Ethan checked on Captain and Molly as they grazed and then returned to the rug. He lay on his back, hat over his face.
This time there were no footsteps to let him know Bridie had joined him, just the perfume of roses and the brush of her arm against his. He lifted his hat to see her lying on her stomach beside him. Her head was bare and hair fell over her smooth cheek as she scrolled through the pictures she’d taken. A half-smile curved her lips.
His chest tightened. She was so beautiful, so full of life, so warm and tender, it was no wonder she’d snuck in and stolen his heart. It was no wonder he ... loved her. He lowered his hat over his face again to hide his expression as he labeled the emotion that had reached in and grabbed him from the first time he saw her and had left no room for caution or restraint.
Bridie stifled a yawn, before laying her camera beside her and flipping onto her back. Again her arm brushed his.
She didn’t lie still for long. She sat, took off her boots and then lay down again, wriggling to get comfortable.
He chuckled. “Can’t a man get some sleep without any wiggling happening?”
Sunlight replaced the shadows of his hat as Bridie lifted it from off his face.
“Blame your coffee. I don’t usually have it so strong.” Instead of giving him back his hat, she tossed it on the rug behind her. “So there won’t be any sleeping for both of us.”
“Yes, there will be. I can sleep anywhere. Even next to a fidgety cowgirl.” Now was the part where he closed his eyes. But he couldn’t look away.
She stared at him, her expression indefinable. Then her eyes smiled and she touched his whiskered jaw. “We left too early for you to shave.”
Her light touch became a whisper-soft caress. He caught her fingers and held them, before rolling onto his side to face her. He fought hard to stop himself from running his fingers through her silken hair, cupping her fine jaw and bringing her mouth to his.
“Bridie, I thought we had an agreement?”
Her fingers entwined with his. “We did but its null and void now.”
“Null and void?”
“Yes. I’m not going anywhere. Remember.” She closed the distance between them. “Which leaves plenty of time for this.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “And this ...”
She went to kiss the opposite corner but before she could, he flipped her over, his body covering hers. Her dark hair fanned out across the rug, her eyes shone and her lips parted. She slipped her arms around his neck and dug her fingers into his nape.
His self-control held by a thread. He had to make sure this was what spontaneous Bridie really wanted and wouldn’t be something she’d regret.
“You know this isn’t going to stop at kissing?”
She smiled. The same stunning and dangerous smile she’d slayed him with at the lake. “I know.”
He still didn’t move to kiss her.
Beneath him he could feel her restless energy. Her hips moved against his. He locked his jaw as his control wavered.
“We need to go slow,” he rasped. “It’s been a big day for you. You’ve been through a lot these past months.”
Seriousness tempered the need burning in her eyes. “No. We don’t.”
Her urgent hands left his nape to pull his shirt from his jeans. As her palms smoothed over the skin of his lower back, he shuddered.
Her breathing quickened. “I go slow about as well as I sit still.” Her fingers traced the line of his spine up to his shoulders. “And you don’t fool me either. You can no more go slow than I can.”
His self-control snapped. His head lowered and then there were no more words.
“So much for spending the day in the mountains,” Ethan said, his fingers leaving the satin-soft skin of Bridie’s bare shoulder to slide through her hair.
She snuggled further into his side and placed her palm over his heart.
“We’re technically in the mountains even if we haven’t left the meadow all afternoon.” He felt her lips move in a smile. “All I can say is thank goodness Henry can’t see us with his binoculars.”
Ethan chuckled.
Bridie’s fingers traced patterns on his chest. “When will I see you again?”
His mouth brushed the top of her head. “Tomorrow night. Come for dinner, we should be back from Bozeman mid-afternoon.”
He felt her smile again.
He sighed and eased his arm from around her. “As much as I hate to say it, we should head back.”
“I know.” Regret threaded her words.
Together they dressed and saddled the horses. At the edge of the meadow, he snuck a kiss and then another before they topped the final ridge.
Captain shifted beneath him and Ethan ended the kiss. It wasn’t like his fuss-free bay to be restless or on edge. A flash of light caught his eye. He rode a few paces and then casually turned as though scouting for a trail. Again he saw a bright flash.