Relentless (6 page)

Friends she could do.  Besides, she had a whole evening full of nothing spread out before her.  "Okay.  I'd love to."  She really wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to see a different side of life that she'd never experienced.  Who knew if she'd ever get the chance again?

"Make room for me, then.  We'll ride down to the barn together, and I've got a gentle little mare who would love to be ridden."  He slipped her foot from the stirrup and replaced it with his own.  In one smooth move, he gripped the saddle horn and hauled himself up behind her.  He bumped her leg as he removed his from the stirrup, and all she could think about was how they were sitting pretty much ass-to-crotch, and all the erotic feelings that position stirred inside her.

She stiffened as he wrapped his arms around her waist, not expecting him to hug her.  "You gotta relax, girl."  His voice was so close to her ear.

"I know."  She exhaled, trying to ease some of the tension inside her.  "I will."  Her voice was embarrassingly breathless.  "I am.  I'm good."

Lily gave the horse a gentle nudge, and Hades started moving.  "Am I going to those buildings out across the field?"

"Yep," Luke answered.  "That's the main barn at the ranch.  This cabin is my mother's attempt at generating extra income by offering higher quality lodging than people can find in town for the rich, out-of-towners who come looking for a world-class fly fishing experience.  I handle most of the details for her, along with Betty's help."

"Where's the river?"

"You'll see soon enough.  In fact, why don't you give me the reins, and we can get there a little quicker?"  He took the leather straps and tightened his arms around her.  "Hang on tight to that saddle horn."

He kicked the horse into a gallop that stole her breath as he masterfully guided Hades over the lumpy grass terrain, racing toward the structures in the distance. 

*        *        *

Luke brought the horse to an abrupt stop in front of his barn.  The large wooden structure had been standing for as long as he could remember.  The yearly coat of whitewash helped to keep it in good repair.  He slid from the horse and held his arms up for Lily.  A blush graced her cheeks from their brisk ride and excitement beamed in her eyes.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he swung her down from the horse. 

He stepped away before he was tempted to hold her longer than he should.  But not before he caught another whiff of the honeysuckle scent of her hair.  Damn, she smelled good.  He pictured himself lying next to her, his face buried in her glorious blond curls.

What the hell had he been thinking, climbing up behind her on a horse?  The dash across the fields had been his desperate attempt to save his sanity.  She'd said "friends" so why the hell was he torturing himself this way?

"Wow," she said, still breathless.  "That was wild."

An ache pierced him, and he wished he'd never heard the name Hannah Morgan.  "I thought you might enjoy it."

"Your horse has so much power…and speed.  That was…awesome."  Her words burst from her in bubbles of excitement.  "You just can't see the landscape the same way from a car."

"You're starting to understand my point of view, aren't you?"  Which didn't help matters one bit.

"I believe I am.  A week ago, I might have argued the point, but not now.  Maybe I'm really a country girl at heart."

He could totally imagine her staying in town.  He'd eventually win her over.  Then it would be him and Lily lying in a field of grass, a soft breeze rustling through the nearby trees, while the sun warmed their naked bodies.  There would be no Hannah, no nasty, destructive rumors.

Just—no, he couldn't let his mind go there.  He needed to figure out a way to redirect his blood back to his brain and think of a logical way to get beyond this mess Hannah had created.  The more he thought about it, the more he believed Lily might be right.  Hannah would probably leave before she'd ever admit what she'd done.  Lily would leave, too, and if he didn't stop his attraction to her right now, she'd leave
him
with a broken heart.

He'd considered moving to the south part of the county many times over the years in an effort to escape the rumors.  Instead, he'd dug in, not wanting to appear a coward.  He wasn't about to be run out of town by Hannah's lies.  Maybe that was just dumb thinking.  He could easily move farther south and take over his family's oil rig operations in that area.  Wayne was close to retirement anyway.  It was enough distance that he might escape the damned rumors that seemed destined to haunt him until he died. 

It was funny.  He could forgive Hannah for starting the vicious gossip in the first place.  Why couldn't she forgive him for something he hadn't even done and let them both move on with their lives?  Why did she feel compelled to keep the damned lies going?

