Lace & Lassos (3 page)

But here she was and he didn’t want to screw this up again.

He held her close, loving the feel of her soft body against his, the way she felt in his arms, her familiar orange blossom scent. It carried him back to the days before he’d almost lost everything in his life that he cared about, and before he’d lost Kaitlyn.

If it wasn’t for her, he might still be in that dark place that had held him captive. She’d been there for him, every step of everything he’d put her through. She was the one who got him a sponsor, who got him into a rehab program, who continually had believed in him and encouraged him.

But he wouldn’t help himself and finally it was too much for her and she’d had to walk out that door.

As they danced, he gripped her tight, wanting to hold her, to never allow her away from him again.

It had been a huge wakeup call for him when she’d left, and he’d scrambled to put back the pieces of his life. They always called it hitting bottom and everyone’s bottom was a different place. When he realized all the words and promises weren’t bringing Kaitlyn back and he’d lost the love of his live, he was at his bottom.

As he came out of the dark place he’d been in, he’d realized he needed to more than quit drinking. He needed to prove himself worthy of her. He’d put everything he had into succeeding in the Army and becoming Special Forces and serving his country. Every day he’d thought about Kaitlyn and that she’d be there when he had proved himself.  

Of course that hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped it would, but he knew he’d always love her. And always be grateful to her for saving his life.

And now, here she was—he’d been given a second chance.

Don’t screw this up again, Cameron,
he told himself again.
Don’t screw this up.
 

Chapter 3

Perspiration rolled down the side of Kaitlyn’s face as Wayne drew her from the dance floor and away from the crowd. She couldn’t stop laughing at the way she’d just managed to tangle her feet with his on the dance floor and almost took them both down.

“Looks like I need more practice,” she said with a grin as he took her back to the side of the house and beneath the sycamore tree, away from the party.

“And I think I need to cool off.” He rested his back against the tree and held her hands in his. She was still grinning as he drew her close to him, slid his hands to her waist, and pressed her body to his.

She caught her breath as he brought his mouth to hers and kissed her. She braced her hands on his shoulders as if to push him away then found herself lost in his kiss. The years tumbled completely away, as if those years in between had never happened. That they were two young people who’d been in love forever.

Her arms seemed to slip around his neck of their own accord and she found herself hanging onto him, her knees almost weak from the power of his kiss. Memories of the good times they’d had, before his addiction, before she left him, were what came back to her. The fun, carefree days.

A kind of magic surrounded them. A magic that pushed away the years, pushed away everything that had happened in their lives to pull them apart. Tingles raced through her belly and to her limbs, and her head felt light.

His scent was warm and masculine and she breathed in, drawing him into her. His hands moved from her waist and traveled up her curves to the sides of her breasts and back down again, as if relearning her body, yet not taking it too far.

She leaned into Wayne, wanting him, needing him. She felt her hunger rise and soon she was kissing him with such intensity that she knew she could lose herself in him. Something inside her kept knocking at the back of her mind but she ignored it, pushed it aside. For the first time in a long time she felt alive.

Vaguely she was aware of voices, bringing her back to reality. She pulled away from Wayne, her palms slipping down to his chest, her breathing hard and her skin tingling.

“What you got goin’ on over there, boy?” a male voice said.

Kaitlyn’s face felt warm and Wayne held her tighter to him. “Get lost, Rich. Find another show to watch.”

The man laughed and Kaitlyn rested her forehead against the curve of Wayne’s neck. Her shoulders started to shake and he caught her by upper arms and moved her back a bit so that he could see her face. He looked concerned until he realized she was laughing.

Her sides ached as she giggled and his lips quirked with amusement. “Remember when my daddy caught us kissing by the barn?” she said when she caught her breath. “And the time your whole family ran across us at the river me in my panties and you in nothing but your birthday suit when we were skinny dipping? I about died from embarrassment.”

Wayne gave a slow, sexy grin. “We did have a gift for getting caught at awkward moments.”

