Page 36 of Falling For Her Cowboy
“I think so.”
He pushed off the doorjamb and picked up her bag. He took her hand in his and guided them down to the first level. She’d had a quick tour of it last night when she’d arrived. It was a grand home that called to her. She glanced around and could seewhere she could add a few details. She’d love to put a?—
What the hell was she doing?
One night here and she was already thinking of redecorating it?
She shook her head and followed him to the front door. They went outside and down the porch. They arrived at her vehicle, and he tossed her bag in the backseat. It wasn’t a far drive to the bunkhouse. He slammed the door shut and turned to her. He leaned back against the car and kept her in the cradle of his embrace. He’d only thrown on shorts as she’d gotten dressed.
“What time are you working until?” he asked.
“Not sure.” She shrugged. Some days she had a set time she knew when she’d be getting off, some days she didn’t know until she was sent home by Buck. There was always plenty to do on a ranch. She loved the hard manual work that was part of being a hand.
“Why don’t I officially cook for us tonight. Faith is on call today, so I don’t need to work late. I’ll fire up the grill again and have the food ready for you whenever you get off.” There was a twinkle in his eyes.
“Will food be the only thing ready for me?” Shearched an eyebrow. She couldn’t help but tease him. His bulge pressed into her stomach. She leaned into him and entwined her fingers together at the base of his neck. He was so much taller than her that she had to rise on her tippy toes to do so.
He grinned and tightened his hold on her.
“You never know. Just come by and you’ll have to see.” Ridge leaned down and took her lips in a soft kiss.
How was she to leave this man and go to work when he pulled moves like this? One moment, he was soft and sensual with her, the next commanding of her body in ways that left her breathless.
“I have to go, Ridge.” Her lips brushed his as she spoke. She smiled at him. If she didn’t stand firm with him, he’d have her naked and screaming his name again. Butterflies in her stomach fluttered at the image that came to mind. She reached behind her and undid his hands to free herself.
“Will you stop by, or do I need to come and get you?” He leveled her with a heated gaze.
Her breath caught in her throat as she took a step back from him. “I’ll text you when I know I’ll be getting off.”
He nodded and opened her car door for her. He waved her in. She ducked under his arm but didn’tmiss the hint of his hand brushing her ass. She laughed and hopped in her car.
“Hey! What was that?”
“Something to hold me over until you come back to me.” He shut the door and tossed her a wink.
She hit the engine button for her car, and it roared to life. She, again, couldn’t erase the silly grin from her lips. She gave him a wave and threw the car in drive. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and drove away. Her gaze drifted to the rearview mirror and took in his form. He watched her leave.
For some reason, a pain lanced acrossed her heart as the distance between them grew. She sighed and focused back on the dirt road. She had to get her mind together for work. This was a dangerous job, and she could get hurt if she didn’t concentrate.
The trip home didn’t take long. She parked her car and got out. She snagged her bag and headed inside. She didn’t see any signs of Aimee, which was a relief. She didn’t want to face her at the moment. Not that she had to tell her anything, but they had an unspoken agreement to look out for one another.
Melah went into her room and dropped her bag on the bed. She paused, a realization hitting her.
In the few hours she’d slept at Ridge’s, she hadn’t had any nightmares. She’d slept soundly.
Was that all it took?
Get your world rocked by a handsome veterinarian then all of the nightmares will stay away?
She was sore in some places, and she was sure it would be worse come later, but overall, she felt damn good.
She glanced at her phone. She had to be at work in a little over an hour. She had time to grab her shower and a protein bar for breakfast. She’d just make sure she’d stop by for Ms. Bee’s lunch later. That would fill her up enough until dinner at Ridge’s.
Plan in place, she removed her clothes and grabbed her towel. She wrapped it around herself and walked into the shower room. She took her phone with her so she could listen to music while she washed up.
The shower room had a few private stalls for one to bathe. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and grimaced. She was going to have to quickly wash her hair. After the swim yesterday, she looked like a drowned rat. How did Ridge find her desirable looking like this? That man needed to have his brain checked out.
With music playing from her phone on a ledge out of the way, it didn’t take her long to wash herselffrom head to toe. Once she felt squeaky clean, she shut off the water and reached for her towel. She covered her body with it and picked up another to wrap her hair.
