Something inside me seized up and I squeezed my knees together harder. Oh God, now he’s flirting with me. It was obvious but not sleazy, with just the right amount of confidence behind it.
I gave him a lopsided smile, pretending that I had his number, when really, he had mine. “Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you, cowboy?” I teased him, and he flashed that grin again.
“Just being upfront about my interest.” His gaze slid over me once, and I felt it like a hand smoothing down my back. “Up to you whether you do the same.”
I licked my lips. It was fifteen minutes after I had met him face-to-face, I was halfway through exactly one beer, and if he had leaned over and kissed me right, then I would have melted in his arms. I was definitely interested. There was no point in being shy about it.
But I was anyway, the reminder that I had just met him and that people were out to hurt me pounding away in my head. I swallowed.
“Duly noted…for when we know each other a little better.” That got me another of those big, wide, country-boy smiles, and my stomach fluttered.
“So what about you?” he asked casually, and I realized I had mostly just asked him questions and listened to him talk. I had been too rapt the whole time to realize it until now.
“I’m in advertising. I own my own company in Austin. I’m actually on a working vacation from there right now.” I didn’t see any reason to lie about the reasons for my presence there. I decided, however, to leave out the attempt on my life.
“Oh really? I don’t follow big business much,” he admitted. “I hope that doesn’t make me sound ignorant.”
My smile widened and I had to take another swallow of beer to pull myself together from another sudden rush of warmth. “You don’t sound ignorant at all. You just have other priorities. I would, too, if I lived out here.”
“You’re so damn sweet,” he said, chuckling, and my mouth went dry again instantly.
This is excruciating. I wanted to touch him more than I had any man since I had hit my teens.
“I always really wanted to own and run a ranch, though,” I admitted wistfully. “That’s one of two big reasons why I’m out here.”
“That and the working vacation, right? What prompted that?” He seemed genuinely curious.
“I just wanted to get away from the office for a while. I still have to work to some extent, but my staff got worried I was getting burned out. I usually pull fourteen-hour days.” I shrugged and smiled awkwardly at his stunned look.
“And I thought that I worked hard,” he muttered, looking at me so admiringly that I blushed. “I can kinda see what they were worried about, though you look as fresh as a rose petal to me.”
I fought down a goofy smile. “I did get in a nap first thing,” I admitted.
“Well, either it worked miracles, or even sleep can’t do much to gild a lily.” He winked, and my toes curled so hard that one of them made a knuckle-popping noise.
“I…” I swallowed and looked away. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I think I’m out of practice at flirting.”
“Don’t go feeling like you need to work too hard,” he reassured in a low, purring voice. “I’m already interested.”
…Damn. Suddenly I was irrationally glad that I had been driven away from my home and work and forced to take a vacation. I had never even imagined that my time at the ranch would involve a hot guy practically falling into my lap.
But I wasn’t about to look a gift Clydesdale in the mouth.
“So, I know you got the nickel tour of this ranch from the owner, but if you want a real look around the area, I know it like the back of my hand. We could rent you one of their horses quick and—” He paused, blinking, as my cheeks got very hot. “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”
“I uh…” Crap. For all my ambitions, I was really missing some of the skills a rancher would need. “I’m sorry, I’ve just never ridden before.”
He flashed a smile in response, completely unfazed. “Oh that? That’s fine, if you want I can give you a lesson tomorrow.”
My eyebrows went up slowly as the prickling left my cheeks. “That sounds awesome. What time?”
He thought on it briefly. “Morning chores should be done around ten, so I’ll meet you here at ten thirty. We’ll go riding for a while until you get the hang of it, then do it again the next day if you’d like.”
“What about in the meantime?” I had to admit it to myself—I didn’t want him to leave.
He flashed a grin. “Come over and I’ll drive you around my ranch. It’s not that long a walk.”
Actually it was a mile and a half in the heat. He took it whistling, now and again taking off his hat to let his head cool down. His hair stuck up in spikes every time he did it, and he smoothed it down absently, as if from long habit. Watching his hand slide through his hair sent a tiny jolt through me every time.
Did he have any idea how hot he was? He had the confidence of someone who did, but everything he did—every graceful gesture, every hip-shot pose, the jeans that flexed with his muscular thighs—was perfectly suited to get me even hotter under the collar over him than I already was.
“So, how long is your working vacation?” he asked as we walked the last dusty stretch toward the front door of his small farmhouse.
“That depends on what happens in the next few weeks. I’m buying a house, and I don’t really want to return until it’s handled and ready to move into.”
He didn’t need to know about the unstable men after me, or how close one of them had gotten to doing me real harm. Nor did he need to know that I was pretty much forced to take the vacation for my own safety.
I would probably have to tell him about Gregory, though. As I looked back toward the ranch I had come from, I caught the gleam of binoculars in the hard sunlight. He was still watching over me, while making himself scarce. I appreciated it.
I just hoped that Dallas would understand why I needed a bodyguard, even out here. I also hoped that Gregory would understand that safety was only one need I had—and one of the others, he couldn’t help me with at all.
