Second Chances (21 page)

Dusty
admired her observation skills. “He’s a former Iraq war vet. Moved up the ranks
in the regular Army.”

Her
blue eyes met his. “That makes sense. I imagine Special Forces carry themselves
differently because of their training. Something inside, pride, command. I
don’t know. Just something that shouts alpha.”

He
smiled in amusement. Everyone in Special Forces could pick out a SEAL just by
the way they walked. He never thought much about it, but if around another
SEAL, present or former, he could single them out in a heartbeat.
Alpha.
The term fit as well as any, he
supposed.

“Sam’s
a good guy. He’s been there and always has your back.” He couldn’t give much
higher praise than that.

She
nodded. “Sounds like you two have bonded over the years.”

“Yeah.
We’re friends. Spend time together now and again.”

“At the
shooting range?” Her eyes lit with mischief.

He
chuckled. “Usually.”

April’s
head tilted. “What does he owe you?”

“The
losing shooter pays the usage fee for the next session.”

She
took a drink. “Let me guess. You’ve never paid a fee yet.”

He
grinned widely. “Nope.”

The
waitress brought their lunch, setting a plate full of food in front of each of
them. After asking if they needed anything else, she hurried on her way,
leaving them alone once more.

“This
looks wonderful.” April eyed the oversized hamburger.

Dusty
grabbed the ketchup bottle and poured some on his burger. “They’re the best in
the county. Why else do you think Sam stops by here for lunch?”

They
dug in hungrily, eating in quiet for a while before April spoke. “I have to
return to work tomorrow. As much as I hate to.”

Dusty
recalled she’d mentioned once before this marked the last day of freedom for
her for a while. He would miss her, but knew she had to get back to work. Short
of winning a huge lottery, they both had to carry their own weight. Besides,
she might need a breather from him now and again.
Absence makes the heart fonder and all that.

“I
thought you liked your job.”

She
stuffed a French fry in her mouth. “Most of the time.” She blew out a breath.
“But, I’ve gotten spoiled these past couple of weeks. Had a ball hanging around
the stable, and I don’t want that to end.”

“Just
think, you don’t have to muck stalls tomorrow.”

She
laughed. “I’ll be cleaning up poop of another kind, probably.”

“Possibly.”
Staring at her for a long moment, he lowered his voice and threw out the
question screaming in his head. “Gonna miss me?”

April’s
face softened, before a flash of troublemaking crossed her face. “I think I’ll
miss you more than horse manure.”

Her
teasing proved contagious. He joined her with a genuine chuckle. “Hell, I hope
so.”

She
rested her hand on top of his, then squeezed. With only the gesture and the
look on her face, she warmed his soul.

He’d be
a fool to let her slip through his fingers. He might be dumb from time to time,
but he wasn’t a fool.

“Feel
up to riding today?”

Brushing
her hands off on her jeans, April glanced across the aisle at Dusty. When she’d
first boarded her horses, the near boiling temperatures outside stunted any
interest in horseback riding, though he’d mentioned the idea once before. In
all honesty, she’d nearly forgotten his offer to let her ride some of his
horses in the rapid fire happenings in the stable’s daily life. The idea
sounded wonderful, especially when evening rains cooled the day to a moderate,
comfortable level. “Sure.”

She’d
worked the past three days, one long shift after another. Now, she had a couple
of days off to recover before having to return for another one. Almost in
habit, she found herself up before dawn, hurriedly dressing, and driving to the
stable in time to help pass out breakfast to the horses and start the list of
daily chores. Staying home had been an option, but simply didn’t appeal. Not
when Dusty and her pets waited just a mile down the road.

“Great.
There’s a neat trail a few miles away that carries into the national forest.”
He picked up a couple of lead ropes.

“Sounds
nice.”

“I’ll
bring up a couple of horses. We’ll trailer them to the place.”

An idea
popped into her head. Checking her watch, she made a quick decision. “Is there
a pretty spot we can stop and have a picnic?”

Dusty
paused, glancing at her with a look filled with interest and appreciation. “I
suppose so.”

She
smiled. “Then, I’ll see about gathering up some food while you ready the
horses.”

“Works
for me.” He matched her grin. Happiness lit up his face, making him all the
more handsome, stealing her breath.

Dang, April. You’ve got it bad.

Ever
since the night they’d returned, their relationship had crept along at a
snail’s pace. She didn’t complain, simply understanding and needing them to
move slowly. Dusty could use some time to gradually enter into something more
than plain old friendship. Both bore their own scars and rushing into intimacy
could derail the train. Slow and methodical made much more sense. Even if her
body clamored for more touches, caresses, kisses. Anything and everything.

All in
good time.

Two
hours later, they stopped under a huge oak tree, the limbs spreading far and
wide, creating shade for everything underneath. Dusty chose to leave Ben behind
at the stable, citing steep slopes and a few miles of trotting to keep up would
be too much for Ben’s advanced age. The dog seemed to take the decision in
stride, flopping down in the shade of the stable as he watched them leave.

Sliding
down, April handed over the reins to her bay gelding, Latte, to Dusty. He led
Latte and the black filly, Hailey, he’d been working on breaking to saddle for
the past few weeks, under the tree and wrapped the leather leads around a low
hanging branch.

Looking
over the view, April found the trees, hills, and meadows stunning in their
natural state. The recent rains turned all the vegetation green once more,
allowing grass to grow and bushes to bloom. A myriad of colors greeted her,
making for a feast on the senses, including the delicious scent of mock orange
from a nearby shrub. “It’s beautiful.”

