t feel well dressed at all.

She looked at Wyatt, with his perfect sense of style, and knew he’d probably go better with one of those women. When he was ready to settle down. She got the feeling he was only in his mid to late twenties and didn’t seem in any rush to find a companion.

After all, he had her for now. A good friend.

She let out a little sigh and he turned to her. “What would you like to do first?”

She looked up at the haunted barn attraction and saw a couple go in, with the girl holding on tight to the man’s arm as the man laughed.

“There,” she said, pointing at it. He nodded with a small smile and walked toward it. On the way, he stopped at a ticket booth and bought tickets, and she flushed, wondering if he should be paying for everything since it wasn’t a real date.

As they walked to the barn, a plan formed in her mind. Perhaps if she pretended to be scared, Wyatt would let her grab his arm. What would that feel like? Probably all muscled and warm. The thought made her warm between her legs, and she nodded to herself to confirm.

On the first scare, she’d be grabbing him.

“You like places like this?” he asked, looking down at her with a smile quirking one side of his perfect lips. “You seem excited.”

“No,” she said. “I’m easily scared.” She lied. “But I’ve never been in one. They seem fun.”

“Well, I’m right here if you need me,” he said. But then he looked away, as if avoiding what he’d just said.

Why were things suddenly so weird between them?

There was a man counting people off and letting them through one group at a time, so they had to wait a few minutes for their turn. When it was time, the barn door opened with a spooky creak, and the host gestured for them to walk forward into the darkness.

“You ready?” Wyatt asked.

“Yup,” she said, heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t nervous about what she would find in the haunted house. She was nervous about what it would feel like to finally make a move on the hottest man in the world.

What would he do about it? Would he get mad? She couldn’t picture it. He was too sweet with everyone. Too patient.

Come to think of it, she’d never seen him really get mad at anyone. Could he really be as protective as he’d promised to be?

They walked through fake cobwebs into a dark, empty room. A chill went through her as she looked around, unable to see anything when a door slammed shut behind them.

She felt Wyatt tense in front of her and then scuffling on the ground.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s keep moving.” She heard the amusement in his voice as she walked forward, with the odd feeling that someone was following them.

When they were halfway across the room, she felt something jump out behind them, with a loud scream.

She jumped about a foot in the air and grabbed onto Wyatt. No prior planning needed. She mashed herself into his arm, scrabbling to get away from the grinning, costumed ghoul who was retreating back into the darkness.

“You okay?” Wyatt asked, gently disentangling her from him so he could look her over.

She swallowed, her heart beating rapidly. “Yup. I didn’t know they would jump out like that.”

“Stay close,” he said. “There’s a tunnel coming up. I’ll walk behind you so anyone who jumps out in the back will get me instead.”

She nodded, walking ahead of him. When she stopped, she felt her back bump into his firm, muscled chest, and she bit her lip and forced herself to move on.

She couldn’t forget the feel of his arm in the few seconds she’d been able to grab it. She wanted to do it again, but it wasn’t really possible in the position they were in.

Unfortunately, as she walked through the dark, murky tunnel they’d set up, crouching to get through, she saw someone walking up in front of them.

“Wyatt?” she asked.

“Yes?” he said. It was too dark to see him, but she could feel and hear him.

“Something’s out in front.”

“Damn,” he said. “Here, we’ll switch spots.”

She pressed up against the side of the tunnel, but it was a tight fit, and for a moment, they got stuck together, chest to chest, as Wyatt tried to move forward.

She couldn’t make out his expression in the dark, but she could hear him breathing heavily.

Was she annoying him? Hopefully not.

With a little wiggling, he managed to get around her. She reached forward, not wanting to lose him, and her arm went around his waist as she pressed into his back.

He let out a little groan, and she almost let go. Then something jumped out from behind her, and she knocked him forward, lunging into his arm and pinning it against her breasts as she stumbled into the next room.

He jerked away from her, leaving her holding nothing, and even in the darkness, she could see him staring down at her.

Her heart ached at the rejection. He was looking at her almost like he was angry, and his chest heaved up and down.

She’d thought maybe just touching him and hanging on to him would be all right. After all, everything else had been. But she’d been wrong. He really didn’t want anything but friendship from her, and right now, she was just being a clingy burden.

She broke away from him, and he tried to catch her, but she twisted out of his reach and ran off into the dark, hoping to get to the exit as soon as possible.

She just wanted to be alone with her own embarrassment right now.

“
N
ice move
, man,” the haunted house worker said, giving Wyatt a look of disgust before shaking his head and walking off to scare the next guest.

Wyatt didn’t know what had come over him, shaking Val off like that. When he saw the hurt in her eyes, the rejection, he’d known it was the wrong thing to do.

But he hadn’t been able to take it.

He let her run a bit ahead of him, knowing she needed space. Then he started walking through the rest of the haunt, all the while beating himself up for hurting her feelings.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted her holding on to him. The problem was he
did
want her holding on to him.

From the first time she’d grabbed his arm and her soft breasts had grazed his bicep, it was like lightning had gone through him. Not to mention the trust she was showing by letting him protect her.

He’d been instantly aroused.

And Val, poor innocent Val, had no idea what she was doing to him.

And then they’d gotten stuck in that tube and he’d had to endure the feel of her lush body pressed up against him and fight off all the lewd thoughts that came with that.

So he’d been drawn tight as a wire by the time she put a hand around his waist, right above the zipper of his pants, and pressed her breasts into his back.

He hadn’t even been able to breathe by the time she lunged forward and completely surrounded his arm with her soft curves.

So he’d done the only thing possible in the moment. Escape.

Otherwise, he didn’t know what he was going to do to her. Kiss her. Take her in his arms and make love to her. Break all his promises to only see her as a friend.

Who have I been kidding?
he thought bitterly. She’d always been more than a friend. He didn’t even have friends. Val was someone special. Had been since their first ride together. No, even before that when he’d been enchanted by a woman who under her hat and man clothes was braver and stronger than anyone he’d met.

She’d gone through so much, and there was more to go through in the future, as they brought her abuser to justice.

He’d keep her safe all the way. He wouldn’t betray her trust. But he’d have to hurt her feelings a little, just because if he’d let her keep her breasts up against him like that, he really couldn’t keep any of his promises.

She trusted him. He could tell by the way she reached for him when scared.

More than anything, he didn’t want to lose that trust.

So he walked through the rest of the haunt, wondering how he could make it up to her when he got to the other side. He had a feeling candy apples weren’t going to fix this particular problem.