Hot in the Saddle (Heroes in the Saddle Book 1) Page 3

  He took a bite, chewed and swallowed, watching her. “You’re not what I expected.” The media made her out to be a wild child, doing what she wanted whenever she had the urge, spending her deceased father’s money like she was determined to go broke, and living her life on the edge.

  “Yeah, I’ve got a reputation out there.” She frowned as she picked up another wedge of sandwich.

  “Yet, here you are, being my nurse, cook, stable hand—”

  “I’m really glad I could do it.” She said the words quickly as she set down the sandwich. “But honestly, Treven?” She squinted at him. “If both my race cars weren’t out of commission, I might not have offered.” With a shrug of one shoulder, she got up to refill his water glass. “I probably would have hired someone to nurse you for a time, though. Throw some of the family money at a problem, like I usually do.”

  Her candor surprised him, her words spoken with a heavy dose of self-directed scorn. “Delta, I appreciate the honesty, but no matter why you’re here, it’s something so unexpected.” He paused to find the right words. “Besides my friends on the fire crew, no one has ever done anything like this for me.” Emotion welled in his chest. “Thank you. Really, I’m overwhelmed.”

  She turned to look at him, and her eyes misted over. “You’re welcome. But reserve judgement until you see how I do with those horses.”

  He smiled and gestured to her chair. “Let’s eat then we’ll go out and see what you can do with a barn full of cayuses.”

  A watery smile curved her lips. “Cayuses?” She gave a quick laugh. “You Texans use such interesting words.” She held a pain pill to his lips then lifted his glass for him.

  He took the pill as he let his eyes wander over her face, and his mind wander into the future. What would she be like in bed? The wild child he’d read so much about? Or the caring, concerned woman he’d seen the last few hours. A mix of both would be hot. Real effen’ hot.

  Delta moved around the island and took her seat next to him. “And we’d better do the horses fast before that pill hits you, ‘cause I’ll want you to stay in bed for the rest of the day.”

  Her words caused a flood of lust to race to his cock. “Delta, darlin’, how could I ever refuse a command like that?”

  She paused a moment, then broke out in laughter, her sweet voice rising to the rafters.

  He knew right then he’d already lost half his heart.

  Chapter Three

  Treven could barely stay on his feet in the barn, exhaustion and pain rendering him nearly useless, but he liked that Delta picked up the list of chores quickly. She’d actually brought a pen and paper and had taken notes on everything.

  They trudged back toward the house as he recited emergency phone numbers, Clint and Rex’s numbers if she needed help with any of the heavier chores, and a couple of additional tasks for her to do.

  When he hit his bed, it took less than a minute for him to fall asleep. When he woke, in the exact same position, the room was dark. The sun had set. Delta had been right, he needed the sleep. If she’d only come and lay next to him, this would have been the best day of his life.

  He padded down the hall. The kitchen was clean, just the under-counter lights on, but an amazing smell emitted from the crock pot on the counter. If he could figure out how to get the lid off and spoon some into his mouth, he’d be all set.

  Quiet, feminine laughter came from the living room.

  He headed that direction. Delta sat on the couch in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, headphones over her ears, and a tablet in her lap. She looked so young, so carefree, but he knew she had a heavy load on her shoulders.

  Not only had she taken on the burden of her legendary father’s racing team, she’d become a major player in the Pennington Racing Company, living like a nomad most of the year with no family, just a pit crew.

  Spotting him, she pulled off the headphones and stood. “Hi. How are you feeling?”

  The outfit must be her pajamas. A little too short for public consumption, the shirt bared her belly and cupped the round globes of her breasts. Treven’s mouth watered.

  “Hungry?” She stepped toward him.

  He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her senseless. Damn, why hadn’t he thought to brush his teeth, use mouthwash? Hell, with his hands like this, he couldn’t do any of those.

  “Yeah, I’m hungry.” In his underwear, a hard one formed. He turned toward the mammoth television sitting dark in the corner. “You don’t like a big screen?”

