Her chest rose and fell as she drew in a deep breath. Apprehension filled the space between us, making the air thick and heavy. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
I’d thought about how to respond if she said that. I didn’t want to push her too far too fast, but the sooner we wrapped up our lessons, the better off I’d feel. Sneaking around with Mr. Swisher’s daughter didn’t seem like a good idea, even if I was only helping her get up the courage to ride again. The man had enough influence to crush any dreams I might have if he felt like I was going behind his back.
“What if I ride with you?” I offered.
Her eyebrows arched behind the dark shades she had on. “You’d ride with me?”
Nodding, I reached for her hand. “Only if we get going soon. I’ve got to finish checking the fence line before I head back this afternoon.”
She slid her palm against mine. The same kickback I felt the other day ricocheted through my system. Even though I was only supposed to be helping Roxy ride, I couldn’t deny the way my body responded to her. Being around her felt like basking in the warm rays of the sun. We’d probably spent less than an hour in each other’s presence, but I’d already come to crave her closeness. I wanted to protect her, to help her find her way past her fear. The two of us would never make sense, though. A billionaire’s daughter and a ranch hand who couldn’t even afford a few acres didn’t belong together.
So I gently tugged her closer to Trixie and nodded at the stirrup. “Go ahead and get up in the saddle. I’ll be right behind you.”
She hesitated. Then she reached up and grabbed hold of the saddle horn. With one boot in the stirrup, she started to hoist herself up onto Trixie’s back. I could tell right away she wasn’t going to make it on her own. I put my palm against her ass to give her a boost.
“I guess I’m out of practice.” Secure in the saddle, her hands gripped the horn, squeezing it so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
“How are you doing?” Obviously, she was nervous. But with those big round shades covering her eyes, I couldn’t tell if she was hanging in there or if I needed to be ready to catch her in case she jumped off the horse.
“I think I’ll be better when I’m not sitting up here all alone.”
“If you’ll pull your foot from the stirrup, I’ll get up there with you.”
“Oh, sorry.” She eased her foot from the stirrup and within seconds, I’d planted my ass in the saddle and settled my thick thighs around hers.
She fit perfectly against me with her back to my front. The heady scent of her perfume mixed with the smell of sunshine and the great outdoors. If I’d died right then, I would have gone a very happy man.
“Am I taking up too much room?” She tried to shift forward.
I didn’t want Trixie to read the signals wrong, so I wrapped an arm around Roxy’s belly and pulled her into me. “You’re perfect. Careful, you don’t want Trixie to break into a run. Leaning forward lets her know you want to go faster.”
“I definitely don’t want to go too fast. Actually, just standing here is totally fine. It’s really helping.”
Her words seemed to be more about convincing herself she was doing the right thing. Wanting to take advantage of the bright sun and the unseasonably warm day, I squeezed my thighs against Trixie’s side to urge the horse into a gentle walk.
“Oh, we’re moving.” Roxy tensed. Her back stiffened, as tense and straight as a metal rod.
“We’ll just walk around a little bit. It’s nothing you can’t handle.” Distracting her would be my best bet, so I tried to think of a few questions that might take her mind off things. “Tell me about the parade. It’s a family tradition?”
She relaxed a tiny bit. “Yes. It’s always on Christmas Eve. This year, both of my brothers will be there, and my sister is coming home so the whole family can ride together.”
“I suppose it will be nice to have everyone home for Christmas.” With no immediate family of my own, I’d gotten used to ignoring the pang of jealousy that sliced through my gut when I heard other people talk about their own traditions, especially around the holidays. Mama Mae had always provided a safe place and treated all the boys she fostered just like they’d been born into the family. Still, growing up in a home where you knew you were wanted and could feel the love was so different from my own experience.
The tension in her back eased, and she relaxed against me a fraction more. “It will be, though no one moved very far away. My two older brothers work on the ranch, but both have their own places. I’ve got an older sister, too, and she lives up in Tulsa now. I haven’t seen her in over a year, so it will be great to spend some time with her.”
I’d met Roxy’s brothers around town. They were a couple of years older than me, so I didn’t have a chance to get to know them in high school. Both of them had gone off to college and come back to work on the family ranch. They’d even had a few meetings with the Calhouns to talk about best practices. Around here, folks in the cattle business didn’t view each other as competitors and were known to help each other out in times of need.
I wondered if they’d look at what I was doing for Roxy that way, or if they’d see me as taking advantage of a woman who was so desperate to regain her father’s love that she was willing to face the demons of her past. Thinking about it like that made my stomach twist into knots.
Trixie ambled down the trail inside the fence line. We’d ridden over it so many times on horses and four-wheelers that the tall grass that filled the rest of the pasture had stopped growing. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ridden double with a woman. I’d been so focused on putting in the hours at the ranch, I didn’t have time or energy for dating. Not that anyone would be interested in dating a guy who shared a bunkhouse with five grown men.
It would be worth it, though. I almost had enough for a down payment on a parcel right next to my foster brother Owen’s place. He’d grown up at Mama Mae’s as well and had been able to make something out of himself. Seeing my brothers overcome their pasts had inspired me over the years, and I had every intention of joining their ranks.
We shifted slightly in the saddle as Trixie stepped over an uneven patch of ground. Roxy clung to the horn with one hand and wrapped her other around my arm.
“You’re okay. I’ve got you.” I was trying to reassure her, but I meant it. Nothing bad would happen to her on my watch.
“Sorry. You must think I’m an idiot.”