His mistake had been not denying what she'd said in the first place, and now it was too late to change everyone's mind.  He'd originally taken the brunt of the gossip to allow her to save face in their small town. 

Damn, that one had bitten him in the ass, hadn't it?  If he let things continue, it would gnaw him until there was nothing left.

Maybe it
was
time to move on.

It didn't take Luke long to saddle a horse for Lily.  He'd picked Charlee, his favorite chestnut-colored mare, and soon they were on their way again.  He led the way down a small bluff.  Lily caught up to him in a grassy field, a wide grin on her face.  "Can this horse run?"

Luke nodded.  "She can, but I think you need a little more experience before you go off galloping on your own."

"Okay."  Lily smiled, but he could tell she was disappointed, and the thought that he'd caused it didn't sit well with him.  But he couldn't very well let her get hurt.

"What happened to the tentative girl who climbed onto a horse for the first time thirty minutes ago?"

She shrugged.  "She's gone.  Been replaced by the girl who wants to try new things and see a side of life she's never seen before."

He liked the sound of that.  He only wished he could be one of the new things she'd try.  "Sounds like a good plan.  No sense being afraid of life."  Something he needed to remember.

"Exactly."  She sent him an exaggerated pout.  "Now, if we could only gallop again."

He laughed and shook his head.  "You keep riding, and it won't be long."

*        *        *

Lily pulled back on the reins as they reached the edge of a wide, gently moving river.  The horse slowed, but continued forward.  She tugged harder, afraid Charlee would go right into the water.

"She just wants a drink."  Luke let his horse step close to hers.  The beautiful black stallion dipped his head.

Lily loosened the reins and let Charlee move forward.  Late afternoon sunlight fractured on the gently moving river, making the water seem as though it was made of diamonds and mirrors.  Rounded rocks and pebbles lay discarded along the edges.  Larger rocks still hunkered here and there in the middle of the stream, causing the water to cascade over or around them, creating small patches of white water.  The river twisted and turned until it disappeared around a bend and into the trees. 

She studied the handsome cowboy, wishing she could steal his hat, place it on her head and give him a sweet kiss.  "Thanks for bringing me here."  It meant a lot that he'd taken the time to show her his special place.  "It's amazing, just like you said."

He shifted in his saddle as he grinned.  "You are more than welcome, but this isn't all we're going to see.  This is just a rest stop."

She raised her brows, and he kneed his horse, giving Hades the signal to move forward.  "Come on."  His horse plodded through the water to the other side.

She sucked in a breath and gripped the saddle horn.  It appeared her adventures were not over yet.  The water splashed as her horse made her way across, but it was the incline on the other side that gave her the next adrenaline rush.  She held on tight, but Charlee made it up the steep bank with no problem whatsoever.

A silly, stupid grin curved her lips.  What a rush.  Horses could do some pretty amazing maneuvering.

She followed Luke as he led them on a worn dirt trail through the trees, her gaze traveling over the contours of his strong back.  He belonged on a horse.  Hades seemed to be a natural extension of Luke's body, and together, they were a powerful combination.

The afternoon sun warmed her back as she followed him up a trail that led deeper into thicker trees.  She liked these trees with their white bark and heart shaped leaves that shimmered when the soft breeze blew through them. 

Luke finally halted Hades in the middle of a dense grove.  "We'll need to leave the horses here."

"Here?"  Lily looked around.  They were like, nowhere.

He slid off his horse and helped her off Charlee, tying both animals to nearby branches.  "Come on.  You'll want to see this."

She followed him as he pushed his way through the thick trees.  As she walked, the muscles in her legs cried out from being stretched across the horse's back, but it was a good kind of soreness.

The ground was uneven and several branches tugged at her hair as they moved forward, but when they came out on the other side a few minutes later, she inhaled a surprised breath.

"I didn't realize we'd climbed this high."  She could follow the twists and turns of the river by following the winding line of trees.  Beyond that lay the sweet, grassy fields, and in the far distance, she was sure she could see Luke's ranch.

