If he wanted Raney, what choice did he have? And he definitely wanted Raney. He untied Rosco’s lead from the ring in the wall. “Sure. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.” The sooner he got away from her, the less chance he’d say something he might regret.
But she followed him out of the barn and stood while he opened the gate into the pasture. “I know you’re upset,” she said, after he led Rosco through and secured the gate behind him. “And I understand why. But remember what I said about us getting distracted if we went to the next step?”
“I remember.” He swung into the saddle, then sat and waited for her to say all she came to say.
“I was right.” She looked up at him, blue eyes narrowed against the glare. “After last night, I’m definitely distracted. All day I’ve been thinking about how great it was with you, and when we would do it again. Not once did I think about Rosco or the Futurity. Joss even had to remind me to go get Mama in Gunther this afternoon. Aren’t you even a little bit distracted, too?”
“Sure. I get a hard-on every time you walk into the barn, or I hear your voice, or see you smile. But since I can’t always act on those distractions, I put them aside. I compartmentalize. Soldiers are trained to do that. In combat, everything is in the here and now. We don’t think in terms of the future since it might never come.”
“That’s sad.”
He shrugged. “It’s the way it has to be.”
“I couldn’t do that. Planning ahead keeps bad things from happening. At least, that’s the plan,” she added with a crooked smile.
“I know. You see a moment and stretch it to forever. You look at it from all angles. You analyze. And when you’re sure, you commit. That’s how you’ve kept the ranch running so well. You’re good at it.”
“But?”
“But that’s all ledgers and spreadsheets, Raney. Handling emotions is harder for you. That’s why you need extra time to think it through. I don’t like it, but I get it.”
She was silent so long, he wondered if his words had hurt her. He hoped not. In his experience, easy commitments didn’t last long. Raney’s were etched in steel.
“You’d be okay if we slow it down for now?” she asked, that crease back between her brows.
Poor Raney. Always worrying about something. “Disappointed, but not upset. I think we’re great together. I think we have a chance for something special and I’m willing to wait for it. For now. But be careful you don’t overanalyze it and talk yourself out of it.”
She thought for it a moment, then nodded. “You could be right.”
Dalton snorted. “I’m right?”
“I know,” she said with a wry smile. “I’m as shocked as you are.” Her smile faded. “I do tend to overthink things.”
Which she did a moment longer, then nodded as if she’d come to a decision or realization. “You’re a sly one, aren’t you? By not rushing me or trying to force me to your way of thinking, you’ve given me no reason to resist. You’ve taken away the need to put space between us.”
Hope clambered to the surface. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means you’re a wise man, Dalton Cardwell. Heavens! Look at the time. I’ve got to get going.”
Ten minutes later, as Dalton watched the Expedition head out the main gate, he wondered what she meant. Was he back in the saddle again? Or standing at the gate waiting to get in? The damn woman had him tied in knots.
* * *
Mama was in great spirits and looked happier than Raney had seen her in a long time. It reminded her again that her mother was still a vital woman. And a very attractive one. She had probably been the darling of the geriatric cruise set.
“The trip was a success?” she asked as they headed back to the ranch.
“It was wonderful. So many interesting people. The weather was perfect and the food scrumptious.” She went on for a few more minutes, then seemed to catch herself and added, “Although I missed my girls terribly. How is Joss?”
“Pregnant and anxious. Right now, she’s at her weekly checkup in Aspenmont. Shouldn’t be long. Len says it looks like the baby has dropped.” Raney wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded painful.
“Len’s here?”
“Came in yesterday. The kids are at summer camp and she thought she’d hide out with us until her eyes heal and—”
“Heal? My Lord, what happened?”
“Nothing happened. She had them done, is all. Best prepare yourself, though. She’s still pretty swollen and bruised.”
“That’s not good.”
“It’ll go down.”
“No, I mean it’s not good that she had them done.”
“Why not?”
“I have a theory.”
Mama had a theory about nearly everything, including cosmetic surgery. She wasn’t a big fan. She felt women—and men—should age gracefully, and a few wrinkles gave a face character. Easy for her to say since she had led a pampered life and was born with amazing bone structure. Mama had one of those faces that would be beautiful into her seventies and beyond.
“Assuming a woman has no medical issues,” Mama began, “and she isn’t contemplating a sex change and hasn’t suffered a disfigurement, there are only five reasonable reasons why a beautiful thirty-three-year-old in her prime would subject herself to the risks of plastic surgery.”
Raney settled in for a long lecture.
Raising her left hand, Mama counted off on her fingers. “One—she’s grossly insecure about her physical appearance. Which Len isn’t.
“Two—she’s having an affair with a younger man and wants to look more his age. Which might be interesting, if true, although I doubt Len’s been unfaithful.
“Three—her husband is having an affair with a younger woman and she feels she needs to compete. Which Ryan better not be doing or he’ll be in big trouble.
“Four—she and her husband have drifted apart and she wants to remind him why he fell in
