Page 21 of Captured By the Billionaire Cowboy
Ciara removed a rope from the saddlebag and carefully secured Jasmine to a branch. She would let her roam free, but the horse could bolt if startled, an unfortunately likely possibilityfor the emotionally traumatized animal. The rope was long and gave her plenty of room to explore.
Ciara relaxed, as the surroundings lured her to peace. She’d come to the right place to contemplate the drastic changes in her life, both professionally and personally. And she had the perfect friend to discuss it with. “I know you’re afraid, Jasmine. It’s going to take a long time for you to recover, but I promise we’ll get through it together.” She reached into her pocket and retrieved a carrot. The horse’s eyes lit up.
“You have nothing to fear.” Slowly, she fed the horse the treat. Would she allow her to touch her? For a moment Jasmine stayed still as Ciara approached, but when a squirrel scurried past, she snorted and scooted back in alarm. Ciara retreated, giving the horse space, and sat down on a leaf-covered log. “I’m going to open a horse rescue center so I can help more horses like you. I just need to figure out some things, well, mainly one thing: money. I can become self-sufficient, but I need capital to get started. Otherwise, I’ll never find a permanent home.”
She grasped a soft petal and stroked its velvety surface. “I still can’t believe Rowan offered the ranch. Actually, I can believe it. He pretends he doesn’t care about horses, but I see past the facade. He suppresses his emotions, always wearing a mask. His father taught him to only show his hardness, but he isn’t like that, not really.”
Only who was he? Hazy memories conjured two images, the serious but sweet boy who had stolen her heart, and the callous teen who had broken it. Was the man either of those? “Can I tell you a secret?” she whispered. “I’ve dreamed of kissing him for years, to see if it was as fantastic as I remembered. I acted like it was nothing, but it was amazing. Seriously hotter than a sizzling Irish summer. And Rowan? He’s become one sexy hunk.”
She laughed softly. “Please don’t tell anyone I said that. But it’s more than just physical attraction. There’s somethingbetween Rowan and me, always has been. Once I thought…” The words drifted into the aquamarine sky, as she closed her eyes, opened them to no elucidation. How could she ever allow him to hurt her again? “What am I going to do?”
Then the horse, who until now had been very patiently listening, snorted in distress. Ciara rose from the log bench. “Easy girl. What is it?” Had she sensed something? Heard or smelled someone? Horses had a more acute sense of scent than humans. Rustling sounded from the entrance, sparking new concern. Her breath hitched…
As Rowan walked in.
Ciara breathed out. She had always dreaded the day someone would arrive and claim the garden, banishing her like she’d been exiled from the ranch. Yet relief soon melted into unease as her earlier words resurfaced.
Amazing kiss.
Hotter than a sizzling Irish summer.
Sexy hunk.
Oh. Crap.
If he’d heard her, he didn’t immediately show it. “Hello, Ciara.”
“Hi Rowan,” she said cautiously, before he displayed any shock, unease or pure male satisfaction. When he didn’t jump in joy, break into song or immediately start patting himself on the back, she continued, “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” he replied casually. He glanced around. “Is someone else here? I heard voices.
“Voices? No, you must be mistaken. There’s no one here.” Goodness, she was rambling. “Well, except for me. I was talking to Jasmine.”
“Of course,” he said smoothly. “About anything in particular?”
How sexy you are. Oh, and what an amazing kisser you are. The word “hunk” may have been mentioned.She cleared her throat. “What did you hear?”
His eyes sparkled. “What did you say?”
That you’re a sexy hunk. That your kiss was hotter than a sizzling Irish summer. That you are the absolute perfect specimen of a man. No, wait I didn’t say that last one. But I was thinking it.
There had to be an escape. Or a distraction. At this point, she’d take a mischievous leprechaun hunting for a pot of gold. Although if she captured one, perhaps he would grant a wish for his release. She would ask for something logical, like Rowan forgetting anything he might’ve heard. She most certainly wouldn’t wish for another kiss. Definitely not a dozen more kisses. A hundred more – out of the question. “Um, nothing in particular.”
“Are you sure?” His biceps thickened as he crossed his arms over his chest. She stared for an hour and a half before she forced her gaze up to his knowing one. His smile turned wolfish. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you tell me what you said, and I’ll let you know if I heard it?”
He was definitely teasing her. Yet for the miniscule chance he hadn’t heard, she would play along. “I think I mentioned something about the weather.”
“The weather?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “It’s been very hot lately, hasn’t it?”
“Really hot.”Why had she said that?“Intensely so.”Did he know she wasn’t referring to the temperature?“Really, really hot.”Now she was rambling again.“How did you find me?”
Thankfully, he didn’t ask more about the heat of his own making. “It wasn’t hard. When I didn’t find you at the house, I thought of where you used to ride. This was your favorite place.”
After all these years, he remembered. How unexpected – and unexpectedly satisfying. “For both of us,” she said softly.
His smile faded, nameless emotion flashing, before he glanced away. He smoothed invisible wrinkles out of his sleeves. “I brought King. He took to the tack really well.”
She said nothing at the sudden change of subject. Apparently, she was not the only one uncomfortable with sharing. He continued, “We started slowly, with a quiet, steady trail ride on even ground. King was literally chomping at the bit for more action. I didn’t want to bring him to a full gallop since I wouldn’t be able to properly cool him off, but you can see he’s ready.”
