Midnight Ride (15 page)

“What?” She laughed.

“Sure. Why not?” Tyler liked the idea more with each passing moment.

He’d get to spend the evening with Janie while fulfilling his obligations. And as a bonus, her having dinner with his family might bring him one step closer to her agreeing to go out with him in public on a real date. That would lead, hopefully, eventually, to her agreeing to give a serious relationship a try. It was perfect.

“No.”

Her answer took him off guard. “No? Why not?”

“For one, your family’s not expecting me. It’s rude to show up uninvited.”

“No, it’s not. My mother cooks enough for an army. Our friends and neighbors are always stopping by to eat. Jace. Colton. Logan. And you’re not uninvited. I’m inviting you.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Janie.” He took a step closer, settling his hands on the curve of her waist. “You like me. I know you do.”

“You’re right. I do. That doesn’t mean it’s proper for me to go to dinner at your parents’ home.”

“It’s my home, too.”

She pursed her lips and shook her head and he knew arguing the point wasn’t working. Maybe he could use his lips in a more persuasive way than flapping them at her with words she’d stopped listening to. He leaned low and pressed a kiss to her mouth . . . and felt her smile beneath his lips.

Curious as to what could be funny about his kissing her, he pulled back and asked, “What?”

“If your plan is to kiss me until I agree to go to dinner with you, it’s not going to work.” When she saw his frown, she laughed. “Did I guess right?”

He refused to admit it and let out a burst of air instead. “All right. I’ll give you a pass today. You don’t have to come with me, but there’ll be no family dinner tomorrow.” He glanced at the counter, where she’d already started to prepare supper. “I’m sorry about bailing on you today.”

“It’s fine. I understand. It’ll all keep for a day.”

“Good. I’ll be back to start on that field tomorrow, as early as I can get away from Rohn’s.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

His eyes narrowed as he leaned in again and took a kiss that wasn’t half as long or deep as he wanted it to be. “Mmm, you’re very welcome. And I’ll be around for some more thanks after I’m done mowing.”

Janie smiled. “Am I paying you for your work in kisses now?”

“No. You’re paying me with good home cooking and blueberry pie. The kisses are just a bonus.” He grinned.

She laughed even as her cheeks grew pink. “Okay. It’s a deal.”

“You sure you won’t come with me to supper tonight?”

“I’m sure.”

He waited, but he knew she wouldn’t change her mind. Not tonight. He’d change it for her, though. One day. Very soon. Hopefully.

Damn, he’d never had so much trouble getting a woman to do what he wanted in the past. Maybe that was what made Janie so special.

Tyler drew in a deep breath. “Okay. I’d better get going. Tomorrow, I’ll be back.”

“I have no doubt.”

He cocked a brow. “Am I that predictable?”

“Yeah.” She dipped her head. “But I think I like it.”

“Good.” He couldn’t go without one more kiss, one that he had to physically drag himself away from. It was very hard leaving her, but he had to. “Damn. Okay, I’m really going.”

“Okay.” A smile tipped up the corner of her tempting lips.

He shook his head and turned toward the door, forcing himself to go directly to the truck without turning back. It would be so easy to say to hell with the family dinner and stay, but in the long run, it would be easier to go, get it over with, and make Tuck and his parents happy.

But tomorrow—tomorrow would be another matter entirely.

Chapter Twenty

Rene blew out a slow whistle as she stared across the field. “Oh. My. God. That man riding on that big old John Deere might be the hottest thing I’ve seen in a real long time.”

Janie followed Rene’s stare to where Tyler was cutting the hayfield. She would admit, the view was nice, but she had to think the hottest thing she’d seen lately was the heat in Tyler’s eyes as he came busting into her kitchen, intent on kissing her, and more, if he hadn’t gotten that text from home.

Although even hotter was the dream that had woken her just before midnight. It was hard enough to fall to sleep with Tyler and his visit in her memory, never mind being tantalized by him in her sleep.

In her dreams, he didn’t kiss her and leave her wanting the way he had for three nights straight. He stayed, and damn, things got hot. Molten. Just like her insides when he was around. In her dreams, he took her on a midnight ride that had her waking sweaty, her body still clenching around his, even though he’d only been there in her mind.

Rene was probably expecting some kind of response, so Janie wrestled her attention back to the present. “He is a good-looking guy.”

“Good-looking doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Rene shook her head. “Jesus, Janie. I don’t know how you get anything done with him here and looking so fine.”

