Page 8 of A Taste of Whiskey
She tried to scowl, but the upturned corners of her mouth gave away her smile.
He sat back and took another drink, thinking about those three months and how he’d asked to work late every day and would take any job by the barns and horse pastures just to get a glimpse of Sasha. He’d watched her shadowing the woman who had worked with the rehabbing horses at the time and taking her schoolwork into the barn to sit with the injured animals while she studied. Over the course of those three months, he’d gained a hell of a lot of respect for Sasha, and when he’d realized she deserved someone who had their shit together, he’d backed off.
“All kidding aside, I don’t blame you for keeping your distance. Your mother and the people on this ranch, and the work I did here, saved me from myself. I went into that program a delinquent kid with no respect for anyone and came out with a purpose and something to prove.”
“I’d say you’ve done a good job of proving yourself.”
“Thanks, but it’s no longer about that.” He nodded toward the cabin. “It’s about making sure that little guy has an easier time growing up than I did.” He’d hoped Gus would get through his childhood avoiding the pitfalls he’d had to navigate, but with his unreliable ex, that seemed impossible.
Her expression warmed. “You’re a great dad, Ez, and look where he’s growing up. Gus is surrounded by people who love him. We’re not going to let him get into trouble.”
“Says the girl who snuck off to a party at fifteen and almost got eaten by the hungry wolf.”
She was quiet for a moment before responding. “We won’t let him sneak out.”
He couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t saywein relation to anything having to do with Gus’s well-being, and tonight he realized how good that made him feel. He knew she meantwecollectively, as in everyone on the ranch who knew and loved Gus, but it was Sasha and her family that had always made him feel like he wasn’t a bumbling single father raising Gus alone.
“We can try, but teenagers are sneaky, and they do stupid shit. It’s a rite of passage. I just hope I give him enough stability and confidence that he won’t go looking for trouble he can’t handle.”
Her brows knitted. “I had stability and confidence, and I still went looking for trouble.”
“I know. I’m sorry I was a dick when we were kids. I’d like to believe I wouldn’t have gone through with banging you in the car at that party or taking you for a roll in the hay. Lord knows you were too damn innocent for the likes of me.”
“Right.”She sounded annoyed, and guzzled the rest of her drink. “I should go.” She pushed to her feet, shrugged off his hoodie, and put it on the chair.
He stood, wondering what had ticked her off. “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” She stepped to the right as he stepped to the left, accidentally blocking her way. She stepped in the other direction as he did the same. Her hand balled into a fist. “Sorry.”
What the…?“Hey, Sash?”
“Hm.” She didn’t look up.
He lifted her chin, taking in the conflicting emotions in her eyes. “What did I say?”
“Nothing that wasn’t true, but I don’t need to relive how awkward I was.”
“If you’re upset because I said you were innocent, I didn’t mean it to be derogatory. I meant that I was a total shit back then, and I’d hope I wouldn’t have stolen your first time just to get my rocks off.”
“I get it,” she said sharply.
“Do you? Because you said you thought I forgot about you five minutes after we kissed.”
She closed her mouth. That hint of innocence that she’d never fully lost rose to the surface, drawing him in like it had all those years ago, when it had been as blatant as the rising sun. He wanted to tell her that innocence was rare and good and demand she stay off that fucking dating app so some asshole didn’t steal it from her. But that wasn’t his place, so he tried to ease her worry with another truth.
“Like I said, I’dliketo believe I wouldn’t have gone through with it.” He couldn’t resist brushing his thumb along her jaw. “But after that unforgettable kiss, who knows what would have happened.”
Her lips parted, and he swore he saw heat rising in her eyes, but in the next second, it was gone, and she said, “I guess we’ll never know. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jesus. Was I seeing things?
He watched her climb into her truck and drive away, telling himself to lock that shit down before he got them both in trouble.
Chapter Three
AFTER A FITFUL night’s sleep filled with too many thoughts of Ezra’s lips on hers and too much disappointment in herself for not going through with Birdie’s plan, Sasha was out the door at dawn, working off her frustrations before checking on the horses. Horses picked up on human emotions, and many of their rescues had been so badly abused, they suffered from anxiety. The last thing they needed was to feel her stress. Luckily, there was never a shortage of ways to work off her frustrations on the ranch.
She gripped the handlebars of the ATV tighter, speeding over rocks and ruts on her favorite trail, memories of last night peppering her. She’d really thought she could go through with kissing Ezra, but when he’d brought up the time shehadkissed him, she was thrown right back to that mortifying moment when he’d called her on her inexperience. That had set her back, but when he’d brushed his thumb along her jaw, she’d gotten caught up in his touch, drawn in by those dark eyes that so often invaded her dreams, and she’dalmostgotten up the courage to kiss him. She hated that she’d chickened out.
