Wildest Dreams: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (The Wilds of Montana Book 3)
Chapter 7

Following behind Ryan on the way up the stairs, I can’t help but admire his ass. We’re in blue jeans because we’ll be on horses today, and his fit snugly and just perfectly around his sexy-as-hell butt.

He opens a door and leads me out onto a beautiful balcony that sits on the back of the house, tucked into the gables so it’s not really visible from below. But it’s also not open to the air.

It’s glassed in.

And sitting in the center is the biggest telescope I’ve ever seen. All chrome and shiny and intimidating.

“You explain it,” Jake says. “I have to change and get ready for the others.”

He hurries back down the stairs, and Ryan turns to me, watching me with those intense hazel eyes.

“This isn’t Jake’s jam. It’s mine.”

“What am I looking at here?”

He tucks his hands into his pockets and looks around. “This is the most high-powered, state-of-the-art telescope you can get without having to be in an astronomical observatory.”

He picks up an iPad and presses a button, and the glass roof opens, and I feel my eyes widen in surprise.

“Whoa.”

“The glass is heated, so even in the winter, I can sit in here and study the sky.”

“Ryan.” I walk around and let my hand graze over beautiful plush orange cushions on chairs arranged for staring out at the view around the house. “This is all just incredible.”

“I spend a lot of time out here.” He shrugs, but I see the vulnerability in his hazel eyes as he watches me prowl around this amazing space. “Well, as much as I can.”

“Do you ever sleep?”

His hands are still tucked into his jeans. “Not much, actually.”

I walk to him, unable to stay away, and my hand glides up his chest. Frustrated that I’m so much shorter and can’t look him in the eyes well, I step onto an ottoman and grin.

“Hi.”

“Hello there,” he says. His eyes are full of humor now, but he still hasn’t touched me.

“You were really far away.”

“I’m right here.”

I lick my lips and watch his throat work as he swallows hard. My hands move behind his head, and I lean in for a long, tight hug.

Finally, his arms circle around me, and he returns the embrace, and we stand here like this for a long moment, just soaking each other in. It feels amazing.

“Thanks for earlier,” I murmur. “For calming me down.”

It’s a wonder that all it takes to calm my nerves is just one touch from him.

“I want you,” he says simply and kisses my cheek. “The wanting you never stops, and it’s not just sexual, although there’s a lot of that. I like having you here, in my home, in my space.”

He pulls back far enough to look me in the eye.

“I’m glad you came today.”

“Me, too.” I grin, and before I can kiss him, we hear a car making its way down the driveway. “They must be here.”

“They can wait.” His mouth covers mine, softly at first, and then grows with urgency. He nibbles and urges my lips apart so he can stroke my tongue. One hand moves down to cup my ass and the other to my hair where he makes a fist, and it about makes me beg for more.

I know he loves my hair. He never stops touching it.

But he steps away from me just as Jake bounds up the stairs to join us.

“Isn’t it rad?” he asks with a grin. “The others are here, Ry.”

“I heard them, thanks. Let’s go ride some horses, shall we?”

“Hell yeah,” Jake says and hurries off ahead of us.

I lick my lips and still taste Ryan there, and he watches the gesture, then takes a long, deep breath.

“Stay the whole day,” he urges me. “We’ll come back out here tonight.”

“I’d like that.”

He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles, links our fingers, and leads me back downstairs. When we walk out the front door to meet Chase and Summer, Summer’s eyebrows fly into her hairline in surprise.

“Hey,” she says, giving me the look that says you have to tell me everything that’s happening. “You’re here.”

“I’m here,” I agree with a laugh and hug her close. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Better,” she whispers before pulling away. “Jake, you’d better have my back today. And my ass, because if I fall, I don’t want to break it.”

“You won’t fall,” Jake assures her with a smile. “I’m putting you on Lullaby. We named her that because she’s slow and goes at her own pace. She’s an easy-going girl.”

