But before I have fun on the ranch, I’ll have some fun with Remi in the morning.
I’ve never been able to sleep late. It stems from years and years of living on the ranch, waking up early to feed animals and get chores done before school. If the sun is up before me, I’m either sick or stuck with a gorgeous woman in a national park.
The latter has only ever happened once.
This morning, I decided to make my mom’s baked oatmeal and some bacon for breakfast.
“Something smells good.”
I pause at the rough sound of Remi’s sleepy voice and then turn to find her standing behind me, her dark hair disheveled, and her violet eyes heavy-lidded with sleep.
“I made breakfast,” I reply, rather than boost her up onto my kitchen island and have her for breakfast.
Her stomach growls, making us both grin.
“After dinner last night, I would have sworn I’d never be hungry again,” she says and peeks around my shoulder. “But my stomach just proved me wrong. What are we having?”
“Baked oatmeal and bacon. I don’t have any fresh fruit to go with it.”
“Are there raisins in the oatmeal?”
“Yes.”
“There. Fruit.” She grins. “Do I have to do sexual favors to get a mug of coffee?”
I laugh and turn away, fetching her a mug. “No, coffee’s free around here.”
“How long have you been up?” She pours a little milk into her coffee, gives it a stir, then leans against the counter and sips. She’s just in that oversized T-shirt from last night. No pants. I can’t take my eyes off her slim, muscular legs. “Hi, my eyes are up here.”
I laugh again and shake my head. “Sorry. I have a sexy woman in my kitchen with the best legs I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to concentrate.”
“Hard enough to beg?”
My eyes find hers. They’re full of humor, but there’s lust there, too.
I lean into her and kiss her forehead. Breathe her in. “It hasn’t even been twelve hours, sweetheart. I think I can hold out a while longer.”
She snorts, but there’s disappointment in her eyes, and that doesn’t hurt my feelings in the least.
“I’ve been up since about five,” I inform her, answering her question.
“Good God, that’s early.”
“That’s ranch life,” I reply and scoop up her breakfast, then pass it to her.
“Do you have to work today?”
“Not up at the park. I have the next five days off. Now that we’re out of the heart of the season, I only work three days a week. But I’ll be putting in more time at the ranch now. There are some things I need to do today. What about you? What’s on tap for your day?”
She takes a bite of her bacon then licks her lips.
Damn it. She’s killing me. If she keeps that up, I’ll be begging by the end of the day.
“I’m going to get settled back in my spot with the van. I really like it there. I can leave the van parked and ride my bike where I need to go. Super convenient. And then I’ll check out some local trails. Don’t worry, nothing crazy. Oh, and I have to go see Annie about some paperwork.”
I lean on the counter and eat my breakfast. Part of me wants to tell her to stay here rather than in the van. The other part of me is like, whoa.
“Thanks for all of the food and stuff,” she says as she rinses her bowl in the sink. “I had a good time.”
“Me, too.”
Before she can walk away, I catch her wrist in my grasp and pull her against me so I can take her lips with mine in a long, lingering kiss.
“I want to see you later.”
“I’ll be around.” She grins, then pulls away and starts off toward the guest room. “I’ll be out of your hair in twenty.”
“You’re not in my hair,” I call back. I want to hurry after her. So, instead, I load the dishwasher and pull my boots on.
I grab a jacket and stop by the closed guest room door.
“I’m headed out, Remi. Just lock up behind yourself.”
“Will do,” she calls back.
I can almost picture her in there, the naked body I’ve already seen exposed as she changes clothes. I roughly tug on the jacket and stomp away.
I live far enough from the barn now that I drive my truck over. Used to be I’d walk from either Dad’s or Josh’s house, but I chose a piece of property with a little more privacy. I could still walk, but it would take too much time.
When I head into the barn, I see Dad and Josh, along with our long-time ranch hand, Louie, gathered around one of the stalls.
“She’s a looker,” Louie says, chewing on a toothpick.
“New foal?” I ask, and three pairs of eyes turn to me.
“A little filly,” Josh confirms. “Born about an hour ago.”