She whimpered, managed to mutter, “harder.”

  Benton smiled up at her, his mouth still at her breasts. “Not yet, darlin’.”

  He continued to stroke, his touch light and quick, and when that ball of heat inside of her began to expand, she clawed at him. It was white-hot. Big and sharp and so intense she thought she would come apart.

  She didn’t care that they were in a parking lot. Didn’t care that if anyone walked out from the kitchen, they’d probably see the two of them half naked, rutting like animals. That particular thought made her want him more.

  “I need you inside me,” she said, roughly, squirming as she tried to reach for him.

  “Hold on, kitten.” His voice was rough. He yanked down her jeans. Told her to spread her legs as much as she could. She sank back onto the truck and complied, the smell of her sex in the air. She wondered if he noticed. Then lost her mind when Benton opened his jeans. He took out his cock, placed one hand on the truck, and with his other, guided himself inside her. He felt so good, she wanted to cry. He eased in gently, a wicked grin on his face. “Don’t move,” he warned, eyes on her upturned face. “Let me do the work.”

  He began to slowly rock into her, filling her completely. At first, it was a tease, the kind that made her cry out in frustration, which only made his grin more wicked. More beautiful. She began to thrash her head; the sex was that exquisite, but he wasn’t having it.

  “Eyes on me.” It was an order, and how could she refuse?

  Collins placed her hands on his shoulders. “I need it faster,” she managed to say, biting her lip to keep from screaming when he pulled out entirely and rubbed himself against her swollen clitoris. With one hand still holding onto the truck for support, he gripped her hip with his other and, after easing back inside her…slowly…he began to fuck her the way she needed him to. In. Then out. Faster. Harder.

  She moaned as her climax built. Began to cry when it crested. When it tightened around him. And when it crashed wide open and they came together, she told herself that no way sex could get better than this. Not ever.

  Yet hours later, back at Duffer’s Place, back in her bed and the shower and on the chair and against the door. It was more than better. It was more than orgasmic. It was as if his body was made for her. As if his mind and soul and heart were the things she needed to live. To breathe. They were mad for each other. Frenzied with a need she couldn’t articulate.

  And as she fell asleep, wrapped in his arms, she realized a few things. One, she knew that this connection between them was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. She would never feel this way about another man. Ever. And two, not once had they used a condom. Something she’d never done before. She wasn’t worried about a pregnancy because of her IUD. It was the trust thing she’d never managed with anyone before.

  She’d lost control and so had he.

  This was some kind of beautiful, crazy thing, and if she were being honest, more than a little scary.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Saturday morning found Benton up early, well before the sun rose. He poured himself a big cup of black coffee, settled in the office, and did paperwork for a couple of hours. He was finishing up just as Nora made her way downstairs. Eyes sleep heavy and hair mussed adorably, she smiled when she spied him, and he scooped her into his arms. He dropped a kiss on her cheeks.

  “Daddy, your beard tickles.”

  He chuckled and deposited her in a chair, then grabbed the OJ from the fridge. Once she had a glass and gave him her breakfast order, he rustled up some bacon and eggs, then cleaned up his mess while she finished her breakfast.

  “Mike Paul is coming, and we’re going to check on those mares.”

  “The ones who have babies in their bellies?”

  He nodded. “You want to come watch him work?”

  “Yes, please,” she said, hopping down from her chair. “He lets me hold the thing sometimes.”

  Benton didn’t want to know what the ‘thing’ was, so he didn’t ask.

  “Brush your teeth and pull on some barn clothes.”

  Normally, his daughter liked to lollygag after breakfast, but she was back down in less than ten minutes, with freshly brushed teeth (she presented an open mouth for his inspection), and her hair was tamed, pulled back into a ponytail. She followed him out to the barns, nattering nonstop about her kitten, her bunny, and her pony. Mike Paul was already set up with his ultrasound equipment and waved hello. They had ten pregnant mares to check, and while Mike Paul got to it, with Nora helping him out, Benton walked to the other end of the barn. Ryland and Cole stood in front of the last stall and waited for him to join them.

