by Desiree Holt
Sable grinned. “I feel like I’ve been riding a bullet train with Doc. We spend half the day going over business procedures in the office and seeing small animal patients. Then we’re off to the races, hitting as many ranches in the county each day as we can. Man, where does he get his energy?”
Georgie just shook her head. “We all ask the same thing. You’ll settle into a routine when you have control of the situation.”
“Meanwhile, I’m spending every spare minute looking at properties either to buy or rent or rent to buy or whatever.”
“I think you may have to adjust your expectations,” Georgie pointed out, “or you’ll be living out of a moving truck.”
“I know, I know.” Sable picked up her phone and pulled up the calendar. “All my stuff will be here in a week, so I better have some place to put it.”
“No kidding.”
“Not to mention my horse.”
Georgie’s eyes widened. “You have a horse?”
Sable nodded. “A quarter horse. She belonged to a man whose cattle I helped tend. The man was retiring, selling everything off and going to live with his son in Washington. I used to ride Clover whenever I was at the ranch and could manage it.”
“So you bought her?”
“Uh-uh.” Sable smiled. “He gave her to me, as a thank-you gift. My partner and I saved a valuable mare for him one very stormy night.”
“That’s some gift.”
“What’s some gift?” a male voice asked.
Cade came up behind his wife, slid his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss. Sable had seldom seen two people so totally connected with each other, and she wondered if she’d ever find that for herself.
“Sable’s bringing a quarter horse here, a mare that someone just gave her.”
“Some gift,” he agreed. “Have you decided where to stable her yet?”
“Are you kidding? I haven’t even found a place for myself yet, let alone my horse.”
“Ryan Donovan rents stable space,” he told her.
At the sound of the man’s name, an unexpected swarm of butterflies began a dance in Sable’s stomach, and her pulse pounded so loud she wondered if the Hannigans could hear it. At once, the man’s very masculine face, his thick shock of midnight-black hair and his electric-blue eyes popped into her head. Oh, great. Now she just needed for her nipples to peak and her pussy to throb and she’d be in full attraction mode. Not good. Not good at all.
Ryan Donovan was going to be a client. She didn’t plan to mix her social and professional lives.
Oh, who are you kidding? You want to get naked and do the horizontal mambo with him so badly you can’t see straight.
“Sable?” Georgie’s voice pierced her fog. “Did you hear what Cade said?”
Sable shook off the vision. “I thought he raised bulls?”
“He does,” Cade added, “but he built a brand-new stable two years ago with a few extra stalls that he leases out. I’m sure he’ll be at the party tonight. I can get you two together about it, if you like?”
“The party,” she repeated. The other reason she’d returned so quickly. Pete Lynch’s going-away party.
“Yes, the party,” Georgie reiterated. “Please don’t tell me you forgot about it.”
“How could I possibly.” She laughed. “That’s all anyone’s talked about all week. I’m looking forward to it, and to meeting more people.”
“Well, they’ll all be there tonight, at Matt and Reenie Stark’s ranch. Pete’s a well-loved guy.” Cade grinned. “I think the whole world will be there. And very anxious to talk to you, I promise you.”
“No kidding. When I was here before, and in the few days since I’ve been back, it seems as if everyone in Rowan County knows Pete and Maura.”
“You’ve got that right,” Georgie agreed.
Sable blew out a breath. “What time does it start again? I think I have it on my phone here.” She started to scroll through her calendar.
“Six,” Georgie told her.
“We thought you’d like to ride with us,” Cade cut in. “Give you a rest from driving.”
“Oh, thank you.” Sable was warmed by their kindness. “But what if you want to stay late or something? Hang out with your friends? I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”
Georgie walked over and gave her a light hug. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll leave. Don’t worry. We get up with the chickens here anyway, so early is good.”
“If you’re sure, then…thank you.”
Truthfully, she was glad not to be braving the crowd by herself. She’d met quite a few people when she’d been here before, but she knew that barely scratched the surface. Having a guide would be a big help.
“I’ll be sure to get you together with Ryan about your horse too.” Cade glanced at his watch. “Just come on downstairs around five thirty.”
“Thank you,” she said again, smiling as the big man guided his wife from the room with his arm around her.
Sable sat down on the bed and blew out a breath. Ryan Donovan. Oh. My. God. She hadn’t seen him since she’d arrived, as busy as she’d been, and there hadn’t been any calls from the Gold Buckle. That didn’t mean he hadn’t been on her mind every minute she wasn’t busy. That incredibly black hair of his and eyes the color of deep sapphires, almost too blue for a man. That lean yet muscular body.
She could close her eyes and imagine him in the rodeo ring, riding a bucking bull, arm outstretched to balance himself. She’d done an Internet search for him and been impressed by all the rodeos he’d won, all the medals, all the trophies. She was equally impressed by the fact he was smart enough to take his winnings and start his ranch while his body was still in one piece.
