Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) Read online

  “I guess all the compliments I’ve given him have gone straight to his head. Now he thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips.”

  “Which he most certainly is. Can we go in?”

  “Absolutely.” He opened the stall door.

  Linus paused and eyed the new development with curiosity. “Hey, Linus, you handsome devil,” Aria crooned as she stepped inside.

  Linus snorted and tossed his head.

  “FYI, Linus.” Brant came in behind her and closed the door. “The ladies usually prefer a more modest sort of fellow. Just sayin’.”

  “Not me,” Aria said. “I like me a little attitude.”

  Brant chuckled. “Duly noted.”

  “Would you please hold my phone? I’m going to need both hands.”

  “Want me to take some video in here?”

  “Sure, why not?” About that time Lucy glanced up and started toward her. Aria had tucked a few carrot pieces in her jeans pocket before leaving home and she pulled one out. “Hey, Luce. You did good, girlfriend.” She gave the mare a chunk of carrot and scratched under her cream-colored mane.

  To Aria’s delight, Linus edged up close to his mom as if he wanted to find out what was going on. “Lucy, sweetheart, is it okay if I make friends with your baby boy?”

  “Nice technique,” Brant murmured.

  “Hope so. I’m making it up as I go along.”

  “Following your instincts is always a good idea.”

  She smiled. “Guess so.” She gave Lucy another piece of carrot and spoke softly while gradually transferring her attention to the foal. Crouching down, she held out her hand with her fingers curled under. The colt nuzzled the back of her hand, which tickled. She swallowed her laughter so she wouldn’t startle him.

  Moving slowly and talking to both mare and foal, she eased her hand around until she could scratch Linus’s neck. He gazed at her with his baby blues and she fell even more in love than she had the night before. “His coat is like mink.”

  “I know. It won’t be like that forever.”

  “But it is, now, and I’m so lucky to be here on his first day of life. I’ve never experienced that before.”

  “It’s special.”

  “I can see why you love your job.” She glanced over at Brant and noticed his wide smile as he kept the video running. “You look pretty happy right now.”

  “I am. This is a great beginning. Linus seems to like people. He shows every indication of being an easy colt to train.”

  “That would be fabulous.” She turned back to Linus. “You’re going to be awesome, aren’t you? I love your white blaze. So handsome.”

  “See if he’ll let you rub his face.” Brant kept filming. “He let me do it earlier this morning.”

  “I’ll bet you’ll let me, won’t you, Linus? That’s a good boy. What pretty blue eyes you have.” She stroked up the length of his blaze and back down. “Doesn’t that feel nice? Now I’ll massage your cheeks, and now scratch your forehead. What a beautiful colt you are.”

  Lucy bumped her on the shoulder in an obvious bid for more carrots and almost knocked her over. “Easy, Luce. Easy does it.” Aria gave Linus one last gentle scratch. “Your mom wants more treats, kid.”

  She stood and looped an arm over the mare’s neck. “She probably deserves it after producing such a fine son.” Hauling out another piece of carrot, she held it on her open palm so Lucy could curl her lips around it.

  “Perfect ending to the segment. Turning off the video.”

  “Thanks. Whether Josh is interested or not, my folks will love having a copy.”

  “I’m sure they will. It went really well.”

  “Didn’t it? Not that I was the reason. You hung around with him before I got here. You laid the groundwork.”

  “And you could have obliterated that groundwork.”

  “So why did you let me go right in?”

  He smiled. “Following my instincts.”

  “Oh.” Pleasure warmed her cheeks. “Thank you.” After giving Lucy one more pat she stepped toward him and held out her hand for the phone. “I’ll send this to my folks right now. They bought Lucy for me and they’ll love seeing the three of us together.” They’d love seeing Josh as part of the happy group, too, and they would, eventually. Typing quickly, she sent off the video.

  “I just realized something. You’re the only client I’ve had who’s a first-timer with the birth process.”

  She smiled at him. “Do I get an award for that?”

