Page 14 of A Cowboy Of Her Own

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Once inside the store, Priscilla looked around and smiled. It smelled like leather. She saw all types of saddles along one wall with tack hanging on the wall behind them. She heard Roark laughing and turned to see him talking with the man behind the counter while he placed his order. The more she thought about this idea of spending all day with him she knew it wasn’t going to end well. When he’d helped her out of the truck, she swore something like an electric shot raced through her when their bodies touched. Roark Callahan was such a sexy man and she knew, for her own well-being, she had to stay far, far away from him or lose her sanity.

When they returned to the ranch, she continued into the house to get a cold drink while Roark remained outside. He told her he had to stack hay bales and she was welcome to take pictures if she wanted. Now, she walked to the door, peered out the window, and saw Roark and several of his men next to aflatbed truck loaded with hay bales. Theother men had been unloading it a while before Roark even started helping. Organized and efficient, the men stood in a line and each would hand a bale off to the next until it reached Roark, who stacked it inside the barn. Most of them had their shirts off but Priscilla couldn’t keep her eyes off Roark’s wet chest.

She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Raising her camera, she took a picture of Roark standing in the doorway with his hand on the side and his head hung down while he took a break. His black hat covered his face. She would save this picture for her, and her alone. If she shared this one, women would be beating down his door, although they probably were anyway. Taking a deep breath, she skipped down the steps to get more shots. This was going to be a great story.

A few days later, Priscilla was sitting on the front porch watching the sun setting over the mountains when she looked over to see Roark leaning against the doorjamb with his arms folded. She smiled as he pushed off the door and took a seat in one of the rockers. It was like déjà vu.

“Roy just told me that some of the cattle need moving up to the north pasture so I’ll be going there tomorrow. You coming?”

“Overnight?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer. The thought of being off in nature alone with him was terrifying.

“Yep…possibly two nights. If you’re up to it, we’ll leave in the morning around five. Do you have any type of boots you can wear?”

“Yeah… I have hiking boots.”

Roark nodded. “Those will work. You’ll need to get some sleep so go to bed early.”

“All right. I’m tired so I’m sure I’ll sleep like a rock.” She was lying, of course…to herself. She knew she was going to be up all night thinking about going with him. Just the two of them, alone, camping under the stars. “I don’t have a sleeping bag.”

“I have one for you. I’ll take a tent too.”

“You usually don’t?”

“No. I like to sleep under the stars. You can have the tent.”

“What about a… um…” She knew she was blushing and so looked away. “A potty?”

Roark burst out laughing. “A potty? Honey, you’ll use the woods.”

“That’s easy for you to say. I can’t just stand there and go like you can.”

“The perks of being a man, darlin’. You’ll have to go behind a bush.”

“Wonderful,” she muttered. “I hate camping.”

“Why? It’s great being in the great outdoors.”

“I don’t have anywhere to plug in my curling iron.”

“I’m going to make us some sandwiches. It’s too hot to cook, but then it’ll be time for bed.” When he walked away, he was shaking his head and she heard him muttering something that sounded likepotty and curling ironthen he laughed.

Damn man. It was so unfair that he could just pee wherever he wanted. She didn’t have that option. She hated the idea of going into the woods to do herbusiness. A snake could bite her ass. She suddenly grinned. Of course, she could have Roark suck out the poison. Then she sobered at the thought of them being alone. She didn’t think she could handle having him so close to her. He waspure temptation. A temptation, she was so tempted to give into, the thought sent a shiver over her.

Then again, what could it hurt? Nibbling on her bottom lip, she wondered if she could handle a man like Roark Callahan. She was sure he had way more experience than her but she couldn’t deny she wanted him and if the opportunity arose, she might just go for it.

Two hours later, dinner was finished and the kitchen clean again. They headed into the living room together when Priscilla heard a dog barking. She watched as Roark walked to the back door and opened it. A white dog with one black ear ran in and wagged his tail so hard, she was surprised he didn’t take flight. Roark squatted down and rubbed the dog’s ears.

“Hey, where have you been? Out running the woods again, huh?” He laughed when the dog knocked him down and tried to get as close as he could.

“Who is this?” Priscilla asked him. When the dog saw her, he ran to her barking.

“This is Snowy. He’s a Border Collie and the entire ranch is his home. Although, I’m surprised he wasn’t here when I got home. He has an uncanny way of knowing when I’m home or gone. Don’t you, boy?” Snowy ran back to him.

“It looks like he missed you.” She laughed. “Don’t you worry when he disappears? You’ve been back for two days.”

“Nah, he never leaves the ranch. He likes to run and with five hundred acres, he has plenty of room. He’s my best bud, aren’t ya, boy?” Snowy sat down then rolled to his back to get his belly scratched.

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