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“Say no more. We’ll never discuss it again,” he said, slapping me on the back. “Let’s get started on that.” The guys nodded, and we headed for the barn. There were few things they never questioned and when Fred was involved, they never made a fuss. Should I have talked to them? Yes. Was I going to leave her there waiting for him to start real trouble? Not a chance in hell.
CHAPTER TEN
NORA
Staring out the window, I had a clear view of the barn and all the activity around it. Kipp was in the round pen working with a horse. He was so patient, walking up to it, waiting to touch it until it had settled down. He ran his big hand down its neck, and even though I couldn’t hear what he was saying, I knew he was talking to it in the sweetest tone.
He twirled a rope and the horse ran in a circle. In a flash, it didn’t like something and reared, knocking Kipp backward into the water trough. His face was animated, and I could only imagine what he was saying. He pulled open his shirt and pulled it off, tossing it over the panels. In this heat, it would dry in no time. Kipp turned and I saw a tattoo covering his muscular chest, shoulder, and halfway down his arm.
“Good lord, could the man be any more perfect?” I muttered to myself as I washed the same plate I’d been working on for ten minutes. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It was like they were welded on the man.
As he fled the horse, I noticed how his waist narrowed at his hips, which was totally evident in his clothes, but more pronounced without a shirt on. His back muscles rippled as he swung the rope and the horse quit jumping and started cantering. I’d seen horses being broke before, but this was the first time I’d been glued to it like Gran used to be glued to her soaps.
The oven timer made me jump. I looked over at the beeping and frowned. Glancing back up, I saw Kipp putting his shirt back on. There went my very own soap opera foiled by the cookies being done. “Mom,” Cooper yelled from the door, pointing at the oven. Distracted, I grabbed the cookie sheet with the tea towel and burned my hand.
“Damn it!” I yelled as I dropped the cookie sheet onto the stove top with a clatter that would wake the dead. Plunging my hand into the now cold dish water, I took a deep breath and tried to will the burning away.
“Nora, are you all right?” Kipp called from the doorway.
“Mom, are you baking cookies? She always burns herself when she’s baking,” Cooper said, and I could just see him roll his eyes and shake his head.
“Nora?” Kipp walked into the kitchen with his boots and hat still on, concern written all over his face as he looked from my hand in the water to the cookie sheet on the stovetop. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. The towel was wet, and I grabbed the cookie sheet with it.”
“Have you heard of things called oven mitts?” he asked, holding up the pair beside the towel.
“Well, you see, oven mitts are for mere mortals. I like to live on the wild side so I use a towel. I don’t want to be basic.” I rolled my eyes and pulled my hand out of the sink, grabbing the towel and drying off my hand.
Kipp moved closer to me and took my hand in his, inspecting my red fingers. “Maybe, now just hear me out. Maybe you should live on the same level as everyone else and just be a mere mortal. It would save you the pain and possible blisters on your fingers.” He tried to hide his grin by frowning, but it wasn’t working.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, pulling my hand away from him. “You might as well take a cookie since I’ve gone to all the trouble.” I looked behind Kipp to see Cooper eyeing them up. “What brings you to the house?”
“I’m going to pick out a horse, and Kipp said you should come with us,” Cooper declared as he grabbed a cookie from the cooling rack.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind taking a break from the kitchen.” I smiled at my boy, who already had chocolate from ear to ear. Grabbing the dreaded towel, I wiped off his mouth, and he gave me a cookie-filled grin.
Cooper’s eyes were dancing with laughter as he looked over my shoulder. Turning around, I caught the big cowboy stealing a cookie. “Help yourself, but I pegged you for an oatmeal cookie man.”
“No ma’am, chocolate chip is the way to my heart.” He took a bite and placed his hand on his chest. “I’m a goner.”
Cooper laughed harder, and I shook my head. “But really, Nora, these need to be available every day. They are the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Come on, you two, we have a horse to pick out.”
“Mom, we saddled a horse for you too.” Cooper ran and took Kipp’s hand as we left the house. Thrown over for the cowboy, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Cooper had been enthralled by cowboys since we moved to Montana. I couldn’t say the same, they’d only brought me heartache over the years. Heartache and well… Cooper.
“I didn’t think we would be riding,” I remarked, looking down at the footwear I had opted for. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d ridden a horse in flip-flops, but it had been a while.
“Can’t pick a horse when there’s none in the barn,” Kipp offered, looking over his shoulder. His eyes grazed down my body and stopped when he saw my shoes. “You’re not riding in those. Go back to the house and get something else on.” They stopped, and Kipp frowned.
“I’ll be fine,” I huffed.
“I don’t care if you’ll be fine. You’re going to make me have a stroke, and I’m too young for that to happen.”
Looking at him, I arched my brow. He had to be a good five to eight years older than me, with a light dusting of gray hair at his temple, which made him look even more handsome. “Not that young,” I said, standing my ground.
“Nora, go back to the house and get some shoes on.” He took a step closer to me, but I didn’t break eye contact with him.
“I told you I was fine. Now let’s go,” I demanded, not wanting to back down. His big hands clamped on to my shoulders, and he spun me around. I dug my feet in as best as I could so I wouldn’t move. “Nora, I won’t hesitate to toss you over my shoulder and take you into the house. Now go,” he growled quietly in my ear. My heart fluttered, the butterflies danced in my stomach, and holy hell, I felt dampness between my legs.
