Chapter 8
2376 Words
Chapter Eight
God, she was so lovely and animated when she talked about her work. It surprised him how much he enjoyed listening to her. Haley was… deep. How come he’d never noticed that about her before? Maybe because he’d been more concerned about how to get her clothes off. And fluffing his ego. Come to think of it, he’d been pretty self-centered, and it had never occurred to him to find out what made her happy. He’d have to do better this time.
And seeing her astride a horse again, smiling and laughing as they rode, made his insides melt. Although he’d have to do something about her footwear. She couldn’t go out on the range in little more than tennis shoes. He’d fix that as soon as he got the chance.
“Are we close, Axe?”
Her question brought him back to the task at hand. He reached for her map, tucked inside his breast pocket. After studying it for a second, he nodded. “Yep. Top of this hill.” Axel nudged Ricky ahead and dismounted at the top. “Need a hand?” he offered as Haley pulled Lucy alongside Ricky.
She shook her head, but then groaned as she dismounted.
Ah.
She was going to be sore tomorrow. Best to make camp here, then. No sense in adding to Haley’s discomfort. Axel began unloading the packhorse. “I have aspirin with me if you want it. Might help against sore legs in the morning.”
She grimaced and stretched. “Yeah, I’d forgotten it takes awhile to get used to riding.”
Axel couldn’t help but admire her as she moved, all lines and curves. His stomach gave a little hop. “You’ll just have to do more of it then.” He liked that idea quite a bit.
She reached for one of the equipment boxes and brushed against him, and instantly his nerve endings kicked into hyper awareness. He moved to support the box she was working to lift. “Here. Let me help you.”
“Got it, thanks.” Her voice had gone soft and husky.
Oh, please let that mean she felt this connection too. This… energy that sprang to life when they touched. He helped her lower the box, and when they stood, she was closer. Her tongue flicked across her lower lip, and he shut his eyes against the sensation that ripped through him. Fisting his hand, he stepped away. Now wasn’t the time.
Her feet stayed planted behind him. Why wasn’t she moving? He focused one of the knots on the pack. “You get your equipment set. I’ll make camp.”
Could she hear the rough edge in his voice? Axel stayed put until he heard her pick up the equipment and march off. He was nuts for hatching this crazy plan. It was an exquisite form of t*****e, being so close to her and not having her. Bracing himself as her scent invaded him, wound through him, and muddled his brain.
By the time Haley returned, he’d pitched the tent and was working on a modest fire pit. One didn’t have to dig far to hit rock in the Flint Hills. There were only a few inches of topsoil, and with the recent rains, digging was fairly easy. Wood, on the other hand, was harder to come by unless you were in the river bottoms, which they weren’t. But Axel had planned carefully, albeit quickly, and had packed enough wood for a romantic fire. At least he hoped Coop would see it that way.
The setting sun lit Coop in a halo of gold as she approached, a look of excitement on her face. Axel rocked back on his heels, his breath sticking in his lungs for a moment. There was an air of confidence and assurance about her that he didn’t remember from their youth. She’d had plenty of swagger back then, but it had matured. Softened. A shot of longing surged through him. He wanted to stand and take her in his arms, brush the stray hair from her cheek, and just… hold her. Okay, kiss her until she begged him for more, too. He swallowed the knot of emotion that seemed to have lodged itself behind his tongue. “What’s got you all excited?”
She raised her brows, dark eyes glinting. “Now, we wait.”
“Now, we eat.” He motioned to the pit. “I packed a few treats.”
“Oh?”
“How do bison brats and beans sound?”
She grinned at him, rubbing her hands together. “Perfect. I’m famished.”
“Check the cooler behind me.”
Her delighted gasp was all the confirmation he needed to know he’d scored. “You didn’t.”
“Thought you could use a refresher after your day.”
Glass clinked as she rummaged in the cooler, then he heard the hiss of two bottle caps releasing. She plopped on the ground next to him, holding out a beer. She took a long draft, and Axel stared, mesmerized, at her exposed length of neck and the way it moved as she swallowed. Shaking himself, he took a sip, grateful for the distraction of cool liquid on his throat.
“Thanks for this,” she said, lifting the beer. “I’m surprised you remembered Boulevard Wheat was my favorite.”
“I remember a lot, Coop.” And just like that, the energy between them shifted again. Grew tense and electric. Like a storm brewing. Damn. Was every interaction between them going to be fraught with landmines?
He stared off into the distance, letting the quiet seep into his pores. It was beautiful out here in the hills. Otherworldly. He couldn’t imagine a place more serene or living anywhere else. Out here, a man could think. Hell, he’d certainly done his fair share of that. Though some would argue not quite enough, given that he was thirty-two and still no closer to a wife, children, or running his own show. But that was a rabbit hole for another day. He took another swig of his beer, then settled the bottle between two rocks and set about building the fire.
“So what else do you remember?” she called softly to him.
He stilled. “Are you sure you want to open that can of worms, Coop?” He balled up a piece of newspaper and poured a little cooking oil over it, then jammed it underneath the kindling. He snuck a glance across the fire pit, surprised to find her watching him intently, a funny expression on her face.
So she did want to go there.
Huh.
The fire crackled to life, and slowly he added more kindling, then one, two, three logs. He stepped back out of the heat, and studied Coop. She’d finished her beer and set it aside. Now, her arms were looped around her knees, but her eyes were still trained on him. He circled the fire, eyes never leaving hers, and held out his hand when he reached her.
He cleared his throat and sang.
“Dance with me… under the stars of a moonless sky.” It had been too long since he’d sung just for the fun of it. But her quick intake of breath and widening eyes told him she remembered this song too. “Dance with me… we’ll grow old together, our love will never die.”
