AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They sky above remained ominous, with strange low hanging grey clouds. It doesn’t rain in the desert, does it?
Ten minutes later, the trail stretching out into infinity in front of them, a torrent of frigid, freezing, lashing rain, proved that she was very, very wrong.
CHAPTER 10
Brock
This is just great.
Brock’s hand tightened on the reins as he steered the horse through the terrible weather. His jeans quickly became soaked, from the rain and from the wet soaking into the animal below him. The girls up ahead whimpered and complained about their freezing hands, their sopping clothes, and their soaking hair.
One glance behind him told him that though June was silent and uncomplaining, she was hating on him just as fiercely. She had her head down and water streamed off her long hair. She looked as miserable as he felt.
I tried to plan something nice and then… this.
The poor staff made apologies the rest of the ride. Sally doubled back as the staff members spurred forward, increasing the pace.
Finally, finally they were back where they started. Mandy and Jaz were helped down from their horses. Brock climbed down on wooden legs, stiff with the cold. He nearly fell over, he was so numb from sitting in the unnatural position for so long.
He strode right to June. She was still on her horse, since she’d rolled in last. He reached up and she actually didn’t hesitate to let him help her down. She slid easily off the horse, into his arms. He swept her around and when she realized that he had no intention of putting her down, she protested loudly. She thumped a fist against his chest and cursed him just soft enough for his ears only.
He kept his hand cradled under her knees. Sally grabbed the two girls by their arms and ran for the shelter of the massive red building in the distance. Though it was designed to look like a barn, he knew it was probably where the guests were fed, since all the riding packages included either breakfast, lunch, or dinner, depending on the time of the ride.
Sally smiled up at him apologetically as he entered the building. It was nice inside. Rustic, but that was obviously the point. There was a big open area designed to be the restaurant. Surprisingly, the far wall had a fireplace with a roaring fire lit. Go figure. A fireplace in Vegas. Beyond the main room was a sign for the rest rooms. The other half was closed off, probably the kitchen area.
“I’m sorry about the weather,” Sally drawled in an authentic southern accent. “I haven’t seen it rain here like this in a very long time. And freezing rain yet!” She glanced at Jaz and Mandy, who were shifting from foot to foot in front of the fireplace, hands outstretched, seeking the warmth. “There are showers in the back of the building. I can see if I can find you some clothes to borrow. Our staff stay onsite and I have a house in back myself. I’ll get everyone something dry and some towels. We can wash and dry your clothes while you have dinner. I’ll have Charlie make some hot chocolate for you all while you wait.”
“Thanks.” He still didn’t move to set June down. She felt nice in his arms, soaking wet and everything. She was shaking, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t just with anger. She was chilled right through. Hell, even he was cold, and he never got cold.
Having her there warmed him up just fine. No dry clothes or hot chocolate needed. He felt like someone had built a fireplace right there in the pit of his stomach and they’d just thrown on a few extra logs. His internal temperature spiked right around the same time his pulse started racing. His heart flip flopped inside his chest.
There was no way he should feel like that about a woman he’d just met. He shouldn’t want to march her some place dry, strip off those wet clothes and warm her with his tongue and hands and well… everything else he had. His cock rose against his wet denim. Obviously, it liked that idea as much as the rest of him did.
“Set me down,” June hissed in his ear. “I’m not some helpless child. And you’re soaking wet too. You holding me isn’t helping me warm up.”
He did as she asked. The second her feet hit the floor, June tried to rush away. He wasn’t having any of that. He had a disastrous, frigid, painful ride to make up for. It was supposed to be fun. All of this. It was like a trip to hell instead.
He had to do something to salvage it.
So, instead of letting June go, he gripped her shoulders. Even through layers of clothing, she was so slight, so small, so fragile and womanly. She didn’t pull away. It was like she was too cold to fight back. He stripped her sodden jacket off and followed up with her zip up sweater. He tossed them aside onto a wooden chair. He let the girls have the fireplace to warm up. They too were stripping out of their wet things.
