Breaking the Cowboy's Rules (Wildhorse Ranch Brothers Book 1)

by Leslie North

  "I love you too," she managed to choke out. Of all the places she had dreamed of confessing the depths of her feelings for Trevor Wild, she had never imagined it would be in front of a pawn shop—but in that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care about the circumstances. The home, the man, she had longed for, were hers.

  She clung to him as long as he allowed. When he eventually gave a polite cough, she drew back and wiped her eyes roughly. Trevor's handsome face flexed in a smile, and his dark gaze fixed her with such affection that it left Sabrina feeling winded. She sat down in the open bed of the truck beside the saddle. In the next instant, she was reaching to stall Trevor as he wrapped his arms around the saddle, but he shrugged her off gently and hauled it up against his chest.

  "Let me do this, Sabrina," he murmured. "Then let me take you down the street and buy you a coffee."

  "All right," she conceded. She watched him disappear inside the pawn shop. Moments later, he came back out with a substantive wad of cash. He stowed it in his wallet and presented her with the gravest thumbs-up she had ever seen. Sabrina gave a short laugh despite herself and wiped her eyes again for good measure. She let her rescue rider lift her down off the back of the truck and kiss her.

  "Can I ask one thing from you?" he inquired as he pulled away. She nodded. Anything, she thought as she gazed up at him in adoration. "I want to hang that star of yours off the rearview mirror of the pickup," he said. He walked around to the passenger side of his truck and pulled open the door for her. "Think that's something we can agree on?"

  "Agreed," she said as she climbed in.

  "How'd you get down here, anyway?" Trevor asked as he folded himself behind the wheel. "Pete's truck was still in the driveway when I left."

  "Uber," Sabrina said. His dark brows drew together, and she gesticulated to her smartphone. "Lockhart Bend has all of one driver in operation. Guess I got lucky."

  "I don't know what the hell that is," Trevor replied. Sabrina glanced at him sharply to see if he was joking, but his stone-faced demeanor betrayed nothing. He put the truck in reverse and angled them back out into the road.

  "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," she replied. "Otherwise I might have to rethink falling for such a stubborn, backwoods, averse-to-change hunk in a—"

  But the very cowboy hat that she had been about to deride came off that very same instant, and Trevor swooped in to capture her smart mouth in his. Sabrina gave a half-muffled laugh of delight and grabbed hold of his square, rough face to keep him from retreating. Not even the changing stoplight could stop his surprising show of affection, and Sabrina… thanked her lucky star that she had finally found a home to call her own.

  11

  Trevor

  Trevor stared across the ring watching as the Glamper guests stared enthralled at Pete working with Tex. While Pete was a slow talker, his speech had become exaggerated as the guests seemed to glom onto his every word.

  “Now, don’t you mind Tex here none, he can be downright frisky if you give him too much rein….”

  Pete’s voice blurred as he felt someone walk up to join him. Thinking it was Sabrina, he turned to her with a smile only to have it freeze on his face.

  “Marcy.” He tipped his hat to her before turning back to concentrate on Pete.

  “You’ve been avoiding me, Trevor,” she told him as she rested one foot on the fence in front of them. “If I didn’t know better, I might think you didn’t want to speak to me.”

  Sighing loudly, he slapped his work gloves against his jeans. “You’re right. I have. Nothing much to say.”

  Nodding her head, she also watched Pete, not saying anything. They both turned their heads when they heard Sabrina’s cheerful voice directing the guests toward the next activity as they all excitedly followed her.

  “I think you’re missing out on arts and crafts or something. I heard she has two bedazzlers.”

  Marcy’s loud laugh broke the ice that had grown between them. Reaching out, she squeezed his arm before turning to walk away. Stopping, she turned back around.

  “You did good here.”

  Tipping his head, he agreed with her. “I did.”

  “And Sabrina? She seems nice.”

  “She is.”

  “Maybe a bit…spontaneous.”

  Trevor couldn’t hide the grimace. “That she is.”

  Marcy laughed again. “It’s good to see you’re finally stepping out of that rigid box you put yourself in. You’re doing a good thing, Trevor. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

  She didn’t wait for his answer as she turned and followed the others to the barn.

  “Was that Marcy?” a voice said from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he adjusted his hat as his brother joined him. “What’s she doing here?”

  “She’s here for the glamper experience,” he said, tapping his gloves on his jeans.

  “Damn, okay. And what does Sabrina think about it?” Trent asked him.

  Trevor shrugged. “She hasn’t said anything or been acting any different, so I guess things are okay.”

  “You guess….”

  “You here for anything special, Sheriff Wild?” Trevor was not in the mood to talk about his current girlfriend or his ex with his brother.

  “You heard from Charlie or Pam lately?”

  “Not since the holidays. Why, what’s going on? Is everything okay?” While Trevor wasn’t that close to his half-brother, he still tried to keep up with how he was doing but lately, he’d been so busy.

  “He’s been injured. Torn ACL or something. Looks like our little brother might be coming home for a bit while he recuperates,” Trent told him.