Did she experience the same bone-deep ache when the old Kaycee Starr song came on the radio that he did? Assaulted by visions of the two of them singing this song to each other out under the night sky?
Axel gestured to her again. “C’mon Coop, whaddya say?” He held his breath, along with every cell in his body as he waited for her to speak. Or move.
Anything.
When she lifted her hand to his, he grasped it like a lifeline. Relief and something like hope flooding him. In that instant, he felt like he could shoulder the burdens of the world and still come out on top. In one smooth move, Axel hauled her up and flush against him, spinning her around until she laughed out loud.
That.
Her laugh.
The sound went straight to his c**k, lighting a fire low in his belly. He’d give a left nut to hear that laugh every day.
Confidence surging through him, he sang the next line a little more dramatically as he kept spinning them. “Dance with me… in the shade of the old oak tree.”
Her eyes were bright with amusement as they moved, and together they sang the last stanza of the refrain. “I’ll swing you ’round and carry you home if you’ll just dance with me.”
An ember of self-satisfaction sprang to life. He’d always enjoyed hearing Coop sing, and as far as he knew – he hoped – she didn’t sing with anyone else. She’d always refused to karaoke. But when they were alone… singing their favorite songs had always come naturally. It meant something that she slipped back into singing with him, didn’t it? “I always thought we should have taken our act on the road.”
She rolled her eyes, still smiling. “And done what? Played dive bars and county fairs, and lived out of your pickup truck?”
He shrugged and gave them another spin. “Why not? At least we’d have been together.”
Her face clouded. “You couldn’t leave the ranch. And I don’t play guitar.”
He let go of her and staggered back, hand over his heart, and sank to his knees. “You’re killing’ me, Coop. We’d have been the greatest duo since… Reba and Kenny.” He flashed her what he hoped looked like puppy eyes.
She covered her mouth, shaking with laughter. “You’re crazy.”
“In case you didn’t know…” He launched into his best imitation of a Brett Young song he’d heard a few times. “Baby I’m crazy ’bout ya.”
Coop shut her eyes, shaking her head. But a grin curved her full mouth. “Just. Stop.” She shook her head again. “No one could make me laugh like you could.”
Pleasure roared to life inside him. He didn’t know why it was so important to him to hear that, but it was. Like she hadn’t just walked out of his life and never thought about him again. Like maybe, just maybe, she’d missed him? That maybe there was some reason she’d bolted without a word, and not just that she’d grown tired of him and decided he wasn’t worth loving.
Axel hopped up and aimed for the cooler that held dinner. “I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.” Why had that song popped into his head? He’d come dangerously close to expressing himself, and while he wanted her – God did he want her – he’d already made his move. And he’d be a fool to go there again while she was making it clear he was to stay at arm’s length. But he didn’t have to make it easy for her to keep him there. Eventually she’d give in. He could see the heat in her eyes when he caught her staring. And he’d felt it when they kissed. She wanted him too. He knew it.
He jammed the brats onto a couple of marshmallow forks and turned, nearly bumping into her.
“Here,” Coop offered, holding out her hands. “Let me help.” She took the forks from him, brushing his hand in the process.
There it was again. That zing of connection sending sparks up his arm and straight to his c**k. He was going to have to sleep outside tonight if he was going to get an ounce of shut-eye.
He set about opening the cans of beans, then nestled them among the coals across from Coop. Maybe they’d have better luck talking with something physical between them. But before he could say anything, she spoke. “So, I have to say I was a little surprised to see you haven’t settled down. I thought for sure you’d be married with kids by now.”
Why hadn’t he? Lots of reasons, including one very big one across the fire. But he’d be damned if he let her know that right now. So he shrugged. “It’s complicated. Pops keeps dangling control of the ranch in front of me and Gunn, but won’t let go. And at my age I need to offer a woman more than a bunk house on a family operation.”
Her brows furrowed. “That was enough for you once.”
“Sure, when I was twenty-three and just starting out.”
“Why didn’t you strike out on your own? You have the talent and the business sense.”
He warmed at her compliment. “Prairie’s home. And even though Pops is… difficult, I like working with Gunn.” Everyone liked working with Gunn. He was one of those people that just made you feel important. He’d never hold a candle to his brother, but his life was better with Gunn in it. “And why disrupt the family by finding something close?” He’d heard stories from Uncle Warren about how Pops had treated Uncle Monty when he’d moved off the ranch shortly after marrying his Aunt Peggy. It had only caused heartbreak for everyone.
Coop’s face twisted and flickered in the glow of the fire. “I always wanted a family like yours.” Her voice was small and sad.
“You could have had mine.” His voice came out rougher than he’d intended, but f**k it, it was true. He’d wanted to marry her. She was the one who’d kept them at arm’s length.
She shook her head, eyes dark and sorrowful. “My path lay in a different direction. You know that.”
“What path were you on, exactly?” he scowled at her. “You never would say.”
“I didn’t need to. We both knew there were no opportunities for weather people in Prairie.”
“Then why? Why’d we date for so long if I was nothing but a dead-end for you?” All the old hurt welled up inside him. He should let it go. But he’d let it go for ten years, and what had it got him? A whole lotta nothin’. And as long as they were here and she couldn’t stomp off across the prairie, he was going to press the issue.
Coop shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You weren’t a dead-end, Axe. Not at all. I loved you,” she stared at him pointedly. “At least as well as a messed up kid knows how to love a person.”
His heart pounded harder, and an ache like he’d never felt before formed in his chest.
She continued. “You had everything I’d always wanted. A family you loved, and who loved you. Stability… and you were fun.” Coop’s voice grew thick with emotion. “So much fun. I could forget my life for a little while and just feel… happy.”
Well, s**t.
What the hell was he supposed to do with that?
- Writer
