Page 5 of Lasso Lovebirds (Rainbow Ranch #4)

sky

There was something sexy about a woman who knew her way around a tractor. In fact, I was pretty sure Pris was awakening something deep inside me.

I swallowed hard as I leaned against the fence next to Beau, the two of us waiting patiently as she turned it off, hopped out, and walked over to us. She was wearing jeans, boots, a button down denim shirt, and a cowgirl hat—her appearance mirroring Beau’s.

Over the last day, I’d discovered I really had a thing for denim shirts.

The tension between these two was something else. The longer I was here, the more I saw it. But, I was pretty sure both of them had yet to broach whatever this was.

It wasn’t my business, really, but I also liked them too much for my own good. So of course, I wanted to see them happy. And then being a polyamorous romantic, I very much wanted to see them together.

Beau cleared his throat. “Howdy.”

She quirked a brow and rested her elbows on the fence. “Howdy.” Her warm gaze slid to me and I felt myself blush. I was starting to accept the fact that I’d permanently be flustered in their presence. “Here to learn how to ride a tractor? Or ride a cowboy?”

Beau choked on air. I fought a laugh, although I felt like I was going to melt straight into the dirt like a popsicle in the sun. “Both?”

Pris’ laugh was like sunshine. “Mmhmm. I’m wrapping up here so we can go to the garden. We have some veggies we can pick, and you can take them to Boone and Winnie.”

“More than happy to be useful,” I said.

“Well, when a storm comes around, you can take me with you,” Pris said. “I’ve always wanted to try storm chasing.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know about that,” Beau mumbled. “Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Well, I’d be with a pro,” Pris countered, her brows drawing together in annoyance. “Besides, you aren’t my boss in my free time.”

His ears looked like they’d been sunburned. “Just want you to be safe, is all.”

Was I intruding? It damn sure seemed like it.

Pris leaned back from the fence and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “When have I not been safe, Beau Adams? I can take care of myself.”

He held up his callused hands. “Never said you couldn’t.”

Pris narrowed her eyes. “Maybe just say you’d worry about me, then. Instead of being a bossy man.”

“I always worry about you, Priscilla,” he snapped.

“Well, don’t.”

He blew out a sharp breath. “Impossible. I’m going back to work. Take care of Sky, will you?”

“Oh, I certainly will.”

I winced as Beau walked off, shaking his head as he headed back for the house. Pris let out a heavy sigh.

“Damn it,” she mumbled. “Sorry. I just hate it when he does that. He tries to mother-hen all of us, but he doesn’t need to do that with me.”

“Seems like he just cares,” I said softly.

“He cares too much.” She made a face and then rolled her shoulders. “He does too much for everyone and then never takes care of himself. It drives me nuts.”

I glanced back at him as he stomped inside the house, the screen door snapping shut. “Well . . . I don’t know what to say. But of course I’ll take you storm chasing if we get the chance to. The weather looks like it’ll be clear the next few days.”

Pris snorted. “Well, if the weather changes—which we both know it will—plan to have a third. I think he’ll have a heart attack if he isn’t there too.”

I smiled and shrugged. “I don’t mind being looked after. Better than being treated like I don’t exist.”

She hummed and tipped her head back, looking up at the cloudless sky as she mulled that over. “Damn,” she mumbled, kicking the dirt before looking at me again. “I know exactly what you mean. I know he does it from a place of caring. It just drives me a little crazy, you know?”

I nodded. “I understand.”

Pris offered a smile and then glanced over her shoulder at the piece of equipment sitting there. “Anyway . . . Want to ride the tractor?”

“Uh, yes. Of course,” I snorted.

“Great. Don’t mind sitting on my lap, do you?”

My mouth dropped. “I . . . I don’t mind.”

“Great. Hop over.”

Only the third time jumping a fence in my life, and this time it was to sit on a gorgeous woman’s lap while we rode a tractor.

It was possibly the gayest thing I’d ever done.

I went over the fence, landing softly in the dirt. I rubbed my hands on my thighs and swallowed hard as Pris smirked. She held out her hand, and I took it, letting her lead me over to the tractor.

It was big and green and looked important, which made me nervous. But she opened up the door to the windowed cabin and climbed up with ease, taking a seat and then holding her hand out. I took it and she pulled me up like I weighed no more than a feather.

