Page 29 of For Always
“That’s fine,” she said keeping her gaze straight ahead.
Tyler looked great sitting astride a horse. As if he didn’t look great doing everything else. But this morning particularly she’d already noted he was the sexiest cowboy she’d ever seen. His brown boots were scuffed, jeans faded, light blue t-shirt snug against his chest, and dark brown hat, pulled low on his head so that he’d need to tip the brim back to look at her directly. He’d done that the moment she’d walked into the equestrian center and Gabriella had all but lifted a hand to fan herself. This intense attraction had only been magnified by the explicit dreams she continued to have that featured him. Every night since that first one, with them in different scenarios, but pleasure being their foremost objective. And yes, the dream ended with pain, terror, screaming and most often crying. Just as all the others had. That was the part she hated. That she could not separate the before from the now. Because she knew it was unfair to herself and to Tyler.
“You seem a little distant. Is everything okay?”
She’d been looking ahead at the line in the horizon where treetops gave way to the sky with seamless perfection. Clouds that looked like cotton were already floating above, while the sun’s bright gold rays had just begun to reach down and land in dramatic slashes along the ground.
“Ah, yeah. Everything’s going according to schedule. The crew has already done some demolition and most of the staff have been relocated to the resort for now. Later today, Naomi and I are going to look at some fabric swatches for the upholstery in the den. She has great ideas and Dessie really has a feel for the house since she was so close to your mother.”
Gabriella felt like she was talking too much, so she stopped. She noted Tyler nodding his head as she stole a quick glance at him. He was looking to his right, which was a stretch of land leading to the steel gate of one of the cattle corrals on the property.
“I meant, is everything okay with you?”
“Sure. I’m fine. Why would you ask?”
Because she didn’t sound fine. Gabriella almost cursed her own foolishness. One of the keys to actually making someone believe a person was doing just fine, was for that person not to say they were “fine”.
“No reason,” he said.
Of course there was a reason, but Gabriella wasn’t about to press the issue. If he was going to let it go then so was she.
They rode a little further in silence. “You ever think about owning a horse?”
“No,” she replied. “I live in a condo in Greenwich. There’s a rooftop deck offered to residents for parties and lower level garage parking. But nothing to accommodate a horse.”
“Your parents have land. You could build your own paddock. Or there are farms in the area that would board for a fee. I was just thinking that if you enjoy riding and being with horses so much, that you should have one when you go home.”
Gabriella hadn’t thought about going home. At least, she’d tried her best not to think about it.
“Trying to get rid of me already, Mr. West?” she asked with a chuckle.
His initial response was a smile that packed the punch of a lightning bolt searing straight to her chest. Dammit, she shouldn’t have been staring at him. She quickly looked away.
“Just want you to have something that makes you happy.”
“What makes you think I’m not already happy?”
“You make me think that,” he said solemnly.
Gabriella’s fingers clenched on the reins and she looked over to him slowly.
“I never said I wasn’t happy.”
“Happy people normally talk about their home life at least a little when they’re on a work assignment. I know this because my manager and my assistant are always talking about their kids, their dogs, the cleaning service being subpar and a host of other things whenever we’re on the road.”
“Is that so?” she asked as they came to a small rise and the horses slowed their steps. “What do you talk about when you’re on the road?”
He shrugged. “Work.”
“But you’re working when you’re away.”
“Seems like I’m always working.”
“Not now,” she said.
“Yeah. You’re right. Now, I’m—”
Gabriella never heard what Tyler said next because gunshots rang loud and clear, crackling in the air and frightening her horse.
