StudinTexas (7 page)

She gnawed her bottom lip, tension emitting from her. Then
she said, “Well, clearly I don’t want to kill the ex. I just want him to know
he can’t fuck with me. Not anymore.”

Sam nodded. “I hear you.”

Sky raised her hand and brushed her fingers over his cheek.
“You can’t blame yourself for the course of action you took out of necessity
and as a survival tactic—for you and for your unit.”

“No. But it stays with you, you know? Sometimes it taunts
you, even when you know it shouldn’t. I didn’t sign up to sit behind a desk,
pushing papers. I signed up to fight a war. That equates to defending myself
and those around me. Defending my country.”

“That’s heroic.” Her gaze drifted to the stable. “But the
horses and I aren’t the only ones suffering from PTSD.”

“Slight difference, darlin’. I saw someone, when I came back
to the States. Talked it out. It helped.”

Her gaze flashed back to him. He gave her a pointed look.

She said, “This isn’t something I want to share. I told you
for a specific reason, but…I don’t like that you know something so distressing
about me.”

“Maybe I feel the same way about you knowing what I did in
Afghanistan.”

“You protected yourself and probably saved other lives.”

He nodded. But still, he challenged her by saying, “Exactly
how big is your ex?”

She opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it closed. A few
moments passed, and she eventually said, “Right. He’s much more than I can take
on by myself, without a weapon. I obviously didn’t have my gun with me at the
studio that night.”

He folded his arms over his chest and asked, “You really
want to drive back to Luckenbach this evening?”

“Yes. I’ll be fine. I’ll even call you when I get there, if
you want me to.”

“You know I do.”

She stretched on tiptoe to kiss him. Then she climbed into her
vehicle.

“Be careful,” he said. “Be safe.”

“I will.”

He leaned in and kissed her again, then closed the door.

Sam watched her Escalade until it disappeared from sight.
And wondered how in hell he was going to keep from worrying about her all damn
night. Every night. Out there in Luckenbach. Alone. No one around. The ex out
there somewhere.

Dammit.

He shouldn’t have let her go.

* * * * *

Sky felt ill at ease over having told Sam about
Nashville—and seeing how upset it made him. Although he’d clearly tried to keep
himself in check, she’d caught flashes of fury when she’d told him what had
happened to her. Given the kind of man he was, it likely ate away at him.

But she also felt that telling him was the right thing to
do. The way he kissed her and the sexual urges that raced through her were
proof something significant—and sensual—existed between them. It wouldn’t be
fair for him to not know her trauma. Especially since she thought about it
sometimes and it made her body tense. She wouldn’t want him to think he’d done
anything wrong or had hurt her if she inadvertently stiffened up on him while
he was holding her or kissing her.

She knew he’d never do either. It was a solid affirmation in
her mind. There was a distinct correlation between the way he treated abused
horses and the way he treated her. He had a kind, gentle nature that drew her
in. Made her trust him. And she knew she wasn’t mistaken or misled this time.
She knew this wasn’t a case of leap first and figure out the rest later, as had
been her pattern in the past.

The way she responded to his kisses and to his touch was
innate and powerful. She had confidence in it. Sam made her toes curl, but he
also soothed her soul. He was everything she’d ever wanted—and more.

She only wished she didn’t have all of this baggage. She
hated the complication it created. Not only was she sick of being pursued by
Mac, she worried about Sam getting involved.

As she paced her small living room, she contemplated his
thoughts on her handing over the money to the sidewinder. Yes, she ran the risk
of the con man thinking he could get more cash out of her. Especially if he
racked up another gambling debt. If she caved this once, would he consider her
weak enough to prey on her every time he needed to pay someone off?

Conversely, if she didn’t give Mac the sixty grand… He’d
just keep calling her, wouldn’t he? He’d left five messages on her cell phone
today, as usual. That demonstrated his tenacity. And he was being so clever
about what he said—as though making sure his communication with her couldn’t be
misconstrued as him trying to extort money.

The other eerie thought that rambled around in her brain was
Sam’s suggestion that Mac was after more than just the cash.

An ominous tremor slithered through her at the thought of
what he’d done to her in the studio, and how terrified she was of him doing it
again.

Maybe, as they’d all suggested, she ought to stay at the
inn, while there were rooms available.

But what if he tracked her down there? What if he wanted to
break into her room and accidentally got the wrong one and hurt an innocent
bystander? What if he caused some other sort of mayhem at the ranch?

