The Way We Play (Bradford Boys #2)

Chapter 6

6

Rachel

“ H is name was Shiloh.” Edward is on his hands and knees reaching under the deck.

His tone is impatient, and I know he hates it when I ask him twenty questions. But I want to know all about his very first equine therapy experience.

I haven’t seen Zane, but I was doing yoga when my brother suddenly appeared and started searching for kittens under the wooden platform where I practice.

“What did you do? Did you ride him? Walk him around? Clean his hooves?”

“He was only getting started for the day, so I didn’t clean his hooves.” He sits back on his feet, holding up two black kittens. “I think these are the only other males.”

“Tell me what you did.” I’m doing my best not to get impatient with him right back.

He blinks away from the felines, seeming to remember I’m here. “I brushed him and shoveled the dirty hay out of his stall. Then I walked beside him while a little boy rode. ”

I frown. That’s not what I expected. I thought he’d be doing more riding, not simply being a stable boy. I’m all ready to fuss, but I hesitate. He does seem more relaxed today, which is encouraging after the raucous night we had at the restaurant.

It took me forever to fall asleep, and not just because of all the music and dancing. I tossed and turned in my bed all night trying to forget the sight of Zane Bradford standing in the hall in only a towel with his damp hair around his neck.

His broad shoulders were lean and toned, and he seemed bigger somehow. His muscular chest was dusted with the faintest bit of hair, and I wanted to slide my nose across the planes of his shoulders and lick him. Then maybe bite him.

He seemed on edge, like he might forget he hates me and pull me into his arms. Or maybe it was just what I wished he’d do. He has no right to look so good, and I kind of forgot his order that I stay on my side of the house.

“Miss Gina asked me to identify the male cats so she could have them neutered.” Edward cuts right through my lusty thoughts.

It makes me exhale a short laugh. “You’re doing a great job with them.”

He returns to digging under the deck, and I look up to see Zane stalking in our direction. He’s back to scowling and wearing his usual jeans and unbuttoned plaid shirt with a gray tee underneath. But I’ve seen what’s underneath that, and it’s yummy.

He’s about to walk right past us when I stick out my hand and wave. “Hey!”

Stopping short, his brow furrows. “Hey yourself.”

“No…” I look down, exhaling a laugh. “I have something… Miss Gina asked me to ask you to take a look at the sink in the greenhouse. She said it’s all wet under there, and it might be a leak.”

He hesitates a moment longer, glancing in the direction he was headed before relenting. “Show me.”

“Right this way.” My voice is soft, and I’m still in my yoga clothes as I walk him down the narrow flagstone path to the green-glass structure where Miss Gina stores her succulents and more delicate flowers during the winter.

It’s warm and densely humid when we enter, and I continue to the small sink area in the center of the room.

“Miss Gina and I were trying to figure out where the water was coming from.” I open the cabinet doors under the sink to show the pan full of water. “We turned on the faucet, the sprayer, everything. Get down there and watch what happens.”

He cuts his eyes to me briefly before squatting down and leaning into the cabinet as I fill a large bowl with water.

“I think it has something to do with the seal around the drain,” I explain. “When I pour a big bowl like this down the drain, watch what happens.”

I lift the large bowl of water, all ready to pour the entire contents into the sink when it wobbles in my hand. It’s heavier than I realized, and with my wet fingers, I don’t have a good grip on the sides. All at once, it starts to slide.

“Oh…” I gasp, doing my best to grab it with both hands, but the weight of the water takes over and jerks the bowl to the side. “Oh no!”

The entire quart-sized bowl flips out of my hand, dumping the entire contents of water all over Zane’s head.

I can’t speak. I’ve completely lost my breath.

Zane doesn’t speak either. He quietly shakes his soaked head like he’s not sure what just happened.

“Was this some kind of joke?” The low-burn of fury in his tone sends fire racing up my neck.

“No!” I manage to say through my completely clenched throat. “I’m so sorry!”

He rises slowly to his full height, water dripping from the tips of his hair and sparks flying in his eyes.

“Let me get you a towel.” I still can’t breathe.

His large hand lands on the top of my shoulder, stopping me. “Leave it. I’ll take a look at it tomorrow. ”

Turning, he starts to storm off, but I race after him. “I have a towel right over here where I was doing yoga!”

