Page 5 of Infatuated
A woman who looks to be in her early fifties pushes open a screen door and jogs down the steps to us. “Howdy, welcome toBlack Stallion Ranch. I’m Liz Ellis, one of the owners.”
“Hi, Liz.” My dad shakes her hand. “I’m Henry Robinson. This is my wife, Violet, and our daughter, Lana.” He chuckles as I ignore him, still holding my phone up to the sky. “Sorry, she’s missing a party and is trying to connect with friends.”
“There’s no service here, dear. We can get you hooked up to Wi-Fi, but you won’t be able to make calls on that thing. And the Wi-Fi can be a bit spotty.”
No signal? I drop my arm and stare at her, eyes wide and mouth popped open in horror. She has dark hair that’s pulled into a low ponytail and clear gray eyes. She has some wrinkles around her eyes as she smiles at me. “How do you people live here?” I mutter, only it isn’t as quiet as I thought.
She covers her mouth with her fingers, trying to hide her laughter. “We make do. Usually, you can get service in town, but out here on the ranch—nothing. Most people find it relaxing to be able to disconnect.”
“Most people didn’t have an important party to attend either,” I mumble. This time, if she heard me, she doesn’t comment.
“Henry, Violet, and Lana, why don’t I show you to your cabin so you can get settled? We have a welcome celebration starting in an hour. My husband, John, and I will talk about all the amenities the ranch has to offer.”
We walk to our cabin as she talks animatedly about the activities they offer and the fun we will have. She points out different spots as we pass, but I’m too wrapped up in my thoughts to notice.
“Lana, have you ever been horseback riding?” She turns her head to look at me as I trail behind them all.
I glance up at her and shrug. “A few times. It’s not really my thing.”
“Well, if you decide to give it a go, Clementine is yours for your stay here. She’s a mild-mannered horse, and I think you’ll get along great with her. If you want to ride, check in with our son, Tristan, or our other hand, Holden. Tristan should be back tonight.”
“Where is he?” I’m not actually curious, but I know I’ve been rude since arriving. Mom made sure to give me “the look.”
“He has football practice. He’s attending the University of Wyoming this fall to play with the Cowboys.” She beams with pride as she speaks. “First one in the family to go to college, and he’s on a scholarship, too. This is his last practice until August. He’ll be back for dinner.”
“Oh, Liz, that’s wonderful. Congratulations,” Mom says.
My mom has a way of making friends everywhere she goes. I imagine, by the end of these two weeks, she will have added the Ellis family to her Christmas card list.
Liz waves at a boy carrying some ropes. “Holden, come meet the Robinsons.” He pushes his cowboy hat up enough to look at us and comes over, a smile plastered to his face. “Henry, Violet, Lana, this is Holden. He’s one of our ranch hands here. You’ll see a lot of him. If you need anything, he can help you.”
Holden’s actually pretty handsome. Tall, around six-feet, broad shoulders, slim waist, and brown hair and eyes.
He shakes hands with my parents and smiles wide as he looks at me. “Lana, that’s a pretty name. If you need anything, let me know. I’d be happy to help.” He gives me a once over before winking.
“Holden, enough of that. Stop flirting with the girl. You’re going to scare her.” Liz swats his arm, and he has the good grace to blush.
“Yes, ma’am. You all have fun now. I’ll see you in a bit.” He walks off, giving me a great view of his backside. His tight jeans mold around his ass and thick legs. His blue plaid shirt sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, showing off his muscular arms.
Maybe it won’t be so bad here after all.My libido’s motor just started running, and she wants to chase after Holden. I don’t want to have sex with him, maybe just make out in the stables, or roll around in the hay. Give me a chance to feel what’s under those clothes.
Liz clears her throat, and I shake the thoughts from my head and peek up at her through my lashes, my face ten shades of red. She’s standing in front of the cabin door, holding it open for me.
Oops.
She leans close. “Be careful with that one, darling. He’s a good kid, but he’ll break your heart.” She stands tall again and addresses us all. “I’ll see you folks at the main house in an hour.”
* * *
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. The cabin is nice. I have my own room, and I can see the pond from the window. I have a few books with me, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit and read. Bethany constantly has me going places with her—shopping, movies, parties.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy doing those things; I just miss getting lost in a good book. I want the romance, the lust of it all, the suspense of will they, or won’t they. I carry a book with me as we walk back to the main house for the celebration.
I promised Mom and Dad I’d try to have fun and make the best of it. It’s very different than Connecticut. The land is so green, and the mountains in the distance look huge. I can’t even imagine how big they would be if I were to stand next to them. There’s nothing like this back home. The closest we have to mountains look like hills in comparison.
“Hey, it’s Lana, right?” Holden comes up behind me. I nod and look to the ground. “I’d be happy to give you a private riding lesson, or we could go for a hike. I know the trails really well. Anything I can do to help make your stay more enjoyable, I’m happy to help.” He flashes me a toothy grin.
Does he have any idea how dirty that sounded, or am I just that dirty minded? He has to know, right? I see a slight twinkle in his brown eyes.He knows.