She leaned forward and rubbed Delta’s neck and Chase paused for a minute watching her. She turned her head and studied him. “What were you about to say?”
He laughed. “To be honest, I got distracted and completely forgot.”
Amber’s stomach felt suddenly bottomless and her pulse accelerated. “Flirting will get you nowhere, Mr. Hartley.”
His dazzling eyes held hers and her pulse kicked into high gear.
As if reading her mind his tempting smile widened. “You sure are sure of yourself. What happened to the adventure part?”
“That kind of adventure is not what I’m looking for—” but she was suddenly thinking about how his kiss would feel. “Um…learning to ride a horse without breaking any bones is a good start. But I doubt I’m up for riding a bull or anything but maybe I can go watch y’all work the cattle or something. Sadie said it was actually fun.”
His forehead crinkled. “I’m not sure getting hot and sweaty would be classified as fun but we’ll sure get you out there.”
Amber’s stomach tilted and the air seemed very humid. “Oh, fun,” she said then nudged Delta and got to moving. This conversation had become way too distracting.
Yes she’d decided to look at this as an adventure but falling for this handsome cowboy was not part of the adventure. And Amber had a feeling that if she wasn’t careful that might happen. Which was something she’d never thought would happen.
“You ride good for a beginner,” Chase told Amber after they’d ridden in silence for several minutes.
“Thanks. I’m actually enjoying it. It’s kind of inspiring.”
“Well I think so. But how do you mean?”
She colored a little. “I sometimes try to write children’s books. And well, I was just thinking about a story I started a long time ago. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I thought of that story.”
This was a surprising twist to her personality. They had been riding beside the stream and he decided this was a good place to let the horses take a drink. “So write it,” he said, halting Nugget and dismounting. He strode over to her. “Let’s let the horses take a break. And I want to hear about the abuse hotline gal who wants to write children’s stories.”
“That sounds good. This is a gorgeous place.” She started to dismount and he placed his hands around her waist and lifted her to the ground. After all the trouble she’d had maneuvering herself into the saddle he didn’t want her falling while trying to dismount for the first time.
“Oh,” she said when he surprised her by the move. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked a little embarrassed as he placed her on the ground. Only problem then was he didn’t want to let go of her.
“I think horseback riding agrees with you,” he said softly. Fighting every cell in his body crying out to kiss her. Just like a school room full of unruly children he struggled to get control. His heart was throwing a ruckus as he dropped his hands to his side and took a step back. Amber was watching him and probably wondering what in the tar he was doing.
It couldn’t be helped though it was getting harder and harder to move away from her whenever he made the mistake of getting too close.
“There’s a pretty spot up there with some shade.” He turned and pulled a couple of bottles of water from his saddle bag and handed one to Amber. Her fingers touched his and sent shards of warmth exploding through him and instant thoughts of kisses and romantic sunsets.
Her breath caught softly as if she felt it too. Without saying anything she unscrewed the top and took a couple of quick gulps. Then she turned and marched toward the area he’d indicated.
He followed her and tried to talk some sense into himself. This woman he’d just met would be leaving here when the police department gave her the green light. He wasn’t leaving and so this overwhelming attraction didn’t make sense. No sense at all.
And yet he was having no luck talking sense into himself by the time they reached the rocks that were large enough to sit on and listen to the gurgling stream.
“So tell me how you got into crisis work? And where this forgotten dream of writing children’s book fits into the pages of your life.”
“Bullies. I hate bullies and was always heading in this direction from the first day I saw a boy picking on a girl at school. I smacked him in the nose with my fist and it begun from there.”
“You smacked a guy in the nose?” He laughed. “I’m getting a mental picture of you doing that.”
“I did it alright and spent the afternoon in detention. It was worth it. That girl went on to date guys in school who treated her badly and it killed me.”
“You have a kind heart.”
She shrugged. “I do but I just want to make people aware. To stop as many children as possible to not have to go through a hard life of abuse and abandonment.”
His instincts went on alert. “Is there something about that scenario that applies to you?” He thought of her mother and the successful, strong business woman she appeared to be.
Amber studied him. “No one has ever asked me that question.”
He saw a vulnerable look pass over her before she pushed her shoulders back and inhaled deeply as if resetting her emotions.
“My mom was abused by my dad. Strangely enough she loved him and begged him to get help so he could be in our lives. In my life. She’s always maintained that he was a good man but that he’d come home from the war tormented. Of course I loved him, and didn’t understand the times he hurt Mom. But rather than get help or continue to harm us, he abandoned us. So there lies my infatuation with helping women in need. My mother nearly died from what my dad did to her before he left.” She ran a finger along a ridge in the rock edge. Then lifted her gaze to his. “I’m a mixed up cookie.”
He couldn’t help himself as he gently laid his hand over hers. “You’re an amazing woman, cookie whatever you choose to call yourself. You’re truly something good. And now you have someone’s angry boyfriend threatening you and stalking you. Do you ever think about getting out of that line of work? Maybe write that book.”
