Unbridled (20 page)

Alex saw herself in everything about this kid. The attitude, the smart mouth, the fearless way he confronted her. Against her will, a grin played at the corner of her mouth.

“While I agree with your mama on principal, I can’t always be nice. Nobody can.” She walked up to him until she could lean down and be nose to nose with him. “Now, get along little doggie, before I make you.”

He waved his hand in dismissal. “Connor says you’re nice underneath all that sass and bluster. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

With that, the little scamp ran off, leaving her with an open mouth and more confused than she’d been before she had entered the barn.

 

 

Connor woke alone, with a pile of regrets and questions. Damn, he hadn’t meant to be with Alex again, although “be with her” didn’t even begin to describe all they’d done.

He glanced at the clock and could hardly believe it read 9:02. It was obviously a cloudy day because there was no sunshine streaming through the window. Instead it was a weak gray light filtered by the curtains, barely enough to see the wreckage of the bed.

The entire room smelled musky, like sex and sweat. He rolled out of bed and looked down at the sheets. The black cock ring lay there against the cream-colored sheets. He had never used one before, but damn if it hadn’t made him fuck harder, come harder. Against his will, he picked it up.

Connor made his way to the bathroom, wondering for a moment why she had a new cock ring, but not really wanting to know the answer. The memory of her putting it on him made a shiver race down his entire body. Alex was sex personified; beneath that tough exterior she was nothing but heat and passion.

She made him hard just thinking about her.

He clutched the ring in his hand, unwilling or unable to leave it for her to find. Somehow he wanted to take a piece of her with him when he left the cabin. Connor washed quickly, and cleaned the ring, tucking it deep in his pocket.

The clock read nine fourteen when he left, full of questions about where Alex was, where they were going and how he could possibly find a way to balance his budding relationship with her and the ranch.

Too many questions and no answers.

 

 

Alex walked toward the front of the ranch, hoping to see or perhaps hiding from Connor. He’d been missing from the cabin when she’d returned from her ride. She didn’t know whether to be disappointed or glad. Their night had been intense enough to put her on the raggedy edge of bliss.

He obviously needed time away from her as much as she needed the same. Riding Rusty had been a good idea, but now she was almost regretting leaving the cabin. She knew the sexy, passionate man was already under her skin, and she needed to keep him from diving too deep into her heart.

Then there was James Howard, the sometimes scary, definitely pushy and charming neighbor who seemed to be intent on wooing her. For what end, she wasn’t sure. She had already told him how she felt about selling the ranch, and to back off from any personal contact with her. Yet he’d invited her to lunch.

Alex didn’t know if she would join him or not. As she rounded the corner and headed toward the Camaro to drive into town, she still hadn’t made up her mind.

“Going somewhere?”

Connor’s voice made her nearly jump out of her skin. She turned toward him with her heart pounding, and when she caught sight of him, it sped up even more.

God, he was so damn sexy a shiver snaked through her. Now that they’d been intimate again, their relationship had changed. While she still hated the fact that he had served as the son she could never be, she was most definitely involved with him. What their relationship was, well, she didn’t know yet.

“Into town. I need some real boots and another pair of jeans.” She shaded her eyes. “And maybe a hat.”

Honestly she probably should have followed up on the salary from her accounting work. The seven hundred dollars or so she had left wouldn’t last forever.

“I’ll come with you.”

She stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“I need some new boots too. If you’re going into Lobos, we might as well go together.” He stepped toward her, into the sunlight that caressed him like a lover’s golden hand.

She swallowed hard, caught between the lover she’d invited into her bed and the man who wanted to be. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“I’m the boss. I can take time off if I want to.” He looked uncomfortable with the notion, but she already knew he was a workaholic.

“You don’t mind shopping with a woman? You know I’ll take ten times as long as you.”

His gaze narrowed as he stepped into her personal space. “Why are you trying to prevent me from going?”

“No reason, just figured you had better things to do.” She wondered if the lie was visible in her eyes.

