Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? (11 page)

Fire burned in his gut when her hands crawled over his chest, but she gave him a gentle push. He took a step away and tried to keep from panting like a horse after the Kentucky Derby.

“We should get back,” Ainsley said. Her face was flushed and she sounded a little breathless herself. He nodded and tied the leather tool case together, giving himself time to calm the blood raging through his veins. He held out his hand to her, and her warm fingers linked with his.

This time he had her mount Westley first, her legs on one side. He swung his body behind hers and she nestled into his chest, shifting slightly to avoid the pommel. Every curve of her body pressed against him, but he relaxed, comfortable in the easy silence that marked the end of their evening. She felt good in his arms. Warm and soft, molding to his body with the movement of the horse. He was almost sorry when he approached her cabin.

They dismounted a few yards away from the building so they didn’t disturb Meagan. Riley helped Ainsley off the horse, prolonging their contact. He supported her sore body as she shuffled to her door. Shadows hid her face, but he reached over to pull one of her loose waves to its full length, the silk brushing between his fingers. It fell back over her slender shoulder before he leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Good night, Ainsley.”

“Good night, Cowboy.” She slipped into her cabin.

Panic struck in a wave of ice when her door clicked closed. He was supposed to be a platonic guinea pig, not get involved with anyone. Women were not high on his list at the moment, and now Ainsley—and maybe Daisy—would think she had some sort of claim on him. No more kissing. No more touching. And definitely no more letting himself be alone with anyone.

Ainsley didn’t get much sleep that night, leaving her bleary-eyed and yawning at breakfast the next morning. She nursed a cup of coffee while eating some eggs, excited about the prospect of the day.

She had stretched her sore muscles and lain in bed after getting back to her cabin, thinking that she had enjoyed herself too much. When she had ridden with Riley, his unique woodsy scent surrounded her, his solid body made her feel safe. She reveled in proving to him she knew her way around simple repairs and she didn’t need to hide such an unladylike talent. And that kiss—the man had some dangerous lips. They should come with warning labels. After she had undressed for bed, she could still smell him on her shirt and she spent the better part of the night thinking about him. She had to stop. For all she knew, he was kissing someone else right now.

But today was different. She wasn’t here to find love. Or even lust. She’d keep her distance. If he could fall for one of the other women, it wasn’t fair for her to keep him from that. Even if it meant listening to Daisy laugh or bearing with Jewel’s sophomoric insults.

She worked out her still-sore muscles on the trek to the stables, accompanied by several barking dogs that ran circles around her. The horses stood already saddled, and a couple of ranch hands led the inexperienced riders to a practice ring while Cookie assigned the experienced ones their horses. Ainsley was paired with a beautiful gray mare. After she checked the saddle, she mounted and trotted around, giving Mystic time to get used to her.

Hooves approached and her horse’s ears perked. Riley rounded the barn, and the slow motion dream-sequence playback started. The rising sun created a spotlight, showing off his beautiful form as the horse kicked up clouds of dust behind him. His full lips opened over white, even teeth and he tipped his hat back. He dismounted in front of her, his eyes so focused on her that the rest of the world melted away.

Only he didn’t. Ainsley shook herself from the fantasies and stepped aside as the other bachelorettes clamored around him, each vying for a snippet of his attention.

“Did you sleep well, Riley?” Leigh asked.

“Uh, yes. Thank you,” he said. She opened her mouth to speak again but Mary Ellen stepped in front of her.

“Will you be riding with us today?” she asked. She must have changed her mind about unsuave men.

“Are you going to take us on a tour of the ranch?” Robin joined the crowd around him, effectively trapping him against his horse. He looked over their cowboy-hatted heads, meeting Ainsley’s eyes, but they shifted away just as quickly. She hadn’t expected that, even if she had told herself to ignore him. He wasn’t supposed to ignore her.

Where had Meagan gone? She found her roommate sitting on her dappled horse talking to the ranch foreman, her blue eyes intent. His brown ones had a similar expression and his hand rested on the saddle beside her, close enough to her leg that he could touch it if he shifted a fraction. That was interesting. And no one else noticed in the middle of the cowboy chaos. Ainsley turned away in a hurry, wanting to give them their private moment.