“He’s not around all that often.” Janie had to think how that was a shame.

Rene sighed. “I guess that’s a good thing.”

Janie glanced at her friend. “You mean because of times like right now when we’re both ignoring your daughter, my student, because we’re too busy watching Tyler drive my tractor?”

“Eh, she’s only cooling down the horse.” Rene waved off Janie’s concern with a hand. “She’ll be fine.”

Shaking her head, Janie forced herself to turn back to face the ring. “That’s good, Khriste. You can bring her back to the barn. I’ll help you unsaddle her and then we’ll hose her down. Okay?”

“Can’t Tyler help me, like he did the last time?”

“We’d all love to have Tyler come and help like the last time, sweetie.” Rene shot Janie a knowing glance. “But it looks like he’s busy working right now.”

“I wish I could ride in the tractor with him. It looks like fun.”

“It sure does. Doesn’t it, Aunt Janie?” Rene’s words were heavy with suggestion. “Wouldn’t riding with Tyler be fun?”

Out of the mouths of babes
. . .

“I’m sure.” Janie shot her friend a glance. “But your mother’s right, Khriste. Tyler is very busy right now and we have to let him get his work done. Come on. I’ll help you. Let’s get Bella unsaddled.”

Rene was right about one thing—Tyler sure was a distraction. Janie had been working with horses for as long as she could remember, but just knowing he was on the property—in her line of sight every time she turned around—had her concentrating twice as hard to complete even the simplest tasks. It had her marking his progress across the hayfield, anticipating when he’d be done.

It was truly horrible, and she should be ashamed of herself, but she hoped Rene and Khriste would be gone by the time he was finished for the day so she could be alone with him. Khriste was her goddaughter. Rene, her best friend since childhood. Janie loved them both, but they’d always been in her life, and she knew they always would be. Tyler, she wasn’t so sure of. His continuing presence was iffy at best. That made her want to absorb every second with him she could.

“Okay, Janie. I get it.”

She glanced up at Rene. “Get what?”

“Why you didn’t want me fixing you up with the guy at church.”

“Um, first of all, I don’t want you fixing me up with anyone. But in particular not that guy. He’s kind of creepy and he hates horses. What in the world possessed you to think—”

“It’s way more than all of that, and you know it.” Rene’s gaze focused past Janie. “Oh, so much more.”

As the memories of the handful of kisses she’d shared with Tyler had her cheeks heating, Janie had to hope Rene wouldn’t notice. Offense seemed the best defense here. She was about to lay into Rene, tell her to mind her own business when it came to her love life, when Khriste dropped the sponge she’d been using to wash Bella back into the bucket.

“Tyler! You missed my lesson. You wanna help me finish giving Bella her bath?” The girl took off running and Janie didn’t need to look to know where or why. That much was obvious.

Janie turned in time to see Tyler grin down at the little girl before he scooped her up and slung her onto his hip.

“Hey there, darlin’. That’s exactly what I’m fixin’ to do. Help you with Bella.”

“I already washed most of her with the sponge, but now I have to hose her off, then dry her, then put her back.”

“Okay. We can do that. It’s a hot one today. I might join her under the hose.” He carried Khriste toward them and then swung her down. He set her on the ground next to the horse and turned toward Janie and Rene. “Afternoon, ladies.”

The raw charm of his smile and the easy tip of his hat during that greeting was enough to melt any woman’s heart, but especially Janie’s as she remembered the feel of those lips against hers. How he’d ditched his hat to kiss her in the truck.

“Tyler.” Rene smiled wide. “Very nice to see you again.”

“Sorry I didn’t come right over when I got here. I saw you were in a lesson, so rather than bothering you, I just hopped on the tractor and started mowing. I hope you don’t mind.” He directed the last to Janie, forcing her to find words.

“That’s fine. I don’t mind at all. You’re helping me. You do what you want to do, whenever you want.” That had come out sounding kind of suggestive. “Um, anyway, thank you again.”

Her face felt hot just from talking to him. Or maybe it was how she could almost feel the heat in his eyes. Knowing Rene was watching her like a hawk—watching both of them—didn’t help, either.

He waved away her thanks. “It’s nothing, Janie. I wanna help.”

“It is something. And I appreciate it.”

His gaze grew more intense as it focused on her. “It’s my pleasure. Anything for you.”