  “Didn’t expect you boys until mid-afternoon.”

  “The kid wanted to be back in time to meet up with his pals in Bozeman.”

  “Right.” Benton nodded. “Music festival, isn’t it?”

  His brother nodded, then pointed to the stall. “This colt is going to be amazing. Look at his lines. His conformation. And he’s barely two.”

  Benton had to agree. He had a soft spot for blue roans, and this one, with an impressive pedigree, might be the plug he needed to fill the hole in his breeding program. He looked at Cole. “What do you think?”

  His cousin looked like a man who’d been on the road for days. Which, to be fair, he had. He and Ryland had visited several ranches and breeding stables looking for the right colt.

  “I think he’s the one. I’ll take him with me to Texas, and we’ll continue his training. But yeah, he could make a fine stallion for your program.” He winked. “You’re looking like you got a bit of a spring in your step. I take it things are good?”

  “Don’t start,” he replied. Then looked at his brother. “Take the red truck if you’re headed to Bozeman. It has new tires and brake pads.”

  “You going?” Ryland asked.

  “I might.” He wasn’t sure if he and Collins were staying in or not. He grinned wryly. “I need to get through Nora’s first dance class of the year, and then we’ll see.”

  Cole made a face and stepped back. “Have fun with that. I’ve been driving for hours. Gonna have a shower and hit the hay.”

  He and Ryland turned back to the colt as his cousin headed to the house. He was already into the alfalfa. “What’s his name again?”

  “He doesn’t have a barn name. Just the registered one and it’s a mouthful.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Well, his father is Steel Hammer Smith, and his mama is Shiloh Falls Fast And Runs.” Ryland shrugged. “Blue?”

  He chuckled and nodded. “Simple is good, and that suits him. Blue it is.” His brother headed to the house, and it was a couple of hours later that he and Nora made it back up. They both showered, and while she pulled on her sparkly dance clothes, he checked his phone, but there was nothing. He hadn’t heard from Collins since the day before, and she generally sent him messages in the mornings. He’d gotten used to them. He figured she was busy.

  His finger hovered over her contact icon, and while he debated whether or not to send her a message, Ryland appeared, keys in hand. The kid’s eyes were bright and he sure didn’t look like he’d been on the road for hours.

  “You have a funny look on your face.” Ryland grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “Huh?” He glanced at his brother.

  “Just saying.” Ryland took a swig. “You still seeing Miss Sports Illustrated?”

  He frowned. “Collins?”

  Ryland nodded. “She was on the cover last year. I know you’re an old man and all, so you might not know what that is. But it’s this special magazine that⁠—”

  “You can stop now.” He stood a bit straighter. “You think I can’t kick your ass from here to⁠—”

  “I have it on my phone if you care to see. I saved it as a screensaver.” Ryland’s grin widened, and something dark unfurled in Benton’s gut.

  “Don’t fuck around with this.” His voice was low but coated with something mean and dark.

  Ryland’s grin faltered.

  “Daddy, you said a bad word.” Nora stood a few feet from the men, her eyes wide. “Like that’s the baddest one. You need to put a fiver in the swear jar.”

  He held Ryland’s gaze a beat longer, then turned to his daughter. “How do you know about the swear jar?”

  “Because you boys are always swearing.” Her reply hit that sweet spot of light and cheekiness; enough to make Benton glance at his brother one last time.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be such an asshole.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Ryland headed for the door. “You like her. I get it.” He paused, a bit of the devil on his face. “Does this mean I have to delete my screensaver?” He ducked out before Benton could reply.

  “You ready?” he asked Nora.

  “Yep.” Her hair was freshly brushed, and she was wearing a pink sparkly body suit, with a purple tutu. On her feet, her favorite blue cowboy boots.

