He couldn’t let her believe that. She needed to know he had genuine feelings for her.
“You’re right. Nick doesn’t think Mason’s good enough for you. But that’s not—”
“Hey, Jess!” Holden called. “We’re ready to go.”
Startled, Cord twisted to look behind him. Holden had the entire group mounted and lined up on their horses.
“Cripes! I’m late.” Jess started jogging toward them, and Cord hurried to stay with her. “I don’t know, Cord. I’m still not sure we can make it believable.”
“I think we can,” he said, as they approached the head of the line, where Holden had Shadow waiting for her.
“We’ll see,” she mumbled, reaching for her horse.
But Cord caught her arm before she could grasp the reins and turned her toward him, drawing her against him. Her wide gray eyes stared up into his, and his heart threatened to crack his ribs open. Her mouth moved. She might’ve said something, but he couldn’t hear it. The blood pounding in his ears drowned out everything in the universe.
“How’s this for believable?” he muttered, lifting his hands to cradle her face. He lowered his mouth to hers, intending to place a short, firm kiss. But those lips! They were even more soft and sweet than he’d imagined. Once he had a taste, he wanted more. More of the plump responsive lips that made him forget every other kiss he’d ever had.
“Woo hoo! Ride ‘em, cowboy.”
Catcalls erupted, and Jess sprang back, blushing to the roots of her hair.
Without another word, she swung onto Shadow’s back and kicked him forward.
“Only four seconds,” said Holden as he ambled past and slapped Cord’s shoulder. “Better luck next time, cowboy.”
5
Jessica managed to stay on her horse. That was about the sum total of her accomplishments on the trail ride following that bombshell kiss. The one that left her head spinning. When they reached the river, Holden rode up beside her and suggested he might enjoy taking the lead on this trip. Though he sported a wry grin, he avoided pointing out her absent state of mind. Still shell-shocked, she hadn’t uttered a single word of her usual spiel, full of fun facts about Sage Valley Ranch. Grateful for his rescue, she followed at the end of the pack and let her mind process.
That kiss was forever seared into her memories. The instant their lips touched, her heart had stopped, along with her breathing. Then every nerve in her body fired at once, jumpstarting her still heart. In the matter of a few seconds, she’d died, gone to heaven, and come back to life.
Not that she was falling for him. She was simply reliving her seventh-grade crush. No doubt, Cord was attractive, but she wouldn’t let herself get involved with another hunky guy who’d surely break her heart. That didn’t mean she couldn’t relish the feel of that kiss, and imagine it happening again.
“Don’t forget to close the gate,” Holden called back, shaking her out of her reverie.
How could she have daydreamed for the entire two-hour trail ride?
Dismounting to swing the gate closed, she side-stepped a fresh pile of manure, which reminded her of Cord’s mishap. A smile crept onto her face. One of the things she found so charming was his athletic looks, in contrast to his general nerdiness. Not that he didn’t know his way around a ranch, but he’d always been the studious type. Though he usually wore contacts, she actually preferred him with glasses, as if the dark frames were hiding his Superman persona.
Why had that kiss affected her so strongly when she knew it was only for show? She had to avoid him as much as possible. For the moment, he believed she’d only used him as an excuse to avoid going to the dance with Mason. But if she spent much time alone with Cord, she was liable to let something slip out. Imagine how humiliating it would be if he realized she actually liked him when his part was all an act.
Ughh! Awkward with a capital A.
Jess and Holden got all the guests safely dismounted and stabled the horses, a process that took another forty-five minutes, even with extra help from Gabe and a couple of the volunteer staff. Then Jess found a text message waiting on her cell phone from an unknown number.
Hi. This is Cord. Sorry about the kiss. Out of town for the weekend. We’ll talk Monday.
Her mind churned, considering every possible meaning of his brief message. Was he sorry about the kiss because he regretted it? Where was he going for the weekend, leaving before noon on a Thursday? Frustrated and confused, she headed for a shower, with a detour by the ranch general store.
“Hi, Jess!” Lexi Turner greeted her when she walked in. “What do you need, today? More dark chocolate-covered almonds?”
“Actually, I need a new toothbrush. Do you have any?”
“Sure.” She moved to the shelf with the hygiene supplies. “Did you wear your old one out?”
“No, I accidentally knocked it into the toilet.”
Lexi let out a musical laugh. “Oh no! I hope there wasn’t anything else in there.”