Page 21 of Revelry (Cowgirls Do It Better #2)

Tate

My heartbeat was finally returning to normal.

And then I had to go and share a horse with Gertrude. Her ass pressed into my crotch, rocking into it with each step Fitzwilliam took. I dragged my mind out of the gutter long enough to try and put some distance between us before she felt just how much I was enjoying our ride.

I’d helped Jack onto Chester’s back, then snagged Sunshine’s reins and she trotted alongside us as we made our way back to the ranch house.

Gertrude was strangely quiet on the journey back.

I expected her to pepper me with questions about why I’d been ignoring her over the last few weeks, but she didn’t.

Which was just as well because what would I tell her?

Seeing my father sent me into a massive OCD spiral which I’d only just pulled myself out from?

Because I’m a grown-ass man who hadn’t left the house properly in weeks and I finally pulled myself together after a session with my therapist?

I don’t know what it was about Dad’s visit this time that sent me into such a deep, dark place. I bumped into him every few years when he could orchestrate something. I’d known I would see him eventually because he’d been trying to get in to see me at the vet clinic.

No, I couldn’t tell her that. But what was I going to do with her? I’d tried avoiding her and all that had done was make me think about her more. It killed me not to open her messages but what did I say? “ Hi, I’m Tate and I’ve got debilitating issues ? ”

Normally I couldn’t get the pint-sized raven-haired beauty to stop talking but today she was silent.

“Are you okay?” I asked through gritted teeth when I couldn’t take the silence any longer.

“I am. Are you?” she asked, echoing our meeting from months ago. She turned to face me but I couldn’t look into her eyes. They would be my undoing.

I harrumphed in response, not trusting myself to speak.

I’d been terrified when I heard Jack on the phone with August telling her Gertrude was injured and couldn’t walk.

I knew how serious injuries could get on a ranch, so I’d rode out of the stables like a madman.

I only calmed when I saw her mane of inky locks.

Gertrude leaned back against me, her hair brushing over my face, teasing me with the sweet scent.

I fought not to bury my face into it and inhale.

My eyes fluttered closed, my knuckles tightening on the reins as she rocked into me, rubbing herself against my already hard dick.

I pushed out a shaky exhale, willing myself to calm down.

There were some tough moments in life, I’d experienced more than my fair share. Now I had to add one more thing to the list; sharing a horse with Gertrude.

I replayed our kiss. Her soft, puffy lips that moved in waves against mine and drove me wild. She’d worked me up with her breathy moans and quivering hands eagerly roaming my body. Then everything had been ruined by my little issue .

But right now, nothing could be spilled, no mess could be made and I was more aware of Gertrude than ever and the pleasure I could find in her delightful body.

My grip on her thick thigh flexed, fingers digging into her soft flesh.

I liked the fullness of her body, she was pliant, not breakable. She could take whatever I gave her.

Just when I was ready to drag her off the horse and have my way with her, the ranch came into view. Wrenching my focus from her thighs and her chest expanding with her heavy breaths, I concentrated on getting my dick to go down.

I pulled Fitzwilliam to a stop in front of the porch and swung out from behind Gertrude.

I dropped to the ground, my legs shakier than I would have liked after our ride together.

I scooped her up and slipped her off the horse, her arms circling my neck.

Her inquisitive stare drilled into me but I knew if I dropped my eyes to her violet blues, then I would be a goner.

Leo came rushing out and tried to help by taking Gertrude from me, but I moved her out of reach with a low growl, not wanting anyone else to put their hands on her.

She was mine.

“Oh dang, it’s like that is it? Interesting.” Leo gave me a shit-eating grin and I frowned before nudging past him.

“Help Jack,” I called over my shoulder.

I entered the house and turned into the open plan kitchen where the scents of Thanksgiving dinner overwhelmed me, my stomach rumbling in delight. I placed Gertrude on one of the dining chairs.

“Gertie, what’s going on?” Kat asked, pulling a large turkey out the oven.

“I slipped and twisted my ankle, cracking it against a fence post,” Gertrude replied.

Kat came over to have a look. I grunted, trying to shield Gertrude, not wanting to hurt her ankle more.

“I see. And now we have a caveman?” Kat quipped.

My stare met Gertrude’s, and a small smile lifted one corner of her mouth. “Seems so.”

My cheeks flushed. I needed to dial things way back. But I was protective of people I cared about when they were hurting. I’d seen what could happen to someone if you weren’t careful and didn’t watch them closely.

