Wilde One (20 page)

Lips and bodies fused, they moved together as the tension built. Holding tight, nails digging into his back, she exploded into a million pieces while his cry echoed in her ear. Heart pounding, she lay perfectly still, needing to hold the connection.

Finally, he rose above her. “I’m crushing you.”

“I don’t mind.”

He rolled to his side, carrying her with him. “I’m sorry, Ainslee. I didn’t mean to push you. I woke up, and you were there, so soft and warm…” He let out a shuddering breath.

She rested her cheek against his neck. “You didn’t hear me complaining.”

“I know, but—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “No buts. I don’t have any regrets. You said last night we’d work things out.”

“We will.”

She tightened her arms around him. “I’m counting on it.”

Ainslee’s stomach knotted tighter with each mile since they’d turned off the highway onto the gravel road leading to the Wilde ranch. “Almost there?”

“Getting close.” Griff glanced over and smiled. “Our spread is pretty isolated.”

“I’ll say. I haven’t seen anything but herds of cows and grass for a while now, not since we passed that white house on the little rise.”

“The Dixons are our closest neighbors.” He gave her another, longer look. “You’re clenching your fists. Are you nervous?”

“Maybe a tad.” She grimaced. “I know, stupid. You didn’t freak out about meeting my family.”

He flashed a smile. “Your mom scared me a little.” Reaching over, he patted her hand. “Relax. They’ll love you.”

She hoped they liked her at least. Leaning back in the seat, she slowly spread out her fingers to rest them on her thighs and tried not to stress. It wasn’t as if Griff was introducing a prospective daughter-in-law, for crying out loud. When he’d talked to his mom on the phone earlier, he’d only mentioned having a friend with him. They were probably expecting one of his old buddies. Or maybe not. Maybe he brought women home on a regular basis. Her knuckles whitened. Again.

“Eden will fawn all over Pipsqueak, there.” He nodded toward Rocky, perched on the center console between them to keep a close eye on the hundreds of cows they’d passed. “My sister loves dogs. She has two border collies.”

“Let’s hope they don’t think he’s something to herd.”

“Or chase. Actually, the one he should watch out for is my grandpa’s cat. Vic, short for Vicious, comes by his name honestly, and he weighs three times as much as Mini-Mutt.”

She rolled her eyes at the nickname. “Now I have a real reason to worry. Thanks so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Griff pointed to a blur of color on the horizon. “There’s the ranch.”

As they drove closer, individual buildings became recognizable. A sprawling house, a big barn, various outbuildings, what might possibly be a bunkhouse and a little cabin off near a lone tree. Ainslee wasn’t sure of the variety, but the tree was huge. Far beyond the ranch, mountains rose toward a cloud-studded blue sky. The place looked like a postcard for a western paradise.

“Magnificent. I can’t believe you ever left.”

“My dad wasn’t exactly thrilled his sons chose other career paths to follow, but he’s over it now. Anyway, Eden’s carrying on the family tradition.”

“Good for her.” She glanced over at him and smiled. “Funny, we both come from a bovine background. Except mine is more homey, and yours is, well, wild.”

“You have a unique perspective on life.”

“I don’t want to be one of the herd.”

He groaned. “Bad joke. Really bad. Good thing we’re here.”

They drove through an arching gate with a flying W atop it then down a curving drive. Griff parked near the giant, old-fashioned, red barn next to a battered work truck and a newer blue pickup.

“Painting that thing must be a chore.” Ainslee lifted Rocky down from the seat then shut the door.

“Dad wanted to replace it with a more modern one, but Grandpa threw a fit. It’s been there since Great-grandpa Hartley’s time.”

“That’s cool.” She followed him toward the log house where a wide porch stretched across the front.

The screen door opened, and a tall woman with medium-brown hair cut chin length stepped out. A wide smile curved her lips as she waited with hands on her hips. A keen, green gaze studied Ainslee for a moment before coming to rest on Griff.

“Hi, Mom.” If possible, his grin was even broader than his mother’s.

“Hi, yourself. Where’s my hug?”

“Right here.” He bounded up the steps and scooped her off her feet to swing her in a circle before releasing her. “You look gorgeous as always.”

“You don’t. You need a haircut.” Her eyes twinkled. “Introduce me to your friend.”

Taking a couple of steps back, he reached for Ainslee’s hand to pull her up the steps. “Mom, this is Ainslee Fontaine. Meet my mom, Dahlia Wilde.”

