Swoon (4 page)

So, like a coward, I laughed it off and scurried into the kitchen to get some water from the sink.

I felt rather than heard him approach once his boots were off. He leaned around me to fill his own glass from the tap, his body brushing mine. I shifted on my feet, willing myself to act casual.

I cleared my throat. “So, what’s for dinner?”

He stepped away, seeming relaxed and indifferent, so I chastised my heart for skipping a beat.

“I don’t know yet,” he said.

I turned and leaned against the counter, arms crossed over my chest. “You don’t know?”

He shrugged and walked over to the fridge, accidentally brushing my body with his arm. I swallowed hard and moved to sit on top of the opposite counter. I watched him dig around for a few minutes until I couldn’t take it anymore. I hopped off my perch and stomped over to shoulder him aside.

“This is ridiculous. Go feed Charlie and I’ll make us something.”

* * * *

Lawrence

I knew she’d take over. She couldn’t stand any sort of disorganization, especially about food. The girl liked to eat, to talk about eating, and to plan what was going to be eaten.

“I know you did this on purpose,” she called out as I was serving up dog food in the mudroom.

I smirked to myself. “You didn’t have to freak out, you know,” I called back. “I really was going to make something.”

“Something,” I heard her mutter. She was shaking her head as I walked in.

I grinned and playfully swatted her ass as I passed by, making her jump and toss an irritated look over her shoulder.

“You can put me to work if you’d like.”

“No. You’ll just get in my way. Sit over there and look pretty.” She pointed to the countertop she’d been sitting on earlier.

“Your wish is my command.”

She rolled her eyes and resumed her task of chopping stuff up. I watched from across the kitchen for a while but started to get bored since she wasn’t talking. I wanted to touch her again, to feel her do that thing when her whole body, including her breathing, froze for a just split second. Just enough time for me to notice. The fact that I could cause her body to react to me that way when her mind fought so hard against it was extremely interesting to me. However, at the moment she was wielding a rather large knife, and I didn’t trust what she’d do if I continued to tease her.

“I’m gonna go shower.” I slid to my feet.

She acknowledged me with a wave of her hand, still concentrating on her task.

Ten minutes later, I had to walk back through the kitchen to get some laundry from the dryer in the mudroom. I had a towel wrapped around my waist and that was it. Steph’s eyes followed me, her eyebrows raised as she sipped on a glass of wine and lazily stirred whatever was in the pan. I winked as I passed by.

I returned a minute later dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt.

She was still in the same position. “That was indecent.”

“What? The towel?”

She pursed her lips and nodded.

“Sweetheart, you’ve seen me in less. And what we’ve done together could never be considered decent. You’re lucky I was covered at all.”

She laughed loudly, taking another long sip from her glass and turning back to the stove.

I reached into the fridge for a beer and popped it open. “Sure you don’t need me to help?”

She responded without turning around. “Nope. Why don’t you find something on TV to watch and I’ll bring dinner in just a sec.”

I nodded as I walked to the living room, really just to myself since she wouldn’t look at me. Sighing heavily, I sank down on the couch and closed my eyes for a moment. I’d lied earlier. I
was
tired. Not only was I pulling long hours in the saddle, but I’d been spending most of my free time on the phone with clients from home. A couple of them were causing problems, and my dad needed me to talk them off the ledge. It’s what I excelled at.

I was startled awake by the sound of a plate being set on the table in front of me and the feel of the couch dipping as Steph sat down, smirking.

“Gosh, you need to get in better shape.”

“Shut up,” I muttered as I sat up, rubbing my hands over my face. At least now she seemed infinitely more comfortable in her own skin since she had something to tease me about. “I was just resting my eyes.”

“You were snoring.”

“I was not.” I started to laugh.

“Totally snoring.”

“I don’t snore,” I insisted.

“How would you know? You’re sleeping.”

“Someone would have told me.”

“No girlfriend would ever mention it,” she pointed out.

I shook my head. “I wasn’t talking about a girlfriend.”

“No one-night stand would ever mention it.”

“You just did!”

There was a moment of silence after I blurted that out. Steph’s eyes were wide, but when they met mine, we both erupted into laughter, doubling over, shoulders shaking. My stomach actually hurt by the time we were finished. Steph wiped under her eyes and I took a deep breath, relaxing back into the couch with a sigh.

