Sunset Seduction

Right now, Audrey longed to meet the horses. As she’d driven up, she’d seen the ranch corrals and the dozen or so horses, standing under giant oaks that provided shade from the other side of the fences.

Sunset Lodge had its own stable of horses, Luke had explained, that were primarily used for the lodge’s guests. They were sweet, gentle-natured animals that would provide trail rides and hayrides to entertain visitors. But the barns on the real working ranch housed some of the finest stallions, mares and geldings in the western half of the United States.

Casey had always bragged about the Slades’s horses until Audrey’s ears had burned. Her brother hadn’t a clue that hearing about anything regarding Luke gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Memories of him, and the fact that Luke had never married, had her daydreaming of him more times than she’d like to admit. It had sabotaged her feelings for most other men. At least until her recent boyfriend. She’d taken a chance with Toby and had really begun to like him, despite his flaws, until the day she’d learned he’d been a cheat with more than one woman.

That had been a hard pill to swallow.

And what upset her most wasn’t so much that she was out a boyfriend, but that she hadn’t really cared that much. Sure, she’d been hurt by his betrayal and humiliated that she’d been made a fool, but losing Toby wasn’t so great a loss. What shattered her was an impending fear that she’d never settle for any man but Luke.

And clearly, he was an impossible dream.

So when the opportunity had presented itself, Audrey grabbed the brass ring. Then fool that she was, she’d lost her nerve and had run out on Luke.

“Idiot,” she said, plopping her ball cap on her hopeless hair and striding out the door.

A few minutes later, she stood by the ranch’s corral fence close to the trunk of a tree where three horses huddled under the umbrella of shade. One of the horses looked over. He was a beauty, a bay gelding that stood fifteen hands high, his legs marked with white socks.

She softened her tone, “Come here, boy.”

The horse wandered over and Audrey put her hand over the corral fence, letting the horse sniff her scent and look into her eyes. “You’re a pretty one.”

The horse snorted quietly and when she was sure he felt comfortable with her, she laid her hand on his coat and stroked his withers.

“You and I are going to be friends. Yes, we are.”

Another horse wandered over and before long, all three horses were nudging each other to get some attention.

She smiled, realizing she hadn’t felt this good in days.

Horses had always been her salvation.

A dog scurried by, barking at the horses for no apparent reason as he ran the perimeter of the corral. Audrey could tell it was a game between the animals. The horses paid little mind to the black-and-white Border collie.

Soon, a small boy appeared, running at full speed after the dog, his little legs making long strides. He came to a screeching stop when he saw her by the tree.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi.” He looked at the ground.

“My name is Audrey Thomas. I’m a friend of Luke’s. I’m going to be taking care of the horses. What’s your dog’s name?”

The dog stood twenty feet up ahead, having taken a break from his run to catch his breath.

“Oh, h-he’s not my d-dog exactly. I w-watch him for Mr. S-Slade. H-his name is B-Blackie.”

Audrey nodded. “Good name. I bet you have a good name, too.”

The boy’s mouth curled up. “It’s E-Edward. No one c-calls me Eddie.”

“I won’t call you Eddie, either, Edward.”

“Thanks.” He glanced at the dog, patiently waiting to resume the game of chase. “I havta g-go. My g-grandma’s waiting f-for me.”

“Okay, nice to meet you, Edward.”

The boy nodded and took off again.

Luke found her grinning when he walked up a minute later. “I see you met Edward and Blackie.”

The sound of his voice hummed through her body. She couldn’t look at him. She stared at the horses, who were still vying for her attention. “Yes. Seems like a sweet boy.”

“Yeah, he’s a good kid. Ten years old. His grandmother runs the kitchen at Sunset Lodge. It’s a long story, but he loves living at the lodge. My brother Logan and I give him chores to do around here. Blackie’s one of his chores with bonuses.”

“I’m getting the picture.” She finally turned to him. His blue eyes devastated her. It was hard looking at his handsome face.

Get a grip, Audrey. You have to see him every day now.

His stomach growled and he laughed. “Sorry. The housekeeper’s on vacation and I’m hopeless in the kitchen. I was going over to the lodge to scrounge a meal. You wanna come?”

“I, uh... No, thanks. Look at me. I’m not exactly lodge-worthy right now.”

He pulled the bill of her cap down with an affectionate tug, just like he used to do way back when. “Sure you are.”

“I’m not, really,” she said, her eyes flashing. She looked like hell. She could hardly believe she’d walked up to Luke’s door looking like this. “I need a shower and a fresh change of clothes. Besides, I don’t want to leave Jewel alone too long. She needs to adjust to her new environment.”

Lucky cat was probably sleeping the afternoon away.

Luke studied her face a second. “You still got cooking skills?”

“I can stir a pot when needed.”

“I remember. You’re a pretty darn good cook. Why don’t you shower and change and meet me in the kitchen. Between the two of us, we can probably whip up something edible for lunch. I really don’t want to beg a meal over at the lodge. Much rather spend my time sharing a meal with you.”

It would hardly be begging, since Luke and his family owned the place. And she couldn’t take to heart what he said about spending time with her. That throwaway line, while she thought it genuine, was merely Luke being Luke. He was cordial to everyone.

She should refuse. She should tell him she needed to rest, but who was she kidding? She had enough adrenaline pumping through her veins right now to run a marathon. Luke’s beckoning eyes darkened to a deep ocean blue, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Unknowingly, he had powers of persuasion that quelled a woman’s resolve. He was everyone’s Mr. Nice Guy and he’d been her own private knight in shining armor. It was hard denying him anything—thus her taking up residence here and working for him on Sunset Ranch. “Okay. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in thirty minutes.”

His stomach complained again and he grinned like a little boy. “I’ll be there.”

* * *

Audrey turned on the faucet, adjusting the water temperature to medium-hot, and stepped inside the shower. As the pulsating spray hit her naked body, she closed her eyes to the warmth and relaxed as she washed away the dusty morning drive. And just like that, memories rushed into her mind of an awkward, lonely time in her life.

She’d been sixteen and upset about missing her high school dance. Not that she was much of a dancer, but she’d missed being with friends who seemed to be moving on without her. She wasn’t happy spending most weekends on the road with Casey and this one Saturday night, she’d let her sour mood get the best of her.

Judd Calhoon and his friend were slightly older than she was and pretty much harmless. She wouldn’t call Judd her friend. He’d mostly teased her about being scrawny and younger, but they’d shared one common complaint—both would rather be spending their weekends at home. So when he’d dared her to sneak out of the trailer that was her second home with Casey, Audrey had found herself eager and willing to thumb her nose at her big brother’s rules. He was her half brother, anyway, she’d thought. And she’d been tired of his demanding, overprotective ways.

She’d met the boys at midnight—Casey, with a Saturday-night drunk on, would never have known she was gone—and they’d built a small campfire in a cleared-out field half a mile away from the rodeo arena. They’d had some laughs, and she’d been feeling really good about her rebellion. She’d even taken a swallow or two of whiskey the boys had brought along. Before she knew it, Judd’s friend had passed out, falling into a snoring heap on the ground three feet away from her. Judd had been drinking heavily by then, and his usual mocking tone had suddenly turned affectionate. His hands got grabby and his pockmarked face was suddenly all over hers. Judd Calhoon, the brother of the rodeo clown, was no Romeo, and Audrey had shoved him away, telling him he was stupid for trying such a stunt.