  Brushing past him, she shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t want to risk waking you.”

  He followed her into the kitchen, admiring the way her nice ass wiggled in those shorts. “I was pretty much dead in there.”

  She flipped on the lights and shook a pain pill out of the bottle. “Ready?” She held it up.

  His hands hurt. Bad. Otherwise he’d say no and offer to sit up with her and watch TV. “Yep.”

  Supper was a comedy with her handling two bowls of stew and two spoons. Then she walked to the hall closet and pulled out a box. “Now, I don’t know how you’re going to feel about this.” Her mouth quirked in a frown as she opened the lid on the box and pulled out a yard-long plastic stick with a sponge on the end. “But one of your neighbors dropped this off with a few other things that might make your life easier.”

  Treven stared at the sponge, realizing just how completely helpless he was, and the glaring way that weakness was prominently displayed in front of the sexiest woman he’d ever gotten close to. “Just kill me, Delta. Please.”

  She snorted, then laughed. He laughed with her, and they ended the night falling asleep next to each other on the couch, watching an old western on the big screen.

  ****

  The next morning, Delta stood outside the walk-in shower in Treven’s bathroom, adjusting the water temperature for him as he stood under the cascading spray. The plastic bags on his hands were secured to his forearms with the waterproof tape she’d found in the box from his neighbor lady. In his black underwear, he was a gorgeous specimen of man, all wet muscle and long sinews.

  Her gaze finally made it back to his face, and he smirked at her. “Could I impose on you to wash my hair for me?”

  “I’d be happy to.” She sounded a little too eager, but her fingers itched to touch him, wash his hair, soap him down. Everywhere. After the shampoo, conditioner, and a brief rubdown with the bar of soap on every inch of skin not covered by his underwear, her whole body tingled with chills of desire. The smell of his manly products, the firm contours of his body. And surprise! In his underwear, he had a half-mast chubby. For her.

  What would he say if she stripped off her clothes and joined him?

  “Thank you, Delta.” He turned his back to her. “I can take it from here.”

  Disappointment doused her like cold water. “Shout if you need anything.” She wandered back to the kitchen and chose a casserole to put into the oven for lunch, then emptied the dishwasher from the morning meal. She didn’t have chores to do until later. If Treven wasn’t sleepy, she’d love to spend time with him.

  Opening the hall closet door, she reached up and took down four games in colorful boxes. This would keep them busy. And keep her mind off her thoughts of jumping Treven and inventing naked games to play with him.

  ****

  It took over a week for the pain to abate enough for Treven to be able to use his hands for a few things. After two trips to town to see the doctor, and daily visits from friends and neighbors—all bearing gifts—Delta had settled into life on his ranch. And she loved it.

  No traveling cross-country, no media circus surrounding her, no dealing with her uncle about expenses and mistakes she made on the track. And how rare that she could wear just shorts and an old T-shirt? Plopping down on a rocking chair on the porch, she set down her tall glass of iced lemonade and breathed in the sweet, warm evening air.

  She liked him. The brave cowboy who volunteered as a fire fighter in his spare tim
e. They’d played every game he had in the house, taken walks when he was feeling well enough, and had watched television. Mostly, though, they talked. Not about anything deep or soul-searching, but about their lives and how they’d gotten to where they were.

  She’d learned about his wife, who’d left the ranch four years earlier because she couldn’t stand the country life. The girl had given Treven an ultimatum—move to Houston with her, or she’d go alone—and she’d gone without him and gotten a divorce. He didn’t seem too broken up about it, though, so maybe the relationship hadn’t been all that strong to begin with. But he’d torn down the old house he’d grown up in and had this amazing new one built. What did that say about him?

  The screen door opened and Treven walked out, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants. “Hey.” He stretched and yawned, coming around after his long nap.

  When his shirt rode up, exposing a peek at his firm abs, she snuck a look. “Want some lemonade?”

