Page 27 of Ride Me Cowboy

“Compared to where you’re from? You must be bored outta your mind.”

“No way,” I shake my head. “I like it. It’s quiet. Peaceful.”

“And your life in the city isn’t?”

My stomach tightens painfully. I don’t want to think about my life in New York. I know I’ll have to go back to it, that this is a temporary reprieve, but the less I think about ‘home’ the better. If removing Christopher’s power over me is my new life purpose, surely that starts by taking a total break from the cage he created to contain me, including any reference to it?

“It’s busy,” I say, after a beat.

“Do you do bookkeeping work out there, too?”

I shake my head.

“What do you do then?”

I open my mouth to answer, then realize I can’t. Not without giving him the kind of information that will lead to more questions. Questions with answers I don’t want to hand out.

So, I lift my shoulders. “This and that. How about you, Beau? Has being on the ranch always been your dream?”

I listen as he starts telling me about the first time he climbed on a bull’s back, and how he felt like he was a God on earth, and I let my mind wander to another cowboy, who feels as at home on the ranch as anyone has anywhere, and my stomach knots for a different, far more pleasant reason. And even though I stole that kiss from Cole, even though he rejected me right afterwards, my lips tingle as I remember what it was like to brush against his, and there I am, walking across the field on a summer’s afternoon, next to Beau Donovan, fantasizing about his older brother in a way that’s got me all kinds of hot and bothered.

Chapter Nine

Cole

ONE OF THE FIRST LESSONS I can remember my mom teaching me is not to react when I’m hot under the collar.We all get in moods, darlin’, but taking a breath can be the difference between war and peace. And in this house, we like a little peace from time to time.

It’s sound advice. Advice I probably should listen to, instead of going into the kitchen, all guns blazing, when I hear the front door slam shut. Sure enough, Beau’s striding in like the cat that got the cream, all swagger and smiles as he pulls a beer from the fridge and takes a long, thirsty drag on it.

So what?

Take a breath.

Listen to mom.

But I’ve spent the past three hours imagining what Beth and him have been getting up to, after they wandered away from thewindow. Knowing Beau like I do, it’s left me with a sour taste I just can’t shift.

“Where’ve you been?” I ask, trying to keep my voice neutral.

“Around,” he says.

My temper flashes but I control it. “Oh yeah? I thought I saw you with Beth earlier.”

Talk about showing your hand at the poker table.

Beau’s eyes meet mine and his grin widens. “You jealous, bro?”

If we were still kids, I’d have given him a shove. “I’m looking out for her, is all. She’s our guest. Don’t go messing with her.”

“Seemed to me like you were pretty keen to mess with her yourself the other night.”

“Don’t talk about her like that.”

Beau sobers and lifts his palms up in a gesture of surrender. “You’re right. I’m just kidding with you.”

It doesn’t calm me. If anything, my temper is ratcheting up. “Where is she, anyway?”

“Said something about going for a run.”