Freight Trained (6 page)

She tracked his movements until he was out of sight, her rigid body deflating against the counter.  She was thankful for its support.  Now that Cole had gone, her head somewhat cleared, and she realized she was in way over her head.  He was way out of her league.  So far out, she wasn't even part of the league, but a spectator, sitting in the nosebleed section of the stands. 

Out of his presence, she wasn't even sure she liked him.  So far as she'd encountered, he had very few redeeming qualities.  He was gruff, blunt, and wasn't afraid to share his dirty thoughts.  Was she that superficial to get all hot and bothered over a sexy body and handsome face?  And did it even matter?  It's not as though they were entering into a meaningful relationship.

He thought her a little mouse, and to a point, he wasn't wrong.  She sorely lacked experience with the opposite sex.  Hell, who was she kidding, she had zero experience.  She'd never even been passionately kissed.  Not that she was holding on to her virginity for any special or noble reason, she'd just never felt consuming desire to step out of her box.  Until now.  He did something to her, made her feel yearnings and desires she'd never felt before and if she were honest with herself, she really wanted to explore them.  And it seemed, with his cookie comment, he wouldn't mind obliging her.   Who knew when or if she would ever feel such an attraction again.  Did she really want to miss out on such an opportunity?

She looked toward the stairs, knowing decision time was almost up, and she worried she would choose poorly.  She needed to think about the big picture
—
they were neighbors after all.  What would happen when he was done with her, could they still be neighborly (her definition of neighborly, not his), did she have that in her?  She had no doubt she'd be just a passing phase.  A man like him, with not one personal object in sight, didn't stick to one woman long or put down roots.  She may be naive, but she wasn't stupid.  If she stayed and allowed this, she knew she was walking into a whole lot of nothing but sexual gratification.  Now, it was up to her to decide whether she could live with that.

She drifted out of the kitchen, snagging the bottle of water off the counter, and made her way through the living room to a set of large French doors that looked out over the back of the property.  A barn, so big she couldn't see the whole of it from her current angle, was off to the right while a large, fenced-off area took up all she could see on the left. 

Growing up in the city, she knew nothing about horses, and it seemed horses were a big part of Cole's life
—
just another thing they didn't have in common
—
and if she remembered correctly from the conversation at the diner, one of the girls had mentioned he'd been in the rodeo.  There was so much about Cole that she didn't know, but running from him was not a way to fix that situation.

Gazing out the window, lost in thought, she didn't hear Cole come up behind her until he spoke.  "You didn't run." 

Chapter Six

She didn't turn around but could see his reflection in the window.  His hair was damp and swept back from his face, but little sections around his ears and down his neck were already starting to curl.  The spicy scent of his soap surrounded her, it was a rich, strong, manly smell that suited him perfectly and intoxicated her.  "Were you expecting me to?"

She felt a tug on her ponytail and knew he played with a lock of her hair.  His eyes were penetrating, even through the window, and it was slightly scary how easily she got lost in them, how he created a hypnotic pull she was powerless to escape.

"Yes."

He didn't elaborate or explain, and she was curious why he thought she'd run but lacked the bravery to ask not wanting to know his answer.  If she tried really hard, she could imagine herself the fierce lioness she wanted to be, worthy of the mighty lion standing at her back but hearing the truth from his lips would bring reality crashing around her, and she wasn't quite ready for her delusion to end.  Sadly, that would happen all on its own the first time she did something foolish or silly, and she, by no means wanted to speed the event along sooner. 

"What happens now?"

"Don't you know?"

She slowly shook her head.  No, she didn't know.  Did they talk, get to know each other a little first or go straight to the sex?  She didn't know the proper protocol for hooking up.

"That you don't know means I should probably stay the fuck away from you."

Her stomach gave a little lurch.  Was he going to back out just as she was feeling brave? 

"Come, I want to show you something."  He reached his arm around her, grasping the patio door handle then took her hand, entwining their fingers, leading her to the barn. 

Stepping inside, the interior, while not dark was definitely murky with only a few sunbeams from some high windows cutting the shadows, showcasing dust motes dancing in the light. 

"This handsome beast is Apollo.  He was delivered yesterday, and I started working with him today."  Cole stood in front of a stall that housed a big, black horse. 

Abby had no idea horses were so big in real life.  Truth be told, Apollo was a bit intimidating.  "Is that what you do, train horses?" she asked, edging a bit closer but still staying far out of Apollo's reach.

Cole rubbed Apollo behind his ear. "For the last three years, yeah."

"And before that, you rode in the rodeo?"

He looked over his shoulder, giving her a smirk.  "Someone's been talking."

She gave him a small smile back.  He seemed more relaxed around his horses and that in turn, calmed the lingering jitters she still had in his presence.  The last trace of rigidness in her muscles loosened and her small smile turned into a grin.

Cole's features transformed before her eyes.  The playful smirk on his lips changed into a flat line of seriousness.  He took the few steps that separated them and lightly pinched her chin between his fingers.  "Do you know how beautiful you are?"  His voice was deep and husky and vibrated through her senses, though he barely spoke above a whisper.

As usual, his eyes held her spellbound, and she was soon lost in his penetrating gaze.  She didn't think he expected an answer, but she slightly shook her head anyway.

"So fucking beautiful, you take my breath away."

He leaned in closer, and she knew he was going to kiss her.  Her heart rate picked up speed, and her breath came out in tiny pants.  Her lids slowly drifted shut, and she waited... but the kiss never came.  Her eyes flew open, her face quickly heating.  He'd stood back up but still stared down at her with a deep scowl on his face.

