When a Cowboy Loves a Woman (Creedence Horse Rescue #2) - Jennie Marts Page 0,10

number anyway. In case you had any questions about the fire. Or whatever.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean it. Anytime. I’m used to getting calls at all hours because of the vet clinic, so you don’t have to worry about the time. Half the time I’m up in the middle of the night anyway. Not that you’d call me in the middle of the night. But I’m just saying you could.” Why was he rambling?

She smiled as she raised her hand as if to touch his arm, then hesitated and let it drop instead. “I hear you. And I know what you’re talking about. People like us—we get it. It’s usually late when the ghosts decide to visit.”

He nodded, somehow knowing she understood, sure that she had spent the same lonely hours lying awake in the middle of the night missing the warmth that was supposed to be on the other side of the bed.

He wrinkled his brow as he looked down at his hand. “I’m not sure why I just got my phone out to give you my number.” Maybe because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d exchanged numbers with a beautiful woman. I’m not asking her out. I’m just offering a friendly ear if she needs someone to listen.

Mmmhmmm.…keep telling yourself that, Tate.

Nodding at his phone, she said, “Why don’t I give you my number, and you can send me a text? Then I’ll have yours.”

“Smart.”

She recited her number, and he punched it in, then held his fingers over the message line. What should he text her? Something flirty? Flirty? Or all business? Or something in between?

He typed, Hey, it’s Brody. Wow. That’ll impress her. He added a smiley face emoji, then deleted it. He held his thumb over the keyboard, debating what else to type. Why was this so hard? It was just a simple text.

The longer he stood there staring at his phone, the more awkward he felt. Just type something. He tapped the letters on the screen, I’m here if you need me. Then he pressed Send before he could change his mind.

“It seems like a lot of thought went into that text. I’m excited to read it,” she said, teasing him.

He offered her a sheepish grin. “I know. That was dumb. I don’t know why that was so tough.”

She chuckled. “I’ll check it when you leave and try to think of something superawkward to text you back.”

He laughed. “Please do.”

One of the horses whinnied, and she looked out toward the corral. “I love this place.”

He watched her gaze toward the barn. Her expression was wistful, her eyes slightly sad. The breeze blew a strand of her hair across her cheek, and he was tempted to reach out and brush it away. A pensive smile pulled at the corners of her lips, as if she were reflecting on a happier time.

Dammit, why couldn’t he stop looking at her mouth?

“I should probably go,” he told her. “Let you get back inside.”

“Thank you for everything,” she said, taking a step toward him. She opened her arms as if to hug him, then started to close them, then opened them again and committed to the hug.

He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and inhaling the scent of her hair. He probably smelled like smoke, but she didn’t seem to care. Now that she’d committed, she really hugged him, pressing herself to him and resting her cheek against his shoulder. She fit perfectly into the circle of his arms, and he closed his eyes for a second, something in him settling for just that moment, then taking off in a flight of winged nerves.

As he pulled back, a sudden urge had him pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. But she turned just as he did, and he caught the corner of her lips with his.

He paused for just one tenth of a beat, one millisecond of indecision, of want and need and a bone-deep desire to slant his lips over hers and take that gorgeous mouth he’d been staring at all night. He could smell a mix of Oreos and peppermint from the tea on her breath and could almost taste the chocolate of the cookies. He tried to swallow, then tried to make a joke, but his words stuck in his throat.

“I’ll check in on you tomorrow,” he finally managed to say as he pulled away and let her go.

Her eyes were round, and she blinked, her breathing a little shaky as she nodded