“Not right now, I don’t.” He glanced behind her. “That’s your car, isn’t it?”

Alex turned to view the green Camaro, which had become a symbol of her independence. “Yes, it’s mine.”

And, damn, it felt so good to say that.

“Sweet ride. Can we take it?” He was already walking toward the car.

Before she could tell him he couldn’t drive, he stopped in front of the passenger door and looked back at her expectantly. His green gaze was steady and she felt a bubble of excitement in her belly. It was her first nonbusiness outing with Connor.

“Okay, let’s go.”

 

 

Lobos looked different yet the same. There was a good-size strip mall just outside the main street. It had always been where the fall festival carnival had been held. Images of a Ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl and stolen kisses behind the cotton candy booth ran through her head. This time they were good memories, not painful ones. She smiled as they got out of the car and headed for the Western store called Denny’s Western Wear.

“Denny has the best boots, even if they might be a bit more expensive than the shoe store down yonder.” Connor was being surprisingly helpful. Their relationship had been so tumultuous, she was wary to let down her guard completely with him. If ever.

He opened the door for her and a cowbell tinkled. As she passed him to step into the store, she caught a whiff of his scent. Her entire body clenched and she had to stop herself from falling on her face. Connor grabbed her elbow.

“Whoa, there, Alex.”

She straightened up and gave him a pained smile. “Sorry. Now you know why I need boots.”

He chuckled. “Then we’ll make sure to get the ones with the no-tripping feature.”

She tried to ignore her body’s reaction, stuff it down deep in her pocket and forget it. It was damn hard.

The store seemed to be a collection of everything cowboy. From hats, to jeans, to boots, to outerwear, even some chaps and even the shorter style chinks. She liked it immediately.

“Boots are on the back wall there, women’s on the left.” Connor led her back, the smell of leather getting stronger as they walked.

There was a dizzying array of boots to choose from, more than she expected. “Um, where do I start?”

“Connor, I never expected to see you in the middle of a work-day.” A man approached them wearing a rather dramatic Western shirt with shiny buttons and serious piping. He was around fifty, with wide shoulders and chest, and red hair liberally sprinkled with gray topped by smiling blue eyes. “And with a lady. Wonders never cease. Next thing you know, you’ll be holding doors for her.”

Alex could not stop the bark of laughter from exploding.

“Shut up, Denny,” Connor growled. “This is Alex Finley.” He turned to her. “Alex, this is Denny Wardman, an obnoxious fool who knows everything about boots.”

“Hi, Denny. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand, which was immediately engulfed by Denny’s enormous paw.

“Finley? Did you say Finley?” Denny’s eyes widened. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Probably already are.” Connor nudged him with an elbow. “Let go of her hand.”

“Oh, shit. I mean, dammit, forget I said all that. My mama would tan my hide if she heard me cussing.” Denny dropped her hand and she was tickled to see the man flustered. What was it about Western men that made them so embarrassed to curse around women?

“No worries. I’ve heard much worse, even said much worse.” She grinned at him. “Now, according to Connor, you can help me figure out what boots I need.” She glanced down at the stained sneakers. “These are obviously not going to last long in a horse barn.”

Denny grimaced as he followed her gaze. “Would you be offended if I threw them away after we found you a pair of boots?”

Alex laughed. “Only if we can burn them and roast marshmallows.”

Denny turned to Connor. “I like her. Don’t you dare screw this one up.”

Now it was Alex’s turn to blush. “The boots?”

“Ah yes, first let’s measure that foot of yours.” Denny gestured to one of the captain’s chairs lined up neatly in front of the wall of boots. “Have a seat and we’ll get started.”

The next forty-five minutes were spent experimenting with boots of all shapes and colors, not to mention sizes. There was ostrich, kangaroo, snake and bull hide, then pointy toed, round toed and somewhere in between.