Sky would never forgive herself.

Besides, if she caved and took a room, it would solidify in
Reese’s mind that something much more dangerous than Sky had let on about had
happened in Nashville. And giving Reese a bone always meant she’d chew on it
until she reached the answer she wanted.

Sky couldn’t let that happen. Not this time. Not with this
particular situation. There was absolutely no way Reese could learn about what had
gone down with Mac Willet. They were best friends and sisters in arms, sure.
But this wasn’t Reese’s fight—it was no one’s other than Sky’s. More than that,
she honestly wouldn’t be able to look Reese in the eye if her best friend knew
what had happened.

So staying in Luckenbach was the
current
answer to
her problem. With a chair propped under the chrome knob on her front door and
the windows locked, the curtains drawn. Her 9mm within reach.

Shitty way to live, but necessary for the time being.

Luckily, Sky’s morning perked her up. Thursdays were busy
days at the inn, what with last-minute preparations going on for the weekend
celebrations that were scheduled. This particular weekend there was a wedding
on Saturday and an anniversary party on Sunday, both being held on the event
lawn.

Sky headed into work early to experiment with more pastries
and see how they went over with the crowd hustling and bustling about. She
wanted to add some variety to the complimentary breakfast buffet that came with
an overnight booking at the inn.

She baked cranberry-orange muffins, gooey cinnamon rolls,
chocolate-chip scones and chocolate éclairs. Then she made the rounds, carrying
a large tray full of her offerings around the inn and lawn, inviting people to
sample the fare. She took a tray to the med facility for Caleb and his staff.
Finally, she headed over to the stable and set a tray on a small table outside
Sam’s office.

“I want honest opinions only,” she announced to his
volunteers, along with Dalton and Al Wilbury, one of the many security guards
who patrolled the ranch.

“I don’t think you’re gonna hear any complaints,” Dalton
told her.

She smiled and said, “That’s what I’m hoping for, but I’m
still new at this, so I’m open to suggestions.” She glanced around the stable
and asked, “Where’s Sam?”

“With Midnight.”

Her attention turned to the stall in the far corner. The
gate was open. She wandered over and found Sam brushing the stallion while
speaking gently to him.

She watched for a few moments, mesmerized by the stunning
horse and the gorgeous man, both of whom she admired. Then she said in a low
tone, “You two are picture perfect.”

Midnight’s head snapped up and he snorted. She laughed. The
horse shifted, moving a little closer to her, sniffing her.

Sam rolled his eyes playfully. “Oh sure,” he said to the
stallion. “You pretend to be content with me taking care of you, and then she
walks in and you defect.” He handed her the brush. “Give it a try. Just his neck.
See how he responds.”

She stepped toward Midnight and said, “I’ll understand if
you’re not receptive.” She slid her gaze to Sam. “No hard feelings.”

He nodded. “It wouldn’t be anything personal, darlin’.
Everybody has their own healing process,” he reminded her, as he had the day
Midnight had snubbed her with the hackamore.

His pointed gaze also indicated his sentiment applied to her
situation too. Sky appreciated his perceptiveness.

She raised the hand not holding the brush and slowly reached
out to the horse. “How about we start with a pet on the nose?” Her palm glided
over his gleaming coat. He responded favorably, inching closer to her.

To Sam, she said, “I’m so glad I didn’t see him when he
first came here. I wouldn’t have handled it well.” She looked at the horse and
then flicked her gaze to Sam again. “His eyes break my heart. He’s wary and
cautious. He looks as though he wants to trust us, but there’s the reminder of
what happened to him.”

“I see that in your eyes sometimes too.”

“Probably.”

Sky held up the brush and said to Midnight, “It’d be okay if
we gave this a try, right?”

The horse regarded her with that flash of concern she was
all too familiar with. Seemed he wanted to believe in her, but still struggled
with his inner turmoil.

She spared another glance at Sam. He nodded in
encouragement.

Sky smoothed the bristles over the black coat. Midnight
backed away. Not too far. Just enough to say he was uncomfortable, but not
afraid of her. She smiled. Took a small step toward him, the brush at her side.

She rubbed his nose again and he nickered.

“Okay,” she said. “I get it. You need a little more time.
I’m new and you’re not used to me yet. That’s all right.”

Sam took the brush from her and finished the job while she
watched. Midnight kept his gaze on her, so she talked quietly to the animal.
Then she and Sam left the stall, washed up and walked toward the front of the
building.

