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I stop outside of the stable entrance to turn on her, but instead of stopping with me, we collide.
“Fuck,” she utters breathily, digging the tips of her fingers into my sides to steady herself.
My hands fly to her wrists, but mistaking my growl for anger, Heather jolts backward with a fumbling apology.
The brief contact stokes a slow-burning need I’ve neglected for too long. It’s pathetic how easily her touch singes my veins, drying the inside of my mouth and tongue with an unquenchable, ashy thirst.
But I clear the gnawing sensations with a shake of my head. I came to Augustine to disappear, not to play with fire. And this woman is exactly the kind of temptation that’s going to get me in trouble.
Heather dusts her hands down the front of her shirt before puffing a lock of hair away from her eye. “It kills me to say this, but I need your help.”
I glance left, then right. “I’m sorry, but you do remember who you’re speaking to, right?”
She shoves my shoulder, and because I’m caught off guard—andnotbecause she’s a hell of a lot stronger than she looks—I stumble.
“Knock it off, Marcus. I’m serious. Penelope’s going to expect me to ride one of those beasts soon enough.”
Wanting to hear her finally admit it, I shrug. “And?”
“I don’t know how to saddle one, okay?”
I grin with satisfaction and fold my arms across my chest. “I knew you were a dirty little liar.”
Eye twitching, she mirrors my stance. “Congratulations, Detective Matthews. Now, are you going to show me what to do or not?”
“I’ll consider teaching you after you tell me why you offered to help us in the first place.”
I told Penelope on the way back to the house it was a bad idea to let her loose on the property. No matter how enticing Heather has proved to be, the truth is, we don’t know her. And given the delicacy of my situation, I don’t have much room for an error in judgment—but naturally, Pen insisted.
Heather points to my foot.
“In case you’ve forgotten, you’re injured. And while I can’t begin to fathom why Penelope puts up with your arrogant ass,” she says, punctuating the last two words with a ballsy jab to my sternum, “I’m not the type to leave someone in need.”
The urge to bend her over my knee and show her what true arrogance looks like throbs through me. Would she squirm and struggle as I spanked her ass raw, or would she lean into each smack before begging for more?
A muscle twitches along my jaw as I attempt to regain control of myself and where the hell these thoughts are coming from.
“Let’s get this over with.” Shouldering past her, I head inside the stables and straight for the saddle rack. “We don’t have all day.”
Just once, I think she may let me have the last word. But I barely make it two steps before she pipes up from behind me, “Um, hello? That’s exactly how long we have.”
Smartass.
* * *
Practicing with one of our more docile horses, I walk Heather through a few rounds of saddling and unsaddling before bolting.
She’s a fast learner for someone who doesn’t have much experience with horses. Which is a bonus for me because, as Jango and I head for the barn, I can’t seem to get away from the woman fast enough.
With more force than necessary, I place both palms against the withered doors and pry them open. The rolling system squeals and grinds as it slides, and when I brush my hands against my jeans, I focus on the dried paint specks littering the dirt at my feet.
Jangowoofsbefore biting at one of the edges.
“Couldn’t agree more, buddy.”
The doors have to be replaced at some point, but today, I’m working on gutting the place.
By mid-afternoon, I’ve ditched my shirt, and I’m drenched in sweat from ripping out any rotting, damaged wood I could get my hands on. Not even the fan I’ve plugged into the generator can keep me cool enough to go another couple of hours.
