Good Together (27 page)

Mattie laughed. “At least you have kids to talk to. I’ve just got horses and a dog.”

“Is that a yes?”

It was.

* * *

M
attie was careful how she dressed for her dinner out with Ryan. Her main interest in him was as a friend—though she supposed it was possible that could change.

But not likely.

She couldn’t help remembering how she had felt dancing with Ryan at the Smoke House last December. No sparks, whatsoever. And then Nat had stepped in. Instant heat.

Maybe she should have turned down Ryan’s invitation. But it had been so long since she’d had an evening out. And he’d made it clear that the night was just going to be about good food and conversation. Where was the harm in that?

Mattie wore a long sweater with a narrow belt, black skinny jeans and boots. Not an inch of inappropriate skin was showing. Just to be sure she sent the right message, she kept her makeup minimal, with only a light gloss on her lips and some mascara.

Ryan had insisted on driving out to the ranch to pick her up, and he arrived right on time, at seven. Working for the Lake County Gazette meant Ryan had lots of interesting stories and conversation on the twenty-minute drive to the Finley Point Grill was not a problem.

Mattie commented on an article she’d read that week about a minor earth tremor in the Flathead Valley that had been erroneously reported as a magnitude nine-point-nine earthquake.

“Totally ridiculous,” Ryan commented. “Not sure how that error happened.”

“I didn’t realize Polson was on a fault line.”

“We are. The same fault line runs from here, down to Yellowstone and onward to Salt Lake City. Most of our shakes are tremors almost no one notices, but back in 1969 we had an earthquake that measured around four or five on the Richter scale.

At the restaurant, they continued their conversation, moving easily from one topic to the next. Ryan was intelligent, with a good sense of humor. Glancing up from her menu, she thought he was not only pleasant to look at, but also well groomed. His thick sandy hair had been recently trimmed and his shirt was well pressed.

Funny that a man could have so much going for him, and yet she felt zero romantic interest.

Was it because her separation from Wes was too recent?

But that didn’t explain the way she felt around Nat...

By the time dessert had been served, Mattie had come to the conclusion that Ryan would be perfect—for Dani. Surely her academic sister would find his type totally appealing. She, on the other hand, could never feel anything but friendship for him.

As the evening progressed, Ryan suggested an idea for a second date. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen a movie in a real theater. Maybe next week we should take in something at the Showboat?”

“Maybe. But I’ve been a lot busier since I started boarding horses, again.” Mattie segued into a cute story about how Tuff had reacted when she’d taken her out to the stables a few weeks ago. She was getting older, and her herding instincts were kicking in. Trouble was, the horses didn’t take her seriously—she was still too little.

On the ride home, it took a lot of effort to keep the conversation light, and Mattie’s head started to hurt. This dinner had been a bad idea. Yes, she needed to start socializing more, but she’d already known that Ryan wasn’t the right guy for her. By agreeing to have dinner with him, she’d given him false encouragement.

Staring out the side window into the dark, she felt a similar despair about her boarding business. She loved having horses to look after again. But the minute Wes sold the farm—and he would find a buyer eventually—her new business would be dissolved.

She’d started the year determined to build a new life for herself.

But it wasn’t proving an easy thing to do.

When Ryan pulled into her yard, she tried to make a quick exit. “Thanks for dinner, Ryan. I had a nice time.”

To her surprise, he followed her out of the truck and walked her to the front door. She could see the expectation in his eyes as he smiled at her and took her hand. “Can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed an evening more, Mattie.”

She took a step toward the door. “I’d invite you in, but I’ve got a headache coming on. I’m not used to late nights, I guess.”

“Now that doesn’t sound good.” Ryan opened the door once she’d unlocked it, following her so deftly she would have had to push him to prevent him from coming inside. “Why don’t you lie down while I find you some water and pain pills. Where do you keep them?”

“I’m fine, Ryan. Really. You should get going.”

“I’m not the kind of man to leave a woman on her own when she isn’t feeling well, Mattie. Here, let me help you with that.”