He said, “I give it a couple more days and he’ll totally
cave. You’re pretty much irresistible.”

She laughed. “Hardly, but thanks for the vote of confidence.
Though I know it’s going to take some time. He’s been through a lot.”

“Yes.”

They reached his office and she paused, listened, then said,
“Hey, that’s me.”

Sam grinned. “I finally hooked up the sound system we
installed when we remodeled and expanded the stable. I downloaded your CD from
iTunes so I can pipe it through. Thought Midnight would benefit from hearing
your voice. The other horses seem to like it too.”

“You’re gonna make me blush.”

“Doubtful.”

He did lean in for a kiss, though. A sexy, sensual one. Sky
practically melted at his feet.

Sam stared down at her, his eyes alight with desire. And a
warmth that called to her. She skimmed her fingertips over his pectoral
muscles, liking how they flexed beneath her touch.

“You could make a girl forget her own name,” she said. “With
just a kiss.”

No one was around—she surmised they were all working in the
corrals—so he went for another kiss. A long, slow, deep, hot, wet one this
time.

Sky wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers
in his hair. Sam held her tightly, their bodies pressed together. Nothing had
ever felt so right. She could have stayed in his embrace all morning. Well into
the afternoon, truth be told.

But the clearing of a throat made her tear her mouth from
Sam’s. He groaned and shifted his gaze to the intruder—a smiling Caleb.

“Sorry,” the vet said, “but I do have to make my rounds.
Y’all can keep at it…though it sort of helps for me to hear the horses’
progress reports direct from Sam.”

Sky untangled herself from the hunky cowboy and said, “Think
I’m needed elsewhere, anyway.”

One corner of Sam’s mouth lifted in a casual grin. “Don’t go
wandering too far. Have dinner with us tonight.”

“Okay.” Really, how could she resist?

Caleb said, “You realize I’ll never hear the end of how
Reese set you two up, right?”

Sky laughed. With extra pep in her step, she headed out, but
stopped along the way to give Caleb a friendly peck on the cheek.

“What’s that for?” he asked.

“Just ’cause.” She sashayed her way out of the stable and to
the inn, thinking she’d finally found a place where she belonged. If only she
could keep the trouble of Mac Willet at bay,
far
away from the utopia
she’d discovered.

* * * * *

Sam couldn’t stop grinning, and his brother seemed to find
it amusing.

They walked over to the first stall and Caleb consulted the
horse’s medical chart, though he kept stealing glances at Sam, one of his brows
crooked.

Caleb dropped the chart back into its slot outside the stall
and asked, “Did you get laid last night?”

Sam shook his head. “Nope. Just a very hot make-out session.
The repeat of which I would have enjoyed moments ago, had you not interrupted.”

With a snicker, Caleb said, “You do have a cottage not far
from here.”

“We’re not moving that quickly.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

Caleb stepped into the stall and started the examination of
the white Arabian they’d brought in the previous week.

Sam leaned against the entryway and asked, “Can we be
serious for a minute?”

Glancing up, a shocked look on his face, Caleb said, “You
know we can. The fact that you’re asking tells me you’ve got it pretty bad for
this woman.”

“I do. Like, right off the bat. I saw her with Reese when
she first arrived and everything inside me went haywire. Then she walked into
the stable, taking an instant interest in the horses and… I don’t know. All I
could think was…she just might be
the one
.”

His brother straightened from inspecting a hoof and said,
“You never talk like that.”

With a shrug, Sam said, “Who have I been serious about?
Other than Charlotte. And that was many years ago.”

“Huh.”

He went back to examining the Arabian, but Sam could tell
his brother was contemplating the current situation.

Caleb checked all four hooves, the horse’s front legs and
then his vitals. He stepped outside the stall to make notations on the chart,
and then turned to Sam.

“You’re not usually one to talk about your feelings to
someone else. To open up. Even to me.”

Sam nodded. “She’s different. She makes me want to be
forthcoming. Even to you.”

Caleb grinned. They’d shared plenty, no doubt about it. But
Sam had kept his relationship with Charlotte from Caleb and the family—to the
relationship’s detriment.

Sam had no doubt this prompted his brother to ask, “You’re
willing to subject her to Dad and Judith?”

