Page 2 of Broncos and Ballads (Healing Springs Ranch #2)

She was wearing flat white sandals, a large white sun hat that concealed her hair, and a sheer white cover-up over a sleek pink bikini. From the elegance of the attire and the flashes of gold embellishment, she was clearly one of the resort’s guests and not the gardener.

But why was she climbing the trellis? Was she attempting to spy on someone on the other side?

As she stretched higher, her hat lifted to reveal her face—one of the most beautiful faces in the world, one that graced the cover of countless magazines and billboards, one that made people everywhere turn their heads in admiration.

High cheekbones, a slender nose, full lips, elegantly arched eyebrows, and a narrow chin.

Wisps of her pale blond hair dangled by her ears.

Supermodel Venus Vargas.

Brock should have known she would be at the party. As Reed’s best friend, she accompanied him to every big event—usually as his plus-one—stood beside him on the red carpet, sat next to him during awards ceremonies, and often vacationed with him.

Their relationship had puzzled Brock from the moment he’d met Venus at one of Reed’s earliest concerts.

He didn’t understand how the two could remain platonic and never develop feelings for each other beyond friendship.

But they had both claimed many times over the years that they were just friends and would never be anything more than that.

He wouldn’t have been able to stay just friends with Venus.

Nope. Whenever he was around her, the sparks of his attraction invariably flared to life.

He was the kindling, and she was the flame.

Getting too near and staying too long around her always had a way of making him feel too hot.

As a result, he’d learned over the years to keep their interactions short and sweet and to admire her from afar.

She lifted her foot in the trellis and seemed to be searching for another hold so that she could climb a little higher. In the same moment, her swimsuit cover snagged in a twig or branch or something, halting her upward climb.

With both of her hands grasping the top of the trellis, she tried to hoist herself and find another place for her foot, but the tangled swimsuit cover held her in place, not letting her budge.

She glanced down, released one hand, and tugged on the material.

It didn’t move.

With only one hand and one foot now secure, she wobbled. It was only a matter of time before she fell.

With a surge of concern, Brock took several rapid steps toward her.

Upon hearing his footsteps, she shifted slightly, and her startled eyes landed upon him. The blue, as always, was clear and light and shimmery, like an iridescent mountain lake in the sunshine. Perfectly shaped and framed by long lashes, her eyes alone had the power to render a man speechless.

If only that was her best feature. But everything about her was incredible, including the body that was on display now that the swimsuit cover was slipping off.

Her long legs were possibly her best feature.

The slender but muscular legs were so enticing that he had no doubt she was the envy of every model and the dream of every man.

Of course, the rest of her body was just as gorgeous, and her pink swimsuit hugged every curve to perfection.

But he forced himself not to linger over her body.

She had enough men who lusted after her.

He’d long ago told himself he wouldn’t be one of them and would instead treat her the way Reed did, with respect.

She yanked more firmly at the tangled swimsuit cover, but the motion set her even more off-balance. Her foot within the trellis slipped, and in the next instant, she lost her grip on the top.

Brock could see the disaster unfolding. With nothing anchoring her to the trellis but her swimsuit cover, she toppled backward. He closed the gap between them just in time, holding out both arms.

“Oh no!” Her cry echoed in the silence along with a tearing sound as her cover-up stayed on the trellis while she tumbled into his arms. The bump against his shoulders and chest knocked her sun hat off her head, and her blond wavy hair spilled down from a loose knot.

Her arms reflexively wound around his neck.

Steadying himself, he drew her in closer, her back against one arm and her long legs dangling over the other. “Are you okay—”

Before he could finish the question, Venus clamped a hand over his mouth. Her elegant brows narrowed to a point, and she cast a glance in the direction of the lounge. “Shhh,” she whispered.

With all the commotion she’d already caused with her fall, it was too late to worry about being quiet. In the next instant, sure enough, a young couple hurried around the trellis, their eyes wide.

Reed and Lexi.

Venus’s expression went from grave to brightly happy so fast Brock nearly got whiplash.

At the sight of them, Reed halted abruptly.

With sandy-blond hair, he was stockier than Brock, bigger boned, heftier in weight, and less fit.

