Slow Burn: A Colorado High Country Novel (8 page)

Nothing could be that perfect.

About an hour later, they came to the ranch’s entrance, which was marked by a log archway from which hung a wooden sign that read “Cimarron Ranch.”

The land
was
beautiful—steep, snowy peaks, grassy meadows, stands of evergreen trees and aspen. “All of this belongs to the Wests?”

“Everything you can see on this side of the highway,” Lexi answered.

Wow.

Then they came over a rise—and Vic’s jaw dropped.

The house wasn’t beautiful. It was magnificent.

Made of stones and logs like Austin and Lexi’s house, it was probably ten times as large, with a half-dozen chimneys and a roof made of multiple steep gables. A dozen floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the mountains that surrounded them. Off to the west stood several corrals and large outbuildings, including what had to be a riding hall.

Vic stared. “It’s amazing.”

Britta laughed. “Told you so.”

“I think Nate is taking us out today.” Lexi drove around to the back of the house and parked in a wide driveway next to what looked like a five-car garage. “He went to high school in Scarlet a couple of years ahead of us then served in a Marine Special Operations unit in Afghanistan. He was burned in an IED explosion, and we all thought he was going to die. But he’s happily married now. He and his wife Megan have a school-aged daughter and a baby boy.”

Vic was glad to hear that. She liked happy endings.

They had just climbed out of the car when a tall man in a cowboy hat walked out of the garage. Half of his face was scarred from burns, while the other half was untouched and strikingly handsome. He gave them a warm smile. “Hey, Lexi. How’s the bride? Hey, Britta.”

“I’m doing great. Thanks. How about you?”

“Can’t complain.” He held a scarred hand out to Vic. “I’m Nate West. Welcome to the Cimarron.”

Lexi glanced down the dirt road that served as a driveway. “What happened to the guys? They were right behind us.”

* * *

E
ric got
sick of the angry silence and pulled over, idling on the shoulder of the highway. They would end this here and now. “What pisses me off is that you don’t trust me. I told you I haven’t slept with her, and that ought to be good enough for you.”

Taylor’s jaw hardened. “Rose saw your truck parked there the past two nights. Are you telling me she’s lying?”

The next time Eric saw Rose, he was going to give her a piece of his mind.

“Rose didn’t see what she thinks she saw.”
Ah, hell.
“You want the whole story? The first night I was there, we did nothing but talk. I was toned out about ten minutes after we got there, but I guess Rose didn’t see me drive away. If Victoria looked like she’d been crying, it had nothing to do with me.”

Okay, that wasn’t exactly true. She’d said the video footage had made her cry, and he’d filmed it. But he couldn’t tell Austin about that.

“What about last night?”

“I stayed for a couple of hours. We talked. Victoria
asked
me to kiss her, and I did. We made out a little, but my dick stayed in my pants. She’s an adult. Who are you—her daddy?”

Taylor took this in, the anger fading from his face. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

The moment the apology left Taylor’s mouth, guilt twisted in Eric’s gut, the image of Victoria’s pale and terrified face stuck in his mind. No, he hadn’t fucked her, but it had been near enough. Something he’d done had triggered her.

“Are we good, man?”

Taylor nodded.

Eric threw his truck into gear. “Any chance you want to tell me why you’re going all big brother on Victoria’s behalf? What happened to her?”

“You want the truth?”

Eric nodded, waiting for a semi to pass, and then merging onto the highway.

“The truth is, I don’t know. Victoria made Lexi promise not to tell anyone, and you know Lexi. Once she makes a promise … But she did tell me that some man had hurt Vic and that what he’d done was terrible. Lexi wants to kill the bastard.”

Well, shit.

Eric had figured that much out for himself. “She’s not the only one.”

Taylor stared at him. “You care about her.”

The words made Eric’s pulse take off, adrenaline rushing to his head. “She’s Lexi’s friend. Of course I care about her.”

Taylor’s face split into a knowing grin. “No, buddy. I mean you
care
about her. You’ve got it bad, don’t you? Holy shit! I never thought I’d live to see the day.”

Now
Eric was pissed. “She’s not my type.”

“Since when is gorgeous, intelligent, and fun not your type?”

“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to pull this truck over again and put my fist through that stupid shit-eating grin of yours.”

“Okay, man. Have it your way.” But Taylor was still smiling.

V
ic listened
while Nate gave everyone the rundown on the day’s ride. His gaze landed on her, and he frowned. “Did you bring a hat—anything to keep the sun off your face?”

She shook her head. “There’s sunscreen in my moisturizer.

“That’s not going to do you any good up here. Hang on a minute.” He jogged off toward the horse barn.

Everyone else mounted, ranch hands helping to adjust their stirrups.

Eric patted his gelding’s neck. “At this altitude, people get sunburned faster.”

“Altitude again.”

Nate reappeared, a white cowboy hat in hand. “Try this. Megan won’t mind if you borrow it.”

Vic put the hat on, amused to think what her coworkers at Jensen West would think if they could see her now. “How do I look?”