“They’ll all have to meet. Eventually. But the truth is, I
don’t give a rip what Dad and Judith think of her. Although, being a celebrity,
they’ll probably fall all over themselves when they meet her. The point is,” he
said, “you and I live our own lives here in Wilder, not under the heavy hand of
the elite in Dallas. And I don’t care what anyone says about Sky. Ever.”

He’d come to that realization damn quick last night. When
she’d been so concerned over how people—Reese in particular—would view her if
they ever found out about Nashville. Sam would stand by her side. He’d known it
last night. The notion had been further solidified in his mind when he’d kissed
her this morning.

“There’s something here,” he said, “that is much stronger
than even what I had with Charlotte.”

“Well, isn’t that interesting?” His brother clapped him on
the shoulder. “But shit, now I really never will hear the end of it from
Reese.”

“When are you gonna marry that girl?”

“I’m not the one who can’t find a free weekend. She’s so busy
with the inn, it’s a wonder I get any time with her at all.”

“There’s been a lot to do to get things rolling. She’ll have
enough staff in place soon to back off a little on the workload.”

Caleb nodded. “Believe me, the first sign of a break in her
schedule, and we’re tying the knot.”

They changed the subject to the Arabian, and Sam gave an
account of his observations over the past twenty-four hours, as he did with the
rest of the horses.

Although his focus was on the animals, the spunky redhead
wasn’t far from his mind…

* * * * *

“There’s something different about you today,” Reese said to
Sky as she joined her at her dessert station. “You’re smiling. Like, a lot.”

Sky gave a half snort. “Something wrong with that?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’m really happy about it. Just
wondering if it has anything to do with the former Marine you
insisted
you
wanted nothing to do with. Did he kiss you last night? Is that why you’re
grinning from ear to ear?”

“You’re such a busybody, Reese. Really.”

“Oh don’t play coy with me. I want all the juicy details.
Even if I have to cajole them from you.”

“You mean nag me to death.”

Reese laughed. “I stick with what works.”

“Well,” Sky said as she pulled the chocolate tulip molds
from the oven, set the tray on the stainless-steel counter and inspected them.
“I wouldn’t exactly call what Sam did to me last night
kissing
. More
like he swept me clean off my feet.”

She removed her oven mitts and let the shells cool while she
prepared to whip up the raspberry mousse that would fill them.

Continuing on—Reese her rapt audience—she said, “I hate to
be cliché, but there were definitely fireworks. Over my head. Low in my belly.
Other places we don’t need to mention in public.”

Reese clapped her hands together and bounced on the balls of
her booted feet, apparently overcome with joy. “I just knew it. From the time
you said you were coming back to Texas, all I could think about was getting the
two of you together.”

Sky eyed her curiously. “Shouldn’t you be thinking about
your wedding?”

She waved a hand in the air. “Are you kidding? With all the
desserts I’ve been eating lately, I couldn’t fit into a dress. I’ve got to lose
at least ten pounds before I even think about stepping into a gown. Besides,
Caleb has been busy with the horses, and I’ve been swamped with the inn. Which
reminds me, I need to place an online ad for a marketing director.”

“That’s a great idea. You need some publicity to bring in
more guests. This place is too beautiful to be Wilder’s biggest secret.”

“Agreed.”

Sky popped the chocolate tulips in the walk-in cooler to
harden, then went back to the mousse.

Reese said, “So about Sam… What’s the situation?”

She shrugged. “This is still pretty new, Reesie.”

“Oh come on. Tell me what you think about it.”

She couldn’t help but smile again. And her stomach flipped.
Her heart fluttered.

Tamping down the giggle that bubbled in her throat—Sky was
not the giggling type, but she felt particularly lighthearted following that
searing kiss Sam had laid on her earlier—she told her friend, “I’m not in a
position to get involved with anyone, but I guess when lightning strikes,
there’s not much you can do about timing. So I laid a few things on the line
for him, just so he knows where I’m coming from. Where I stand.”

“This sounds serious.”

“I will say that I don’t think two people can kiss the way
we do without calling it serious. Even this early on. The man jolted me to the
core of my being. And if someone told me he’d never be kissing me again, I’d
want to curl up in a corner and bawl my eyes out.”

Reese pressed a hand to her mouth for several seconds. Then
she said, “I know that feeling exactly. Geez, Sky. I am just so happy you came
home to Wilder.”

“Actually, I am too.” She reached for an icing bag and then
rummaged through a metal container looking for the appropriate tip to swirl the
mousse in the shells when they set.