Disarming the Rancher Page 8

  So, he probably should’ve let her in on the fact he was stepping out. For the time being, he needed to get used to keeping everyone up to date on his activities and vice versa. The thought made him want to loosen his collar.

  Brax loved the land and, almost more than that, his freedom.

  This was a temporary situation, he reminded himself. What he didn’t like was the temporary nature of spending time with Raleigh. Hers was a life of constant travel, concert dates booked a year in advance, and squeezing in time to record.

  It sounded like a prison to him. But then, he was used to wide-open skies and the ability to come and go as he saw fit.

  Despite knowing there could never be anything more between them, his traitorous heart still beat double-time the minute he stepped inside the kitchen and her gaze found his. What did the heart know? Wasn’t that what half of the country songs were about anyway? Missed love. Missing love. Being hurt by love.

  Brax was picking up on a common theme.

  Raleigh stood up and walked over to him, all eyes followed her.

  “Hey, everything okay?” she asked, leaning her hip against the counter. She stood so close he could breathe in her flowery scent, which wasn’t such a good thing for a man who was trying to keep his distance.

  From behind her, he caught someone he didn’t recognize watching their interaction like it was a prize fight and one of the boxers was on the brink. Brax took note of the guy, especially the hard lines of his face as he studied Brax like he was sizing him up.

  “I went to the barn to exercise Bullet.” He expected the admission to make his collar feel a little too tight. Surprisingly, it didn’t. But then, he’d put the situation in perspective before walking in the house.

  “Oh.” She didn’t meet his gaze. “I was worried when I didn’t see you. It’s probably just the situation taking a toll, making me feel the need to know where everyone is at all times. I overreacted.”

  “Who could blame you; I would have done the same if you’d up and disappeared without a word,” he said.

  “Really?” She glanced up at him and those emerald eyes sparked.

  “Of course,” he reassured.

  “Next time you head out to the barn, will you take me?” The tile floor suddenly got very interesting.

  “I can do that,” he said.

  “I’d appreciate it. I write so much better in the loft and,” she glanced around the room, “away from all the ‘excitement.’”

  He followed her trail. It seemed everyone had some interest in where she stood. Another job hazard, he figured. The not-so-glamorous side of fame.

  “How about heading over now?” He wished he could rein the question in. Impulse had him wanting to help her escape even if only for a little while.

  “I’d like that a lot actually. You don’t mind? I thought you just came from there,” she said.

  “I’d take being in a barn any day to this.” He held up his arms.

  “This will probably sound crazy coming from me, but I know what you mean.” She rewarded him with the kind of smile that melted too many of his defenses in one fell swoop.

  He reached out for her hand, and then linked their fingers.

  The hotshot who’d been giving them the eye the whole time tossed his napkin onto the table. Brax made a mental note to ask what her relationship was with each of her band members.

  “I better let Hardy know our plans,” she said with an infectious smile.

  “I’ll wait right here.”

  She nodded before practically trotting over to her security detail.

  Hardy was youngish and had a decent size to him. His weapon was visible from his shoulder holster. Brax’s mother generally had a no-guns-inside-the-house policy but she seemed to be willing to make an exception for Raleigh. This seemed to come with the territory of hosting someone famous.

  Brax studied each of the new faces that he could see from the vantage point behind the island as he made a meatball sandwich. Adam came over and joined him as he took the first bite.

  “Sorry about having to track you down,” Adam started.

  Brax shook his head. “Don’t be. We have to get used to staying in touch while there’s a threat.”

  “Raleigh sure looks relieved you came back,” Adam pointed out.

  “Doesn’t mean anything except friendship,” Brax said.

  “All right. You want to play it that way, it’s cool.” Adam’s smirk wasn’t helping matters.

  “Aren’t you busy with your new wife and new daughter?” Brax said.

  “Never too busy to give you a hard time, brother.” Adam threw a shoulder into Brax and then winced in pain.

  “I don’t feel a bit sorry for you,” Brax teased. “You had that coming.”

  “That’s fair.” Adam turned to face the window above the sink, standing side-by-side with Brax. “Kenny might be a problem.”

  “Hotshot over there?” Brax said low and under his breath.

  “He’s the drummer in the band. From what I can gather, he has a thing for Raleigh like nobody’s business.”

  “I noticed the same thing two seconds after I walked into the kitchen,” Brax admitted.

  “He got real sour when he saw her talking to you,” Adam said.

  “Then, my next move is really going cause him heartache.” Brax took another bite of meatball sandwich, chewed on it.

  “What’s that, lover boy?” Adam teased.

  “First of all…no.” That was all Brax had to say. “Second of all, she wants to head up to the loft and doesn’t want to freak anybody out by going by herself.”

  “Try not to come back with so much lipstick next time. Okay?” Adam ribbed Brax with the same shoulder move. “Had that one coming too. It was worth it, by the way.”

  Adam walked toward Prudence, who was giving their daughter a bottle.

  Brax polished off the meatball sandwich as the big guy stood up.

  Raleigh returned, rolling her eyes.