Dusty
walked to her side, carrying an old tablecloth and two insulated containers
filled with their meal. He raked the area. “I’ve always thought so. When I
first moved here, I spent quite of bit of time in this spot.”

His
words touched her deep. Along with the fact that he chose to share this special
place with her. A man lost and trying to find himself after leaving unending
training sessions followed by war, would need such a place. To ponder the new
meaning of life, to consider options, to work toward new dreams and desires.
She could understand what attracted him to the top of this particular rise
where you could see for miles and find no other human in sight. No houses. No
roads. No businesses. Only pristine forest, which felt little change due to
man’s hand. One of the few places still around. Wild and free, the scenery fit
Dusty like a pair of his Levi jeans. Comfortable.

“I can
see why. It’s serene. Tranquil. Like we’re the only people for miles around.”

“Yeah.”
He grinned and spread out the material. “That’s always how I felt too.”
Reaching for her hand, he tugged her to his side, then sat down.

She
promptly followed, automatically clutching one of the lunch containers and
opening it up. Peeking in, she found his goodies. “This is yours. Trade me.”
They swapped and each started unloading their meal. She bit into her sandwich
and studied the man next to her. As fit as always, the roughness of his five
o’clock shadow only added to the edgy appearance, making him all the more
appealing.

He
belonged here. Heck, he could have lived in this very area one hundred fifty
years ago and still fit in. She had no doubt he could and would fight for
everything he earned, work harder than most, and still respect Mother Nature
along the way. She grinned at the image of him with a Colt .45 strapped on his
hip.

“What’s
so funny?”

She
glanced over at him. “Just picturing you here generations ago. Complete with
chaps and gun belt. Walking around, ready to draw on the bad guys, and rid the
tiny towns of varmints.”

An odd
expression covered his face before the corner of his mouth curled up. “SEALs
are more in the shadows and have more smarts than to walk down the street in
broad daylight staring down a man in preparation for a quick draw, winner takes
all shootout. Hell, one of the villain’s friends could do you in while you’re
counting paces and waiting to draw your gun.” He chuckled. “The intent is the
same, I guess, just a different approach.”

“I
can’t imagine how big a change that must have been for you. From the military
to a stable owner.” She sipped her bottled water.

He took
a healthy bite of his sandwich and gazed across the horizon. “Yeah. I was lost
for a while. I’d changed and nothing seemed to fit any more.” He turned back to
her. “It took a while for me to realize you can’t go back. You can only move
forward, baggage and all. Find a new normal.”

“Sounds
like a good motto for us all.” She appreciated the intimate glimpse into
Dusty’s life, a tiny portion that made up a complex and sometimes puzzling man.
He had so many stories to tell, but she knew he’d hardly reach the tip of the
iceberg due to promised secrets he’d take to the grave. Too bad. But, then
again, maybe all for the better. Who wanted to remember the horrors of war when
there were other, much brighter and more pleasant memories to share?

“So, is
this a modern oracle? The place to come for answers?” She grinned over at him.

He
shrugged and smiled slightly. “Not answers per se. More like simply clearing my
head in order to see things more clearly.”

“Ah-ha.
Too bad.” She kept her face carefully schooled, though the mischief rushed to
slip out.

“Why’s
that?”

“I
could ask the oracle a few things myself.”

“Such
as?” His head tilted in open curiosity.

Waiting
a few beats, she finally answered. “Oh, I’d like to know some lottery numbers,
maybe some good investments. Whether I might happen to be growing on a certain
former SEAL.” Her words faded as she watched his face.

The
corner of his lips slowly hitched up into a full blown smile. Setting his
sandwich aside, he leaned in, capturing her lips with his. Gently, he coaxed
her, treated her to a soft merging of their mouths with a string attached to
her heart.

All too
quickly, he pulled back, his eyes sparkling with sultry longing. “Like mold.”

Her
distracted brain took an instant to catch up. “Mold?”

“Yep.
You’re growing on me like mold on the north side of a barn.”

She
furrowed her brows. “Is that good?”

A
wolfish smile appeared on his chiseled face. “I’d say really good.”

With a
happy laugh, she took the initiative this time, kissing him with the same
reverence, though more heat than before, pouring all her unspoken words into
the act. He gave back for a little bit before breaking contact once more.
Perplexed, she stared at him. With no clue to the withdrawal on his face, she
decided to ask. “Don’t you like kissing me?”

Her
face heated at the awkward question, but she couldn’t bear not knowing why he
cut the affection short when she so readily wanted to continue.

Dusty
took another bite of his sandwich and chewed, his focus on her the entire time.
“Yeah, but it’s damn uncomfortable riding a horse with a hard-on.”

“Oh.”
She blinked, surprised by his candidness, but appreciative of the honesty.
“Umm. Okay. I can understand. After all, well…”

He
shook his head and brushed his lips over her nose. “You go to my head like
potent whiskey, babe.”

After
his less than stellar record with women, she wondered if that admission proved
telling. “Is that bad?”

“Only
when I have to climb into the saddle for a long ride back.” He licked her
bottom lip, sucked it for a split second, then returned to his previous
position with a long sigh. His eyes sparked.

She
picked up her water and drank deeply even as her heart sang. This date had
already stacked up as one of the best in her life. Dusty shared his special
place with her, opening himself up section by section. Judging by his body
language, he wanted her, but respected her too much to push. Another point in
his favor. Add in his confession that she was growing on him and she felt
pretty darn good about her lot in life.

Her
gaze raked over him, noting the sexy, muscular body wrapped in typical western
wear. The clothing and rugged land fit him like a glove, adding to his overall
aura of primal male in his natural habitat, the top predator in this area. She
had no doubt he could handle just about anything, including her enthusiastic
advances.