She nodded and hiccupped down another laugh. “Well, it’s getting late and I think I should get home.”

He looked disappointed, but he put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him. “I’ll follow you home and make sure you get there safely.”

She smiled up at him. “It’s only a mile from here.”

He tugged on a lock of her hair. “And on my way home.”

“Not necessary,” she said as they walked toward the parked cars.

He kept his arm around her shoulders. “Where are you parked?”

She shrugged. “I walked.”

He raised an eyebrow. “A mile in the dark?”

“Hey, it’s not the first time.” She smiled up at him. “I walked it plenty from the time I was just a kid.” She pulled a small but powerful flashlight from her jeans pocket. “Besides, I have plenty of light.”

“Well, you’re not walking back tonight.” He caught her by her hand and she laughed as he pulled her toward a big black truck. She hadn’t had a drop to drink but she still felt drunk—drunk on laughter and just being around Wayne again.

She stuffed the flashlight back into her pocket then stepped onto the running board. He helped her into the big truck before he strode to the driver’s side. He took off his western hat before climbing in and set the hat on the console between them.

Her belly flipped as he started the powerful engine and backed the truck out of the driveway. It roared as he put it into drive and stepped on the gas. She looked at Wayne and studied his strong profile that was illuminated by the dashboard lights. She wanted to touch him, to taste him again.

“I was going to write you a million times.” He glanced at her then returned his gaze to the road. “I overcame my demons because of you… You saved my life.”

The ache she’d felt when they’d talked about it earlier returned. “But I left.”

“I had to have that to hit bottom,” he said. “It all worked together to get me to where I am. I wouldn’t change it. And now here you are.” He gave her a smile. “I always thought you would come back into my life.”

His words tumbled through her head as she grew quiet.

For a moment there was silence between them. Then she tilted her head to the side as they drove over the cattle guard to the dirt road leading from the Bar C. “Where do you live now?”

“I have a ranch two and a half miles from yours,” he said. “We share a fence line at your north pasture.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You bought the old Johnson ranch?”

Wayne nodded as he watched the road. “Yep. Call it the Diamond K.” He glanced at her. “Where have you been all this time?”

She shrugged. “Tempe and Phoenix. I went to Arizona State for four years and got my business degree. I met my ex my third year at ASU. We were married after I graduated with my Masters.”

“What kind of work did you do?” Wayne asked.

“I was an office manager for a tech firm.” She pushed hair behind her ear. “Steven insisted I quit once we started trying to have children.”

Her voice trailed off. It was a subject she didn’t want to get into any further. Wayne seemed to realize that and didn’t ask her anymore about it.

She studied his profile. “Your aunt said you’re a war hero.”

“I served in Afghanistan,” he said after a moment. “They think that makes me a hero.”

“Aunt Grace said you received three medals including the second highest award given in the service,” Kaitlyn said. “They don’t give that to just anyone who serves.”

Wayne kept his eyes on the road. “Lets talk about something else, Kaitlyn Barrett.”

Fair enough. They both had things they didn’t like to talk about. But she intended to ask him about it again sometime.

The closer they came to her ranch, the more the thought of going home to the empty house stirred a sense of loneliness inside her and she swallowed. “I don’t want to go home yet.” The words had come out before she could stop them. “I’d like to see your place.”

Wayne glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. She couldn’t read his expression as he said, “All right.”

Butterflies flipped around in her belly and she wondered what in the world she was doing. Just going to see Wayne’s new place…was that all?

When she studied him, his jaw looked tense. She wondered why and almost told him to take her to her house and drop her off.

She turned and stared out the window in the direction of her own ranch. The porch light was on and she could see her house beyond the grassland, a quarter-mile down from the gate. She’d left other lights on and light spilled from windows as if someone was home.

Her hand was resting in her lap. Wayne reached over and took her hand in his. He squeezed. “You doing okay?” he asked.

The feel of his hand over hers sent warmth and more butterflies through her. She linked her fingers with his. “Great,” she said softly. “I’m doing great.”

