Walking away was tough. Really tough. Only the thought of what he was walking toward kept his feet moving.
Chapter Fifteen
She worked efficiently, lifting the saddle in place. Securing the girth smoothly, her hands easing over Patches’s belly.
He had to drag his gaze away and pay attention to Hurricane before his horse stomped him underfoot for trying to slip the bridle over his ass or something. Gabe hadn’t been this distracted in a long time.
It was an uneasy sensation, and yet a twist of pleasure in it as well, and damn if he could figure out why.
Allison stepped from behind her horse and smiled at him. “You said riding, but where are we going? We don’t need any more samples.”
“Forget the tests. Let’s ride along Whiskey Creek.”
“Now I’m feeling doubly guilty.”
He jerked to a stop. The guilt he was trying to ignore poked him, and he beat it down ruthlessly. “Why?”
She held Patches’s reins in one hand, slipping her fingers along the strips of leather over and over. “Not only did I order you to get out of your own house, I’m keeping you from work. I have the morning off, but you don’t. Do you want me to come help with your chores instead?”
Not if there was any chance of them running into his father. Ben’s caustic comments had slowed, but the threat of the bitter sting from his tongue hovered over everything—like a loaded trap, ready to snap closed at the least little provocation.
No way was he taking her near the man. “I called Rafe. He knows I’ll be around after lunch.”
She swung into the saddle and tucked her hair behind her ears, adjusting her hat. Her smile was a little shaky. “I hope everything is okay with Cassidy.”
“He’ll be all right.” Gabe put more confidence in the words than he felt. “Come on. Let’s warm them up so we can run.”
They followed the old trails across the sun-warmed fields, increasing pace slowly as the horses tossed their heads and stepped impatiently. Summertime heat and a total lack of breeze made the scents of the ground rise around them, earth baked and rich.
He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was following. Allison’s cheeks were flushed with colour, her bright eyes taking in the scenery around them as she swayed comfortably in the saddle. Her blouse clung to her breasts, and every time she rocked, the fabric drew taut over her curves.
Another jolt hit his gut. A hunger—and yet more.
They had slipped into the physical relationship partly as a coping strategy. Her to deal with the pain she saw coming, and him to deal with the pain he felt every fucking day.
The counsellor he’d seen back in the day would have been proud to know some of the lessons about ways people dealt with shit had actually sunk in.
Whatever their reasons for diving into bed, there was no reason to apologize for it. They were both consenting adults, and the time they spent shaking each other’s bodies to the physical limits wasn’t hurting anyone.
Only now he wasn’t so sure that it was just about the rocking sex. The fact he couldn’t keep his mind on what had to be the most important task in his life was making him stupid.
Over the past couple years, he’d learned a lot about goal setting. He’d managed to start a section of the land to be free range and totally organic without letting his father know. Got the turkeys in place, and begun work on breeding lines for the cattle—all of that he’d worked on in addition to his usual tasks without ever losing his concentration. If he’d been as mush-minded over the past two years as he’d been this week, even his cabin would have come to crap, a pile of ideas instead of a place for him, Allison and other strays to find refuge.
A few truths grew a little more apparent to one narrow-focused cowboy. Some of his strategies for revamping the ranch had been shot down over the past month. What had potential on paper wasn’t possible in the here and now. Not with the current market, not with the land he had at his disposal. With every new revelation, he’d taken it in stride and moved forward as best he could, because he was positive what the final outcome had to be. Adjusting plans didn’t mean abandoning them.
He allowed Allison to catch up with him. One thought circled back again and again. They’d begun this deception for two separate reasons—he’d been totally absorbed by what it meant for the ranch, especially now with a deadline hovering over him. Helping Allison get through a tough time had been a bonus, but not really anything other than lending a hand.
Maybe this plan could be adjusted as well.
They could become something more than a temporary alliance.
Why the hell not?
“Gabe, look.”
He followed her pointing finger in time to see a covey of grouse fly into the trees, spooked by the ever-present ranch dogs that had followed them from his place.
“Should figure out how to breed them. Is there a market for wild birds?”
Allison laughed. “I didn’t point them out so you can stick them in a cage.”
“What about rabbits? Got way more of them than we need right now as well.”
She moved in closer. “There is a market for everything if you find the right buyers.”
Patches and Hurricane bumped noses briefly before Gabe tugged the reins and made his horse mind his manners.
They rode forward in a comfortable silence for another ten minutes. He kept trying to find a few good reasons to shoot down the idea that had crept into his thoughts, and frankly, he was having a devil of time coming up with anything.
They were good together, and he didn’t mean just in bed, although, holy fuck, they were definitely compatible there. Even if they still hadn’t had sex at any speed other than frantic. Understandable, in a way, but he was looking forward to showing her a little more finesse.
Why was that suddenly such a high priority for him?
Their family had accepted them as a couple—other than Ben’s toxicity, but that was a given from the start. Nothing he did would ever please the man.
They paused at the edge of a field, grain swaying slightly in the breeze. Allison turned her face toward the sun, eyes closed, body relaxed as her breathing slowed.
He could have stared all day.
Right about then, he made a decision. Just like the other plans had been adjusted, this one was going to be as well. A little more attention to her, rather than to the plot. If he put in the effort, perhaps they’d be able to do more than help each other out over the upcoming months.
Maybe they could find something more than friendship.
His phone rang, dragging him back to the here and now.
“Gabe?”
Tamara. He clasped the reins a little tighter. At his side, Allison moved in to listen intently. “What’s up?”
“Cassidy should be okay. Nothing internal damaged that I can tell.” She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Of course, this would have been so much easier in a real examining room.”
Travis muttered in the background, and Tamara swore at him, speaking to the side of the phone. “You’re still an idiot, Travis. Now shut up while I talk to Gabe.”
“He giving you trouble?” Gabe asked.
“Nahhh, he’s just got more balls than brains at times. I’ve told him to wake Cassidy up at intervals to check for a concussion, but other than that, nothing.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“Agreed. Just wanted to let you know. I’ve got a shift starting in thirty minutes, so I’m heading out now. But if you need me again, call.”
Gabe hung up, relief threading through him like a rush of chemicals. He hadn’t realized how uptight he’d been.
Allison tugged on his sleeve.
Shit. “Sorry. Tamara gave the all clear—of sorts.”