Desire (Montana Dreams Book 3) (3 page)

An ant-crawling sensation covered his neck and back. Again, no fight? No gumption to bite his head off for giving orders? “What gives?”

A smile softened her face for the first time. “I’m peachy. Have fun.” She wound her way between the garden nursery and petting zoo toward the house, her strides sure and formidable.

Bullshit!
Knowing he should do something was different from acting on it. Right now, his mind said, “No! Leave and go tend to the horse, break him, and get the hell out of Bluebird Valley.” The thing about having a conscience was that it gave the orders and demanded his legs not to put distance between them but to follow her.

He raced down the path and grasped her arm in Trina and Matt’s backyard. Moisture covered her face, and her mouth turned down. She stared at his chest, and Christ, lord help him; he pulled her close, and rested his chin on her head. She didn’t fight, didn’t say a word, just cried. As if he tugged the cork out of a watering trough, tears soaked his shirt.

His chest clenched so tight it became unbearable to breathe. When she hiccupped in between sobs, he tightened his grip and kissed the top of her head. Where did the vivacious woman go who claimed attention just by walking into a room? Ironic that he came to Divine to break a horse and found a broken woman. “Something is seriously wrong,” Trina had said. Until right now, he didn’t give enough credence to the severity of the situation. Didn’t believe she was shattered, not Cadence, the woman who tackled life head on.

In college, he’d come home the day he learned a man attempted to rob her. His sister and best friend relived the story, laughing about the mugger’s face when Cadence had kneed him in the balls. She was a woman that took care of herself and didn’t accept handouts.

She pulled in a breath and pushed away from his body. “I’m sorry.” After a pat to the wet spot on his shirt, she finished her journey to the house. He let the sting of her dismissal slip over him, in order to put his one-sided feelings in their place, behind a wall of “who cares.”

Cadence disappeared inside just as the roar of powerful motors, tearing across the field, met his ears. His brother-in-law, Matt, stopped his four-wheeler in front of him, lifted his DIVINE cap, and swiped a hand over his dark hair before covering his head. His keen eyes that once zeroed in on enemy snipers during the war inspected him. “Find out anything?” Before he answered, Matt’s brother, Travis, who looked exactly like him, dropped to the ground next to them. A light colored dog tagged along and sat beside Travis, his tongue hanging out as if he smiled.

Bradley did a mental review of the conversation. Trina, Matt, and Travis couldn’t explain Cadence’s unpredictable behavior, keeping late hours, looking miserable, and the one thing that shot a bullet through his bloodstream … her sleeping wherever. “Nope.”

“She’s hurting.” Autumn, Travis’ girlfriend, approached from Matt and Trina’s house with her ferret, Hopper, whose beady eyes looked like they were peering through a mask. Little ears stood straight up, giving the white outline around his eyes a more prominent appearance. His long, slick body snuggled into his owner in a way that said, “Yeah, I’m a bad ass.” Autumn knelt next to Rufus, her braided hair falling over her shoulder, and rubbed the dog’s short muzzle and tan fur. Hopper licked the massive puppy’s nose, who in turn swiped his tongue over the ferret, covering half of him.

Bradley rubbed a hand over his mouth and chin. “A bullmastiff and a ferret are buddies, what’s next?”

Travis laughed. “You’ve come to a zoo, expect the unexpected.”

“And watch out for the hay bales.” Autumn winked, her gray eyes sparkling as she zeroed in on Travis then patted her leg. “Hungry?”

“Sure am.” Travis gave a lopsided grin. Rufus snapped to attention and raced toward the cedar-sided house, a couple hundred yards away.

“Later.” She smiled at Travis and followed the dog.

“Rufus is well trained.” Bradley scrunched his eyebrows and took in the barn to the right of the petting zoo. “What’s wrong with the hay?”

Chuckling, Matt revved the engine. “A story for another day. We’re off to fix fences.” Travis nodded as he drove after his brother’s four-wheeler.

The screen door slapped against the doorjamb. “Trina wants to see you.” Cadence descended the porch steps and headed toward the parking lot.

This was it. This was why Trina asked him to come. To find out where she went and with whom. To spy.

