Exquisite Acquisitions

Carter turned to her. “You ever see a mare give birth?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You want to?” he asked.

Macy glanced at Henry first then looked at Carter. With a broad smile, she nodded. “I’d love to.”

“Well then, I’ll be going. I’ll see you both at the ranch,” Henry said, revving the engine.

Carter stood in front of the house, watching the Ford truck make its way down the road. When the vehicle was out of sight, he turned around and gave Macy a direct look. Her eyes, when unconcealed, were like a bouquet of blue violets, shocking in their intensity. He glanced at her mouth, tenderly swollen from his kisses. He set his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and leaned back on his boot heels. “Listen, when I invited you here, I said there were no strings attached, and I meant it. You don’t owe me anything, and you shouldn’t feel obligated because-”

“Don’t you dare!” Macy’s lips pursed tight together. They were ready to turn a shade of purple.

He jerked back and blinked at her tone.

“You think I kissed you because I feel I owe you something? Man, that’s rich, Carter.”

Carter’s voice rose. “Why are you so riled?”

Her voice elevated a notch higher. “I’m not riled.”

Fumes were practically coming out of her ears. “Then why the hell are you barking at me?”

“I. Am. Not. Barking. But if you think I kissed you for any other reason than because I wanted to, then you don’t know me very well.”

“Well, that’s right. I don’t know you very well.”

“At this rate, you’re never going to find out.”

“Maybe it’s best if I don’t.” The last thing he needed was to get complicated with Macy Tarlington. He’d been a fool once with a woman, and he wasn’t about to repeat his mistake. No matter how good that kiss had been. No matter how much Macy tempted him with pretty hair, gorgeous eyes and a killer body. “Besides, I kissed you. That peck you gave me wasn’t all that inspiring and hardly rated as a kiss at all.”

“I was thanking you, Carter.” She spoke as if he should’ve realized that. As if he was a moron. “If my kisses were so bad, then why in heaven did you react that way?” Her voice lowered as she glanced at the zipper of his jeans.

She’d turned him on. It wasn’t a crime and he wasn’t going to apologize for it. He met her challenge. His voice a thick rasp, he answered, “Don’t go analyzing my reaction to you. You’re a beautiful woman and we got caught up in something a second ago. That’s all it was.” He pushed the brim of his hat lower onto his forehead. “I’ve gotta get going. You want to come and see Belle give birth, hop into the Jeep.”

He strode over to his Jeep and climbed into the driver’s side. Rocky followed, racing into the front seat next to him, taking up all the space. The dog turned big eager eyes to Macy, and Carter half hoped she’d changed her mind. But sure as shooting, she marched over to the vehicle and got into the back. Before she could get her butt planted firmly onto the seat, Carter gunned the gas pedal and took off.

* * *

Seeing the colt’s birth might have been the most fascinating thing that happened to Macy this year, if Carter hadn’t kissed her. That ranked one notch higher in her Top Ten List of All-Time Thrills. Macy couldn’t shake off the feeling of his arms around her, their bodies melding or the heat of his breath as he laid claim to her mouth. Her lips still stung a little, in a good way. Macy had let go of all her doubts and inhibitions up in that bedroom and simply gave in to what she was feeling.

Carter had turned on the heat.

But after the interruption, he’d shut down cold.

Macy wasn’t looking for love, hardly believed in it herself, and she knew Carter wasn’t in the market for another girlfriend. He’d had his heart broken and his faith shattered. And, she couldn’t forget, he was the bearer of the cursed diamond ring.

Yet still, Macy tingled in places she’d forgotten could tingle. Her nerves jangled at the memory of that kiss and what might have happened if Henry hadn’t driven up when he had.

If she was ever to take a leap of faith with a man, it would be with Carter. No doubt about it.

Macy leaned on the corral fence. The air was warm and sticky, the sun taking its last dip before setting on the horizon. To think, it was just an hour ago that the foal had been born, a colt. Macy had watched in awe and slight horror, seeing the mare strain and stretch to deliver her little babe. As soon as the foal was born, covered in a layer of stable straw, Carter checked under Belle’s neck for a pulse and then patted her lovingly on her flank. She’d rebounded from the delivery and lifted up to stand tall in the barn’s stall. Mama and foal were healthy, Carter had reported.

Now, Carter led the mare and the spindle-legged foal into the empty corral. The colt followed close to its mama, and Macy’s heart tripped over itself. Mother and son were beautiful in their awkward grace. As the colt nursed, Belle stood still, swiveling her head to catch a sideways glance of her newborn. They were dark brown in coloring with black manes, their coats like gloss under the setting sun.

Carter left them in the center of the corral and came to lean his back on the fence next to her. He was inside, she outside. He didn’t look at her when he spoke, instead focusing on the two horses. “He’s a fine-looking colt, isn’t he?”

“He’s amazing. It’s hard to believe he’s walking already.”

“It’s in his nature. He’s a prey animal. His instincts tell him to get up and go, avoid predators at all costs. Foals have to be quick on their feet. He’ll be trotting before bedtime, and in the morning he’ll be able to gallop.”

“Seriously, on those legs?”

Carter grinned. In the olden days, she’d be called a greenhorn for being naive. “Those legs are about ninety percent of his mama’s in height. Tomorrow they’ll even be stronger and will easily hold his weight. You watch and see.”

“I’ll do that,” Macy said good-naturedly. The mood between them had eased some after the colt’s birth. It seemed neither one of them could hold on to tense feelings after witnessing something so wondrous.

Macy always thought birth was a miracle in itself, but to witness the colt’s progress an hour after his delivery was truly inspiring.

In the distance, cattle bellowed, their sound almost familiar to her now. This ranch was massive, with so many things going on all at once. The air was damp and uncomfortable and the stubborn man beside her way too good- looking for her equilibrium, yet Macy felt at peace. It settled into her bones now, and a sense of wonder and joy filled her. Tears welled in her eyes, and she fought them hard. She didn’t want Carter to see her cry. She turned her head and pretended to gaze at the crescent moon. Even the sky was perfect right now.

“What’s wrong, Hollywood?” Carter asked. He wasn’t looking at her. He had a sixth sense about things. He seemed to see what she didn’t want him to see.

“I got something in my eye. I think it’s dust.”

“It’s not dust.”

“How do you know?” She whipped her head around to stare at his profile.

He shrugged. “I just know. If it’s about what happened back at the inn…”

“It’s not. I assure you it isn’t.” She spoke adamantly, perhaps too much so, because he finally looked into her eyes. She squared her shoulders. “Maybe it’s seeing…I don’t know…a miracle, right before my eyes.”

“Okay,” he said softly. Her knees nearly buckled from his sweet tone. “Just making sure.”

They stared at each other a long time. Only the shuffling of the mare’s hooves and the distant hoot of an owl sounded in the silence.

A change of subject was needed. “I’d like to start work on the inn tomorrow.”

“I figured as much. I’ll have Henry make sure the locks on the inn are changed.”

“You’ve never locked it up before…at least not since I’ve been here.”

“There was no need to before.”

Meaning, before this, he didn’t care what happened to the inn. His bitterness toward his father translated into disregard for the inn. At least now, he was willing to protect it, the same way he protected most other things in his life.