  “Yeah.” His chuckle was low and extremely sexy. “I’ll have one waiting for you at the cabin.”

  Before she could respond, Herb, Rosie, Cade and Lexi walked into the barn. “Can’t wait,” she said under her breath.

  “You and me both.” And he left the stall to greet his family.

  Moments later Aria had the honor of leading Lucy out of the barn. “I wish this horse had a rearview mirror,” she said to the group walking ahead of her.

  “Linus is following right along,” Brant said as he monitored the colt from behind. “Head up, ears forward. It’s like he knows something good is coming.”

  Aria wondered if that comment had been a veiled reference to tonight’s rendezvous. She wouldn’t put it past him.

  Rosie looked over her shoulder and grinned at Aria. “I’ve never seen a colt more perky than this one. I can tell from your expression how happy you are with him.”

  “I am. He’s a beauty.” She hoped that Rosie and the others attributed her extra sparkle to her excitement about Linus’s first day in the pasture. She was excited, but not only about Linus. A certain tall cowboy vied for the top spot in her thoughts.

  Thank goodness for that. Otherwise she might be feeling sad about Josh not being here for this big moment. Brant gave her something else to think about.

  For example, he’d taken a moment when nobody else was paying attention to inform her that he’d be at the back of the parade with an excellent view of her cute little fanny. Naturally she thought of that the whole time she was leading her mare out to the pasture. When she heard his singsong comment of “lookin’ good,” she didn’t think he was referring to Linus.

  And that was okay with her. She hadn’t been in a relationship in a while, and she’d never been in one with a man as fun-loving as Brant. He could tease her all he wanted. She was soaking it up like a sponge.

  No one had mentioned Josh’s absence, and that was fine with her, too. The others had probably sensed she was uncomfortable with his lack of participation and didn’t want to make a point of it. She hadn’t realized how much Josh had consumed her every thought until Brant had suggested she might need a break.

  Last semester’s academy students had helped modify the pasture in anticipation of Linus’s birth. The other four horses were on the far side of a new fence, which gave Lucy and Linus their own private section. Aria was relieved that Herb and Rosie had taken that precaution.

  Cade opened the gate for Aria and flashed her a smile as she led the mare through. “This is a treat. Thanks for sharing Linus with all of us.”

  “I’m the one who’s grateful. You guys have been terrific.”

  “And we’re about to get our reward.” He glanced behind her. “The star of the show looks ready for his debut.”

  As Aria led both horses in, the four on the other side of the new fence glanced up, surveyed the newcomers and went back to their grazing. Aria turned around to watch Linus as he stepped gingerly through the gate and into his first experience with grass.

  Brant walked in behind him and Cade closed the gate. “Turn mom loose,” Brant said. “Let’s see what happens.”

  She unclipped the lead rope and moved away. At first neither horse moved. Then Lucy snorted and trotted a few yards away. Linus followed, picking up his hooves as if he’d stepped in something icky.

  “He doesn’t know what to make of it,” Aria said.

  “He’ll figure it out.” Brant walked over to stand beside her.

  S
he had the oddest parental feeling, as if she and Brant were watching their child head off to school on the first day. “What if he doesn’t? What if he hates being out here?”

  Brant laughed softly. “He won’t.”

  “But what if—” She forgot whatever she’d meant to say as Lucy took off and Linus was forced to follow or be left behind. In seconds he had the hang of it. Before long he was the one leading the romp and racing around his mother.

  His stubby tail wagged as he ran on his impossibly slender legs. He bucked and whirled in ecstasy as the horses in the far pasture eyed his antics with apparent disdain. He took a couple of pratfalls, but he bounced right up again and bounded off.

  “Oh, Brant.” Her throat clogged with emotion and she clutched his arm. “He’s so...happy.”

  “Yeah.” He covered her hand with his and squeezed. “This is something you’ll never forget.”

  “I should be filming it.”

  “Give me your phone. I’ll do it. You just enjoy.”

