Claim & Protect Read online

  Trevor’s sharp whistle pierced the quiet morning. “Let’s go, Lady.”

  Snapping to attention, the collie darted toward Trevor, stopped, circled back to Levi to make sure he was headed in too, then raced right along beside him.

  “I’m ready to ride!” Levi said, his lungs heaving from all the exercise.

  “Got all day, bud.” Relinquishing his hold on Natalie, he waved Levi toward the house. “Gonna show your mom around and let you hit the head first. Then you can help me saddle up Titan.”

  Moving in tight to Trevor’s side, Levi grabbed his hand and doubled his strides to keep up with Trevor’s longer ones.

  Natalie’s own steps nearly faltered, the simple gesture from her son and the easy way Trevor accepted the connection drawing tears to her eyes. She swallowed to combat the burn crawling up her throat and dropped her gaze, pushing the emotion as deep as she could bury it. Later she could wallow in it. Could remember the image and savor it when Levi headed back to Wyatt. Right now was for making her boy happy and making sure he had enough memories to carry him through until he got home.

  Two thickly padded loungers and at least ten different kinds of potted plants and flowers adorned the covered back porch. Trevor opened the back door and stepped aside.

  Levi almost waltzed right through, but stopped two steps away, shuffled back and waited for her to go first.

  She ruffled his head on the way past. “Such a gentleman. You do that for your nanna and you’ll end up with double desserts for a month.”

  Trevor’s hushed voice sounded behind her. “Good job, bud.”

  Letting out a shaky breath, she stopped in the open kitchen and let the homey space around her settle her rioting emotions. A wide trestle table with benches on each side and big, hand-carved chairs at each end sat in front of the huge picture window. On the opposite side of the room was a rock fireplace nearly big enough for Levi to stand in, fronted by a well-worn leather couch and two club chairs covered in an evergreen chenille. Perfect for cozying up on a cold night.

  Heck, the whole place was perfect for anything cozy. And didn’t that just give her mind more fuel for her already out-of-control thoughts. She eyed the exposed wood beams stretching up the vaulted ceiling then shifted to the pictures situated on each end of the mantel. An older man and woman sat side by side on a porch swing in one, both with gray hair, but their smiles full of youth and love. At the other end was a candid picture of six men, each of them seated at the table Trevor kept reserved for him and his friends at The Den. You couldn’t have picked a more motley crew. On first blush, none of them looked the type to hang out with the other, but the familiarity and comfort in the way they sat together spoke of a deep, unflinching bond.

  Trevor’s voice drew her attention. “Those are my brothers.” He tapped Levi’s arm and pointed toward the opening on the far side of the fireplace. “Bathroom’s back that way on the right, bud. How about you take care of business before we head out?”

  Levi nodded and strutted down the hall, his quick steps telegraphing how hard he was having to rein in his excitement.

  She motioned to the picture. “They don’t look anything like you.”

  “Some families you get by blood. Some you take by choice.” He nodded to the picture. “Everyone on that mantel is the latter.”

  She spun back to the picture of the man and woman, questions poised on the tip of her tongue.

  You’re just friends.

  Swallowing her curiosity, she turned and tucked her hands in her back pockets. “Your home is lovely.”

  He grinned and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “You expect something different?”

  “I think you threw all my expectations out the window a few weeks ago.” She scanned the tidy space, looking for something, anything to knock him off his too-perfect pedestal. “Do you really keep this place all to yourself, or was your friend just giving you a hard time?”

  “My dad comes out off and on, and my brothers stop by from time to time, but other than that, it’s pretty quiet.”

  “That’s a shame.” Outside the picture window, unspoiled land stretched in soft rolling planes, intermittent clusters of trees rustling in a soft breeze. “A place like this is meant to be shared.”

  “Maybe I’m just waiting on the right person to share it with.”