  “No, thanks.” He padded barefoot and sat in the chair next to hers. “Nice evening.”

  “Beautiful.” The sun would set to their left, over the field, and would turn the tall grass golden. She loved this time of day here. Peaceful. Something she’d never thought she’d crave.

  “Supper was good. Thanks.”

  Rex Tarrow, the dark firefighter who’d helped her that day on the track, had brought hamburgers, and she’d asked him where the grill was. Rex had directed her to an electric grill on the patio off the back of the house. That had gotten her thinking, and while Treven slept after the three of them ate, she checked the water heater. Electric. The furnace. Electric. Clothes dryer. Electric. There were no gas appliances on the property.

  “What is it, Delta?” He stared at her with those intense green eyes.

  “Why do you think there’s something?”

  “You stopped rocking. You’re in constant motion. Unless something’s wrong.”

  Delta used her toes to get the chair moving again. “May I ask you something personal?”

  “We’ve been talking personal all week. I don’t see why anything would be off limits.”

  A smile curved her lips. She’d told him about how her father hadn’t known about her until, on her fifth birthday, her mother had dropped her off at his big house in an Atlanta suburb. And Mom had never come back. Her world tilted and wobbled that day, and had never truly righted itself since.

  Dad never adopted her, legally, but he’d changed her name and taught her how to drive race cars. He’d brought her on the circuit with him and had given her cars and a pit crew when she came of age. Then, when he’d died in a dirt bike accident five years ago, her uncle had ended up managing Dad’s estate, and treating Delta like she was a commodity, not a relative.

  But, as long as she made money for Pennington Racing, he gave her some latitude to do what she wanted.

  “You stopped rocking again.” Treven’s voice held a hint of worry.

  “Guess I’m the kind of girl who can only do one thing at a time.” She turned toward him. “Will you tell me about the scars on your neck and shoulder?” The burn mark concerned her, made her want to hear the whole story. To hear another piece of Treven’s life, and share another bit of personal information with this man who’d snuck his way into her heart.

  He huffed out a breath and got his own chair rocking. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat and stopped moving. “I was twelve.” He pointed in the direction of the outbuildings. “We had a fire in the barn. My sister…” He didn’t move, just stared at the barns.

  He’d already mentioned that he’d grown up here. Said his parents were now living in a retirement community on the Gulf of Mexico. But he’d never spoken of a sister.

  “They think she started it. She was fifteen, and had a boyfriend with her in the hayloft. They were smoking.”

  “Oh, Treven.” She heard the pain in his voice, hadn’t meant to dig up such a terrible memory. “I’m sorry. If you’d rather not discuss—”

  “No.” He reached over as if he wanted to take her hand, then shook his head as he stared at the big white bandage.

  She wrapped her fingers around his forearm and gave him a soft smile.

  Treven blinked a couple times, looking at her as if he was just seeing her for the first time. “I want to talk about it. I’ve never talked about it with anyone.”

  Her brows rose. He’d never talked about it with his wife?

  With a harsh laugh, he took his arm back, and she laced her fingers together in her lap.

  He stared off into the distance. “I couldn’t save her. Rhianna. My sister. I climbed the ladder, but the fire was too hot.” His jaw clenched, a cracking sound came from his mouth.

  “You were only twelve.”

  “I was a big kid, strong for my age. Back then, the ranch had cattle and I worked with Dad when I could.” He went silent for a while. “I was hit by a falling board, knocked down, and burned. But that probably saved my life because the roof collapsed over the hay loft, and the whole thing came down.”

  “That’s so sad.” She rocked slowly. “And that’s why you’re a volunteer firefighter?”

  “Yep. I joined when I turned eighteen. Even though I have a fear…no, a complete and nightmarish paranoia about fire.”

  That explained the lack of gas appliances, and the electric grill. “But you ran right in and saved me without a thought for your own safety.” Had it been to prove something to himself after all these years?

