Chapter Thirty-One
Aweek later, Colt still hadn’t told Brielle the truth. He knew he had to tell her. Even Tony was giving him all sorts of hell about him keeping the secret from her, because, unbelievably, Tony had grown quite fond of Brielle.
She was working hard, learning the business side of running the ranch, but also getting down in the dirt and earning sweat equity. She’d even spent a solid day mucking out stalls to make up for her first time, when she ran away, much to the delight of several of the ranch hands. Of course, she had plenty of volunteers to help her now. It helped a whole heck of a lot that she looked so damn good in her Wrangler jeans and tight cotton tank tops.
Almost since the beginning, she hadn’t touched the wardrobe she’d brought with her, but Colt had seen some of it hanging in her bedroom closet, and he had plans for it. He wanted to take her somewhere she could wear diamonds dripping from her neck and ears. If he’d just get it over with and tell her who he really was, he could buy her gifts of that sort and fly her to Seattle, where they could have a romantic date, go dancing, and stay the night in a beautiful hotel.
Sleepless.
Colt had never been a man to live in fear, but the secret between them was practically eating him alive. Even Tony warned him that the longer he dragged his feet, the worse the lie became. And those feet of his were still dragging.
Every time Colt tried to say the words aloud, his throat closed. But time was definitely not on his side. He’d been amazingly lucky so far, but Brielle was becoming more comfortable with Sterling and its people, and someone was bound to say something soon. So he had to do this.
He’d planned a romantic horseback ride and picnic down at the lake that afternoon. This was the day he would spill all, he’d convinced himself. But when Brielle met him down at the barn with her jeans hugging her backside just right, and her tank top showing off her br**sts to perfection, he almost forgot all about confessions — he wanted to carry her off into the hayloft and ravish her for the whole afternoon.
No. He managed somehow to rein himself in as she approached with a smile on her face — something she sported often these days.
“You take my breath away, Brielle.”
“Colt, I look terrible. Don’t lie to me. I was just with Joe and trying to lift hay bales. Do you know how much those miserable things weigh?”
“Yeah, darling. I’ve lifted a few in my day,” he said with a chuckle, loving the glow in her face and that sexy-as-hell sheen of sweat.
“Well, I don’t know how you guys lift them all on your own. I was determined to do anything any of the men could do, but after two hours I gave up. My arms are still shaking.”
“I happen to love your arms. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”
“You might think that now, but just wait…” she said with a wink.
“There’s nothing about you I don’t love, Brielle.”
“That’s because I give you a lot of sex, Colt. You’re in a sex-induced walking coma.”
“Baby, if this is a coma, then never wake me up.”
“Your lines have gotten much worse, Colt.”
“What can I say? You inspire me.”
She threw her arms around him and gave him a big kiss for his efforts. “I thought we were going for a ride.”
“Not if you keep touching me like this.”
“Okay, I really want to go. I think I’m getting pretty good at it now.” After that mortifying fall on her first ride, she’d decided to practice in the arena. He’d watched her several times and she was picking up on it fast.
“I won’t be the only one to say this, but if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” He led her to Bluegrass, whom he’d already saddled.
She gave the mare a treat and petted her nose for a moment before climbing up effortlessly. “I’m getting quite fond of her,” she said as she rubbed the horse’s neck.
“I think she likes you, too,” Colt replied as he climbed on his black stallion. Then the two of them were off, not in a hurry but enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
After about an hour of riding, sometimes spent chatting and sometimes in companionable silence, Colt said, “We’ll stop here.” Jumping from his horse and walking over to a favorite spot of his that boasted huge shade trees overlooking a full stream, swift and smooth, he spread out a blanket.
“I have to admit that this is almost like a postcard,” Brielle said as she sat astride her horse and looked at the crystal-clear water, not quite ready to get down.
He walked back over to her. “That’s one of the things I love best about Montana. There are so many areas that are unspoiled. Though the land is worked hard, it replenishes itself and stays pure.”
When she climbed down from the horse, sliding against Colt, she wobbled as she hit the ground. This had been a longer ride than she was used to, and her muscles were going to be screaming at her tomorrow. Their gazes locked together and Colt forgot all about the food he’d craved just a moment earlier. Whenever he touched her, the conclusion was inevitable.
As Colt’s lips moved gently across hers and his tongue played with hers, he was lost in another world, a world free of stress, a place only lovers could meet.
Several heartbeats later he pulled back, and the protest in her eyes sent a thrill through him. “I’d better feed you,” Colt said with a chuckle as her stomach rumbled.
“I hope you brought something worth eating.”
“Don’t get me started, sweetheart. But of course I did. Every cowboy knows you don’t go riding without good food in the saddlebags. You never know when you could get stuck.”
“Stuck?”
“It doesn’t happen very often, but when you stray too far from home base, things do occur.”
He watched as she tested out her legs, made her way over to the blanket and sat down, waiting for him to unpack the goodies.
At her first bite of the juicy chicken he’d brought, she grinned. “Oh my, this is good.”
“My cook is the best,” he said.
His words stopped her from taking her next bite.
“Your cook? What?”
He felt his cheeks heat, and then he hated himself when Brielle looked apologetic.
“Ignore me. The cook is great,” she said with a nervous laugh.
He knew she was thinking that he’d just messed up on his wording. She was assuming that the food came from the cook who prepared meals for the ranch hands. This would be the perfect opportunity for him to tell her all, but the words didn’t come out, and then the moment was gone.