Roark grinned. “Only when I think they deserve it.”
“Hell, you must think they deserve it every damn day.”
Roark slapped him on the back. “No comment. I’ll go pick some up along with a few salt blocks.”
Roy nodded and after giving Priscilla a courtesy nod, he walked off. Roark turned to look at her.
“I need to shoe two more horses. Are you still with me?”
“Yes. If you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. It’s what you’re here for, right?”
When she nodded, he re-entered the stall, picked up his tools then moved past her to head on to the stall with the next horse. He had to push himself past her without stopping. Get a grip!
He could hear her snapping pictures as they walked down the aisle of the barn.
“Who is Ash?” she asked him as they moved along.
“Ash Beckett. He owns Beckett Feed, the best you can buy. He lives in Hartland, next town over on the other side of Clifton. I always order a big shipment from him. I didn’t realize we were so low that we needed more, but then I’ve been gone. A few extra bags will hold us over until Ash gets a shipment here.”
Priscilla smiled at him then followed him into the next stall. As he worked on the next horse, he heard the shutter of the camera as she snapped pictures. The sound got more distant and he realized she must have been making her way outside since the sun was lighting up the morning sky.
All of a sudden, he heard her scream followed almost immediately by a splash. He tossed down his tools and ran outside to see her struggling to get up out of the water trough. He tried his best not to laugh as she sputtered and tried to get her footing. Her camera lay on the ground beside the trough. Roark strode to the trough and took her hand to help her out of the water. She glared at him as she stepped out of the trough pretty much dripping wet, top to bottom.
“Why are you pissed at me? I didn’t make you fall in.”
“Because I know you’re trying not to laugh, Roark Callahan.” Her hands went to her hips.
“Okay, I admit I was trying not to laugh but I’ve never seen anyone fall into a trough before,” he said while stifling yet another laugh. He was also trying his best to keep his eyes off her nipples poking out from under her shirt. Obviously, she wasn’t wearing a bra. Damn it!
“It’s not funny,” she muttered as she glared at him and stomped her foot making water splash up from her wet shoe.
Roark cleared his throat. “Uh, okay. How did you fall in there anyway?”
“I was backing up to get a picture of that beautiful horse over there, and I backed into the trough, lost my balance, and fell in. Now, I’m freezing.” Her teeth began to chatter.
“You need to go in and change. It may be late May but it’s still mighty cool in the mornings. I’ll be working in the barn when you come back out.”
“Oh no...my glasses fell off,” she said as she peered into the trough.
He reached in and moved his hand around until he found them, lifted them from the water then handed them to her. Shaking his head, he watched her pick up her camera then strode across the yard with her sneakers squishing as she walked. He watched her enter the house and slam the door. Shaking his head again and openly laughing, he returned to the stall where he’d been working.
A few hours later, Roark drove one of the ranch trucks to town. Priscilla sat in the passenger seat looking out the window.
“Why does this truck sit so high?” she suddenly asked.
“It’s one of the trucks we all use on the ranch. It sits high so it can get over things off road.”
“I’ll need a damn parachute to get out of it.”
“It has running boards so you can use them.”
“They’re not much lower. Why not use your truck?”
“Because my truck is nice and this one has been beat to hell and back. That’s why we use it for hauling things. The bed is already dented. It’s a damn good ranch truck.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Roark shook his head as they drove on. He pulled into the parking lot of the Spring City feed store where he parked then opened his door and stepped out. He walked to the front of the truck and waited for Priscilla to join him. When she didn’t open the door, he strolled to the passenger side of the truck and looked up at her, motioning her to open the window.
“Are you getting out? You don’t have to but I’ll probably be a while. It looks busy.”
She closed the window and opened the door. When she opened the door and looked precariously at the distance to the ground, he smiled.
“Come on, I’ll help you.” He put his hands up for her to take but instead, she placed her hands on his shoulders and immediately, he knew this was not a good idea. His hands settled at her waist. He helped her down, her body sliding along his until her feet hit the ground. She looked up at him and his breathing stopped. He cleared his throat and stepped back from her. Without a word, he spun on his heel and headed for the door to the store. He didn’t care if she followed or not. He had to get the fuck away from her. Now.
ONCE INSIDE THE STORE, Priscilla looked around and smiled. It smelled like leather. She saw all types of saddles along one wall with tack hanging on the wall behind them. She heard Roark laughing and turned to see him talking with the man behind the counter while he placed his order. The more she thought about this idea of spending all day with him she knew it wasn’t going to end well. When he’d helped her out of the truck, she swore something like an electric shot raced through her when their bodies touched. Roark Callahan was such a sexy man and she knew, for her own well-being, she had to stay far, far away from him or lose her sanity.
When they returned to the ranch, she continued into the house to get a cold drink while Roark remained outside. He told her he had to stack hay bales and she was welcome to take pictures if she wanted. Now, she walked to the door, peered out the window, and saw Roark and several of his men next to a flatbed truck loaded with hay bales. The other men had been unloading it a while before Roark even started helping. Organized and efficient, the men stood in a line and each would hand a bale off to the next until it reached Roark, who stacked it inside the barn. Most of them had their shirts off but Priscilla couldn’t keep her eyes off Roark’s wet chest.
