Long Road Home

“I enjoyed it.”

She gave him a quick smile. “Me, too.”

That comment made him bolder. “Listen, I’m not sure how this visit will turn out for me, but can I give you a call before I leave town?”

“Sure.” She zipped open her purse, rummaged around in it and came up with a business card. “My cell’s on there.”

“Thanks.” He took the pink card, which advertised the beauty salon, To Dye For, but also gave Olivia’s name and number. “I’ve toyed with the idea of relocating here.”

“Really?” Her gaze met his. “That would be nice.”

“Meeting you gives me some extra incentive.”

Her blue eyes warmed. “Good.”

He had the craziest urge to kiss her, but it was too soon, and he didn’t want to ruin everything by overstepping.

Then, to his amazement, she leaned toward him and quickly brushed her lips against his. “Thanks for rescuing me today.” She pulled right back, as if to signal it was a one-time shot.

The kiss came and went so fast he didn’t have time to close his eyes, much less reach for her. “You’re welcome.” His voice sounded a little rusty, which wasn’t surprising since he was busy processing the soft feel of her mouth.

“I’ll come back for the second bag in a sec.” She opened the door and let in a gust of wind and rain. “Man, it’s some storm!”

“Yep.” Wyatt watched as she navigated the rain-soaked steps to deposit her purse and the first bag beside the door. As far as he was concerned, it was a wonderful storm. Without it, he would have arrived at the ranch, discovered Jack wasn’t there, and driven back to either the Bunk and Grub or the bar. He might have met Olivia in passing but they wouldn’t have talked, not when she was there to create nail magic.

Instead they were well on their way to becoming friends. Wyatt was really starting to like it here. The country was beautiful, even in the rain, and the local residents, including a certain blue-eyed beautician, interested him a great deal.

Leaning back in, she grabbed the second bag. “Okay, that does it. I’ll meet you inside.”

“Right.”

She paused, and her eyes narrowed. “You are coming inside, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am, but I’ll leave my muddy boots on the porch. I actually considered asking you to make my excuses, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate that.”

“Good guess. And besides, you don’t want to miss the food.”

Wyatt imagined finger sandwiches and tea cakes washed down with wine coolers. “That’s okay. Once the storm lets up, I’ll go into town and—”

“No, really. You don’t want to miss the food. See you inside.” She started to close the door but opened it again. “Can I say that you’re here? Or do you want to make a grand entrance?”

He chuckled. “Do I strike you as a grand entrance kind of guy?”

“No, but you did mention this was supposed to be a surprise.”

“That was a smoke screen. I was just too chickenshit to give Jack advance warning in case he told me not to bother. So, yeah, go ahead and announce that I’ll be in after I park the truck, but please tell Sarah I’m not planning to stay and interfere with this night of beauty she’s set up.”

Olivia looked amused. “I’ll tell her. But don’t blame me if she vetoes your decision.” Then she shut the door, ending any further debate on the matter.

Pulling carefully away from the front of the house so he didn’t accidentally take out a chunk of the wooden steps, he drove over to the area where everyone else had parked and turned off the engine. So he was here. Considering he’d met Olivia, he was glad he’d come.

But no matter what, he wouldn’t stay at the ranch tonight. He’d made it out here, and he could make it back to the paved road, too. When Jack came home from the horse show tomorrow, Wyatt would drive over and try this routine again.

A flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder that sounded like a mountain being split in two made him jump. The house went dark. Well, damn. What kind of guy marched into a house that had just lost power and announced he was taking off?

He needed to go in and find out what he could do to help before he left. Climbing out of the truck, he ignored the rain pelting him as he walked around to the rear and opened the back window of his camper shell. Fortunately his battery-operated lantern was within easy reach of the tailgate.

Lantern in hand, he sloshed through water and gravel and climbed the front steps. The cool, rain-scented air smelled of wood smoke, so a fire must be blazing inside. He unlaced his boots, toed them off and peeled away his wool socks, which were soaked.

When he came out—if he came out—he’d just wear the boots out to the truck and carry the socks. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

It opened soon afterward. “There you are!” Olivia stood holding a brass candlestick with a lit candle. She looked like an angel. “Come in. I told everyone who rescued me and they’re all dying to meet you. Well, I guess Sarah has already met you.”

“Briefly.” He remembered a stately silver-haired woman in her sixties who had a warm smile and kind eyes. Stepping into the entryway, he closed the door behind him. “I’m dripping. I should stand out here on the mat for a minute so I don’t mess up the hardwood floors.” The musical hum of female voices and laughter filtered in from the living room, along with the clink of glasses and the snap and crackle of a fire.

“Maybe I should get you a towel.”

“That’s not necessary. I really can’t stay.” He threw the comment out there, although his escape hatch was closing fast. “But I brought a lantern in case the power’s out for a while.” He held it up.

“If the lightning hit a transformer, and Sarah thinks it might have, then the power will be out for the rest of the night.”

“Doesn’t the ranch have a backup generator for emergencies?”

“Yes, but it’s not working right now. The men were planning to buy the part in Casper and repair it after they came back. I guess this storm was a surprise to everyone.”

“Oh.” Although intellectually Wyatt knew that the women on this ranch were unlikely to be helpless females who couldn’t look after themselves during a power outage, he still couldn’t picture himself driving away, knowing he’d left them in the middle of a blackout that might last until morning.

“Sarah wants you to stay, and I think you should. Pam’s fine with it, and she won’t charge you for a night at the Bunk and Grub, either.”

The escape hatch closed with a bang. “I’m happy to pay her anyway, but yeah, I’ll stay. Although I don’t have anything with me like clothes and stuff. I left it all at the B and B.”

“I’m sure that can be worked out. A place with this many men on-site must have some old clothes somewhere.”

“I suppose.” Wyatt felt something warm and wet on his bare feet. Glancing down, he discovered a low-slung, brown-and-white spotted dog with floppy ears licking his toes. “Who’s this?”

“Rodney, Sarah’s recently adopted dog. She got him from a shelter in Colorado, and he’s a mix but he’s mostly basset hound.”

“Not the kind of dog I’d expect on a ranch, but why not?” Wyatt crouched down and scratched behind the dog’s oversized ears. “How’s it going, Rodney?”

“His full name is Rodney Dangerfield.”

Wyatt lifted the dog’s muzzle and looked into his sad eyes. “Appropriate. Can’t get no respect, can you, Rodney?”

The dog whined and wagged his white-tipped tail.

“You and me, we’ll hang out tonight, buddy. We’ll find us a baseball game on TV—”

“No power,” Olivia said.