Page 16 of The First Day of Breeding Season
Her face lights up. “There are a few lists of comparable herds in that folder I gave you. I don’t think you’ve procured stock from any of them in the past.”
From the confident way she says that, I believe her. “I’ll look at them before dinner.”
Ace nips at her shoulder, and she turns around, laughing. “I haven’t forgotten about you, good boy. We’re just talking business.”
Trick loops his arm around my shoulder and tugs me away. “Let her finish riding. I didn’t mean to start something.”
I can’t tell him he didn’t start this, whatever this is. It started the second I walked out of the barn this morning. Or maybe even weeks ago, when I wasn’t really listening when Noah asked me to mentor one of his students, and I started emailing B. Hughes, not knowing who I was inviting to work closely with me all summer.
CHAPTER 7
BRYNN
I spend the rest of the afternoon riding. I’ve just finished feeding a well-brushed Ace when I hear someone enter the adjacent tack room.
“Just me,” Drew says in his deep voice. He pours a lot into two short syllables. Part warning, part intimate alert.
I roll my shoulders back, hoping he likes theBorn To Ride, Forced To Go To CSCCshirt I’m wearing right now better than the one from earlier.
“Good timing,” I say once I’m in view. “I just finished with Ace.”
He nods. “You ready to walk up to the house? Dinner is in half an hour.”
“Oh! Yeah, okay, I’ll head up soon, thanks.”
He shrugs, his big shoulders bunching and flexing under cotton that loves to touch him.
I would, too.
“I’ll wait,” he says, his gaze lingering on me as I move around the space, putting everything away where I found it. “You ride well.”
The unexpected praise hits me hard, harder than it should. I think about the tattoo wrapping around his wrist and fight back a wave of strange emotion. “Thank you.”
There’s a long pause, then he says, “There’s been a change of plans for tomorrow.”
My eyes snap to his face, prepared for the worst. Prepared to fight for my spot, as we agreed. “Oh?”
But his gaze isn’t hard. It’s…searching. “Trick needs Theo and Benji to help him for a few days. So we’re going to stagger the arrival of the bulls up in the hills.” He drags in a breath. “Raul is going to drive up with us. He’ll bring the bulls in one trailer, and I’ll take the horses. The others will join us in a few days.”
Oh.
“If that’s all right with you.” He swallows hard.
A few days alone on a mountain with my cowboy obsession?
I nod slowly. “I’ll try to contain my enthusiastic questions.”
Surprise sparks in his gaze, and he opens the door for me. As I slide past him, he murmurs, “Don’t do that on my account.”
I turn back and take a second look at that searching expression on his face.
He shrugs again.
I think shrugging might be his primary mode of communication. Right up there with growling.
He drops his gaze to my tits, or the shirt covering them. “Another one from the CSCC collection?”
“They make up a lot of my wardrobe.” I pause a beat. “This is the tamest.”