“Thank God,” Summer says with a relieved sigh.

“It’ll be a quick ride today,” Ryan says, “but there are some water bottles and sunscreen down at the stables. Are you guys ready?”

“I have to grab my boots out of my car,” I tell him as I hurry over to where I parked. I have cowboy boots for riding, since my brother is a horse fanatic and I never know when he’ll put me on one. Summer joins me and stands over me as I sit on the seat and pull off my sneakers.

“What’s going on?”

“We had a great date the other night,” I reply quickly. “No sex. He invited me to come today, so I said yes, and he had me come early so he could show me around.”

“Isn’t it a sweet house?”

“That’s one word for it.”

“What would you say?” she asks, tilting her head to the side.

“Intimidating. Huge. Amazing. Glorious.”

Summer laughs, and when I get the second boot on, she offers me her hand to pull me to my feet, and I shut the door behind me, not bothering to lock it. With all the security out here, I’d say it’s safe.

“Let’s join the guys and get me on a horse,” Summer says with a bounce in her step. “Chase threatened to do this last year, but time got away from us.”

“You’ll like it.” I loop my arm through hers, enjoying this time together. “It’s fun. Are you almost ready for your grand opening at the shop?”

“No,” she says, looking so sad. “They had something bad happen with something that I don’t know anything about, and now it’s going to take about two months longer. Maybe more.”

“What?” I frown over at her. “Oh, friend, that is so not cool. I’m sorry.”

“I know that we need it done right more than anything else, but it was so close. Anyway, maybe getting on a horse will take my mind off of it.”

“Nice boots,” Ryan says, grinning at my feet.

“Thanks. They’re a million years old and dirty, so they’re perfect for riding a horse.”

“Climb in. I’ll drive.” Jake points to the large side-by-side with a grin.

“I’d rather walk,” Chase says, eyeing the boy suspiciously, and it makes Jake laugh. “Also, maybe Montana should rethink their driver’s license age laws. Fifteen is too young to be in control of a motor vehicle.”

Jake just laughs. “Come on, don’t be a chicken.”

We climb in, and I’m in the middle of the back seat, between Summer and Ryan, and Jake takes off for the stable. It’s not that far from the house, but I admit this is faster than walking.

And when we get there, I sigh in delight when I see the horses. Six of them are grazing in the small fenced pasture, and they all come over to see us.

“Hey, baby,” Jake croons to a brown-and-white mare. “This is Ladybug, and she’s going to be Polly’s horse today.”

“She’s so pretty,” I breathe and join him to pet her face and talk to her. “Hello, beautiful girl. I get to be your friend today.”

Jake smiles and then turns to the others. “Summer’s on Lullaby, that white girl there. I’m on Cowboy, and Ryan always rides Firefly. Chase, do you have a preference?”

“I’ve never ridden Snickers,” he says. “I’ll take her.”

“That leaves Blossom all alone,” Ryan says. “I should have had someone else come out to join us.”

“Hold that thought,” Chase says, holding up a finger as he pulls out his phone and dials a number. “Hey, are you busy? Wanna meet me at Ryan’s stable and ride a horse? See you in ten.”

He hangs up and grins.

“Who’s that?” I ask him.

“Erin. She’s on her way. She’s been learning to ride with the hands at the ranch, and she needs the practice. The kids are with my parents today.”

“Perfect,” Summer says with a grin. “What should we do while we wait for her?”

“We’ll saddle up,” Jake informs her. “And I’m going to teach you that, too.”

“I’m ready to learn.” Summer follows the teenager into the stable.

“She’s excited,” I say to Ryan and Chase as we follow behind. “She’s going to do great. And Jake is great at this. He should give lessons, work with riders professionally.”

“He really is excellent,” Chase agrees, and I glance over to replace Ryan lost in thought.

I slow my pace, but Chase moves ahead, and Ryan hangs back with me.

“You okay?” he asks me.

