Page 10 of Tusks & Saddles

Chapter Seven

Willamina

S hit, that happened. Her dream that was so rudely ripped from her had been so pleasant, she wouldn’t mind returning to it.

She imagined Boone holding her under a massive, wooly blanket in the dead of winter.

The fire crackling in front of them, her cozy in his lap, head to his chest and listening to the steady thump, thump, thump of his heart.

That hand of his was unconsciously traveling up her side, from hip to shoulder, then down her arm to her legs.

Only, when his hand traveled back up, it roamed her stomach.

Then, cupped her chest and she couldn’t help the sharp intake.

His lips brushed the side of her face and the buttons on her shirt fell away.

Rough thumbs brushed her nipples and her toes curled.

That’s my girl, let me take care of you.

Then she woke up to the sound of someone ransacking the camp.

But the memory of her dream was so crystal clear.

The tingling of her chest so real it left her strangely off kilter all day.

While riding, she kept getting woozy. Betty would huff and she’d snap back.

When they stopped to eat something, she tripped over her own boots and knocked into Roger, who knocked into Boone.

Then, trying to get back into her saddle was a fight because her body didn’t want to cooperate.

“Will?” Boone slid up beside Betty, holding the saddle still as Will glared at the traitor .

“I’m fine.” She pushed off the dusty sand again only to spin too hard and nearly throw herself off the saddle.

Boone chuckled, earning him a dark glare himself.

Instead of hurting herself, she pushed off the saddle.

Betty gave her an indignant huff. What is wrong with me!

Her head wasn’t on straight and she couldn’t afford that. There was too much at stake.

“Something’s got you tied up in knots, Will.” Boone crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m. Fine.” She rounded her horse to try it at a different angle only to have Boone follow her. “Boone, get on your own damn horse.”

“After I get you on yours safely. Don’t act like I haven’t seen you drive Betty like a drunk stumbling through the street.”

“Fuck you, I’m not—” her throat caught as he arched a brow, sighing. Licking her lips nervously, she glanced away from him. Okay, maybe I am being silly. “I’m distracted.”

“The robbers?” His eyes softened, regret on his face. Big fucking softie. She hated that he felt regret for beheading two dipshits. Not his fault they didn’t listen. Boone gave them plenty of warning.

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s not them that’s got me tangled up in knots.”

“Then…oh…” The silence between them was thick enough to choke a bull. Will sucked on her teeth, looking anywhere but him. Anywhere but the man that’d made her head a vicious windstorm. Boone’s rumbling voice made every hair on her body stand on end. “How can I help?”

“You can’t,” she spat.

“I’m pretty sure I can. I made you into this mess—”

“I’m not a mess! Boone, what you think? Just cause you toyed with me in our bedroll, I’m suddenly a wilting flower?

I’m not like those limp wrist princesses you’re used to, Boone, it takes more than some teasing touch to make my legs weak.

” His arm snapped out, grabbing ahold of the horn on her saddle, the other caging her against Betty’s side.

She flattened herself against her horse, all the air in her lungs squeezed out of her traitorous lungs.

Eyes wide open, hands fallen to her side, she stared up into the stoney face of her brother’s best friend.

His yellow orbs roamed her face, then she watched him trail them down her torso down to her boots.

“Then maybe I need to try harder,” he breathed, arching a brow.

“Maybe,” she gulped. What am I doing? His face was so close, she could practically feel his lips all over her already.

Boone’s gaze dropped from hers to her lips and she inhaled sharply through her nose.

Please. Willamina Jones never begged, but she would have carved off her own foot to have Boone kiss her first.

“Will? Boone?”

She gulped down air as Boone pulled away.

Because if he doesn’t kiss me first, I don’t think…

I don’t think I can. Jacobus returned to her mind.

How upset he’d be to find out she’d taken Boone from him.

That’s what it would be: a betrayal, taking the only person that was Jacobus’ first and only.

Will got the ranch, got the work, got the respect of the town, and her baby brother was friends with her friends because of her.

Boone was the first person he got on his own.

She couldn’t take him from Jacobus…no matter how much she wanted to.

“Just helping the boss up onto her horse!” Boone called out to Roger, hoisting her up by the waist onto Betty. She didn’t stop him. Instead, taking up the horn on her saddle and a deep breath, she gave Roger a nod.

