Chapter Thirteen

Ty rode onto the ranch and hitched his horse at the barn.

An old grizzled man walked out with a hound that looked as old as he was and sat down in a chair beside the barn door, "Nobody's here 'cept Liza, Ellie and the baby. Brody's done gone to town and everyone else is rounding up the herd to take to the railroad."

"I was here to see Liza," Ty replied.

Cookie nodded, "I imagined you were. Your brother is out with little Sue. Liza's in the house. Get on in there and see her if that's what ya planned. Let me get to napping before all the hands come back howling at me to cook 'em some supper." Cookie leaned his head against the barn and closed his eyes. Ty stared at the old man for several long moments. He couldn't tell whether or not he was breathing, "Don't matter how long you stare at me, so, I don't get no prettier," Cookie grumbled without opening his eyes.

Ty quickly looked away from the old man and started up toward the house. He didn't know much about calling on women. He'd never done it before. He'd been a workaholic all his life with other things to worry about. He didn't know what he'd say or what he'd do.

He knocked on the door and it was answered by the woman who had occupied his dreams all night, "Hello," she said, shyly.

"Hello," he replied as he pulled his hat off and toyed with it nervously, "I uh.. I came to see you."

"You did?" Liza asked.

Their eyes locked. Sparks flew. Ty had never wanted a woman the way he wanted her. Liza had never wanted a man the way she wanted him.

She surprised him and herself when she practically leapt at him. He wrapped his arms tight around her and devoured her mouth with his own. Liza couldn't catch her breath but she didn't care as her body caught on fire. Ty's big, calloused hands roamed across her back, pulling her tighter and tighter against him.

Liza moaned his name as he deepened the kiss. His tongue sought entry to her mouth and she willingly granted it, even as her knees buckled and she fell against him. She could feel his strength as he braced his feet and kept them both from falling out onto the porch.

When Ty finally tore his mouth away from hers they were both breathing harshly and flushed. He saw that her brown eyes were nearly black with passion and her lips were swollen from his kisses. The skin around her mouth and chin was red from his goatee and mustache.

"I uh... I'm sorry about that," he said as he cleared his throat and took a step back, "I shouldn't have kissed you that way..."

"I'm not sorry," Liza replied.

"You can't be more than eighteen years old.. I'm thirty," Ty stated as he realized just what an ass he'd made of himself. No young, beautiful girl like her was going to settle on an old man like him.

"I am nineteen as a matter of fact," Liza snapped, feeling her temper build. This man had just given her an earth shattering kiss and now he was acting as if he regretted it.

"Do you...?" he started.

"I don't want to talk," Liza cut in as she pressed her finger to her still tingling lips, "I'd would much rather try that kissing thing again."

Ty didn't argue because he wanted to try that kissing thing again too. He smoothed one big hand across her dainty cheek and lowered his lips to hers. This kiss was softer and more gentle but still it lit him on fire the way no other woman's kiss ever had.

"You damn Hampton boys sure do move fast don't you?" Justin's voice came from inside the sitting room.

Liza jumped out of Ty's arms and turned to face him, "That's hardly any of your business, Mr. Vicks," she scolded, rising to her full of height of only five fee tall and sticking her tiny nose in the air. Ty was reminded of the way his schoolteacher had always stood and looked at him when she'd been upset with him.

"Are you being rude to a guest?" Justin sneered.

"You are not my guest, you are Susie's guest. Besides, isn't your backside about healed enough by now that you'll be leaving for town. I seem to recall you telling Susie that you were leaving today."

"Well I..."

"I'm sure that Mr. Hampton here would be more than happy to help you load your things into a wagon and escort you to the hotel, wouldn't you Mr. Hampton?"

"Well actually I..." Ty started but Liza turned and gave him a pleading look that only he could see. He looked at that full bottom lip, sticking out in the damndest little pout he'd ever seen and he couldn't have denied her the world if she had asked for it, "Of course. I'll take the man to town."

"Thank you," Liza smiled, "Perhaps we could um.. talk some more later."

"I'll be back just as soon as I can to finish our conversation," he promised and then he turned his attention to Justin, "Do you need help bringing your things out?"

Justin sputtered several times. He wanted to punch this man in the face but seeing as how the man was six feet tall and much broader than he was, and considering that he was a Texas Ranger, he knew that wouldn't be a good idea, "I can manage on my own," he replied haughtily and then he turned and limped away.

