Page 17 of Finding Chloe

Before I could take a step, someone hooked a strong hand underneath the saddle. The weight lifted from my arms, and I could breathe again.

“Thanks,” I said, turning to thank the man who saved me from making a fool of myself.

My breath caught in my chest and heat rushed to my cheeks. The man standing before me with my saddle in his arms was so insanely hot I wanted to fan myself. He was young, although probably a little older than I was. His dirty blond hair fell across his forehead, and I fought the urge to touch it to see if it felt as soft as it appeared.

He was tall enough for me to have to look up at his chiseled face and beautiful hazel eyes. The mysterious stranger, while lean, had well defined arms and was clearly strong.

“No problem. What’re you doing with Travis’s saddle?”

I couldn’t place his accent. He wasn’t from Texas but from somewhere with a drawl. Wherever it was, it was delicious.

“I’m going for a ride on Bear. I was just getting ready to tack up.” I tugged Bear’s bridle onto my shoulder.

“Let me help you.” He placed the saddle on the rack.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take up your time.” I placed a hand on my hip.

I didn’t think I imagined the heat in his eyes before he shot his gaze at Travis’s tack. “It’s no trouble at all, but I don’t know if his stirrups will shorten enough. Maybe you should use Jessie’s.”

He was probably right. Travis was way taller than me.

“That’s a good idea. Umm….” My eyes moved around the tack room as I tapped my finger on my lips. “Which one is hers?”

He made his way to the opposite corner of the room. He lifted a smaller saddle from the rack and a pad on the hook next to it. “This one.”

I grabbed the pad from his hand. We lugged the tack to Bear, and I hooked the bridle on the wall. “You can just put it on the ground.” I pointed to where I had intended to put the other one to wait until I needed to tack up.

“Are you sure? I can lift it for you.” He set the saddle on a hay bale.

“I’m sure.” I smiled. “Thanks for the help.”

“Of course. I’m Kyle, by the way.”

Oh for the love of all that is holy.Thisis Kyle?

He offered his hand, and I quickly accepted it, probably pumping our hands up and down a ridiculous amount in my nervousness. He didn’t make things awkward. His large, calloused hand engulfed mine as he held on tight. It was like he didn’t want to let go either. His touch wasn’t as rough as Matt’s, and in some ways, it reminded me of Hunter’s.

The girls had mentioned he was cute, but cute didn’t seem to do his gorgeous face justice.

Trying to act normal, I responded, “Nice to meet you, Kyle. I’m Chloe.”

He squeezed my hand once more before releasing it. I smiled as sweetly as I could.

If this was Hunter’s other half, then I needed to get to know him better before I fully decided what I wanted to do. I’d fallen for plenty of hot guys only for it to end in disaster.

His eyes didn’t show any surprise, so I wondered if he’d known who I was.

“So, Kyle. What do you do around here? Are you another one of the cattle hands?” I leaned my hip against the nearest hay bale.

Bear danced in place, and Kyle smoothed a hand down his neck, calming the gelding. He smiled warmly, and my chest lightened. “I’m actually one of the riders for Team Kingston. I’m Thomas’s rider for Sapphire.”

“You don’t have your own horse?” I didn’t expect someone to be on the team without a horse of their own.

“No.” He stared at the ground for a few seconds, then back at me. I could see the sadness in his eyes. “I…” He stopped to clear his throat.

“You don’t have to explain. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s okay. Most people around here already know, so it’s not a secret.” He cleared his throat again, and I wanted to wrap my arms around him. “I lost my horse in a freak accident when I first arrived. Thomas had Sapphire and was talking about training her. He asked if I’d be her rider. Compete with her.” He lifted a shoulder. I didn’t know how long ago the accident was, but I could tell it still got to him. When we lose someone we love, the pain never goes away.

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