But Dallas certainly could. If he was inclined. Which it looked like he was. And that made me all fluttery inside in a way I hadn’t felt since high school.
“Well, then I hope we’ll get plenty of chances to spend time together,” he said with a smile and a wink. “Meanwhile, let’s grab a coupla cold lemonades and take a stroll around.”
We did, and I found myself more and more enchanted. He had a few good breeding horses which were still new enough to the ranch that they shied a little even from him. He had chickens, a pig who spent the entire time napping in a shaded kiddie pool, and a milking cow with her calf. The stock was a bit thin for a working ranch, but when I asked him about it, he simply smiled again.
“Well, that’s because I’m stocking back up after being in the city for a while. I sold everything off, you see, and tried getting some work in entertainment. But a guy really can’t live that way these days. I love the ranch, though. I just needed some time away.” He looked wistful for a moment, as if longing for some remembered better time.
“The truth is, not only have I always wanted to live on a ranch somewhere away from the city, but I’m not even sure sometimes why I still hold out at my firm,” I said thoughtfully as we walked through a stand of cottonwoods down at the bottom of his property.
The ground was muddy there, a trickle of a stream running right through the middle, smelling of minerals. “This comes from the hot spring up the hill on your ranch’s property,” he said as we walked past it. “We should visit it some night once it cools off. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
The idea of spending time in a hot spring, at least half-naked, played havoc with my hormones. Normally the dry heat took it out of me so much that I didn’t even think about sex. But right now?
“Sounds good,” I said, struggling to speak normally and not squeak like an overexcited teen.
He just gave me a dazzlin
g smile. “Guess it’s a date, then. Horses in the morning, hot spring and beer later.”
My throat closed further from excitement and I just nodded, unable to stop smiling.
Chapter 6
Ruth
“I’ve done a sweep of the property and surrounding area,” Gregory told me that night after a quiet supper in the nearly deserted main building. Masterson hadn’t attended, explaining that he ate with guests for lunch but spent breakfast and supper with his family. I could understand his reasons and wondered how things were for him and his family during the cooler, more tourist-friendly seasons. Gregory found the lack of other guests to be “promising for security,” but I felt a little lonely.
“I haven’t identified any potential security risks unless someone gets to Masterson himself with a big enough bribe. With…one exception.” He looked at me steadily…and I felt my heart sink as I realized who he was talking about.
“Your new cowboy friend talked you away from the property pretty damn fast,” he started, and I grimaced.
“Gregory…I appreciate your concern, but—”
He scowled in that way that always made me feel like my dad was mad at me. “This is about more than ‘my concern,’” he replied flatly. “I warned you about behaviors that could endanger you. Running off to another ranch almost a mile away definitely qualifies.”
“But why suspect Dallas?” I said.
“You misunderstand,” he replied solemnly. “I suspect everyone. That is part of my job. The only one I’m not suspicious about right now is you.”
I scrunched my face, thinking. Maybe it was selfish, or stupid, or just my crush talking, but I wanted desperately to trust Dallas. I wanted him to be trustworthy. If he was, I would be happier than I had been with a man in a long time, and safer too. But…
But I barely knew him, and superficial charm was easily cultivated, especially if you were articulate and good-looking. And Gregory, as usual, knew his business, which was why he was the one who got to lecture me right now. Normally behavior like this would have gotten him a stern warning at best.
But not when he was looking out for me, and I damn well knew it.
I looked up at him. “Did you want to do a background check on him or something?”
He nodded. “It would probably be best to do so, just in case. I did so for the owner and everyone who works here. He should not be exempt just because you are interested in him.”
I blushed. “I just met him…”
“Ruth,” he said in such a flat tone that I got even more flustered.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I don’t meet men I click with very often.”
“And normally I wouldn’t stick my nose into your romantic business,” he said. “But the timing on this is too perfect. My gut tells me something’s going on. If it turns out that I’m just being overprotective, I hope you’ll forgive me.”
I gave him a small smile. “Of course I will. Go ahead and check him out. I’m betting you won’t find much of anything.”
“I really hope you’re right.” He took a swallow from his longneck and stepped back from the porch railing he had been leaning on as we watched the sunset. “But it’s absolutely my job to make sure.”
I tried to ignore the stab of apprehension that hit me right then, and nodded again. “I understand.”
“Look,” he said after a long silence and a few more swigs of beer. “I don’t like sticking my nose into situations like this. It’s your business, Ruth, and I know you’re a smart woman. But this isn’t about smart. This is about feelings, and feelings aren’t the same as instincts, and not the same as knowledge. This Dallas guy could be perfectly good. Hell, he could be a gem for all I know. But the guy is also a total stranger, and with total strangers comes a couple of risks.”
I smiled tightly, knowing he was right, knowing he meant well, and certainly knowing he hadn’t planned to kick away my happy glow and drag me right back down to reality. But keeping me safe was his job.
“I understand, Gregory. I just…really, really hope you’re wrong.”
“Me too.”