“Why would I, I love what I do. And I know that I’ve saved lives through my work. Besides, I shelved the idea of the book years ago. I don’t have time to write it and it’s hard to sell to the children’s market. Besides, I’ve never found an idea that seems good enough.”
He squeezed her hand and pulled his away not wanting her to have to pull hers away or make her feel uncomfortable. But he’d rather have pulled her into his arms and taken the pain away that he’d glimpsed in her eyes. “For your own safety is one reason you might consider giving it up.”
“I’m careful and contrary to what you may have heard, I don’t get stalked every week. This is an unusual case.”
“But it’s happened before?”
“Yes. Look, I came out here to ride today. Not talk about this. Okay.” She stood up and he did to.
“I’m just concerned for you, Amber.”
“I’m used to looking out for myself, Chase. And I can take care of myself. I also know self-defense.”
He lifted his hand to run a thumb along her cheek. “Maybe it’s time you let someone else in.”
“Maybe,” she managed. “But that’s not as easy as it sounds. Not for me. I’ve been defending myself since I was a kid.”
“But you’re not a kid dealing with kids anymore. This is a man.”
“I’m stronger and well trained. You can’t talk me into being scared. I refuse to be.”
His brows met as he tensed. “Now that’s just—” he bit back what he’d wanted to say. There was absolutely no reason for him to alienate her because he didn’t agree with her line of thinking. It took everything he had not to finish saying her idea was ridiculous. That wasn’t exactly the way to get her to cooperate with him. “You’re a stubborn woman but you’re also smart. So please don’t do anything…ah, stupid.”
She cocked her head to the side and hiked a brow. “I’m not planning to.”
He was overcome by the need to protect her. And he had to remind himself that maybe he didn’t need to do anything stupid.
But as tensed up as he was feeling that might be harder to do than one would expect.
So the adventure had taken a detour during the horse ride. Chase had caressed her cheek and she’d thought he was going to kiss her.
And she’d wanted him to.
But she wasn’t giving into that temptation and his overprotectiveness had helped her keep her head on straight. Yes there was a part of her that longed to have someone to rely on but then there was that side of her that couldn’t let her guard down long enough to do that. If she let her guard down she could be hurt. That knowledge was enough to keep her firmly on her side of the boundary line.
They’d silently backed off from their stance and had ridden horses for another couple of hours and she’d really enjoyed it. The ranch was pretty and to her surprise she liked riding.
As they rode into the yard she could see Ty working with a young horse inside the arena. Chase saw her watching him and they paused and sat on their horses for a few minutes watching.
“That’s a colt he’s getting ready to train to be a cutting horse.”
Ty looked at ease and in command as he held a rope tied to the colt's halter and let the colt trot in a circle around him. After a few minutes she followed Chase to the barn and they dismounted.
“You want to brush Delta down? I can do it if you’re ready to go in.”
“I’d love to. Just show me what to do.”
He removed the saddle and then handed her a brush from a bucket next to the stalls.
“Just long smooth motions,” he said, demonstrating his technique. Amber watched his shoulders bunch with each movement and the gentleness he used as he took care of the horse. This was a man who might be overprotective but he would never harm a woman. He was a good man. She forced herself to focus on the horse and not his movements. She copied what he was doing as she ran the brush over Delta.
But despite their disagreement that morning, she had enjoyed every moment she’d spent with Chase.
But that did not mean she was going to be stuck in Mule Hollow for up to a month and have an escort everywhere she went…and that was going to have to be made clear pretty soon.
But right now, she was enjoying the view far too much.
“You’re doing good. Delta is enjoying it.”
Her knees wobbled when he smiled at her. She reminded herself that she was not wanting or needing to be attracted to him. To a cowboy. It would only complicate things and wasn’t her life already complicated enough?
The afternoon sun filtered through the windows of the barn and seemed to suddenly shift so that he was illuminated in the sunbeam. The air in the stables just evaporated. Poof, Amber was completely breathless.
She had never been more attracted to a man in her entire life…
Chapter Eight
Chase had been fighting frustrations all morning. He’d started out thinking about kissing Amber and now he was about to bust with the need to hold her. And she was looking at him as if she felt the same way…which was confusing because he knew that being attracted to him was not on her bucket list.
But at the moment she was the only thing on his bucket list…or on any list.
Heaven help him the look in her eyes broke him. He stepped forward and before he could talk himself into some good sense, he’d slipped his hand around the nape of her neck, then lowered his lips to hers. He wasn’t thinking…
Wasn’t analyzing.
Wasn’t anything…just kissing Amber.
That was all that mattered.
The plan—well there was no plan—but his intent had been to just brush a quick kiss across her lips. A quick kiss to satisfy the internal force driving him…but she sighed...
And he lost it.
He’d moved his lips across hers feeling the response as she’d moved to meet him with her own kiss. Instantly his hands had moved to tangle in the thick strands of her hair and he felt as if Amber had been all that he’d ever been waiting for. All that he’d ever wanted. He deepened the kiss wanting to be as close to her as he could get.
