Page 211 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

“Shy? I’ve never been accused of being shy in my whole life.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being shy.”

“I know that, but still…I'm not shy.” With her gaze moving from the horse’s eyes to the triangle he’d carved out, Ellie finally stepped into place.

“And just so you know,” he said, “I was talking to Buttercup." He chuckled, and with as close as she'd stepped to him, the sound resonated through her in a pleasing wave.

Ellie inhaled the spicy, yummy scent of the cowboy; yes, that had to be aftershave or cologne. She cleared her throat, unnerved as a wave of goose bumps rippled up her arms.

"Now,” he directed, stroking the side of the animal’s head. “Cup your hand over mine as I pet her."

Before he could tease her about being shy again, Ellie rose to the occasion, quickly placing her palm over the back of his large hand.

"There,” he crooned, gliding his hand down Buttercup’s blonde coat. "That's good. I’m going to remove my hand. You take over. Keep talking to her, just like this. Good girl, Buttercup. Good girl."

Ellie hadn't paid much attention to the feel of his hand as they’d pet the horse together, yet as soon as he began to wriggle out from under her palm, that butterfly flutter whirled through her tummy again.

"See, Buttercup?” she ventured, feeling vulnerable suddenly. “I'm nice too. You don't really want to kick me, right?"

That triggered Nash’s low chuckle once more, a rumble Ellie felt in her chest this time.

Moments passed, and Ellie slowly grew more comfortable in the horse’s close proximity. She was, however, a little flustered by her proximity to Nash and his muscular chest and alluring, masculine scent.

"You’re doing great,” he said. “Animals are like us; they read emotion in our facial expressions. They once did this test where they showed horses pictures from a group of people, one by one. Half the group wore soft expressions, while another group portrayed anger with a mean glare.

“When the horses encountered each person in turn, they had a negative response to those who’d looked angry in the photographs even though they weren't wearing the expression anymore. So not only did the horses recognize the expression, but they also remembered it and associated it with the owner."

"Wow, that's fascinating.” She suddenly wanted very badly to make a good impression on Buttercup. She wanted to earn her way into the mare’s good graces and grow the sort of trusting relationships she’d seen in movies.

“So,” she said, her mind wandering back to the intrigue behind the cowboy. “Do you have a horse? Or maybe a bunch of horses?" she added, not really sure what day-to-day for a cowboy looked like. And perhaps he wasn’t really a cowboy at all. Perhaps he was just playing one here at the ranch before going back to his regular job as a plumber or computer tech.

"Yes to both,” Nash said. “We own a lot of horses on Copeland Brothers Ranch, but I also have my own horse. His name's Copper. He’s a real stud.”

"Copper, that's cute. Is that what color he is?"

"You got it. When I first got him, he looked like a lucky penny, so Copper was a perfect fit. He's a good horse,” he added thoughtfully. “We've been through a lot together."

The comment triggered a recollection; hadn’t Geneva said the guy volunteering had lost his parents? A cold shiver rocked through her center, and she couldn’t help but frown as she pieced the two things together; Genevahadsaid that, and Nash was the guy she’d been talking about.

How terrible. The fact added even more layers to this intriguing cowboy. It seemed hehadbeen through a lot.

Geneva also implied that he’d been suspected of volunteering because he heard Ellie was going to be there. There were probably several reasons Nash decided to volunteer at the ranch, but none of them, Ellie assumed, had anything to do with her or the small-time tabloid that had mentioned her whereabouts.

No, Nash didn't seem the type to go chasing after a woman like Ellie, but what sort of woman was his type?

“So,” Nash said, circling around Ellie to take hold of the horse’s reins once more. “Want to meet up again tomorrow? There’s a real pretty trail close by. You could take her for a ride.”

“And you’d come too?” she asked, her face flushing like he was asking her out on a date.

He nodded. “We could do a private trail ride in the afternoon, or if you’re okay being in a group setting?—”

“I can’t,” she interrupted. “I mean, it’s better if I don’t, you know? Considering…” She died off there, figuring he knew where she was headed with it anyway. But then it occurred to her that he may not actually know. What if he had no idea who she was? It seemed conceited to ask, so Ellie just left it at that.

“No problem. The mornings are cooler, but the afternoon will be fine too.”

“What about the evening?” she asked. Now, it felt likeshewas askinghimout. “Isn’t it cooler in the evening, too?”

“Yeah, if you want to go while it’s still light out, we’ll have to leave here by around 4:00. Weatherwise, we’re having a second summer this year. Usually, this close to September, it gets pretty chilly. Soon, it’ll be cool all day long.”