"I'll hook a wagon up," Ty said as he sat his hat back on his head.

"Thank you. I hope you're not angry with me, I just really want that little weasel out of this house," Liza admitted with a shiver.

Ty smiled and smoothed a strand of her dark blond hair from her fact, "I'm not angry. As a matter of fact I feel a lot like my brother right now because I've got a strong urge to just go for what I want and not worry about how much sense it makes."

"What is you want?" Liza asked, finding that she couldn't look away from his warm, dark eyes.

"You, Liza," he replied and without another word he turned and walked away from her and around the back of the barn where the wagon was parked.

Liza watched him and marveled at the broadness of his shoulders and the way his tight black trousers hugged his backside.

***

"No, I've never had what you'd call a steady job," Ryder admitted as he and Susie walked across a wildflower filled field later that day.

Susie was enjoying this. She was enjoying getting to know Ryder and she was happy that he hadn't pushed her for any form of physical contact. They had just talked, laughed and learned about each other all day.

"So how do you earn money?" Susie asked.

Ryder had handful of stones in his hand and he tossed one of them away, "I'm a good card player," he shrugged, "And arm wrestler and shooter... You'd be amazed how much money some men will bet when they think they're up against a hyperactive idiot who they believe could never beat them."

"But that's hardly..." Susie bit her lip and silently scolded herself for her thoughts. She had no right telling him that he needed to get a job. She wasn't his boss nor was she his wife. He was grown man and allowed to do whatever it was he wanted to do with his time and life.

Ryder frowned as he looked over at her. She was gazing out over the hills and she looked sad. He never wanted her to be sad. He tried to focus his mind and figure out why she would be sad. Was it because he didn't have a job? Did she think he was lazy?

"Where I grew up you either cut logs deep in the woods or you worked in the coal mines. I tried the mines once and I only lasted a day. I couldn't handle being surrounded on all sides by rock. It made me feel trapped and I couldn't breathe," he tossed another rock and then shrugged, "I don't have a good excuse for not working the timber other than all I had to worry about taking care of was myself and gambling was easier."

"What if you had to worry about more then just yourself?" Susie asked and then she immediately regretting the question. 'Great way to run the man off, Sue', she thought to herself.

Ryder tossed the rest of the rocks away, stopped walking and grabbed her arm gently. He turned her so that she was facing him and looked down at her angelic face. Her big blue eyes were looking questioningly back into his. He placed his hand on her cheek and rubbed his thumb along her delicate jaw, "I would take care of what was mine," he promised her softly, "My wife and our children would always be taken care of, even if I had to crawl back under a mountain and dig coal in the dark to do it."

Susie swallowed hard as she looked up at him and tried to make her mind concentrate on his words instead of on the heat of his touch. He still had one hand on her arm, but instead of gripping her it was rubbing up and down the smooth skin of her forearm and his other hand was resting on her cheek as his thumb traced her jaw line.

But it was the way his golden brown eyes were looking at her that had her truly amazed. He was looking at her the way she had always dreamed of being looked at. The way Brody looked at Elizabeth. It was different from the way any other man she knew looked at his woman. It was a look that was so full of devotion, love and passion that it took her breath whenever she saw it in her brothers eye's when he looked at his wife... And now a man was looking at her that way.

How was this happening so quickly? Why had this man fallen in love with a woman like her? They were so different. He was tall, dark and handsome. He was fun and entertaining. She was a bore. She worked all the time and she was not beautiful... Though he told her that she was and he truly seemed to believe what he said so maybe......

Ryder ran his thumb along her lip and heard her sharp intake of breath. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to make love to her out here in their own private paradise but he didn't want to rush her. Surely if he tried then she would think that was all he wanted her for, especially since he had admitted to her the day they'd met that he sometimes said what he had to in order to get in a woman's skirts... Sometimes his honesty wasn't such a good thing, he decided.

Ryder used every ounce of self control he had (which wasn't very much), to take his hand away from her face, grab her hand tenderly and continue walking.

Susie was grateful for the distance. She needed time to think. He said he would take care of his own but would he really? She needed more than just his word. She was still afraid that this was all a game to him. She was afraid of being hurt. How did you get rid of that fear? How did you give up the control and just let yourself trust in another person? She had given her family lectures about love. She had told Sally many times to just trust Thomas before they were married and now she found herself unable to follow her own advice.

"I heard about your fly shooting talents yesterday," she said in an attempt to fill the silence.