It was a dizzying array of everything boots, making Alex glad Denny had such a wealth of knowledge. When he slid on a pair of chocolate brown Tony Lamas made of bull hide with a round toe, her feet nearly sighed with relief.

Denny sat back and looked up at her. “Well?”

“Wow. These are perfect.” Alex stood and walked back and forth while Denny watched. “It’s like they made them for me.”

“I knew I’d find the right pair for you.” He looked like a strutting peacock as he patted himself on the back with the success of the boot-finding mission. “They’re waterproof too.”

“They’re great. Thank you, Denny. Really, thank you.” She picked up the box and winced at the price. Two hundred dollars was a deep cut into her funds, but they really were perfect. They were sturdy, comfortable as hell, and even though they weren’t pretty, there was a little bit of stitching that made them look, well, less boxy.

“And may I burn these now?” Denny held up the sneakers.

“With my blessing, yes.” Alex picked up the empty box and headed toward the front of the store, realizing Connor was nowhere in sight.

“He’s over by the hats.” Denny was right beside her and she realized he knew exactly what, or rather whom, she was looking for. “He’s a good man, had a hard life until he got here. Your daddy, well, he worked that man like a dog until he sweated out all the bad. Now he spends his time trying to prove to everyone he’s just as competent as Grant was.” Denny’s gaze was serious for the first time that day. “Judging by the way you’ve been looking at each other, things are complicated already. Just don’t hurt him; he’s hard as steel on the outside, but beneath, he’s more vulnerable than anyone I know.”

Alex had no idea about Connor, didn’t know about his relationship with her father, or that he had apparently been just as messed up as she’d been. Perhaps her father had straightened Grant out when he couldn’t do the same with her. Another reason her father had loved him, and forgotten her.

She knew it wasn’t Connor’s fault, but it damn well made her heart clench in pain.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” She made her way over to the hats on the opposite side of the store, bypassing all the clothing. She’d look for jeans another day when she had more money to spend.

Connor was staring at a line of hats sitting on a bench. The hats were varying shades of brown in different styles. He was frowning at them when she walked up.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for a hat.”

“I can see that, but I’m fairly certain these wouldn’t quite work for you.” She picked up the caramel-colored one and popped it on her head. To her surprise, it fit perfectly.

“I was picking one out for you.”

Her surprise turned to pleasure as she realized he’d been shopping for her. A man, shopping for
her
. What a strange and unusual world she’d returned to, where cowboys and honor still existed, not to mention chivalry.

“That one is just a bit too light for your hair.” He picked up one near to the shade of the boots on her feet and plucked off the hat, plopping down the new one. “Try this one.”

She stared at him, trying to read what was lurking in the depths of his green gaze. He adjusted the hat, then cupped her cheek, his thumb sliding gently across her chin.

“Perfect.”

Alex leaned toward him and her lips grazed his. He sucked in a breath and leaned closer. Her arms started to rise of their own volition when someone cleared his throat behind them.

“The hat on the bill too?” Denny sounded utterly amused.

Alex wanted to smack him. She didn’t know if it was because he interrupted them or because he thoroughly enjoyed doing it.

“Yep, put them all on the Finley Ranch bill. Our new accountant will be paying it at the end of the month.” With a grin he took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

She stood there, unable to process what had just happened. Connor had simply paid for likely more than three hundred dollars’ worth of boots and hat for her without any hesitation. It had been years since anyone had paid her way, particularly Finley Ranch money. She’d relied on herself for so long, even going so far as to pay David rent on the guesthouse, much to his consternation. Having someone take care of her was as foreign as the hat on her head, not necessarily uncomfortable, but unusual. She didn’t know how to respond, particularly considering how freaking amazing his hand felt holding hers.

Alex felt young again. Her heart lightened and a smile crept across her face. Damned if she wasn’t falling in love with him, this hard-as-nails cowboy with a passion that matched her own. Oh boy, she was definitely in trouble.

Connor leaned down and kissed her quick. “Anything else you need here?”