A sudden thought caused him to slow his steps. His and Taylor’s situation was not unlike her parents’ and their selfish refusal to share their assets. Wasn’t that what he and Taylor were doing with the Lucky Ace? They were both too stubborn to give in, sell their interest in the ranch and move on to find something else.
But he rejected that train of thought immediately. He and Taylor weren’t tied together by the bonds of marriage or in any other way, except for joint ownership of the property. They both had their reasons for wanting to hang onto it and none of those reasons had anything to do with an egotistical game of one-upmanship.
By the time Lane reached the house, he decided not to give it any more thought. He needed a break and fully intended to relax and enjoy the rest of the day without thinking about which one of them would end up controlling the ranch.
When he tied the horses to a hitching post by the steps, he crossed the porch and went inside. “Are you ready to go?”
Taylor was nowhere in sight, but he could hear her voice as she came down the hall. “That sounds very nice,” she said, walking into the kitchen with the phone. When she saw him, she mouthed, “It’s one of your brothers.”
Lane immediately shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was listen to whichever one of them was on the other end of the line rib him about living under the same roof with a hot-as-hell redhead.
“Okay, I’ll be sure to tell him,” Taylor said, ending the call. Smiling, she placed the cordless unit on the charger. “That was your brother Sam. He said to tell you that the dinner they’re having to welcome the new baby is a week from Sunday at Ryder and Summer’s place.”
“Sounds good.” Lane smiled. “We can ride over there together.” He didn’t have to ask if she would like to go with him. He knew his brother well enough to know Sam had already issued the invitation.
“I don’t know,” she said, sounding uncertain. “Sam asked me to join the celebration, but I don’t want to intrude on your family gathering.”
Lane shook his head. “It wouldn’t be an intrusion at all.” He stepped forward and without giving it a second thought, took her into his arms. “I can guarantee you’ll enjoy yourself, especially getting to know the three women.”
He barely stopped a groan from escaping when he watched her nibble on her lower lip for a moment before she finally nodded. “All right. I’ll think about it.”
Taking a step back, he decided that it would be in both of their best interests for them to start that horseback ride sooner rather than later. “Are you ready to go?”
“Absolutely,” she said, giving him a smile that sent his blood pressure soaring.
Lane picked up the packed saddlebags from the kitchen island and followed her out of the house. As he watched her put her foot in the stirrup and swing up into the mare’s saddle, his heart stalled and the pressure in his jeans increased. The sight of her slender legs straddling the mare had him wondering what it would feel like to have them wrapped around him as he sank himself deep inside of her.
Mentally running through every curse word he’d ever heard, he tied the bags to the back of his saddle and mounted the roan. He immediately had to shift to a more comfortable position or risk emasculating himself.
What was it that Taylor had that other women didn’t? Why was she more attractive to him than any other woman he’d ever known? And what in the name of all that was holy could he do to stop it?
As a trained psychologist, he had the tools to fight what he suspected was a growing addiction to her. But as a man looking at a desirable woman, that same knowledge was proving to be completely useless.
* * *
“I can tell I haven’t been on a horse in a while,” Taylor said when they stopped at the creek and dismounted. Her thigh muscles and backside were sore, but riding her mare again was well worth a little discomfort. “I’m just glad Cinnamon has such a smooth gait.”
“Otherwise you’d be sitting on a pillow for the next few days?” Lane guessed.
Laughing, she nodded as she waited for him to untie the saddlebags from the back of his horse. “A nice, hot soaking bath tonight should help.”
“Some liniment probably wouldn’t hurt,” he said, carrying the saddlebags to a spot beneath a grove of cottonwood trees along the bank.
She reached for the blanket she had tucked inside one of the compartments to spread it out on the grass. “I wasn’t sure what sandwiches you prefer, so I made a couple of different kinds.”
“I’m pretty easy to get along with,” he said, smiling. “I’m sure whatever you’ve made will be just fine. Besides, there hasn’t been anything you’ve fixed yet that wasn’t absolutely delicious.”