Page 7 of Aisle Be The Groom (Bristlecone Springs #1)

GRAY

A t the sound of Ozzie’s footsteps approaching, I straightened from putting on my boots. He hadn’t changed at all. I’d thought when he went upstairs to get his boots, he would have dressed in jeans or something. Anything other than the flowing robe that reached him midthigh and did nothing to hide the fact that whatever he had on underneath was short. The silk material moved with the sway of his body, making it impossible not to notice how soft he was.

“Is something wrong?”

His question broke the spell, and I glanced away. “Nope. You ready to go for that walk?”

“Yes, please.”

The please went straight to my dick. Fuck. I couldn’t pretend anymore. I found him attractive, but that meant nothing, right? As long as he didn’t know about it and I treated him like my soon-to-be son-in-law, everything would be perfect.

“Let’s go.”

I held the front door open for him. He ducked under my arm and brushed past me onto the lit porch. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“Ozzie—”

“Yes?” He tilted his head back, a peaceful smile on his face. “Normally, when we’re out at this time of night, it’s because we’ve been to a club. Let me tell you. The city looks nothing like the countryside. I much prefer this view, but your son loves his parties.”

Dammit. How could I let him down when he seemed so eager to walk around on the ranch despite the hour?

“Let’s go this way.” I led him down the steps and turned to the right, guided by the lights from the house, the bright moonlight, and the stars. Ozzie fell into place next to me. Only a few inches separated us, so I deliberately shuffled to the right, creating more space.

“Whoa, has the sky always been like this?”

I craned my neck to see what was so special about the sky. “Pretty much looks the same to me.”

“Here, it seems brighter, more vast.”

“That’s because we lack the lights from the streets and buildings in the city.”

“Yeah, that’s it. I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember the last time I looked up at the sky.” He gave a rueful chuckle.

“What?”

The curve of his lips stretched wider. “I can see why you’d rather live here than in the city.”

“You say that just by looking up at the stars?”

“It’s not only the stars. Listen? I can hear myself think.”

“Hmm, you can also hear the sounds of the animals. Who knows? Maybe if you listen really well, you can hear the predators stalking the property.”

“Pr-predators?”

“You didn’t know?” I lowered my voice to sound mysterious. “Foxes, coyotes, maybe even a bear if we’re unlucky.”

A hand wound around my arm, and Ozzie closed the gap I’d created between us. Repressing my laughter didn’t come easy. “Are you messing with me, Gray?”

“Nope, but don’t worry. I’m here. What would I tell my son if I let anything happen to his fiancé?”

But he didn’t let go of my shirt. Instead, he moved even closer, practically nestled against my side, and held his grip firmly on me. The scent of sea breeze and coconut from his shampoo drifted into my nose. Warmth emanated inside me not just from his hand but from every part of him brushing against me.

My stomach clenched, and disgust and shame filled me. Why was life so cruel? All I wanted was to reconcile with my son. When did I ever ask for a man to catch my eye? I worked with so many men. Why not any of them?

I turned the flashlight on to illuminate the way, and Ozzie and I set off, our boots crunching the gravel. I’d been teasing him about wild animals on the ranch, but they were a serious threat. The beam of light danced onto the ground as we left the graveled path behind.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Ozzie whispered as though afraid to disturb the night. “And a little nippy.”

I sniffed. “That’s because it’s going to rain.”

“How can you tell?”

“You can smell it in the air.”

Ozzie mimicked me, his nose wrinkled. “I don’t smell a thing. Or are you making fun of me again?”

“Not at all. When you’ve lived here for as long as I have, you become part of nature. Besides, it’s scientifically proven you can smell the rain before it starts to fall.”

“Don’t think I won’t look that up when I get back.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“I just can’t tell if you’re having fun at my expense.” A few seconds passed as we walked in silence. “You’re so different.”

“What?” He’d spoken so softly I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly.

He shook his head and pointed in the distance. “Is that a barn?”

“Yeah. The newly built barn. We haven’t moved any animals in yet. There are still some supplies inside we need to put away.”

“This is all so cool. I never thought I’d be on a ranch like this.” He let go of me and twirled slowly with his arms outstretched. The knot in his robe belt slipped, showing off the thin material of a camisole molded to his body. My mouth went dry. I dragged my gaze away painfully and focused elsewhere. On the corral, up ahead.

“You don’t regret getting married here, then?”

That’s it. Talk about the wedding and keep his relationship with your son in mind.

“I’m actually excited about getting married here. I’m still deciding between a midafternoon or late-evening wedding. What do you think?”

“Nope. I promised not to interfere.”

“Too late for that, Mr. Magnuson. You already interfered when you insisted we get married here.”

His words carried no heat, so I figured he’d come to terms with having the ceremony on the ranch. After all, what were a few hours compared to the two weeks of honeymoon I was gifting them? The money Carter would inherit after his wedding was enough to settle the two of them in a nice lifestyle in the city.

“What’s that?” Ozzie pointed toward the corral. I hadn’t intended to bring him there.

