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The man she’d admitted her most terrifying secret to, the one only Forest had known about.

The clouds from the night before had blown away on a warm summer breeze. Okay, so maybe her eyes were a little sensitive from drinking. She tugged her cowgirl hat lower to shield them from the brightness.

The ranch buzzed with the usual activity. One guy on an ATV was hauling feed to the cattle troughs. Dude was busy letting the horses out of their stalls so they could hit the pasture to graze.

She had plans for the day too, and only part of it included working with her mare. The other involved talking to Colton again. But getting his attention was another conundrum. So far, he’d been avoiding her every single time he spotted her.

Surely, this time he’d wander over to see what she was up to. When she trained with her prized mare, Jewel, she got everyone’s attention. The ranch hands often came to stand at the fence and watch. Webb stood by like a nervous father waiting to pick her up off the dirt in the event she fell.

With a bounce in her step, she walked into the barn. Jewel’s stall was located toward the back since her skittish mare liked peace and quiet more than some horses. Glancing around on the off chance Colton was hanging out there, she made her way to the horse.

Just as she reached the latch to open the stall door, she heard the scuff of a boot behind her.

Twisting, she cast a look over her shoulder.

Her hopes fell.

“Oh. Hi, Dude. I’ll get Jewel today. We’re going to have some fun, aren’t we, girl?” She stroked her knuckles down the black mare’s nose, over the white star marking the center.

“Sounds good, Miss Meadow. She could use some extra exercise.” Hesitation rang in his voice, as if he wanted to say more.

He wouldn’t quite meet her gaze either.

With a sinking stomach, she realized why. Her behavior last night. Dude was at the bar. He’d tried to get her away from the biker she’d been draped all over like wet on water.

Dropping her stare to the ground, Meadow took Jewel and led her out of the barn, into the training pen.

One of the other guys who’d been at the bar also avoided her gaze. A third saw her coming and took off in the other direction as if his legs couldn’t carry him away fast enough.

Great. She was the pariah of the Gracey Ranch. An embarrassment to even the rough men who worked here.

If they felt this way about her, what must Colton think?

Focusing solely on her task, she outfitted Jewel with tack and led her to the middle of the training ring. The long rectangle of space was the perfect size for jumps and even turning barrels, both of which Meadow had been working with her horse on.

She sometimes rode competitively, but since Forest’s death, she’d had no desire to compete and stuck close to home. Jewel, however, was pining for a good hard push of exercise, and she was determined to make one of them happy.

Soon, she was engrossed in her task. Being outdoors with the breeze stroking the hair off her shoulders and the sun warming her, she threw her energy into her horse.

The minute she settled in the saddle, though, she winced.

She felt that. Had Colton left bruises on her backside? He hadn’t spanked her all that hard. She’d only been shocked by the sound and sting of his hand on her flesh.

The memory stroked across her senses like a caress and dipped between her thighs, leaving her aching in other places.

She stole a glance at the fence. To her surprise, not a single ranch hand stood there watching her.

Maybe she’d acted more out of line than even those big tough guys could handle. She shoved her hair over her shoulder. Anyway, who cared what they thought? She had a horse to train.

She took Jewel through several jumps. Watching her own form took some focus, since she really did feel the effects of that spanking.

Being with her horse made her feel better than she had in weeks. Maybe even months.

The exercise had her warm. She felt the glow which started on the inside and spread outward through all her limbs. She drove Jewel toward a jump. The gallop made Meadow hold her breath in anticipation. Together they sailed over it in a perfect arc.

When her backside landed in the saddle a little too hard, she couldn’t stop her wince. “Good job, Jewel. You did so well!”

On her way past the fence, she caught sight of a man standing there watching her. A man who set himself apart like there was no other person on earth he wanted to spend time with. Who admitted freely that he was the person responsible for Forest’s death.