Janie looked over at her friend, afraid of what reaction she’d find. Brows raised, eyes cutting between her and Tyler, Rene cleared her throat and said, “Well, we should probably get going. Khriste, time for us to head home.”

It seemed Rene was still playing matchmaker, only this time her goal was to leave Tyler and Janie alone.

“But, Mom, we’re not done with Bella yet.”

“Then hurry and finish up. Aunt Janie has other things she needs to do.”

Tyler grabbed the bucket and moved it out of the way. “I’ll get Bella all settled, but then I’ll have to get moving myself.”

That caught Janie’s attention. Was he in a rush to finish and go? Why? “If you have to leave, I’ll finish with the horse.”

“I meant get back to work.” His eyes cut to Janie. “I’ve got about another two hours to finish the first field. But I should be done by suppertime.” He smiled as he dropped that reminder about her promising to cook him dinner.

Tyler bent to pick up the hose and Janie’s eyes followed the move, watching the denim tighten across his ass in the process and feeling even more grateful he wasn’t in any rush to leave. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rene watching him, too. That was one way to get Rene’s focus off her—parade Tyler’s fine butt in front of her.

Khriste seemed to be the only one who wasn’t ogling Tyler and his assets, and that was because she was only nine, but even at that tender age she’d fallen prey to his charm and his smile. That much was obvious from the way her eyes lit up when he came around.

It seemed no female, young or old, was immune to Tyler’s charm. That scared the hell out of Janie, as it should, but not enough to make her stop wanting him.

Chapter Twenty-One

It was a hot, dirty, sweaty job, but that wasn’t the reason he was in such a rush to get the field finished. Janie, back at the house cooking him dinner, was.

Swath by swath, the hay fell to the blades of the mower he towed behind the tractor. It was mind-numbingly repetitive work, but he didn’t mind, because he had a lot to think about. The agony of being torn between trying to keep things slow with Janie and wanting to push their relationship along kept him plenty occupied.

Not that Tyler had the final say in the matter. Janie said yes, and no, according to her own free will.

What was unsettling was that she was willing to spend time with him, but at the same time refused to let him take her out on a proper date. It was the opposite of what he assumed women wanted, which reinforced what he knew already—Janie was nothing like the girls he’d known.

The riddle that was Janie occupied his mind and made the hours go faster. Before he realized how much time had passed, he glanced up to find he had only two passes left to reach the fence line and be done. At least with this field. There was another one he’d have to tackle tomorrow, which meant he had a good excuse to come back. Not to mention he’d have to come back and rake the hay and bale it up for her once it was dry.

Yup, plenty of reasons to spend lots of time here, though all he really needed was one, and she was in the kitchen expecting him for supper. Her there, him here, it felt so domestic. So natural, and so different from anything he’d ever had with anyone before. He liked the idea of finishing up a day’s work and having a woman he wanted to see, who wanted to see him, waiting for him. It felt good.

No wonder so many of the men he knew were pairing off and getting married. For the first time ever, Tyler got it. Hell, he more than understood it. He could see himself doing it. But Janie was still fighting their relationship and he had yet to change her mind.

No problem. He liked a challenge, and it sure would be fun convincing her.

The thought of the varied and creative ways he could convince her had him grinning as he finished the field.

The delay killed him, but he couldn’t jump right off the tractor and sprint to the house, much as he wanted to. He had to put the machines away and take the time to at least hose his face and arms off.

Haying was a dirty job. He pulled off his shirt and bent over to grab the hose they’d used to rinse off Bella. The sun had warmed the standing water in the black rubber hose until it was almost too hot on his skin. He made quick work of rinsing off the dust and sweat, then turned off the water. Using his shirt, he dried his face and torso.

Bare-chested, he headed for his truck to change into the fresh T-shirt he had inside. He’d parked by the kitchen door when he’d arrived. Wishful thinking on his part that he’d be ending the night in her house and leaving past dark, so he’d want the truck close. The notion, and the desire to get inside, quickened his step.

He glanced at the house as he walked by and saw Janie standing in the kitchen doorway, watching him walk, her eyes pinned to his bare skin. She was checking him out without his shirt. Damn. That had him heating to the boiling point. So much so he nearly said to hell with it, forgot about putting on the shirt, and headed directly for her. But he needed to play it cool with this woman. Building a relationship with her would be more like a marathon than a sprint.

