“Whatever.”
She picks up her phone and types out a text. It only takes a beat before a ping sounds in response. “Ryan’s in!”
“Let me know when you find a room and what I owe you. It’s so nice to have something to look forward to.”
“Don’t forget you have your date with Owen tonight. That’s something to look forward to.”
“It’s not a date.”
“Of course not.”
Chapter Six
Daisy
The gravel road that leads to the barns at the Swift ranch is littered with vehicles. There are lights strung around the currently empty hay barn, and people are flowing in and out of it. Getting out of my truck, party music hits my ears, and I can’t help but wonder what exactly Owen has invited me to. Something tells me that whatever’s going on across the field was not part of his plan.
I’m glad I wore boots, because I’ve got a hundred and fifty-yard walk to where I assume Owen is waiting for me with my gift. Whatever that might be?
When I originally agreed to meet him here, there wasn’t a dress code, and we weren’t going for a ride forty minutes before sunset. Now, the evening sounds like the perfect setting for a romantic date. I should have come up with an excuse not to come. And I certainly shouldn’t be feeling butterflies in my stomach with each step that brings me closer to him.
But here I am.
On a Saturday night.
At Owen’s happy place.
Like Cal goes to our ranch to ride when something is bothering him, Owen does the same. This is where he comes to think. To punish himself when he’s getting over a hangover. To relax after a long work week. Riding at his family ranch soothes Owen’s soul. He lost his father a couple of years before I lost mine. I think being here makes him feel closer to his dad.
The fluttering in my stomach increases when I see a handsome cowboy leaning against the open barn door, arms crossed over his chest, his straw hat shading his eyes from the sun so he can track me as I make my way to him.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” he says as he pushes off the barn, sauntering my way.
“You invited me to a barn party, Swift?”
“Not exactly. Livvy threw what is apparently her annual end of summer party, but since I wasn’t invited, I’m just as surprised as you are.”
His little sister, Olivia, who is ten years Owen’s junior, still lives at home and works at our family store, McKinnon Hardware & Lumber. She’s in her mid-twenties but hasn’t really grown up yet.
He takes me by the hand, lacing his fingers with mine as though it’s something we always do. I like the way it feels too much to worry whether the twenty-somethings across the field notice. Instead, I allow myself to enjoy the moment.
There are two saddled horses waiting in the middle of the barn. Owen’s beautiful quarter-horse Blue is patiently waiting. So is Shadow, a sleek black mare I’ve ridden in the past. She must be who I’m riding tonight.
“Close your eyes,” he requests a bit more seriously than I’m used to when we’re out in the world and not hidden away under the sheets.
“You better keep your clothes on.”
“That’s not what tonight is about. But don’t act like you wouldn’t like me to bend you over that hay bale and give you my cock as a gift.”
He’s right. That sounds perfect.
“Get over yourself.”
“You like me just the way I am. Now, please close your eyes.”
Since the hay bale is out of the question, I close my eyes. “They’re closed,” I huff.
He lets go of my hand and moves behind me. Pressing his chest against my back, he slides his hands down my arms until he has both my hands in his, walking us the three steps that were between me and Shadow. He lifts my hands, placing them on the saddle, separating my fingers until my palms lie flat against the smooth, supple leather. The earthy smell, nostalgic and welcome.
