gather the reins. “You shameless hussy,” Melanie said, taking over pampering duty as they walked to the sapling. “Safe Haven is her home now. We’ve never tried to place her.”
His thoughtful frown warned her that he’d switched to business mode. “Last year I heard you had to move close to a hundred horses because you were overcrowded.”
Nodding, she watched him tether Candy next to Sergei. “Annie was still here then. It was bad. No funds, very little feed to get through winter. Luckily, two other sanctuaries took them in.”
“Some were mustangs that eventually ended up in the prison system.” He collected the blanket, and she grabbed their dinner. “That’s how we learned about Safe Haven. Your operation is small and out of the way, so you hadn’t been on our radar.”
“Small? Are you kidding? Sometimes it feels as though we’re drowning.” She stopped in the shade, though the sun was low and weak. “I’m not complaining—”
“I know. You don’t have someone here full-time, and you and Shea have other jobs. Volunteers mean well but you can’t count on them. This is a remote area, so new volunteers aren’t coming out of the woodwork. And with this economy, donations are down. I get it.” He shook out the blanket. “Yet look at what you two are accomplishing in spite of everything.”
“No, not me. I have limited involvement. It’s people like Kathy and Levi—” She watched him crouch to smooth out the wool blanket, smiling. “What?”
“You’re being modest.”
“I am not.”
He took the bag of food from her and set it down. “I like the way you think outside the box. What you’re doing with your students is commendable.” He studied her for a moment. “Did you grow up here?”
“Yes.”
“On a ranch?”
“No, not really. We always had a few animals. Mostly chickens, two mares, a milking cow...”
“You’re teaching those kids valuable life skills. And they’re learning to have a healthy respect for animals. You’d think that wouldn’t need to be taught. That any decent human being would understand their responsibility to—” He stopped, cleared his throat and looked away.
His voice had sounded strained; his jaw was still clenched. The blue eyes she’d found so appealing had turned cold, sending a shiver straight down her spine. He kept his gaze averted and stared at the Rockies—to hide the sudden darkness that had come over him, she suspected. She was guessing he’d had a bad experience with someone mistreating an animal. That was enough to push her buttons.
She moved closer. He was a stranger, a man she’d met only a few hours ago. What was wrong with her that she didn’t feel some modicum of fear? Did she have no survival instincts at all? His tension all but blasted her like heat from a furnace. His mouth was tight-lipped and grim, cautioning her to give him space. And yet the warning had an opposite effect.
The curse she’d hidden since hitting puberty was to blame. That was the only explanation. Why else would quiet Melanie, Pastor Ray’s obedient daughter, feel this stirring inside her, feel a deep longing to touch Lucas? Good girls stayed away from bad boys. They didn’t go looking for trouble.
She hesitated, giving herself a final chance to sync with reason, but it was no use. She touched his arm.
He slowly turned and glanced at her hand. “Sorry, did you say something?”
For the life of her, she couldn’t come up with an excuse for touching him. Or for standing this close. She moved her hand to her side and focused on the Big Belt Mountains. “Would you like me to point out landmarks? There’s Mount Edith over there. And on the right—”
Lightly brushing the back of her hand, he said, “How about we eat?”
She curled her fingers into her cold palm. And then realized he hadn’t initiated contact at all. Her trembling hand had grazed his. Keeping her gaze averted, she inched away. “Sure, let’s— I’ll set out the food.”
He caught her wrist, just to get her attention, then released her. “I got carried away there,” he said. “I’m sorry I frightened you.”
“You didn’t.” She shook her head. “I was concerned.” She rubbed her arms and saw the skepticism in his faint smile. “Okay, and maybe a teensy bit nervous.”
His mouth lifted in earnest, and just like that, there was the man who’d changed the bus tire. “Are you always this forthright?”
“I try to be.”
“No matter what the consequences?”
“I’d like to think so,” she said, mesmerized by his bold stare. The demons were gone, if that was what had drawn him briefly into darkness. Now he just looked curious. “You sound so serious. Please tell me you aren’t setting me up to play Truth or Dare.”
He laughed at that. “I’ve never played and don’t want to know how.”
She relaxed and smiled, surprised that for a second she’d been afraid he’d admit something she didn’t want to know. Something that might change her opinion of him. Which was crazy. She barely knew him. “It’s just a dumb college pastime also known as study avoidance.”
She needed to move, not just stand there staring at him. To stay put would invite him to...
His gaze dropped to her mouth, and her pulse leaped.
* * *
SHE STOOD THERE, watching him with a mix of want and fear. This was...unexpected. Different from the way the Chelseas of the world eyed him like a stud up for auction.
Lucas had first started seeing that look as a teenager and had been quick to take advantage of it. But he wasn’t that reckless, carefree kid anymore, and a woman like Melanie? He stayed clear of women like her.
He could tell she was a nice small-town girl. Curious about him but uncertain what she wanted. He might’ve been out of circulation for a while and still a little rusty, but some things a man didn’t forget. Like the look of a woman who wanted to be kissed or silky skin and a soft mouth. He’d bet Melanie tasted real sweet. She’d likely be a little timid at first, but not for long.
Those thoughts had to stop. If he had a shred of decency left in him, he’d leave her alone. Leave her exactly how he’d found her when he eventually drove away from Blackfoot Falls. She wasn’t anything like the women he’d slept with in Denver, the rich ones affiliated with the reform program. Hell, he’d been nothing more than a novelty to them. It hadn’t taken long to figure that out. Not that that was a deal breaker. Uncomplicated sex was all he wanted or expected from a woman. He couldn’t say why, but he had a feeling that sex with Melanie would be anything but simple.
She finally turned away, knelt on the blanket and started setting out their picnic. He didn’t miss the slump of her shoulders or the blush staining her cheeks.
He crouched beside her. “Need help?”
“I think I can handle this. Here.” She offered him water.
A