“Have you got an ice pack?” I asked.

Kat rummaged in the freezer and pulled one out, wrapping it in a towel and handing it back to me. I placed it gently over Gertrude’s ankle. She hissed when it made contact and I flinched at her alarm.

“It’s okay, Tate. It’s just cold,” she reassured me.

“Some help?” Jack grunted behind me.

“ Such a cry-baby, it’s only a broken thumb. Do you know how many times I broke my thumb bull-riding ? I could still beat you in a thumb wrestle.” Leo reached for Jack’s hand and Jack wrenched his arm away.

“I will drop you, boy. Don’t even try it,” he warned, and Leo chuckled before taking a seat beside Gertrude.

“YOU brOKE YOUR THUMB?” Kat cried, slapping a hand on the countertop.

“Um, maybe?” Jack shrugged one shoulder, his expression sheepish.

Kat was by his side in a moment, tutting over his poor thumb before growling about being careful and I was tempted to make a joke about her behavior, but Gertrude beat me to it.

“Looks like we’ve got a cavewoman here too,” she snorted. Kat’s stare whipped around and narrowed but the corner of her mouth quirked.

I watched Gertrude, loving that our brains went to the same place. Her eyes met mine, her cheeks filling with an adorable pink flush. I was still kneeling at her feet, one hand holding the ice pack, one hand stroking the back of her calf.

“Thank you for taking care of me, again,” she said, dipping her head.

My throat worked in a swallow as she fluttered her lashes at me. “No problem, it’s my job.”

“Animals are your job, not people.”

“Speaking of people, where’s my splint?” Jack asked. I reluctantly ceased stroking Gertrude’s calf, propping her leg on another chair and resting the ice pack before I inspected Jack’s thumb.

“You got any small bits of wood?” I asked, knowing his penchant for carpentry from our chat at the Halloween party.

“Yeah, a couple at the cabin.”

I clapped his shoulder and moved around him, heading out the door and to the cabin, rummaging through the off cuts laying by the porch. I found a relatively small bit and brought it back to the house.

When I entered the kitchen all conversation hushed, and Kat leapt away from Gertrude. I ignored that they were clearly talking about me and gestured for Jack to sit in a chair.

“Happy Thanksgiving all!” Daisy cheered as she entered the kitchen. “What’s going on?”

“Gertrude’s hurt her ankle and Jack’s broken his thumb,” Kat said.

Daisy nodded, unfazed. “Cool.”

I shook my head, hiding a smirk at her nonchalance before I measured the small block of wood against Jack’s swollen thumb.

It was slightly too long, so I held it down against the old oak table, half of the block over the edge and brought my palm down on it, splintering the block.

I did it again and again and eventually it snapped in half.

“Okay, that was hot,” Daisy whispered.

“It really was,” Kat murmured in agreement.

“Katarina,” Jack sighed, his indignant stare flicking to Kat. I lined up the splint with his thumb and began wrapping a bandage around it.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t deny it. You’re much hotter though,” she added.

Jack seemed pleased with that. I lifted my stare to Gertrude who was watching me intently, her eyes like blue flames, licking me head to toe. I cleared my throat and turned my attention away before my erection appeared again.

Once finished, I surveyed the work. “You might wanna get it checked at the hospital but that should hold it for a while.”

“Ugh, the hospital will be a nightmare today. It feels pretty solid, thanks man. I owe you,” Jack said.

“Hospital, tomorrow,” Kat gestured at him with a knife.

“Yes, ma’am,” he smirked.

I glanced back to Gertrude’s ankle which was twice its usual size now. “Keep icing that and hopefully the swelling will go down. Try and stay off it.”

Gertrude nodded, offering me a small smile, still strangely quiet.

I clapped my hands together awkwardly. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair.”

“No!” Gertrude burst out. “Stay? As a way of saying thank you.”

“No, I couldn’t.”

“We’ve got plenty spare and would love for you to join us, right Kat?”

Kat nodded. “Absolutely, Tate.”

I knew what Gertrude was doing. Trying to make me spend time with others so I wasn’t all alone.

Well fine, if she cared that much then I might as well. But only because she was so insistent. Besides, I was only going to go home, excessively clean and then maybe jerk off while thinking about her so I might as well postpone that by a few hours.

“That would be nice, thank you,” I replied. Gertrude’s smile spread across her face, the brightness of it blinding me and I felt myself smiling in return.

“Great! You take a seat here,” Kat pointed to the chair across from Gertrude. “Dinner will be ready in ten.”