A sharp whistle pierced her eardrums as Riley got everyone to stop talking. “Saddle up!” he said, getting back on his own horse. “We’re heading out to fix some loose fencing and stock one of our line shacks. Let’s go.”

He trotted off without waiting to see if the women followed. Ainsley circled her horse behind the others, wanting to put distance between them. This put her next to Jewel, who had mounted stiffly and was having trouble controlling her horse. Her mount pranced sideways and pawed the ground. Jewel risked a look at the retreating group and redoubled her efforts to get her horse under control, flicking the reins.

“Come on, Godiva,” she said. “Stupid horse.”

Maybe if Ainsley offered help, Jewel would stop being catty and the two of them could become friends. And then maybe Edward would denounce money and move to a kibbutz and her mother would discover what
laissez-faire
meant. Jewel’s frustrated grunts and the horse’s answering neighs filled the air for a few more seconds. “Relax, Jewel,” she said. “She’s reacting to your actions, so if you can control yourself, you can control her.”

“I don’t need your help.”

So much for being friendly.

The other riders had already crested the hill near the greenhouse and were out of sight. Ainsley squashed her desire to follow them and was about to offer more unwanted advice when Cookie took hold of Jewel’s bridle. Godiva stilled immediately. “Do you need to be with the other group?”

Jewel visibly swallowed the retort she’d been about to make and flashed a brilliant smile at the scowling man. “I’m okay now. Thank you for your help.”

Cookie grunted in response and released her horse. Without sparing a glance at Ainsley, Jewel followed the other riders. Ainsley trailed after her. When they caught up to the women, Ainsley stayed near the edge of the group with Meagan. Far, far away from the man who hadn’t spared her more than a split-second glance, even after the hot kiss from last night.

It was pure pleasure being seated properly on a horse again, and Mystic proved a spirited ride. Mountains bordered the ranch and she took in the view as they covered ground toward the first fence. Even with her hat firmly on her head, the wind blew strands of hair across her face, tickling her nose.

Meagan interrupted her introspection with a snort and nudged her chin in Riley’s direction. Jewel’s hand rested on his leg, and Ainsley’s stomach sunk into a spiral. Now he was letting Jewel molest him. He had no taste.

The group rode to the first task—replacing a fence post that had rotted beyond repair. Everyone dismounted near a pile of wood, a handheld auger, and bags of materials. The ladies formed a semicircle around Riley as he explained how to remove the rotting wood from the split rail fence without disturbing the rest of it.

Ainsley pushed up the sleeves of her plaid flannel shirt and donned a pair of work gloves. She and Meagan braced the post to keep it from falling when the rotted one was removed. Then they gathered and stacked the bits of old wood so one of the hands could clean them up. Sweat dripped down her nose and chin by the time they were done. Her rubbery arm muscles made it difficult to lift her bottle to drink some water.

Mystic had grown three sizes while they had been repairing the fence and she tried to muster the effort to remount. Fatigue from last night combined with the day’s activities took over her legs and she grabbed the stirrup leather to keep from falling.

“Relax,” Jewel sneered. “She’s responding to your actions.”

Gritting her teeth, Ainsley tried again. Strong, firm hands planted under her butt and lifted her in the air. She swung her leg over and frowned at Riley’s retreating back while she settled in the saddle.

She adapted to the rhythm of her trotting horse as they crossed the plains to the next job, re-stocking a cabin similar to the one from last night. This one was located near the end of the property.

The women rode in an extended line so they wouldn’t get covered in the dust kicked up by the front riders. Ainsley continued to enjoy her position at the end, taking in the flat land around her and the scattered vegetation, though her throat was dry from inhaling the dirt in the air. She nudged Mystic a little farther away from the group, and something small and white caught her eye among the earthy greens and browns.

Well, damn. Aside from his earlier help, she’d successfully avoided Riley all morning, but the poor lost lamb needed help. Sighing, she guided Mystic to the front of the line. “Cowboy!”

Riley turned, his dimple barely showing in his cheek, and she melted.
The sun.
It has nothing to do with him
.

“What can I do for you, Fairfax?”

Throw me over your horse like you did last night and take me back to the cabin. No. No. I’m not here for a husband. No flirting, Ainsley.
“Sheep,” she managed to say.

