Page 5 of Wild and Unruly
I blink and turn to the man beside me, looking him over again. He’s not bad-looking, unfortunately. In fact, he’s…handsome. He’s got light-brown hair, almost blond. His cheeks are defined, and under his stubble, he’s got a strong jaw. His physique, well, I can tell the man works hard.
Large shoulders lead to strong arms and what looks like a toned body. Man. He’s kryptonite.
Good ol’ boys are my downfall, and I would save myself a lot of trouble if I stayed far away from him.
“Yes, how do you know that?”
He nods his head and grins. Damn. He gives a good grin. “I’m Stetson Cash. I work over at Three Rivers with CT and Dani. They’ve been talking about the article for weeks.”
“You work at Three Rivers?” I ask, praying, hoping, willing him to say he does the books or mucks the stalls, anything but?—
“Yeah. Me and my brother both. I’m a horse trainer.”
Fuck me.
I step my foot forward, determined to make space between us, until I remember he’s specifically coming out here to grab my luggage.
“Damn.” He whistles at the sight of my truck.
It was my prized possession, and I’d saved for years to earn it. Her gleaming burnt-red paint was shiny in the high morning sun, and the chrome wheels just added to her luxury.
Was she excessive? Absolutely. Was she worth it? Again, absolutely.
“Nice ride.” His hand runs over the side of the bed where we stand, and I beep the lock to open the back door.
“Thanks.” I reach in for my suitcase, only for his large body to loom over mine, grabbing the handle before I can do it.
“Now, I believe this is why I came out here,” he says lowly, allowing me to step back before hoisting my suitcase out with barely a grunt.
“Careful! There are fragile things in there.” I hold up a hand as if I can catch the bag before it falls, only to see him gently settle it at his side, not letting it even touch the ground.
A brief memory of me grunting that suitcase into the back seat, breathing heavily as I did so, flashes before my eyes.
So…he’s strong.Nothing to be fussy about, Bonnie.
Dutifully, he follows me back into The Lodge, and again, I marvel in the beauty that it was. How did no one know about this place? It was the ideal place for a mountain vacation.
Unfortunately, Stetson seems to have been here before and is able to move with ease toward the direction of my room.
The hallways are quiet with the gentle hum of air conditioning running throughout the building, keeping us from overheating in the early hours of a summer morning. It was nearing the end of May, but the heat was already amping up for summer.
I wouldn’t be here that long, but seeing the way these mountains looked during the summer season would be a sight.
Finally, we arrive at my door, and I reach into my wallet, pulling out a cash tip and handing it over, “Thank you for the help.”
He tilts his head, looking down at the cash and back to me with a raised eyebrow. “It was my pleasure, but I’m not taking a tip.”
I bite my tongue—the joke is too easy—and tuck the cash away. “Oh. Well, thank you again.”
I unlock my door and step in, allowing him to push my suitcase over the threshold for me.
Then, he gives me a wide grin, tipping his head at me as if he was wearing a hat and rocks back on his heel before sauntering down the hallway, leaving me to wonder exactly how much trouble that boy is going to cause me.
And it was only my first day here.
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