My cheeks burned as I settled on her lap, becoming all too aware of the way our bodies fit together. It was a tight squeeze with us both in the closed-in space.

“Are you sure this is okay?” I mumbled.

“Yep,” she chuckled, shutting the door.

“Okay,” I whispered.

I was really sitting on her lap. One arm looped around my waist, holding me tight against her as she reached around with the other and turned the tractor on. It came roaring to life, the entire world rumbling around us.

“What are we harvesting?” I asked over the thrum of the engine.

“Winter wheat,” she called. “We’ll do a couple rows and head back inside for lunch, or else Boone will track us down.”

All I could do was nod, a yelp leaving me as the tractor lurched forward.

I squeezed my thighs together, realizing that this definitely did it for me.

Every second I spent with Pris was another second I felt like I was going to implode.

It didn’t help that the vibrations rolling through us felt good.

Behave yourself. I repeated that to myself over and over again as we crept forward, the machine mowing down the stalks and harvesting the wheat. I twisted slightly, glancing behind us as I tried to understand how the machine worked.

I caught Pris’ smirk and another wink, and twisted back around to face the front.

I’m a goner.

My legs were wobbly as we walked up the front steps to the house, and I was pretty sure I was wetter than a god damned river between my thighs. I followed Priscilla inside, thinking about the fact that I’d made it out of that without embarrassing myself too much.

Would it be bad if I grabbed lunch and then hightailed it back to my room for a little personal TLC?

“I think we’re having sandwiches,” Pris said as we entered the dining room.

She was right. It looked like Boone had made sandwiches, wrapped in foil and easy to grab in a pile at the center of the table. Next to the sandwiches was a giant, chilled bowl of fresh salad, a mix of brightly colored vegetables that made my mouth water.

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now, but lusting after Pris and Beau worked up an appetite. A few Gatorades waited there too, cold and sweating from the warmth of the day.

My chest squeezed as I realized Beau was nowhere to be seen.

He had every right to be worried about Pris if she came storm chasing with me. I was mostly used to the adrenaline and danger of it, but it was still risky. Tornadoes were devastating forces of nature, and in my pursuit to help the world understand them better, I put my life at risk.

“Howdy,” Benny said, giving me a wave. “Saw that you met Dennis.”

“I did.” I grinned, looping my thumbs in my jeans. “He’s so sweet.”

Billie was seated at the head of the table and let out a low laugh. “Sweet? I guess he can be. He keeps all of us on our toes.”

“I can see that,” I chuckled. “How long has he been at Rainbow Ranch?”

“Ohh, hmmm. . .” Billie trailed off with a frown, looking up at Benny. “A couple years? Right?”

“I think so,” he said. “Seems like forever. He definitely belongs here. Our own little mascot at this point.”

“He’s so cute at the rodeo,” Pris said.

“I bet he is.” I grabbed a plate, a sandwich, and a bit of fresh salad that was on the table. While I still wanted to escape to my room for reasons , I was enjoying the conversation too much to leave. “This salad looks so good.”

“Pris grew all of that,” Boone said as he swung through the room. He was wearing an apron, a smudge of flour on his cheek. He nodded toward the gorgeous greens, tomatoes, and peppers as he put down a plate of the biggest chocolate chip cookies I’d ever seen.

“Really?” I looked over at Pris as she settled down in a chair. “Also, I need one of those cookies.”

Boone grinned. “They’re the best of the best.”

“Yes, and please grab me one before the vultures descend,” she said.

I plucked two off the plate before everyone else could grab them and laughed as I settled next to her, putting it on her plate. The chocolate chips were still a little gooey, and I put my cookie down and then licked some off my fingertips.

“Farm-to-table, baby,” Boone said, coming around the table to give her a hug around the shoulders. She leaned back into him, grinning from ear to ear. “We take that very seriously around here. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Pris.”

“Be a sad cook,” Billie chuckled.

We all laughed and Pris pecked his cheek. “Thanks for lunch, Boone. Now, if you can just get your brother to be a little more like you . . .”

Boone snorted as he stood up, planting a hand on his hip. “Oh god. What happened now?”

“Nothing.” Her gaze flicked to me. “He’s just stubborn, is all.”

“Well, that ain’t new,” Benny said. “But we love him for it.”

Everyone agreed, and some of the tension in Pris seemed to melt.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “We sure do.”