  She handed over her phone and let go of him so he could be the videographer for this moment. She didn’t want to view it on a screen. Tears of joy blurred her vision and she wiped them away so she wouldn’t miss a thing.

  Linus cavorted as if his hooves were on springs. Lucy clearly grew weary of it after a few minutes, but the colt seemed oblivious. He tore around the pasture in a frenzy of happiness.

  “He’s so excited,” Aria said. “He looks as if he could go on like this for hours.”

  “His battery will run down pretty soon. This is a sprint, not a marathon.”

  Sure enough, Linus began to tire. At last he stopped in his tracks and looked around for his mother. When he spied her grazing nearby, he trotted over and began to nurse.

  “Should we take them back into the barn now?”

  “Not yet.” Brant turned off the video. “The grass will be good for Lucy and I’m sure she likes being outside again.”

  “Great show,” Lexi called out.

  Aria turned around to find everyone sporting big smiles as they leaned on the rail fence. “I know!” she said. “It was awesome.”

  “I have video.” Rosie waved her phone. “Is it okay if I put it on the Thunder Mountain Academy website?”

  “Of course! Spread it around online as much as you want.” Aria hadn’t thought of that, but pictures and videos of Linus would draw plenty of attention to the school. Rosie and Herb had done her a huge favor by offering free boarding and Brant’s training, but the resulting publicity could be huge. She felt better about the arrangement when she thought of that.

  “I’ll go do it.” Rosie hurried toward the house.

  Herb chuckled. “She won’t stop with the website. She’ll have Linus on YouTube before you can turn around.”

  “Actually that’s a cute idea,” Lexi said. “Any past or future students will be interested.”

  “Then maybe you’d better go tell her, just to make sure.” Herb pushed away from the fence. “I would, but I have to run some errands in town. I’ll see you all at lunch.”

  “Wish I could hang around some more, too,” Cade said. “But I have a truck to wash and detail.”

  “Aw, poor baby.” Lexi pretended to look sympathetic. “I’ll stop by after I make sure Rosie plans to upload that video to YouTube.”

  Cade brightened. “You’ll help?”

  “No, I’ll supervise.”

  “I knew that.”

  “I’ll work on Aria’s van when you’re done.” Brant glanced at Aria. “If that’s okay with you?”

  “Sure.” After Cade left she turned to Brant. “You know, honestly, I don’t care if you wash Matilda or not. After all you’ve done with Linus, making you wash my van seems kind of obnoxious.”

  “If you want, you can supervise, just like Lexi plans to do.”

  “Or I could help, which makes a lot more sense. But it’s really not necessary. I’ll run it through a car wash next week.”

  “But my honor’s on the line.”

  She couldn’t tell if he meant that or not. “Really?”

  He laughed. “No, not really. If Lexi’s truck is sparkling and your van’s a mess, I can take the abuse from Cade.”

  “Then let’s forget it.”

  “I’m thinking you’ve never had a guy wash your vehicle before. All sorts of fun things can happen when a hose and water are involved.” Mischief danced in his hazel eyes.

  She began to grasp the potential in the activity, although it seemed risky to make out in broad daylight when she wasn’t ready to go public with their mutual attraction. But he was right. She’d never had a boyfriend wash her car. “We won’t be alone, though.”

  “We’ll be sort of alone. I won’t start until Cade’s finished.” He paused and gave her a teasing smile. “Also, whenever I wash a vehicle, I generally remove my shirt.”

  The guy made it impossible to be serious, so she gave up the effort. “You think I want to see your manly chest?”

  “After the way you were ogling me back in the barn, I’d say that’s a distinct possibility. So do you want me to wash Matilda or not?”

  She heard the slap of an invisible gauntlet being thrown down. Apparently he was offering more of an adventure than she’d anticipated. She hesitated as her normally cautious nature told her to nix the idea. They’d managed to get away with a stolen kiss in the barn, but this could be pushing their luck.

  He waited.

