Page 24 of Two Risks I'd Never Take Again

“You do too.”

I didn’t want to talk about me. I wasn’t ready to drag the skeletons out of my closet and babble about my broken engagement. “How has it been? Finding your dad and starting over in a new place are big life changes.”

Garrett turned me around and pulled me into his lap. The move was protective, not of me but of himself. I didn’t mind in the least because friends snuggled in the hot tub, right? Maybe he was cold. It was colder than yesterday. The temperatures today hovered near freezing. After deciding that it was fine for friends to sit this close in the hot tub, I relaxed against him.

He responded by wrapping his arms around my waist. “Finding my dad was good for me. I didn’t expect him to be a wealthy rancher. Usually, the dads who are never discussed have earned that because of crime or other bad behavior. Beau—Dad—is the exception. But I’ve gotten more than a dad out of the deal. Lilith is a hoot, and she’s a great stepmom. She loves my dad. That’s obvious.” He shifted his arms a little and stared out at the skyline. “Ava and Clint treat me like one of their own. And they both married great people. It’s been fun to see people fall in love on the ranch. Even the ranch hands have been welcoming. I have a family there.” He met my gaze. “And there are perks to being Beau Henry’s son. I can afford this place because of the rather large account he set up for me. But this is the first time I’ve actually used that account.”

“I heard the stories. You treated them like family even before you knew Beau was your dad.” I glanced back at him. “Do you feel guilty about using the money?”

“For this? No.”

Between the warmth of the hot tub and not facing each other, this was the perfect place to talk. About him. I wasn’t ready to talk about me. “Beau owns a massive ranch, but you aren’t working on the ranch. That surprises me.”

“The guys who work there have spent years doing that kind of work. I’m not sure how it would go over if I raced in and acted like I wanted to take over the place. I know Dad would love for me to learn how to run the ranch, and I help out from time to time. Throwing hay and other stuff.”

“That explains a lot. Both about the muscles and the ranch. I think maybe you are afraid you won’t be good at it right away. You’re afraid to look like a failure.” I probably should’ve run those words through a filter before saying them out loud, but now they were out in the wild.

“That’s scarily accurate. But let’s talk about the muscles. Please expand on that.”

“I think you’d be good at ranching.”

He leaned close, and his breath tickled my ear. “Are you trying to avoid talking about my muscles?”

“No. You have the kind of muscles that look like they’ve come from hard work and not from the gym.” For someone set on not dating, I had strong opinions about muscles.

“Are you saying the guys at the gym don’t work hard?”

I shook my head, rubbing my hair against his shoulder. “All I’m saying is that I find your type of muscle more attractive.”

“So you think I’m attractive?”

I knew better than to answer that question. “Given your current condition, it seems to me that working on a ranch would be far less dangerous than whatever it is you’re doing now.” I tilted my head up to see his reaction.

He studied my face before leaning in closer. Garrett was going to kiss me. I sucked in a breath, then licked my lips. Did I want him to? I wasn’t sure. The voices in my head couldn’t agree on an answer.

He stopped before his lips touched me, and he brushed the tip of his nose on mine. “I’m not going to kiss you, Tessa. I want to. Believe me; I do, but your entire body tensed, which tells me you don’t want me to kiss you. Maybe it means you don’t want me to kiss youyet. I hope so, but I’d never take what wasn’t offered. When I kiss you, it will be because you want me to.”

That was not the sort of declaration to be left unanswered, but it took me several seconds to find my voice. “Garrett, I—”

A snowflake landed on his nose.

He grinned as he flicked it away.

“It’s snowing!” I’d never been more excited about frozen precipitation. It made this sweet intimate moment even more memorable.

Tiny white flakes fell onto the deck and into the hot tub.

“It sure is. This is a rare moment.”

“Right? It hardly ever snows in these parts. This is amazing.” Enjoying the perfect scene, I rested my arms on his and leaned my head back onto his shoulder. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

His stubble brushed the side of my head as he whispered in my ear. “You make me feel a lot of things, but pain isn’t one of them.”

My brain yanked out the scorecard and started marking boxes. Then Skeeter’s voice shattered the pretty little snow globe in my head.

Chapter 7

After getting out of the shower, I pulled on leggings and a baggy sweatshirt. Then I tied my hair up in a messy bun before heading to Garrett’s room. Not dating meant I didn’t have to put on makeup or wear cute clothes. My attire and my lack of makeup embraced the idea of vacation.

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