Change of Hart (Wells Ranch, #3)(102)

But I don’t say that. I know better.

“That’s okay, baby. I’ll be right there. And I’ll get you home.”

I push my mare even harder, and my heart beats in time with the clap of her hooves over well-packed soil. Less than ten minutes later, I’m crossing through the tree line and leaping out of the saddle before I’ve even gotten to her. She looks up at me from where she’s cross-legged on the grass, rolling a blade of grass between her fingers, and smiles meekly.

“Bear.” I hustle across soft dirt and drop to my knees next to her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Despite the red eyes and tear-stained cheeks which indicate otherwise, she nods. “Yeah. I just feel really stupid.”

“There’s nothing to feel stupid about.” I pull her into my lap. My palms hold steady on either side of her face, her hair dances around our faces in the wind, and I kiss her, sweeping my tongue across her bottom lip. She opens her mouth with a relaxed sigh, looping her arms around my neck.

“I do, though. I was doing perfectly fine until we got caught up in the storm, and Sandy was starting to get a little spooked—”

“Sandy?” I interrupt. “Who the hell is Sandy?”

“I didn’t know what your horse’s name was, so I was calling him Sandy. It felt weird not to have a name for him.” She gestures toward a horse…not my horse, that’s for damn sure.

“Don’t know who the hell that is, but he’s not my horse.” I laugh. “Blair Hart, you’re a horse thief.”

Her wide eyes bounce between the buckskin and me. “I assumed paddock six was the sixth one moving away from the barn, but there wasn’t a buckskin there. So I grabbed one from the paddock closest to the barn.”

“Oh, shit. I’m a moron.” My palm slaps to my forehead. “We did some shuffling because Jackson got in some new horses for training. My buckskin’s in…actually, shit, I don’t even remember where Austin moved him.”

She gawks at me. “You were trying to kill me, weren’t you?”

“You caught me. I wanted to murder off my future wife.” Fuck, does that word feel good rolling off my tongue. “This must be the gelding the McKinney Ranch down in Fox Ridge sent over. I don’t think Jackson’s even been on him yet, so clearly you’ve still got some riding skill up your sleeve.”

I jokingly reach for her shirtsleeve, pulling it away from her arm so I can peek up it. Anything to earn the slimmest smile from my girl.

“Stop.” Her lips lift into a half-smile, and her fingers rap against mine. “I got in my head and…well, I wanted you.”

My heart’s real close to bursting from my chest. Stroking her head and using the weight of my arm to pull her against me, I say, “I’m here, baby. You want to try riding with me? Or I can call Austin and see if he’ll drive a truck up here. Tell me what you want me to do.”

Blair hesitates for a moment. “Um…I think I can ride.”

“I don’t want to push you.”

She shakes her head, interlacing our fingers and holding them tight in her lap. “You’ll be right beside me?”

“Nope, gonna take off at a gallop. Make you eat my dust.” I kiss the top of her head. “I’ll be right next to you. Hell, we can even share a horse, if it’ll make you feel better.”

The attempt at a glare she gives me is more adorable than threatening. “You would ditch me, jerk.”

“Bear, I’m never leaving you.” I brush my free hand over her chin, cupping it to hold her eyes on mine. “Never. Thank you for calling me, instead of doing something that scared you all by yourself.”

This is the man I want to be for her. Maybe now she’s finally ready to let me prove myself.

Her full lips press softly to mine, and she breathes out the words I thought I might never hear again. “I love you.”

“I love you, Blair. I don’t even know how to express it in a way that’ll ever show you exactly how much.”

Slowly, without letting my touch leave the small of her back, we move to stand below our tree. I can’t help myself from pushing her against the rough bark and crashing my lips to hers with a heart-stopping, breathtaking kiss. She quivers under the skimming of my fingertips beneath the hem of her shirt, and the kisses turn frantic. We’re teenagers stealing a moment of privacy, tongues colliding, moans stolen, fingers wandering.

She wraps a hand around the fabric of my shirt, breaking the kiss for a single moment. “Denver, thank you for coming when I called. I didn’t…” Her voice cracks, and she kisses me again, as if the taste of my lips and the feel of our bodies pressed together is what’s giving her the courage to open up. “I wasn’t sure you’d come. I almost didn’t call because I didn’t know how I’d handle it if you didn’t.”

“You call, I come. Always.” My eyes search hers. “I don’t care if I’m a million miles away, or if you think the reason is stupid, I want you to call me every single time the urge strikes you.”

“I love you,” she repeats against my lips. “I love you, Denver Wells.”

“Let’s get the heck out of here before it starts raining again. I think we need a hot shower together and some ice cream in bed.”