God, she’d been an idiot.
One moment she’d been basking in the aftermath of a surprise orgasm and thinking up ways to please him, and the next she’d found herself looking at the camera lens of his laptop. She hadn’t meant to push him away. Something inside her had snapped, adrenaline turning her blood to ice in the span of a heartbeat, her mind filling with all of the memories she’d been trying so hard to forget.
A lot of guys would have gotten angry about that. But Eric had done nothing but try to comfort her. He’d even fastened her bra himself.
She owed him an explanation. But, God, what would he think of her when she told him? It shouldn’t matter to her. It’s not like they were a part of each other’s lives. Even so, it bothered her that he might think less of her.
Damn it.
She’d come to Scarlet hoping to get away from the past year. But somehow she’d brought all of it with her.
* * *
How wasshe going to face Eric now?
Vic felt mortified about what she’d done last night, and she was going to be spending an entire day in his company.
She pushed the thought aside and slipped into her brand new cowboy boots. The brown leather had a worn look, and there were roses embroidered along the instep and shaft. The moment she’d seen them, she’d wanted them. She walked around the room, getting used to the feel, then took a peek at her reflection and laughed. With her new dark vintage wash jeans, she looked like a cowgirl—well, minus the hat.
Deliberately leaving her phone behind, she slipped the day pack over her shoulder and hurried down the stairs, not wanting to keep everyone waiting. She stepped out into the cool morning air, the scent of pine and the breathtaking view making her forget her worries. Then she saw him.
Eric stood near the end of the driveway near the road, talking with Austin, a cowboy hat on his head.
Seriously? A cowboy hat? Was he trying to slay her? What was next? Cuddling puppies against his shirtless chest?
He looked her way, and she caught the anger on his face the moment before he hid it behind a half smile.
He and Austin weren’t talking. They were arguing about something.
“Good morning.” Lexi waved to her from the driver’s seat of her Lexus convertible, its top down, Britta sitting in the back. “It’s just the five of us. Winona is doing intake on two orphaned bear cubs. Chaska has to work, and Jesse is helping with inventory at the Cave. Austin is driving up with Eric so we can have some girl time.”
Vic glanced over at Eric and Austin and wondered why Lexi was pretending everything was fine. “Okay.”
Both disappointed and relieved that she wouldn’t be riding alone with Eric, she got into Lexi’s car and buckled up.
“Have you ever ridden a horse before?” Britta asked.
Vic nodded. “My dad insisted I take English horseback riding lessons when I was little. I was never good enough to compete, but I did learn to love horses. I’ve never done trail riding, though.”
Lexi waited for Eric to back out in his truck, then drove down to the roundabout and out onto the highway. “You’re going to love the Cimarron.”
“Is it a dude ranch or something?”
That made Britta laugh. “Aduderanch? Don’t say that in front of Jack or Nate.”
While she drove, Lexi told her how the Cimarron was a working cattle ranch owned by the West family since the days of World War I. “They also breed champion quarter horses. The ranch sits on some of the most beautiful land in the county.”
Britta leaned forward to be a part of the conversation. “The land is beautiful, but wait till you see their house.”
The more the two of them talked, the more certain Vic became they were exaggerating. The house was incredible, and the views were breathtaking, and Jack West and his family were the kindest people you could ever hope to meet.
Nothing could be that perfect.
About an hour later, they came to the ranch’s entrance, which was marked by a log archway from which hung a wooden sign that read “Cimarron Ranch.”
The landwasbeautiful—steep, snowy peaks, grassy meadows, stands of evergreen trees and aspen. “All of this belongs to the Wests?”
“Everything you can see on this side of the highway,” Lexi answered.