Page 1 of Back in the Saddle

It was official:her marriage had officially gone to the dogs.

Every day this week—heck, every day the past few months—Cord hadn’t kissed her goodbye.

AJ had been hopeful for a smooch this morning upon hearing him re-enter the house. She’d propped herself provocatively in the doorway between the entryway and the kitchen, watching as he strode right past her to snatch the keyring he’d left on the bench. Cord hadn’t spared her a second glance, but he had reached down to scratch the dog’s head before hustling out the door.

What happened after that…not her proudest moment, but shehadbeen hopping mad.

She eyed their blue heeler, Chichi, who wore a suspiciously smug look. “If your master keeps that up, he’ll be bunking in the barn with you.”

Chichi cocked her head.

“Piece of advice, pooch. Wagging your behind at him is a bust as far as getting his attention. Trust me. I’ve already tried it.” She sighed. “Has it really come to this? I’m confiding my marital woes to the dog.”

Her annoyance probably didn’t qualify as a real marital issue to anyone else. But it bugged the crap out of her since this weird disconnect with Cord had been dragging on forever. At first she’d chalked up his distraction to the demands of calving season. But that season had come and gone, yet as thisno kissy, no huggysituation lingered, AJ worried it’d become their new normal. Or worse yet, Cord was utterly clueless that his daily show of affection toward her had dwindled to zero.

The first time she’d brought it up, Cord’s defensiveness had kicked in and he’d lit into her about all of his responsibilities. The second time she’d mentioned it, Cord opted for sarcasm. AJ suspected if she brought it up again, he’d sigh, muttersorry darlin’and offer a perfunctory peck on the cheek each morning in a half-assed attempt at placating her.

No thank you.

“Mama?”

She blinked and glanced down at her youngest son, Vaughn. “Yes, sweetie?”

“Why’re you sad?”

AJ ruffled his blond curls—he was the only one of their children who had inherited her hair color. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Are you missin’ sissy?”

Avery, her only girl child, and the closest one in age to Vaughn, had recently started all-day kindergarten, much to Vaughn’s dismay. “I’m missing something,” she murmured. Then she smoothed the hair she’d tousled. “Are you ready to head into town?”

“Yep. Got my backpack.”

She smiled at the massive camo backpack, stuffed to the gills with god only knew what a four-year old needed for six hours away from home. “You’ve jammed a lot of stuff in there, pard. You sure you don’t need me to carry it?”

Vaughn scoffed, his expression so like Cord’s that her heart squeezed. “I’m not ababy, mama.”

“My mistake. Go get your boots on and I’ll be right there.”

With only one kiddo in her eight passenger Suburban, the too-quiet drive from the ranch into Sundance gave AJ too much time to think.

Even when she understood it wasn’t fair to compare their past to their present, she couldn’t stop her thoughts fromfocusing on the hungry way Cord used to look at her. Those work-roughened hands all over her all the time. The sexual tension between them that needed an immediate release.

This wasn’t about sex, except recently that was the only time Cord showed affection. In the moment their bodies connected, his blue eyes filled with a heart-stopping mix of love, desire and satisfaction. A look that hadn’t faltered over the years, a look that belonged to her alone.

God. Maybe she oughta quit fretting over what she missed and be thankful for what she had.

Yet…what if she was at fault? She couldn’t stand the thought of this disconnect continuing much longer.

After dropping Vaughn off at the community center for preschool, she headed down the street and parked in her spot behind the Sandstone Building. Juggling her messenger bag, Diet Pepsi and keys, she unlocked the back door, stepping into the cool darkness. The ever-present scents of essential oils filled her nose and she breathed in a deep, calming breath. This space was her sanctuary.

While she loved being home on the ranch with Cord and their kids, she’d continued to run Healing Touch, the massage studio she’d opened the first year of their marriage.

After the birth of Beau, baby boy number two, AJ leased out part of her space to another massage therapist. Dante Blackstone, a Casper transplant, specialized in rehabilitation massage therapy. He worked two days a week on location and the other days in the studio. While they usually alternated days, sometimes their schedules meshed, and they’d be in the office together. AJ expelled a sigh of relief Dante wasn’t around. She’d be tempted to blurt out all her frustrations and fears because confiding in the dog had gotten her nowhere.

Striving to put her worries out of her mind, she popped in her earbuds and cranked the music as she cleaned and restocked herspace. Then her ten o’clock cancelled, leaving her at loose ends for an hour. Even online retail therapy hadn’t brightened her mood.

Promptly at ten-fifty-seven, Ainsley Hamilton sailed in for her eleven o’clock appointment. As usual, the bank president was smartly dressed: a cream-colored silk blouse and a royal blue A-line skirt that mirrored the stripes in the blue plaid suit jacket. Gray open-toed pumps and matching handbag completed the ensemble.

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