Page 65 of Rope Me In

“Look at you, Cowgirl.”

My thighs grip the large animal as my hands turn white around the saddle horn. It’s high up here, but at least I’m not afraid of heights, just mechanical failure. Or in this case, Big John failure.

Once I get my bearings, I relax my hands a little and stare at the horse’s ears flicking back and forth. It hits me then what I’m doing, and a feeling of pride begins to swell in my low stomach. I’m facing a fear of mine.

“Holy shit—I’m on a horse!” I exclaim.

Kade releases a deep belly laugh. “You’re on a horse. And you swore again.”

I smile down at him, a wide smile that has my cheeks starting to hurt. A sensation that feels an awful lot like happiness spreads through my body like wildfire.

Kade stares up at me with a look of wonder on his face, like this is the first time he’s ever seen a smile before. His hazel eyes are gentle, and after a moment, a grin to rival mine appears on his lips. The way he beams has the sensation of pride in my stomach turning into an entirely different one—one that feels an awful lot like a thousand butterflies.

The hand that’s still on my calf tightens, and he licks his lips. “Feel okay?”

I take another breath and nod. “Yeah, better than okay.”

He squeezes my calf one more time then pulls his hand away. “Good. Now put those heels down and relax your legs. You’re telling him to go right now. You’re lucky he’s lazy.”

I immediately do what he says, willing my legs and thighs to relax more. As soon as my butt sinks deeper into the seat of the saddle, the burn left over from Kade’s slaps becomes more prominent. The sensation has me biting the inside of my cheek to stifle a small groan, and my brow furrows.

When my gaze meets Kade’s, he looks like the cat who caught the canary. “So youarefeeling it, huh?”

“It’s not bad.”

He tsks, tapping my thigh. “You’ll pay for that, Lemon darlin’. But let’s get you moving. We’ll talk about that later.”

“Move?!” I squeak, making Big John’s ears flick at me.

“You can’t just sit in one spot. It’s time to practice riding now. Unless you’d rather ride me.” He winks.

I’m unable to stop the huff of laughter that leaves my lips—there’s the Kade I first met. But this time, I think he means it. My nipples harden beneath my bra, and I try to clear my mind of the images he put there. He may be flirting with me, but it’s not like we’re going to take this further or do something like date. I can’t date right now, and he doesn’t do serious relationships—at least from what I’ve heard. It would be silly of me to think otherwise, right?

I blow out a long breath. “Okay, let’s try it. But don’t leave me, please.”

The words come out more pleading than I expect, and Kade’s eyes soften. “Like I said, I’ll be right here.”

“Okay.” I nod.

“Okay.” He grins, patting the horse’s shoulder. “Let’s turn this city girl into a cowgirl, Big John.”

Chapter 21

Kade

I reach into thefreezer and grab a flexible ice pack with Velcro, strapping it to my forearm, right where the break from my accident was. I’ve felt great since getting the all clear from my doctor, but all the ranch work and sleeping on the loft floor last night has my muscles aching.

It was worth it.

Presley went to shower and get ready for her bar shift tonight, and I came up to the main house to not only grab the ice pack but also to get some snacks and things for the hands’ quarters since I haven’t had a chance to go to the store yet. I made sure Gavin’s and Blake’s trucks weren’t outside before chancing it, and I knew Momma and Gran had a meeting in town today to talk with someone about paint colors for a new guest quarters they want to build.

I have no idea how they’re affording all this construction; I guess Blake gave us more money than I realized. I let out a sigh as I fill the canvas bag over my arm with chips, crackers, and a few granola bars. After I take some fruit, I stop at the fridge to grab some pre-wrapped sandwiches I know Momma makes for any of our workers when they need some extra fuel. I get one for Presley and myself then make my way toward the door.

As I walk by the kitchen table, a pile of papers catches my attention. I slip the bag I’m holding over my shoulder and pick them up. As I read them, anger starts to heat at the back of my neck. Before my accident and finding out about the situationDad left us in—back when I thought we were just a big ranch with money troubles due to the drought—I asked Gavin if there was any way I could help get our ranch back on its feet.

I researched ideas like leasing out land to cattle ranchers in Mexico and other nearby ranches that need land for their herds at specific times of year then told Gavin about it. At the time, he shot my ideas down, but apparently, he’s changed his mind.

I flip through more of the pages and see various contracts. I don’t understand why my ideas weren’t good enough then but they are now. And what pisses me off even more is that it wasn’t just Gavin—nobody in my family, not even Blake, told me about these plans.

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