Page 34 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

“I don’t know.”

“Would you feel better if we had Madison and Norah ride along with us?”

Natalie twisted to face him. “You let yourdaughterride out there? Where there are bears? And mountain lions?”

“She was born and raised here, Natalie. We’ve taught her how to be safe, how to avoid confrontations and defend herself as needed. But closer to the national park, we tend to ride in groups to be on the safe side.” He brushed a stray hair from her face, his touch soothing. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you or the girls.”

Great, how was she supposed to tell him no when his fifteen-year-old daughter wasn’t afraid to be out there riding around?

Natalie tried looking on the bright side. If the views truly were that much better out here than on television, they were bound to be spectacular. Plus, it would keep her away from her phone and laptop. Cyn was right—she could use a break from work.

And who knew? Maybe they would catch sight of some black-footed ferrets while they were out there. Then Natalie would know where to tell Neil to set up his camera when he arrived at the end of next week.

“Fine.” She nestled into Sam’s side once more. “I’ll do it, but fair warning—I’ll probably be too scared to enjoy it.”

Sam’s chest shook with quiet laughter. “Warning received. Though, were you scared when you came over tonight?”

“A little. But I was more mad about not being able to get you or that kiss out of my head.”

“Ah.” He slowly raked his fingers through her hair. “Then it sounds like all I need to do is get you good and mad again.”

“You are rather good at that.” She let her eyelids slide shut at his gentle touch. “But maybe let’s try the not-angry approach first and see how it goes, so I don’t accidentally scare your horse and get kicked or something. Deal?”

“You’re a nut.” Sam chuckled softly. “But deal.”

*

Sam woke thenext morning feeling like a million bucks. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to sleep in until seven. Natalie had left around midnight, insisting that she get back before anyone at the inn worried. Once she’d texted that she made it back safely, he hit the sack and crashed hard.

Images of the night before were stuck on replay in his head as he showered and headed over to the lodge for breakfast. Had it been the wisest thing he’d ever done, taking Natalie to bed? Maybe not, but after the evening they’d spent together, his mind had cleared and the pent-up sexual frustration vanished.

And it wasn’t just the sex that he’d enjoyed sharing with her, either. They’d talked for hours on the porch afterward, her sharing stories from her childhood out east and him sharing tales of growing up on the ranch. She was witty and endearing, and it was much easier to be around her and appreciate all of that when he wasn’t trying so hard to push her away.

She’s not staying, you know.

He shrugged off the little voice in his head, in too good of a mood than to let negative nelly creep in. Of course she wasn’t staying. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy her company while she was here, so long as she enjoyed spending time with him, too. Hopefully, his plan for today would keep her coming back for more.

His grandparents and Norah were already seated at the table when he walked in, plates half empty.

“Smells amazing in here this morning, Gran.” He gave her a peck to the cheek.

She patted the hand he had resting on her shoulder. “Let me fix you a plate, Samuel.”

“No, no, you sit. I’ll get it.” He headed to the stovetop and served himself a plate of steak and eggs. “Looks like we’re finally going to have a break from this heat today. Good day for a family ride out to the falls. Maybe even a picnic.”

“You feeling all right?” Norah asked.

Sam grabbed a cup of coffee to go with his breakfast and joined the others at the table. “Yeah, why?”

He carved off a bite of the thick steak on his plate and savored it for a moment. No one could cook like his gran. He swallowed, realized no one had answered him yet, and looked up to see the others eying him. “What?”

Norah’s brows furrowed. “Weren’t you just bellyaching yesterday about how you’d been stuck in the saddle all week and were looking forward to keeping your feet on the ground today?”

“That was just me venting.” He shrugged. “Nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t fix.”

His sister studied him for a moment then let it go. “Well, unfortunately, I already promised Madison I’d take her and her friends into Livingston to go swimsuit shopping.”

Madison had mentioned that yesterday; he’d forgotten. “Oh. Right. What time do you think you’ll get back?”

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