A weak smile lifted the corners of my mouth slightly. “Really?”
He leaned his forehead to mine. “Really. But if you’re not ready, I’m a very patient man.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry, Channing. I thought I was wanting this, but maybe what I really want is to jump back into the whole dating thing a lot slower than I planned.”
“And that’s fine with me. I had a great night tonight, and I really want to see you again.”
We took a step back from one another, and our gazes met. “I had a great time too. I think we should call it a night.”
He nodded. “Can I ask you one thing? And I swear this is not a ploy to get into your house.”
I raised a brow. “I have Mace, you know.”
Channing laughed. “I have to piss like a racehorse, and I have a thirty-minute drive home.”
With a grin, I opened the door and walked into my house, Channing following me. “Down the hall, first door on the left.”
“Thank you!”
After a minute or two, Channing walked into the kitchen. “Thank you again for the great night, Kaylee.”
“No, honestly, thank you, Channing. It’s been a while since I’ve been out on a date, and I really needed it.”
I turned off the kitchen light and followed him back through the living room to the front door.
“Try not to set any more fires,” he said with a grin that should have made me want to haul him up to my bedroom and have my wicked way with him. Instead, I opened the front door as I laughed.
“No promises. I have a new candle lighter I ordered from some girl on Etsy, along with her homemade soy candles.”
Channing rolled his eyes. “Glad I’m not on call.”
I slapped him on the chest and ushered him outside. “Be safe driving home.”
He turned, and his eyes drifted to my mouth. I thought for a moment he might kiss me again, and I mentally prepared myself for it. Instead, he tipped his head and said, “Good night, Kaylee. May I call you?”
“Yes, of course!” I said, leaning up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good night, Channing.”
“Night, Kaylee.”
I watched as he walked down the steps, then the pathway, and finally to his little sports car. He slipped in and took off down the driveway.
Letting out a deep breath, I turned and looked at the fence line that separated my rental property from the Shaw family ranch.
I focused a bit harder . . . was that two guys on horseback off in the distance?
When I stepped out on the porch and took a few steps, I squinted to see in the dark. Then I laughed.
“Who would be out on horseback after sundown?” I said, shaking my head and walking back into the house.
Chapter Six
TY
I watched as Channing helped Kaylee out of the car. The lights from the front porch allowed me to see that he held her hand as they walked up the steps. When she turned and he kissed her, it took everything I had to keep from jumping the fence line and yelling for him to stop.
Instead, I watched in silence, tucked into the shadow of a tree. They broke apart, and Channing placed his hand on the side of Kaylee’s face.
“Tell him to go home,” I whispered, like I was the good angel sitting on her right shoulder.
When Kaylee opened the door and he followed her in, I closed my eyes and dropped my head. Fuck me, she must have listened to the little devil on her other shoulder instead.
“Kind of creepy as fuck, bro.”
Tanner’s voice made me look over my shoulder at him.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked, turning my horse and walking him toward my younger brother. The moonlight gave us just the right amount of light.
“Saw Mountie was still out, so I thought I would see what was going on.”
Tanner looked past me toward Kaylee’s place. “You ever going to tell her how you feel? Or just creep around like a super-freaky stalker on horseback?”
I laughed and started heading back toward the barn. Tanner turned his horse and caught up with me, walking his horse alongside mine.
“Advice about women coming from you, Tanner? What in the hell do you know about women?”
“Well, I know how to make them come in all sorts of creative ways, so there’s that.”
“That’s because you used to listen to me, Brock, and Beck talk about that. We passed along all of our tips and tricks. Years of experience that we gifted to you.”
He chuckled. “That is true. I know when a woman is faking an orgasm.”
I looked at him and could barely make out Tanner’s smirk. “So, I think what you’re saying is that it’s pretty clear you know a lot about sex, dude. Not women.”
He shrugged. “Same thing.”
“Hardly.”
“Fine, so maybe I’m a little green when it comes to the romance shit, but Ty, you like this girl. Why can’t you just admit it?”
“It’s complicated, Tanner.”
“Why?”
“It just is!” I snapped before kicking my horse into a gallop. Tanner did the same and followed me back to the barn, where we took off the saddles, got the horses brushed, and put a bit of hay in their stalls before we boarded them for the night. Tanner moved around pretty damn good for having a broken ankle.
“Where are your crutches?” I asked.
He shot me a look that said I knew damn well where they were.
I had figured Tanner was going to give up on the Kaylee thing, but he started again when I shut Mountie’s stall door and locked it.
“I’m just saying, everyone sees the attraction there. Hell, even Blayze has a song about you and Kaylee.”
Stopping, I faced him. “Is he still singing that stupid song?”
Tanner chuckled. “Well, he started to, and Brock put a stop to it, but even the kid sees it.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “You wouldn’t understand, Tanner.”
“Then talk to me about it, Ty. Come on, follow me.”
I did as he asked and followed him into the tack room, where he opened the small refrigerator and took out two beers. “Let’s head up.”
“The barn loft?” I asked with a scoff.
“Hey, I’ve had some pretty fucking profound moments in that loft.”
“Yeah, me too. I lost my virginity up there.”
Tanner stopped walking and looked back at me. “Are you shitting me? That’s my spot, dude. Why do you have to taint it with the sort of information that you could have easily taken to your grave?”
I shrugged and motioned for him to walk up the steps while I tried not to laugh my ass off. Once we got up there, we walked over to the double doors and opened them. There was a small balcony our father had added on years ago. We all used to sit up there, our legs hanging between the rails, and dream of what our lives would be like. Beck had always wanted to be in the marines. He followed his dream, and it had killed him. Brock, he was always the one arguing with me about who was the better bull rider. Truth be told, we were both good . . . damn good. And Tanner, he just wanted to be in the rodeo. Roping, women, and horses. The only three things he cared about.
We sat down, our legs dangling as we drank our beers in silence for the first few minutes before I spoke.