  “I’ve got your dance shoes.” He grabbed the bright pink bag from the table, dug through it, and found a hair tie. “You might want to use this.”

  “And my water bottle?”

  He nodded.

  “My bag of grapes?”

  “Yep.”

  “The bag of carrots, too?”

  Again, he nodded and pointed toward the door. “I even tossed in some celery with peanut butter.”

  An hour later, he pulled into Miss Nancy’s School of Dance. Nora grabbed her bag and hopped out. “Are you coming in to watch me?”

  He’d planned on heading over to the Sundowner while she took her class, but the look on her face was so hopeful he couldn’t say no. “Sure am.”

  She squealed and grabbed his hand and he followed several women and their daughters up the step. There was one boy, Landon, who skipped alongside Nora, and when Cameron and Ryan spotted them, the squeals were something else.

  “You’d think these kids hadn’t seen each other in years.” Taz Pulman rubbed the back of his neck, a pained expression on his face.

  “At their age, summer break feels like an entire year.”

  Miss Nancy came over to them, a big smile on her face. In her seventies, the woman was active in town, and Benton had known her his entire life. Her niece was Angel Simms, the lady folks referred to as the horse whisperer. She worked with Taz to rescue not only horses but also any animal that needed saving.

  “Hello, you two.” She beamed. “You can watch our little ladies and gents from the other room. In honor of our first class of the season, there are refreshments laid out. Cookies, coffee, or tea.”

  “Miss Nancy, we need to stretch.”

  She turned to the children. “That we do. Bags hung up, please, put on your dance shoes and let’s get to it.”

  Benton and Taz headed to the other room and found a bunch of moms hanging out, eating the treats, and drinking coffee. Benton spied Daisy Mae at about the same time he noticed Michaela Dawson walking over. He hadn’t expected to see either of them.

  “Michaela,” he said with a nod. “Your daughter dances?”

  “And my son, Landon.”

  Taz said a quick hello, then told Benton he was going to grab them a plate of cookies. Once he was gone, Michaela pointed to the window.

  “I’m glad our girls will be in class together this year.”

  “Yes. Pretty sure Nora has her dad’s rhythm, so I’m sure Miss Nancy has her work cut out for her, but Nora does love coming.”

  “Good to know. In the city, our teacher was a lot younger. To say I was shocked to find Miss Nancy still teaching is an understatement.”

  Benton hated polite chit chat, and though this wasn’t exactly the time or place, what with Daisy Mae watching him like a hawk, he needed to clear up a few things.

  “Hey, I want you to know that night at the bar. I don’t want you to… I was…I mean, hell, I would never want to make you think⁠—”

  “It’s okay, Benton.” She interrupted softly. “I heard about you and Collins Lafferty. You don’t need to explain anything to me.” Michaela let out a slow breath and shrugged. “I got to know her a bit the other night when I went to the Sundowner. She seems real nice. Grounded. Not gonna lie, I was more than a little surprised. I didn’t figure a superstar model who comes from a family like the Lafferty’s would be so sweet. Funny even.”

  He didn’t quite know how to respond, so he said nothing.

  “So don’t worry. No hard feelings on my end.” Her eyes fell away, and she turned toward the large viewing window again. “Life is funny, isn’t it?”

  “What do you mean?” He moved closer, his gaze on his daughter as she jumped and twirled with the rest of the kids.

  “I never thought I’d move back home with two kids at my age. Never thought my husband would find someone he loved more than me. A part of me hates him, you know? But the other part can’t because I wouldn’t have those two without him.” She looked at Benton. “I’m sure you can relate to your current situation.”

  He wasn’t exactly sure where Michaela was headed with that.

  “Situation?” Daisy Mae appeared with a cup of coffee and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She was tapping her toe a mile a minute. He noticed that her nails were bit down to the quick. The last time he saw her, there were long and manicured, though he supposed they could have been fake.

  “We were just chatting,” Michaela said, moving away. “Nice to see you, Daisy Mae.”

