She knew Lacey and Duke needed him to keep the ranch in the family, but honestly she hoped he wasn’t around much. Then life could get back to normal.
Rylan pulled into the Crooked Valley yard at quarter past seven. Too late for dinner—though if he asked, Lacey would probably have leftovers—and still with enough daylight left that he could chill for a bit before falling into bed.
It would be good to move around for a while, loosen up the tight muscles that came from driving the better part of the day. The past two weekends he’d competed, both times in the money, once at the top. But it hadn’t been easy, either. He’d twisted his knee a little yesterday during an awkward dismount, and the rides had been tough, beating his body around enough that he felt it through his ribs and shoulders.
But he was home now. And while he wouldn’t admit it to Lacey, it was nice to have a home base. Not that working in Wyoming had been bad. His boss had been good to him. Paid him well.
Ry’s needs were simple and he’d been careful with his money. As a result he had a rather nice little nest egg built up for a rainy day.
A rainy day that might have arrived. He still had some thinking to do before making any firm decisions. Still, it didn’t hurt for a man to have his ear to the ground.
But first he had to get unhitched. He could hear the dogs, Molly and Ranger, barking inside when he hopped out of the truck and moved to disconnect the camper. It took very little time for him to have it level and ready, just the way he liked it.
No one was home, so he went in the back door and emptied his dirty clothes from his duffel into the washing machine. After petting the dogs and putting some water in their bowl, he took a quick scrounge of the fridge and found leftover meatloaf. Ry sliced a huge hunk and put it between two slices of homemade bread for his dinner, then grabbed a beer from the fridge before heading back outside.
It was quiet. Almost too quiet. What he’d really like to do was go for a swim, let the cool water soothe his tired muscles. With more than an hour of daylight left, he shoved the last crust of bread into his mouth, washed it down with the beer, and struck out for the western edge of the property.
He’d discovered the bend in the creek quite by accident a few days after he’d arrived at the ranch. He’d been out riding, familiarizing himself with the place, and he’d started following the creek toward the property line. He knew at some point the land became Brandt property, but he didn’t know when and where. It took him a good half hour to make his way to the spot he’d found before, where the rushing, burbling sound faded to a soft lapping. It was wide enough, deep enough to swim. With the warm sun bathing his face, he stepped through the tall grass to the edge and prepared to strip to his briefs.
And halted, with his hands on the button of his jeans. There was already a pile of clothes on the ground, a heap of denim and a pale green T-shirt next to running shoes. Women’s running shoes.
He snapped his gaze to the water at just the right moment to see a woman surface in the stillness, parting the water with a soft splash and then swiping her hair back off her face.
Kailey.
His body reacted in a typical way and he shifted his weight to the other foot, unsure of what to do. What were the chances of him getting out of here without attracting her attention? Slim to none, he would imagine. Standing here staring was another ill-advised move... Damn. It didn’t really matter what he did, it would be wrong. After leaving Kailey the way he had, he’d come to expect it from her.
He took a step backward and dry grass crackled beneath his feet. Maybe she wouldn’t hear. He’d approached after all, and she hadn’t been the wiser. But no such luck this time. Her head snapped around and she saw him standing there, next to her mound of clothing, and he could see her blush even though they were several yards apart.
“Sorry,” he called. “I’ll go.”
He’d turned halfway around when her voice stopped him. “What are you doing here, Rylan?”
He hesitated and faced the pool—and her—again. “I was going to go for a swim. I saw this place a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect.”
“It is. Don’t go. I’m done anyway. If you don’t mind turning your back for a few minutes, I’ll leave you in peace.”
He swallowed, hard. Looked down at her clothes. He didn’t see any underwear, and he let out a relieved breath. He wasn’t sure his body, or his imagination for that matter, could take knowing she was skinny dipping.
“Don’t get out on my account. Really, I’ll just go back home.”
He’d taken two more steps when she called after him. “Are things going to be this awkward between us forever?”
Forever was a long time. He called back, “I’m not staying forever, so I doubt it.”
She didn’t answer, but he heard a splash and dared to look over his shoulder.
She’d disappeared again. Lord, but the woman knew how to get under his skin. Far more than she realized.
The water parted and she popped up again. Screw it, he thought. He was tired and hot and achy, and he wanted a swim. She could stay or she could go, but she didn’t own sole rights to the swimming hole.
He went back to where her clothes were and began unbuttoning his shirt. Kailey had switched from treading water to floating on her back. Only little bits of her were exposed. The tips of her breasts in a white bra and he could just see the edge of matching white underwear.
He took off his jeans and was suddenly very self-conscious. Tighty whities left nothing to the imagination. At all.
There was only one thing to do. He jogged to the water and splashed his way in up to his thighs before diving under.
He surfaced with a bellow. “Janey Mac, that’s cold!”
He scrubbed the water away from his face and saw Kailey floating nearby, an amused smile on her face. One thing was for sure, the cold water had gone a long way in helping his uncomfortable situation. He shivered as goose bumps popped up on his skin.
“Janey Mac?” she asked, the surface swirling around her as she tread water.
He grinned. “Something I remember my grandfather saying when I was just a little boy. And my gram would always give him this strange look and call him Joseph.”
She nodded. “I remember that. I miss them, you know.”
He knew it would be strange for him to say “me, too.” He hadn’t seen his grandparents in years. He’d avoided this place like the plague, had written it off as simply a part of his past. Being here again, though, had brought back a lot of memories. “You knew them better than I did. Of course you miss them.”
He gave a little shift of his body and used his arms to propel himself around, not really swimming, but not treading water either. “It’s a bit better when you get used to it,” he observed, and Kailey nodded.
“I’m kind of dreading getting out. The air is going to be cold.”
“Do
