Page 49 of The Cowboy and the Bombshell
Placing my hand in his, he drew me into his chest, wrapping his other arm around my shoulders and holding me close. Suddenly, I didn’t care much about horses or photos or anything besides the enticing smell of his spicy cologne and the way his arms felt wrapped around me. Memories of the last two weeks assault me and my cheeks heat, remembering the way Stone and I had shared so many nights of explosive passion. I had never experienced sex that good. Just the thought of all those nights, nights spent in Stone’s bed, had my stomach muscles clenching. The man was very, very talented.
I was startled from my sexy memories by the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning, I saw a man coming from the barn. He was older, maybe early fifties, with a a barrel chest and arms that looked like they’d been worked hard all his life. He had on jeans and a western style shirt, pearl buttons and all, and a classic beige cowboy hat, he was the epitome of every western movie she’d ever seen, right down to his grizzled graying beard.
“Mr. Montgomery,” the man said, extending his hand. Stone took it, shaking it with a nod.
“Smitty. Good to see you. This is Miss Penelope Lund, our marketing director.”
“Ma’am.” Smitty touched the brim of his hat, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Glad you could make it out today. I have everything if you’d like to follow me.”
As we moved to the barn, I looked around the property a bit more. There were several buildings and fenced areas, and a good-sized shed that was open on one side which housed a few tractors and off-road vehicles. Across from the barn stood a classic looking farm house, with the giant wrap around porch and all, painted cream with dark green shutters. It was quaint and tidy and I loved it. A woman stood on the porch, also dressed in jeans, and she waved when she saw me looking. I raised my hand back with a smile.
Bringing my attention back to where I was headed, I squinted as we entered the barn through the broad double doors, the sudden loss of daylight making the interior of the building look pitch black for a few moments. As my eyes adjusted, I could see that it was a huge space, with stalls for horses on one side and a storage system on the other side that reminded me of a locker room, the kind you see on TV when they interview athletes after a game. Open sided stalls lined the wall, each with several items hanging in them. There was a long leather looking jacket, as well as what I assumed were chaps and a cowboy hat at each place.
“This is the main barn, Miss Lund,” Smitty began explaining, having noticed my curious stares. “When guests come to the ranch, this will be where they are assessed for appropriate dress. If anyone needs something, like long pants or what not, we will do our best to accommodate.” He gestured to the locker closest to him, and I noticed they were all labeled with sizes, allowing the person to choose what worked best for them. It was really pretty brilliant, and I would have to tell Carson how much I loved it.
Remembering that I had a job to do, I pulled out my company phone and began snapping some photos of the barn and the horse stalls, trying to frame the shots in an artful way, using the app on the fancy phone that I had been provided. After I had gotten a few that I thought would look great, even with a bit of editing, I turned back to see both men watching me, Smitty with a cheeky grin, likely at my city-slicker wonder at finding myself in a real barn for the first time, and Stone with a look that was filled with both happiness and heat. Just seeing the way his eyes were hooded had my tummy fluttering again and moisture flooding my panties. Darn him. He was going to make this trail ride even more difficult than I had originally thought.
“Right,” I said, clearing my throat and my dirty thoughts. “Tell me what to do next.”
After a bit of debate about my foot wear, Smitty and Stone both agreed that because this would be a slow and gentle ride on a clearly marked trail, I wouldn’t need boots, but that I should probably bring some for next time.
Like there would be a next time.
I frowned at the disappointment that thought brought with it, knowing that riding a horse with Stone would only be a one-time experience. This entirethingthat we had, whatever you would choose to call it, was destined to be short lived. There was not way around it. There was nothing about Stone and me that could equal end game, no matter how much that thought made my heart hurt.
Feelings were not an option in this situation. I had to remember that. It had never been a problem for me to remain emotionally disconnected in the past. Why then, when there was no future possible, was I finding it more and more difficult to stay that way?
I stood back as Stone and Smitty discussed things I had no idea about, like girth straps and saddle horns, and before long we were back out in the sunshine, with two fully saddled horses idly swinging their tails back and forth. My heart began to hammer in my chest again as I watched the huge animals approach. One was tall and had a beautiful deep brown coat that looked to have red highlights in the afternoon sun. The second was a lighter brown, with patches of cream-colored spots on its rump. That was the one that turned its head towards me, reaching for me with its mouth, startling me into taking a hasty step back.