Ryder smiled and ran his free hand through his hair, "Yeah, I proved them wrong that's for sure."

"Where did learn how to do all of that? I mean you can shoot flies, juggle, climb trees, hang upside down from rafters, ride horses bareback, ride horses on your feet bareback... You seem to have a lot of talents." Ryder gave her a mischievous grin, You haven't seen 'em all yet," he promised with a wink and then he laughed when she blushed and tripped over her own feet.

He held her up and they continued walking, "If there's one good thing about being the way I am it's that you have to find a lot of things to keep your mind occupied. When I'm learning something new, I focus everything I've got on it. It becomes an obsession until I figure it out. The juggling, the shooting, the horseback riding.. They were all things I started doing to pass time."

"I don't have time to pass," Susie mused.

Ryder frowned, "Why not?"

"Because everyone needs me to do things. Whether I'm cooking meals, cleaning, watching the baby, sewing up rips, tears and buttons on everyone's clothes, I am constantly worked for everyone. The church was the first real thing I did for myself."

"I think you put a lot of those things on yourself. I don't think your family really expects you to take care of all of them."

Susie frowned, "Probably not."

"I have an idea," Ryder stopped walking and looked at her with excitement.

"What?" she asked as she smiled. His excitement was infectious.

"I'm gonna help you let loose," he replied.

She shook her head, "Give it up Ryder. I already told you I'm a bore."

"No offense but you're wrong." he grinned, "Let your hair down."

"Huh?"

"Take those pins out and let your hair down," he repeated.

Susie shook her head, "No... I can't do that. It's not proper."

Ryder waved his hand and snorted, "Who cares about proper? It's just me and you out here and I'm not a proper kind of man."

"But.."

Ryder reached out and grabbed one of the pins from her hair. He held it up in the air, letting the sunlight shine on it for a moment before dropping it down onto the grass.

Susie smiled as she too reached for her hair. She knew it was a small thing but she felt positively rebellious as she pulled a pin from her long locks and dropped it to the ground.

Ryder grinned triumphantly and watched her pull the pins, one by one from her hair. The last one released her hair and it fell in cascading waves down her back and Ryder felt his mouth go dry. He had to touch it. Not only was that something he had to do to everything he saw that he liked, but he wanted to know if those strands felt as much like silk as they looked.

He reached his hand out and buried it in her hair. He saw Susie bite her lip, her nostrils flared and her blue eyes darkened as she looked into his eyes. Ryder couldn't stop himself. He bent down toward her and brushed his lips against hers.

The contact was so soft and so brief that Susie wondered if it had even happened after he pulled away. But the tingling in her lips and the pounding in her chest told her that it had.

His golden eyes seemed to be full of flames as he looked down at her and then he blinked and smiled, revealing his deep dimples, "Now take off your shoes."

Susie blinked several times and took a step away from him, freeing her hair from his roaming hand and trying to concentrate on what he had just said, "What?"

"Take off your shoes," he repeated, still smiling.

"Why?" Susie asked with a puzzled frown.

Ryder leaned his weight from side to side a couple of times and then shrugged, "I'm teaching you how to let loose and relax, so take off your shoes."

Susie looked down at his boots, "You have your shoes on."

He grinned and looked down at his scuffed up boots as well, "I guess I do." He hopped on his right foot as he lifted his left up and pulled his boot off. Then he did the same on the other side, "Now I'm a barefoot, so take yours off too."

"You don't wear socks?" Susie asked, looking down at his feet.

He shook his head, "It's too hot for socks."

Susie curled her nose, "I'm glad we're outside. Your feet must smell amazing."

Ryder laughed and pointed at her feet, "Off with your shoes, woman," he ordered sternly.

Susie let out a sigh of defeat and knelt to undo her shoes. While she was busy doing that and not looking at him, Ryder raised his foot toward his face and sniffed. His nose wrinkled and he gagged silently before making a mental note to buy socks whenever he got back to town.

"There, my shoes are off," Susie said as she stood back straight, "Now what?"

Ryder tilted his head, "Socks too."

"Ugh! You're impossible!" Susie exclaimed and then she blushed at her own mean outburst.

Ryder laughed, "I'm adorable. Now take off the socks." Susie was blushing fiercely as she slipped her socks off. Ryder clicked his tongue, "Should have known you'd have pretty feet."

"Don't ask me to take off any more clothing, Ryder Hampton, because it is not happening," Susie warned.