“With those boots?” Eric’s eyes were shadowed by the wide brim of his hat, but she could see his grin. “Like a rodeo queen.”

“Hey, I like these boots. Besides, I wasn’t asking you.”

While Nate held the reins, she mounted her mare — a beautiful palomino named Baby Doe. “Isn’t Baby Doe the woman who froze to death at the Matchless Mine?”

“It sure is—Baby Doe Tabor.” Nate told Vic Baby Doe’s story while he adjusted her stirrups—how she’d married Horace Tabor before he’d legally divorced his first wife, how they’d set Denver on its ear with scandal, how the crash in silver prices had reduced them to poverty. “Baby Doe was penniless for most of her life, far longer than she’d been wealthy, but people remember her for the scandal and glamour.”

“How sad.”

“Riches to rags—sometimes that’s how it goes.” He handed her the reins. “Are you ready?”

Vic took the reins in one hand. “Thanks.”

“Hey, West, are you done with the history lesson?” Austin called.

He and Lexi were bringing up the rear.

Eric, who was right behind her, joined in. “There will eventually be riding on this trail ride, won’t there?”

“All right, all right.” Nate walked over to a ranch hand who was holding the reins of a big palomino stallion. He mounted the animal in a single motion, mastering its restless response with ease. “Come on, Chinook. These city folks are gettin’ grumpy.”

He rode with the grace of someone who’d been raised with horses, the cowboy hat on his head and the rifle holstered behind his right leg making Vic feel like she was on the set of a western movie.

“What’s the rifle for—bears?”

He chuckled. “Generally speaking, wildlife isn’t a problem. People are. We get squatters sometimes, and I’d rather be prepared than sorry. We’ve had a few clever entrepreneurs try to set up illegal grows on our land.”

“Grows?”

“Marijuana,” Eric said from behind her.

“Oh.”

“Hey, Taylor, are you carrying?” Nate called to Austin.

“Does a bear shit in the woods?”

A grin on his face, Nate turned his stallion and led them out of the corral and onto a trail that cut across a sweeping meadow of tall green grass and wildflowers, pausing once to glance over his shoulder at Vic. “How are you doing?”

“Great.” Baby Doe was so docile that she probably would have followed Nate up the trail even if Vic were a sack of potatoes. “I get the feeling she’s done this before.”

He laughed. “You’re right about that.”

For a time, they rode in silence, the landscape quiet apart from the chatter of birds and the plodding of horses’ hooves. Vic found herself awed by the beauty that surrounded her—blue sky, rugged peaks, quaking aspens. Nature lulled her senses, the rocking motions of the animal beneath her soothing away stress, fresh air and sunshine melting the tension she’d been carrying since last night.

Soon the ranch house was far behind them, the trail passing through shady groves of aspen that eventually opened to reveal a lake.

“Oh!” Vic stared. “It’s so beautiful!”

The still surface of the water was a perfect mirror for the sky and the mountains, reeds near the far shore swaying in a breeze, and—

A moose!

It grazed among the reeds, velvet on its broad antlers. It paid no attention to them, but continued to feed, walking on absurd, spindly legs.

“Oh, I wish I’d brought my phone.” She’d left it behind, wanting to escape Abigail’s incessant emails for a few hours.

Eric’s voice came from behind her again. “Got you covered, city girl.”

She looked over her shoulder and saw that he was taking a photo for her with his phone. “Thanks.”

They watched the moose graze for a few minutes, then moved on, Vic now acutely aware of the man who rode behind her. In her mind’s eye, she could see him straddling his gelding, strong thighs guiding the animal, cowboy hat shading his face. With that image in her head, she didn’t feel stupid for asking him to kiss her last night. In fact, her request seemed sensible, even necessary.

And, God, it had been incredible—every brush of his lips, every stroke of his tongue, every caress. Not to mention what he’d done with the rock-hard torpedo in his pants. She hadn’t known it was possible to come like that. Yes, it had been amazing—right up to the moment when she’d lost it and ruined everything.

How on earth was she going to explain last night to him?

* * *

E
ric knew
the point of this ride was to enjoy the scenery, but he couldn’t take his gaze off Victoria. She constantly surprised him. She’d taken on wakeboarding, and now she was riding a horse like she’d done it all her life. She sat with perfect posture in the saddle, her dark hair hanging down her back, that white cowboy hat on her head. And those ridiculous boots—all leather and embroidered roses.

What would it be like to see her in those boots—and nothing else?

The thought came out of nowhere, ambushing him, turning his blood hot.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

It was almost one o’clock when they stopped for lunch, dismounting and turning their horses over to waiting ranch hands who had driven up via an access road. Eric would have helped Victoria dismount, but she did just fine on her own.

A short walk from the road, they found a shaded picnic area, where Jack West and the rest of the West family waited by two large picnic tables that had been covered with linen table clothes and set with real dishes.

“This is classy,” Eric said to Austin. “I was expecting to sit on the ground eating baloney sandwiches.”