  His retort stretched taut between them, the tenor of his voice laced with something between playful challenge and need. The dare she understood, his lighthearted flirtations with customers seemingly as second-nature as his swagger. But the need...that part was unexpected. A tiny crack in his otherwise unruffled veneer.

  Before she could come up with a response to his odd statement, Trevor pushed off the counter and strolled her direction. “Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

  The layout was simplistic, but made the most of the exceptional views with every oversized room boasting huge picture windows. Three guest rooms decorated in rich, yet welcoming colors of sage, cornflower blue, and gold took up one end of the house, none of them appearing to have ever been used. The rustic décor of Trevor’s office matched the kitchen and the rest of the living areas, but was offset by a multitude of model planes emblazoned with his company’s phoenix logo on the sides.

  Natalie glanced up the stairs outside his office. “Your room is upstairs?”

  “Nope. That’s the rec room. Pool tables, video games, and all the other stuff that proves I’m still a kid at heart.” He steered her around with one hand at her shoulder and motioned her ahead of him. “My room’s down there.”

  A shadowed hallway with dark woodwork on either side stretched fifteen feet in front of her. The door at the end was closed, a perfect reminder of the very real line neither of them could afford to cross. She spun back around and clasped her hands in front of her. “I’m sure it’s lovely.”

  He cocked one eyebrow. “Not curious?”

  Oh, she was curious, all right. More so than she’d ever admit. But the last thing her brain needed was any more late-night fantasy fodder to work with. “More like I don’t want to intrude on your privacy.”

  Grinning, he loosely coiled his fingers around her wrist and led her forward. “Not intruding if there’s an invitation, is it?”

  She followed, her pulse thrumming stronger with every step and her skin tingling beneath his touch. Her mind scrambled for a polite reason to bail.

  He opened the door and pulled her through behind him, only releasing his hold once he’d guided her to the center of the room.

  A shiver snaked its way down her spine, the sensual awareness she’d tried to ignore since that first kiss blossoming to full bright. The rest of his home fit his lifestyle, but his bedroom fit the man. Rugged and edgy. A taste of refinement wrapped in rural trappings. A thick pale gray rug silenced her footsteps, and brilliant morning sunshine slanted from the massive picture window. Opposite the glass, an entire wall finished in raw, dark wood served as the backdrop for an opulent king-size bed covered in a chambray-covered down comforter.

  She’d bet anything it was as soft as it looked. As decadent as the ideas just looking at it conjured.

  Down the hall, a door clicked open.

  “I’m ready!” Levi called. His quick footsteps sounded on the hardwoods. “Where are you guys?”

  “Back here, bud,” Trevor answered, though his voice sounded as distracted as her thoughts.

  Natalie shifted her focus to the rolling green vista beyond and tried to calm her heart’s haggard rhythm.

  Trevor moved in tight behind her before she’d so much as drawn a steady breath. His voice rumbled deep and decadent beside one ear. “How about you, Momma? Are you ready?”

  Her eyes slid shut, and her core clenched. God, was she ready. Though what she wanted wasn’t something he’d likely be willing to give. At this rate,
she’d never make it through the day. Watching Levi, eyes bright with undiluted hero worship and eager for every scrap of knowledge Trevor had to offer, was hard enough. Being this close, this intimate even without physical touch, would have her in a quivering puddle of mush before noon.

  “I’m ready,” she said, hating the needy rasp of her voice when it came out and praying he’d chalk it up to her inexperience with horses.

  You’re just friends.

  Charade or not, it was all he had to offer. Entertaining any other ideas would only leave her with a welling hole of disappointment. A chasm ten times deeper than anything she’d felt running away from her marriage. She turned just as Levi rounded the entry, stepped away from the temptation of Trevor’s towering body, and forced a bright smile for her son. “What’s say we get this show on the road, huh?”

  “Yeah!” Levi spun on his heel and strode down the hallway with the excited gait of a kid hopped up on too much sugar and adrenaline.

  Natalie hustled right behind him, the heady press of desire Trevor had created and the unhurried clip of his boots behind her a seductively challenging presence.

