Page 23 of Since Day One

“He’s absolutely incredible. Please send him to Kurt! I want to see how far we can take this boy,” I answered, leaning forward and giving Outlaw a pat on his neck.

“Done! Let me make some calls to set that up,” Bill said, and he clapped his hand against Gunnar’s back. Resting his chin in his hands and leaning his elbows against his knees, Gunnar watched me in silence. I couldn’t quite make out what he was thinking, his face hidden beneath the shadows of his hat.

I dismounted, loosened Outlaw’s cinch, and gave him a few more rubs on his face. He was such a sweet boy; the trainer that had started him had done amazing work. Gunnar may not know much about reining, but he knew horses through and through.

Bill climbed into the arena, already on the phone, gave me a quick nod, and then led Outlaw out and back under the garage doors. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I shifted my gaze back to Gunnar, who still hadn’t moved from his spot in the bleachers. The door sank back against the ground and became still. Silence settled upon the dust.

The intensity with which he was staring at me, the ferocity in his eyes, pulled heat into my cheeks. I hadn’t done anything wrong, technically. Yet, those hazel eyes drilled into my soul like he was trying to pry into every corner and dig up any other secrets buried deep within the recesses of my mind.

Finally, he blinked and shifted backward on the bleachers. Spreading his legs and leaning against his forearms, he shook his head, drawling, “Anything else you’d like to share with me?”

“No, not right now,” I answered with a devilish grin, and he chuckled.

“I googled you.”

“Oh, did you now?” I began walking across the arena, then hoisted myself up on the rail and swung a leg over. “What’d you find?”

“All your dirty secrets.” He licked his lips, and my stomach turned over in excitement as a dull ache hummed between my legs. Shocking me with a feeling I’d long since accepted would never grace my body.

“I didn’t know I had any dirty secrets,” I flirted in response, ascending the bleachers with a pounding heart.

His eyes slid over me as if I was prey to feast on as I climbed toward him. A smile twitched at the corners of his lips with each thought that had to be rolling through his mind. Reaching him, I sat on the row below and looked up, wondering what was going on inside his head.

“After lunch, if you want, I’ll let you ride,” he said, leaning forward, closer to me.

“There’s no family activity, is there?” I inhaled sharply, filling my lungs with that leather and pine scent, and he tilted his head.

“Would you rather there be?”

I shook my head. “Absolutely not.”

“Then it doesn’t matter, Princess.” He brushed some hair from my face, sending a chill jolting down my spine, and stood up. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

Chapter 9

Apparently, we had missed regular lunch time by over an hour, and not a soul was left in the kitchen. Gunnar and I threw together two sandwiches and then ate them on the way back to the barn, with him driving a Razor this time instead of riding Luke.

He upheld his promise and let me ride—although, I kept nearly falling off, as the horses did their job better than I did mine. By the end, things were beginning to click, and my body felt much more coordinated. Gunnar spent half the afternoon laughing at me, the other half rolling his eyes as I let a calf get by or cut out the wrong one.

The hands were encouraging, which was nice, but Gunnar immediately shot them a glare each time, and they grimaced, returning to work. However, there was always that sparkle in his eyes, and I shook my head, knowing he liked to play that game of cat and mouse. The hands loved their jobs here and working with Gunnar, and if I wasn’t so established back in Texas, I might’ve considered coming here instead if they’d have me.

But for the time being, I would enjoy this learning opportunity with Gunnar.

By the time the evening rolled around, I was so exhausted and sore from riding, I stumbled through dinner half-aware. This time, however, I didn’t sit alone by the firepit. Gunnar, the two hands—who I learned were named Rob and Carsen—and Ruger and his wife kept me company. I joked with them like I’d been a long-time buddy, and it felt almost like I’d been transported back to Texas with my friends.

“So, you outrode our infamous Gunnar today,” Ruger teased, grinning mockingly as Rob finished the retelling of what happened earlier with Outlaw.

“It wasn’t like that,” Gunnar grumbled beside me, and I gave him a silly grin. He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Bill even knew who she was. I can’t believe you hadn’t taken the time to look her up.” Ruger laughed, and Gunnar blinked several times.

“You didn’t know who she was either, dumbass,” Gunnar said, slinging back a sip of beer.

“I’m not the one chasing after her.”

“I’m not chasing her.” Gunnar glared at his brother, looking like an animal backed into the corner.

“Uh-huh. You don’t have any sort of attraction to her. At all,” Ruger added, finishing the bottle he was holding and grabbing another beer from the case.

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