Riding Home

“I did not know about that.”

“Some people think it’s strange because she didn’t take his name and they each kept their own place, but I think it’s cool. Well, I’d better head back there before they get restless.” With a grin, she whirled around and left the parlor.

No sooner had she disappeared than Zach walked in the front door. For a brief moment he paused to gaze at her, and the air between them seemed to crackle. Damn, he looked good—clean white Western shirt, snug jeans, polished boots and a light gray Stetson pulled low over his eyes.

She took a deep breath and drew in the spicy scent of his cologne. A little spot of dried blood on his chin indicated that he’d nicked himself while shaving. How endearing. Maybe he was a little bit excited about this shopping excursion, too.

He cleared his throat. “You look great.”

“For a greenhorn.” She picked up her black cloth shoulder bag from the sofa.

“No, just plain great.” He walked into the parlor. “I almost hate to take you shopping for jeans when what you have on suits you so well.”

“But as we discussed, it’s impractical for a ranch barbeque. And although no one’s offered to take me out on a horse, I couldn’t ride like this, either. Besides...I want to fit in.”

“Then let’s go.” He ushered her through the front door and down the sidewalk to his truck, which turned out to be muscular, black and dusty. “I would apologize for the state of my truck, but it’s always like this. Black is the wrong color if you live at the end of a dirt road.”

“But aren’t dirt roads inevitable if you work on a ranch?”

“As it turns out, yes. I didn’t take that into consideration when I bought this baby.” He walked with her to the passenger side and opened the door. “At least the inside’s clean.”

“Nice.” The smell of new leather greeted her as she climbed in and buckled up. The seat rivaled the comfort of her Mercedes back home. He’d splurged on this vehicle, and recently, too. She didn’t know how much ranch hands made these days, but the job must pay better than she thought or maybe he’d come in to some money. Or he could be up to his ears in debt.

He settled himself behind the wheel, closed his door and started the engine. The truck’s deep-throated rumble was decidedly masculine. So was the man sitting next to her, and his cologne tantalized her even more in the enclosed space of the air-conditioned cab.

She tried to remember the last time she’d ridden in a truck. Even though her parents raised horses, the valuable Thoroughbreds were always transported by professionals in semis. Her family drove luxury cars. Even if she had been a passenger in a pickup a time or two, she certainly hadn’t been chauffeured by a Stetson-wearing cowboy.

When she’d imagined this trip to Jackson, she hadn’t anticipated that Zach’s truck would provide a sensually rewarding experience. She’d assumed he’d have an ordinary truck, maybe one with some rattles and worn upholstery. Instead they cruised down the highway effortlessly.

He glanced at her. “How did things go in the house when you went back?”

“Fine. No one’s ever been rude to me, but I can tell they’re only being nice because they’re decent people and they love Regan. So do I, but I doubt they’d believe me if I said so.”

He was quiet for a moment. “You’re still in love with him?”

“Not in love, but I love him as a friend.”

“Oh.” He didn’t sound convinced. “I’m not sure I understand how that works.”

“You’ve never had a close woman friend, someone you loved but weren’t in love with?”

“I’d have to think about that. My close relationships with women always seem to have a sexual undertone. Then when we act on that, we have an affair, and after it ends, we’re usually not that close anymore.”

She wasn’t surprised that he ended up in bed with his women friends. One look at his classic profile as he drove this massive truck got her engines running. His hair was a soft brown with enough curl to curve around his ears. She even liked the shape of those ears. Women would naturally want to get their hands on this guy.

“That’s the way it often goes,” she said. “I’m the last person to brag about my relationship skills. I used to be so proud of my situation with Regan and Drake. I had love and sex with Regan and cherished Drake as a close friend. But a bottle of wine and general dissatisfaction with the status quo ruined everything.”

“If you could go back and change that, would you?”

“Good question.” She settled into her comfy leather seat. “If you’d asked me that last January, I would have said yes, in a heartbeat. But now I realize the status quo wasn’t right, and goin’ to bed with Drake was probably my subconscious effort to change it. Regan and I didn’t have the bone-deep passion and commitment that would carry us through fifty or sixty years of marriage.”

“Did you have it with Drake?”

“God, no!” She laughed at the thought. Talking about this with someone who wouldn’t judge was a huge relief. “He had his own reasons for shaking things up, but an undying love for me wasn’t one of them.”

“He told you that?”

“More or less. I admitted the same thing to him. We were a sorry pair, all right. I should have broken up with Regan instead of getting smashed and having sex with his best friend. But wedding plans have a life of their own. My parents had made a sizable, nonrefundable down payment on the venue. The wedding party had been chosen, and the dresses and tuxes had been ordered.”

“You felt trapped.”

“Yes.” She heard something in his voice. “From the way you said that, I’m guessing you know what that’s like.”

“Absolutely.”

“Did you almost marry the wrong person, too?” That would explain his empathetic response.

“Nope. But I know what it feels like to be going down a road and realize it’s the wrong one, but you can’t get a handle on how to change it.”

“How so?”

He smiled. “Not now. I want to hear your story.”

She made a note to ask later. “There’s not much more to tell. Drake and I caused a scandal. My folks pretend they’ve forgiven me, but they haven’t. I think Regan has, though. And Drake, Regan and I are almost back to normal. I wish Regan’s extended family could let it go, but...they may not. I’ll have to live with that.”

“I predict they’ll warm up.”

“If I wear different clothes?”

“Won’t hurt.”

“I found out something right before you picked me up. I thought by staying at the Bunk and Grub, I’d escaped the Chance family’s influence.”

He looked over at her. “You didn’t know that Pam was married to Emmett?”

“Why would I? They don’t even live together!”

“Which is apparently how they like it. They married late in life, so they each need their space, except for...well, the obvious.”

“Right.” And here they were focusing once again on the topic of sex. The cab was roomy, but not so big that she didn’t feel his energy across the console. He was a potent guy.

“Pam is also Nick Chance’s aunt.”

“She is?” Jeannette sighed. “And Regan joined Nick’s veterinary practice when he moved out here, so that explains why Pam has been friendly and polite, but never warm. I thought she was simply being professional, but no, she’s part of Team Chance. Oh, well.”

“What about Drake? You shouldn’t be dealing with this alone. Is he getting the cold shoulder, too?”

“Oh, probably to some extent, but he’s been here longer, and now he’s involved with Tracy, who’s very popular, I gather. They may be giving him a pass because Tracy likes him.” Her phone chirped, indicating she had a text. “Will you excuse me a minute? I should get that. It might be from work.”