Spurred (Steele Ranch 1)

He slowly shook his head, and I was sure he was internally laughing at me. “I’ve got her lead. She’s not going anywhere.”

Taking my foot from the stirrup, I swung my leg over and dropped to the ground, but, of course, my pretty red cowboy boot was caught. It took a few extra seconds, but I finally got myself free. It hadn’t been graceful, but I’d done it on my own. To make it even more embarrassing, my legs practically buckled.

“Whoa,” Riley said, coming up and wrapping an arm about my waist. “Give your legs a minute to get used to walking again.”

“No kidding,” I replied, shaking them out. Muscles I didn’t even know I had were either numb or ached. And my butt….

Riley slid his finger down my nose. “Looks like we’ll need to get you a cowboy hat to go with those boots.”

I felt the heat on my nose and knew it was probably as red as Rudolph from the sun.

Cord led Sage and his horse into the stable.

“Think you can walk on your own?” Riley asked after a minute of just holding me. I didn’t mind at all. His clean scent was an instant, visceral reminder of what we’d done together and I wanted him. Cord, too. The tang of horse and leather prompted me to the fact we couldn’t do anything about it right now. Not here. Perhaps we could go up to the main house and—

No. God, I was turning into a mental slut.

I shook out my legs and turned to face him. “I’ll-I’ll give it a try.”

While he’d loosened his hold, he didn’t let me go entirely. “Maybe I should just keep my arm about you, just in case.” He grinned and I knew he was having similar thoughts as me. The heat, the need, almost crackled between us. After a moment, he started moving toward the stable, his arm hooked about my waist pulling me along. Slowly, so I could adjust to be being back on the ground.

Cord had the animals in the back area where they were brushed and groomed. With him was Jamison, Archer, Sutton. He introduced me to two other hands. Patrick and Shamus.

“Ma’am,” the blond one said.

Like everyone else, Patrick wore a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt, although he had on a college t-shirt.

They had to be nineteen or twenty and ma’am-ed me. God, I didn’t look that rough after my ride, did I? I swiped my hand over my hair in self-consciousness.

Jamison shared that they were working at the ranch for the summer and were undergrads at the state school studying animal science the rest of the year.

“Did you have a good time?” Sutton asked, eyeing me with concern. I hadn’t seen him since the other night when he’d shot the intruder, but it didn’t seem to have affected him. Although, it was hard to tell with him. He was always so serious. Like bad things had happened to him in the past. I was just glad he was a good shot.

I moved out of Riley’s hold and approached Sutton. “I wanted to thank you. What you did…for me. God, you’re going to have to live the rest of your life knowing you killed someone. And for me. I don’t know what to say because it’s too—”

Sutton held up a hand and I stopped talking. “You’re welcome. But it’s not necessary.”

“But you killed someone.”

He nodded curtly. “I did. I have. He wasn’t the first and knowing what his intentions most likely were...”

We glanced at Archer, who had a hand on the butt of his gun. It seemed it was habit for where he settled his hand, not that he was planning on shooting anyone.

“One less fucker on the planet,” Sutton said. “The trauma from what happened could kick in at any time. Let your men take care of you.”

My men. Riley came over to my side once again. “Nothing’s happening to her.”

The corner of Sutton’s mouth tipped up. That was the biggest smile I’d ever seen from him. “Damn straight. What did you think of the ride?” he asked, changing the topic. He didn’t seem to like being the center of attention, and I had to let the matter drop. It was what he wanted and I had to respect that.

“It was great…until I dismounted.” I forced myself not to reach back and rub my sore bottom.

“It’ll get easier the more you ride. Sage will be here anytime you want. Just let one of us know and we’ll help you saddle her up. We’ll go with you, too, so you’re not alone.”

“Oh, um, that would be great. I was just thinking I need my own Boy Scout.”

“Sweetness,” Cord said, having me turn around. “I’m an Eagle Scout.”

“Of course you are,” I murmured, grinning. I could see him as a teenager out in the wilderness hunting elk with a homemade bow and arrow and cooking it over an open fire he had to start by rubbing two sticks together.