Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) (9 page)

“I’m not sure. Maybe you should kiss me some more.”

“I didn’t mean to kiss you that time, let alone kiss you some more. But when you closed your eyes and sighed, I couldn’t help it.”

“Did I sigh?” She didn’t remember, but she might have. She’d felt so...cherished.

“Yep. It was this teeny, tiny exhale, as if you were surrendering to the moment.”

“That’s exactly how I felt.” She met his gaze. “You have that kind of effect on me.”

“I think we both know the effect you have on me. Once we’re in polite company I’ll have to lock that down.”

“Speaking of polite company, I think I hear a truck out front.”

He blew out a breath. “Me, too. Probably Herb. How about you go sit on that old stool beside the barn and rebraid your hair while I do a half-assed job on your van? Lunch will be served soon.”

“Okay.” She located the stool and brought it over closer. “Really, don’t worry about the van. At least the dust has been washed off.”

“And it’s covered in water spots. I don’t want it looking worse than when we started.” He picked up the hose and sprayed the van for the third time.

“I thought you didn’t care about your rep?”

“I don’t, but when Cade and Lexi see those water spots, they’ll have a fair idea why it looks like that. Rosie and Herb probably will, too.”

“So it’s my rep you’re protecting.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you.” Feeling like a princess, she sat and finger-combed her hair while she watched him dry the van quickly. Man, he was beautiful to look at. She forced herself to concentrate on her braid when she’d much rather focus on that gorgeous cowboy.

By the time she finished with her hair, he was almost done with the van. Then she heard another vehicle out front. “Somebody else is here.”

“Yeah, I heard them pull in. Rosie tells people to drop by for lunch whenever they feel like it, so they do. She always has plenty of food.” He gave the fender one last wipe. “That’ll have to do.”

“It looks fabulous.”

“No, it doesn’t. I failed to wash your vehicle properly, sweet lady.” He grinned at her. “Can’t say I’m sorry.”

She laughed. “Neither am I.”

“Go ahead and drive it back around.” He coiled the hose. “I’ll gather up this stuff and join you there.”

“How about I meet you in front of Lucy and Linus’s stall? I’d like to touch base with them before lunch.”

He smiled and walked over to bracket her face with both hands. “I like that you’re still focused on them, even after all this.”

“Everything sort of goes together, don’t you think?” She captured his hands and pressed them to her cheeks.

“I do.” He looked into her eyes.

She could see the soft glow building there and knew where it would lead. “Don’t kiss me.”

With a heavy sigh he released her and stepped back. “See you in the barn.”

“You can’t kiss me in there, either.”

“That’s what you think.” He walked away and began gathering up towels.

“Seriously, you can’t. We need to chill.”

He glanced at her with a wicked grin.

“I’m leaving.” Adrenaline pumping through her, she hopped in the van and managed to get it started even though she was quivering with excitement. Brant was becoming a little too hot to handle. But that wouldn’t stop her from meeting him in the barn in five minutes.

9

B
RANT
PUT
ON
his shirt and tucked it into his jeans before walking through the back door of the barn. Good thing he did, because he stepped right into a crowd of folks standing in front of Lucy and Linus’s stall. They’d been keeping their voices down in deference to the mother and foal or he would have heard them earlier.

Or maybe not. He was still dazed by what had happened. They were moving way too fast but he couldn’t seem to slow down and obviously neither could she.

Herb was standing by the stall with Aria, along with his foster brother and best bud, Ty Slater, who worked for a law firm in Cheyenne. “Hey.” He clasped Ty’s outstretched hand and pulled him into a bear hug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were driving up?”

“Rosie called and said you’d come earlier than you’d planned. I told her I wanted to surprise you.” Ty was all smiles as he stepped back and slipped his arm around the waist of a tall blonde. “This is Whitney.”

