Page 20 of Save A Horse (Texas Rose Ranch #1)

Daisy

F or the better part of the last few days, I have kept my mind on the work around the ranch.

I moved with a sense of purpose to complete my duties and anything Walt told me to do, without question or any attitude.

Walt seemed to be in a particularly good mood this morning and his spirit hasn’t faltered.

He had been giving me plenty of tasks to do around the ranch, though, but I still didn’t complain.

Happy Walt was much better than the alternative.

Colt and I still haven’t talked. I want him to be the one to come to me, and I still don’t want to give up on that.

I don’t want to give in. I didn’t do anything wrong, unless agreeing to go out with someone was wrong.

I guess to Walt, it would be considered wrong in this case.

I still didn’t understand why he asked Colt to promise him that.

It's just a weird thing to do. I’m an adult, and so is Colt.

If we want to go out, then who is to stop us?

I know how much Colt cares about his dad, though, and wants to please him, so it couldn’t be as simple as going against his dad’s wishes.

The sun was casting a warm glow over the fields as I continued working.

I checked the fence line, as Walt instructed, saying how important a task it was.

I made sure there were no gaps where the cattle could get out and wander off.

I had chased cattle before, and that was not as fun as it may seem.

My boots crunched against the ground with each step I took.

Nonetheless, I could still feel the tension inside me from the conversation with Colt. Yes, I had been short with him at dinner the other night and we haven’t spoken a word since, but why was I supposed to be the one to make the first move for any sort of reconciliation when the fault was on him?

I couldn’t shake the uneasiness from it all. There was no denying that Colt was being distant, and I was being reserved. It was hard to figure out how to navigate the shifting dynamics between us.

“Daisy, how’s that fence look?”

“Looks good, Walt.”

“Well, good. Your dad called.”

“Oh?”

“He needs some help replacing a few pieces of his fence. I’m going over to help him. You stay here. There’s plenty of work to be done. You need to go feed the horses and check their water. I’ll be back later.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

I missed my dad. I wished he had come to visit me more in the city, but I knew why he wouldn’t.

He felt too out of place there, and my dad hated to be anxious.

It would be nice to spend more time with him, though.

We saw each other at Rose’s funeral and the one time he came to see me, but we haven’t seen each other besides those two times.

I did call him occasionally to check in, but it wasn’t the same.

I went to the barn and checked on the horses, rubbing each of their heads and giving them the right amount of feed that Walt had shown me, and filled up their water troughs. Being with the horses gave me so much peace and comfort. It was like my problems faded away any time I was near them.

I heard a noise in the distance and I turned to see Colt with his hands in his pockets.

He walked with a purpose, but his stride slowed momentarily, and I sensed some hesitation.

My heart raced. Was he finally going to come to talk to me?

I missed hearing his voice. I missed the way we were.

I was stopped dead in my tracks. I wiped my face, feeling the sweat. As he drew closer, I met his gaze.

“Hey, Daisy.” His voice had a mix of uncertainty and determination. “Can we talk for a minute?” I nodded, trying not to let my face reveal any emotion.

“Sure.” Colt shifted his weight, rolling his neck from one side to the other, as if trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

“I wanted to talk to you about all this.”

“Okay?” It came out as more of a question than a statement.

“This is my fault, and I own up to that.”

“Okay.”

“Daisy, could you stop it with the okays? I want you to know why I promised my dad what I did.”

“Alright.” He roughly rubbed his head, wishing I would stop with my antics, but he knew I was never going to change.

I crossed my arms, feeling my chest tighten.

I have wanted him to come to me and talk for days now, and now that he finally was, I was so nervous and anxious.

“So, why did you promise him that? I mean, do you have any idea how that made me feel? And you telling me that after the night we had…it just felt like you were trying to put distance between us. I don’t like that.

I don’t want there to be any distance between us.

” He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it .

“It’s not like that. I just…this place is my life.

It’s my legacy, too, not just his. I want to take over someday.

You know that. At the time, you and I hadn’t spoken since right before your mom died, and I barely thought we would talk and be able to get along again once you got here…

at least not like when we were kids. And I didn’t expect anything else.

I figured work was all both of us would be doing this summer. ”

“So that makes it okay? You didn’t think about how this could affect me.”

“You’re right. I didn’t. I thought it would be good for both of us, you know…to not have anything complicate you being here.”

“Good for both of us?” I raised my voice, anger coming over me. “It seems like you were making decisions for me, like I couldn’t make them on my own. You didn’t consider how I would feel at all.” Colt stepped closer, attempting to touch my arm, but I wouldn’t let him.

“I’m sorry, Daisy.”

“That’s all you keep saying, Colt.”

“Because I don’t know what else to say.” Colt never raised his voice, and I knew he wouldn’t, even if he wanted to. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I care about you so much. I always have. But I can’t let my dad down. It’s just…complicated.”

“Complicated doesn’t even begin to describe this.” I was starting to get frustrated with him. “I know you don’t want to upset your dad, Colt. I know that. But where does that leave me? Where does that leave us?” I choked a bit with those words.

“Daisy…”

“Spit it out already, Colt, because I’m getting tired of hearing I’m sorry. Give me more than that.”

“I had feelings for you as a kid, and I have feelings for you now.” He came closer to me.