Before she knew it, he’d removed her jacket and helped her off with her boots. Tuff came to check him out, and Ryan gave the puppy a few friendly scratches, soon winning her over. “Lie down, Mattie. I’ll get you a cool cloth and some pills.”

Mattie sighed. She supposed she’d have to let Ryan do his fussing so he could go home with a clean conscience. “I keep pain medicine in the cupboard over the sink. With the water glasses.”

“That’s handy.”

“First thing Wes would want when he got home from a rodeo. He used to go through a lot of it—especially as he got older.” She settled on the sofa, placing a hand on Tuff when the puppy rested on the floor next to her.

She listened as Ryan ran some water, then heard him shake a couple of pills from the bottle. Her headache was no ruse. Her head was really pounding now and she was thankful to take the medication when he brought it to her. “Thanks Ryan. I hope you don’t mind letting yourself out.”

“You sure you’re okay on your own? I don’t mind spending the night on your couch, especially if it makes you feel safer. Can’t be fun living alone, miles from the next neighbor.”

“I’m used to it, Ryan. Thanks anyway.” His solicitousness was started to make her crazy. Yet, she didn’t want to risk making him angry. She’d known Ryan Garry for years. But did she
really
know him?

How would he handle outright rejection, once she gave it?

Frankly, she would feel a lot safer delivering the message over the phone, than in person. Especially after he’d just reminded her how alone they were.

“Mind if I use your washroom?” he asked.

“Go ahead.” She waved him toward the powder room and as soon as he’d closed the door, got out her cell phone and sent a quick text to Nat.

“Need to borrow a cup of sugar? Ryan Garry here. Doesn’t seem to want to leave.” It wasn’t exactly a desperate plea for help. But if she knew Nat, it would be enough.

* * *

N
at was on his way home from poker night with the guys, when his phone made the sound he’d assigned to Mattie’s contact info—a magical chime, which he thought suited her and the way she made him feel. He took his foot off the gas. No cars within sight in either direction, so took a quick glance at the screen.

Ryan Garry?
Hell.
Was she serious? Hadn’t she learned anything from the last time?

Nat put his boot back on the gas, a lot harder this time. He was only minutes away from Bishop Stables. A cup of sugar? Hell, this time he was going to flatten that man.

He blew into her lane like a Montana blizzard, jerking his truck to a stop and leaving the keys in the ignition as he stormed out and headed for her door. After one sharp rap, he let himself in. “Mattie? Saw your lights on—is everything okay?”

His heart was thumping as he strode down the hall, into the main living area. Mattie was lying on the couch next to the fireplace, where Garry was working to get a good blaze going. The scene looked real cozy, and he felt a flare of anger of a completely different sort than before.

Was she toying with him?

But then she sat up and he saw the relief in her eyes. Her skin was pale, he could tell she’d been scared.

“Nat, you’re the best neighbor in the world. Thanks for checking in on me. I’m not feeling great, I’m afraid. Ryan was just lighting that fire for me and then he was going to leave.”

Ryan Garry looked pissed. His long, bony legs creaked as he stood up from the hearth. “Kind of late for a neighborly visit.”

“I keep an eye out,” Nat said curtly. “Mattie’s lights aren’t usually on so late.” This was stretching the truth some. But Mattie clearly wanted this man gone. And he was going to make sure it happened.

“Unlike you, I’m an
invited
guest,” Ryan said, squaring his shoulders to Nat, and curling his hands into fists.

“Oh, Nat has a standing invitation at Bishop Stables,” Mattie said quickly. “And it isn’t true that I invited you in, Ryan. I do have a headache. All I really want is to be left alone.”

Ryan looked from her, to Nat, then back again. “Did you
ask
Diamond to come here?”

“Sort of,” Mattie admitted.

“Jesus.” He shook his head. “Why did you even agree to have dinner with me? Clearly you two have something going on here.”

Mattie said nothing to that and neither did Nat. He just stepped to the side, giving the man ample room to leave. A few seconds later, the front door slammed shut behind him.

“Now that’s an angry man.” He picked up the poker, moved one log over, then added another. Soon the fire was blazing hot.