When Ainslee offered her hand, Griff’s mother took it in both of hers.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wilde.”

“Good heavens, call me Dahlia. The pleasure’s mine. Come on inside.” She stopped talking and glanced down. “Adorable. Is he yours, Griff? Did you get a dog?”

He held open the screen door. “Rocky belongs to Ainslee. We sort of acquired him on our journey.”

Nails clicking, Rocky crossed the porch and headed straight through the open door into the house. Lacking the dog’s supreme confidence, Ainslee followed. The door slapped shut behind Griff.

“Where is everyone?”

His mom glanced back as she led the way through the living room, a big open area filled with oversized leather couches and solid wood tables. “Your grandpa’s at his cabin working on a whittling project he started a month ago, and your dad rode up north. A couple of calves got stuck in a ravine, so he took Zane with him to get them out.” One shoulder rose in a shrug. “Not sure where Eden is. Working with her horses would be my guess. Everyone will be here this evening.”

“Ainslee and I need to take a ride out to the caverns, but we’ll be back for dinner if you don’t mind having it a little later than usual.”

Dahlia smiled. “I think I can manage that.”

Ainslee’s steps faltered. “We’re going
where
?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention that part?” His smile was sweet enough to give her a tooth ache. “You don’t have to go into the actual caves. You can wait for me outside.”

“Maybe I should stay here. Rocky—”

“Don’t you worry one bit about your dog. I’ll watch him for you.”

She glanced over at Griff’s mom. “Um, thanks.”

He settled his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “You’ll enjoy the ride. I didn’t say anything earlier because I didn’t want you to stew about the cave part.”

“You’re all heart.” Taking a deep breath, she entered the kitchen behind his mother. A rich, spicy aroma filled the air.

“Pulled pork for dinner. I’m making coleslaw to go with it.”

“Yum. Maybe we have time for a snack before we leave…” Griff pulled open the refrigerator door and rummaged inside.

Dahlia rolled her eyes. “That one is always hungry.”

“So I’ve noticed.” Ainslee frowned at his back. “Griff, we ate lunch a few hours ago.”

“Exactly. I wouldn’t want to faint from starvation and fall off my horse.” He turned with a plate of barbecued chicken in one hand and glanced toward his mom. “Are you saving this for a reason?”

She beamed at him. “Just you. Go ahead and eat it.”

“Great!” He set the dish on the tiled counter and pulled up a bar stool. “Sure you’re not hungry?”

Ainslee shook her head. If she had been, thinking about caves would have sent her appetite fleeing in terror. Damn, Griff. She’d wondered why he’d changed the subject every time she brought up the topic of the exact location of the next clue.

Ten minutes later, he’d devoured the leftover chicken, put the plate in the dishwasher and rinsed barbecue sauce off his fingers. “Delicious. Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome.” She glanced up from the cabbage she was slicing. “I’m not sure I understand why you’d want to take Ainslee out to the caverns, but enjoy your ride.” She gave Ainslee a hesitant smile. “You do know how to ride, don’t you?”

She nodded. “I grew up on a dairy farm. We had a couple of horses when we were kids.”

The smile grew. “Wonderful. I admit I was a little concerned. The terrain is rough, not exactly for novices.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t let her come to any harm.” Griff took her hand and squeezed before tugging her toward the doorway. He glanced back at his mom. “The visit to the caves is part of the treasure hunt I told you about on the phone. I’m pretty sure the next clue is out there somewhere.”

“Well, good luck finding it, and enjoy your ride.”

“We will. See you later.”

When he headed down a short hallway and out the back door at a quick trot, Ainslee ran a couple of steps to keep up. “Are we in a rush? You didn’t seem to be in a hurry when you were gobbling down chicken.”

His laugh rolled over her in a warm wave. Slowing his pace as they crossed the yard, he headed in the direction of the corral behind the barn.

“I guess I’m just excited to get back on a horse again. I haven’t been home in a few months, not since March when we celebrated Grandpa’s eightieth birthday. The whole family showed up for the party.”

“Sounds nice.”

“It was. Wait here for a minute. I almost forgot the tiles.”