“No.” It’s a growl of fury.

His entire upper body is drenched, and the replay of what just happened, of what I did, flashes through my mind. I press my lips together, and my eyes fill with water. I suck in a breath and hold my nose, but the laughter bursts out anyway.

“I’m so sorry!” I shriek, unable to stop laughing.

That stops him. He turns around and glares at me from across the path, still dripping wet. Both my hands are on my cheeks, and I’m trying so hard not to laugh… and failing.

“You did that on purpose.”

“I didn’t!”

“Wow, you’re really wet.” Edward walks up, holding two more kittens, and I lose it.

I bend at the waist, covering my whole face in my hands and trying to stop laughing. When I hear the crunch of boots on gravel, I take off after him again.

“Zane, wait!” I scurry after him, but he doesn’t stop.

He’s headed to the small bathhouse off the side of the pool, and I wait outside as he goes in to retrieve a towel.

When he comes out, his blue eyes are spitting fire. “Go away, Rachel.”

“I’m really sorry.” I bite the inside of my lip to keep the smile away. “I-I need a ride home this evening. I rode with Jack this morning, but I don’t have a way?—”

“What are you doing?”

“Asking for a ride home?” My brow furrows. “Apologizing for throwing water all over you?”

“I asked you to stay away from me.”

“I’m doing that!”

“You’re not.” He takes a step closer as if he might do something.

I’m not sure what, but it sends heat flushing through my body. He hesitates, then he exhales a growl and starts walking again.

I’m right behind him. He’s moving fast, and I almost have to jog to keep up. Then he stops so fast, I almost bounce off his back.

“Oh!”

“What?” It’s a sharp question.

I point to the driveway, speaking quietly. “The ride home?”

“Yes. I’ll give you a ride home. Now stop following me.”

I fall back, watching his fine ass go, doing my best to catch my breath, before turning to the house. Miss Gina wants to do more water aerobics, and I need to cool off in the pool.

“What happened to our fun dance music?” Miss Gina has a pink swim cap on her head with nylon feathers as we do our exercises. “I wore my fancy hat, and now I’m all dressed up with no place to go.”

“I’m sorry!” I can’t help a laugh. “I had to catch a ride with Jack this morning, and I forgot my Bluetooth speaker in my other bag.”

“I don’t have a Bluetooth speaker?”

“Not that I could find, but there’s not really a reason you should have one. They’re sort of a young person’s thing.”

“Sounds like it’s time for me to catch up with the young people.” She’s playfully pouty. “Get on my account and order me one.”

“I will, and I’ll be sure mine is always in my bag.”

We do a little more bouncing, but she’s right. It’s not as much fun without my drag queen music. I guide her through a grapevine movement, scissoring our arms back and forth in front of us .

“Why did you ride with Jack this morning? Why didn’t you ride with Zane and Edward?”

I glance over to where Mr. Grumpy is spreading mulch in the beds to prepare them for winter. “Zane works at a horse farm in the mornings before he comes here.”

“Yes, he does, and that Gloria Fruit keeps trying to steal my best handyman.” She lifts her chin defiantly, practically shouting. “She can’t have him!”

Her head is turned as if she’s speaking to Zane, and I sneak a look to where he’s wrapping burlap around her potted rhododendrons. Of course, he glances up at that exact moment, and when our eyes meet, it’s a flash all the way to my stomach.

“I’m not leaving you, so you can stop fussing about it.” His gruff tone is impatient.

Pressing my lips together, I look away quickly, but my ears are hot. His baseball cap is turned backwards on his head, and he took off his plaid overshirt. The top of his tee is still damp, and I do my best not to grin remembering my accidental attempt to drown him.

“But why was this morning different? Zane does that every day.”

We stop going side to side, and now stand in place circling our arms underwater. “Edward started equine therapy at the farm.”

“Ah…” She lifts her chin, nodding slowly. “So he had to stay longer today?”

“I think so?” I’m not really sure why they were longer, and Edward doesn’t give me any information.

“In that case, I don’t mind. What’s he doing now?”

“Edward? He checked all the kittens to identify the males. He’s not sure about one of the tuxedo ones. You’ll have to tell Dr. Moore?—”

“Edward’s a treasure. I meant Zane. Is he watching us? I bet you’re a looker in a bathing suit with all that yoga you do. ”

“Miss Gina!” My eyes widen at her conspiratorial tone, and I close my mouth. “He’s winterizing your garden.”