  “Oh damn.” Before Trevor could say anything else, Trent’s radio crackled. Turning, he stepped away to answer the call.

  “I gotta go. Problem in town. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate that and I’ll try calling Pam.”

  “You do that.” As Trent walked back toward his car, he called out. “You done good here. Granddad would be proud.”

  Trevor wasn’t sure what to say, so he raised his hand in acknowledgement. That was the second person to say that.

  Walking toward the barn, he peeked in on the guests who were happily mucking out stalls and laying out fresh straw for the horses.

  He was about to comment that this wasn’t on the list of approved activities when he felt Sabrina’s hand on his waist. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her tight against him.

  “What’s all this?” he asked her.

  “Maybe you should talk to Pete about that. He was commenting about how much work he still had to do today and how much he wished he had more time to spend with the guests. They immediately volunteered to help him with his chores. That man is a master manipulator. I think I need to take lessons,” Sabrina told him as she laughed. “I swear he has them wrapped around his little finger. Even Marcy agreed to help and she should know better.”

  Trevor coughed out a laugh as some of the guests turned to look at them. Tipping his hat, he tugged Sabrina into one of the clean stalls and shut the door.

  “Trevor, what are you doing?” she hissed. “Not in front of the guests.”

  “What? Can’t a man spend a bit of time with his favorite filly?” he teased.

  “Oh, you so did not just compare me to a horse,” she whispered back.

  The look of shock and anger on her face was too much and his face broke out in a wide grin. Pulling his hat off, he tossed it on a hay bale before pulling her close.

  Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head before tilting her chin up to kiss her lightly.

  “You are doing a fantastic job and I can’t thank you enough. Because of you, Wildhorse Ranch will flourish.”

  Sabrina opened and closed her mouth, unsure what to say and only stopped when he kissed her. When they surfaced for air, she pushed back from his chest.

  “I should go see how the guests are doing b
efore Pete has them fixing fences,” she told him. As she opened the door, she stopped. “You really think so?”

  “I do.”

  He could see the look of pride come across her face.

  “You know, you’re a very lucky man.”

  Trevor knew why he was lucky but he was curious what she thought. “Oh, how’s that?”

  “You have an awesome girlfriend who loves you.” Walking through the door, she called down to the guests. “Who wants to bedazzle a horseshoe?” she called out.

  Laughing, Trevor reached to pick up his hat and set it back on his head. “Yep. I am a very lucky man.”

  Epilogue

  Trevor

  Trevor paused in his work to wipe the sweat from his brow.

  He could afford to take a break from his chores, he decided. The old barn wasn't going to clean itself, but he needed to refuel. He pulled his gloves off and crossed to the old coffee maker he had unearthed earlier. A few rinses with hot water and soap, and he had felt adventurous enough to actually try and use it out there in the barn, and he was not disappointed. It worked like a charm, and he wondered idly what Sabrina would have to say about his salvaging it when she returned from town.

  Trevor poured himself a refill of the robust black brew, stirred in a sugar cube for the hell of it, and leaned against the barn door with a sigh of contentment. Only when he was alone like this could he truly take it all in. He watched the white morning mist receding slowly from the pastures, watched the horses grazing quietly on the dew-freshened grass.

  He saw the cloud of dirt billowing up from the road before he saw the ranch's pickup. He watched as Sabrina made the turn into Wildhorse and slowed as she came up on the barn. She hung out the window, grinning from ear-to-ear.

  "Morning, cowboy!" she shouted.

  Trevor detached from the doorway to come out and meet her, his own smile tucking up one corner of his face. "You're gettin' real handy with driving that thing." He nodded toward the truck. Sabrina leaned out further, looking radiant enough to outshine the Texas sun, and the rancher bent to press a welcoming kiss to her lips.

  "Don't be mad," she preempted as he drew away. Trevor raised an eyebrow in amusement.

  "Mrs. Miller treat you okay?"

  Grimacing. “No, she’s still mad about the beds. Ever since Mr. Miller found out how much I was willing to pay for them, he’s been doing his best to sell off as much as he can to me at a tidy profit. I think they both still see me as some sort of city girl who doesn’t know a copper bowl from a tin box. Thankfully, I have a trick or two up my sleeve and I’m still getting good deals from them.”

  “Well you’re doing everyone a good service even getting the Millers to let you on the property let alone buy anything. I still can’t believe you talked her out of pressing charges.”

  “I know. Mrs. Miller went out and bought a new padlock for one of the barns and won’t give her husband the key. I’m dying to find out what she has hidden in there,” she said with a laugh.

  Sabrina popped open the door and stepped down from the cab. "What have you been working on all morning? You never told me why you were clearing out this old barn. You know our next batch of glampers is scheduled to show up tomorrow, and you're bound to get one or two of them walking through here by accident. What's the big secret?"

  "Come and see." Trevor wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders and guided her over to the entrance. Sabrina peeked inside and whistled. He took a certain amount of pride in that whistle—he had been so busy moving and sorting stuff all morning that he had developed a kind of tunnel vision. Now Sabrina's appreciation of his effort made it all worthwhile and helped him see all he’d accomplished.