“You had feelings for me back then?” He nodded. I couldn’t believe I never knew that. We always had this special bond, and he looked dang good back then so of course I had feelings for him. But he liked me? How did I never know that? Did I miss every single sign?

“I don’t want to pick a side, Daisy. I want to find a balance. We can figure this out together, but there’s something I have to do first.”

“In the middle of a conversation like this, what could you possibly have to do?” He came so close to me that I could feel his breath against my neck as he whispered.

“This.”

He cupped my face in his hands, bringing my lips to meet his in a heated kiss.

This kiss felt different from the last one.

His eyes were dark, filled with hunger. There was a fire igniting between us, and I wasn’t sure how to put it out.

He backed me against the barn doors, kissing me from my lips to my neck, making me tingle all over.

“Come on.” He took my hand and led me out of the barn toward the house.

“What are we doing?”

“You’ll see.” We went into the kitchen and I felt a rush of excitement.

Colt was intriguing me, making me wonder where his mind was going and if his heart was racing as fast as mine.

“How about a little fun?” He winked, and I felt like drowning in every piece of him.

I giggled, unable to contain myself. Colt grabbed the ice cream from the freezer, and I was starting to get a hint at where he was going.

“Let’s make this interesting.” I grabbed the can of whipped cream from the fridge.

“Take off your shirt.” He whipped around to face me, his face showing a mysterious grin, and I knew he was about to love this.

He took it off, his shirt sticking to him slightly as he pulled it off to reveal his toned torso .

I sprayed a generous amount of whipped cream onto his chest. He flinched a little when the cool cream touched his skin. He laughed and leaned against the counter. The whipped cream glistened off his chest.

“You think you can handle this? He teased.

I bit my lip, my heart racing as I took a step closer to him. I placed a hand behind his neck, moving in so close he thought he was about to be kissed before pulling away. I could be a tease, too. Using my fingers, I drew circles on his skin where the whipped cream was.

“Maybe I want to add more.” Colt’s eyebrow rose, and I knew exactly what I was doing to him. I had him exactly where I wanted him.

“Oh, really? Show me what you got.”

I leaned in again, this time licking off some of the whipped cream from his chest. Colt’s laughter echoed through the kitchen, and I was starting to get turned on.

I knew he was, too. I was lost in the moment, the ice cream forgotten as I was enjoying this way too much.

As the whipped cream disappeared, Colt took my hand and pulled me closer.

Our bodies were touching, and I had almost forgotten what his skin felt like against mine.

“What’s next, Daisy?” His words seemed like a challenge. I smiled, leaning in so I could whisper in his ear. I grabbed the tub of ice cream.

“I’m not done just yet.”

I held up the ice cream like a trophy. Using a spoon, I plopped some down on Colt’s bare chest, raking the spoon down his chest. I heard him gasp, stiffening his body a little with the temperature contrast. I ran my fingers through it, the ice cream feeling icy against his skin.

“How’s this working for you, cowboy?” I missed calling him that. He moaned a little as I licked the melting sweetness off his chest.

“You’re going to pay for this.” I laughed, finishing clearing his chest. Colt leaned down, kissing me passionately.

The kiss felt like he was trying to suck up every ounce of me, leaving nothing behind.

“Alright, it’s your turn now.” He lifted me, placing me onto the counter when he was just sitting.

He took the tub of ice cream from my hands, using the spoon to scoop some out.

He pointed the spoon at my shirt. “Come on now. Don’t make me beg.

You know I will.” The way he looked into my eyes at that moment, I felt nothing else.

I was drowning in him, and he was drowning in me.

“Maybe I want you to beg.” At that moment, he got on his knees. He peered up at me, making me feel so in control.

“Come on, darlin’. Let me get a little taste.” Those words left his lips so smoothly. I was falling hard and fast. I pointed at the tub of ice cream still in his hands.

“What are you going to do with that?” He winked at me, getting back up on his feet.

He moved in closer to me as I took off my shirt.

He plopped the spoonful of ice cream on me, starting from my neck and ending at my chest. The feeling of the cold, melting cream against my skin was enough to balance out my body temperature, which had risen from this encounter with Colt.

“Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy this as much as I did.”

He set the tub on the counter beside me.

Then he leaned in closer, propping himself on opposite sides of my body.

He looked at me, then moved closer, and I knew he was about to kiss me.

But he played the same teasing game I had with him and pulled away instead, right when I could feel his breath against my skin.

I felt his touch against my neck, licking off the start of the ice cream.

He stayed there for a few minutes, and I enjoyed every second of him sucking and licking every drop of stickiness from my body .

“I have one last surprise for you.” I leaned back on my hands and turned my head as he went over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottle of chocolate sauce.

I took the moment to admire the way his jeans hugged him in all the right places.

“You didn’t think I’d let you get off so easily with being a tease earlier, did you? ”

He squeezed the bottle, letting the syrup drip down my chest. Before it rolled too far down, Colt stopped it with his lips. He kissed me on my chest where the sauce stopped, then licked me in one motion up and back down again.

In that moment, Colt slid the bottle across the counter and pulled me so close to him that we felt like one and the same. He kissed me, every wall I had put up being torn down. I wanted to fall into him and I could feel it.

I was falling.