Page 40 of Falling for the Cowgirl

“Something’s tangled.”

“Hurry and untangle it.”

She jerked at it but had the feeling all the tugging was only tightening the knot she’d somehow made. “I need your help.” The words were out before she realized what she was asking.

He let out a snort. “You’re not serious.”

“Serious as a preacher at a funeral.” Why not get his help? Things’d go a whole lot faster if he untwisted the knot.

He hesitated at the door, holding the handle, almost as if he was considering exiting the building.

“Don’t be a fraidy cat.” She shifted and showed him the strip of linen peeking out from underneath her chemise. “It won’t bite.”

“Blast it all, Ivy.” He scowled at her something fierce before he pushed away from the door and stalked toward her.

Chapter

13

This was a bad idea. Averybad idea.

Jericho’s hand was poised above Ivy’s chemise. A warning rumbled in his head like an approaching herd of cattle. He couldn’t lift her undergarment. It wasn’t proper.

“Just do it, Jericho.”

He touched her chemise, but his hand trembled. His sights shifted to her slender arms and the smooth bare skin from her shoulder down to the tips of her fingers. The skin practically begged him for a touch.

He closed his eyes for a second, trying to clear his head. She was just a friend. He could do this.

“Am I gonna have to walk around with this thing hanging out the rest of the day?”

“You should have thought of this problem before deciding to compete today.”

“I had it all worked out until you joined the race.”

“So this is my fault?”

She released an exasperated huff and jerked up her chemise. “There.”

At the sight of her lower back, he sucked in a stuttering breath. She was so beautiful.

“Go on now.”

“Fine.” He forced himself to reach for the dangling cloth and followed it up to where it had knotted. Though his fingers shook, he plucked at the twisted linen and tried to keep his gaze averted.

“You gonna be able to get it?” She peeked over her shoulder. Her face still had smudges of black in places around the rim, but her features were as pretty as always, her eyes curious and her brows drawn.

What he wouldn’t give to have those luscious eyes watching him with admiration instead of fury. Why had he wanted to rile her up? He could no longer think of any reason that made sense. Now all he wanted to do was be close to her.

As if sensing the shift in his mood, she twisted back around and stared straight ahead.

He worked at the knot again, trying to keep his fingers from brushing her back. As he finally loosened it and started unraveling the linen, his fingers accidentally skimmed a line near her spine.

She drew in a breath, one large enough for her shoulders to rise and fall.

He paused, the silence between them strangely charged. Something told him he’d done what she asked and that she could take over and finish on her own. But another something drove him onward, so that he continued to unwind the linen, spinning her around until she was facing him.

Her chemise fell over the linen and covered her. But still,the entire situation was indecent. He needed to walk out of the building and get away from the heat that was undeniable between them—especially at this moment.