9781618857279MakeMineaCowboySullivanNC (2 page)

A
red horse stood patiently several feet away with its head down, riding out the
storm the only way horses knew how.
A
c
owboy on a real horse out
here in the middle of nowhere?
Surely, it’s safe. I mean serial killers don’t ride horses, right?

Her
tennis shoes were soaked the moment she stepped into the rushing stream,
chilling her feet even though the temperature outside today was a balmy ninety
degrees. She shivered as the man pulled her from the car, but chalked it up to
her cold toes rather than the broad chest, wide shoulders and trim hips of the
cowboy in front of her.

Oompf
!

“Sorry,
ma’am,” he said, setting her back from where she landed against his chest. “Let’s
get out of this downpour.” He slammed the car door before he pulled her toward
his horse. “You’ll have to ride behind me.”

“No
problem.”

His
ass looked fabulous swinging up into the saddle.
What the hell? I’m checking him out like a piece of meat and the man is
here saving my butt from drowning.

“Ma’am?”
he asked, holding out his hand so he could help her behind the saddle.

“Oh,
yeah right. Thanks.” She swung up behind him and grabbed his waist like a
drowning victim in the middle of
a raging
surf. “Sorry.”

“No
problem. You need to hang on. I don’t want to dump you off the back.”

“I’m
sorry you’re getting wet because of me.”

“I
was wet before I found you. I’ve been
ridin
’ fences
in between the downpours.”

The
horse sidestepped to the right. A squeal broke from her lips. “Sorry.”

“You
don’t have to apologize, ma’am. I
shoulda
asked if
you were okay on horseback.”

 
As the horse continued forward she caught the
rhythm of its walk and relaxed into the gait. “My name is Mesa.”

“Excuse
me?”

“Mesa
is my name. I feel like some fifty-year-old woman with you calling me ma’am.”

“Sorry.
Habit.”

“I
can imagine.”

“It’s
nice to meet you, Mesa. I’m Joel.”

“Hi,
Joel.
Do you live around here?” she asked, liking the
feel of his firm chest beneath her fingertips until she let them slip down to
wrap around his waist. The urge to run her hands along the ridges under his wet
shirt overwhelmed her, sending tingles up her arms. She could feel the ripped
abdomen beneath her palms.

“A
few miles up the road. My family owns a ranch on the ridge.”

The
man knew his way around horses from the way he sat comfortably in the saddle
riding the animal’s gait like he was born to it.

Well duh, Mesa.

The
rain had moved off, only pelting them now and then with big, fat drops. The
smell of wet leather reached her nose and she wrinkled the bridge at the
stench. Another smell permeated her senses. Cologne? She slowly inhaled, taking
in the scent from his shirt.
Damn, he
smells good.

“What
are you
doin
’ out here on this back road?”

“I
took a drive. I’ve been in San Antonio at a conference and I needed to clear my
head.”

He
chuckled, a low, dry reverberation that made her sit up and take notice. Her
nipples pebbled at the sound, sending frustration down her back. Could he feel
the hard nubs rubbing against his solid back?
Probably, you dummy.
It had been way too long since she’d been with
a man if just sitting close to one made her horny. The rear end of a horse wasn’t
the place to get hot and bothered.

The
material of her shirt caught against her breasts. The rough fabric of her jeans
chafed the inside of her thighs. The seam of her pants rubbed against her clit,
turning her insides to mush. Never mind the clean, musky scent of the man
squashed against her boobs.

“What
kind of conference were you at?”

“A
romance writer’s conference.”

“Romance
writer?”

“Yes.
I’m an author. I write romance novels.”

“Oh.”

She
waited for him to ask what type of romance novels she wrote, but he didn’t.
Wasn’t he interested?
Maybe not.
Really, how could she
tell him she wrote about guys like him? Westerns. Cowboys. Riding off into the
sunset with some hunky cowboy on horseback. It would be totally embarrassing to
tell him, so maybe it would be a good thing he didn’t ask. “Where are we
headed, by the way?”

“My
parents’ place.”
He chuckled again. “We’ll get you some
warm, dry clothes to change into. If the car didn’t get washed away, we’ll get
you some gas so you can make it back to San Antonio.”

“Thank
you. You don’t know how much I appreciate you coming to my rescue.”

“It’s
what cowboys do.”

Oh, hell yeah, they do.
Especially in my dreams.

They
continued chatting about mundane things as they plodded along. The constant
shift of the horse’s rump made her realize how long it had been since she’d
ridden.
How far was this place anyway?
“Joel?”

“Yeah.”

“How
much farther?”

“A
mile or so.”

“Hell.”

“
Somethin
’ wrong?”

“I’m
gonna feel every step this horse took tomorrow.”

A
deep laugh started beneath her fingers and rumbled up his chest until it burst
from his lips. “You are too much, Mesa.”

“I’m
glad I could make your day,” she grumbled, a little put out by his laughter. “I
haven’t been on horseback in ages. My thighs are already screaming mercy.” She
felt his body quiver from laughter again. “How do you ride all day without
dying?”

“I’m
used to it. I ride all day everyday so it doesn't bother me.”

“You
live on a working ranch?”

“Yep.
Longhorns and city folk.”

“Huh?”

“We
have what most folks call a dude ranch. We let people come and stay on the
ranch. Do ranch work, ride horses…you know, play at
bein
’
a cowboy for a while.”

“Really?
That sounds like fun.”

“How
long are you in town for?”