Ryder crossed himself above his heart, "I wouldn't dream of it, beautiful," he promised.

Susie shook out her hair and enjoyed the feeling of the soft grass beneath her feet, "What if I get stung by a bee?" she asked as she watched the many buzzing insects flying among the wildflowers.

Ryder took a step toward her, his body moving so close to hers that she could feel the heat he radiated, "Then I'll just have to kiss your pretty feet the same way I did your finger," he replied, his breath washing over her face and causing a delicious little tremor to pass over her spine.

"That's disgusting," Susie muttered.

Ryder smiled and then he moved away, "Now I want you to curse." Susie's eyes widened, "Curse?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. Damn, ass, shit.. I'll let ya say one of those milder ones since you're new to it."

"My stars!" Susie exclaimed as she shook her head and took a step back.

"Nope," Ryder said and then he raised his voice several octaves so he sounded much like a woman. "My stars, just doesn't count."

"Ryder I can't curse like that!" she argued.

He nodded, "Yes you can. You're a rebel."

"No I'm not."

"Sure you are. Just look at yourself. Your hair is down, you're barefoot and you're out all alone in a field with a man. You didn't ask your brother's permission to come, you didn't cook breakfast, you haven't cleaned a thing all day... I would say for you that's pretty damn rebellious." Susie bit her lip and fought back a smile, revealing that single dimple in her cheek, "I guess you're right."

She felt better than she had ever felt before in her life. Being with Ryder like this made her feel free. She wasn't worried about her family, or the house. She wasn't thinking about what she could or should be doing. She was simply enjoying herself and him and this beautiful day.

"Alright," Ryder said as he held his arms out to the sides and shrugged. "What could it hurt to finish your rebellious streak off by cursing."

"Cursing is a sin\," she informed him.

He shook his head and tapped his finger on his temple, "I don't know a whole lot about that church book but I do seem to remember that the thing the Big Guy considers a curse is taking His name in vain. The other words are just curses because society says so... And since you're a rebel today you don't give a damn what society thinks, do you?"

Susie giggled, feeling absolutely childlike and happy. She'd never really had the chance to be a child. She had always been the 'responsible' one, just like Ryder had said. Ryder made her want to change and live more for the moment instead of always living for tomorrow.

"What should I say?" she asked. She was blushing furiously. Never in her life had she uttered a curse.

Ryder grinned and thought for a moment, "Damn. That's a simple one."

Ryder watched a mischievous grin come over her face and he smiled and lost his heart to her all over again. Poor Susie. She'd always had to be the grown-up and she'd never allowed herself to just let loose and enjoy herself. She'd never spent time just for herself or done things just because she wanted to. He was going to fix that problem. From now on his Susie was going to be able to show who she really was and not have to hide behind her 'responsible sister' mask.

"Damn," she whispered in a voice so quiet that Ryder nearly missed it. She blushed so red that she very nearly glowed and Ryder laughed out loud.

"Come on, you can do better than that," he teased.

She gave a guilty grin, "Damn," she whispered more loudly.

Ryder beamed with pride, "That's good. Now yell it."

"I don't yell." Ryder gave her a look that clearly told her he wouldn't take no for an answer. "You're crazy," she told him as she laughed.

He nodded, "I know," he replied, "Now on the count of three we'll yell it together. One. Two. Three..."

"Damn!" Susie's lone voice echoed across the plains and she squealed with surprised and slapped him on the arm, "You were supposed to yell it with me."

"I forgot," Ryder lied and Susie laughed loudly. Her laughter, floating along on the breeze was the best sound he'd ever heard. She looked so happy that she was glowing and Ryder was proud to know that he had given that to her. Ryder hadn't done very many good things in his life but this definitely made that list.

"Thank you, Ryder," Susie whispered. Ryder nodded and then she surprised him when she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest, hugging him tightly. He wasted no time in wrapping his arms tight around her in return, running his hands up and down her back.

"You're welcome, Susie. I love you."

She sighed against his shirt. He smelled of mint and sunshine... She knew most people would think she was crazy for thinking that sunshine had a smell but she didn't care. Ryder smelled like sunshine.

"I believe you," she replied softly.

Ryder breathed in the wildflower scent of her hair and felt his heart soar. She hadn't said she loved him too but at least she said she believed him... That was a start. He smiled as he kissed her soft golden hair and let her closeness soak into him, loving the soothing effect that she had on his soul.