  Distance was good. Downright necessary if she wanted to make it through the hours ahead, but damned if a part of her wasn’t tempted to pause at the porch door and give Trevor the opportunity to pull her back inside.

  Outside, brilliant sunshine blanketed the sweeping acreage, and the crisp November air rustled trees thick with deepening gold and russet leaves. A comforting silence as only nature could provide it whispered on the wind and whipped her hair across her face. She slowed her pace and drew the sweet scent of hay into her lungs.

  Not the least bit interested in the beauty around him, Levi marched closer to the barn’s open sliding doors while Lady pranced dutifully at his side.

  Trevor’s voice cut from behind her. “Hold up, bud. Time and a place to get yourself in high gear, but horses aren’t one of ‘em. You get me?”

  Levi stopped and his shoulders snapped back to match his sharp “Yes, sir.” The overall response would have come off like a little soldier in training if he hadn’t promptly pinned his hands on his hips and practically bounced with impatience.

  Ambling up beside her, Trevor matched his strides to hers and slipped his hand in hers as though he’d done it a thousand times before.

  And God, it felt good. So good it was all she could do not to stop walking altogether, close her eyes and savor the contact.

  The stretch of land between them and the barn was far enough he didn’t have to lower his voice, but he did it all the same. “You all right?”

  No. Not really. More like on top of the world and terrified all in one breath. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

  “How about just saying what’s on your mind?”

  Boy, wasn’t that a scary proposition? She wasn’t sure she was ready to handle the ideas scampering around in her head, let alone share them with anyone else. “You’re easy to be with. Sometimes too easy.”

  “Not sure there’s such a thing as too easy, and if there is, I can’t see how it’s a bad thing.”

  She huffed out a short chuckle. “It’s bad if it makes me forget what we’ve agreed to or the consequences that go with it.”

  His quick smile rivaled the sun and held zero remorse. “Then darlin’, too easy is exactly what I’m countin’ on.” He winked, released her hand and gave her a playful swat on her butt. “Now stow all that shit clouding your thoughts and get your head in the game. Time for you to cowgirl up.”

  Before her thoughts could rewind and translate the underlying meaning behind his words, he’d upped his pace, covered the distance to Levi and steered him into the stable’s center aisle. Inside the shadowed confines, the temperature was at least five degrees cooler and the air thick with the scent of hay, horses and leather. It took two or three blinks for her eyes to adjust, but once they did, her lungs hitched.

  Five spacious stalls lined each side of the barn, but at the far end of the long corridor, two gorgeous horses were saddled and tethered. One was a rich gray that bordered on silver, and another a deep brown with a black mane and shiny black points at his ears and feet.

  Levi stood in front of the gray one, his head tipped back and eyes rounded with awe. His usual boisterous voice was couched with a gentle reverence. “Aren’t they pretty, Mom?”

  Pretty didn’t cover it. All by themselves, the animals were proud and gorgeous creatures, patiently—or more like lovingly—waiting for Levi to take in the moment. Watching Trevor standing beside him, the sunlight haloing them both as Trevor taught him how to stroke the horse’s muzzle—that was priceless.

  As quietly as she could, Natalie inched closer. “Will they bite?”

  “Peso? Are you kidding?” Trevor chuckled and patted the horse’s neck. “It’d take a whole lot of prodding and maybe Armageddon for either of these guys to bite anyone. Consider them the equivalent of two seasoned soldiers who’ve done and seen it all. You’ll never be safer.”

  Well, that was good. Especially since one of them alone outweighed her by God only knew how much. Heck, the top of her head barely reached the top of their backs. “Well, he’s very handsome.”

  Levi twisted enough to grin over his shoulder, but never stopped petting Peso. “Trevor said Peso’s a blue roan.” He glanced up at Trevor. “He’s mine, right?”

  “Yep.” Trevor motioned to the saddle on Peso’s back. “Thomas brought one of his boy’s saddles over for you, so you’re good to go.”