Mattie laid her head back against the sofa cushions and groaned. “I really messed that up. We were out for dinner, and when he dropped me home I just wanted him to leave. But he kept ignoring all my polite social cues.”

“Polite social cues? Hell, Mattie, why didn’t you just tell him to go?”

“I was nervous about making him angry.”

Nat stared at her. Mattie wasn’t usually one to pull her punches.

“I’m terrible at dating, okay? Last time I was in a situation like this I was seventeen years old. I didn’t have to tell the guys to go home. I had a father to do that.”

Nat chuckled, then sank into the arm chair next to the sofa. It felt crazy good to be around Mattie again. Maybe she did have a headache. But she still looked about as delicious as a slice of apple pie with whipped cream on top.

“What were you doing out with him the first place? As I recall the last time you were socializing with him at the Smoke House he was getting a little too friendly.”

“Yes. Well. We’d both been drinking that time. He called me up and suggested dinner and I figured why not give him a second chance.”

He looked at her incredulously.

“Don’t judge me. I’m not like you, Nat. I don’t like being on my own.” She hesitated. Glanced at the fire. “It’s lonely.”

Nat swallowed hard. Did she really think he liked being alone? If she did, he’d better not disabuse her of the idea. “So you took a chance. I guess I can understand that. But it didn’t turn out so well, huh?”

“Not really. I mean, Ryan’s
fine.
I think. Just not my type.”

It was wrong of him, Nat knew, but he felt so happy to hear her say that. “Seems like you better trust your instincts next time.

The look she gave him then made his heart squeeze in an exquisite mix of pleasure and pain.

“You want to know what my instincts tell me, Nat?” She got up from the sofa, polished off the glass of water on the table, then went to stand by his chair. Her invitation was unmistakable.

“Mattie. I’ve been staying away from you for a reason.”

She was close enough he could smell her delicate perfume—like linens drying in the sun on a summer day. As he watched, she undid the thin belt holding her sweater together. She let the belt fall to the floor, then shrugged the sweater from her shoulders. Underneath was a simple white T-shirt that hugged her breasts and clung to her petite waist.

Hugged.

Clung.

Those were two things he wanted to do to her. Very much.

“Don’t you ever get lonely, Nat?”

“You were married for nineteen years. Of course you feel lonely. But it gets easier with time.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Do you ever get lonely,” she repeated.

“Only for you,” he admitted.

She held out her hands. And he took them.

Then he pulled her into his lap, where she curled in like a sexy, little kitten. He couldn’t believe how light she was. He brushed back her hair so he could see her face. Read her eyes. Kiss her mouth.

As soon as he tasted her, he wanted more. Everything.

“Mattie. You should send me packing. This is too soon for you. And I’m—I’m not the right guy.”

“You said I should trust my instincts.”

She was so lovely. Bewitching. When she leaned in for another kiss, God help him, he couldn’t resist.

“Headache?” he managed to ask, a long time later.

“Gone.”

* * *

R
eal life wasn’t anything like her dreams. Nat was not a tractable plaything, he was a big, solid man with a presence that commanded her full attention. He kissed her for a long time, made her want him so much, she realized the desire in her dreams had been nothing. He spread the quilt from the sofa on the floor, then peeled away her jeans and her T-shirt. His own clothes went next and suddenly she was shy. Not just of her own nakedness, but his too.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed, as if he could sense her unease. It was good advice. With her eyes shut she could concentrate on how he made her feel. Tenderly, slowly, he teased her body with his touch and his kisses.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured.

The shyness wore off, replaced by a very deep need to make love to this man. “Take off your clothes, Nat. Come next to me.”

He did as she asked, joining her on the quilt. The glow from the burning logs made his skin golden, hiding the scars she could feel with her hands

He kissed her possessively, his head above hers, and she reached out to touch the side of his face. Such a gorgeous man. But what mattered most to her right now was the way he looked at her—as if he adored her.

I love you.
The words popped into her head, but she didn’t speak them. Instead she put her hands on his back, pulling him close so she could kiss him again. She had to give a few quiet instructions. They both asked questions and gave breathless answers. It was their first time, but it wasn’t awkward.