She’d love to see that body naked in the firelight. She’d love to—
She shook herself. Thinking that way was dangerous. She was the doctor for his animals. He was a client. She’d just met him, for heaven’s sake. And who knew if he was even interested in her? She’d need every minute of the time between now and the party tonight to steel herself and not embarrass herself in front of him. But lordy, the man sure did make her mouth water and every erogenous zone in her body beg for attention
* * * * *
Ryan Donovan stood at the edge of one of the two big tents set up in the Starks’ backyard. The minute he spotted the new vet in town, he took a step away from the huge crowd milling around. His mouth went dry at the sight of her. She looked as delicious as he remembered. Maybe even more so. That tour he’d given her of his main barn was an event that had played over and over in his dreams and given him a painful boner each morning.
His gazed raked over her body, taking in every inch of her. He guessed her height to be about five foot four, the boots she wore adding another couple of inches. The soft pink sweater she wore fell gently against nicely rounded breasts, and jeans that lovingly outlined the swell of her hips and cupped her splendid ass were tucked neatly into calf-high hand-tooled boots. Her brown hair that was so dark it reminded him of melted chocolate swirled loosely around her shoulders tonight. He liked it a lot better than the tight ponytail she’d worn when he’d seen her before.
A nice little package of dynamite that he’d just love to—
To what, jerkhead? She’s the new vet. She’d be tending to his stock. He needed to keep a professional distance between them. To show her the proper respect. That wouldn’t be too easy, since from the minute he’d clapped eyes on her, he’d wanted nothing more than to strip her naked, kiss every bare inch of her and plunge himself into her to the hilt.
And wouldn’t that just be so professional?
But damn, no woman had ever had such a strong effect on him. This attraction was so strong it had caught him off guard, smacking him in the face the minute he met her at the Bit and Bite. Don’t start something, he told himself for the millionth time. At his age, he should have enough sense to see the pitfalls and know enough to avoid them. But his big brain and his little brain seemed to be i
n constant battle over this. How the hell could he keep his distance if they ever got naked together?
As all these thoughts swept through his brain, his cock swelled with anticipation and an ache quickly settled in his balls. What the hell was happening here? He had much better self-control than this. He wished he had a drink, preferably with a lot of ice cubes in it, before he had to face her. No luck there, however. They were headed directly for him.
“Hey, Ryan.” Cade held his hand out. “How goes it?”
“Great, great.” He shook the man’s hand. “And with you guys?”
“The same.” Cade glanced at the woman beside him. “I believe you’ve met Dr. Hunter already?”
“Please call me Sable,” she told him. “And, yes, I had a mini tour of the Gold Buckle when I was here before. Nice to see you again, Mr. Donovan.”
“Ryan,” he corrected. “We’re not very formal around here.”
“I suggested Sable talk to you about boarding her horse,” Cade put in.
Ryan shifted his gaze back to Sable.
“You have a horse?”
Of course she does, you idiot. Didn’t Cade just say so? And she needs a place to board it. Damn! Could things be any better? For a moment, he totally lost himself in the green of her eyes, startling because of the starburst of gold around the irises. He had to give himself a mental kick in the ass to keep from zoning out on her.
He wanted to smack his head.
She nodded. “I do. A quarter horse. She’s about fifteen years old. Cade and Georgie said you have some boarding facilities.”
“I do. I have space in the barn next to where you saw the bulls.” With his hand at her back, he guided her toward the back of the tent. “Why don’t we go get a couple of drinks and talk about it.”
He waited for her to protest, but she seemed almost as mesmerized by the situation as he was. Well, damn. He could almost feel the electric current snapping between them, sizzling in the air around them. He needed to get control of Mr. Happy, who was doing a dance in his pants. He, the man famous for his iron control, was entranced by a woman he barely knew.
“Take good care of her,” Georgie called as they walked away.
“I’ll just borrow her for a few minutes,” he assured them. But when he glanced back over his shoulder, the two of them were grinning at him like fools. He wanted to tell them this was just a business discussion, before they put on their matchmaking hats. Georgie and her friends were notorious for that.
“You must have something better to do than sit in a corner with me and discuss boarding,” Sable said. “This is a party, after all.”
“I’m not much of a party animal,” he told her. After fifteen years on the rodeo circuit, he figured he’d had about all the partying he could stand. “I’m only here because of Doc. Honestly? I’d rather discuss your horse.”
They had reached one of the bars by this time, and he gave their orders to the bartender. He carried her wine and a beer for himself to a corner of the tent where there was a mostly empty table and the noise was marginally less.
“I think it’s a little quieter over here,” he commented. “We won’t have to shout to be heard. At least until the band starts to play again.”
“This is quite the party.” She looked slowly around. “Looks like half the county is here.”
He nodded. “More like most of it. Doc’s been taking care of our animals for a good number of years. There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know him.”
“It’s very nice of the Starks to host it here.”
“Are you kidding?” He chuckled. “The ranchers were fighting over where this party would be held for two weeks. But Matt Stark just wore everyone down.”
Ryan wanted to lean forward, close enough that he could reach out and touch that creamy skin or stare more deeply into her eyes, but he needed to quit acting like a horny teenager. He needed her to take care of his bulls, so he didn’t want to frighten her away.
