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“And if it’s not a game I can afford to lose?” she blurted without thinking.
Nudging his hat back, Grayson eyed her with grave concern from his towering height. “Then maybe you should let someone else in on it. You never know who can be of some help.” When her eyes skittered away from his, his sigh revealed frustration with her, but all he said was, “Let’s go. The sun is never up high and warm enough for long once it peaks and I, for one, want to be back at the house before it, and the temperature starts to dip. Is that your warmest jacket?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine in it.” Avery couldn’t very well tell him she’d packed so fast trying to flee before Darren came by her apartment looking for her that she’d grabbed the closest coat at hand on her way out. Although lined, the denim jacket was better suited for fall than winter.
“You’ll ride up with me, so I can be sure.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to argue over the high-handed order, but the fact he’d issued the dictate with her welfare in mind and with him was exactly where she yearned to be kept her quiet.
Forty minutes later, Avery stepped inside a working ranch’s barn for the first time in her life, the mingling odors of hay and manure tickling her nose as two collies came bounding straight up to Sydney. The beaming redhead greeted the dogs with scraps of bacon and sausage as Caden released an exaggerated huff of disapproval, which she ignored. Four horses stood near the open back doors, saddled and ready to ride, but as Grayson tugged on her hand, prodding her toward them, she slowed her steps the closer she came to the huge animals. “They’re uh, bigger in person, aren’t they?” The sleek black stallion tossing his head and nudging Grayson with his long nose towered over her, just like his master.
“That was my first thought too.” Sydney smiled, patted the collies and then stepped up to the large bay to stroke its muscled neck. “But they’re sweet, aren’t you, baby?” she crooned. Caden swatted her butt and rolled his eyes behind her.
“Anything covered with fur, and walking on four legs is sweet to Sydney,” Connor drawled as he swung up into the saddle of a stunning Palomino. “I have to say, Avery, I’m sorry you won’t be riding with me.”
“Deal with it,” Grayson returned.
Avery flushed, unused to rivalry between two men over her, even friendly, innocent banter. Before Darren, she mostly went unnoticed by the opposite sex, and the lesson she’d learned from his sudden attention was still keeping her at arm’s length from Grayson even though she trusted him now more than anyone else.
“I’m sorry, Connor.” She frowned at Grayson. “He didn’t give me a choice.”
Connor winked and turned his horse, tossing back, “As it should be, sweetie,” before trotting off.
Ignoring them, Grayson followed Caden in mounting up and then reached a hand down to Avery, his eyes steady on her face as he said, “Trust me.”
Those simple words curled around her heart and she took his hand before she could talk herself out of it. She never hesitated to admit what a coward she was. With a strong tug, he drew her up in front of him, her butt shifting around on the definite bulge between his legs as he turned her to straddle the horse and pressed her to lean back against him.
Daring a look down, she muttered, “Sheesh,” before cringing back from the height and sudden movement as he nudged the steed to follow the other three.
“Not so bad, is it?” Grayson murmured in her ear, tugging hard on her braid. “I prefer your hair down but can have fun with it pulled back too.”
The quick yank on her scalp drew a frisson of tickling goosebumps down her back, and Avery found herself grateful for the distraction as Grayson kicked the horse into a faster trot. Gripping the arm wrapped around her waist, she sucked in a deep breath of cold air, all the while conscious of the way the jarring pace bounced her up and down on his lap.
“Hold tight, sugar. Here we go.”
They took off with another booted heeled nudge to the horse’s sides, the ground and trees blurring as the chill whipping her face soon warmed from the sheer exhilaration and sense of freedom sweeping through Avery. She laughed outright, drawing Connor’s grin from up ahead and a thumb’s up from Caden who rode alongside Sydney. The clomp of pounding hooves against the dried earth and the horse’s heavy exertions echoed in her ears, the sounds so different from the constant cadence of traffic and crowds she was used to.
She could feel the heaving, muscled sides of the animal against her legs and the thick bunching of Grayson’s thighs against the back of hers. Between the comfort of his big body and the sun shining down on her face, she barely felt the nip of winter anymore, and when Grayson slid his hand down to press between her legs, a burst of fiery heat shot up her core, reigniting the quivering of unfulfilled lust he’d lit Friday night.
“Problem, sugar?” he asked. She shuddered against his wide chest as he slowed them down to a trot as they approached a small group of black cattle.
Swiveling her head around, Avery nudged her slipping glasses back into place, replying in a breathless tone, “You enjoy toying with me, don’t you?”
“I want answers. After I get them, I’ll enjoy toying with you.” Nudging her head back, he kissed her fast and hard, leaving her lips tingling along with her scalp by the time he released her and turned his attention to Caden’s interruption.
“More tracks that look similar to the others we’ve found.” He pointed down as Grayson and Connor joined him.
“Fucking bastards,” Connor swore, his congenial mood vanishing. “I’ve counted three head missing and one calf. God damn it, now they’ve gotten brave enough to hit us closer to home.”
“Calm down, Con. They could have just gotten separated,” Caden stated. “Let’s fan out but stay within sight of each other. I’ll phone Jim and get him to round up this group and bring them closer in.”
“Is someone stealing their cows?” Avery asked Grayson as they veered north at a slower pace.
“Cattle rustling never goes out of style. These guys have been plaguing ranchers for over a month now, despite our best efforts to catch them in the act.”
Avery remained quiet as they rode, not wanting to interrupt his concentration. She’d come to know how seriously he took his job as sheriff, an admirable trait and one that urged her to trust him with her secrets, as he kept asking. A shout from Caden reached them ten minutes later and as they trotted toward him and Sydney, Avery spotted a small calf lying down, its back leg stretched out at an odd angle. The mournful lowing the poor thing emitted caused her muscles to tighten and a lump to form in her throat. It sounded so pitiful.
The ice-cold rage in Connor’s eyes when he joined them didn’t bode well for the young animal. Swinging down, he dropped the reins and stooped to caress the calf’s head before running a light touch over the limb. Even that gentle probing caused the young male to kick out in pain. “Broken,” he clipped, pushing to his feet.