  The dark brown and black horse behind Trevor shifted enough to nuzzle the back of Trevor’s neck and snorted as though giving him a gentle reminder.

  Completely unfazed or startled by the touch, Trevor turned and gave the horse his undivided attention.

  Fascinated by the easy way Trevor interacted with the creature, Natalie sidled closer. “What’s his name?”

  “This is Deuce. And you may as well get yourself within touching distance, because he’s a sucker for ladies and will pester me until you properly introduce yourself.”

  Okay. Right. It was just a horse, and a friendly acting one at that. Surely if her seven-year-old could get nose-to-nose with one, she could, too. She inched closer, hands fisted close to her waist. “So, what do I do?”

  Before Trevor could answer, Deuce stretched forward and nudged her hand with his nose.

  Trevor’s laugher was as warm and velvety as the horse’s touch. “Whatever Deuce tells you to do, apparently.” He stroked one big hand down the center of Deuce’s forehead. “Pretty much anything with this guy works so long as you’re touching.”

  Emboldened by the animal’s reaction, Natalie mimicked the way Levi had petted Peso and tentatively caressed his muzzle.

  Deuce gently lifted his head as if to guide her hand higher and huffed out a hot breath.

  Natalie giggled like a little girl, pure joy blossoming behind her chest. “He is a little bossy.”

  Trevor grinned and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a commotion in a stall behind them.

  Natalie spun just as a big black horse popped his head above one of the gates. He shook his head hard enough to toss his mane and whinnied in a way that said he wasn’t at all pleased.

  “Deuce isn’t bossy,” Trevor said. “But that one is.” He strolled around her and up to the agitated animal like he didn’t have the least of concerns. “Pal, you’re gonna have to cool your jets for a few more while I get our friends settled.” Settling one hand on the horse’s neck, Trevor lowered his voice and mumbled something else Natalie couldn’t hear in his ear.

  Whatever he said, the animal settled and actually greeted Trevor with a brush of his head against his shoulder.

  Still gushing over Peso, Levi turned enough to ask, “Is that Titan?”

  “Yep.” Trevor scratched Titan’s for
elock and glanced back at Levi. “You wanna help me get him saddled up?”

  “Yeah!” Despite Levi’s sudden and very loud enthusiasm, none of the horses seemed bothered.

  “Um.” Natalie stepped away from Deuce, ready to put herself between Levi and Trevor. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Titan seemed upset.”

  To his credit, Trevor at least tried to fight back his smile. “Nat, been workin’ with horses since I was nine. Titan was just jealous he wasn’t getting attention. He’s a little more high-strung, but I’m more than capable of handling him.” He paused long enough to make solid eye contact. “Calming the skittish ones is the best part.”

  Her belly did a swoop and barrel roll to rival the hairiest thrill ride. “You’re sure?”

  The gleam in his eyes added a heat wave to her already rioting reactions. “Oh, yeah. Absolutely sure.” Not taking his gaze off her, he motioned Levi closer. “Come on, bud. We’ll get Titan ready to go and then we’ll get you up on Peso.”

  The next twenty minutes passed too quickly, the indescribable joy of watching Trevor work with Levi mingling with the soothing presence of Deuce and Peso beside her. She’d thought she’d found her balance and had just decided she’d be able to keep an even keel through the rest of the day when Trevor sauntered over, untied Peso’s reins, and led the big horse and her son out into the big corral.

  With a distracted pat to Deuce’s neck, Natalie hurried after them. “What are you doing?”

  This time Trevor didn’t even try to fight the smile. “Well, the goal of the day was to ride horses, so it seems a quick lesson on how Levi can get Peso from point A to point B might be in order.” He paused long enough to cast her a wink. “Best keep your ears open while we’re at it so you can do the same with Deuce.”

  “But—”

  All three heads turned calmly back at her—Trevor, Levi, and the blasted horse—as if to say, “Woman, please.”