Dusty barely looked my way before tilting his head down and locking eyes with Ashley. “You need anything, you let me know. Your gram would tar and feather me, then run me out of town if I let anything happen to you.”
“I will.” She gave him one more hug, then stepped back and grabbed hold of her horse’s reins. “Should we head back?”
“Sure thing.” I wasn’t excited about sitting on the damn horse for another half hour, but I’d do whatever it would take to keep Mustang Mountain safe from the biggest threat we’d faced so far.
“What did you mean when you told him that you’d make sure I wouldn’t be alone?” Already in the saddle, Ashley swung the mare around to face me. The mid-morning sun shone brightly overhead, catching the golden highlights in her hair. With her face free from makeup, she seemed even younger than usual. Just looking at her tugged at something deep down inside my chest.
I shook off the feeling. No distractions. I was used to shutting out everything else and focusing on what really mattered.
“You shouldn’t stay at the ranch. Most of the guys are moving their families onto the clubhouse property. We’ve got a bunch of trailers or can even pitch a tent for you if we need to. You’ll be safer there.”
“I can’t stay at the clubhouse.” She huffed out a breath. “There are animals to feed and chores that need to get done. That’s why Gram asked me to watch over the ranch while she’s gone.”
“Isn’t that why you have a ranch hand?” No way in hell I’d let her stay at her gram’s house like a sitting duck and wait for those bastards to come back.
“Dusty takes care of the big stuff, but someone needs to feed the chickens and other smaller animals. They already got to Ellie. If I have to sit on the front porch with a shotgun all night, I won’t let them hurt another living creature. Not on my watch.” Her eyes held a mixture of anger and determination. Damn, she sounded just like me. Maybe we did have something in common after all.
“Then I’ll stay with you.” I cast a side glance her way to gage her reaction.
She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “If that will help you sleep at night.”
“I don’t expect there will be a lot of sleeping going on.”
Ashley sat up straight in the saddle and urged the mare into a trot. Damn, that didn’t come out exactly how I intended. Keeping up with her was going to be more challenging than I thought, and probably in more ways than one.
CHAPTER4
ASHLEY
The sun hadn’t even startedto rise when I tossed the covers back and climbed out of bed. Sleep had completely eluded me last night. I wasn’t sure what made it more difficult to relax: knowing the Savage Bones were out there somewhere or having Thunder sit on the front porch all night long. I’d offered to split shifts with him so he could get some rest, but he’d refused. It didn’t help that we’d searched the whole ranch and hadn’t founded a trace of Scamp. I kept hoping he’d show up, but the more time that went by, the less likely it seemed.
I slid my feet into my fuzzy pink slippers and crept down the stairs. I’d set up the coffee pot last night so Thunder would be able to keep it going and have something to sip on all night long.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee greeted me as I reached the last step. He must have just started a fresh pot. I grabbed a mug from the cupboard while the machine gurgled and coffee dripped into the carafe.
The door to the back porch creaked open, and I jumped at least a foot into the air. My heart zig-zagged through my chest, but it was only Thunder.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I figured you wouldn’t be up for another hour or two, at least.” His gaze raced over me, then he looked away.
Shoot. I hadn’t planned on running into him and should have pulled on a robe. Standing there in my satiny tank and short pajama shorts made me feel completely exposed. I wrapped my arms around my chest and willed my heart to stop pounding.
“I couldn’t sleep.” Glancing around the kitchen, I searched for one of Gram’s embroidered aprons or something I could use to cover up.
Thunder shrugged off the hoodie he’d been wearing and handed it to me. “You look cold.”
“I don’t need your sweatshirt, I can?—”
“Just put it on,” he muttered through a clenched jaw. “Please.”
I shrugged my arms into the sleeves, inhaling the musky, earthy scent that clung to the fabric. My nipples tightened. I’d always felt the heat between the two of us, but he’d never expressed much interest. Sure, he’d kept an eye on me after everything went down with Savage Bones and Rae, but Thunder was the kind of man who looked out for everyone. He seemed to take personal responsibility for the entire town and everyone in it. I’d always assumed he was just being nice.
After I’d dated Razor, I’d sworn off men. I’d never been a good judge of character and figured my heart and my nerves could use a break. But once Rae and Priest got together, I started looking at Thunder in a new light. I’d never dated a man more than a couple of years older than me. Maybe that’s what I needed.
Feeling emboldened by the desire coursing through my veins, I stepped closer and rested my hand on his chest. His heart raced, beating against my palm through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.
“Maybe you could warm me up. I owe you a debt for keeping watch all night long.” I stepped even closer and slid my fingers up his chest and around to the back of his neck. Heat raced through me. Up until now, I’d dated boys who pretended to be all grown up, but Thunder was the real deal. Every inch of him was all man, especially the hard inches currently pressing against my belly.
Heat flickered in his dark blue eyes. This close, I could feel the ridge of his cock through the front of his jeans. He leaned in, his lips barely brushing mine. For half a heartbeat, I thought he was going to take me up on my offer. Then his fingers wrapped around mine, and he pulled my hand away from his skin.