“I was just going to ask you the same thing. You suddenly got quiet.”

“Not in a bad way.” He smiles down at me. “I’m just soaking it all in. You’ll love Ladybug.”

“I already do.” I can’t help it. I slip my hand in his and give it a squeeze, and when we walk into the barn, everyone is too enthralled with saddling their horses to notice us. “I can saddle my own.”

“Let’s do it, then.”

Ten minutes later, Erin pulls up and hops out of her SUV. “This is so fun. Thanks for including me.”

“We had an extra horse and didn’t want to leave her behind,” Jake says. “Blossom’s a good girl. You’ll like her.”

“I’ve met her,” Erin says and rubs the horse’s nose. “We’re friends, aren’t we, pretty lady?”

It takes about thirty minutes to get all the horses ready to go, and before we all take off on a ride, Jake takes Summer out in the pasture by herself to show her how to handle Lullaby.

“He’s so damn good with them,” Erin says softly. “With both the horse and the rider. Those horses have helped heal him, Ryan.”

“They’ve healed each other,” Ryan replies.

“I’m doing it!” Summer grins over at us and leans down to pat the horse on the neck. “This is awesome.”

“Do you think you could go on a ride with us?” Jake asks her.

“Like this? Yes, just don’t get fancy on me.”

“Okay, then.” Jake laughs and gestures for all of us to follow them. Once mounted up, we’re riding two-by-two deeper into the ranch. I can’t help but notice all the beautiful wildflowers blooming in the pasture, with the gorgeous mountains rising up into the blue sky in the distance.

“How many acres do you own here?” I ask Ryan, who’s riding next to me.

“About five thousand, give or take.” He smiles over at me. “You look damn sexy on that horse.”

“Thanks.” I toss my hair over my shoulder and bat my eyelashes at him. “I like to ride all kinds of things.”

“Like?”

“Oh, you know. Horses. Amusement park rides. Ryan Wild.”

That has him busting out laughing, and the others look back at us and then go back to their own conversations.

My horse stomps and seems to be unsettled about something in the tall grass.

“Whoa, girl. Whoa. What is it?” I narrow my eyes, looking down, and then immediately turn her closer to Ryan. “Snake.”

We make a wide berth around the snake in the grass, and then Ryan looks over at me with admiration in his gaze.

“What?”

“You didn’t panic.”

“If I panic, the horse does, too, and I don’t want to end up on the ground with a snake. She was a good girl and warned me, and we figured it out.”

“I like that you can handle yourself on a horse,” he says.

“I can handle myself just about anywhere.”

“I’m going to play games with Russ,” Jake says to Ryan after dinner. Once the others left after our ride, we watched a movie in the theater, and then I made the guys salmon for a late dinner. Jake and Ryan just finished the dishes, insisting that because I cooked, I didn’t have to clean.

I happily took them up on that offer.

“And,” Jake continues, “I’m not coming back out. So, if you kiss or something, I don’t have to see it. You did really good today, Polly.”

That lights me up inside because I know it’s high praise coming from this boy. “Thank you. I had a lot of fun. You’re talented with the horses, Jake.”

“Yeah, they’re my thing. Good night.”

He quickly raids the pantry for some chips and cookies, pulls two sodas out of the fridge, and then he’s gone upstairs.

“Drink some water, too!” Ryan calls after him. “He asked for a fridge for his room, and I told him no. He has to come out of there sometime to refuel, and I actually like seeing him.”

He pulls a bottle of wine out of a wine fridge, snatches two wineglasses from a cabinet, and then gestures for me to follow him up to the rooftop.

The sun is just starting to go down over the mountains, and I take a minute to close my eyes and breathe in the fresh air.

“It’s so pretty out here, Ryan.”

I sit on one side of the outdoor sofa and watch as Ryan opens the wine and pours two glasses, passing me one. There are twinkle lights strung all around the top of the glass, and they’re illuminated, casting a warm, pretty glow in the room.