Lexi looked just as surprised. “Yeah, me, too. This is amazing.”

A pretty little girl marched over to Austin, wearing little cowboy boots, a lacy skirt, and a dinosaur T-shirt, a tiara perched on her blond head. “What the hell took you so long?”

“Miss Emily, what have I told you about cursing?” Jack West called to her, hands on his hips.

So this was Emily. Nate had adopted her when he’d married Megan.

She looked at her feet. “It’s okay to think it, but don’t say it out loud.”

“That’s right.”

“But you say it out loud all the time, Grandpa Jack.”

“We’ve talked about that, too. Why is that different?”

“Because you’re an ornery old cuss.”

Eric met Victoria’s gaze and saw that she, too, was fighting not to laugh.

“That’s right. You’ve got to have gray hair to cuss. Now come help your old grandpa get food on the table.”

Lexi introduced Victoria to everyone—Jack and his wife, Janet, and Megan, who was busy setting condiments on the table. “The two little ones are Jackson—Megan and Nate’s son—and Lily. She’s Jack and Janet’s daughter.”

And then it was time to eat.

It wasn’t just the table cloths and dishes that were classy. Lunch, as it turned out, was not your average picnic. Everything was homemade, from the fried chicken and mashed potatoes, to the salads and the blueberry pie.

Eric couldn’t keep his gaze from drifting back to Victoria. She was quieter than usual, watching and listening while everyone else talked and joked, sadness unmistakable in her eyes.

That was
his
fault.

Damn it.

Jack seemed to notice, too. “How’s your meal, Victoria?”

“It’s amazing.” Her gaze shifted to Janet and Megan, her face brightening. “I love to cook. I should get your recipes for fried chicken—and the pie.”

Jack’s face folded in a frown. “Those would be
my
recipes, young lady.”

Janet laughed. “Jack is the cook in the house. We just do the dishes.”

Color flooded Victoria’s cheeks. “Oh! Sorry.”

“No offense taken.” Jack topped off Victoria’s iced tea. “Stop by the house on your way out, and I’ll give you a couple of recipe cards.”

“Thanks. I would appreciate that.”

Then Jack got to his feet and raised his beer. “Lexi, the ties between your family and mine go back a couple of generations. We’re all happy for you and wish you and Austin the very best in your new life. To the bride and groom!”

Eric stood, as did everyone but Lexi and Austin. “To the bride and groom!”

Lexi dabbed her eyes with her napkin. “Thank you, Jack. You’re making me cry.”

* * *

A
fter no one
could eat another bite, the Wests got busy cleaning up the table, packing everything away, refusing to let anyone help.

“We’ve got hand wipes if anyone has greasy fingers, and there’s a privy fifty yards south of here.” Jack pointed. “Otherwise, feel free to hike around until you’re ready to ride again. There’s a little stream off that way.”

Eric took a quick bathroom break, then washed his hands. He glanced around and saw everyone but Victoria. He hiked off in the direction of the stream and found her sitting on a big boulder, looking down at the water. “Hey.”

She glanced up at him. “Hey.”

He sat beside her, unsure what to say next. He wanted to let her know he was sorry about last night, but he didn’t want to spoil the moment by bringing up something she wanted to forget. Fortunately, she spoke first.

“The Wests are really nice people.”

“They sure are. They’re the biggest land-owners in the county and damned decent people. They make a sizeable donation to the Team every year and support the fire department, too. Their family has been ranching this land for four generations.”

“That’s what Lexi said.” Victoria smiled, but the sadness hadn’t left her eyes. “The way she and Britta described everything here, I thought they must have been exaggerating. Now I think they didn’t do it justice.”

“You were awfully quiet during lunch. Are you okay? Headache?”

“Oh, no, I feel fine. It’s just …” She seemed to hesitate. “I kept thinking how amazing it is that all of you live here together in this beautiful place. In less than a week, I’ll be back in Chicago, sitting at a desk, going to meetings, working on a new campaign. This whole incredible experience will just feel like a dream.”

“We haven’t closed the borders, you know. I’m sure there are PR firms in Denver and Boulder if you want to move here.”

What the hell had he just said?

She gaped at him. “I can’t move to Colorado. Because … well …”

The list of reasons she’d been about to give him seemed to die on her tongue.

“I’m listening.”

She looked into his eyes. “Eric, I …”

When she didn’t go on, he stepped up. It was time to own his shit.
“I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to push—”

She pressed her fingers to his lips. “No! No, that was my fault. It wasn’t anything you did. I’m the one who’s sorry. You didn’t push me. You were amazing.”

Her pupils went wide when she realized what she’d said, a blush stealing into her cheeks. “I mean … I wanted … I didn’t mean to flip out like that. I just …”

He could see the struggle on her face, in the furrow on her brow and the doubt in those eyes. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

“Saddle up!” Austin called to them through the trees. “Whoever falls behind gets left behind.”

And for the second time today, Eric wanted to punch his best friend.