She was small and he had to dip slightly to hold her closer, she reacted by placing her arms around his neck and instantly she fit against him like she’d been made for him.
Her heart pounded against his and for a moment time for Chase was lost.
Delta’s soft nicker broke the moment and Chase pulled away, as the world kept spinning and Dalton strode into the barn.
“Oh, hey…” he stopped short and grinned as he looked from Chase to Amber. “Sorry to bust in on y’all. I was just going to say that it’s my turn to cook tonight and I wanted to see if burgers on the grill worked for y’all?” He chuckled. “It’s a mighty nice evening out. Supposed to be a full moon I think.”
Chase wanted to whip himself for embarrassing Amber like this. He scowled at Dalton then glanced at Amber, she looked a little dazed—no more than he felt.
She shot him a glare. “Dalton fix whatever you feel like. I’m perfectly fine with anything.”
And then she walked out of the barn without a glance in Chase’s direction.
“So, you and Amber. I was wondering.” Dalton leaned against a stall.
Chase was not going to discuss Amber with anyone. “I like her,” was all he was going to say.
“No law against that. She’s a beautiful woman. And you’re about due a little time in the relationship department.”
He went back to brushing Nugget down. “If you’re just going to stand over there butting into my business then pick up a brush and finish grooming Delta.”
Dalton picked up the brush and took over where Amber had left off. “I noticed how you were looking at her at the wedding. I suspected this was going to happen. And of course I noticed the posse birds eying you too. So I figure you better get prepared. This is going to get interesting—especially once they figure out there’s a possibility.”
“Dalton, I just kissed her okay, and the posse isn’t going to know that unless you go telling them. So, I’m warning you not to embarrass Amber any more than she already is.”
Dalton scowled. “My friend, you are delusional if you think those ladies aren’t going to know. I suggest you start wearing sunshades when you and Amber are within any visual distance of each other because even then, those ladies will know. Heck, I figured at the wedding it was only a matter of time.”
Chase finished brushing Nugget and let the horse out into the pen next to the barn and tried to get hold of his temper. When he turned back to Dalton he pinned his partner with a glare. “It was a kiss. Just a kiss.”
Dalton grinned as he dropped the brush in the bin. “You keep telling yourself that. But I’ve never seen this side of you before. It’s plum entertaining.”
He strode past Chase and headed out of the barn chuckling all the way.
Friends. Sometimes it didn’t pay to have them.
Truth was Dalton had his number and he knew it.
There was no way on earth that that kiss would ever be classified as “just a kiss”.
That kiss…had rocked his world.
After the kiss of a lifetime. Forever more known to Amber as “the kiss” she’d managed to make it through the evening with Chase and his partners…she’d been so grateful when Maddie and Cliff had shown up to join them. They were all preparing for a big bull and cattle sale happening the next day.
Having another female in the group to have a conversation with had helped ease some of Amber’s tension as she’d focused most of her attention on talking to Maddie. Oddly, Chase seemed to not be bothered in the least about the kiss or the fact that Dalton had caught them smooching in the barn like teenagers.
Maybe it was the fact that he and the others were discussing the busy day ahead and he was intent and focused on all that would go on. But if his actions were any indication at all it was as though nothing had happene
d on the horse ride or in that barn.
Not that it mattered…okay it mattered. It mattered a lot because as much as she hated this had happened with a cowboy who lived in the country the undeniable fact was that Amber had never, ever felt a toe curling, heart pounding kiss like that before.
It had felt like…more.
Like her very heart would ache forever if he stopped.
How could that be?
Just thinking about it made her skin tingle and her gaze swept the area in search of Chase. She’d known him for such a short time and yet it was as if that kiss had connected with her heart…and that was the stunning part—Amber didn’t open her heart easily.
It could not happen again and that she knew for certain. They as a couple didn’t make sense. Him here having chosen this life and her there in the city she loved.
No sense at all.
“Earth to Amber,” Maddie said, drawing Amber’s thoughts back from the land of “the kiss”.
“Oh, sorry. What were you saying?” Amber asked realizing she’d been lost in her own thoughts.
“I said, it’s going to be a busy day. There will be buyers from all over arriving with the intent of buying our commercial heifers and bidding on the bulls we’ve raised.”
Amber focused on the needs of the ranch and not her own situation. “What can I do to help?”
Maddie thought for a moment. “If you want to help with registration in the morning that would be great. And though I’ll be helping with penning and sorting after registration Chase will be running the books and the lineup…in short he’ll be ramrodding the thing. So maybe you could be his assistant.”
Amber groaned silently. Of course he would need an assistant. And of course that would be her. Just peachy. “What do I need to do,” she asked and tried not to let her ill temper seep out.
“You just hang close to him and if he needs something then you get it for him so he can field all the questions that are going to come his way. There is an unbelievable amount of paperwork keeping a sale running smoothly. And though Chase is a master organizer he might need a hand during this. It’s our first major sale since CC passed away and the truth is we’re all a bit nervous.”
Chase: (Contemporary Western Romance) (New Horizon Ranch Mule Hollow Book 3) Page 5