“Ah.” Brant took both of her hands in his and looked into her steady blue gaze. As he’d suspected from listening to Ty back in December, she was perfect for him. On Christmas Eve, Ty had been a disaster zone, but since then he’d worked everything out with the love of his life. They’d bought a house in Cheyenne and wedding bells should be ringing soon.

Brant gave her hands a friendly squeeze and released them. “I’ve heard a lot about you, ma’am.”

“I could say the same. It’s good to finally meet you.”

“Well, just so you know, Tyrone has a vivid imagination. You can believe about fifty percent of what he puts out there.”

She smiled. “Funny, but that’s exactly what he says about you. And I’ve been talking with Aria, who seems to agree with his assessment.”

“Floating foals,” Aria said. “Ty and Whitney got a charge out of that one.”

“Don’t go picking on my boy.” Herb came over to clap a hand on Brant’s shoulder. “He kids around when he wants to ease a tense situation. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s exactly right.” He chose not to look at Aria. They’d managed to ease a tense situation in a completely different manner, but what happened behind the barn stayed behind the barn.

“You never know for sure how things will go during a birth,” Herb said. “Fortunately this one was easy, but then again, having Brant there to soothe Lucy might have had something to do with it.”

“I’m sure it did,” Aria said, all teasing gone from her voice. “Plus, I give him credit for how confident Linus is already.”

“Hey, it’s not all me. I’m convinced he was born with a sunny disposition. Confidence may be his normal setting, which means we lucked out.”

“Whatever the reason, he’s adorable.” Whitney gazed at the colt. “I’ve never seen a day-old colt before, but I’m already a fan.”

“He should be a good one.” During the conversation, Brant had watched Linus’s reaction to having unfamiliar visitors. Although the foal had kept tabs on his mother, he’d also pranced around a good bit as if the company didn’t bother him. But it was probably time to get everyone out of the barn and let mother and baby rest. “Herb, how soon is lunch?”

“I’ll bet it’s ready, so we should get a move on.” Herb caught his signal. “Lexi and Cade are up there helping, and I can guarantee Rosie’s excited to see Ty and Whitney.”

Brant knew that was true. When Rosie’s boys came home it was always cause for celebration. Ten minutes later, as all eight people crowded around the kitchen table, Rosie had never looked happier. She and Herb had intended to have a big family but that hadn’t worked out. Instead they’d taken in a whole passel of foster boys over the years and had created a different kind of family.

Inevitably talk at the table focused on those days. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone brought up the day Ty had challenged him to a fight. Chances were good that Aria hadn’t heard about the incident and everyone else at the table would feel she needed to.

Ty ended up being the one to broach the subject. He glanced across the table at Aria. “Has anyone told you about the time I tried to pick a fight with this guy?” He motioned toward Brant with his fork.

She sat forward. “Nope, but it sounds like a good story.”

The energy in the room spiked and Brant sighed. He was sick to death of this tale, but everyone else at Thunder Mountain Ranch seemed to think it was an epic event that had to be relived on a regular basis. Aria represented another opportunity to dust it off.

Cade leaned back in his chair. “Rock on. This is a classic Thunder Mountain legend.”

“Absolutely.” Lexi nodded. “One of my favorites.”

“It’s growing moss,” Brant said. “Aria really doesn’t need to be put through it.”

“Oh, but I want to be put through it.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “I’ve heard vague references, but never the nitty-gritty.”

“Then here goes.” Ty looked over at Brant. “You can all see the size of this cowboy. He was almost that large at fifteen.”

“I was not.” Brant rolled his eyes. “You make me sound like Paul Bunyan.”

“Great comparison!” Lexi gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s how the other guys thought of him, right, Cade?”

“Sure did.” Cade folded his arms and smiled, obviously enjoying having Brant on the hot seat. “I’m pretty sure we had you chop down the Christmas tree every year with your mighty ax.”

“I did it once my senior year. That’s it.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Ty waved the issue away. “The point is, Brant was the biggest guy at the ranch when I arrived. I was mad at the world and spoiling for a fight.”