“Oh, that’s Annie. She’s a good girl, she won’t hurt ya none,” said Smitty, chuckling lightly at my unease. “She’s just tryin’ to smell ya, is all.”
“Oh,” I said, smiling a bit as I approached the horse. “Well, hello, Annie.” I lifted my hand to her, allowing her to brush her nose across the back of it. “It’s nice to meet you.” She moved her velvety soft muzzle across my knuckles, tickling me with her thin whiskers, then abruptly pulled her head back sneezed all over me.
I gasped as Stone snorted out a laugh at my expense.
“That just means she likes, ya, don’t ya, Annie girl?” Smitty said, rubbing his hand up and down her strong neck vigorously.
“Well,” I said, tossing a glare at Stone. “Thank you, Annie, but consider yourself lucky that I don’t return the gesture, hey?”
That caused Smitty to bark out a laugh which turned into a hacking cough. Once he’d thumped himself on the chest a few times, he turned his water eyes to me. “Well, Miss Lund, I think you and Annie are gonna get along just fine.” He moved towards me, and I fought the urge to back up again. As I watched Smitty and Annie pass me and head for the nearest fence, Stone came up on my other side, his own horse in tow.
“You’re gonna be fine, Blondie,” he said quietly, his large warm hand coming to rest on the back of my neck, his fingers gently massaging the tension away. “I’ll be with you the whole time. Smitty said Annie is as gentle as a baby duck. She’ll give you no problems.” I turned and looked at him, his hazel eyes warm and his crooked smile making my heart clench. I allowed myself a moment to enjoy the feeling, before I shook it off, remembering all the reasons why feelings were not permissible.
Stone followed Smitty and Annie towards the fence. I trailed behind, partly because I was unsure what to do next, and partly because I was enjoying looking at Stone’s ass in his jeans. He had been wearing more and more relaxed clothing to work these last few weeks, ditching the suits piece by piece until he was wearing worn jeans and button-down shirts; he even wore his boots and that big shiny belt buckle. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was tired of pretending. I could totally relate to that. He was pretending he was more than the illegitimate son of a hotel tycoon who grew up on a ranch, and I was pretending I was more than the working-class girl from Queens, fumbling her way around Manhattan in shoes she couldn’t afford.
If he was as exhausted by the whole charade as I was, I wouldn’t blame him one bit.
Stone’s voice brought me out of my musings when he called me over. “Come on, Blondie. Climb on up.”
He indicated to a wooden stool with stairs on one side, and a flat face on the other. Smitty had pulled Annie up beside it, and the stool was designed to help me reach the saddle. I ascended slowly, not wanting to spook my horse, no matter how docile they told me she was. Stone tied his own mount to the fence and then came to stand beside me at the stairs.
“Okay, Penelope. Nice and easy, now. You’re gonna place your foot in the stirrup, grab on to the saddle horn here, and pull.” He reached out and grasped the item in question, giving it a firm shake which caused Annie to toss her head, whipping her mane around like she was in a Beyoncé video. I jumped back with a squeak, forgetting that I was standing on the top step of the stairs. Just as I started to fall backward, Stone grabbed me by the hips, preventing me from landing on my behind in the dirt. “Whoa. Whoa, now girl,” he soothed, and for a moment, I didn’t know if he was talking to me or the horse.
“I got it,” I said with a laugh, squaring my shoulders and gripping the saddle horn with one hand. I placed the other on the back of the saddle while Stone held tight to what I knew was the bridle. I placed one foot in the stirrup, took a breath, and jumped, swinging my leg over and seating myself in the saddle. Annie shuffled around a little as my weight settled on her back, but very soon we were both comfortable with each other.
Smitty came over and adjusted my stirrups, then passed me the reins. I took them hesitantly, afraid that this would end horribly, but at the same time ridiculously excited. I had never even been on a horse before, but this didn’t seem so bad.
“There’s one more thing you need, Miss Lund,” Smitty said with a grin, his eyes nearly disappearing beneath the wrinkles on his tanned cheeks. He shuffled to the barn, reappearing a moment later with a cowboy hat in his hand. It was a regular looking tan straw hat with a black band and a turquoise stone set on to one side. “This here belongs to my Darlene,” he stated, tilting his head toward the ranch house where the woman, Darlene I assumed, was still standing. “But she won’t mind none. You’ll need it out there under the desert sun.”