“The
conference is over in a couple of days.”

“So
you’re
flyin
’ or
drivin
’ home
afterward?”

“Flying,
yes.”

He
got quiet for several minutes as the horse continued to walk along under his
expert guiding hand. “What kind of books do you write?”

There it was.
“Westerns.”

“Oh
yeah?
Like cowboys and Indians?
Louie
L’Amour
type stuff?”

She
shook her head and almost unseated herself from the back of the horse. A
fistful of his shirt kept her in place. “No. Like cowboys and the love of their
lives. I write erotic modern westerns.”

“
Interestin
’.”

The
house came into view and she sighed in relief. She’d be able to get off the
back of the horse shortly, but it also meant giving up sitting behind Joel and
removing her hands from his magnificent chest.

As
they rode into the yard, she could see what appeared to be a main house and
several smaller cabins of some sort. She assumed this is where the guests
stayed. A large corral sat in the back of the biggest building where several
horses stood. A handful of cowboys hung around the front of the tack room.

One
guy stepped forward, taking the reins of the horse as she slid off the left
side.
“Hey, Joel.
Where’d you pick up a rider?”

“Behave
yourselves
,” Joel answered, swinging down from his
saddle. “This is a lady whose car stalled out near the north pasture line.
Mesa, these are some of my brothers, Joseph, Jackson and Josh. Guys, this is
Mesa.”

“Howdy,
ma’am,” Joseph said, tipping his hat.

Wow, twins?
“Do
you all always call every woman ma’am?”

“Yes,
ma’am,” Jackson replied. “Our mama would skin our hides if we didn’t.”

“Well,
call me Mesa, please. I feel old when you call me ma’am.”

“So.”
Josh moved closer, taking her hand and slipping it through the crook in his
elbow. “How did a beauty like you get stuck with Joel?”

“Uh…”
she stammered slightly as she blushed from the attention.

“Enough,
Joshua.
I’m taking her into the house so Mom can help her
into some dry clothes,” Joel said, taking her hand from his brother and
capturing it within the warmth of his own. Tingles started in her fingers and
worked their way up her arm. She frowned at the sensation. Surely she wasn’t
attracted to Joel other than being grateful for his rescue?
Why the hell not? I fantasize about cowboys
all the time. He’s the finest specimen of a cowboy I’ve ever seen.

“Don’t
mind them, Mesa. They’re all bachelors. When a pretty woman gets within fifty
feet of them, they can’t help but drool and act like idiots.”

He thinks I’m pretty?
“Thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s
true. Anyway, let’s get you inside and dry.”

“You
don’t have to do that. My clothes are almost dry now from the heat.”

“I’m
sure you could use something to drink and to at least dry your shoes. I can
hear ’em squishing from here.”

“True.”
She laughed as she wiggled her wet shoe. “I would be nice to put them in a
dryer along with my socks. I’ll probably get blisters.”

“Mom
will try to feed you too since it’s almost supper time around here.”

“I
hope I’m not taking you from your chores. You said you were checking fences
when you found me.”

“It’ll
be fine,” he said as they walked toward the large, house-like structure. “We
don’t work on any time schedule.”

Built
out of what appeared to be logs and flagstone, the house boasted three huge
dormers, a porch the size of a football field stretching across its front, and
huge, wooden doors on the side they were headed toward. Joel held the door as
she made her way into the dining room. Several picnic tables lined the huge
room. Each one gleamed from the sunlight now pouring in through the big windows.
Rough wood paneling lined the walls with a brand burned into several boards—TR
with a circle around it. Huh. Interesting.
I
wonder what it stands for?

“Thunder
Ridge.”

He read my mind?

“It’s
the brand our cattle wear too.”

“It’s
really cool you have it burned into the wood on the walls.”

The
smell of cooking food floated to her nose. Her stomach growled impatiently when
she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Joel grinned and her heart
flipped over in her chest.
Damn, he has a
sexy smile.
He could probably melt butter with that grin.

With
her hands still encased in the warmth of his, he tugged her along toward a room
in the back. “Come on. We’ll get you something dry to wear, put your shoes in
the dryer, and get you some food.” As they approached the back of the dining
hall, she noticed a small office built into the back of the huge room. The
woman taping away at the computer screen seemed oblivious to their presence
until Joel said, “Mom?” Mesa could see where Joel got his black hair. The cascading
length only added to the woman’s stunning beauty.

“Hey
baby.” She glanced up with the same blue eyes that Joel had and stared. “
What’cha
got there?”

“I
found her out on the road with her car stalled.”

Indignation
ruffled her ego, causing her back stiffened. They were making her sound like
some lost puppy or something.

“Well,
welcome to Thunder Ridge. I’m Nina Young. This here is my
son,
or one of them anyway.” She held out her hand and when Mesa took it, she pumped
it several times.

“Mesa
Arraguso
.
I’m sorry to intrude.
I don’t want to make you feel like you’re taking in a lost stray.”

“Nonsense.
No intrusion. We love company. It’s why we run a dude ranch.” Nina looked at
her clothes and said, “Oh my. You’re soaked, honey. Let’s get you something dry
to put on. You look about my size. I’m sure I have something that will fit.”
Nina shuffled her out of the office leaving Joel standing in the doorway. “Come
with me.”

Nina
walked her through another huge room with an enormous fireplace standing from
floor to ceiling and almost wall-to-wall. Large leather couches invited people
to sit in front of a roaring fire, should there be one blazing away. Not today,
though.