She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Raising her camera, she took a picture of Roark standing in the doorway with his hand on the side and his head hung down while he took a break. His black hat covered his face. She would save this picture for her, and her alone. If she shared this one, women would be beating down his door, although they probably were anyway. Taking a deep breath, she skipped down the steps to get more shots. This was going to be a great story.
A few days later, Priscilla was sitting on the front porch watching the sun setting over the mountains when she looked over to see Roark leaning against the doorjamb with his arms folded. She smiled as he pushed off the door and took a seat in one of the rockers. It was like déjà vu.
“Roy just told me that some of the cattle need moving up to the north pasture so I’ll be going there tomorrow. You coming?”
“Overnight?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer. The thought of being off in nature alone with him was terrifying.
“Yep...possibly two nights. If you’re up to it, we’ll leave in the morning around five. Do you have any type of boots you can wear?”
“Yeah...I have hiking boots.”
Roark nodded. “Those will work. You’ll need to get some sleep so go to bed early.”
“All right. I’m tired so I’m sure I’ll sleep like a rock.” She was lying, of course...to herself. She knew she was going to be up all night thinking about going with him. Just the two of them, alone, camping under the stars. “I don’t have a sleeping bag.”
“I have one for you. I’ll take a tent too.”
“You usually don’t?”
“No. I like to sleep under the stars. You can have the tent.”
“Wha
t about a...um...” She knew she was blushing and so looked away. “A potty?”
Roark burst out laughing. “A potty? Honey, you’ll use the woods.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I can’t just stand there and go like you can.”
“The perks of being a man, darlin’. You’ll have to go behind a bush.”
“Wonderful,” she muttered. “I hate camping.”
“Why? It’s great being in the great outdoors.”
“I don’t have anywhere to plug in my curling iron.”
“I’m going to make us some sandwiches. It’s too hot to cook, but then it’ll be time for bed.” When he walked away, he was shaking his head and she heard him muttering something that sounded like potty and curling iron then he laughed.
Damn man. It was so unfair that he could just pee wherever he wanted. She didn’t have that option. She hated the idea of going into the woods to do her business. A snake could bite her ass. She suddenly grinned. Of course, she could have Roark suck out the poison. Then she sobered at the thought of them being alone. She didn’t think she could handle having him so close to her. He was pure temptation. A temptation, she was so tempted to give into, the thought sent a shiver over her.
Then again, what could it hurt? Nibbling on her bottom lip, she wondered if she could handle a man like Roark Callahan. She was sure he had way more experience than her but she couldn’t deny she wanted him and if the opportunity arose, she might just go for it.
Two hours later, dinner was finished and the kitchen clean again. They headed into the living room together when Priscilla heard a dog barking. She watched as Roark walked to the back door and opened it. A white dog with one black ear ran in and wagged his tail so hard, she was surprised he didn’t take flight. Roark squatted down and rubbed the dog’s ears.
“Hey, where have you been? Out running the woods again, huh?” He laughed when the dog knocked him down and tried to get as close as he could.
“Who is this?” Priscilla asked him. When the dog saw her, he ran to her barking.
“This is Snowy. He’s a Border Collie and the entire ranch is his home. Although, I’m surprised he wasn’t here when I got home. He has an uncanny way of knowing when I’m home or gone. Don’t you, boy?” Snowy ran back to him.
“It looks like he missed you.” She laughed. “Don’t you worry when he disappears? You’ve been back for two days.”
“Nah, he never leaves the ranch. He likes to run and with five hundred acres, he has plenty of room. He’s my best bud, aren’t ya, boy?” Snowy sat down then rolled to his back to get his belly scratched.
“He’s so pretty.”
“Smart too. Border Collies are very intelligent dogs. Devin and Jaxon have his brother and sister. Someone abandoned the mother on their ranch and right after she gave birth, she died. Devin, Jaxon, and the staff at the ranch, took care of the puppies. I would have loved to find out who dumped her. Devin had asked around but to no surprise, no one knew anything.”
“How sad. Do you ever get them all together?”
“Oh yeah, it’s always fun. They can all do tricks. Snowy knows hand signals and can do anything, except act embarrassed like Jaxon’s dog, Jinks, can, and Devin’s dog, Dolly, can fetch a beer from the fridge. I’ve never been able to teach Snowy either of those tricks but their dogs can’t do hand signals either, so I have that on them.” He chuckled as he stood and looked at her. “I’m going to bed. We have to get an early start, so I’ll see you in the morning. Should I wake you up or can you set an alarm?”
“Mind waking me? My phone still needs charging since I forgot to charge it. I’m going to bed too. I’m really tired.” She followed him down the hallway. He snapped his fingers and Snowy trotted along behind him. When she reached her door, she opened it. “Goodnight.”
“I’ll wake you. Night,” Roark said as he entered his room with Snowy on his heels, closing the door behind them.