"This is where I like to come to think.  It kind of puts everything in perspective, you know?"

She could definitely see that.

Luke walked out on a large flat rock that over shot the edge.  In a fluid move, he sat on the outcropping, his boots scraping the rock as he swung his long legs over the edge.  "I especially love to watch thunderstorms roll in over the horizon.  Unfortunately, I usually get soaked, but it's worth it."

A need to experience the complete picture enticed Lily forward.  Below her tumbled a rocky ravine that would do some serious damage if a person were to fall over.  She kicked a pebble and watched it cascade into sheer nothingness and drop a hundred feet to the floor below.  Good thing she wasn't afraid of heights.

She stood at the edge of the rock, glancing across the horizon, wishing a thunderstorm would blow in while she was there so she could live the vision Luke had painted.  Too bad there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Lily ignored her sore muscles as she sat down next to him, very much aware of the energy sparking between them.  It might have been a mistake to join him on this ride, but she couldn't regret it at the moment.  He was handsome and charming, and it wasn't like she would take this any further. 

"Worth the ride?" he asked, staring out at the setting sun.

"So worth it."  She could easily admit she'd never seen anything quite this striking.  Except, of course, the man sitting next to her.

They sat in silence for several minutes, but it didn't feel awkward.  It was as though the splendid scenery before them deserved their reverence.

A warm energy flowed from Luke's direction, and she basked in the happiness she found in that moment.  "I didn't know this kind of quiet existed."

Luke acknowledged her statement with a soft chuckle.  "I've sorted out all kinds of life's problems from up here."

She wished she had a similar place where she could find solace.  Her gaze wandered from the luscious beauty to the man sitting next to her.  She eyed him from the corner of her eye, taking in his strong hands, following the dusting of hair up his arms to the attractive contours of his biceps peeking from beneath his t-shirt.  She was pretty sure he'd earned his muscles through hard work and not a gym, and his tattoo only added to his appeal.  There was something totally alpha about him, and she couldn't deny she found him extraordinarily attractive.  He was a man.  A real man.  And the woman in her responded to him.

It was probably a natural, instinctual attraction, something passed down from her ancestors, back when a woman needed a good, strong man to protect and provide for her.  Still, she couldn't deny what she felt.

"How long have you been coming here?"

He tilted is cowboy hat back farther on his head, giving Lily a perfect view of his stunning green eyes.  A swish of butterflies tickled her emotions.

"My grandpa brought me here when I was little.  It was our special place.  He passed a few years back, so now I come here alone."

"That's such a happy, yet sad memory."  Two of her grandparents had died tragically young, and she regretted that she hadn't really known them.  "It must have been nice, though, to have him so close.  Family wasn't really a priority with my parents.  We were scattered across the country, and no one made much of an attempt to see anyone else.  I have one set of grandparents living in South Carolina, but I haven't seen or talked to them since I was little."

"I can't imagine.  Most of my family is within fifty miles of here."

She widened her eyes, trying to keep a sad smile from registering on her face.  She sighed.  "The only close relatives I have—had," she corrected, "was my sister.  We had a serious falling out a while back, so I pretty much count Hannah as my only family."

"What happened between you?"

She had hoped he wouldn't zero in on that comment, but knew he would.  Maybe that's why she'd mentioned her sister.  Maybe she wanted to share her heartbreak with someone who seemed compassionate.  Besides, there was no sense in hiding what had happened, she supposed. 

"She slept with my fiancé."  Even now, the image of finding Ethan bending her sister over Lily's kitchen table sent a sharp spear through her heart.  Katrina had claimed it meant nothing, that it was just a quick and dirty, but it had left her with a broken heart.

Luke narrowed his eyes and winced.  "Ouch.  That's not very sisterly."

"Yeah."  She forced a laugh.  "Better to have found out
before
the wedding, though."

He studied her, his scrutiny making her uncomfortable.  "You seem to be taking it pretty well."

"I've had some time to recover, and it wasn't as though I'd been given a choice in the matter."  She swallowed the lump in her throat.  She was so over them, both of them.  They might as well like each other, because she didn't want either of them anymore.