Page 32 of The Cowboy Takes A Bride

Meredith had socialite hands. It was going to be a long, tough year for her polished nails.

“I see a lot of canned goods in the pantry, but not a lot of fresh food in the fridge.” She bit her lip, and he swallowed hard.

Her action instantly brought him back to his attraction to her. Who cared if she didn’t have ranch hands? So long as she put those hands on him, he’d be perfectly fine. She nibbled her lip, and he wanted to do the same. He wanted to be close enough to her that he could suck on her lip and other things his mouth might find.

Jesus H. Christ, he was a horny asshole. Here she was trying to have a conversation with him, one that had made her cry earlier, and he was thinking about breaking their pact and getting her naked. But keeping his mind in the gutter helped him ignore the tiny, nagging doubt she was too pampered andwould find this a difficult place to live. That she'd want to leave any day now. He imagined trying to explain that to his parents.

His mood instantly soured. She was here one full day and already it was complicated. Sex, no sex, married but not really married. He needed to focus on something asexual like...cows. He needed to remember why he was doing this––Pops. He needed to not be distracted by her lips...or anything. He shuffled on his feet, ate the last bite of the bread while he tried to remember what they were talking about before he ventured down this tangent.

“I can’t cook either, but I can open up a mean can of beans or soup. And over a campfire, I can grill an insanely good steak. I can flip burgers on a grill without burning them. You know, those sorts of things, and salads probably aren't that hard, my sister makes them all the time. That's just chopping, right? That's not mixing ingredients, but even then, how hard could ingredient mixing be?”

Meredith traced the pattern on the counter. “I don't know. I’d like to try it, though.”

“You should try it. Experiment away. I’m going to be outside for most the day. I can show you real quick where to get the eggs. Did I mention we have hens and chickens?”

She shook her head. “You don’t mind if I mess up your kitchen?”

“It’s your kitchen, too,” he said and took the other piece of bread off the plate.

“We could maybe try some cooking things together.” Her words trailed off as she ducked her head.

There were plenty of things he wanted to try with her. “If I get any time free from corralling cattle and riding the perimeter, then that sounds like a plan.” He didn’t foresee any of that happening, but he couldn’t tell her no.

Meredith smiled. “Duh, you have super busy days, which is why you’re up at the crack of dawn.”

Thinking about the day ahead of him made Jace yawn. “Yeah, they do stretch into the evenings often as well.”

“Um, so if there’s any time to take me out and ride the grounds with you, I’d love that. I may not know how to cook, but I do know how to ride.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’ve been riding since I was a kid.”

Jace folded the bread, ready to cram it in his mouth. He could see Tuck out by the barn getting the horses ready. They needed to look at all the fence line and see if they could get a lead on the bear. “Well, that's a start. I think we're onto something here.” He winked. “Riding is going to come in real handy around here. Let’s make a list. I need to teach you to shoot.”

“And I’ll experiment with mixing ingredients. Likely baking before cooking.”

“There’s a difference?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, even I know that.”

He looked around the kitchen. “I’m guessing you’ve not started a fire before either?”

“No, sorry.”

“Let’s start there. Take the chill out of the morning. Then you can try one this evening if you want. Come on, I’ll show you real quick.”

He shoved the bread in his mouth, adjusted the crotch of his pants, and then led her into the living room and showed her how to make a fire. She was too cute for words, making her notes, echoing the sequence, naming the chimney parts after he did.

He watched her while she poked at the logs in the fireplace, and the urge to call in sick was overwhelming. Who could blame him? This was his honeymoon.

“Listen, I won’t be in for lunch, but I’ll be back for dinner. Ifits peanut butter and crackers and a can of beans, that works for me.”

With a sheepish grin Meredith said, “I couldn’t find the can opener so it’ll be likely peanut butter.”

Jace laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I do know where that is. Second drawer by the stove.”

He got lost into the deep pools of her azure eyes, and she blinked back at him, her expression a reflection of his curiosity. Just one kiss. Where would it lead? When she leaned toward him, he stepped closer, his thumb stroking down her neck as he let go of the long lock of her hair.

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