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“I think it might be best,” Shep said gently. “He’s very troubled.”
She moved closer to the fence, resting one foot on the wooden board, and looked at the horse standing in the corner of the ring. He was dripping sweat, his belly heaving with his deep breaths. Something in his soft, black eyes stopped her. “No, that’s not what I want. But I also don’t exactly know what to do with him. I mean, clearly he’s nuts.”
“He’s untrusting, and rightly so,” Shep corrected, “but that can be dangerous.”
The softness in Shep’s voice brought Emma’s focus back to his face. He looked at her, in that intense way she remembered from her dream, and goose bumps rose on her flesh. She couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through her, and the way her nipples puckered beneath her T-shirt. The intensity he projected was nothing she’d ever experienced before. He looked rough around the edges, and clearly wasn’t a guy anyone could push around. But dammit, she’d had enough of powerful, sexy men, hadn’t she?
She forced the oh-so-sexy thoughts of Shep
from her mind, when he said, “If you’d like, I can help you with him. But there needs to be rules if he stays here with you.”
“What are you suggesting?” she asked.
Shep moved next to her at the fence, resting one of his muscular forearms on the post. “I’m suggesting that you stay far away from him until I tell you it’s safe to get close. All right?”
She tried not to notice the way his muscles flexed with the squeeze of his hand, and then laughed softly. “Trust me, that will not be a problem. I have no intention of going anywhere near him.”
“Good.” Shep smiled back, only his grin looked far more seductive than she thought was necessary when he added, “I’ll come by every morning and work with him and feed him, until we get him better under control.”
“Ah, yeah, okay, sounds good.” His gaze held hers so intently she shifted on her feet, feeling warmth slide between her legs. She cleared her throat. “Well, thanks for staying with me. That was really very sweet of you.”
He arched a single eyebrow at her. “You sound as if you’re under the impression that I’m leaving you.”
“Um, aren’t you?”
He snorted and shook his head. “You were dragged by a horse this morning and banged up your head pretty good. On top of that, let’s not forget the fact that you’re here all alone. What kind of man would it make me if I left you all by yourself?”
“A normal one,” she admitted.
“Maybe in your world, darlin’, but not in mine. Besides, the doc suggested that I stick around tonight to keep an eye on you for any odd behavior.”
Her brows rose. “Do I have a concussion?”
“Not that I can tell,” he explained. “I woke you up every hour since I brought you home, and you answered my questions well enough.” He grinned. “Told me off the last time I woke you, so I stopped coming in.”
She laughed. “Sounds like something I’d do, but I don’t remember you waking me up.”
“Probably the effect of the morphine.” He cocked his head. “Feel any of the drug now?”
She shook her head. “No, which is why it’s not necessary that you stay tonight.”
His brows drew together and he folded his arms, watching her closely, finally asking, “Is the problem that it’s me?”
She glanced him over, and boy, did she like the view. A little too much, in fact, which was exactly the problem. “Yes, of course it’s you. It’s just—”
“Is the problem that I’m staying at your house?”
The problem is that I had wild, amazing dream sex with you, but you just don’t know it. “Yes, of course,” she replied, and added for good measure, “I don’t even know you.”
The look he gave her was pure sin. “Good thing we’ve got tonight to fix that, then, isn’t it?” He turned to walk away toward the horse but stopped, then looked back at her. “Oh, and Emma, why don’t you go get ready? After I’m done here, I’ll get you your favorite.”
“Which is?”
“Cheeseburgers, of course.”
She folded her arms, her eyes narrowing on him. “How do you know I love cheeseburgers?”
His shoulders shook with his laughter, apparently the only reply he intended to give her. He raised the rope, smacking it against his thigh, sending the horse galloping forward.
