“You’ve never been anything but beautiful to me, darlin’.” He ran his fingers through the thick tangles of her hair. “You’re wearing your hair down.”
She nodded.
“It’d be more convenient to wear it braided. You know, for doing ranch work.” He grinned.
“Yeah, I know.” Then, “You grew a goatee.”
“Someone once told me I might look good with one.” He winked.
“Someone was right,” Dusty said.
“Why’d you leave me, darlin’?” He trailed his fingers down her cheek, down the curve of her neck. She shivered.
“It’s a long story.”
“Will you tell me? Will you let me help you?”
Dusty sighed. He had come all this way for her, and the reasons for keeping secrets no longer seemed important. She wasn’t sure she could even remember them.
Oh, yeah. She didn’t want to saddle him with a sick, infertile woman.
But maybe that was his decision to make, not hers.
“I’ll tell you.” She nodded. “I should have told you sooner. So come on in. The house is a sty. I haven’t been feeling real well so I haven’t done a lot of housework. I’m sorry…”
“I don’t give a damn how clean your house is, Dusty. Is Sam at home?”
“He’s in Billings. Said he’d be home around ten.”
“Let’s go in. I could use a cold drink.”
“Of course. I should have offered you one. Where are my manners?”
“I don’t give a damn about manners either, darlin’, I’m just thirsty.”
She led him into the house and pointed to the kitchen. “There’s some soda and iced tea in the fridge. A couple of beers too, I think. I really need to take a quick shower and burn these overalls. Could you excuse me for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Take your time. I’ll grab my duffel and get settled.”
“You want to stay here?”
“Where else would I stay’? Black Eagle’s hardly a thriving metropolis. What is it, population nine hundred?”
“Nine seventy-eight, I’ll have you know.” She smiled and headed to her room to clean up.
Dusty’s heart pounded as she stepped into the hot stream of water. The shower soothed her soiled skin, her tired muscles. She squeezed some shampoo into her palm, lathered it up, and spread it over her wet head.
“Allow me.”
Zach was behind her, naked and glorious in his maleness. He was even more beautiful than she remembered.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Getting settled,” he said.
“In my shower?”
“Can you think of a better place?”