Page 17 of Falling For Her Cowboy
“Be ready at six.” He pushed off the gate and snagged his bag from the ground.
He ambled away from her, and she couldn’t tear her eyes off his ass if she tried.
Damn Wranglers and how well they looked on sexy cowboys.
She was sure they were the death of women everywhere.
Chapter Six
Ridge was running a little behind, but he’d still be on time for picking up Melah. He’d run the stool samples to the clinic so they could be sent out. He didn’t feel like keeping cow dung in his fridge until the morning, so he drove up to the clinic. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d done it but he truly wanted to get the samples processed because it was important.
He stepped out of his house and shut the door behind him. Being a vet was not for the weary. After a few hours of playing in cow shit, he’d needed another shower. He jogged down the steps to his pickup truck. He slid into it and hit the start button. The engine roared to life. He threw the vehicle into reverse and turned it around.
The drive to the women’s bunkhouse wouldn’t take him long. He glanced over at the time on the truck’s computer screen: fifteen minutes to spare. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He didn’t know why, but he was anxious to see Melah again.
Her questions earlier about his career choices touched him. It allowed him to think of all the hard work he’d had to put in to get to where he was today. Not many had a story like he did. There were so many men and women who came out of the military lost and broken with no options in life.
He’d trained hard in the Navy and given his all. When he’d received his discharge papers, he’d been excited to go home so he could start veterinarian school where he’d had to train just as hard as in the Navy. He’d graduated at the top of his class. He’d even had luck in obtaining a job before he’d finished school, thanks to Dr. Turner. Not a day went by where he wasn’t thankful for all the opportunities he’d had in life.
That was why the Silver Creek Ranch was so important to his family. They may not be able to help all of the soldiers who came home lost and broken, but those they had were changed for the better. Ridge ensured he worked side by side with the men and women who came to the ranch.
The house came into view. There were cars and trucks parked in the lot near it. Not all of the hands stayed on the ranch. Most found rented housing in town. He drove up to the house and parked near the door. It was an old barn his father had converted years ago.
He shut the engine off and got out of the truck. The door opened, and Aimee stepped out.
“Hey, Aimee. How are you?” He ambled over to where she stood. There was only a couple of stairs and the doorway.
“I’m good. I hear you are getting Melah off the ranch.”
She attempted a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. He stiffened at the warning that burned bright in them.
“Yeah. She was trying to pay me for coming to see her horse last night.” He stopped a few feet away from her.
He read the warning loud and clear. She’d been here for a short while, and he’d spoken with her several times. She was definitely a momma bear type person, and her hackles were raised.
“She kept insisting, so I told her she could just buy me something to eat.”
“So this is payment for Daisy and nothing else?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
He frowned at her expression. What was she trying to hint at?
“Nothing else.” He raised his hands to show his palms.
She studied him for a minute, giving him a nod. She glanced over at the door then glanced back his way.
“Listen, I don’t know much about her, but she’s been through some things. She has nightmares. Bad ones. The woman barely sleeps. Just be careful with her.”
Ridge ran a hand along his face. He hated to think that something had happened to Melah. Even though he couldn’t say he was surprised. Most of the soldiers who came here had interesting backgrounds to say the least. He remembered how she’d acted when he’d startled her in the barn. Had she had a weapon on her, she definitely would have pulled a gun on him.
“I hear you, Aimee. We are just grabbing a bite to eat. Nothing else,” he repeated.
The door opened, and Melah exited the house. The air inside Ridge’s lungs escaped him as ifsomeone had slammed something against his stomach.
He’d thought she had been beautiful in her jammies and the silk cap that had covered her head last night, or earlier that day when she was riding the horse wrangling cattle.
This Melah was a fucking knockout.
Her dark hair was left hanging down with soft curls on the ends. She had even put on light makeup and gloss on her lips. She was dressed in a soft cream shirt, jeans that looked as if she had to be poured into them, and sandals.
