Read Healing Trace for Free Online Page A

phone on the table rang, and Joan handed it to Trace. He shook his
head and waved her away. She rolled her eyes, and pushed the button.
    "Hello.
You've reached Lakota ranch." She waited, and then broke out in a smile.
"Hi, Devon."
    Trace
tapped her arm, and motioned for her to hand him the phone.
    "Everything
is fine. Trace wants to talk with you." She passed him the phone and
grinned when Trace asked Devon to bring a few pieces of rope up to the house.
    When
the call ended, she grabbed his hand. "You'll teach me then?"
    "Yeah,
if it'll keep you quiet for a few hours."
    An
hour later, Joan threw the tangled, colored ropes off her lap and flopped on
the floor. She stuck out her lower lip. No matter how many times she tried to
keep the strands from knotting, she still couldn't get more than an inch of
braid made.
    "You're
giving up too soon." Trace folded his arms across his chest. "It
takes practice."
    "If
you haven't noticed, I don't have a lot of patience." She sat up and
crossed her legs.
    "I
think you do. You put up with me, don't you?" He scooted to the edge of
the cushion. "Come here, and sit on the floor and lean your back against
the couch."
    She
crawled over, and sat down between his legs. Her heart raced at the intimate
position, and she was glad he couldn't see her face.
    Trace ran his hands through her
hair and let the volume fall behind her back. Tingles rolled down her neck, and
she shivered. She laughed softly. "You gave me the willies."
    "What's that?" He
fingered combed her hair.
    "Goosebumps." She held up
her arm. "See?"
    "Hm." He flipped the top
of her hair into her face, pulled another clump, and then gathered all her hair
into his hands.
    Letting him play with her hair
wasn't a problem. Knowing it was Trace playing with her hair had her quivering.
She puckered her lips and slowly exhaled. Her stomach fluttered and she held
herself stiff. It's only hair. It's only hair. It's only—
    He gave her a gentle tug.
"Relax and let your head fall back."
    Two minutes later, she'd closed her
eyes and the tension in her neck disappeared. She sighed. Trace's fingers
roamed over her scalp messaging her and for the first time since arriving at
Lakota ranch, she totally relaxed.
    He hit every pressure point around
her head. His nails dug into her skin, releasing any stress lingering behind.
The weight of her hair lifted and the slight breeze from the air conditioner
tickled her neck. She closed her eyes and let him work his magic. Not sure if
she ever wanted him to stop.
    Her mind slipped into another
place, where dragonflies flew above the bluest of waters. She could feel the
way his soft touch manipulated her hair into position, but all she wanted to do
was sit and never move again.
    The transition between braiding to
caressing meshed together. Her breathing deepened, her limbs relaxed. She lost
herself in his gentle touch as his rough hands slid through her hair.
    He seemed to take his time, letting
her enjoy the pleasure of his thumbs skimming her neck. Every cell in her body
aware of the intimate way he was touching her. Unable to ask him to stop, she
stayed quiet.
    "All done." He removed
his hands.
    She scooted away, patted her head,
and gazed up at him. "You make it seem so simple."
    "It is." He lowered
himself to the floor. "Your turn. I'll talk you through the steps. It's
easier to learn on someone's hair than it is with ropes."
    Joan sat behind him on the couch.
She swiftly inhaled as he settled between her legs. Oh my.
    "Have you braided hair for a
lot of people?" She scrunched her nose. Dumbass. Could I be more
transparent?
    "I've always worn my hair
long. It's an old tradition among the Lakota to keep it long, only trimming the
ends, except in mourning when you can choose to cut it off."
    She ran her fingers through his
hair. His length was as long as hers when it was wet, before her curls pulled
it up to the back of her shoulders. "You've never cut it short?"
    His shoulders stiffened. "I
have never