“Let’s face it,” she said. “I’m more than just a one-night stand.”

She was leaning forward so that her back was to me as she started eating her dinner, paying no attention to what she had said.

I watched her for a minute, then leaned forward with a small chuckle. “Yeah. That’s probably true.”

Chapter 6

Steph

“W
hat are you doing here?” I asked, surprised to see Lawrence walking into my office, casually dressed in worn, faded jeans and a dark gray T-shirt. His jeans had a few holes in strategic places, and I caught myself trying to peer through them.

“Well,” he drawled, bringing my attention to his face. “Lissa and Ethan get back in a little bit. I didn’t want to be at their house when they got home.” He slowly shook his head. “Things are gonna happen that I’ll never be able to unsee.”

“That’s probably true.” I nodded solemnly. “But why are you here?”

“I thought I’d volunteer for the afternoon. If you have a use for me.”

Crap. Now I was feeling swoony. His only free afternoon and this guy showed up to volunteer out of the blue? While we hadn’t had dinner again together, we still spent a couple of hours every morning and every afternoon together, and he kept getting nicer. It was odd. He hadn’t even hit on me. Not really, anyway.

“I’m sure we can find something.” I smiled. “There’s actually a short class going on right now for first-time volunteers. One of the interns teaches it. It’s about half an hour. You wanna sit in on that while I’m getting ready for my next session? I’ll make sure you work with my group of kids.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave me his sexy little half smile, blue eyes shining. “Just tell me where to go and what to do. I’m all yours.”

Now there was a thought.

After directing him to the classroom and introducing him to Lindsay, the intern who might be looking for a new job if she didn’t avert her eyes from Lawrence’s body, I walked outside to the stables to make sure the horses were ready. My cases usually consisted of physical disabilities after an accident. Spinal injuries, amputees, sometimes traumatic brain injury. The work could aid in the rehabilitation of the body, improving strength and balance, but the most therapeutic part of what we did was undeniably the horse. People gain enormous mental and emotional power from an equine. For a child whose world has been turned upside down to be able to take control of such an animal, to feel movement they never thought they would… it changes everything.

My session this afternoon was three young teenagers. Two were girls, one was a boy, all were thirteen. Thirteen is a tough age. You pretty much hate doing everything, and your attitude sucks the majority of the time. Now take that pile of raging hormones and general irrationality and remove an arm, or a leg, or the ability to walk. The girls had been coming for a few months now. Bethany had lost her right leg from above the knee in a car accident, and Sarah had lost her right arm from above the elbow in a fire. She also had scarring from the burns over that side of her torso and partway up her neck. Fortunately the lower half of her body was unharmed or else riding might be too painful. The fire had happened a few years ago, and Sarah really began riding to help her out of depression. She’d blossomed and was soon able to ride and groom and tack up the horses, and had fast become an example for others. Bethany was a strangely positive little girl, but very timid around the horses. She mostly just wanted to walk around, but if that made her happy, then more power to her.

Now Henry was a different story. This was only his second visit, and he was paralyzed from the hips down, the result of a skiing accident that happened several months ago. He was surly and pissed off at the world and I couldn’t say I blamed him, but there was a chance he could recover at least some mobility. His parents were determined to try every available therapy to give him a fighting chance. On his first ride he’d acted tough and depressed and like he wished he were any other place in the world. But when he thought no one was looking, I could see the light in his eyes spark when the horse began to move.

I needed nine volunteers to ultimately make a three-person session work. I pretty much stood in the center and coached and barked out orders. The volunteers first stood ready to assist the kids in grooming and tacking up the horses. Then each rider had one person leading their horse and a helper on either side in case they tipped one way or another. Even though there were some riders, like Sarah, who were more physically capable than others, handlers were always present.

I’d been chatting with the parents of the kids I’d be working with for the day, getting a feel for how things had been going at home. Sarah and Bethany were having their own good-natured conversation while Henry sat in his wheelchair off to the side, arms crossed in front of his chest and staring into the ground. As the volunteers filtered in, Lawrence stuck out like a sore thumb, towering over the cluster of women. We didn’t often get helpers in the form of males. But he looked perfectly at ease amidst the ocean of estrogen. I supposed it was a benefit of growing up with sisters. Or maybe it was the knowledge that he could charm his way out of, and into, any situation he wanted.