“In other words, a PITA,” Cade said.

“I admit I was a pain in the ass, but damn it, there was Brant, smiling at everyone, making jokes, acting as if the world was just a bowl of cherries, and it pissed me off.”

Brant groaned. “You make me sound like Little Orphan Annie. I wasn’t like that.”

“Yeah, you were,” Cade said. “A cross between Paul Bunyan and Little Orphan Annie.”

Lexi made a face. “That’s a disturbing image.”

“My point is that if Brant hadn’t been so big, guys would’ve picked on him for being so damned cheerful all the time. But we weren’t about to needle somebody who could smash us flat.” Cade looked over at Aria. “Ty, however, had no more sense than a horsefly and decided to take him on.”

“Aw, he wasn’t serious.” Brant appealed to Ty. “You were just fooling around, right? Let’s set the record straight once and for all.”

“Sorry, but they’re right. I wanted to be David to your Goliath. I wanted to wipe that irritating grin off your face.”

“So he went for the big guy,” Cade said, “throwing punch after punch, and Brant just stood there taking it until Ty ran out of steam.”

Brant shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I wasn’t in the mood.”

“Exactly.” Ty gazed at him. “You’re never in the mood to pound on someone. Eventually, I got that through my thick head and stopped hitting you.” He glanced over at Aria. “I worked out the worst of my anger thanks to him, and we’ve been best friends ever since.”

“That’s a great story.” Aria’s expression was soft as she turned to Brant. “Why wouldn’t you want him to tell it?”

“I was okay with hearing it the first twenty or thirty times.”

“We don’t tell it that often,” Rosie said. “Just when someone new shows up.”

He suddenly had a horrible thought. “Promise me you won’t tell it to the summer session kids.”

Cade laughed. “No worries, bro. We want them to tremble in their boots at the sight of you. That story’s going back under the bed while you’re the nighttime chaperone.”

“Good.” But now he wished he hadn’t accepted that responsibility. It could seriously interfere with his plans regarding Aria. “They’re arriving Wednesday, right?”

Rosie nodded. “The last one comes in around five, so they’ll all be here for the welcome dinner.”

Ty drained his glass of lemonade. “Are you ready for them?”

“Somewhat.”

“Everything’s pretty much under control,” Herb said. “Don’t you think so, Cade?”

“Sure.” Cade leaned back in his chair. “We’re good.”

Brant knew from personal observation that wasn’t exactly true. He’d planned to offer his services this afternoon while Lucy and Linus enjoyed quiet time.

Ty didn’t look convinced, either. “So the cabins are all cleaned, everything’s working in the bathhouse, the fences are all repaired, the barn roof’s in good shape, the—”

“Maybe not
all
of that’s done,” Cade said. “But Damon and Phil are due back from her dad’s tomorrow night and they’ll come out Monday to tackle some of those things. You guys are on vacation this weekend. Go have fun.”

“We’ll have fun helping,” Whitney said. “We talked about it on the way up and figured you’d all be rushing around getting ready. Let us pitch in. It’ll make us feel more like we’ve contributed to the cause.”

Rosie looked relieved. “I’d be so grateful. We didn’t notice until after Damon and Phil left that we have some dripping showerheads in the bathhouse. They’re old and might need to be replaced. And Cabin Two has a leak in the roof and a crack in one of the windowpanes.”

“I’ll leave the roof and the window to Damon and Phil,” Ty said. “But I might be able to fix the showerheads. You with me, Whitney?”

“I’m no plumber, but I can replace a showerhead.”

“That’s more than I can do,” Cade said. “You got anything that doesn’t involve hammers and wrenches?”

“Actually, I do.” Rosie looked at him. “My cleaning crew, Sister Mary Meticulous and Sister Mary Methodical can’t make it.”

Brant grinned. “You’re joking.”

“Actually, she isn’t,” Cade said. “They’re new in town and they’re biological sisters, not nuns. Their slogan is Make Us a Habit
.
So what happened? I thought we’d nailed that down.”