  "Think it'd make a good workshop?" he asked her.

  "Workshop? For what?" she inquired.

  "For you." He pulled her in against his side, knocking hips as he casually raised his coffee to his lips. "Surprise," he added.

  Sabrina threw her arms around his neck unexpectedly, and Trevor nearly dropped his coffee. "Careful!" he laughed. As Sabrina hugged him fiercely, he thought he could feel a wet patch starting to form in his shirt. She drew away quickly and wiped her eyes.

  "Sorry. It's just that…wow." She laughed to try to make light of her emotional response to his gesture. "I can't believe you're finally embracing this whole upcycling thing."

  "I wouldn't call it exactly 'embracing' it," Trevor said. "But I figured if you're going to be sticking around here for a while, I might as well give you your own space to work out of. It will cut back on the junk piling up on the lawn, anyway."

  "Oh, I plan on sticking around as long as you'll have me, Mr. Wild," she agreed. She rested her chin on his chest and gazed up at him. "No more coordinating new glamping programs and cutting out as soon as they're off the ground. My nomad days are far behind me. I intend to make sure this program in particular grows and thrives. And…"

  Sabrina ducked her head away a little and blushed as she summoned the words. Trevor waited for her, ever patient, even as his heart hitched in anticipation.

  "And I intend to make Wildhorse my home. If you'll agree to have me."

  "No compromise needed on that front," he replied. When she glanced up curiously at his gruff tone, Trevor ensnared her in a surprise kiss. He felt her muffled sigh of contentment as she relaxed in his one-armed embrace. His neglected cup of coffee was probably growing cold by the second, but there was nothing he would rather taste on a Saturday morning than the woman he loved.

  "Speaking of surprises…" Sabrina pulled away and headed back to the truck. "I picked something up for you in town."

  Trevor watched her climb up onto the bed of the truck. He took a long sip from his mug. He hadn't had enough coffee yet to feel real apprehension at what she was about to show him. When he saw her struggling with something heavy, he quickly set his mug aside and jogged over to help. He had just hauled himself up after her when he saw what she was attempting to lift on her own. He froze in astonishment.

  "You…" He couldn't find the words.

  Sabrina straightened triumphantly and tucked a loose lock of blonde hair behind one ear. "Didn't think you'd like my surprise, did you?" she said with a laugh.

  She stood over nothing other than his father's saddle—the one he had pawned and given up for lost weeks ago. The leather was freshly polished, and there wasn't a cinch or stirrup out of place. It looked better than he remembered.

  "How did you…?" He trailed off in disbelief.

  "I haven't only been going to the flea market every weekend to spend money," she explained. "I've been selling a lot of the stuff I've upcycled. I managed to sweet-talk the guy at the pawn shop to hold on to your dad's saddle until I could come up with the money." She waggled her eyebrows. "Surprised?

  Trevor didn't know what to say. He didn't think there were words in the English language to convey how touched he was by her gesture. When was the last time he had asked anything of anyone? When was the last time anyone had gone out of their way to do a thing like this for him?

  Sabrina bent and managed to lift the saddle into her arms all on her own. She grinned as she presented it to him. "What do you think? Want to take a break and go for a ride with me?" she asked.

  He hadn't budgeted time for a ride in his weekend schedule. But Trevor knew his commitment to routine had transformed into a commitment to something—or someone—else. Routine, it turned out, wasn't any damn fun without someone around to challenge him to break out of it.

  Trevor pulled the saddle out of her hands and grinned. "You're on."

  End of Breaking The Cowboy’s Rules

  Wildhorse Ranch Brothers Book One

  PLUS: Do you love billionaire playboys, cowgirls and intense attraction? Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt from Leslie North’s bestselling novel, Secret Billionaire's Stubborn Cowgirl, Book One of The Secret Billionaires Series.

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  BLURB

  Zach Collins needed a break from the stress of his billion-dollar business and the stream of women eager to get their hands on his money. But when he set his sights on a simple country farm, he wasn’t prepared to be working side by side with a firecracker like Lucy Ennis. She’s stubborn, spirited and undeniably sexy, but as time goes by Zach can tell that her smiling eyes are hiding something. And while he’s not willing to share his own secret, he’s determined to unravel hers.

  Lucy Ennis works hard to make ends meet. With a mountain of gambling debt left by her dead father and her mother in a nursing home she doesn’t need any more trouble. So when she loses her job, she jumps at the chance to work at a farm being leased by a handsome stranger. With a Stetson hat atop bright blue eyes and chiseled abs, the man certainly comes in a sexy package, but he’s also arrogant, inflexible, and doesn’t seem to know much about farming. Despite her own problems piling up, Lucy can’t help being drawn to the mystery man.

  But as the intensity of their attraction grows, any chance at real happiness seems impossible when Zach continues to hide the truth and Lucy’s shady past poses a very real threat.

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