Reed was also shorter than Brock’s six foot three by a couple of inches, but only a little taller than Venus, who had the long, slender body required of models.

At five feet ten inches, Venus had the perfect measurements of a model, including the perfect 34-24-34. Brock had read somewhere that the numbers stood for her bust, waist, and hips. Not that he’d looked for information on her. He just happened to stumble across it once in a while.

“Oh, hi, Reed.” Venus turned her most charming smile upon her friend.

“Venus?” Reed’s brows shot up. “Is everything all right?” His gaze landed upon the swimsuit cover now dangling from the trellis before turning back to Venus in her bikini.

“Everything is just fine.” Her voice was too cheerful.

Again, Reed took her in, this time finally seeming to notice Brock and the way he was holding Venus. “Hey, Brock. Nice to see you.”

“Same with you, man.”

Reed’s gaze hopped back and forth between Brock and Venus, as though he was trying to solve the mystery of why the two of them were standing there like newlyweds about to walk off into the nearest bedroom. Just the merest thought of taking Venus into a bedroom made Brock’s blood pump faster.

Lexi was watching them, too, with wide eyes, as though she hadn’t expected to see them there together, especially in such an intimate hold.

As a professional cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams, Lexi was pretty in a perky way, with a voluptuous figure, thick fake eyelashes, and brown hair streaked with blond highlights.

Brock couldn’t remember exactly how Reed had met Lexi earlier in the year—maybe at a party. She seemed sweet. And she was really into Reed.

An awkward silence descended over the terraced area.

He supposed he and Venus should explain what they were doing and why her swimsuit cover was dangling in the ivy, but what were they doing?

He still had no idea why Venus had come up to the lounge in the first place or why she’d been climbing the trellis.

“We were just…” Venus hesitated, as though she finally realized how strange their predicament looked. “Brock and I…we were just…um, having a private moment…”

Lexi’s eyes lit up. With relief? “So you and Brock are a thing?” Was Lexi worried about Reed’s relationship with Venus? If so, Brock didn’t blame her. Not with the long history Reed and Venus had together and as close as they were.

“Are we a thing?” Venus’s voice rose a note too high. Her gaze was upon Reed, practically begging him to walk across the terrace and intervene.

But Reed seemed to be waiting for an answer to Lexi’s question.

Lexi sidled closer to Reed, intertwining her fingers with his possessively. Then she reached up her opposite hand and laid it across Reed’s chest, tucking a couple of fingers through the space between the buttonholes of his dress shirt.

Brock had been around enough women to recognize what Lexi was doing. She was staking her claim on Reed.

Reed, however, just smiled at Venus, his expression as clueless as always at the dynamics playing out. “I know you like to keep relationships private,” Reed said quietly. “But you know you can tell me—and Lexi—anything.”

Brock hadn’t heard much about Venus’s dating life over the years of knowing her. Every once in a while, he’d seen a picture or two of her with a new guy. But most of the photos out there were of her with Reed.

Venus shifted in Brock’s arms but didn’t make a move to extricate herself. She was thin and light. Even if she hadn’t been, Brock had a rigorous strength-and-conditioning routine every morning, and he could hold Venus all day. Not that he’d ever do that. Or that she’d let him. But still…

“Right, honey?” Reed slid his arm around Lexi.

“Yes, baby.” She stood on her toes and kissed him…and kissed him. The lip-locking was showy and passionate with loud smooching sounds.

In Brock’s arms, Venus stiffened more with each passing second.

Was Venus jealous?

“The truth is”—Venus lifted a hand to the back of Brock’s head and combed at the strands that weren’t concealed by his baseball cap—“Brock and I are exploring the possibility of a more serious relationship.”

Reed broke the kiss to stare at Venus with disbelief.

“That’s wonderful!” Lexi exclaimed, leaning into Reed. “Isn’t it, baby?”

Venus peered up at Brock, her eyes shining with adoration—or at least the pretend variety.

Because that’s what Venus was doing. She was pretending to like him. Why? To cover over the awkward situation she found herself in?

As she met his gaze, her eyes pleaded with him not to contradict her and to go along with her charade.