Page 25 of Sheriff's City Girl

“So, you’re gonna ride my horse Jett,” I said, holding out the reins to her as she walked toward me. “He’s the safest horse in this barn—well, the safest one that can still carry a full-grown person. Some of the retired horses still tote little kids around.”

“Are there kids around here that size?” Emma took the reins from me and began to stroke Jett’s neck.

“Yeah, one of the trainers gives lessons to kids. She only gives them a few times a week and on Saturdays, I believe.” I left Titan tied where he was and offered a hand to Emma. “You can go ahead and mount up here.”

She eyed me as she accepted my help, sticking her boot into the stirrup. “I rode English horses a long time ago.”

“Oh yeah?” I chuckled. “Well, these are American horses, but they still have manners.”

She tipped her head back in a laugh. “You know what I meant.”

“I did,” I admitted, trying to ignore the fire in her touch. Although she worked in a bakery, her hands were still soft, and I fought the urge to pull her mouth to mine.

“So where are we riding to?” she asked, tilting her head at me as she shifted in her saddle. “It won’t be long before it’s dark.”

“We’re just gonna ride to the cabin and back. It’s a pretty easy trail and won’t take too long. It also keeps us away from…” my voice trailed off as I stopped myself. She didn’t need to know about the details. I wanted to keep her safe but not scare her.

She had missed the last part though, her brows furrowed. “What’s the cabin?”

“Oh, it’s where I live,” I chuckled, mounting up on Titan. He had a lot of energy, so I wasn’t quite sure how it was gonna go, but the young horse needed to get as much exposure as possible—and going on an evening ride would help with that. Lucas hadn’t been spending the time he needed to with his string…

Just another way he’s acting weird.

“I remember you saying that you live on the ranch,” Emma’s voice brought me back. She gripped the reins with her thumbs up, and it was clear by how she sat in the saddle she had ridden before. She was either a natural or the lessons had really stuck with her over the years.

Our horses fell into step beside each other once we exited the back of the barn, making our way to the back gate. I opened it for us and then shut the heavy rusted gate back, pointing to a clearly mowed trail leading off to the left.

“So we’ll just stay on this trail, and it’ll take us to the cabin. We will have to cut through some woods, but I keep the trail nice and wide. Sometimes I take the UTV here, and I hate scratching the shit out of the sides.”

Emma laughed softly, neck reining Jett to the left. “I don’t blame you…I guess I remember more about riding than I thought,” she added under her breath.

“You’re handling it like you’ve ridden every day for the last twenty years,” I shot her a wink, and under the glow of the setting sun, her blush appeared luminescent.

“Maybe as long as we remain at this pace.” She smiled as we continued on.

We mostly spent the ride chatting about her business and the town, and the ideas she had behind the décor for the place. I kept my eyes peeled on the area surrounding us, and despite not seeing anything, I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling that the rustlers could be out there somewhere… Taking more cattle that didn’t belong to them.

“Oh wow, is this your cabin?” Her eyes widened as we came to my quaint two-story log cabin. “It looks like something straight out of a movie.”

I chuckled, surprised at the way she was gushing about it. “Thanks, I don’t think anyone has ever said anything like that about it. But I have to agree,” I added, pride swelling in my chest. “I was really proud of it. I built it myself about ten years ago or so. Lucas gave me forty-acres and told me to build a house. It’s a good place for Jess to grow up.”

“Why don’t you keep your horses here?” Emma’s eyes were on the barn behind the house, a typical red and white.

“I work too much,” I said, feeling a pang of guilt. There was a time when all I wanted was for there to be horses in our barn, cattle in the back fields, and a few more kids in the yard…

But that was a dream that had long passed.

“I guess that makes sense. I didn’t realize how close you were to the ranch,” she continued, following me to the hitching post I had set up just off the cabin’s front porch. It was mostly for looks, but it came in handy sometimes.

“Yeah, it makes it easier to be there to help Lucas, and Jess spends a lot of time over at the ranch using the arena and practicing for rodeo season. I don’t know if she’s gonna do it next year though. She said she wants to take a break.”

I hopped down from Titan, tying him off and doing the same for Jett. They had a fresh tank of water they could enjoy while we took a short break. Emma slid off without my help, and I couldn’t help but stare as her feet hit the ground. She was by far the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Her curves were luscious, but her waist trim… I wanted nothing more than to put my hands on her body again.

“You want something to drink?” I asked, my voice coming out husky.

She turned to me, her eyes shimmering beneath the darkening skies. “Actually, you know, that sounds really good right now. What do you have?”

“Well, not much,” I laughed, gesturing for her to follow me up the stairs. “I don’t have a prominent drinking habit, but I think there is some beer in the fridge—maybe some whiskey I can mix with Coke for you. Oh, and water. I have water.” The words were coming out in a rush, my mouth trying to outrun the erection that was hardening.

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