Page 6 of Beauden & Yelena

After bending down a little, he focuses back on the goat. “Billy, come here,” he says, then slaps his knee.

Billy seems no longer interested in me as his ears drop then he turns his head and trots over to the chocolate Adonis. My eyes follow the goat then remain steady on my rescuer as he escorts the animal back outside where it belongs.

“Thank you,” I say, truly relieved.

“No problem,” he replies then turns to leave.

“Hey, wait,” I plead, sounding more desperate than I intend. But hell, I don’t want him to leave. When he halts his steps, I ease off the bed. This man is so damn mesmerizing that part of me wants to run and jump right into his muscular arms. The insanity of the notion makes me grin a little. I refrain from acting out my wild thoughts and only take a few steps forward. “Can I know the name of the man that saved me?”

“Beauden.”

Everyone else on this ranch seems to have smiles permanently etched on their faces but not him. His handsome face remains stoic, no emotions and definitely no smile. His indifference doesn’t discourage me though. I’m not only grateful for him; I’m thoroughly intrigued too.

“Well, Beauden, thank you again. I thought it was going to try and eat me or something.” At my dramatics, the left side of his mouth curls up a little.Damn, he is sexy.

“He’s an herbivore; he only eats plants.”

“The way that it was staring at me and yelling could have fooled me.”

“You probably scared him more than he scared you.”

“I highly doubt that. My beating heart says otherwise.” I sigh.

“It’s twenty degrees out there. Why was your door open?”

“Oh,” I reply, remembering my phone. It’s right by his foot. I lightly brush him when I step toward it. He doesn’t budge at all but my whole body shivers.Shit!“My phone,” I utter before leaning down to grab it. He beats me to it and snatches it up. “Thanks again,” I say when he hands it to me.

I’m so close to him and his scent engulfs me. He smells heavenly: manly, spicy, woodsy, and fresh. Whatever it is, I want a gallon of it.

“Are you good, miss?”

Not if you are leaving.

“Yelena,” I correct him. “I’m Yelena.”

“Are you good, Yelena?” he asks and my name on his full lips is music to my ears.

“Not really. I don’t have a signal on my phone. I was hoping I could get one out there.”

“You have to be on the WiFi. Choose guest and the password is phoxhouse, with a ph,” he offers and I smile. I really need to call my mom before she panics.

“You are such a lifesaver. That’s twice in one day.”

“No problem,” he says, then tips his hat to me. “Keep the door closed. Billy likes to come inside,” he warns before leaving.

For the first time, I think I’m going to love a retreat.

ChapterFour

“Shit!” I mumble as soon as I step off the porch.

Yelena is gorgeous and her body is ridiculous. She’s not at all who I expected to see when I followed the yelling to her room. During our leadership retreats, we normally host female guests. However, none, not one, has looked like her.

When I walked into the room, I saw a caramel dream standing on the bed, glaring down at Billy with terror in her big, doe-shaped eyes. Her lips were pursed and even with the distance, they looked soft as hell. Her hair was pulled back, giving me an unobstructed view to admire her pure beauty. Her jeans looked like they were poured over her toned legs and thick thighs.

“Shit,” I utter again and shake my head.

My number one rule is not to get involved with any of my guests. Besides my dislike of intertwining business and pleasure, I’m not fond of flings, one-night stands, or arrangements. I want a relationship with a woman that can ride with me through life. I choose and date women with intention not for recreation.

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