deal with the hard plastic clip. “Fine, you do it. I’m just not cut out for ranch life.”
“I wouldn’t consider fishing necessarily ranch life,” he said. “You might be really good at horseback riding.”
She shook her head. “After what we just went through, I’ll take a rain check. One round of humiliation is all I can handle in a day.”
Dillon pushed to his feet, extended a hand and pulled her up into his arms. “I don’t see it that way.”
“How else could you see it? Our fishing date was an unqualified disaster.” She rested her hands on his chest. “The only good thing that came of it was…” She stopped before she blurted out the truth.
His head dipped until his lips hovered over hers. “The kiss?”
Her gaze whipped to his eyes, and then down to his mouth. “Yes.”
“At least we got one thing right.” And then he kissed her, without a life vest or cool pond water between them.
Ariana melted into his body, her arms sliding across his muscular chest to lace behind the back of his neck. She rose up on her toes, eager to be even closer.
When he traced the seam of her lips, she opened to him, meeting his tongue halfway with her own.
She clung to his wet body. Nothing seemed to matter but how his mouth felt on hers.
When at last he straightened, she sank down on her feet, remembering she was wearing only one boot now. “We’d better be getting back to the house before they come looking for us.”
“I’m surprised my brothers didn’t come out to heckle us.” He shook his head. “The one time we could have used their assistance.” He looped his arm around her waist. “I’ll help you to the truck. Just lean on me.”
She did, loving how solid and strong he was. She’d lived on her own now for two years since her husband had died, learning how to be comfortable in her own right. Alone. But it felt good to lean on someone else for a while. Even if it was only for a few minutes, and only because she’d lost a boot in the pond. When she stumbled once, he tightened his hold around her waist. The second time she stumbled, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the truck. “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just that the boot is full of water and too big.”
“All the more reason to let me carry you. We’ll get there faster, and you can take off that waterlogged boot.” He didn’t put her down, but carried her all the way to his truck, where he set her down on the front passenger seat.
“But I’m all wet.”
“So am I,” he said. “The seats are leather. They’ll dry.” He climbed into the driver’s seat and headed back to the ranch house.
When they arrived, his brothers came out on the back porch. Ace carried a tray of raw steaks and was headed for the grill. Colton and Brand each had a beer in their hands.
“Where’s your catch?” Colton asked as Dillon dropped down out of the truck.
Brand’s mouth curved in a grin when he saw the condition of Dillon and Ariana’s clothing. “Did you decide to swim instead of fish?”
“As a matter of fact, we did.” Dillon carried Ariana up to the porch before setting her on her feet.
“Lose a boot?” Colton asked.
“I did,” Ariana said, heat rising up her neck into her cheeks. “I’m afraid I capsized the boat.”
“Is that how your got the knot on your forehead,” Ace asked Dillon.
Dillon pressed his fingers to the bump. “The boat flipped. I took a hit, but we’re both fine. Oh…and the fish got away.”
“And I was looking forward to fish for dinner,” Colton said.
“The hell you were,” Ace said. “You were the one who wanted steak tonight.”
“He wants steak every night,” Emma said as she came through the door carrying at tray filled with corn on the cob, each wrapped individually in foil. When she saw Ariana, still completely wet and missing a boot, she shoved the tray of cobs into Brand’s hands and rushed forward. “I thought you two were going to fish, not swim.”
“They flipped the boat on the pond,” Colton said
“That’s right,” Dillon said, his words a little terse. “We flipped the boat. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to get cleaned up and into dry clothes.”
He touched a hand to the small of Ariana’s back.
“You can use my room,” Emma