He waited for Cadence to pull out of Divine’s parking lot before he waved at Trina, coming onto the porch. She crossed her arms over her very pregnant belly, eyes teary.
Darn it.
Hating that she was upset, he jogged to her, and engulfed her in a hug. “I’ll get her,” he said with his chin resting against her head. “She’ll be okay.” Dread parked in his gut with his uncertainty. “Gotta go.” With a quick kiss on her check, he made a break for his rented truck. Damn, he hoped she wasn’t off to pick up some dude.

Chapter Two

Cadence peeked in her rear view mirror. “Darn it!” The orangish-colored truck stayed several car lengths behind her for the last few miles.
Bradley!
A horse whisperer?
Tracker was more like it.

She groaned and white-knuckled the wheel, some of the tension in her shoulders easing. Trina didn’t mean any harm. Her friend didn’t know Bradley’s closeness threw her into a tailspin of irrational judgement. Hell, any thought of him had done that for years, though she used to deal with her reaction to him better.

The Dusty Spur came into view. She’d frequented the pub plenty of times during the day to read a good book and relax, and wanted to keep it out of her nightlife. But with Bradley hot on her heels, she needed a place to hide quickly and discourage him from following.

She parked her car, jogged past a row of pickup trucks, and hurried through the door. The aroma of hot oil and fries twisted her stomach and the low-lit room jerked her to a stop as her eyes adjusted. A passel of leering men leaned on the bar, adorned in cowboy boots, flannels, and jeans. Any other time, she’d talk smack on how they’d make a great calendar, minus the shirts. With Bradley sure to step inside soon, she needed to move toward men that weren’t two sheets in the wind, or under in their case, to brush him off. With an I’m-not-interested head bob at the cowboys, she circumvented them and their overwhelming scent of alcohol, and beelined toward the back.

Servers bee-bopped, winding their way through the tables, carrying trays one-handed above their heads. One waitress smiled. As she moved closer and slid pass Cadence, she realized she wasn’t the reason the young girl smiled. Nope, two delicious-looking guys who didn’t wear smug expressions, winked at her from behind the waitress.
Perfect
.

She settled in between them at a high top table, the position giving her a view of the entrance. Bradley walked in. This came as no surprise, yet her mouth went dry and heart fluttered. His rugged good looks, heightened by the red flannel shirt on broad shoulders, stood out in a bar full of cocky cowboys. The drunken men in the front of the bar nodded their welcome and women’s heads turned.
Damnit!

When she left Divine, she planned to find a guy to spend time with, lose herself in conversation, and forget about the feelings she didn’t want to face. But with women flocking toward Bradley, an odd, indescribable emotion flared, and her meddlesome thoughts grew more contrary.

He tapped his knuckles on the counter. The eager barmaid, who appeared happy to see new blood, quickly placed a mug of beer in front of him. He downed half of it; his eyes glued to Cadence.

The tingles she’d worked so hard to get rid of returned. She shifted, tried to enjoy the attention from the two hot guys—introduced as Jace and Garth—and let them sandwich her between their seats. Her eyes, darn them, wouldn’t stay off Bradley and his red shirt. The color enhanced his dark eyes, and a light covering of sexy facial hair weakened her knees.

Hearing the men chuckle, but not what Jace had said, she forced a loud laugh. Bradley grimaced and gulped his beer. Good, she got to him. He was better off without someone who didn’t face their fears and too chicken to tell the truth. She swallowed. Better off without her. To bring home the point, she touched Garth’s arm to prove the farce that Bradley didn’t interest her anymore.

But when Bradley planted his cute derriere on a barstool next to a long-legged blonde, Cadence bit the inside of her cheek. More women gathered around him, smiling and ogling him. She bit her tongue. “Ouch!”

A country band took the stage in the center of the building, and people filed onto the wooden dance floor.

“Would you honor me with a dance?” The slow drawl of the dimple-faced cowboy, Jace, snagged the corners of her lips, and she smiled.

“I’m next.” The golden-haired, more reserved Garth said.

“Who said I’m sharing?” Jace kissed the back of her hand. “If that’s okay with you?”