Our regular volunteers broke off to speak with the girls they usually worked with, and I saw Lawrence immediately set his focus on Henry. He crouched by the chair and started talking animatedly, and in less than a minute, Henry cracked the first smile I’d seen from him. My heart skipped a beat as they did some weird handshake thing that I’d never understood how boys inherently know, and Lawrence stood and gripped the handles of the wheelchair, turning Henry into the barn aisle and out of our line of sight.

My attention had been swept away from the conversation with the parents, and I blinked a few times to bring myself back. I was relieved when I noticed their attention had been the same place as mine. Henry’s mom was blotting her eyes discreetly, and I smiled at her. It didn’t take much to set off her waterworks.

“New volunteer?” she asked.

“Not really,” I responded. “Lawrence doesn’t live around here, so he only came for the day. Now I’m wishing he could stay a bit longer.”

Bethany’s mom chimed in playfully with one eyebrow raised. “I bet you do, for several reasons.”

The women all chuckled while their husbands rolled their eyes. My cheeks heated ever so slightly at the inappropriate turn of the conversation. I was all about inappropriate, but I thought I hid it well at work. Guess not.

“He’s not a bad addition to the scenery.” I laughed. “But he’s just a friend. He’s a good guy.”

I walked away from the group, smiling to myself and not entirely sure why. Clapping my hands to get everyone’s attention, I began the session.

The handlers each led a horse into the yard. Lawrence and Henry came out a moment later to join the class. Lawrence winked at me when he caught my eye, and I bit my lip to keep from overreacting. The kids all brushed their horses, which stood stock-still regardless of any fumbling.

Bethany had a new prosthetic and was still learning to walk with it. She used the horse for balance, leaning into him when she needed to be steadied. The wheel of Henry’s chair had bumped into his mare, Donna, no less than a dozen times. I swear she smiled down at him fondly.

Lawrence helped Henry reach the top spots and with saddling Donna. She lowered her big chestnut head so Henry could actually put the bridle on by himself, and I could see the pride in his eyes when he accomplished the task.

When it was time for them to ride, the girls were assisted while they mounted the horses, and Henry was lifted into the saddle. Lawrence stood to his left, and one of the more experienced volunteers was on the right side of the horse. The frustration on Henry’s face was evident as he watched the girls mount. I sighed inwardly.

Honestly, this group was not compatible. But I didn’t have a say in the scheduling. My boss grouped by age. The therapy was tailored to each rider, and we had all the volunteers. So when we needed to do a group session, it worked from a physical therapy standpoint. But from an emotional standpoint, I didn’t think it was the best idea. By the end of the lesson, the girls were starting to ride independently, and Henry was being led around with a downtrodden look on his face. It wasn’t fair because he did great work, including assisted sit-ups on the horse, which wasn’t easy. Lawrence had done a great job not only with safety but with keeping an upbeat banter going throughout their ride.

I concluded the day’s program after the kids dismounted, and an aide took each horse back to the barn. The parents came out to hug their kids and congratulate them on a job well done. Henry was back to shrugging off questions until Lawrence walked back over and high-fived him. Lawrence said something to Henry’s parents, and then the boys took off the opposite direction with a wave.

* * * *

Lawrence

Life was a piece of shit sometimes.

I rolled into Steph’s house a little before six to help her get ready for Ethan and Lissa’s welcome-home dinner. Shifting into park, I sat back for a minute, unable to get Henry out of my mind. I’d felt like I knew that kid from the moment I saw him. I’d been an angry kid before. Different circumstances, but I knew that look of frustration and irritation and of blaming the world. I also knew what it was like to be surrounded by women. Don’t get me wrong, I loved me some women. But boys need other dudes around. We talk differently and act differently, and at the risk of sounding like a complete pansy, we feel differently.

Sighing to myself, I shut off the engine and climbed out of my truck. I was not in a good mood. Part of me was ready to head home tomorrow, but a large part of me wanted to stay. I wanted to work with that kid again. That was a kick-ass experience, and I wished I could help him more.

And I wanted Steph. Seeing her take charge of the lesson, helping the kids and knowing so much about muscles and movement, it just made me more of a sucker for her. And she was friendly to me. Every day. Super fucking friendly. Downright nice. I couldn’t stand it. I never really thought she meant it. That she really just wanted to be friends. That she could just be friends after that night. I could tell she was attracted to me, and I could tell how great we’d be together. But she wouldn’t back down.