He slowed his last few steps to the truck. Opening the door, he tossed the dirty shirt inside and reached in for the fresh one folded on the passenger seat. He made sure he moved from behind the door so she’d have a good view as he stretched and then pulled the T-shirt over his head.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw she hadn’t budged an inch. She was still standing in the shadow of the doorway, watching, probably thinking he couldn’t see her or how her eyes were pinned to him. He saw her, all right. And oh, yeah, her stare totally made all the hours of manual labor that kept him in shape worthwhile.

Impatient to get inside, he swapped the old straw hat he’d worn to work in the field for his good one, slammed the truck door, and turned toward the kitchen.

When he saw Janie wasn’t standing there any longer, a smile tickled his lips. She’d probably ducked back inside because she didn’t want him to see she’d been watching.

Too late. He’d seen and he was so turned on, any thought of food had totally fled his mind as another, more pressing hunger took over.

He pushed through the door and directly across the room to where Janie was concentrating overly hard on the vegetables on the cutting board. It was the stance he’d become used to seeing her in, but he’d never get used to the way his heart pounded the nearer he got to her.

At the sound of the door closing, she’d turned. She put the knife in her hand down as he strode toward her. Smart move, since he had no intention of slowing down, even if the blade was frighteningly long.

“Done for the day?” The casual question didn’t match her heated expression.

“I am. Done, washed up, fresh T-shirt . . . but you know that already.” He grinned as her cheeks turned pink. He reached out and reeled her in to him. “Come here and kiss me.”

“Okay.”

“You let me kiss you, but you won’t let me take you out on a date.” He shook his head. “Maybe I’m going about this the wrong way. Maybe I need to convince you that you can’t live without me.”

She raised her brows. “How are you going to do that?”

“I’ll show you.” He pressed closer as his hands roamed down her body. “But it might take all night. That okay with you?”

“I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

He groaned at that response and leaned low to close the small distance between them. “Good.”

The kiss he’d started out controlling soon took control of him, fueled by the feel of her hands on his hips holding him close, the knowledge she’d been watching him strip outside, her tongue battling with his.... It all combined to take hold of him, and he gave in.

At the pace they were going, there was only one way this night could end. He pulled back just far enough to say, “You have to tell me if you want me to stop, because if you don’t, I’m not going to.”

Her eyes were heavily lidded as she shook her head. “I don’t want you to stop.”

The breath he dragged in after hearing her answer made his chest feel even tighter than it had before. His hands cradling her face, he leaned in, intent on taking her mouth again when she said, “Do you want to go upstairs?”

That stopped his motion. Heart pounding, he went still, holding on to the last vestige of his control as best he could. His answer was a definite
hell yes
, but Janie was not just any woman. She was a widow, and even without his asking her, there was no doubt in his mind she hadn’t been with another man since losing her husband.

As much as he wanted her, he needed to make certain she was ready. “You sure?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

The last of his restraint broke and he hauled her against him, lifting her feet off the ground. With an adorable squeal, she wrapped her arms and legs around him as he turned toward the doorway leading to the staircase.

“Tyler, what are you doing?”

“Taking you up to the bedroom.”

“You can’t carry me up the stairs.”

“Watch me.”

Janie had all the curves a woman should, but she was a head shorter than he and he was used to throwing bales of hay and lifting sacks of feed all day at the ranch. Carrying one woman up a flight of stairs would barely present a challenge, and he was certainly motivated to get the job done.

She looked honestly concerned as he moved to the staircase and planted one boot on the first step. “Tyler—”

“You hush up, woman. I’m not going to drop you.”

“I’m more worried we’ll both fall down the stairs and break our necks.”

“That’s not happening, either.” He could tell her the calf he’d picked up in the tie-down competition he’d won had weighed over two hundred pounds, but even in his frenzied state to get her to the bedroom, he realized no woman would appreciate being compared to a cow.

The best course of action was to show her he could easily carry her. He took the flight of stairs fast with her wrapped around him. The effort had left him breathless by the time he reached the top, but that was nothing. Just the thought of being with Janie took his breath away.

In the upstairs hallway, the sight of her flushed cheeks and soft lips got to him. He braced her against the wall and kissed her, hard and thorough, claiming her mouth as his. She unwrapped her legs from around him, and he set her feet down on the ground. That freed his hands so he could run them over her bottom before he hauled her hips tight against his.

