Page 40 of Trails of Temptation

His breath tickled my ear, sending ripples of heat licking down my spine. I was sure I was blushing as I drank the entire glass of wine in one go, then let my man lead me back over to his house to make the most of those ten minutes.

ChapterTwenty

George

Mom had made herself quite at home at her sister’s, my Aunt Nancy’s, house. It was a small, bungalow-style house near downtown Helena that had been in my family for decades. I spent two nights there being fussed over by my mother and aunt, and by the time Wednesday morning rolled around I was more than ready to tear out of town and back to Keely.

But both women rose with hens, so to speak. I hadn’t been able to escape them like planned because they were already up and drinking their tea at five in the morning, right when I was planning on taking my leave so I get back to Grant’s house by the time my girl had breakfast on the table.

“So, who is she?” Aunt Nancy purred as I tapped my fingers on her rickety old dining room table.

“Keely,” I said, pursing my lips. “Greenway.”

“Soon to be Neimons, I hope?” Mom added with a smirk. “Good Lord, George. You waited long enough to get remarried.”

“We’re just taking things one day at time,” I said, then rose from my chair and kissed her on the top of her head. “I’ll bring her down in a few weeks once the busy season slows down at the ranch. We’ll stay for a while.”

She patted my hand that was resting on her shoulder. Her hand trembled a bit, which gave me pause as I straightened up and looked down at her. She wasn’t in the best of health. She was old, of course. A lot of her aches and pains and lack of energy had to do with that, but Mom had always been healthy, fit, and energetic. Seeing her somewhat withdrawn and under the weather made me wonder if a few weeks away a time was too long.

“August,” I said, “I’ll bring her down in August, after Moira’s baby is here and settled.”

“Drive safe. It’s supposed to rain,” Aunt Nancy said from across the table. She was a few years younger than my mother, and I’d already pulled her aside and asked that she let me know if Mom’s health took a turn.

“Love you, Ma,” I said, hiking my duffle bag over my shoulder.

“Give me some grandkids, George,” she replied with a smug smile. I rolled my eyes and shut the front door behind me, walking out into the misty drizzle and streetlights.

* * *

Two weeks passed and I’d never felt more alive.

Keely was everything I’d ever wanted and more, and everything I’d come to realize I was missing in my life. We both had to work, of course. I couldn’t steal her away as much as I wanted, as much as my body wanted, but we made do with the time we had to just be together, the two of us.

She’d come find me in the stables or the pasture while she had a moment of time to herself when Moira was taking a nap and Day was occupied with camp. I laid her out in the soft grass after rides on Daisy and taken her as mine right there in the pasture. I couldn’t get enough of her. I wanted more and more of her each day and I knew in my soul that longing would never be satiated. I’d made good on the promise that I’d fuck her all over my house.

I’d even pulled her aside after Grant and Moira had gone to bed, making her leave the dishes soaking in the sink while I took her back to her room and locked the door behind us, moving within her as quietly as possible.

Those were the best times. It was obvious we both loved the thrill that what was happening between us was secret, almost forbidden.

But two weeks had gone by, and we hadn’t told Pete. I knew it was time to do just that, and I was dreading it more than anything.

It was a Saturday, the sun peeking through thick, dark rain clouds as a late summer storm passed overhead. June’s unforgiving heat had bled into a humid and rainy July, and I’d been working on replacing the roof of the old stable, the stable that came with the ranch when Grant purchased it, when he approached me.

He shook off his hat as he stepped inside, looking around for a moment before looking up at me from where I was straddling the rafters and hammering through sheets of plywood.

“It feels nice and dry in here,” he said absently, leaning against one of the empty stalls. We’d moved all the horses last week so I could fix the roof, so it was quiet, nothing was panicking and carrying on while I worked on giving them an upgraded home.

“I’m doing my best. This place is pretty old, Grant. Unless you want to keep it as a landmark, I’d just tear the whole thing down next spring and build something new.”

He nodded as I climbed down and landed on my feet a few feet away from him. I grabbed my thermos of coffee and sipped from it, leaning my weight against the stall opposite him.

“Have you talked to Pete yet?” he asked.

“No, I haven’t.”

A silence settled between us.

“He called me this morning.” Grant sighed, crossing his ankles. “About Keely.”

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