CHAPTER FIVE
Jamie
“Absolutely not. No. Never. Not even if the library got a million-dollar endowment.”
I stood at the edge of the dusty corral, staring at the horse. Lucinda had said her name was Buttercup. She looked adorable and let me pet her, but that wasn’t enough for me to actually climb on her back. I was too acutely aware of how much ground there was between that saddle and the dirt.
“Oh, come now, Jamie.” Lucinda adjusted her hat. She was a sturdy woman, built with the kind of solid, dependable curves that came from a lifetime of ranch work. She wasn’t a small woman, but she moved with a grace I lacked entirely. “Buttercup is a sweetheart. She’s sturdier than she looks.”
“Lucinda, let’s be real. I’m not just sturdy. I’m pretty sure the animal rights people have laws against putting someone with my... baggage... on top of a living creature. I’ll break her, and then I’ll be the villain of Wild Vista Ranch.”
“Honey, that horse carries bags of feed heavier than you. And look at me—I’ve been riding every day since I was five and I’ve never been a size two. You aren’t going to break her.”
“Maybe not her back, but definitely my pride when I flip over the other side and land in a heap of shame.”
“You won’t flip, darlin’. Not if you’ve got the right teacher.” That voice. It was like a physical touch against my skin.
I closed my eyes. Of course, he would be her to witness my disgrace. Slade was walking our way, thumbs hooked around the silver belt buckle of his jeans. His jeans were dusty now, streaked with the honest sweat of a day’s work. But he still had on that t-shirt that fit him like a second skin. The fabric strained against his biceps. Was he even bigger than he had been this morning?
“Nice try, both of you, but I’m not riding.”
Lucinda laughed and headed to the main ranch house. “She’s all yours, Slade.”
All Slade’s.
I knew the other woman’s words were innocent, but they sent a shimmer of heat through me that had nothing to do with the Texas sun. I knew he probably had more women falling all over him than you could shake a stick at. He was infuriatingly charming and Lucinda had told me he was a bull rider. That meant buckle bunnies. Thin, big boobed, and ready for any adventure in bed.
That was not me.
Slade leaned against the post beside me. “The problem is your confidence, not your size.”
His eyes did that once over thing again. It was the same look he’d given me in the cabin and then again last night in the dining hall. Lazy, but thorough. It made me want to suck in my stomach and pop out my boobs. Just like a buckle bunny, damn the man.
“I’m just being practical. I’m a curvy girl. Horses are for people who weigh as much as a wet noodle and don’t mind the smell of manure as a personal cologne.”
Slade chuckled, a low, wicked sound that sent a spike of heat straight to my core. He leaned forward, blocking out the sunand filling my lungs with a scent that was definitely not manure related.
“Is that what you think? You think you’re too much for a horse to handle? Because from where I’m standing, you look exactly like the kind of woman a stallion would fight to keep on his back.”
“Well, you’re not a stallion, Rodeo Romeo, so back off.”
“Too scared? There’s more to life than what’s inside your books, Jamie.” He looked at me with a sudden piercing seriousness. “What are you actually doing here, City Girl?”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
He shook his head. “No. Not until you get on that horse.”
“My best friend Paige decided what I needed for my birthday was a week at a dude ranch instead of what I actually asked for.” Technically, she’d said I needed a cowboy rubbing my clit. I bit my lip, wondering what he’d do if I shared that tidbit of information.
“What’d you ask for?”
“What?” I had to drag myself away from those types of thoughts. They did nothing but make my panties grow damp. Correction, damper.
Another slow grin stretched across his mouth as if he’d actually read my thoughts.
“What did you ask for?”
“Oh. A spa day. Cucumber mask. Maybe a stolen robe.”
