Page 31 of Long Past Dawn
He jogged up the stairs, and I followed behind him, the scene hitting me hard in the heart. It had always been about Blaze leading the way since the first day I met him. I followed him wherever he went, learned from his mistakes, and made notes of his accomplishments. Today, as I followed him into the kitchen and clinked a long neck bottle with him, I told myself I hadn’t learned from his mistakes. If I had, I would have gone after the woman I wanted years ago.
I was done waiting.
This was where Blaze and I parted ways. It was time for me to be the leader.
“How do you like it?” a sweet voice asked from the doorway, and I turned, once again taken aback by her beauty. Dawn wore a women’s flannel shirt and a broken-in pair of Wranglers that made my own tight at the zipper. She had a belt around her waist that accentuated her hips and a long necklace that rested between her breasts to draw the eye. Did it ever draw my eye. I wanted to touch her, hold her, and kiss her.
I put my hand to my chest. “I’d answer your question, darlin’, but that outfit is stealing my words.”
Dawn glanced down at herself for a second. “This old thing?” She winked to tell me she was kidding, and then she walked the rest of the way into the room and leaned against the wall. I wanted to run my fingers through her freshly washed hair while my tongue teased hers in a wet kiss of desire. My pants started to tighten more, so I pushed those thoughts back. We hadn’t even left for dinner yet, and I was already in trouble with my libido. I better learn to control it better now that I lived here, or I would walk around half hard for her twenty-four seven.
I walked to her and kissed her cheek, forcing myself not to take her lips and own her right up against the wall of my room. “Nothing is old when you’re wearing it,” I promised. “I’m almost ready. Just gotta find my boots.”
When I opened the closet door, her chuckle from behind me was instantaneous. “Why am I not surprised that your boots and hats were the first things you organized. Did you need a separate trailer just for them?”
I bit back a bark of laughter, so she didn’t get a big head about her comedy routine. “Darlin’, a man ain’t nothing without boots and a hat for every occasion.”
“And here, I always thought that was a woman’s thing. Matching their shoes and hats, I mean. Do you have a handbag picked out for the evening?”
I stood to my full height and shut the closet door. “My, my, someone is full of themselves tonight,” I teased, grabbing Dawn around the waist and kissing her lips this time. It was chaste and fast, but I could sense she yearned for more the same way I did. “I’ll have you know that my wallet matches all my hats and boots.”
Dawn rested her forehead on my shoulder while she laughed. “Good to know. Did you get everything moved today or do you have more to pick up?” She glanced around my room and back to me. “There isn’t much here.”
I walked to the door and shut the light off, then ushered her out of the room. “I’m a man of few needs.”
I helped her on with her coat, and we headed out the door. What I said was the truth. I was a man of few needs. What I didn’t say was that I was also a man of few possessions. It was never more apparent than when I packed up my stuff, only to realize everything I had at Bison Ridge was Blaze’s other than my bed, chair, and clothing. Pathetic but true. Maybe that just meant I was satisfied with my life and didn’t need many material things to remain that way. As long as I had my horse, boots, and hats, I was a happy man.
“When did you finally tell Blaze that you were moving out?” she asked. “You did tell him, right?”
I rolled my eyes to the sky in response. “Of course, I did. I told Blaze when he caught me packing my boots in the truck.”
Dawn shook her head and bit back a smile. “Guess I lost. I bet Heaven that you wouldn’t even tell him.”
I scrunched up my nose as we walked. “I’m not a fan of confrontation. He was cool about it, though. Honestly, I think he was even a little bit relieved. We’ve lived together for a lot of years. It’s time we both find a new way forward.”
She squeezed my hand in solidarity and nodded. “I figured that might be the case. I know Heaven was relieved when I told her it was okay to move there permanently. These changes are new for all of us, Beau. Hey, aren’t we going to dinner?”
We had walked halfway up the ridge already during our conversation, and I winked at her in the moonlight. “I know I promised dinner out, but I also know you were out all day. Perhaps you’d prefer to enjoy a famous Beau’s Hobo Dinner while sitting by a campfire instead?”
Dawn didn’t break stride or turn back toward the house. “Does that hobo dinner have bison in it?”
“Do bison have horns?” I asked teasingly. “It’s not just any bison, though. It’s prime-cut bison steak. Besides, I know you love it.”
She shoulder-bumped me and then rested her head on my shoulder for a heartbeat. “I’m more than happy to stay here and have a relaxing night. I’m a little worn out after spending the day in town with Heaven. I did find a dress, though. Heaven was relieved, so it was a good day.”
I put my arm around her and kissed her temple as we approached the lower pasture where the fire was already burning. “I bet it’s gorgeous. My eyes are going to be glued to you the entire time we’re standing up there.”
“Depends on if you like lace,” she said flippantly.
I groaned long and low in my throat. “I like anything you’re wearing, darlin’,” I promised, “but lace might be my undoing.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see then.” Her words were flirty, but the tone of her voice was downright sexy. I swallowed back the moan and begged my lower half to behave. She pointed at the campfire that was burning low and slow. “A little confident, weren’t ya?”
I laughed and ushered her onto the soft blankets that covered the ground. I wanted to keep her warm, so I had a waterproof pad under the blankets to protect her from the cold earth, as well as pillows for reclining. She might think I was an obtuse man who didn’t notice anything, but I noticed everything when it came to her. Dawn often struggled to get up if she’d been sitting too long or if it was cold outside. I wanted to spend the night with her, but I didn’t want her to be in pain because of it.
“I asked Tex to start the fire so the coals would burn down. He would have put it out if we had decided to go into town. All I have left to do is put the food on the fire. We can have a drink while it’s cooking and enjoy the bright, beautiful stars and the call of the owls.”
She lowered herself to the blankets and patted the thickness with her hand. “You went all out. The mattress is super comfy.”
