Page 67 of Fix Me Up, Cowboy
“Are you afraid of heights?”
“No, but I don’t know the first thing about riding a horse.”
“Well, Princess, you’re in luck. Idoknow the first thing about riding horses. And I happen to be free later this afternoon. So how about I give you the first lesson then? You can ride Lady, and I’ll take Scoundrel.”
“I don’t know.…”
“You remind me a lot of Charlotte. I wouldn’t be surprised if her love of horses is in your blood. I bet you’re an amazing rider, you just don’t realize it yet.”
I snort a laugh. “You’re really grasping for straws there.”
He shrugs in that sexy way of his. “You won’t know unless you try it.”
“You promise Lady won’t let me die if I attempt to ride her?”
“I can’t promise you that. But I will promise that she won’ttryto kill you.”
I smack him on the chest. “You’re not doing a very good job reassuring me, cowboy. I hope Charlotte did a better job with her students than you’re doing.”
He laughs, the sound low and husky, then leans in, his breath brushing against my cheek. “If you give it a try, you’ll get to decide the when, the where, and the positions we’ll be fucking in for the next week.” His beard softly scrapes against my jaw.
At his words and the feel of his beard, my legs quiver and heat rushes to my core.
He’s really not playing fair.
“Okay,” I say, my voice barely more than a needy whisper.
His hand moves to my hip and continues until it’s flat against the curve of one butt cheek. He pulls me to him, leaving zero space between us. His woodsy scent wraps around me.
At the memory of what it felt like to have him inside me last night, my entire body heats up like a firecracker.
“See you later, Princess.” He slaps me on my butt. But instead of the action igniting indignation in me, my body becomes even more turned-on.
Before I can find my voice to respond, he’s jogging toward his truck.
Leaving me to wonder what the heck I just agreed to.
19
Kate
Troyand I spend the next few hours discussing my vision for the house. Troy tells me what is doable and gives me an estimate of the costs.
“One thing you need to consider is what the home-buying market for this region can handle when it comes to the cost of the house,” Troy explains after I tell him I want the window in the attic to be replaced with something bigger, to let in more light. “If you add too many expensive additions, you might end up with a house that won’t sell quickly, or you’ll be forced to take a loss on it because you had to reduce the price in order move it.”
“It’s not like I paid for the house. It was given to me. And it’s not like I can’t afford to put money into it so that it makes a nice home for a family.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It doesn’t mean I’ll go overboard with everything. That’s where you might need to rein me in.”
By the time Noah shows up later in the afternoon, Troy has a good idea of what I’m looking to do with the property.
“While you’re learning how not to fall off the horse,” he says, “I’ll play around with my computer program to formalize the plans. Then we can move forward from there.”
Noah hands him a piece of paper. “Here’s the list of the various tradesmen I know in the area. They’ve either worked on the ranch at some point, or I personally know them.”
While they discuss the list, I go upstairs to change into a pair of designer jeans and a shell-pink, short-sleeved top. Unlike Noah, I don’t exactly look like I’m about to ride a horse. No one will confuse me for being a cowgirl.