Except…except there was still that unmistakable chemistry, and from the look in those magnificent eyes, he was sure she felt it too.
Slow, he cautioned himself. Take it slow.
“Tell me about your horse.” He wrapped his fingers around his bottle of beer, hoping the chilled glass would cool him off.
She took a sip of her drink, delicately licking lips he wanted to reach out and run the tip of his finger over.
“Well. Clover is a fifteen-year-old quarter horse who was raised doing ranch work. She was a gift to me from her owner when he sold his ranch.”
“Just like that?” he asked.
“Sort of.” She took another tiny swallow of her wine.
Pacing herself, he thought. She’s smart.
“I used to go out to his place and ride her a couple of times a week when he stopped using her for ranch work so much,” Sable continued.
She took another sip of the drink. This time, she ran the tip of her pink tongue over her lower lip, catching a stray drop of liquid, and his cock banged against his fly.
“You’re bringing her here and need to find a stable for her?”
She nodded. “A friend is trailering her here for me next week. I need to have this settled before then.”
“Like I said, that other barn you didn’t see when you visited? I have a few spare stalls there that I keep for friends.”
She tilted her head and her rich brown hair—sable, like her name—moved and danced with the motion. The pressure against his fly increased. Damn. He felt like he was sixteen again. At nearly forty, he had long ago learned to control his hormones. Apparently, now they were having a good laugh at his expense.
“If you have a spare stall, I’d like to take a look at it and talk to you about boarding arrangements.”
Yes. He’d like to get her in that barn, lock her in a stall with him and—
Holy fuck, Ryan. Get your shit together.
“No problem.”
“Good. That’s good.” She lifted her glass, licking a little drop of moisture from the outside.
The sight of her delicate pink tongue nearly made him come in his pants. Jesus. He was in very bad shape. How in hell was he going to control himself when she came to take care of his stock? And did she know what she was doing to him?
“Is tomorrow good for you?”
“I’m pretty sure it is,” she agreed.
“What time?” Yeah, push a little harder, Ryan.
“Hold on a sec.” She stood up and pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket, then punched up what he assumed was her calendar. “Okay. We’ve got some stuff going on with Doc at work tomorrow, but I can slide out late in the afternoon. Does that work for you?”
Standing, she was only scant inches from him. Her breasts were so close to him he wanted to reach out and grab them. He grabbed the beer bottle with both fists to control himself.
“Sure. Just give me a heads-up when you get ready to leave the clinic.”
She nodded. “Give me the address so I can program it into my GPS. Your phone number is in the records at the clinic, right?”
He nodded and gave her the information about the ranch.
“So tell me—” he leaned back in the chair, legs stretched out in front of him, trying not to undress her with his eyes, “—what kind of house are you looking for? Maybe I can help. I’ve got a pretty good handle on what goes on in the county.”
She laughed, a musical sound that made his already wild hormones do a little dance. “I’m pretty sure Nida has shown me everything in the county, but she’s digging up more.” She sighed. “I thought my request would be pretty simple. A two- or three-bedroom house with a good kitchen and not much exterior upkeep. Out of town, but not too far out.”
“Sounds like it should be pretty easy.”
She sighed again, her breasts rising and falling beneath the soft pink material of her sweater. “You’d think. But either the price is out of my range, the rental is too high or the place needs too much work. I guess my budget needs
to do a lot of growing for the real estate market around here.”
A tiny thread of excitement wriggled its way through Ryan’s body. “I might be able to help out by turning you on to something affordable.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “You in the real estate business too?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But I happen to know about a piece of property that hasn’t hit Nida’s listings yet.”
“Okay.” She grinned. “Now I’m curious. That woman knows about every single piece of property there is.”
“Not this one. One of my hands has a place that sounds like what you want. He and his wife are moving back to Montana to be near her folks. I guess her dad’s having some problems. He hasn’t listed it because he just made the decision yesterday. But I know they’d be willing to do a rent with option to purchase just so they could get out of here.”
Sable’s eyes lit up with interest, the gold around her irises sparking even in the dim light. “And just where is this treasure?”
“Right on the edge of town, about twenty minutes from my place and the same travel time from the clinic.”
“You’re not just teasing me, right? This is a real place?” When he nodded, she jumped up, tossed down the little bit left of her drink and took Ryan’s hand. “Come on. I’m sure Nida’s here. Let’s go find her.”
Ryan would have been happy if they had to look all night as long as he got to keep holding Sable’s hand. He wondered how she kept them so soft while being a vet. He resisted the urge to stroke her palm with his fingers as they walked.
“I love it when business comes to me,” Nida said with a laugh after they found her. “Tell me all about it.”
She typed rapidly into her phone while Ryan gave her the information, nodding her head and grinning the whole time. Then she stuck her phone back in her little cross-body purse and smiled.
“Ryan, if this is all serious, have your guy meet you and me there at nine thirty tomorrow morning. I want to do a walkthrough and discuss money with him before I get Sable over there. And I’ll bring a contract with me so we can get it down on paper.” She looked at Sable. “That work for you?”