We had walked farther than I had planned, but I didn’t want the night to end. I worked with dozens of men, but I’d never had a conversation like this with anyone in almost ten years. Even the ranch hands were so used to working the land that they no longer appreciated the beauty of it.

“It’s the corral for the horses,” I said. “Do you want to go back?”

“Not yet. I want to see the horses.” He plunged ahead like a little kid who was excited about a new toy, his robe fluttering behind him. I followed him as he ran to the sturdy wood and metal fence.

He stopped and leaned over to get a better look at the horses. “Why are there only two?”

I propped my boot onto one of the rails, resting my arms on the top one. “That’s Snow White and Beast.”

A laugh startled out of Ozzie. “Why do I feel like this has been ‘Mess with Ozzie Night’?”

“Scout’s honor. Those are their names.”

Ozzie slowly looked me up and down, then raised his head. Our eyes met, and his mouth bobbed, but no sound came out. Electrical current crackled between us, and I clung to the post. Was this not…one-sided? Or was this wishful thinking?

Ozzie cleared his throat. “I believe you.”

“Snow White’s in heat,” I said as matter-of-factly as possible. I kept my attention on the mare, who neighed softly to warn away Beast, the chestnut Arabian stallion. More than anything, I wanted to look at Ozzie to see what he was thinking, but I didn’t dare. “Let’s go back.”

But Ozzie didn’t move. His gaze was fixed on Beast, who was courting the hell out of Snow White, but each time the mare acted receptive, she shied away from him. They exchanged soft neighs and whinnies, and Beast nuzzled Snow White’s long, flowing mane that had earned her her name. The scene was primal and beautiful, a delicate dance of attraction, of rejection and acceptance. Of patience.

We’d corralled the two horses alone, hoping their mating would lead to breeding. They were two fine horses that should breed superior offspring.

“What’s he doing?” Ozzie asked. “It looks like…”

“He’s courting her, testing her readiness. Each time she kicks at him and steps away, she’s telling him she’s not ready. It might take them a while, so if you want to go to bed, we can head back.”

“Not yet. I want to see how she responds. He’s being such a gentleman.”

“He’s a domestic horse. Had he been in the wild, he might have been more dominant. We typically leave them out in the corral for mating to let nature take its course as much as possible. This is Snow White’s first time being bred.”

“Yeah? How do you know when they are ready?”

“It can depend on the breed.”

“Oh.”

His tone told me he didn’t fully understand. “Generally, fillies go through puberty between twelve to fifteen months, although some start as early as nine. But they can’t be successfully bred until their reproductive tract matures.”

“That’s so young.”

“In horse years, not so young. Here, we breed our horses no sooner than three years old. Snow White is four.”

“Why do you take so long, then?”

“Peak fertility is at six or seven years, so they have time. By waiting, we give our mares a chance to mature.”

Silence descended as if there was an unspoken understanding between us of the reverence in the moment. Snow White raised her tail and urinated. This time, when Beast approached her, she accepted his affectionate nuzzling. Beast pawed around her.

“He’s checking if her stance is sturdy,” I whispered.

Neighing, Beast mounted Snow White, his front legs hugging her flanks. Ozzie straightened, watching with unabashed fascination. The mare squealed a bit, and the stallion quickly dismounted as if to apologize for the discomfort. After another series of nuzzles and gentle touches, Beast tried again.

Snow White stayed silent, her stance firm as she accepted Beast. Within a minute, the whole thing was over. Beast dismounted and moved away, leaving Snow White standing there, seemingly unaffected by the encounter. The mare gave a soft shake of her body, then trotted off and nibbled at the tall grass.

“Umm, that’s it?” Ozzie asked.

I roared with laughter, which echoed in the still night and startled the two horses. I clutched my stomach and tried to get a hold of myself, but Ozzie’s red face was priceless.

“Well, it is true!” he said. “All that effort for one minute—if that! Then he just moseys on over to his corner of the corral. No cuddles. No nothing.” He made a sound of disgust. “Typical men.”

I sobered. “Hey, you can’t go comparing us to a horse.”

“From my experience, I really can.”

“One-night stands, sure. A quick roll in the hay and then it’s over. We go our separate ways, but that’s not what a relationship is.”

“Isn’t it? In my experience, it’s not so different. Maybe it starts that way, but after a couple of months…” Ozzie widened his eyes as if he realized what he was confessing. Was he saying he and my son didn’t…? A fat drop hit my forehead. Then another on my cheek. I looked up at the sky, now dark with heavy clouds. We’d been so engrossed watching nature take its course I’d forgotten about this side of nature.

“You were actually right,” Ozzie said.

The droplets pelted us, coming down harder by the minute and robbing me of the chance to rub it into his face at how right I was. The house was merely twinkling lights in the distance. Shit, we would be soaked by the time we made it there.

“Oh my god, it’s coming down really hard!” Ozzie cried.

I grabbed his wrist. “We’ll have to wait it out in the barn.”