Chapter Nineteen

Collin

Angry wouldn’t even remotely come close to the feelings I had for that producer, but I had to keep my emotions in check. I didn’t want to explode because frankly, I didn’t know how I would react. I’d been in scraps with my brothers and the Andersons recently, but I was always able to keep my head in those. I wasn’t as angry as I was annoyed and looking out for my brothers. But with this Phil guy, I was pissed.

And I hadn’t been that angry in a very long time.

My suggestion to go back to the ranch was tricky, because it would mean that my brothers might come into contact with her and know just what was going on with us. I didn’t want the teasing, but at the same time, I didn’t want her to be alone. She deserved to get away from all this for a little bit, and I simply couldn’t think of a better way to clear my mind than riding a horse for a while.

Brandy left a note for Basil on the door, just in case she didn’t check her text messages, telling her she was going to be out today and it was up to her if she wanted to open the shop. Then she went into the house, snuck to her room, and gathered a few clothes to bring with us, all wrapped up in a towel.

I had a suspicion about what other things might be in the towel, but I wasn’t going to let on that I knew. I just had an inkling there was a toothbrush and some other toiletries in there. Just in case.

I grinned as I started the engine of the car, pulling out and heading on the road. The night had just started to get that dark purple look when I pulled into the driveway of the ranch, waking up a dozing Brandy with the shaking of the car over the gravel. When I parked, I noticed that only Owen’s car was here, meaning Luke was still elsewhere with Amber, and Jesse was elsewhere with Charlotte. That was good. Less chance of awkwardness.

Sneaking in the front door, trying to make as little noise as possible, I got her upstairs and into my room.

“Wow,” she said. “This place is amazing.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Our father built it with our grandfather. This was an extension, actually, so my dad built it to my mom’s specifications. I have a bathroom over there that’s private. It has a shower and a tub, so if you want to soak for a bit, you can. I have a ton of pajamas if you want any in that drawer. It’s almost time to go feed the chickens, so I’m just going to take care of my morning chores early and then come on back.”

“I don’t need any pajamas,” she said, pulling her shirt up and over her head.

Her heavy, perfect breasts bounded out as she tossed the shirt to the ground. Then she hooked her thumbs into the stretch pants she was wearing and peeled those off too. Then she climbed into my bed, sinking between the covers and looking back up at me innocently.

“What?” she asked.

I had a decision to make. I could climb in with her and most certainly miss my morning routine, which would cause Owen to come looking for me and then find us in bed, or I could go take care of everything and know she would be asleep when I got back.

“I’ll be back,” I said. “You rest.”

“Okay,” she said happily, curling up with one of my pillows. I shook my head and chuckled.

As I got outside, the purple was giving way to a dark blue, and the animals were, on the whole, displeased that I was waking them up early. The roosters particularly were upset, and one tried attacking me, which was always good for a fun day. An hour or so later, and the sun had made an appearance, and I heard the back door of the ranch shut as Owen made his way out.

“Morning,” I said.

“Morning,” he responded. “You’ve already done all the livestock?”

“Not all of them,” I said. “I left you the horses. I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I’m going to need Bandit and Ghost saddled up around five.”

“Bandit and Ghost?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Luke hasn’t been home for a couple days, and Ghost will need to stretch his legs. And… I have company.”

“You do?” Owen asked, looking around the field.

“She’s upstairs,” I said.

“She’s up… oh. Oh! Ohhhh…”

“Right.”

“Wait, I didn’t come in until almost three. You weren’t here then.”

“We didn’t get in until about five,” I said. “A little before, I suppose. It’s been a long night. I’ll tell you about it later. But for now, I am going to go on in, get a shower, and head to bed to get a couple hours of sleep.”

“You going to be all right sleeping?”

I paused. I hadn’t even thought about it, but Owen had a point. The last few days, I’d been so tired I hadn’t dreamed at all, and my dream journal had been empty. I hadn’t found myself awake anywhere, or woke up with the sweats. Just dreamless sleep.

“I think I’ll be fine,” I said. “My naps don’t tend to get the dreams. Only overnight in the dark, I think, that’s when I have to worry.”

“I got you,” he said. “All right. Don’t worry about anything else. You got company. I can take care of the rest of this.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I can always call Jesse or Logan or something. Enjoy your company. I’ll see you around five.”

“Thanks, Owen.”

“No problem, brother.”