“The Crescent Ridge raises Targhee and Merino sheep,” he said, then aimed his next comment at Meagan. “Mostly for wool production.”

“No, I mean, there’s a sheep.” She gestured in the general direction and Riley pulled his horse to a stop and peered around her.

“Well, you found him, you can help me go get him,” he told her.

“I can?” She wasn’t expecting that.

“Two people make it easier.”

“I’ll go, then,” Jewel said, getting between them.

His eyes flicked briefly to Jewel, then back to Ainsley. “Your call, Fairfax.”

Even if she didn’t want to get close to him again, she’d do it just to keep Jewel away. Call it public service. “All right, I’ll go. I’m interested to see how this works.”

Jewel touched his arm and lowered her chin, peering up at him through her lashes. “Surely one extra person couldn’t hurt,” she purred.

“It really only takes two, Jewel,” Riley explained. “Any more and we’ll be tripping over each other and putting Fluffy there at risk.”

“Next time, then,” Jewel said.

“The rest of you follow the trail and go left when it forks. You’ll see the shack on your right a few miles later. If you go under a cliff you’ve gone too far. Take stock of what we have against the list of what we need,” Riley instructed them. The women rode off; the clopping of hooves faded behind them. He turned his horse and Ainsley followed him to the lamb.

The ride seemed farther than it should, the distance deceiving over the flat land. She spent an enjoyable time watching Riley’s firm seat in front of her. He was a beautiful rider; his actions echoed those of his horse in a symphony of movement. Thankfully her mount followed his easily, for she was more intent on watching him than telling Mystic where to go.

She was not here to find a husband. She was here to save her livelihood. But a little lust couldn’t hurt.

Riley reined in when he saw the lamb. The animal moved a few feet to one side, stopped, and moved a few feet again, pawing the ground and bleating. “I don’t think he’ll try to run, but get behind him just in case.”

“If he does?”

He grinned at her and her heart slammed against her ribs. “Chase him.”

It was the first time he wore a natural smile and the effect devastated her willpower. It transformed the stress on his face, making him boyish and charming, and sent darts of heat down to her toes. She cleared her throat to hide her reaction while they dismounted. He took a few steps away from his horse. “You’re not going to use your lasso?” she asked.

“You have to be extremely careful with lambs. If you scare them too much, they can literally die of fright. So no.”

She would have liked to see Riley in action, his powerful form swinging the rope while his arm muscles flexed with the movement. The animal made pitiful
baa
ing noises that struck her compassionate chord as she circled behind him. “Hello, Fluffy,” she murmured, extending her hand like she would to an unfamiliar dog. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll take good care of you.”

The lamb raised its head and studied her with his big brown eyes. She kept talking, her voice low and soothing. Riley approached from the other direction, but the animal trotted to Ainsley and butted her leg with his white head. She reached down and petted the lamb’s springy fur.

“Nice job.” He knelt beside her and ran his hands over the animal’s flanks, checking for injuries.

She shook her head. “Too easy. I wanted to see you lasso something.”

“With so many sheep around, I may be out of practice.” Riley gave the animal a pat on the head and stood up.

“You can practice with me anytime,” Ainsley said. Heat rose in her cheeks when he cocked an eyebrow at her. “I mean,” she stammered, “I can help you. Practice. It’s a very impressive skill. Maybe you could teach me how to do it, too.”

The smoldering heat in his eyes told her he wasn’t fooled by her diversion, but he quickly banked it and went back to the animal, leaving an emptiness in her belly. “We need to get back to everyone.”

He lifted Fluffy across the saddle and kept a steady hand on the animal while he mounted. The lamb tried to get back on the ground but Riley was faster, quickly supporting him before he could fall. The lamb bleated in protest.

Ainsley mounted her own horse and pulled alongside him. His hazel eyes bored into her a moment before he gave her a little half-smile and caressed her leg, his touch lingering on her thigh.

The physical contact sent electricity through her skin, but the nagging part of her brain reminded her about Daisy. What had happened with them last night, and why did he kiss her later? And kisses were private. She didn’t want details about the other woman, but she couldn’t let herself kiss him again until she knew where else his mouth had been. And despite her best effort to deny the longing that took over her body, she wanted to kiss him again.