I didn’t say anything to him as I pulled into the driveway, killing the engine and leaning my head into my hand. I was just trying to gauge how it would be to have her there, at the ranch, for the first time in so long, for an issue that she was qualified to see to.
“Austin? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Yeah I am.” I snapped out of my reverie. “I’m sorry. I guess it’s just going to take some getting used to; having someone other than you come out to the ranch to look in on the animals.”
“I know. It’s going to be quite an adjustment for me too, but I promise that with Lucy taking care of you, you’re going to be in very good hands. Lucy’s been working with me for the last two weeks, and I can’t think of anyone that I’d rather have taking over the practice for me. Believe me, I wouldn’t send anyone out that I didn’t have complete confidence in.”
“I know,” I said, the words coming out with a sigh. “I know.”
Now, as I stood in the shower with hot water coming down over my shoulders, I felt like I was washing the day off me piece by piece. It was as if all the worry of the last few hours began to fall away from me like overripe apples off a branch. I rubbed the shampoo through my hair, washing off all the dust and grass residue from the last few hours, and allowed myself to relax into the rest of the week.
The truth was that, as much as I complained about Lucy, I couldn’t deny that there was a large part of me that was looking forward to seeing her at our Christmas Eve gathering. And as much I protested about having her contradict me and, essentially, thwart me at every turn, I also kept picturing what it would be like to have her back at the ranch the next day.
Surprisingly enough, when I pictured it, it wasn’t with the dread that I’d been anticipating. Instead, all I could think about was the way the sass seemed to flow out of her smart mouth without any effort, and the strange way that it had transformed so intensely from when she’d been a teenager.
After all, when she’d been a kid, it had been nothing but obnoxious and grating when she’d talked to me about how she worked. The entire time that she’d been telling that story at the bar about learning about working on the emu, I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off her. She’d been so funny as she’d told the story of treating the animal, and hearing all about what she’d learned about in school had been fascinating rather than aggravating, the way that I’d expected it to be.
No, instead of aggravating me, she’d held my eyes the other time, and the way the light had shone off her stunning golden hair. I’d had the sudden urge to reach my hand over just one foot and run my thumb down the smooth skin of her neck, and I’d continuously been drawn in by the bright light of her green eyes.
I was the first to admit that the way her looks had changed probably had something to do with the way that my opinion of her had changed. She’d been a cute enough kid, but her looks then had absolutely nothing on what she looked like now.
I set my hand on the shower wall, shutting my eyes slowly as the water continued to run down my back and lower, hitting the backs of my thighs. I pictured the way she tilted her head to the side, and how the motion made her ponytail drape over her soft skin as it spread out.
I saw the bottom of her ponytail trail over to where the edge of her tank top covered her perfect tits, each of which was just the right size to fit into one of my palms.
The water dripping over my chest and trailing down my front brought a sharp awareness to the fact that I was currently granite-hard and had barely noticed when it had happened.
Well, now that I was here, and things were going down this road, I figured I might as well follow it to its conclusion.
I imagined the way that Lucy would look when we had her back at the ranch, and we’d finished looking after the horses. I’d be walking her off the ranch to where she’d parked the car, when she’d turn around and give me that look. The one that she always gave when there was something that seemed to intrigue that brilliant mind.
I imagined the way that I would lean forward and capture her lips with mine.
Her lips would give under mine, opening so easily to me as I then began to worry her lip with my teeth.