he called over the sound of the pouring rain. “Follow me.”
He and Doc took the lead and started trotting faster. Alexa gripped her reins tighter and kept up, her bottom bouncing in the saddle as the rain continued to soak through her clothes. She wasn’t comfortable with the faster speed, but all she could do was hold on for the ride and pray they weren’t going far.
They rode another few minutes and Alexa was starting to wonder where they were heading. Then, up ahead, she saw an old two-story farmhouse. Hayes’s house. She didn’t have to ask—she knew. It was just as she’d imagined an old farmhouse should look.
The white home with black shutters had a first and second-story porch and a pitched gable right in the center of the roofline. So adorable, and much different from the grand home his brother lived in on the other side of the property. This house seemed simpler, tucked in the back of the ranch as if protected.
Is that why Hayes chose to live here? So he could be away from everything and remain safe? The man might scream badass, but even after their short acquaintance she could tell he was on guard at all times. Just how deep did his pain run?
Beneath the brim of the borrowed hat, Alexa took in the beauty of the house...even through the raindrops. The brook ran alongside the home and the river flowed behind it. The house and a barn were nestled up on the hilly part of the land.
Hayes rode straight to the small barn at the side of the house. As the showers continued to pummel them, she followed and before she could hop down, he was at her side. His hand landed on her thigh, doing nothing to help with those tremors she’d been experiencing since meeting Mr. Elliott.
That hand slid up to her waist as she swung one leg over and dismounted. The brim of the hat bumped against him and fell off her head to land at her feet. His hands remained on her hips to steady her and Alexa gripped his biceps...and those muscles were just as impressive as she’d thought they’d be.
His eyes darted to her lips and Alexa didn’t care about the rain anymore. She didn’t care if snowflakes started falling from the sky or a tornado ripped through. She wanted to stay just like this—it wasn’t like she could get any more soaked—and have Hayes look at her like he desired her.
Oh, this was lust at its finest, but it had been so long since anyone had looked at her lips, she didn’t care. Lust was a welcome emotion at this point. After two years of nothing, the idea that someone might find her attractive was quite the turn-on. The defined, taut body beneath her fingertips didn’t hurt, either.
The muscle clenched in his jaw beneath that dark stubble. “Get up on the porch.”
The angry tone left her wondering just what, or who, he was upset with. The fact they got caught in the rain or the fact that he clearly wanted to kiss her and opted to have restraint?
“Tell me what to do.” She reached for the horse’s reins. “In the barn?”
He shook his head and swiped his hat off the ground before striding back to his horse. Hayes led them into the barn and secured each horse in their own stall.
“Hopefully the rain will pass soon.” He didn’t even look at her as he closed the stall doors. “The bigger storm wasn’t forecast until much later. You can wait here or go onto the porch.”
A rumble of thunder had her wondering just how quickly this would pass.
Hayes jerked his gaze toward the opening of the stable at the storm’s approach. She hadn’t taken him for someone who was afraid of storms. Pop-ups weren’t uncommon in Stone River, but since it was supposed to rain all weekend, she wondered if the storm had already begun. They might just have to ride back in the rain.
“We can go back,” she told him. “I mean, it’s not like I’m going to get any wetter. Or I can ride back alone. I know the way.”
Hayes turned to focus on her now, and man did those dark eyes focus. He raked his gaze over her like he was one leap away from pouncing. Alexa’s skin heated just the same as if he’d touched her with his hands.
Mercy sakes, she’d known the man maybe an hour. Clearly, she needed to get out more if the first good-looking rancher made her want to sit up and beg.
“When you go back, you won’t be going alone,” he told her. “We’ll wait. It’s a downpour and a long ride back.”
The showers beat down on the old metal roof and there was something calming, refreshing about being out here without a care in the—
“Oh no.” Alexa cringed. “My cell phone.”
She patted the pocket where she’d stored it, but her pants were wet. She only hoped her cell had survived. She couldn’t be cut off from contact with her son. This was her first trip away. She needed to cling to texts and video chats.
“Texts to your boyfriend can wait.”
Alexa squared her shoulders and swiped her damp hair away from her face. “That wasn’t subtle, if you were asking if I was single.”
“I wasn’t asking.”
Yet that gaze never wavered from hers and those heavy lids said otherwise. Hayes might not want to be attracted to her, but he was and he was none too happy about it.
“Sure you were,” she countered. “You keep looking at my mouth and wondering what it would be like to kiss me, so don’t pretend you didn’t want to know if I’m taken.”
There went the old Alexa again. Scott had always told her she was bold. She’d always said what was on her mind, because...why play games? But since his death, she’d been quieter, more reserved.
Apparently the moody cowboy brought out the best in her.
“You’re an attractive woman,” he replied. It shocked her that he was just as blunt. “I’m a guy. But don’t worry, sweetheart. Your lips are safe from mine.”
Cocky cabron. Like she’d asked for a kiss?
Alexa spun away and jogged through the rain to the safety of the back porch. The old swing swayed in the wind as another rumble of thunder rolled through. She crossed the porch and took a seat. Pulling her hair over her shoulder, she squeezed out the excess water.
Glancing back to the barn, Alexa saw Hayes standing in the opening, hands on his hips, black hair plastered to his head from the rain. He stared across the yard at her as if trying to decipher his next move.
Well, he could think all he wanted, but she was staying right here until it was time to roll out...or whatever lingo ranchers used. Wagons ho?
As if she didn’t have a care in the world, Alexa used the toe of her boot to push off the concrete. Even though she was completely soaked through, she sat on Hayes’s porch swaying back and forth as if this were a sunny summer day and she was sipping a cold glass of Southern sweet tea. As if this were her own home... If she really stretched her imagination, she could picture Mason toddling around in the grass, splashing in the puddles.
Wait. She needn’t get swept away in her own dreams. Fantasizing about a sexy cowboy was one thing, but imagining herself here with her son was flat-out dangerous.
Just because she’d been saving for a home of her own with a yard for Mason