This close, there was no doubt in his mind that she’d feel his arousal. He wanted her to know what she did to him. To know how much he needed her. The pressure of her body pressed to his only made the situation more urgent.

“Bedroom?”

“First door.” Her answer sounded as breathless and as needy as his question.

Taking Janie’s hand in his as she led the way to her bedroom, he was shaking like a virgin. It was ridiculous because that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’d been with more women in more places than he could remember, and Janie had been a married woman. It was far from the first time for either of them, but this would be his first time with her. For once, that mattered to him. It felt different and he knew why. It was because he felt different about her.

Inside the bedroom, Tyler closed the door and turned toward her. He was aware of the room— how it felt like her. Unlike the formal living room or the sparse guest bedroom downstairs, her touch was obvious in this room. Books stacked on the nightstand made him envision her in her nightclothes, snuggling against the masses of pillows on the bed and reading until she fell asleep. Cut daisies in a vase on the dresser had him imagining her picking them out in the field where he’d noticed the flowers growing along the fence line.

The room only got a quick glance before he focused solely on Janie. While still holding her with one hand, he palmed the crown of his hat with the other. After lifting the hat off his head, he set it on the dresser next to the flowers.

That was the last thing he was completely conscious of doing before the jumble of movement that ended with him and Janie, lips locked, falling onto the mattress. Lying next to her, he laced his fingers through hers and moved from her mouth to kissing her fingers. They smelled clean, like fresh vegetables.

“You smell like . . . green peppers.” He spoke as he kissed up her arm to her face before he moved to her ear, where he nipped at her lobe.

“I was cutting them. I’m making”—she drew in a stuttering breath in the middle of her explanation as he dragged his tongue down her neck—“fajitas.”

He lifted his head. “I’m invited, right?”

“Yes.” Her answer was spoken on a sigh.

“Good.” He loved fajitas, but he loved the way a tremor ran through Janie when he kissed her neck even more.

Tyler pulled the skin of her throat into his mouth and she moaned. The sound shot a bolt of pleasure straight through him. It was enough to make him suck harder. He came to his senses and stopped himself before he marked her neck.

That he had any sense or rational thought left at a time like this was astounding. It wasn’t due to a lack of desire on his part. More an instinct to protect Janie as strong as his urge to possess her. The desire to have her, all of her, was strong. He raised the bottom of her T-shirt and exposed her stomach. Leaning low, he kissed the bare skin he’d uncovered. The soft curve of her belly rose and fell beneath his lips with each of her breaths.

They both had too many clothes on. He wanted more of her, not to mention he was still wearing the boots he’d worked in all day. They shouldn’t be on top of Janie’s clean bed, but Tyler wouldn’t mind one bit if his boots spent many nights underneath while he was in it with her.

The thought twisted still tighter the need that had settled low in his gut. It was as if a fire had been ignited within him and it could only be put out by having her.

He pushed her shirt all the way up and tugged it over her head, exposing her bra. He liked the soft, feminine look of the white lace. It made a sexy-as-hell contrast with the faded denim jeans she still wore. He moved his hands down to the button at her waist.

The whole process of his undressing her seemed to be moving far too slowly given his current lack of patience, but at the same time, he didn’t want to rush even one step of it. He wanted to commit every second to memory so he could relive it over and over, every hour they were apart.

He was overdressed himself. As tempting as he found unwrapping the gift that was Janie, he had to get out of his own clothes. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he yanked off first one boot, then the other, dropping them to the floor.

As an afterthought, he glanced down at the carpet, hoping he hadn’t dragged in mud. He hadn’t exactly taken the time to wipe his boots before he’d busted into the kitchen and attacked Janie. He’d clean up whatever mess he made, later. Now he had far more important things to do.

Tyler stood and yanked his T-shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor. Reaching for his buckle, he made quick work of his belt and the fly on his jeans. He wasted no time shoving them down his legs.

In nothing but his underwear, he straightened and found Janie’s eyes on him. Her gaze roamed over him from head to toe and all the important parts in between. She realized he was watching her watch him and yanked her focus up to his face.

Pure male pride filled him and had him on the bed in seconds, kneeling next to Janie to divest her of the last of her clothes.

She wanted him. He knew that. He felt it, both last night and now. Hell, she’d invited him up to her bedroom while the sun was still up, and it wasn’t because she needed him to kill a spider or something. It was because she wanted this as much as he did. Because she couldn’t wait any longer either.