And for tonight she was. She refused to think of anything but spending some time with Wayne. Maybe they’d just have a drink of iced tea. Maybe more.

When they’d gone a couple of miles past her home, she saw the Johnson Ranch—or the Diamond K as he now called it. When they reached the gate, the headlights illuminated the diamond brand with a K at the center.

The tires thrummed over the cattle guard as they passed through the open gates of Wayne’s ranch. Her stomach flip-flopped and she swallowed down her nervousness. Why was she here? She should have Wayne turn around right now and take her home.

Floodlights came on, illuminating the yard as they drove up. He pulled the truck up to the two-story ranch house that had belonged to the Johnsons for as long as she could remember. And now Wayne owned it.

After he parked, he climbed out, grabbed his western hat and put it back on. He’d always insisted on being a gentleman, and out of long ingrained habit she waited for him to come around to her side of the truck and then help her out.

“Come on.” He smiled and took her hand. “I’ll show you around the house. We’ll have to wait until you’re here in the daylight to show you the rest of the place.”

She nodded. She could see dark hulking buildings including the barn and the corrals, but nothing more. The murmur of cattle and the soft whinny of a horse came from that direction.

“When did you buy this place?” she asked as they walked toward the house.

“After I returned from Afghanistan.” His expression darkened a little and she had the feeling it was something that he really didn’t like to talk about.

Still she asked, “That’s where you injured your knee?”

“Yep.” He nodded. “Put an end to that career.”

 “You don’t walk with a limp.” She glanced down. “Which knee?”

“The right.” He released her hand. “It acts up a bit depending on the weather, but for the most part it’s fine, just not good enough for a Green Beret. I was one of the lucky ones though.”

She looked up at him. “What was it like being a Green Beret?”

“Best thing I ever did besides stopping drinking.” He paused mid-step. “And meeting you,” he said softly. Then he turned and continued walking. “Special Forces made me grow up… Changed me. It helped in so many ways and allowed me to give back to my country.”

They reached the porch and she saw that the once peeling and chipped old paint had been removed and a new coat of paint applied over sanded wood—it looked like the entire house had been redone in white with forest green trim and accents.

“Our daddy did well with the ranch and when he died he took care of us kids,” Wayne said. “I didn’t want to be like the Cartwrights and have a bunch of us living together. That’s for TV. So I bought this place. I know how fortunate I am.”

“It looks great.” She let her free hand slide up the smooth dark green painted rail of the staircase as they walked up to the front door. “It looks like you’ve restored the old place.”

“There are more projects around the ranch,” he said, “But for the most part the house is finished.”

She smiled up at him. “You always were good with your hands.”

He gave her a sexy grin. “Is that right?”

She lightly slapped his shoulder. “You know what I mean.” Then she gave him a look from beneath her lashes. “But you really are good with your hands—in every way I can imagine.”

The look he gave her was enough to make thrills roll through her body. She wasn’t just playing with fire. She was starting a wild fire.

Steps creaked as she and Wayne walked up and then their shoes hit the porch. His boots made solid thumps against the wood as he moved toward the door. The screen door gave only a little squeak when he opened it and then he unlocked the door and held it open to let her into the house.

It was dark inside. He flipped on the light and she looked around the room. “It’s beautiful,” she said as she looked at the polished wood floor, the casual, masculine oak furniture with cushions in shades of brown and cream.

Western art decorated the walls and rested on some of the surfaces. A large-screen TV took up a good portion of the wall on the far right. He took off his western hat and plopped it on a coatrack to the right of the door. He took her jacket and hung it on the rack along with his own.

“That must be great to watch the Diamondbacks and Cardinals on,” she said as she looked back at him. “You always did love your sports.”

“That I do.” He took her hand and she loved the feel of his fingers holding hers tight. “Down that hall are my workout room and the guest bathroom.” He gestured straight ahead from the door. Then he jerked his thumb to the left. “Through here is the kitchen and the stairs to the second level.”