Loving Laney. Harmony Evans

      Seconds later, she heard a teasing chuckle and a neigh of disapproval.

      “Don’t pout, Sadie, I’ll be back to check on you in the morning,” Austin soothed. He emerged from a large stall at the far end of the stable. “But right now, I must see why this beautiful young lady has been ignoring me all night.”

      She let go of the doorknob. “How did you know I was here?”

      Austin shrugged. “I didn’t exactly, but I figured if you were going anywhere on the grounds, it would be to the stables. I knew you couldn’t ignore me here.”

      Ignoring him? Lord knows I’ve tried, she thought.

      But Austin certainly had Laney’s attention now as he sauntered toward her. Tux unbuttoned and flaps secured behind hands stuck in his pockets. The black bowtie gone and the black Stetson on. He stopped only a few feet away and in the dim halo of yellowish-light cast by the fixtures above their heads, his expression was unreadable, yet tantalizing.

      “You scared me!” she managed to whisper, not wanting to disturb the horses. “I thought you were some crazy journalist sneaking around wanting to take my picture.”

      Austin squared his hands like a makeshift camera against his eyes and peered through them. “Say cheese.”

      Laney’s heart raced against her will under his pretend lens. To be the subject of Austin’s “admiration” was the dream of most of the women in Granger, and likely all of the females at the party, but not her.

      “How about I say goodbye?” she fumed under his intense gaze. She wasn’t mad at him, but her reaction to him confused her. His eyes seemed to burn a hole through her long-held image of him as a business associate of her mother’s.

      He dropped his hands to his massive chest. “Whoa, girl. I’ve been wanting to talk to you all night. You can’t leave yet.”

      As his rich tenor swirled over her, Laney knew she would never tire of hearing his voice.

      She touched her hair, styled into an elegant updo for the party. “Talk to me? About what?” she asked, trying not to sound flattered.

      His eyes swaggered over her from head to toe, lingering here and there in places that caused her skin to warm.

      “Your choice of attire for the gala,” he stated matter-of-factly.

      She froze and her mouth dropped open. First Austin unwittingly scared her and now he was openly judging her.

      “Two minutes to midnight, folks!”

      She ignored the singer’s gleeful warning and smoothed her hands along the side of her royal blue full-length gown. This wasn’t some department store knock-off, but rather it was custom designed for her. Not because she was a Broward and could afford it, but because she wanted to remain true to herself: one-of-a-kind. Unique. And right now, steaming mad.

      Not sure if Austin was teasing or not, Laney met his gaze head-on. “What’s wrong with it?” she blurted.

      Austin shook his head. “It’s far too different than your usual T-shirt and jeans,” he stated, without a hint of a smile.

      How dare he insult me, Laney thought. As a child, her brothers, Wes and Jameson, had teased her relentlessly about her tomboyish wardrobe and the memories came flooding back. Now that she was older, she knew they hadn’t meant to hurt her, but the pain was still there.

      Just as she was about to tell Austin where he could stuff his unwanted opinions, he tilted his Stetson back slightly with the tip of his thumb.

      “And on you, that gown is far too stunning to ignore.”

      10...9...8...

      Was it the music or her heart that suddenly stopped as Austin stepped closer and draped his hands on her bare shoulders?

      7...6...5...

      Austin seemed not to hear the drum roll or the guests chanting the countdown. He tilted her chin up and she stared at his lips, slightly bewildered.

      4...3

      She’d never been this close to Austin, never smelled his rough, masculine scent, never dreamed she’d want to be even closer.

      ...2...

      Laney closed her eyes, suddenly aware that she wanted to grasp onto something she wasn’t even sure was going to happen, but a part of her hoped that it would. The part that foretold regret.

      ...1...

      Austin cradled her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers.

      “Happy New Year, Laney.”

      Ignoring all sense and logic, amid the fireworks and distant gun shots, she slipped her hands around his waist and caved into the spell of his kiss. He was gentle at first, exploring the edges, feathering the center, his movements tugging at long-buried desire. The nerve points of her mouth jolted awake, as if from a deep sleep, reminding her of how much she’d missed the touch of a man’s lips. Now the feel of Austin’s lips was branded upon her senses forever.

      Their embrace was like a blanket they huddled underneath against the clamor of noisemakers and strains of “Auld Lang Syne.” They owned the dark, the passion and the promise.

      The old was made new. And when Austin lifted his mouth from hers, she felt more than sudden, unexpected desire. There was also the innate fear that she might never be kissed that way by Austin again, and the excitement that maybe she would.

      She bit her lip, plumper now from his kisses.

      He tipped his hat, bowing slightly and her heart fell when he started to walk away.

      Her independent spirit willed her not to run to him, while at the same time her caring nature compelled her not to disturb the horses she loved so much.

      She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Where are you going?” she called out.

      He turned around and seemed unperturbed by what had just occurred between them. His world was unshaken, while hers tilted crazily on its axis.

      “Home.”

      Laney arched a brow. She knew Austin had a large estate that included two huge stables just outside of Dallas. But she couldn’t just let him leave, at least not until she found out why he had kissed her.

      “Now? But what about the party? Aren’t you a sponsor?”

      Austin nodded, and then chuckled. “I think the festivities will go on without me.”

      He was moving away from her again, easing toward the door, away from something he had started.

      She took a few hurried steps and managed to tap his shoulder before quickly drawing back. It was hard and muscular under the black cloth of his tux.

      “You probably shouldn’t be driving,” she advised. “It’s New Year’s Eve and it could be dangerous on the roads.”

      Austin folded his arms and smiled. “Don’t worry about me, I’m staying close tonight.”

      “Really? Where?” she asked, for once not caring if she sounded overly curious.

      Austin pushed open the service door and leaned against it. “A couple of years ago, I sold the owners of this estate two of my best thoroughbreds, both of which have made them a ton of money recently on the circuit. In exchange, there’s a little cottage on the grounds and they let me stay in it.”

      “Wow. That’s really nice. Much better than a hotel.”

      He nodded and there was a sudden gleam in his eye. “Yeah, it comes in handy those times when I’ve partied a little too hard. But I’ve been good tonight.”

      Laney thought back to the lukewarm champagne and smiled. “Me, too.”

      He raised an eyebrow. “Well, in that case, would you like to see it?”