I headed inside, leaving my boots at the bottom of the stairs and heading to my room. When I opened the door, I saw her sleeping in the center of the bed and smiled. Making my way to the bathroom, I flipped on the hot water and waited for a moment after I stripped down to step in.

The water started working on my tense muscles, and I soaped up quickly. I was going to be a puddle of nothingness soon, and I needed to get in the bed.

I turned around to put the soap back and reach for the shampoo when I saw the bathroom door open through the foggy glass shower door. Slowly, it opened, and Brandy stepped inside.

“Hey, you,” I said.

“Hey,” she said. “Want some company?”

“Um, yes, I believe that would be amenable.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck as I leaned down to kiss her. Suddenly, all the energy I’d been missing came back, and I pinned her to the wall. Her leg rose and wrapped around my waist as I maneuvered myself into position. Our eyes locked on to one another, and I entered her. She gasped and covered her mouth, and I smiled.

“No one else in the house,” I said. “You can be loud.”

“Oh, really?” she said.

Then she proceeded to be very, very loud.

My alarm woke me up a few hours later, and I found myself alone in the bed. Considering I was naked as a jaybird, that concerned me a bit. I sat up, noting that the clothes she’d worn here were still on the floor in a neat little pile, but the towel full of stuff she’d brought was missing.

I rolled out of bed and put on clothes, then opened the bedroom door to the smell of coffee and bacon.

I entered the kitchen with a grumbling stomach to see Owen sitting at the table, a sandwich in front of him that actually looked big for him , and Brandy at the stove, cooking more bacon and looking very much at home.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Owen said. “I thought you’d never get up.”

“It’s only four,” I said. “I told you I’d see you at five.”

“True,” he said, “but Brandy here has been cooking up a storm, and I felt bad eating before you got to eat.”

“Please, go ahead,” I said. “Eat away.”

Owen didn’t need to be told twice. With one mighty bite, he got a quarter of the way through his sandwich.

“You didn’t need to make food,” I said. “I could have done that.”

“I don’t mind,” she said. “I wanted to, in fact.”

“Even that?” I asked, jerking my thumb back toward Owen’s sandwich.

“Even that,” she said. “I do have fresh bread baking in the oven and a cake mixed and ready to be put in after that. I thought you might like a sandwich too.”

“I absolutely would,” I said.

“I knew it. Take a seat.”

I did as I was told, and a minute or so later, a plate appeared, with a stacked sandwich on it. I devoured it hungrily, as she watched, taking bites of the loaf of bread with olive oil. When I finished it, somehow faster than Owen finished his, I sat back in my chair.

“That was, possibly, the greatest sandwich I’ve ever had. What was that sauce?”

“It’s a secret,” she said. “But it’s something I was thinking of offering at the shop. What do you think?”

“Absolutely,” Owen said with a mouthful. “I would come get this every day.”

She beamed, and I beamed back, just happy to see her so happy. Especially after yesterday.

“All right. I think it’s time for horses. Were you able to saddle up Ghost and Bandit?”

“I was,” Owen said. “They’re in their stalls waiting on you.”

“Perfect. Brandy? Would you join me?”

“I would love to,” she said, taking my hand and leaning against my arm.

Lunch had a weirdly domestic vibe to it, and I found that I really loved it. It was similar to how Charlotte and Amber had come and made food for their men, but with Brandy, it was somehow even more natural. Perhaps it was just that she was a professional, but there was a home-ness to it. A comfort. She not only knew her way around a stove, she seemed to intuitively know her way around our stove.

“I love horses,” she said as we approached the barn.

“You know how to ride? I guess I should have asked that before now.”

“I do,” she said. “We never owned any, but I used to take lessons all the way up until I graduated high school. Every once in a while, when I lived in New York, I’d travel upstate to a ranch.”

“Well, I’d like to introduce you to my horse. This is Bandit.”

“Hello, Bandit,” she said, rubbing his nose. He licked her hand, and she giggled.

“He wants a peppermint,” I said. “He can get them when we’re done riding.”

“Well, after you,” she said.

“Mount up,” I said.

Sitting on the back of Ghost, Luke’s incredible specimen of a horse, I looked back at her on Bandit and smiled. Bandit was a lazier fella, preferring to trot most of the time rather than gallop. Ghost was the opposite. Today, I’d most likely be trying to rein in Ghost more than encourage Bandit, but I didn’t mind. There was something about Brandy on the back of a horse. My horse.

It felt right .