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I can’t breathe. Can’t think. I can only feel the press of his chest against my back. His thighs bracket mine, my backside tucked neatly into the cradle of his pelvis. He wraps his arms around me, reins in hand.

Cash is literally plastered against me from shoulders to shoes.

He doesn’t hesitate as he clicks his tongue, urging the horse forward. Doesn’t attempt gentleness. He is purepracticality, all firmness and confidence. If I’m being honest, his lack of pretense is…obscenely sexy.

It does not help that the center seam of my pants presses against the pommel with the horse’s every step, hitting merightwhere I don’t want it to.

I stiffen, squeezing my eyes shut. I really hope I don’t burst into flames. Or faint. Or have dreams tonight about fucking the inconveniently gorgeous cowboy behind me who also happens to be an absolute jerk-off.

“You gotta move with the horse.” Cash nudges my backside with his pelvis. “Otherwise, you’re gonna end up getting hurt.”

It’s all I can do not to sputter as he rolls his hips, urging me to roll mine too. My scalp prickles as a wave of unwelcome desire moves through me. “Um. Ahem. I…feel like I’m humping the horse while you’re humping me.”

“No humping. Only riding.”

I hear the smirk in his voice. He rolls his hips again.

I roll mine, too, if only to lessen the intensity of the contact. “You know you’re a walking, talking sexual harassment suit.”

“I’m the guy keeping you in the saddle. Best mind your mouth.” He clicks his tongue again, and the horse picks up pace.

I don’t know who I’m riding anymore—the horse or the cowboy.

“You’d better mind your…your…”

“My what, City Girl?”

“Don’t call me—oooh!” I tilt to the side when the horse hits a divot.

Cash immediately rights me, grabbing my hand and putting it on the pommel. “Hold on tight. Tighter. Both hands. Squeeze, Mollie. Come on.”

“Do you not hear yourself?” I’m starting to panic. We’removing so fast, and I’m so uncomfortably hot and flustered, I’m worried I really will faint.

“You’re not gonna fall.”

“Famous last words.”

Cash pulls on the reins, and the horse slows. “You all right?”

“Nope.” I swallow. “But this is better.”

“That’s because you’re doing better. Look, you’re moving with the horse now.”

I didn’t realize it was happening until I look down and see my body undulating in time to the horse’s stride.

“Maybe you are Garrett’s daughter after all,” Cash says with a chuckle. “Man could ride like nobody’s business.”

My heart spasms. Cash saw a piece of Dad that I never truly got the chance to know. The guilt I’ve been carrying around for the past three months—the regret—presses down on my breastbone.

At the same time, my pulse flutters at the fact that Cash is actually complimenting me. In a backhanded way, sure. But my chest hurts a little less at the idea I’m at all like the man I came from.

I’m undulating in time to Cash’s body too. Maybe that’s why, desperate for a distraction, I blurt, “Y’all were close. You and my dad.”

“We were.”

“Twelve years y’all worked together?”

“Yes.”