Surprisingly content in this gorgeous man’s arms, her determination to bury feelings, and protect her heart, came back. “Fine with me.”

He tugged her onto the dance floor, held her hand against his chest, and rested his other one on her waist. A charmer and easy on the eyes, he glided her over the floor, flowing with the music as she chanced a peek beneath her lashes at Bradley. With his eyes locked on her, he straightened and moseyed toward them. She groaned.

“What’s wrong, darling?”

“May I?” Bradley’s low baritone quickened her pulse before she responded to Jace.

His eyebrows rose, rounding some delicious chocolate-colored eyes, but his energy didn’t spark her nether regions. The greenish-blues, however, did. Body betrayal was the only way to explain her smiling at the cute cowboy and accepting Bradley’s hand. “Just one dance.”

Jace scowled his displeasure as he sauntered back to the table.

Bradley pulled her into his embrace, snuggling her close. A unique, hyper-masculine scent engulfed her and increased her primal instinct to lean against him, to press her body into his until the hard planes of his chest called out to her longing nipples. Then together, they would embrace the monsoon of need passing over them.

No! They couldn’t!
She shifted until air passed between their bodies, her stomach dropping at the disappointment. “Stalker,” she teased, falling into their easy banter. Again without thinking, she gave into need and leaned into his cheek, touching the side of her head.

“I am.” He swayed to the beat of the music, his knee inching between her legs. The brush of his body against her core sent her girlie parts on a merry-go-round. His gaze bored into hers, the light bouncing off his eyes. He squeezed her hand as he moved effortlessly over the floor. The same scenario from a few years ago flashed in her mind. He’d danced and charmed her right out of her pants, the same as he was doing now.

“You’re good, I’ll give you that. But this,” she said with a step back and waving a hand between them, “isn’t happening.”

“You’re giving yourself a lot of credit, Sparky.” Winking, he lifted his hat. “I have my night filled.” With that, he strolled off the dance floor, passed Jace, and headed to the women he left sitting at the bar.

Her emotions went on a field day, too many to figure out which to grasp and react to first. Confused, flabbergasted, mortified, and the worst, the one she couldn’t name moments ago, jealousy. They hoofed over her chest and mind, shutting down her thought process and body movement.

“Are you okay, darlin’?” Jace’s warm hands stroked her back, and he nudged her into his hard, heated body. He captured the attention of the other females in the room that weren’t drooling over Bradley. But not her. She focused on the bunny bitches smashing their breasts against her friend’s shoulder and watched how they bent over to check out their boots to entice him with their goods.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

In essence, she had. Her beaten soul reflected in the depths of Bradley’s eyes. At one time, their tightly bonded friendship held value. He would have never walked away, never passed her over to another man. And he would have never acted careless.

Mystified, she rested her head against Jace, concentrated on his caresses, and his low hum vibrating through his chest as he sung in her ear. Dreamy, flat-out romantic.
If only
the man walking out the door with his arms draped around two women didn’t occupy her desires.

****

Damnit! Cadence didn’t come home last night!
Madder than a horse with a nagging fly on its back, Bradley refrained from snapping the rope against the dirt and ground his back teeth. Negative energy wouldn’t break Thor. He needed the beautiful, ebony stallion broke as quickly as possible to get away before Cadence ripped his heart from his chest. Thor eyed him from the opposite side of the round training pen, his ears up, as if on high alert for the enemy.

Shifting closer, Bradley rested his back against the fence, not far from where the magnificent animal stood rigid. Staying quiet and relaxed would draw Thor’s attention. Once the stallion showed calming signs, by lowering his head and licking his lips, he would work him. He’d stand in the center and twirl a rope behind Thor to get him to move. As if the horse knew his scheme, he dipped his head and tossed it backwards, drawing out a snort, which ended on a rumbling neigh.

“How’s it going?” Matt asked, approaching the outside of the fence behind him.

“Referring to the horse or Cadence?”

Matt made a noise similar to Thor. “I’m not going near the Cadence topic. That girl isn’t the same woman I knew.”

Nope, she wasn’t. “She and Thor have a lot in common. They’re both misplaced.”

