So Tough to Tame (Jackson Hole 3)

She waved her fork. “I’m sorry. Ignore me. I’m in a bad mood.”

As far as he was concerned, she could be in as bad a mood as she liked, as long as she was wearing that sexy little bra. The satiny material dipped low over her breasts, letting him see the faint rise of her flesh above it. He’d put his mouth just there last night. And lower.

“What’s going on with you?” she asked.

His gaze flew up to meet hers. “Sorry. I was... Uh.”

She laughed. “It’s fine. I don’t get men ogling my breasts too often, so feel free to look. But I meant what’s going on with your day?”

“Oh.” Now he didn’t know where to look. His eyes bounced up and down for a moment before he forced them to stop and meet her gaze. “I took some work at an old job the past couple of days. I think the guy might offer me winter work if I want it.”

“That’s good, right? I know winter is slow. But you don’t sound happy.”

No, he wasn’t happy. He collapsed back against the soft cushions of the couch and took a swig of beer. “I don’t know. It’s not what I want.”

“Ranching?”

“No, not that. I like the work. I like being outside, love being on a horse. But...I don’t know. It’s not lodge work. It’d be a long winter. I’ve spent most of the past thirteen years working with guests. A lot of hands look down on that kind of thing, but I like it. The variety. The people.”

“You’re good with people. You always have been.”

“Thanks.”

She poked him with her toe. “So why’d you leave the last job if you liked it?”

He sighed and ran a thumb around the neck of the beer bottle. “I was let go. It was the end of the season, and...well, you know the stuff I’m not good at.”

“No. After last night, I know a lot of stuff you’re great at, but I didn’t notice any deficiencies.”

“Heh.” Either the beer had hit his blood quickly or he was blushing. Thank God for his beard. He rubbed a self-conscious hand over it. “That’s encouraging.”

“Oh, you should feel encouraged. I know I am. So tell me what you’re not good at.”

His smile faded. “Come on, Charlie. You know.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean. Honestly.”

“Anything that requires brains.”

“Walker!” She gasped, sitting straight so quickly that she fumbled her box of salad and nearly dropped it before she set it down. “Are you kidding? I can’t believe you just said that.”

“It’s true.”

“It is not true.” This time, instead of nudging him with her toe, she kicked his leg. “Don’t ever say that.”

Walker finished off his beer in one swallow. “What do you want me to say? That I have a learning disability?”

Another kick. “Yes! You do have a learning disability.”

“All right. I’m dyslexic. That doesn’t mean I’m not stupid, too.”

She pushed up to her knees and shoved his shoulder. “Goddamn it, Walker! I can’t believe you’re saying this.”

Laughing, he grabbed her hands so she’d stop beating him up. “It’s okay, Charlie. Jeez. Cowboys don’t need to be smart. Nobody expects us to read big books or write essays. I’m a damn good cowboy. It’s just that at a guest ranch, there’s sometimes paperwork. Hell, you have to file a two-page report anytime someone gets a splinter. I always put that kind of thing off. I missed things sometimes and it caught up to me.”

“Walker.” She said his name softly, so he let her hands go. They settled on his shoulders as she climbed onto his lap. Her skirt hiked to her hips when she straddled him. Oh, yes. He remembered this.

But this time, she didn’t unbutton his jeans. She didn’t reach for his cock, which was already getting hard for her. She only frowned at him, a vastly less enjoyable experience.