Griff headed toward the SUV to return shortly with hats and a daypack. He settled the pink ball cap on her head, pausing to stroke a finger down the side of her cheek. As his gaze heated, he pulled away slowly, unlatched the gate to hold it open, then shut it behind her. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he let out a shrill whistle. Moments later a shiny brown horse with a black mane and tail galloped around the side of the barn to stop in front of him. A second gelding, this one with a white blaze on its nose, followed. Griff rubbed the first horse’s neck as it pressed his head against his chest.

“Hey, Bramble, I missed you, too.” Griff’s eyes were bright with affection. “When we were in high school, Sawyer and I bought this pair of colts with our own, hard-earned cash. You can ride Flint.”

Ainslee walked over to stroke the horse’s withers. “They’re beautiful, but this boy looks sad.”

“He probably thinks it isn’t fair I’m here and Sawyer isn’t. Don’t worry, he’ll get used to you.”

While they were saddling the horses, a small woman rode toward them on a Pinto mare.

“Griff! You’re home.”

The animal skittered sideways, but she calmed her with a few words before leading her mount closer.

“Hey, Eden.”

“This is a nice surprise.” Dismounting, she tied the mare to the rail then ran the remaining yards to leap into Griff’s open arms. “It’s great to see you!”

He gave the young woman a smacking kiss on the cheek before setting her on her feet.

“Eden, meet Ainslee. Ainslee, my little sister, Eden.”

Petite, with long, waving dark hair pulled into a ponytail beneath a tan cowboy hat, Eden regarded her with curious blue eyes as she stuck out a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Ainslee enclosed her palm in a firm grip. “Likewise. Griff told me you work with wild horses.” She pointed to the Pinto mare. “She’s beautiful.”

“Thanks. She’s from the most recent group the Bureau of Land Management thinned from the range. When the numbers grow too large to sustain healthy herds, they put them up for adoption. Most of the horses are crazy wild, so I try to tame them.”

“She has the broken bones to prove it.” Griff grinned. “Even more than Tripp.”

Eden shrugged. “Hey, bones mend, but no one wants a horse they can’t ride. In another couple of weeks, this one will be ready to find a new home.” She patted Bramble. “Going somewhere?”

“Out to the caverns to locate our next clue. Did Dad tell you about the scavenger hunt?”

“He did. Sounds fun.” She turned toward Ainslee with another smile. “I need to cool down the mare. Have a great ride.”

“Thanks, I intend to.” She tightened the girth on the saddle then stepped into the stirrup to swing up onto Flint’s back. “It’s been ages since I’ve been on a horse.”

Griff mounted Bramble. “We’ll be back for dinner. See you, Eden.”

With a wave, she headed over to the mare, and the two geldings moved off of their own accord. Ainslee gripped the reins and adjusted her weight in the saddle. If she didn’t think about what was waiting at the end of the ride, she had a shot at enjoying the afternoon.

“Your sister seems nice.”

“She’s a sweetheart, very easy to get along with—until you piss her off. Then she’s a spitfire.” He dismounted to open the gate at the end of the corral.

Bramble trotted through, and Flint followed.

Ainslee waited while Griff shut the gate and remounted. “She must have plenty of patience to do what she does.”

“More than me or my brothers.” He gave her a teasing glance. “Time to show me your stuff, Ainslee. That horse wasn’t made for trotting. Kick him into overdrive.”

With a whoop, she galloped after him, flying across the dry prairie grass. The wind in her face and a warm, vibrant horse beneath her filled Ainslee with a boost of energy and strength. She could tackle anything. Maybe even a cave. With an extra kick, she urged Flint onward and shot past Griff. He pulled even moments later, and gradually they slowed their breakneck pace. Turning toward the base of the mountains, they gained elevation.

As the horses entered an area forested with lodgepole pine, juniper and aspen, Ainslee spread her arms wide. “Are we still on your ranch?”

“No, we’re actually in the Shoshone National Forest now. Most of our acreage stretches in the opposite directions.”

“Beautiful.” She drew in a deep breath of pine scented air. “And so peaceful. Nothing but chirping birds and chattering chipmunks.”

He pointed to a hawk circling in an updraft. “He’s likely to turn a chipmunk into an afternoon snack. Keep your eye out for wildlife. We might see an elk if we’re lucky.”

“Wow, I hope so!”

Eventually, the trees thinned, and the trail they followed edged along the base of a rocky outcropping. Ainslee’s gut clenched. If there were caves somewhere in the forest, surely this must be the area. She tightened her grip on the reins, and Flint slowed his pace in response.