Strider poked his head out of his stall, nickering as he saw me approach. I ran my hand along the soft white spot between his eyes. “There’s my boy. I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much this week. I promise we’ll be back at it soon,” I cooed. He leaned down, pushing his nose into my pocket. I smirked and stepped back. “Ahh, I think that’s a new record.”
Sticking my hand into the pocket, I pulled a peppermint andlaid it flat on my palm. His ears perked the moment he snatched it up. Noisy chomps filled the silence, and I laughed. He was a fiend for the things, could always scent them out the moment they were taken out of the wrapper. “Figured that might sweeten you up a bit. Now… I have one more,” I said, patting my pocket, “but I’m going to save that until after our ride, alright?”
He huffed, clearly annoyed at having to wait for his treats, but he’d have to suck it up. He was only fifteen, and yet he acted more and more like a grumpy old man when he wasn’t on the circuit.
“I’ll be right back!” I called, heading across the hall to get my tack. I had a few hours to spare before getting back to the house to prep dinner and was too restless to sit around and do nothing. Besides, I didn’t need Bishop to tell me what needed to be done here. This ranch was my home, and I wanted to take care of it.
Strider was waiting for me by the time I got back—the picture of obedience. I rolled my eyes, knowing he was anything but. We were a well-oiled machine at this point, and he knew if he cooperated, I’d spoil him with much more than a single peppermint.
Within minutes, I was leading him out of the barn. I sucked in a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. City folks might call it weird, but I loved the smell of ranch life. Sure, there were a lot of gross things we came across, but to me, it was just home.
Horse shit equaled money. It meant we still had a job and employees who depended on us. I hated to think what would happen if that scent went away.
I reached down and patted Strider’s neck. He pranced on the spot as he stared out at the open fields. Black Springs was just about as flat as flat could be, but that didn’t mean our views were lacking. The sunset was almost perfectly framed by the large oak trees lining the closest pasture.
I was always told I’d get sick of small towns, that my personality was too big and I would get bored. People swore I would be the sister that walked away from all of this for the big city. Don’t get me wrong; there were times I loved making the drive and trying things we couldn’t get in our little town, like an unlimited choice of restaurants instead of the same five I was used to in Ashwood.
I’d been to a lot of places over my short twenty-seven years, thanks to Dad’s clinics and my own time on the rodeo circuit. Everything from beautiful and charming little towns that reminded me a lot of our own to the big and bright lights of Las Vegas. But all of that paled in comparison to the ranch. I was always happiest when I crossed the county line and drove under the big black arches at the start of our property line.
I moved forward, riding through the gate leading to our back pastures. As I reached down to lock it behind me, Strider threw his head back and knickered. “Hold on, boy,” I said, struggling with the chain. “Almost… there…”
But he didn’t listen. I barely had time to grab the saddle horn before he took off at a dead run. I cursed, wondering if something had spooked him, but when I looked forward, I saw exactly what he was excited about.
Titan and Bishop were headed toward us. We were too far apart to get a good read on him, but I noticed he pulled up on the reins to slow down. And then the bastard diverted and headed to his house instead.
Oh, hell no.
I urged Strider forward, gaining on them quickly. Bishop may have had the bigger horse, but mine was faster. There was no competition. We caught up to them quickly, riding in silence until we stopped outside his cabin.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, lowering his black hat. If I hadn’t known better, I might’ve thought he was justshielding his eyes from the sun, but I wasn’t stupid. He was putting yet another barrier up.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I said. “Seeing as you’ve been avoiding me for a week.”
“Been busy. Got shit to do.”
I chuckled, but there was no warmth. “Ah, so I see we’re back to using as few words as possible. Lovely.”
“Don’t see why it matters,” he muttered. “Back to business as usual. Like it should be.”
The words shouldn’t have stung, but they did. “Business for who?” I shot back. “Because last I checked, we were supposed to be working together out here, and yet I can’t even get you in the same room, let alone to look at me.”
Bishop shifted in his saddle. “That’s not true.”
“You literally haven’t looked at me once this entire conversation.”
“Cause it’s a waste of time. You followed me out here.”
I slammed my hand down on the horn. “Goddammit, Bishop. Stop acting like a dick. I know it’s your default, but avoiding me is a little fucking childish, don’t you think?”
He turned, lifting his chin to stare at me from beneath the brim of his hat. His eyes were cold. Hard. Unyielding. I didn’t know whether it turned me on or left me feeling queasy. “What do you want from me, Lennox?” he spat my name like a curse. I hated the way it felt. My pride urged me to turn around and leave him in the dust, but something told me I needed to stay to hear whatever he had to say. “I don’t want to be around you. I mean, for fuck’s sake, we’d never get anything done. All we do is fuss and fight. We sure as hell don’t work well together. Especially not with whatever weird shit we had going on.”
“So, what’s the answer then? You’re telling me that you can’t separate your feelings from yourjob?” I laughed harshly, temper rising to the surface. “Give me a fucking break and get your shit together.”
“Can you?” Bishop asked, knocking me off kilter. He guided Titan closer, and I could smell his sweat-slicked skin. His long-sleeved shirt was soaked, clinging to his body in a way that almost made me jealous. Tattoos peeked out from the cuffs, deliciously dark lines I wished I’d been able to study before.
I’d never given them much thought since he’d had them for as long as I could remember, but now I couldn’t stop picturing what it’d be like to watch the ink ripple as he worked my body.
“Every time we’re alone, we step closer and closer to the line we know we shouldn’t fucking cross. Nothing has changed since the morning you ran outta this cabin.”
