Page 5 of Claimed By A Cowboy
Those dark blue eyes, the color of a night pond, slide over me again. I blink. Wait a minute. He is confused by what he sees standing before him. That is not distaste I see in those dark eyes. That is something else entirely.
“Yes, I did. By the looks of you, I did not bid enough, did I?”
Wylder bows his head and in the warm sunshine, I can see he flushes. Ah, shit, he’s a good ol’ boy for real. I take a few steps closer to him, as if drawn into his orbit. He smells good. Despite being dirty with hands that have seen hard work, he smells fresh like a rainstorm.
“I am glad you bid what you did, ma’am,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his head. “It is for a good cause after all.”
Yes, the cause. I didn’t just drunkenly bid on this handsome fella for a good time. When I woke up five grand lighter with an angry hangover, I did what I do best. I did a little research on why this place was holding those auctions.
Iron H Ranch is not just a good old boy ranch. Their main purpose is to rehabilitate horses. Ones they save from the circus, racing, or abusive owners. No one cares about a good cause these days. When I found out all the money from these auctions would go to this place staying open, ensuring the safety of dozens of horses, I wished I had bid more.
“I could not agree more. Did you come to greet me so we can get our day together out of the way?”
Wylder glances at me, taking a few steps closer. With him being so close, I feel my knees wobble. Man, he is handsome. My hand itches to reach out and trace that scar. I want to know the story behind it. And I want to know why there is such sadness in his eyes.
“Of course not. I am Wylder Fellows, I reckon you know that,” he starts, clearing his throat as he takes another step closer. “I intend to show you a good time during your stay. Mrs.….” he trails off, but I do not miss his eyes flashing to my left hand.
Smiling up at him, I step closer. I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. Waving my left hand in the air, I shake my head. It bothers me that he assumes I am married. It does not bother me, however, that his assumption seems to upset him.
“Ms. Wynn Talbot. No man has managed to lock me down, Wylder,” I say teasingly, laughing at how silly a thought that is.
“Wynn. It suits you,” he grumbles before clearing his throat and glancing past me. I turn, seeing other cars pull up where the taxi dropped me. Several in fact. It looks as if this auction went well.
“Thank you. What do we do, Wylder? I mean, where do I go?”
“With me,” he states, reaching out to grab my bag up, his other hand coming behind my back. “We have an empty bunkhouse for the auction winners. Right this way, honey.”
His hand presses to the small of my back and I jolt. It feels if I stepped on a live wire. His eyes shoot to mine as his hand falls away. Oh, he felt that too. His hand eyes hold mine as he presses his big palm to my back again, giving a gentle push.
“Come on, Wynn, let me show you where you will stay.”
Wylder sticks close to me as he directs me to a smaller house a few yards away. It is warm on this spring Oklahoma afternoon. I am not sweating because of the warm sun or the balmy breeze. No, that is all cowboy Wylder Fellows’ fault.
If I thought I had a thing for that loser in Fiji, I was clueless. I have always been ignorant when it comes to men. Mostly because I had never met one I could trust. I cannot be sure I can trust this cowboy who sold his time to me for a pretty penny.
Whatever that was those sun-soaked days in Fiji is nothing compared to what I am feeling now. Why does he smellso good? And how can his touch make me feel so safe? What is it about him that makes me feel so on edge?
“Here you go, honey,” he mutters as he leads me up a few short steps and throws open a door. Inside several beds fill the big room. I imagine this place is meant to be filled with other ranch hands. Cowboys meant to work with the horses here.
“Who used to sleep here, Wylder?”
I turn towards him, watching him swing my heavy bag from one hand to the other. He seems nervous. Good, that makes two of us. I circle the room quickly, waiting for him to answer. I get the sense he is a cautious man, about as trusting as I am.
“Well, it ought to be used for hands. We just don’t…. I mean, Cody cannot afford the men we need. Hell, he barely affords us.”
“This ranch is short all these men? Will this auction help?”
“Yeah, I reckon it might. No way to know just yet.”
“Can I meet Cody?” I wonder as I face him, pointing to a bed so he can set my bag down.
Wylder frowns, setting the bag down before he starts to fuss with his hat. Taking it off, putting it back on. When he takes it off, I see dark hair that is too long, with the faintest gray streaks at the temples. It is sexy on him, paired with those fine lines by his eyes, and that scar.
Oh hell, I am in very serious trouble.
“Why would you need to meet him?”
Grinning because I like that he seems bothered by me asking to meet another man, I bounce a shoulder. “I want to see what more I can do.”
