He reached for the phone.
She answered on the third buzz, her voice thick with sleep.
“You awake?” he asked.
“No.”
“Did it really happen?”
“What?”
“You. Me. The best sex I’ve ever had.”
He heard her draw in air on a yawn, then let it out in a rush. “How quickly they forget.”
“I’ll never forget.”
“We need to talk.”
That didn’t sound good. But she was right. They did need to talk. What happened last night changed everything. “When?”
“Later. At the barn. G’night.”
Dalton did a lot of thinking while he took his shower. He might not understand women all that well, but he was getting better at hearing what they didn’t say. And he’d heard Raney loud and clear. If she’d been worried last night about her sisters knowing about them, she’d be doubly cautious with her mama in the house.
Shit. He was back to arm’s length.
Not unexpected. Still, it rankled. But rather than wait to be booted out, he dressed, packed up his stuff, and headed back to the workers’ dorm.
Throughout the rest of the morning he was so busy he didn’t have time to fret over what Raney might say. His tasks with the AI program kept him mired in paperwork until lunch, then he scheduled out a few more local cutting shows before the pre-works started in October. He picked the ones he thought would have the biggest draw and largest crowds, then looked over the list of private training barns that were hosting fall pre-works. He was familiar with the names, but had never attended any of their workouts. The man he’d ridden for before, Roy Kilmer, wasn’t on a par with these premier outfits. That Whitcomb Four Star was included had more to do with the family status and reputation than their cutting prospects. Until now. And now, Dalton was determined to have Rosco ready to shine.
After lining up the shows, he decided to give the colt a mental break and take him out into the pasture. Being as smart as he was, Rosco could easily grow sour and bored. To combat that, Dalton had taken him out at least once a week since his training began. Hoping Raney would go with them, he had Uno brush Big Mike down just in case.
It was a little after one when he saw her coming up the drive toward the barn, dressed for work in jeans that hugged those long, strong legs that had held him tight last night. The memory of it was so strong he stopped what he was doing and watched her come toward him, images rolling through his mind like a slow-motion movie. Then he realized what he was doing to himself and went back to work before he flung her down in the straw as soon as she walked through the doors.
“Hey,” she said, stopping beside him. When she saw he wasn’t using the cutting saddle Rosco usually wore during his workouts, she asked if he was taking the colt for a run in the pasture.
Dalton nodded. “Got time to go with us?”
“I’d love to. But I have to go get Mama.” She watched him tighten Rosco’s cinch, then said, “Since Mama’s coming home, you should probably move back into the dormitory.”
“I already have.”
If she was surprised, or disappointed, or upset by that, she didn’t show it. Which irritated him a little.
“It’s probably for the best,” she said. “If you stayed in the house, we’d end up sneaking around. And I don’t like doing that.”
“Then don’t.” It came out more sharply than he intended, so he softened his tone. “Be open. Tell her about us. You’re a grown woman, Raney. You can make that decision for yourself.” And he was surprised she hadn’t. It seemed out of character for a woman as decisive and strong-minded as Raney was to be so concerned about what her mama might think.
“I made my decision last night when I came to your room.”
“But now you have regrets?”
She smiled and shook her head. “No regrets. You’re every bit the studmuffin I dreamed you were.”
“Studmuffin? Sounds girly.”
“Trust me, you’re not.” Her smile faded. “But I think maybe we should slow down. This is all moving pretty fast.”
Dalton almost called foul. Jacking him up with talk like that, then telling him to back off. “If it’s making you that uncomfortable, maybe I should just move on.”
“No.” Her hand shot out to grab his arm, as if that might stop him if he did choose to go. Which he didn’t. He’d spoken without thinking, and as soon as the words were out, he’d wanted them back. Through Rosco and the AI program, he already felt invested in the ranch. It seemed that for a long time he’d been spinning his wheels and going nowhere. But here, at Four Star, there was hope. A chance to build something meaningful. Make a new start. But it all hinged on the woman beside him. Who was now pushing him away again.
“I don’t want you to leave,” she said, taking her hand away. “I just need more time.”
“For what?” This had already been going on for months. How much longer did she need to figure out what she wanted?
“To decide if this is real. I can’t help but think in terms of commitment, Dalton. That’s the way I’m built. I don’t sleep around, or try guys out, or have hookups. I go all in or nothing. I already made one mistake. I don’t want to make another.”
Dalton looked away, not trusting himself to speak. That she would even put him and the douche in the same category was an insult.
“I’m not good with change,” she went on. “And a permanent commitment would mean a lot of changes. A lot of risk.”
“There aren’t any guarantees, Raney. If you don’t think what we have is worth the risk, let’s end it now.”
“But I think it is. I think it might work. It might be wonderful. The best thing ever to come into my life. But it’s all happened so fast. I just