“Ooo, I bet he could handle another garden, if you know what I mean.” Her eyebrows waggle, and her voice is too loud.

My face flames hot right along with my core—and in a swimming pool! “I don’t know what you mean.” I do. “I’m getting the underwater dumbbells.”

“Dumbbells,” she says under her breath, and I give her a shocked glare she can’t even see.

Taking the foam “weights” off the side of the pool, I hand them to her. “Hold these underwater and move them up and down. Feel that?”

“I do!” Her face lights.

“They’re foam, so it’s naturally displacing the water for resistance.”

“It’s amazing. What will they think of next?”

We work out a half-minute in silence, and it’s quiet and boring without our tunes. Twisting my lips, I try to think of a conversation that she can’t turn into innuendo on me.

“I’ve honestly never heard of winterizing a garden this far south. I didn’t think it got cold enough.”

“We get the occasional freeze.” That breezy tone is still in her voice, and she’s still talking a little too loud for my taste.

I sneak a glance at Zane, who’s finishing up with the plants. He’s moving her potted fruit trees into the sun, and his biceps flex attractively as he lifts the heavy clay pots.

I chew my lip as I pretend not to watch him with his scowly face, defined arms, and powerful thighs. The muscle in his jaw moves under his scruff, and I try not to remember him in the hall in only a towel with his hair all wet, smelling like masculine body wash.

I’ve been tempted to use it myself, but I’m afraid he’ll catch me and be mad. Not that it would be such a change.

“I’m about done.” His deep voice almost makes me yip. “Tomorrow I’ll get rid of those mimosa trees. ”

“Oh, no!” The words jump out before I can stop them.

“What?”

“I like mimosa trees.”

“They’re weeds.” Zane’s brow is lowered, and his voice is pure impatience like always.

“But the flowers are so cute. They’re like little pink puff balls.”

“They’re messy, they attract aphids, and they multiply.”

Miss Gina continues bouncing in the pool, a smile beaming on her cheeks as she pushes the water weights side to side.

“What do you think?” I ask her.

“I’ve never seen a mimosa, but I guess we can have one around if it’s as cute as you say. It makes me think of pixie dust, like in Peter Pan .”

“Pixie dust,” Zane grumbles.

Miss G only exhales a satisfied hum. “I’m starting to get tired. Maybe I’ll head up to my room now, if that’s okay?”

“Of course!” I go to her, taking the weights. “Need me to walk with you? Did we overdo it?”

“I’m perfectly fine. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” She beams at me, leaning closer to stage-whisper. “I wish someone would stay in my guesthouse sometime. I hate being out here all alone, and it’s such a lovely space.”

I give her the old squint-eye. Not only is she leaving me here in my bathing suit, she’s doing whatever she can to get me alone with Zane.

She forgets Edward is also here.

Even if he does have his noise-canceling headphones on pretty much 24-7.

“So you keep saying.” I hold her arm as we walk up the wide steps leading out of the pool.

Zane turns away to pack his canvas tool bag. I’m not in my bikini today, because I knew he was going to be here. I’m trying not to be that girl .

Still, walking around in a one-piece bathing suit makes me feel very exposed in front of him, which is ridiculous.

For starters, we live at the beach, and for seconds, he did see me completely naked in the shower. My ears heat at the memory of waking up with him standing over me, eyes blazing with worry, damp hair hanging over his square jaw.

I do seem to douse him with water a lot. Angry god .

I quickly pull an overall-miniskirt over my bathing suit. I feel his eyes on me as I pack up the aerobics supplies, and I search for anything to break the tension.

“I can’t believe I forgot the music today, but what’s the saying? Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction?” My nose wrinkles and I exhale a laugh. “That can’t be right.”

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” His tone is still grumpy, and I frown.

“That sounds like settling.”

“It’s the opposite of settling. If you try to make everything perfect, you miss the good right in front of you.”

My lips part, and I look up at him. “I like that a lot.”

His jaw tightens, and he shifts his stance. “It’s time to go.”

“I’ll find Edward, and we’ll meet you at the Jeep.”

A quiet smile is on my lips, and a flicker of hope sparks in my chest. He picks up his bag and walks away without another word.