“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, cowboy. The bull is important, and his safety matters.”
I can’t argue with that. Not really. We need the animals, and I want them happy and healthy. But as I open my mouth to respond, the sound of a horse’s hooves hitting the ground pulls my attention, and I glance over to see my foreman riding toward us.
“Everything okay, boss?”
Lewis runs his eyes over River and the bull, and I can practically see the gears turning in his head. The man has a good heart, but he’s got an old-fashioned way of looking at things. The last thing I need is him giving her a hard time just because she has an ass shaped like an apple and curves that make me question my sanity.
“Everything’s fine. Thurston’s got the bull, and the fence is intact. How’d he get so far from the herd in the first place?”
“He got spooked. That coyote has been sniffing around, and I guess he scared the bull.”
“Great. Well, make sure the guys stay on top of it. I don’t want the rest of the herd to get nervous.” I not-so-subtly flit my eyes in River’s direction, doing what I can to let him know there’s a double meaning there.
“Yeah, sure. Got it, boss.”
He taps his fingers against the brim of his hat and nods, then spins his horse around and trots off. River doesn’t look in my direction, just keeps stroking the beast’s flank and whispering words into his ear.
“How’d you learn to handle a bull like that?”
“Same way I learned to ride a horse and kill a snake.”
“And what way is that?”
“My father.”
“Your dad taught you how to wrestle a bull?”
“Sure did. He taught me a lot of things. You know, for a man who’s got a reputation for being a hotshot, you sure are full of questions. Didn’t you learn how to ride a horse and kill a snake from your daddy?”
I snort. “Yeah. My daddy taught me plenty. Get back to work, Thurston. And don’t go wrestling any more wild beasts without a warning, will ya? I’ve got a ranch to run, and the last thing I need is a dead cowgirl on my hands.”
She shoots me a wicked smile and saunters off to where her horse is waiting nearby, and she climbs back into the saddle. She’s not at all the girl I expected. River Thurston is the kind of woman who gets a man’s blood pumping, and I don’t think there’s a cowboy alive who wouldn’t enjoy getting tangled up with her.
But that’s not happening. She’s an employee, and I’m the boss. Not to mention her father would skin me alive for even thinking about touching her. And no matter how bad she makes me want to forget those facts, it’s not gonna happen.
?Chapter Three