  “Delta.” He sat forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “I knew I would be burned. I didn’t care. I had my chance to prove I could do it. That’s why I went in after you. Not because I’m some hero, like you said.” After a few minutes, he stood and walked to the railing. “I wanted to know I was capable of saving someone.” His voice caught on the last word.

  Foolish man. Why was he overanalyzing this? She stood and walked to him, wrapping her arms around him from behind and pressing her cheek to his back. “The term hero might not sit right with you, but it doesn’t matter why you reached into those flames. And why you risked getting blown up along with me if the gas tank had gone up. And why you dragged me to safety.”

  He stiffened.

  “Treven, you didn’t have time to think, you just acted. Now, after the fact, with your body coping with the residuals of the pain pills, this might not be the best time.”

  He turned and wrapped his arms around her, looking into her eyes. “What are you saying?” His voice came out too quiet.

  “I’m saying that you can analyze your actions from now ‘til the end of days, but in that moment, in that split-second, you ran straight for danger and did what few people would have done. And those who would have done the exact same thing? They’d probably have solid reasons for doing it too. Some of which might even be, ‘I wanna be a hero!’”

  Tipping his head down and getting closer to her, he swallowed hard. “How is it you understand me so well?”

  She cupped his strong jaw in the palms of her hands. “I’m not sure.” Delta looked into his beautiful eyes. “But I do know that I don’t want to leave here without spending a night with you.”

  His brows shot up.

  “And I know that’s forward and fast and flirty, but I’ve got the hots for you, Treven Arnett. And I want to do something about it.”

  Chapter Four

  Treven nearly shouted with relief. Here, he’d thought Delta looked on him with pity, the poor rancher who couldn’t do a thing for himself; and imagined she was pacifying her guilt over ultimately causing him so much pain. After he told her his ambivalent feelings about the reason he saved her, he thought she’d back away even further.

  But here she was, her hands on his face, pulling him in for a kiss. And he would damn sure accept any offer she made. He pressed his lips to hers, tugged her in tighter using just his forearms, and pushed his hips forward. Her hips against his sent a manic plunge of heat down his spine and into his cock. “Yeah.” Whispering the wo
rd, he tasted her, the seam of her lips, her tongue, the roof of her mouth.

  “Me too.” She dug her hands in his hair and tipped her head, granting him deeper access, turning the kiss even wilder.

  Treven wanted to pick her up in his arms and carry her to the bedroom, but his injured hands would probably have him dropping her on that sweet, round ass of hers. He slowed the kiss and touched his nose to hers. “Come to my bedroom.”

  “I’ve been waiting for that invitation for a week.” She walked backward, hauling him with her, then she opened the screen door and they made a quick retreat to his room.

  Helpless. He couldn’t do anything, couldn’t touch her. But he could use his voice. “Delta, darlin’, you are more sexy than should be legal, and you have me totally under your power.”

  Her smile went mushy and she sighed. “Wow, you’re one Texas charmer.”

  “No charm. All truth.” He kissed her neck, trailing his lips to her ear. “I want to see you naked. All for me.” In his pants, his erection swelled, pressing the head of his cock against her belly.

  “Anything you want, Treven.” She slid her shorts down her legs, peeled off her T-shirt, and stood in front of him in a lacy white bra and panties, her skin glowing in the evening light filtering through the windows.

  “Beautiful.” He kissed her shoulder and snagged a bra strap in his teeth. Reaching one hand behind her, she unclasped her bra, allowing him to pull it all the way off. Her breasts, round and firm, were tipped by dusky rose-colored nipples.

  He couldn’t resist, and bent to suckle one tight peak into his mouth as he used his forearms to hold her thin waist, hold her where he wanted her. In his arms, he felt her sinking, and walked her backward to the bed, letting her sit on the edge as he took her other nipple in his mouth. Like spiced cherries, she filled his senses with her taste, her scent, her perfection.

  Delta’s hands roamed across his shoulders and down his arms, then up his back to cup the back of his head. She shifted and kissed the top of his head.