  “Looks like we have company.” She hitched her thumb behind her as the guy thanked Brax’s mom for the food and then followed Raleigh.

  “Ready?” he asked after introducing himself and shaking hands.

  “Hold on.” Raleigh held up a finger. She walked over to Corbin and motioned toward his guitar.

  He smiled before handing it over.

  Kenny glared at Brax, which almost caused him to laugh. He didn’t want to brag, but he was a whole lot bigger and meaner than the drummer. It wouldn’t exactly be fair if the guy tried to pick a fight.

  The guy also registered as someone to watch and maybe warn Raleigh about. It warranted a discussion at the very least. Just to push the guy’s buttons, Brax took the guitar from Raleigh and then threw his free arm around her shoulders as they exited.

  Yes, Brax was being dramatic with the move but Hotshot was on his radar and he wanted to get a reaction from the guy. To gauge how far he would go if pushed.

  “Mind if Hardy clears the barn?” Raleigh could feel her cheeks warm.

  “Go for it.” Brax opened the door. “Watch the stables. Some of the horses spook easily.”

  Hardy thanked him and walked inside.

  “Sorry about this.” Raleigh motioned toward Hardy as he walked inside.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Brax’s expression said the opposite, but she didn’t think this was the time to call him out.

  “I really appreciate it. I’ve put him through a lot in the past twenty-four hours and I’m trying to make it up to him by giving him a little more of the reins.”

  “I’m not a big fan of someone I don’t know carrying a weapon on our property,” Brax admitted. “But if it keeps you here, I’m willing to make an exception.”

  She’d been clear where she stood on a relationship, so she needed to be strong on her convictions. Except the pull to Brax was stronger than anything she’d ever felt. Even his scent drew her in, all spicy and male. His warmth made her want to take a step closer, like she was walking into the sun.

  She loved the sun.

  After a few minutes, Hardy appeared in the opened doorway.

  “All good,” he said.

  “Thanks. Why don’t you stand out here and make sure it stays that way?” Raleigh had no intention of allowing Hardy inside the barn while she tried to write.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Hardy seemed pleased with the compromise, and he was there to do a job after all.

  Raleigh scooted inside and went straight to the loft. She climbed the spiral staircase and her mood lightened. It was like she had on fifteen winter coats and one came off with each step.

  “I love this place,” she said.

  The arched ceiling made it possible for Brax to stand up. There were a couple of hay bales pushed up against one wall. Someone had brought a couple of cartons up here at one point and they made for comfortable seating. But her favorite spot was smack in the middle, sitting on the floor with her legs crisscrossed, hunkered over a guitar.

  She planted herself down and then propped her arms up on the guitar.

  “So, tell me something about you,” she said to Brax.

  “Like what?” His eyebrow arched.

  “You tell me,” she said. “Anything.”

  “I hated school,” he said.

  “Same here. Mrs. Wriggles was the meanest teacher I’ve ever seen,” she said on a sigh.

  “Sure made seventh grade harder than it had to be,” he agreed.

  “Is she still around?” she asked.

  “I think she retired a couple of years ago. Seems like I overheard Mom talking about it,” he said.

  “Lone Star Pass education system is the better for it.” She laughed for the first time in a really long time. It was the kind that bubbled up from her stomach and tickled he
r throat on the way up.

  “You can say that again,” he said. “I had a lot of good teachers, to be fair. School just wasn’t for me.”

  “As I remember, you were pretty good at it,” she said, realizing she might have just given away the fact she’d kept tabs on him back then.

  “I’m good at a lot of things I don’t care for,” he said. “Sometimes in life, you just have to put your head down and get through something unpleasant.”

  “Well, that’s a true statement if ever I’ve heard one,” she agreed. “The minute I graduated, I hit the road.”

  “Why is that?” He cocked his head to one side. The move sent a half dozen butterflies flitting around in her stomach.

  “I needed to go. Start my career. I’d had this thing burning in my chest for so many years and Nana kept reeling me back in. She told me I could do anything I wanted the day I turned eighteen and graduated.” She smiled at the memory. On the road, she always pushed thoughts of Nana aside for fear they’d crush her. Talking about her here with Brax felt right.

  “Didn’t you turn eighteen on graduation day?” he asked.

  “Yep.” She wiggled her eyebrows and was rewarded with a genuine smile. “My bags were already packed. Not that I was eager or anything.”

  “You made her proud,” he said and his comment filled her with warmth.

  “I really hope so. She was everything to me. Grandmother. Mother. Father. Best friend. I can’t imagine how my life would have turned out without her.” A surprising tear sprang to her eye. Not a tear of sadness but of remembering. There’d been so many good times in this town.

  “You were all she ever talked about.” He smiled in a show of perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth.

  “My music and Nana are all I had.” She didn’t mean for that to come out like she was feeling sorry for herself. “Don’t get me wrong, I love both more than life itself.”

  “No relationships?” His expression turned serious despite the fact he broke eye contact.

  “Nothing worth reporting back.” Admitting her lack of a love life to Brax heated her cheeks.