  His ex said nothing, though her eyes tracked Michaela’s progress until the woman moved behind a group of ladies and out of view.

  “I think she always had a thing for you.” Daisy Mae’s voice was thin. Her lips twitched, and she drank the cup of coffee in one gulp. He noticed a spot near her elbow. The skin was raw like she’d been picking at it.

  “Are you high?” he asked quietly, aware that the two of them huddled together was drawing some interest.

  She yanked her head up, eyes wide, her pupils blown…and his heart sank.

  Daisy Mae shook her head and lied to him. “Fuck you, Benton. Am I high. No. I’m just wired from too much coffee.”

  “Did you drive here?”

  She didn’t answer. Her eyes were on the window. On their perfect, happy, sweet little girl.

  “Where’s Nick?”

  Her lower lip trembled, and she shrugged. “He’s gone.” She began to pick at the spot on her elbow, and when she looked up at him, he wasn’t ready for the pain and anguish that colored her eyes a shade of sorrow he was familiar with.

  “He left town?” Benton kept his voice gentle.

  “For good, I think. Why would he stay? I’m a wreck.” Her voice trembled, but her focus was forward, on the kids. “What’s wrong with me?” she asked, her voice so light he barely heard her.

  “How long?”

  Her teeth began to chatter. “Four days.”

  She’d been using for four days. Guilt made his gut burn. He should have known. She was supposed to take Nora Thursday night to see a play, and she’d begged off. Said she had a touch of the flu. He’d been okay with it because it meant that he was able to take Nora himself. Collins had switched shifts at the Sundowner. She’d come with them. Spent the night. They’d had the best time. Nora had laughed. Collins had held his hand. And all the while Daisy was struggling.

  He caught Taz’s attention, and he waited for him to walk over. “Can you take Nora back to your place after dance class? Tell her I’ll make sure the kitten and bunny are fed, because I know she’s going to ask.”

  Taz glanced at Daisy Mae, who’d started to cry. “Sure. Don’t worry about Nora. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Benton steered Daisy Mae out of the dance studio, keeping her shielded from the curious eyes and blatant stares. He helped her into his truck, and once she was buckled in, he headed for home.

  He made two calls along the way. Rosie picked up and said she’d meet him back at the house. But Collins went to voicemail. He listened to her voice, and when the beep sounded in his ear, he left a message. His mind was on other things, so it was short and to the point. “I had a thing come up. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “I don’t feel good, Bent.”

  “I know,” he said, eyes on the road. He’d been here before. He knew the drill. Thinking of how hard things were going to get, he made one more call. His father, Manley, picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey, son, what’s up?”

  “I need your help.”

  A pause. “Daisy Mae?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll be at your place in half an hour.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Collins stared at her phone. At the transcribed voicemail that seemed so cold.

  “I had a thing come up. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Now, Benton wasn’t exactly a wordsmith, and she knew that it was easy to misconstrue a message, but still. It was abrupt even for him. She was so pissed she didn’t bother to listen to the actual message.

  “Everything okay?” Bunny asked, joining her on the back porch.

  “I think so.”

  “Well, Willie sent out a glass of sweet tea for you. It’s very good, I don’t mind saying.”

  She accepted the cold glass and took a sip, then set it down on the table. She stared at her phone, finger tracing the message. Should she text him back? Ask some questions? Would that make her seem needy?

  “Your cowboy?”

  “Excuse me?” She glanced up.

  “I just wondered if that was a message from Benton.”

  She nodded and sat back, eyes on the honeysuckle that climbed the trellis beside the deck. “We were supposed to get together tonight. Talked about going to the music festival in Bozeman, but he said something came up and that he’d call me tomorrow. I just…” She shrugged, feeling stupid. “I don’t know. It feels like he blew me off.”

  “I hate those things.” Bunny pointed to her cell, and Collins realized something.

  “You don’t have a cell phone.”

 

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