  She imagined him shirtless and sweaty. He’d implied that there would be water play and sensuous, slick body contact. Lots of kissing. As her body began to tingle, she lost the battle to be sensible. “Wash and detail, cowboy.”

  He grinned. “You’ve got it, lady.”

  7

  BRANT LOOKED FORWARD to the van-washing experience more than ever. Obviously, Aria had never fooled around with a guy in the process of cleaning up a vehicle. She also didn’t realize that the cement slab behind the barn where the ranch trucks and sometimes the ranch horses were washed was a notorious make-out spot.

  During Brant’s high school years he and his foster brothers had taken full advantage of it. Offering to wash a girlfriend’s truck during the summer months meant getting them alone behind the barn and hopefully soaked to the skin. Wet T-shirts never went out of style.

  On a warm summer day they’d dry fast, too, which meant that theoretically the adults remained ignorant of what went on back there. Or so the guys had imagined. Rosie and Herb had probably known exactly what was going on and had quietly monitored the situation to make sure things didn’t get out of hand.

  Cade didn’t need that kind of setup anymore now that he and Lexi were essentially living together, but Brant had hours to wait before he and Aria would be alone and naked. Washing her van and playing games with her in the water would tide him over until then.

  A teenage make-out maneuver was in keeping with his frame of mind at the moment. Whenever he looked at Aria he felt the same reckless desire he’d experienced at seventeen.

  Like a roller coaster at the county fair, the thrill would be over eventually and life would settle back into its normal routine. She seemed ready to let off some steam, too, after months of worrying about Josh. But she wasn’t the type to abandon her plans completely.

  That made this temporary relationship almost perfect for both of them. Sure, he knew perfect didn’t exist. And nothing lasted forever. Dads could suddenly die of a heart attack and mothers could decide they were sick of taking care of a kid. But leaning against a rail fence next to Aria while he watched a day-old foal expand his horizons was good stuff.

  Having her as a client was a new experience. He’d worked with women before, but never sexy and single women. That was probably just as well. He could combine work and pleasure this time, but making it a regular thing would be too distracting.

  She let out a contented sigh. “This is so nice. I don’t get outside enough. That’s a disadvantage of my bank job.”

  “So what’s the advantage?�
�

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “Nope.”

  “A steady paycheck, of course.”

  “Oh, that.”

  “Yeah, that. I like my customers, some more than others, but the stable income is the big draw.”

  He shook his head. “If I had to work indoors five days a week I’d have to keep a bottle of whiskey in a desk drawer.”

  “Good thing you don’t have to do that, then.”

  “True.” He pulled his hat a little lower to shade his eyes. “I doubt people would trust their money to someone who keeps nipping from a flask.”

  She laughed. “Probably not.”

  “But if you crave a steady income, aren’t you worried about starting a cooking school? I can testify that once you’re self-employed, the concept of a regular paycheck disappears.”

  “I’ve considered that, and it scares me a little, but I like being in charge. The alternative is working as a chef in a restaurant. Camille’s offered me a job but I can’t see myself taking it.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’d have to follow a set menu over and over, cook the same dishes night after night. When I’m cooking I like to innovate constantly. I’m afraid working at Camille’s would start feeling as repetitious as working at the bank.”

  He glanced over at her. “You did say you like drama in your cooking.”

  “I do. Camille has a great little restaurant, but her customers are vocal about keeping the menu the same. Last fall I suggested changing up the barbecue sauce recipe and it was a disaster. People pitched a fit, not because it was bad, but because it was different.”

  “But there are other restaurants where they love putting new stuff on the menu. You could go to an area like Jackson Hole where movie stars hang out. They’d be all about variety in their food.”

  She met his gaze. “You’re right, but I like living in Sheridan.”

  “Because Josh is here?”

  “That’s a big part of it. The other part is I grew up in this town. Camille and I became best friends in second grade, but I’ve made other good friends here, too. I know the countryside and the best riding trails. If I’m going to build a business, I want to build it in Sheridan.” She took a deep breath. “I belong here.”