Page 3 of Rafe

“Find?” Rafe raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of her distraction.

Maggie cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. “What?”

Rafe smirked. “You said Fred wanted you to find… what?”

“Uh, you. He wanted me to find you.”

“For what?”

“What?” Maggie furrowed her brows in confusion.

“You’re repeating yourself, Maggie. What did Fred want you to find me for?”

Realization dawned on her and she blushed deeply. “Could you please put some clothes on?”

“I’m sure you’ve seen a naked man before. You were married at one time,” Rafe said, amusement in his eyes.

“I’ve never seen you!”

He chuckled. “Well, now you have, and you saw me put the towel around my waist.”

“But—”

“But what? This is my home, Maggie. I always swim nude. I’m not going to stop doing it just because you might suddenly show up. Now tell me why Fred needed me.”

“He didn’t tell me. He just said he needed you and asked me to stop by here before I headed back home. I told him I would do it; he didn’t need to be out in this scorching heat and since I was leaving—”

“Maggie?”

“Yes?”

“You’re rambling. I’ll get dressed and go see him.” With that, he turned and entered the house through the sliding glass doors, closing them behind him.

Maggie took a deep breath and made her way back to her car, but she couldn’t shake the image of Rafe’s naked form from her mind. It was impossible to deny that the man had an incredible body - a fact that would be an understatement of epic proportions.

“Huge. Huge understatement.”

One thing for sure, he certainly had nothing to hide. Oh, yes, she’d been married, but he had nothing on Rafe Marshall. She’d look away anytime her ex was naked but couldn’t tear her eyes away from Rafe and his fantastic body. She sighed as she started the car, cranking the A/C on high as she drove home, trying to cool off both her body and her racing thoughts.

****

Rafe chuckled when he heard the roar of her engine fading into the distance. He knew he’d surprised her when he emerged from the pool, but she was a grown woman, and it was his damn pool after all. If he wanted to swim nude, he would. Hell, he always did. The shimmering water was his sanctuary, a place where no one ever intruded. Everyone on the ranch was well aware not to disturb him on his days off.

Day in and day out, he toiled relentlessly, so weekends were his sacred time to unwind. During the sultry summer days, unwinding meant immersing himself in the cool, crystalline waters of his pool, then lounging lazily for the remainder of the day. Winters offered their own pleasures. The pool was heated, allowing him the option to swim even as frost clung to the windows, but he often preferred the warmth of a crackling fire, watching as snowflakes danced and settled outside.

Unless Fred called upon him, Rafe made it a point toavoid the ranch on weekends. His phone lay forgotten on the nightstand; otherwise, he would have been alerted to Fred’s needs, and Rafe would go to great lengths for that man.

As Rafe tugged on a T-shirt, jeans, and socks, he pulled his boots on, then stood and made his way toward the kitchen. His dog, Booker, a Border collie/Australian shepherd mix, followed him.

“You’re going to stay here. I won’t be long.” Rafe stared at the dog.

When the dog whined, Rafe grinned. “I’ll be right back. We’ll go for a ride later together.” He picked up his hat, put it on his head, then walked out the door and headed for his barn where he kept his three horses. During the week, Rafe kept his main horse, Rocket, in the barn at the ranch, but on weekends brought him home.

After saddling his horse, he swung into the leather saddle, feeling the familiar creak beneath him, and set off toward the main house. Riding was another one of his favorite pastimes, a lifelong passion that endured despite the long hours he frequently spent in the saddle. The day was searingly hot, the sun blazing down from a cloudless sky, but he knew the horse relished the chance to stretch its powerful legs. Regardless of the weather, his horse was always brimming with uncontainable energy, eager to gallop across the vast, open land, his mane flowing like a flag in the wind.

As he approached the main house, with its wide wraparound porch, he dismounted with ease, looping the reins around a sturdy post. The wooden boards creaked softly under his boots as he crossed the porch and knocked on the solid oak door. Moments later, it swung open, revealing Fred’s welcoming face.

“Come in out of the heat, Rafe,” Fred said with a warm smile.

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