She took a step back, dislodging his grasp on her chin and crossed her arms over her chest.  Her stomach was one big knot.  How could she have misread things so badly, again? 
No
, her mind yelled.  You didn't misjudge anything.  He'd even said you didn't have a choice.  It's him that's confused, just like before, sending mixed signals.

It took a lot for Abby to lose her temper, she had the patience of a saint
—
she was a schoolteacher for goodness' sake
—
but as the tight knot in her stomach turned into a burning ball of anger, she felt her temper rise.  She took a deep breath, thinking before she spoke.  No sense making an emotional mountain out of Cole's indifferent molehill.  "Don't worry, I get it.  I won't be bothering you again."

She heard him shout her name as she moved quickly out of the barn, but she didn't stop.  Her throat felt tight, and her vision started to blur.  This,
this
feeling right now, was why she never stepped out of her box.  Silly to have forgotten. 
You didn't forget, you just thought he was worth the risk.
  Abby snorted, "Yeah, well, I won't be making that mistake again," she mumbled, to herself.

She was through the front door and halfway to her car when a tug on her arm spun her to face a glaring Cole.  His anger made her temper rise.  What right did he have to be angry?  As she'd said, she may be shy and quiet, but she didn't let people walk all over her.  She had a backbone, damn it, and when pushed, wasn't afraid to show it.  "Oh, no you don't!"  She poked him hard just below his diaphragm which caused her finger to bend back at an odd angle when it encountered his
abs of steel
.  "You don't get to be angry."

He looked down at her finger, still jabbed into his chest, a slow smile spreading across his face.  "So my little mouse has claws."

"I'm not
your
little anything."  God, this guy ran hot, then cold, then frickin' hot again all in a span of minutes.  She was done with his damn yo-yo tactics.  She tried to tug her arm out of his grip but when he didn't release her, she shouted, "Let go."

"Not until you let me explain."

She gave her arm a vicious tug that forced him to let go or risk hurting her.  "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, well," she threw her arms out to indicated herself, "you know how the saying goes.  Don't bother explaining, I'm done listening.  This was all just a big mistake."

He flinched, it was subtle, but she saw it.  She thought about taking back the words, sorry the moment they left her mouth but no, it was better this way.  She was better off splashing around in the kiddie pool before jumping off the high-dive into the deep end. 

She jogged the last distance to her car, got in, and slammed the door.  Her keys were still in the ignition so with a quick twist, she started the motor and with a grinding crunch of gravel, took off for home.

"I'm not sure this is a very good idea."  Abby looked down at the halter top Maggie insisted she wear and cringed.  Not only could she not wear a bra because her whole back was exposed, but it also revealed a two-inch band of her belly.  "I feel practically naked."

"Stop fussing with it," Maggie said, knocking Abby's hands away from the hem as she tried to tug it down.  "You look hot."

"Can't I wear a sexy top that I can at least wear a bra with?"

"No, and would you stop," again she swatted at Abby's hands.  "You're going to stretch it out."

Stretching it out sounded good to Abby.

"We talked about this last night.  You promised you would do exactly as I say."

Abby sighed, she did promise that.  But in her defense, she was still getting over her disastrous encounter with Cole only a few hours prior.  Abby ordinarily wasn't one to share, but when Maggie had called to invite her out for a night of dancing with her and the girls, she could tell something was wrong and after a back-and-forth exchange
—
Abby learned Maggie could be very persuasive
—
she finally divulged the whole embarrassing debacle.

"You admitted yourself, you're shy and hesitant and need me to lead you down the right path."  The right path or the dark path?  Abby was seriously rethinking that outgoing-and-vivacious Maggie was the one to emulate. 

Abby looked at herself in the full-length mirror hanging on the back of her closet door.  She had to admit, she looked pretty darn good.  Maggie had done some complicated braid and twist thing to her hair to create a crown around her head and went a little heavier with the make-up she typically wore, making her usually dull-blue eyes pop.  The halter top was black but had a silvery shine when reflected by the light and was paired with low-rise, ankle-hugging, skintight jeans that thankfully had enough spandex for comfort.  Shoes, her favorite accessory, she had a plethora and selected a black, suede platform pump with a four-inch heel and a cute bow at the open toe.

Well, she was ready as she'd ever be.  She really had no idea what she was getting herself into.  All she knew, they were going dancing and had to drive an hour to get there.  Guess there would be no slipping out the back door to sneak home if she hated it.  She would be stuck, at the whim of her friends.  She seriously debated taking her own car.

"Stop fighting this.  Loosen up, and you'll have a good time, I promise."  Abby peered at Maggie through the mirror.  If she looked closely, she was sure to see little horns poking out of the front of her head. 

With no way
—
that she could see
—
of backing out, she slipped her ID, credit card, and phone in her back pocket and pulled a sweater from her closet with the hope no one would notice if she kept it on all night.

The town of Belen had a population of seven thousand, about seven times that of Jasper Falls, and while it wasn't a screaming metropolis, it was large enough for several honky-tonks
—
as Abby soon learned they were called.  They found a spot in the parking lot of an old, rustic building that looked like an oversized barn.  A large neon sign glowed the name Dusty's but both "S's" were out so it read Duty, which seemed pretty fitting to Abby, as she found the entire excursion a chore.

The girls all climbed out of Ellen's silver SUV.  It was a warm evening, but even so, Abby lurked behind the back of the truck, trying to discreetly slip into her cardigan sweater.   The ever diligent, Johnny-on-the-spot Maggie was quick to commandeer said sweater, snatching and tossing it on the backseat before locking and slamming the car door with a smirk and a challenging raised eyebrow.