“They emailed late last night and they have a family emergency in Billings. I didn’t see the email until this morning, and I tried a couple of other places, but no luck. It’s short notice on a holiday weekend.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lexi said. “Cade and I can start on the cabins this afternoon.”

Rosie beamed at her. “You’re a gem. I could handle it myself except that I haven’t finished planning the menus for the first couple of weeks and obviously they’ll be different from the winter menu. I—”

“I’ll help you with that,” Aria said. “And I promise it won’t be too fancy. I could do it this afternoon, except I’m not sure if Brant needs me to spend more time with Linus.”

He shook his head. “They could use a siesta. I was planning to leave them alone for the next couple of hours. Unfortunately, about the time they’re ready for more interaction you’ll probably have to leave.”

“Yeah, I should take off around three-thirty so I can change clothes and talk with Josh. No worries. I’ll see them in the morning.” But she looked sad.

He wasn’t sure if that was because she was worried that her brother would still be uncooperative, if she was disappointed that she wouldn’t get to pet Linus and Lucy, or if she felt guilty for having fun while Josh languished in a wheelchair. Could be all of that, but he could only fix one of those issues. “Fifteen minutes earlier won’t hurt anything. Come on down to the barn about three-fifteen. I’m sure they’ll be rested by then.”

“All right.” Her smile banished the sadness from her eyes. “Thanks.”

“Hey, they’re your horses. If you ever disagree with what I’m doing, you have the right to question it.”

“That wouldn’t be very smart of me. I’m not the expert here.”

“You know a lot more than you think you do.” If they’d been alone he would have followed that comment with a hug or a kiss. Instead he turned to Rosie. “What can I help with? I can clean or work in the showers, too, if you need me.”

“Just don’t let him plan the menu,” Cade said. “I think we established last night that he has no imagination when it comes to food choices.”

Brant gave him the stink-eye. “Kids don’t want imaginative food choices.”

“You’re right about that,” Rosie said with a laugh. “So you’re welcome to sit in on the menu discussion if you want.”

He was tempted because it would mean spending time with Aria, but he wasn’t really needed there. “I wouldn’t mind, but I noticed that some fence posts in the pasture look a little wonky.”

“Yeah, that’s on the list,” Herb said. “The oldest ones out there have rotted. I picked up replacements at the lumberyard today. I thought I’d start this afternoon, if you want to help.”

“Be glad to.” He knew his foster father could still operate a posthole digger as well as the next guy, but the work would go faster with two people and they’d always enjoyed sharing a job whether it was delivering foals or digging holes in the ground.

As was the tradition at Thunder Mountain, everyone worked to clean up the kitchen before heading off in different directions to accomplish their chores. When Brant was ready to leave with Herb, he glanced toward the table where Rosie’s and Aria’s heads were bent over a couple of well-worn cookbooks. He resisted the urge to give Aria’s shoulder a squeeze before walking out the door.

“See you ladies later,” Herb said.

“Three-fifteen.” Brant knew Aria didn’t need reminding, but it allowed him to add a comment and maybe get her to look up.

She did and, bonus, she smiled at him. “I’ll be there.”

He felt unexpected warmth in his chest. It was different from the lust he’d experienced this morning, which had settled mainly in his groin. “See you then.” He walked out with Herb.

The warm feeling remained as he pictured meeting her in front of the birthing stall. And it wasn’t because he planned to seduce her, either. She needed to spend time with her horses and he’d have the privilege of sharing the experience. That was special.

He helped his foster father gather up tools and gloves and stow them in the back of the truck. Herb put on one of the battered straw hats he kept in the barn for this kind of job. Brant decided to do the same and leave his Stetson in the tack room. Those straw hats had seen a lot of use and wearing one reminded him of the old days.

Pulling the brim down to shade his eyes, he walked ahead of the truck and opened the pasture gate so Herb could drive through. Then he hopped back in.