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“Thank you for saying all that,” I say eventually. “I’m glad you’re okay with me staying. I promise it will only be for a couple of days.”
Something flashes in Hunter’s eyes, but it’s gone before I can decipher it.
“Sure. As long as you need,” he says, backing away from the bed. “Well, anyway, I have to get to work. The horses need feeding.”
My stomach drops as he starts to walk away, and before I can change my mind, I ask, “Can I help?”
Hunter raises an eyebrow in surprise. “You want to help feed the horses?”
“Yes. Or anything else that needs doing on the ranch. I want to make myself useful.”
He gazes at me thoughtfully. “Well, that’s really not necessary, but if you want to…”
“I do,” I tell him, trying to keep the eagerness out of my voice. “It would really help to take my mind off things. I’ve never worked on a ranch before, but I’m sure I can learn.”
I know I should be devoting my time to finding an apartment or looking at job listings, but I’m too distracted. The truth is, I’m willing to muck out stables all day long if it means I get to be near Hunter Ryder. Something about this man makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. Like nothing can touch me as long as he’s nearby. It’s a crazy thing to feel about somebody I only just met, but I can’t help it.
Hunter’s lips curve up into a barely-there smile as he says, “Sure. Why not? Maybe we can make a farm girl out of you.” His eyes twinkle at me. “When you’re done eating, meet me outside, okay?”
“Sounds good.” I grin at him, unable to hide my excitement at the thought of spending a day on the ranch with this gorgeous cowboy.
Hunter turns, about to head out of the bedroom. “Oh, I forgot to mention,” he says with his hand on the door, “Grayson had a few delivery guys bring all your stuff over yesterday while you were sleeping. It’s all in boxes in the room next door.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I didn’t like the thought of all my personal things still being in Fontaine House with Edmund and his family. I’m glad all my stuff is back with me.
“Thank you, Hunter,” I say, fighting back the urge to leap out of bed and pull him into a hug. “You’ve been a total lifesaver.”
“Don’t mention it.”
With another faint smile in my direction, he leaves the bedroom, and I listen to his heavy footsteps as he walks back down the hallway. I tuck into the fluffy pancakes he left for me, savoring the sweet, syrupy goodness before heading into the bathroom. After a quick shower, I grab some of my clothes from the boxes in the room next to mine, pulling on a flannel shirt, denim overalls, and a worn pair of leather boots. It’s the kind of thing Edmund would have hated; he only ever wanted me to wear expensive dresses, even when I wasn’t going anywhere. I smile at my outfit in the mirror before I head outside to find Hunter.
It’s a crisp fall morning, but the sun warms me as I walk out of the farmhouse. I catch sight of Hunter in the distance, riding on horseback, and for a moment, I freeze.
Holy crap.
He looks so damn good. Heat blooms between my legs as I watch him gallop bareback through the pastures, making it look easy. His tall, muscular body moves like water through the air, and I’m practically drooling by the time he realizes I’m staring at him. He catches my gaze from across the pasture, and my skin buzzes with electricity as he urges his horse forward, cantering toward me. As he gets closer, I see him take in my outfit, his eyes drifting down my body. My breath catches at the way his expression changes. He’s looking at me like a thirsty man who just found water in the desert. It makes me shiver despite the warmth of the morning sun.
“Hey,” he says, his voice a little hoarse as he slows to a stop a few feet away from me. “Damn. You sure look the part.”
I giggle. “You know what they say. Dress for the job you want.”
Hunter dismounts in one fluid motion, landing with a bounce. Even standing on the ground, he towers over me. It makes my knees weak. I might be a twenty-four-year-old woman, but this man is making me act like a giddy teenager with a crush.
“Ready to get to work?” Hunter asks, reaching out to stroke his horse’s neck.
“Of course. I’m looking forward to it.”
He smiles a little at my enthusiasm. “We’re gonna start off in the stables. This way.”
I follow Hunter, listening attentively as he shows me where to refill the horses’ water buckets and how to fill their troughs with hay and grains. When it’s time to muck the stables, Hunter insists I don’t need to help.
“I want to,” I say. “Honest! I want to do everything a real cowboy has to do.”
Reluctantly, Hunter hands me a pitchfork and I get to work. It’s not exactly the most glamorous job, but there’s something exhilarating about doing such physical tasks, so I get stuck in. We groom the horses together, and I watch in fascination as Hunter gives a couple of them some medicine, pushing the liquid gently into their mouths with a syringe. He looks so focused, so sure of himself. It’s intoxicatingly sexy to watch this rugged cowboy go about his work, and as the day wears on, my admiration for Hunter keeps on growing. I might not know anything about ranching, but even I can tell that Hunter Ryder is damn good at his job.
“Hold it straight,” he mutters a few hours later as we work together to replace a fence post. “Watch your fingers, okay?”
I make a sound of agreement, and Hunter starts to nail the fencing to the new post until the whole thing looks as good as new. I’m sweating and aching and covered in mud, but I’m having a blast. It’s hard work, but it feels so useful. So worthwhile. After a lifetime spent working in boring office jobs and seedy bars, working on the ranch is like a breath of fresh air. Literally.
