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“I could say the same about you.” At the wry arch of his brow, I press a hand to my heart. “I’ll listen. Scout’s honor.” I gesture at my clothes. “I’m even dressed for it.”
I shiver as his blue eyes drag the length of my body. They dip to my legs, then travel to my mouth.
An almost-smile tugs at his lips, before it resets in a stern, flat line.
Without saying a word, he disappears inside the barn, then minutes later, reappears with a honey-colored horse outfitted with a saddle and reins. I recognize her from the day he surprised me at the Creek House.
“What’s her name?” I rub up the horse’s long velvety nose and look into her big dark eyes.
“Pryor.” Into the canvas saddlebags, he drops his tools. “We’ll take her over to the pen. Quicker that way.”
Cole swings himself up into the saddle, and I fight a shiver at the sight of him. His physique is a massive, chiseled rock of strength. I’ve never seen a man like him.
Leaning forward, he drapes an arm over the saddle horn. “Ever been on a horse?”
“No.” I grin. “But there’s a first time for everything.”
He nods in approval at my answer. Holds a hand down to me. “Ready to take a ride?”
On you? Yes.
My face flushes. I reach up a hand.
He clutches it and swings me up into the saddle in front of him like I weigh nothing. Then he reaches around me and takes the reins.
Oh god. His arms, his outdoorsy, raw scent, his closeness. I regret taking him up on his offer to ride.
“Relax.” He leans closer. His warm breath tickles my hair, skates over my skin in a pleasant shiver. “I got you.” With that, he nudges Pryor into a smooth canter across the field.
Mountain scenery blurs by. Wind in my hair. The tightening of Cole’s muscles as he presses closer. He steers Pryor past the barn, up a hill, and across a meadow to the cow pasture where we were yesterday.
Cole stops near the pasture gate. He dismounts and reaches for me. Twisting toward him, I slide off Pryor, clinging to his broad shoulders as he helps me down. He sets me beside him, his big hand resting on my hip. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I breathe, and he steps away.
No. I’m not good. The way this man commands my senses is unfair. His size, those unrelenting blue eyes, his powerful masculinity, this cowboy is nothing like I expected. I’m so damn dizzied by him.
Cole ties his horse to the fence and grabs the canvas saddlebags.
The lowing of cows fills the air. Beside the fence is a tumble of sticks and weeds that looks like some sort of burrow.
Curious, I inch toward it.
“Careful.” His deep voice vibrates through me. “That’s a jackrabbit lair. You get too close, and they’ll get you.”
I stand there, frozen, terrified, then a smile stretches my cheeks. “Cole,” I breathe, delighted. “You made a joke.”
He rubs a hand over his smirking mouth. Like he doesn’t quite know what to do with his smile. But I do. I stare at it. He looks so damn sexy.
He stops near a silver fence post, props a hand on top. “We’re gonna fix this gate. Think you can hand me tools?”
“Most definitely.” He kneels and I follow suit. “What happened?”
“A guest leaned over too far and popped a wire.”
As Cole tugs at the wire, he gives me a crash course about fixing fences. Tornado wire, termination knots, it’s all Greek to me, but I nod dutifully and listen.
“What we’re gonna do is tie off the ends around the post with termination knots. We got thirteen line wires and thirteen termination knots to tie, so let’s get to it.”