Matt’s focus drifted off to the mountains bordering the rear of the property. Not long ago, his brother-in-law had been the king of lost souls. Bradley often wondered if he and Travis hadn’t found Matt passed out on the footbridge back in Maryland, where he would be. Where would his sister be?

“She’s worth fighting for.” Matt cut into Bradley’s thoughts.

The sincerity in his tone stuck a lump in his throat. The five of them—Trina, Matt, Travis, Cadence, and him—had known each other most of their lives and endured difficult times together. Autumn was the newcomer, and she blended into the childhood-friend-family easily. “Agreed.”

“Think you can break him?”

Thankful for the subject change, the lump scratching his throat disappeared. The quarter horse was green but wouldn’t take forever to train. In three to four weeks, Thor would come around enough for a trail ride, maybe sooner. “Definitely.”

Matt lifted his neckline higher, covering his exposed skin. “Florida’s high and mighty rubbed some of their cockiness on to you?”

Bradley laughed half-heartedly. No chance he’d picked up their ways. The millionaires he worked for and drank with couldn’t come close to the integrity and loyalty he wanted from friends. Though, they did seem concerned about Heartbreaker. “Stating facts. I don’t get it. Cadence is one of the most capable equestrians on the east coast. I’ve witnessed her break a wild horse within a few days. What she possesses comes instinctively. Not many people have such gentleness.” The sentiment of her former self swelled his chest. “Thor is reacting to her pent-up energy. Judge for yourself.” He jutted his chin toward the stallion moving closer.

“I’ll be.”

Whatever wrung Cadence tight scared the horse. “They’re smart animals. They feel and sense problems like us.”

“You would know. You and Trina grew up around them.”

“Lived with them was more like it.” His insides twisted. “The river and you were Trina’s escape. The stables were mine.”

“She was my oasis. Still is.” Damn, he hated that he recognized the dreaminess in Matt’s voice. “I appreciate you putting your Florida life on hold.”

Bradley wanted to comment, “No problem” or “Did you think I wouldn’t?” but Matt’s downward mouth stopped him.

“Cadence quitting her job and acting out of character has taken a toll on Trina.” Matt’s heavy words sounded as if it was hard for him to speak. “With a little less than two months left in the pregnancy, her doctor insists she stay quiet and relaxed to lower her blood pressure. If she doesn’t end this nonstop worrying, she’ll be admitted to the hospital until the baby is born.”

“Another extended stay would drive her crazy.”

“Exactly. I don’t want her dealing with it.”

“Listen, I know you’re protecting my sister and may not have been forthcoming in front of her yesterday when we talked. Do you have any ideas to Cadence’s flippant behavior?”

“None.” Matt leveled stern eyes on Bradley. “Cadence needs help. Has something transpired between the two of you?”

Kicking a booted foot against the dirt, he considered confiding what had plagued him since he and Cadence slept together. He removed a work glove and wiped his nose. In his gut, he knew he hadn’t ruined their friendship. Neither of them had done anything wrong. Drunk and lonely, they shared themselves with each other. Nothing wrong with that, yet his mind preached a different story.

Yesterday in the yard, a light shone in her eyes, as it had when she teased him as a child and later when the teasing grew to flirting. The same light that revved his engines the night they slept together showed itself in fragments. Cadence’s inner beauty, the ingredient that made her vivacious and gorgeous, hid so deep within her. He wondered if it could resurface.

A sensation spread over his skin, beneath his coat. He agreed with Matt’s comment about Cadence needing help. She did. He flew to the cold state of Montana and left the warmth of the south behind to do so, but mainly he went through the motions for his sister. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

How could he react to Cadence without losing a piece of his soul? Forgetting how she had treated him was the only way. To help her, he’d have to dig into her past. The problem was her history intertwined with his. Stings covered his skin from the thought, and he blew out a breath. The reason why he came to Montana flashed in his mind’s eye.
Trina
. For her, he would do this. He’d figure out what troubled Cadence, help her work through whatever put her in a funk, and leave. She deserved happiness, and his sister deserved to have a smooth pregnancy without worrying about her best friend. And damnit, he deserved to know the truth.