He looked off into the distance toward Dallas’s farmhouse, which was ablaze with light. I imagined handsome, charming Dallas fixing himself supper with music playing, and maybe a dog at his feet. But that only made me wish I was over there right now—and like Gregory kept saying, I really needed to avoid getting carried away.
Except…I really wanted to get carried away. I wanted to be swept off my feet by a tough and tender cowboy. Dallas fit the bill amazingly well, and either I pulled myself together and got it through my head that there was no such thing as love at first sight, or I would be putting myself at risk. Dammit.
Gregory saw my face and shook his head slightly. “On a personal note, look, I really want you to be with someone and happy, okay? I think we’ve been friends long enough for me to say that.”
I blushed, but nodded. “We are. What about it?”
“Just that,” he replied, tone still very, very gentle. It was like he was talking to one of his kids, and under the circumstances, I didn’t mind at all. “Oh, and the other thing. Off the books, completely personal. If he hurts you, I will kick his cowboy ass so hard my boot will come out of his mouth.”
I couldn’t help it: I laughed. And after a moment, Gregory chuckled too.
“I mean it, though,” he said, and I nodded.
“I don’t think Dallas is anything more than a friendly rancher who sees someone he likes and decides to go for it. I really hope I’m right. But if I’m not, then I’m really, really glad that you have my back.”
He nodded gravely. “Good. I don’t want there to be any resentment between us.”
“I don’t think I could ever resent you for giving a damn,” I said, and he actually smiled a little.
When we finished our impromptu meeting and he went back to his cabin, however, I was left with my thoughts, and they were suddenly…troubled.
It distracted me as I tried to work that night, reading over the first of the two ad campaigns and marking the fortunately small number of corrections and tweaks that it would need. Now and again, I found myself examining the same page over and over while my brain chewed over the situation with my handsome neighbor, and Gregory’s warning.
It was possible that Dallas was a hazard of some kind, as unlikely as it seemed. But I wanted to trust him so very badly, because…I liked him. I wanted to spend time with him. He was going to teach me to ride and then take me to a hot spring.
And I was starved for romance after years without. I couldn’t ignore that fact.
“It’s nothing,” I tried to reassure myself…and after a while, it worked.
I was still very glad, however, that Gregory was looking out for me. Just in case. But he could only protect my safety. He couldn’t protect me from damaged trust or a wounded heart.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t be left in a situation where he got that rubbed in his face.
Chapter 7
Ruth
“That’s good, that’s good. You’re doing just fine, Ruth.” Dallas still had the gigantic gelding by the reins, smiling up at me as I struggled into the saddle. The Clydesdale was about twenty times calmer than Dallas’s new breeding horses, sitting patiently and swiveling his ears back and forth to catch our conversation.
“I have to give this guy some credit,” I said, patting the Clyde’s neck. “He’s incredibly easygoing.”
“Yeah, the bigger the breed, the calmer they are. Which makes sense, if you think about it. A pack of coyotes or something could take down an average horse, but this breed could kill one with one stomp and take on the rest without breaking a sweat. They might have been bred as draft horses, but an essential piece of farm equipment that can defend itself is even better.”
I looked down at the horse—and then at how far I was off the ground. “Yeah. I guess it’s easier to be calm about being ridden when you’re so huge you can barely feel a person on your back, too.”
“So what do you do for fun in the big city?” Dallas asked.
I stopped looking at the horse and looked back at him, feeling that little jolt go through me as our eyes met.
“Besides work my butt off and wish I was out in the country, you mean? Let’s see. Books on tape, music, sci-fi movies—”
“The cheesy ones?” He brightened.
“The cheesier, the better. Ed Wood is my hero.”
He grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind. Meanwhile, let’s get you used to being on him when he’s moving.”
He ended up leading the horse around the paddock the first time, while I got used to hanging on with my legs. It was a little intimidating at first; the horse was huge enough that my legs barely reached the stirrups properly. It was like riding around on a couch.
Eventually, though, the fun and Dallas’s presence started chipping away at the nervousness I felt while clinging to that patient behemoth’s back.
“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” I said, though the insides of my thighs were starting to hurt.
“Don’t get so caught up in it that you don’t listen to what your body’s telling you,” he warned me gently before handing me the reins. “You can end up having so much fun that when you hop off and your legs don’t work, it’s a surprise.”
“I understand.” Problem was, listening to what my body was telling me around Dallas was a very…complicated proposition. It didn’t make it easier to monitor whether my legs were getting tired around the horse’s broad girth.
Instead, it distracted me with thoughts of him. His sunny, musky smell, the blue of his eyes, that perfect smile that practically blinded me. His big, strong body, his smooth skin, the way his black hair caught the light like something polished. The fluttery sensation deep in my stomach distracted me—so much that I only realized I was steering the horse around the paddock alone when Dallas started walking ahead of me, empty-handed and smiling.
“Oh…oh. I’m doing it!” I gasped as the horse plodded along gamely.
Taming The Cowboy (She's in Charge Book 4) Page 4