Page 208 of Ride a Cowboy

“You said it would take two days.”

The mischievous rogue winked at her. “You said you wanted to learn to be a cowgirl. That takes time. Trust me, at the end of four days, you’ll be?—”

“Four days?” As much as Bridget hated to make the break, she forced herself to stand and walk away from the incredible heat of their strapping bodies. Facing them where they still sat, she put her hands on her hips. “You are a shyster and a con man. I agreed to riding lessons. I’m fairly certain that can be achieved in one day.”

Mark stood slowly. “Three days.”

“Two,” she countered.

Matt jumped up and shook her hand as if sealing the deal. “Two days plus one date.”

“Date?”

Matt retained the hand he held, using it to pull her closer. “You just shook on it. We teach you how to ride, and you let me take you out dancing one night.”

“You get to take her dancing?” Mark interjected. “I don’t think so. The whole idea behind this wager was mine to begin with. If anyone’s taking Bridget out on a date, it’s me.”

Bridget threw her hands up. “Enough. I’ll agree to three days of riding lessons if you two agree that we’re just going to remain friends. No more fighting.”

Matt looked like he wanted to argue about the friends idea, and Bridget tried to suppress the part of her that hoped he’d press the issue.

“Fine,” Mark said, though his tone indicated he wasn’t happy about her demands.

She grinned. “It’s better this way. Trust me.”

Matt shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“I’m going to head into the kitchen for some dessert. Do you guys want some?”

Mark shook his head. “No. I think I’d better head back. One of the horses was acting strangely this morning and I’m worried she’s getting sick. I want to check on her before I go to bed.”

“I’ll walk back with you,” Matt said. They’d told Bridget earlier in the evening there was a small path toward the rear of the house that led straight to the James Ranch. “Jacob can ride back in the truck with Caleb and Jessie or on his own if the two love birds don’t make it back from the guest house. You mind letting them know we left?”

Bridget shook her head. “No, not at all.”

Mark tapped her nose playfully. “We’ll expect to see you at the ranch bright and early tomorrow morning.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s bright and early? Nine? Ten?”

Matt laughed. “I was going to say six. Maybe another compromise? How’s seven thirty sound?”

“Painful,” she groaned. “But I’ll be there.”

Mark reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips. She suppressed a slight shiver when he pressed a quick, hot kiss on her palm.

Never one to be outdone by his brother, Matt upped the ante, placing a friendly kiss on her cheek. “Night, sweetheart,” he drawled, his hot breath tickling her sensitive skin.

It was a clear moonlit evening. There was enough light from the night sky that Mark and Matt could make their way across the yard without using the flashlights they’d grabbed from the truck before embarking on their return trip home.

Mark managed to hold his tongue all the way to the head of the path, a feat Matt didn’t think his brother capable of. Once they reached the edge of the woods, he let loose, saying everything Matt was thinking.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Matt pretended to be oblivious. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. We’re both attracted to the same woman.”

Matt thought attraction seemed a mild word to describe what happened to him whenever he was in the same room as Bridget. Miffed at his brother for presenting a very big roadblock between him and his desires, he decided to make Mark work for it. “So?”

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