  “Mind if I ask about your relationship with your drummer?” This time, he looked up and she realized he’d picked up on something.

  10

  Brax shouldn’t be hanging on the edge of his seat for Raleigh’s answer. And yet there he was, doing just that.

  “We’re in a band together,” she stated, picking up a piece of hay and picking at it with her fingers. “We’ve spent a lot of time together.”

  “Is that all?”

  “We dated a hundred years ago but that’s been over for a long time.” She rattled off the words quickly, like she didn’t want to get talking about it over with as fast as possible.

  “Does he know that?” The question had to be asked. The fact she didn’t answer right away told him everything he needed to know.

  “I’ve been clear with him there’s no chance of getting back together.” She blew out a frustrated-sounding breath.

  “He’s not getting the message, is he?” Brax could feel his muscles tense up, and yet he didn’t have any designs on Raleigh. She was free to date anyone she wanted.

  Which was the problem, an annoying little voice in the back of his mind pointed out. She didn’t want to date Hotshot.

  “He will,” she said with the kind of confidence that showed her conviction.

  “How long have you known him?” Brax needed to see how far their relationship went back for the investigation. Or so, he told himself this wasn’t personal.

  “Since the beginning. And that’s when we dated,” she said. “It didn’t work out between us. We moved on. He got married…”

  “When was the divorce final?” he asked, figuring that had to be the case.

  “Recently. And that’s when he made it clear that he wanted to start things up again,” she said. “It just doesn’t work like that for me. I told him the truth and he’s been trying to win me over ever since.”

  “How hard is he trying?” Based on the glares from earlier, the guy wasn’t letting go.

  “It gets uncomfortable at times but I put my foot down. Believe it or not, I’ve gotten really good at taking care of myself.” Those last words came out sounding defensive. She crossed her arms over the guitar, a sign she was closing up.

  “I have no doubt you can take of yourself and probably everyone else around you.” He meant every word. “I just don’t think you should always have to.”

  She blew out a breath.

  “I love these guys. So, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes I feel like their mother and I don’t even want kids.” Her comment surprised him.

  He decided not to comment. When he really thought about it, her lifestyle of being on the road or in the studio wouldn’t give her a whole lot of time for anything else.

  “We live in small quarters, on the same bus, together almost three hundred and sixty-five days a year,” she said.

  “You don’t take any time off from touring?”

  “Kind of, but I’m making music so it’s not really time off so to speak,” she said. He must’ve shot some look at her because she added, “Do you take vacations from the ranch?”

  “I’ll take that as a no,” he said, smiling. “But I’ll add that when you love what you do it’s not called work.”

  “Oh, yeah? What do you call it then?” she asked.

  “Passion,” he said and then realized the trap he’d walked himself into.

  “Exactly.” A self-satisfied smirk crossed her features.

  “You don’t have to gloat,” he teased, thinking he might need to have a one-on-one conversation with Hotshot at some point if the guy didn’t get the message.

  “But you walked yourself right into that one.” Her laughter was all the music he needed. And yet, when she started strumming the guitar and belting out one of her songs, he realized how wrong he was for a second time tonight.

  One thing was certain, someone with a talent like hers needed to share it with as many folks as possible. She had a rare gift.

  All he could do at this point, was lean back and enjoy it.

  “What time is it?”

  “Ten o’clock.” It was long past dark before Brax realized how long he’d been in the loft with Raleigh. He could listen to her all day.

  “Oh, wow.” She shook her head. “Sorry for keeping you up here so long.”

  “Are you kidding me? I just had hours and hours of a private concert with the one and only Raleigh Perry. I should be thanking you,” he said with a wink.

  She shook her head and smiled.

  “Sometimes, like tonight, I just get lost in the music,” she admitted.

  “Was that new?” he asked.

  “Just made it up tonight.” She caught his gaze. “I was inspired.”

  She set the guitar down and stretched out her arms.

  “It was incredible.” He couldn’t hold back the admiration. Her talent was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. She was beyond anyone he’d ever known. And he needed to stop himself right there before he went all ‘fan boy’ on her. Suffice it to say, his respect for her grew leaps and bounds after spending time with her.

  “It’s been a hot minute since that’s happened,” she said, and then looked around. “Being here brings out the best in me.”

  “I don’t know. That was pretty awful when I really think about it.” He couldn’t help but tease her.

  She crawled over on her knees just to tap him on the shoulder. “That’s not fair. I’d never call you a bad cattle rancher,” she said.

  “How would you know one way or the other?”

  She sat back on her heels and made a face at him. Then her hands came up in the surrender position. “You got me there.”

  Brax noticed the exact moment the air in the room changed. It went from light and fun teasing to crackling electricity in a heartbeat.

  “May I kiss you?” he asked, looking into emerald eyes that glittered with what looked a whole lot like need.

  “Thought you’d never ask.” She met him halfway.

  When their lips touched, one word came to mind…home.

  This situation was impossible. There was no future. But they had right now.

  Brax was on his knees in two seconds, his hands cupping her cheeks as he drove his tongue inside her mouth. The dark roast taste was long gone but he didn’t mind.