Priceless

Chapter 16: Betrayal

"I was thinking we could send coupons to anyone we had to reschedule or inconvenience during their ride or hike. The surveys I'd like to send to everyone who was here in the past six months, and then everyone from this point out. What do you think?"

Thane nodded, pulling his gaze away from the computer screen to look at Nessa. "I think it sounds perfect. Bailey and I would have never come up with this, that's for sure. Are we organized enough to know who was here in the past six months and who we've had to cancel or reschedule?"

Nessa sat back in her chair, letting her eyes roam over the few piles of paper records that remained. Between her and Bailey, much of the data had been entered into the computer, but they hadn't tackled it all yet. "I can easily search the database by date to get all our customers for the past six months. It's the ones who've had to cancel or reschedule that might take some digging." She looked back at Thane with a grin. "But if Bailey's still in that boot, he'll need something to do."

Thane returned her smile with one of his own. "Very true, though I don't think he'll mind all that much. I haven't heard him complain about being benched." He reached out to squeeze her knee, adding, "Can't say I'm upset about it either."

Her smile turned to a smirk. "So I make a decent substitute?"

Thane snorted. "That's the understatement of the century." He shifted to the edge of his chair, reaching to grab the arms on hers and roll her closer. "You're the best darn cowpoke this side of the Rockies."

Nessa watched him in amusement as he leaned forward, framing her face with his hands before whispering, "And your backside is much nicer to look at than my brother's."

She laughed before raising an eyebrow asking, "Are you saying you make it a habit to stare at Bailey's backside?"

Thane's smile was lazy as he answered. "No, but I have a hard time not staring at yours."

He didn't give her time to reply, leaning in to kiss her instead. Nessa didn't resist, leaning into him and welcoming his affections.

After last night, she felt as though she'd reached an even deeper level of trust and respect for Thane. It had been fun to flirt with him and dance with him, but the part she enjoyed the most had been snuggling under his arm on the swing while the night carried on around them.

She'd never done something so innocent or simple with Mr. Wrong, but she enjoyed that moment more than any time she'd ever spent with him. Even better was the fact that Thane had been relieved when she suggested it, more than happy to keep the physical spark between them under control.

Despite that, it had still been a shock to wake up in his bed that morning. She'd been completely disoriented, not recognizing the room or the bed until her eyes landed on Thane, sound asleep beside her. Searching her memory of the night before, she'd realized she must have fallen asleep on the swing. Why he hadn't taken her to her own room, she didn't know, but it didn't bother her.

A glance at the clock told her it was still early enough that she could slip back to her own room without anyone noticing, but she found herself reluctant to leave. She indulged herself for a few more minutes, studying him, memorizing every feature from the stubble he desperately needed to shave to the way his eyelashes brushed his cheeks as he slept. Eventually she'd slipped from the bed, careful not to wake him, hoping to get back to her own room before Reba realized she'd been missing.

He didn't say anything when he made it to the breakfast table, but he gave her a wink and a conspiratorial smile when he slid into the chair next to her. The air between them had changed again and she couldn't help a wry smile as she realized it was after she'd shared a platonic night in his bed. Again.