Page 19 of Cowboy's Christmas Girlfriend

“What I know.” Suzanna thought for a moment. “Okay, how’s this: you’ve always got to be out there keeping an eye on your herd. You can keep your land clean, but you never know what the wind might blow in: branches, barbed wire, all kinds of hazards from out of the blue.”

“That works,” said Will. “But say stock, not herd. A herd’s about thirty head. We’ve got more like twenty thousand.” He caught Suzanna by the arm as she headed for the truck. “Hold on a minute. I’ve got something to show you before we head back.”

He led Suzanna down the dirt track, past a stand of tall pines. An old barn stood sheltered in the shade of the trees, its walls, once bright red, stripped to a weathered gray. A horseshoe hung over the doors, holding in the luck.

“This is my great-granddad’s barn. The oldest building on the ranch.” Will unbarred the doors and let them swing open. A warm smell drifted out, hay and oats, summer clover. “It’s just used for storage now, but this is where the Carson ranch first came to be.”

Suzanna tilted her head back and caught her breath. “It’s like a barn from a fairy tale,” she said. “I bet you could come here on a hot summer day, watch the sun peek through the cracks in the roof.”

“Or on a full moon night,” said Will. He pulled the doors shut to hold in the warmth. “The dust in the moonbeams, it’s a magical sight.”

Suzanna let out a sigh, perhaps picturing that. Will came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. He really couldn’t stop himself from touching her.

“You could start your tour here,” he said. “The cameras’ll love it.”

“I love it,” said Suzanna. She shifted against him, surveying the scene. “What’s going on over there? Failed attempt at a haystack?”

Will followed her gaze and let out a low chuckle. A spill of golden hay had taken over one corner. “Looks like a bale split. It happens sometimes.”

“It looks soft,” said Suzanna. “Would it be weird if I went and, like...rolled in it?”

Will burst out laughing. “You want to roll in the hay?”

“I mean, it’s so—Will!” Suzanna turned and slapped at him. Will caught her wrists, grinning, and waggled his brows.

“I wouldn’t say no,” he said. Suzanna gasped, feigning shock, but her cheeks were bright pink. Her eyes danced and sparkled as she shuffled back toward the hay. Will followed, eager, and leaned in for a kiss. Suzanna kissed back, and she nipped at his lip, a sharp little sting that went straight to Will’s cock. A moan caught in his throat and he swept her off her feet. Her shriek gave way to laughter as he tossed her in the hay, and she stretched out, inviting, a smile on her face.

“It really is soft,” she said. “Softer than it looks.”

Will knelt over her, loosened her collar, and her hood fell away. Her hair streamed, bright as sunlight, over the warm bed of hay.

“Can I...?” Will toyed with her zipper. Suzanna nodded, breathing fast. He peeled off her coat and gloves, and she plucked off his hat. She unwound his scarf and tossed it aside. She kissed the skin underneath, and Will’s blood ran hot. He undid her pink sparkly cardigan, and she stripped off his coat.

“So many layers...”

“Like unwrapping a present.” He relieved Suzanna of her heavy knit top. She yanked off his sweater and undershirt both at once, and ran a bold finger down his bare chest. Will caught her hand, kissed it, and laid it at her side.

“Not fair,” he said. “You’ve still got your T-shirt, and...” He helped her wiggle out of it, and then she was down to her lacy black bra. Will bent and kissed her where her necklace brushed her breasts. She smelled of soap and clean sweat and warm maple syrup, and he breathed her in, moaning. He wanted her, needed her—he groped for her hand and twined his fingers with hers. Suzanna stopped breathing.

“Will? Is something wrong?” She drew back, just slightly, and covered her chest. Will blinked and came back to himself, shook his head side to side.

“Wrong? No, you’re perfect. I just...” He laughed, embarrassed. “It’s been a while, is all. I was savoring the moment.” He ran his hand down her side, over the soft bowl of her belly. “You’re stunning,” he said. He unbuttoned her jeans and she let him, sighing with pleasure as he slid a hand down her leggings.

“Suzanna...” Will stretched up to kiss her lips. The air was cool but not frigid, her mouth hot on his skin. Her hand on his cock made him arch and cry out, the hairs rising up on the back of his neck. She teased him and played with him till he thought he would melt, then she rose up and pushed him back into the hay.

“I don’t suppose you brought...” She cleared her throat softly, glanced at his coat.

“Would you think less of me if I had a condom in my wallet?”

Suzanna laughed. “That depends on how old it is.”

“Not that old,” he said. “Taison snuck it in there, uh...”

Suzanna reached for it, laughing. “I don’t need to know.” She fished out the condom and rolled it on him, then Will’s world went hazy, all heat and sensation. He reached for Suzanna and ran his hands up her back, into the feathery spill of her hair. The sounds of her pleasure woke a hunger in his chest, and his shouts mingled with hers as she drove him over the edge—into a dizzy fall, a long, weightless tumble—and then she was smiling, lips twitching against his neck.

“That was just...mmm.” She rolled off him, sighing, and lay catching her breath. Will squeezed her hand, too winded to speak. High above them was high noon and sunbeams filled the barn, the dust they’d stirred up hanging thick in the air.

Will closed his eyes and let the moment stretch out. He had nowhere to be, at least not right away—nowhere but here, in the arms of perfection.

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