“Sorry, boot got stuck. ”

“Herd’s ready to go.”

“Let’s get moving then,” she croaked, glancing down but Boone was already gone from her side.

It’s fine. It’s better this way. She tried to soothe the crack that formed in her chest. He’s not mine anyway, Jacobus called dibs.

Will untucked her hat from where she’d hidden it in a side bag, and plopped it on her head.

After a moment, getting her head on straight again, she nudged Betty and they took off.

They had too much cattle and too much sand to travel to worry about silly things.

Romance was for those books that Boone was always reading. Will didn’t have time for that.

The sound of hoofs hitting the sand echoed off the endless sands were the only sound other than her beating heart. Sun glistening over their heads, she lost herself and all thoughts to the ride. For once, they can’t torment me if I just ride faster than them.

It felt like two days before they made camp again when it’d only been another 12 hours.

The cattle were settling down and Roger spread out the magic seed.

Boone set up the camp, this time with boobytraps.

It was an unsaid new rule that they were preparing for raiders.

Usually, if they were going to get robbed, it wasn’t the fucking sands.

That would have been a valley ordeal where there were woods around or even little villages.

The sands were just that…sand. Lots of it.

Which didn’t bode well, but she didn’t want to speak on it and risk summoning them like a plague.

Instead, she watered the magic seeds to grow grass, filled the buckets, and settled the horses nearby.

Roger was already carving up bread, Boone breaking apart roasted meat, and Will sank onto the sand near them.

It was eerily silent for a while. The three worked in a hushed tandem.

With Roger not being a big talker, and the strangeness between Boone and Will, she wasn’t surprised.

Then, the fire spat, and all three horses jerked away in surprise.

“Shh, shh, Betty, it’s okay.” She murmured, stroking her horse’s neck as she tried to ease her back down.

“Gah!” Boone’s surprised grunt as Kaffa body swiped him in the confusion hit Will deep…

deep in the funny bone. Her eyes watered as she stuffed her face into Betty’s neck, the giggles rising up to dangerous levels within her chest. Her hands were weak as she clung to her horse for dear life.

Betty, though confused, didn’t seem perturbed.

Will saw through tears as Boone climbed halfway up only to get knocked on the butt by Kaffa’s butt and sent stumbling out into the dark sands.

“Boone!” she wheezed, “Careful!”

“Tell the fuckin’ horse that!” he barked, waving a hand in Kaffa’s direction. Will tossed her head back cackling. Her stomach hurt so bad she nearly fell to her wobbly knees.

“You think you’re real cute, huh?” Boone growled, stomping up Betty’s good side.

“I…can’t… breathe! ” She fell to the ground by Betty’s front hooves.

Thankfully, with a hand to her horse’s leg, Betty knew that she was there and not to step on her face.

Well, that was until Boone hoisted her by the arm pits and dragged her back by the fire.

Boone said nothing as he dumped her unceremoniously on the blanket.

Will laid back, hair spread on the sand, hand to her stomach, laughing hard enough her feet kicked.

“Laugh it up, Willamina Jones, but the next time you get fucking knocked by a horse, I ain’t gonna help you up!

” He snatched Kaffa’s lead that was pulled taunt and the horse seemingly got it together within a second.

Will lay there, swiping tears out of her eyes, just watching him stroke Kaffa’s neck with an irritable look on his face.

His tusks glinted in the firelight, made more distinct by his grumpy scowl.

Will couldn’t explain it if anyone asked.

It was a fever dream. It was a long day of her brain cooking in the sun.

It was a wild hair up her ass. But she poked his calf with her foot, lower lip tugged between her teeth.

When his eyes snapped to her, she grinned from ear to ear.

Her tease came out as a breathless confession, “Yes, you will…”

His face softened. Her heart skipped a beat as his gaze roamed down from her face to where her traitorous boot was pressed to his calf.

It wasn’t subtle as his yellow eyes climbed back up her body.

“Yes,” he added with a singular arched brow, “I will. But I’ll probably have a few cross words to say. ”

“When don’t you?” She pushed up onto her elbows, wanting nothing more than to drag him down to her. All those fantasies of his body against hers, how good it would feel to have his weight against her while her soul floated away, returned in an instant.