Page 33 of A Rancher's Vow
She stood along with Dustin. “You’re kidding me.”
The older man overheard their final comments. “Not kidding, unfortunately. My mother always wanted to name a son Adam. Then she married a West, and the rest is history.”
Dustin shook Adam’s hand. “Good to see you again.”
“You always say that, but I think it’s more that you like seeing me instead of your uncle.” Adam held out his hand to Charity. “You’re the young lady helping in the office?”
“Charity Gruzing. I’ll try to make it quick and painless.”
“It’ll take how long it takes. In the meantime,” Adam turned his attention on Dustin, “you’re my problem.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Adam grinned. “You’ll like it even better when I tell you we’re branding this week.”
“Hot damn. Good timing, then.” Dustin answered the question in Charity’s eyes. “Cutting out the calves, roping, all the fun stuff of being a cowboy.”
“Sounds like it. I’d love to watch for a while.”
Adam nodded with approval. “Your boyfriend’s got some skills. I’ll make sure someone shows you where the best spots are to safely watch when you’re on break.”
“Thanks.”
“Dustin, early muster. We’re leaving at five a.m. I hope no one is late this time.” Adam spoke louder to include the cowhands gathered at the table then tipped his chin at Charity. “Night.”
“Good night.”
At the table, Dustin’s friends had begun to clean up. Chairs were put back in place, and food trays and dishes were cleared to the racks in the corner of the room.
“Adam never forgets a thing,” Coralee complained. “Five minutes after I was supposed to be there, once, and it’s still all ‘no one had better be late this time.’”
“Try being a few minutes early for a change,” Keith suggested.
“Are you kidding? Give up sleep?” Coralee looked outraged. She waved at Charity and Dustin. “See you tomorrow. Dustin at least. Have fun in the tomb, Charity.”
“Um, thank you?”
Moments later, the mess hall was empty, and Dustin and Charity were headed back to their trailer.
“They’re good people.” Charity frowned. “What’s the tomb?”
“No idea,” Dustin confessed. He caught her fingers in his, and when she startled, he jerked his head toward the group of four walking at a slight angle away from them toward the bunkhouse. “They’re watching.”
“Oh. Okay.” Charity stared skyward. “It’s later than I expected. We’ve lost the light.”
“It’s cloudy, so no moonlight, either.”
They walked in companionable silence until reaching the stairs to the trailer. Charity squeezed his hand before letting go. “You’ll be up early.”
“Earlier than you think since I need to eat before meeting with Adam. I’ll try to be quiet when I leave.”
They slipped inside. Dustin kept waiting for things to get awkward between them, but it never happened. They moved easily in two different directions. Charity took a small bag with her into the bathroom. He pulled out a set of clothes for the morning and left them on the kitchen table so he could dress without waking her. Poked in the fridge to see if there was anything there that caught his eye.
Charity popped from the bathroom a few minutes later, face shining, the scent of toothpaste filling the small bedroom. She wore a pretty purple wrap around her head that matched her pyjamas, her curls popping out of the top like a volcanic eruption. “It’s all yours. Okay if I take the right side of the bed? I sleep on my side and like to face the wall.”
“No problem.” Dustin took his kit into the bathroom and jumped into the shower. Even as the dust of the day washed down the drain, the tension in his body built. Outside the door, Charity was nestled under the sheets. Was her long-limbed body all relaxed, or was she waiting for him to return?
Was this situation affecting her as much as it was him? The wanting to taste. To touch. To take. It was tough to remove his hand from his cock. To not seek release here and now.