Priscilla entered her room and closed the door. She pulled out a suitcase and started packing some clothes for the trip then she stopped and realized he’d probably laugh his ass off at her for taking a suitcase on a camping trip. What was she supposed to use then?
Sighing, she opened her door, stepped across the hall, and knocked on his door. He opened it almost immediately. Her mouth dropped open and she quickly closed it. He stood there in nothing but jeans that were unzipped and hanging low on his hips. She could almost see where that happy trail led.
“Priscilla?” he snapped at her when she didn’t say anything.
“Oh, uh. I need something to pack clothes in for the trip.” She was sure her face was beet red. Damn this red hair.
“Hold on,” he said and disappeared into the room.
She tried to look inside the room but all she could see was the king-size headboard against one wall. She peered in leaning more than she thought so that when he opened the door, she almost fell into him. He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Did you want to come in and look around?” He smirked.
“Why on earth would I do that?”
He grunted. “Here. Use this duffle bag.”
She took the bag from him and turned away from him. The door closed behind her. Did she want to go in and look around? Pffft. Of course she did! Although, she’d never admit that to him or he’d think she was attracted to him—which she was. It was hard to comprehend how attracted she was to him but afraid to let him know. The man was way out of her league. She had a feeling she’d just disappoint him in the sex department. She liked sex but the few men she’d been with hadn’t exactly rocked her world. Roark Callahan could probably rock her universe.
Returning to her room, she sat on the edge of the bed and toed her shoes off then stood and undressed. After pulling on her lounge pants and a spaghetti strap tank T-shirt, she crawled between the sheets and closed her eyes.
ROARK CLASPED HIS HANDS behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. He had to be out of his damn mind to take her with him tomorrow. He was sure he’d get more done without her distracting him. Fuck! There was no doubt he wanted her so the best thing to do was stay the hell away from her. He also knew he had to let her follow him around to get her story or she’d lose her job. Earl was a big enough ass to do it too. Roark couldn’t let that happen. If she lost her job because he didn’t want her with him, he’d be the ass.
No matter how much he wanted her, he couldn’t let that happen either. He’d just have to control himself around her. Easier said than done. His damn dick wanted to grow anytime he was around her. When he’d found her sitting on the porch earlier just enjoying the sunset, he’d had to sit down or embarrass himself. Her watching the sunset shouldn’t have turned him on, but it had. The expression on her face had been one of awe at the sight and he’d never seen a woman look more beautiful.
He was no saint when it came to women. He’d always enjoyed as many as he could. Buckle bunnies had always surrounded him at every rodeo. Whether he’d won or lost. They wanted to either celebrate the win with him or console him in a loss. However, he never wanted them when he lost. He wanted to move on from the disappointment and the best way to do that was to go home and work the ranch. He raised bulls bred for the rodeo and that was how he intended to spend his retirement. They were registered rodeo bulls, and in high demand. Not that he needed the money. His family was beyond rich but he liked making his own money.
Roark rolled to his side and looked toward the window. The moon lit up the yard at the back of the house. He yawned and closed his eyes needing to sleep. Five o’clock was going to come way too soon. Snowy jumped up on the bed and lay by his feet. They both needed to sleep.
The next morning, he rolled out of bed in the dark, dressed, then opened his door and walked across the hall to knock on Priscilla’s door. When there was no answer, he pounded on the door.
“Priscilla? Time to get up,” he called out.
The door creaked opened. She looked at him with a scowl on her beautiful face, her still slee
p-filled eyes squinting against the light from his room making him grin.
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to see what I do on the ranch.”
“This is ridiculous. Why does it have to start while it’s still dark?”
“Because this is a working ranch, and daylight’s wasting. If you don’t want to go, maybe you should call Earl and tell him why.”
“I’d rather eat dirt.”
Roark laughed. “That unpleasant, huh?”
“You’ve met Earl so you can’t be surprised.”
“True. We gotta get moving. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” Roark walked away, entered the kitchen, and made himself a cup of coffee. He was leaning against the counter sipping his coffee when she entered the kitchen, dragging and still scowling. “Get yourself some coffee. Where’s your duffle bag?”
“There.” She jerked her chin toward the doorway before elbowing him aside to get at the coffee.
“I’ll carry it out. My stuff is already outside. I need to saddle the horses anyway.” After placing his cup in the sink, he put his hat on his head, picked up her duffle bag, and walked out the door. Outside, he dropped her bag by the steps, breathed in the cool fresh early morning air, and strode to the barn.
Once inside, he turned the lights on and walked down the center aisle to his horse’s stall. The Appaloosa stuck his head over the gate and nibbled on Roark’s shirtsleeve.
“Hey, Apache...ready to take some cattle up to the north pasture?” Roark rubbed the horse’s soft nose. He gave the animal some food before moving away to get the tack from the storage room. He’d saddle Apache first then saddle Dazzle, a gentle Paint, for Priscilla.
After saddling the horses, he led them and a packhorse from the barn to see Priscilla sitting on the top step of the porch looking anything but pleased about going. He dipped his head down so she wouldn’t see his grin. When he raised his head, she was glaring at him. Well, so much for her not seeing.
A Cowboy of Her Own Page 4