Page 4 of Kidnapped By the Mountain Man

“Rocky… come on!” I holler as I jog down the hill. It’s no use. Within seconds, he’s done the deed and relaxed into mindless grazing.

“What are you doing?” Cora bites from the top of the hill. She’s making her way back down toward me, oblivious to the horse drama that’s ensued. It’s right in line with the way she’s oblivious to everything else going wrong in her life.

“The east gate was open to the north gate. Rocky just bred with one of your appaloosas. Luckily, he didn’t hurt her. I assume Richie Rich is paying for this as well?”

She rolls her eyes and sighs as she plods through the first gate and toward the second, pulling at the lock. “I didn’t leave the gate unlocked. Your horse broke through the latch.”

He’s notmyhorse. He’s Waylon’s, but I don’t correct her. It doesn’t matter. What’s been done is done. “Well, good for him. I mean, he went after what he wanted.”

Cora’s brows raise in what looks like disgust. “Or… he broke the gate lock and went to town with a female that wasn’t that into him.”

We both glance toward the pasture where Rocky and the Appaloosa are grazing side by side.

I laugh. “Not sure your theory backs up. They look pretty happy to me.”

My comments are met with another eye roll. “Yeah, well, how do I explain this to everyone?”

“You don’t. I’ll come back next week. Was that horse in heat?”

“Must be. He went after her.”

“Doesn’t mean she’ll get pregnant. I’ll bring Rocky back in next week and we’ll try again.”

Cora sighs loud enough that I glance toward her. Her arms are crossed over her chest, pressing her large breasts up. She’s gorgeous and for the life of me, I can’t figure why she’d ruin her life to marry a man for just money. There’s always a way to make more money.

“If I’d realized the horses were still grazing in the north lot, I’d have made different decisions. Ugh!” She glares at me, then whistles to the rest of the horses in the lot, calling them into the barn. She’s done this a lot before. I see it in the way she moves. She’s comfortable around the animals and they’re comfortablewith her. When she’s got everyone in the barn, she whistles toward the Appaloosa who’s grazing with Rocky. “Come on, girl. Let’s go.”

The horse ignores her.

I grin. “We like to think we have control over them, but they do what they want, don’t they?”

She rolls her eyes again before grabbing a harness from the barn and marching into the green pasture toward the horses. Her full curves sway in the light of the afternoon sun and there’s a soft glow to her cheeks that I’m sure is anger, but still… it’s hot as hell.

The Appaloosa isn’t as impressed. She takes off and heads into the east field, ignoring Cora’s attempt to wrangle her. Rocky follows.

This could go on for hours.

“Do you want my help?”

She glares at me. “I think you and your horse have beenhelpenough. But if you want to get him under control, that would be nice.”

Laughing, I acknowledge her request and latch his harness in place, before calmly walking him back toward the gate.

Cora pays no mind. Instead, she chases her horse from east to north until she’s so far out in the pasture that wrangling by hand becomes impossible.

“I could go get her for you,” I say, looking toward Cora. Her expression is ragged and not at all amused.

“I want her out there,” she says, pulling her long dark hair to her shoulder. We both know that’s not true, but I go with it.

“What?” she snaps, trying not to grin.

I shake my head, the smile mounting. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?That smirk isnothing?” She hitches her hip and widens her gaze. “I suppose you could’ve done all that better?”

“Yeah,” I bob my head, “kind of.”

A gasp leaves her full lips, and she shakes her head. “You’re a pain in the ass!”

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