“It’s my favorite place in the world,” he admits. “Up here, in this place. I love the whole property, but this is the one corner that I don’t really share with anyone. Jake comes up once in a while, but it’s not as interesting to him.”

“Have you always been interested in the stars?” I ask him and then feel my eyes go wide. “Oh, shit, are you going to be one of those billionaires who builds a rocket ship to go into space? Don’t be that guy, Ryan.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “No. I’m not going to do that. If I want to go to space, I can pay to do it. I didn’t always replace it interesting. I was in Hawaii a few years ago at the largest and highest observatory in the world, and it just fascinated me. So, like I always do when something sparks my interest, I dove into the science and read up on it as much as I could. There’s so much I’ll never know because I just don’t have the time to learn, but this telescope is great because it has an app that allows me to plug in what I want to see, and it adjusts itself to show it to me. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of it.”

“That’s cool.” I sip my wine and admire the telescope. “Can you see Saturn?”

“I can see past Saturn,” he says. “I’ll show you when it gets a little darker up here.”

“How often do you take quiet days like this?” I sip my wine, lounging back in the soft pillows, watching him. “No work, no calls, just a little fun on a horse and looking at the stars?”

“I don’t know if I ever have. But I like it. I should do it more often. Arthur would have a heart attack.”

I laugh with him and slip my feet out of my sneakers so I can tuck them under me. “What did he do today?”

“He mentioned spending it with his husband.”

“Good for him. I hope he had as good of a day as we did.”

Ryan reaches for my hand. He never goes long without touching me. “I do, too.”

He pulls me into his lap and smiles softly down at me, pushing my hair off my cheek. He takes my glass from my hand to set it aside, frames my face, and pulls me in for a sweet kiss.

“You’re good at the kissing,” I murmur against his lips. “Like, really good at it.”

“It takes two,” he reminds me as his hand roams over my T-shirt, down my side, and under the hem to touch me, skin-on-skin. I feel the goose bumps and he must, too, because his eyes flare as he stares down at me. “You’re fucking incredible.”

“Aw, shucks.”

That makes his lips twitch with humor, and he points up to the sky. “Do you see that bright star?”

I look up, settling against him. “Sure.”

“It’s not actually a star. It’s Venus. It doesn’t wink like the other stars do, and it’s brighter.”

“Okay, show me in the telescope.”

I hop off of his lap, and, to my surprise, Ryan pulls glasses out of a little cubby where the iPad lives and slips them onto his face. Black-rimmed, they make him look even sexier than before, and I would have said that isn’t possible.

He taps the screen of the iPad, and the telescope begins to move.

“Have a look,” he says, gesturing toward the amazing machine.

I lean in and peek through the viewreplaceer and feel my breath catch. It’s yellowish, with brown stripes, and it glows.

“It’s hard to see Venus when it’s super dark,” Ryan explains. “Because it’s so close to us, and the sun is shining on it. So, during twilight, like right now, is the best time to look. Okay, back up.”

I do, and he taps the pad again, then nods for me to look once more.

“What is this?”

“Jupiter.” He’s quiet as I take it in. “It’s massive and beautiful. It would take just over a year to fly there.”

“That’s a long road trip,” I mutter and pull back to look up with my naked eye. “Can we see the Milky Way in this thing?”

“You can see the Milky Way without anything at all in about an hour,” he replies with a grin. “The show is just starting.”

“I didn’t even bring any popcorn.”

“If you want snacks, we can go get some and hunker down for a while. I can show you some amazing things.”

“Will you show me while naked?”

He pauses. Blinks. And I laugh.

“I’m kidding, although that would be fun. Maybe sometime when Jake’s not here.”

The next thing I know, my back is pressed to the side of the house, my legs are wrapped around Ryan’s waist, and his lips are on mine, hard and demanding.

“We’re going to see how quiet you can be,” he says against my ear.

“I’m not making any promises.”