Sydney racked her brain and cringed. “Uh, over ten years ago.” Thinking of going to a clinic and the forms she’d have to fill out, she shook her head. “I’m fine, it’s just a scrape.”
“Out here, we don’t take chances. Let’s go.” He swung up on his huge horse and before she knew what he was about, reached down and hauled her up in front of him as if she weighed no more than twenty pounds.
Then his muscle-hard arms wrapped around her and Sydney forgot about the problems going for a doctor’s visit would cause her. Leaning against his wide chest, she turned her face up to his with an impish grin. “Is this my riding lesson?” she asked as he prodded the horse into a trot that bounced her on his lap in a very enticing way.
“Hell no,” he returned with a frown.
She couldn’t help it. It felt too good to be held again, to set aside her worries and problems and enjoy a pleasant afternoon and the nearness of one hunky rancher to stifle the urge to needle him again. Gripping his thick forearm, she wiggled her butt against his crotch and felt the press of his growing erection as she told him with a laugh, “That’s okay. I like riding with you.”
Caden tightened his arm around her waist and snapped, “Sit still.”
Unperturbed, she shook her hair back, turned and put her mouth on his throat, his earthy scent making her ache as she taunted, “Or what?”
Shifting the reins to his hand at her waist, he gripped her hair and pulled her head back, the steed never breaking stride as he bent and nipped her lower lip. “Have I mentioned my belt?” Her instant stillness drew his chuckle. “That’s what I thought. Behave, Sydney.”
The man either had no idea what he did to her or didn’t care. Sydney ran her finger over her throbbing lip, struggling to keep from rubbing her crotch against the leather saddle to alleviate the warm ache that small sting brought about. She shuddered when she thought of how his belt would feel snapping on her bare butt, and then recalled the blonde’s contented face after Caden spanked her. Was it any wonder her boss had her tied up in knots she craved to untangle?
He had better things to do on a Monday afternoon, Caden reminded himself as he tried to ignore the way Sydney’s soft ass cushioned his hardening shaft. When she’d left for one of her walks and hadn’t returned within a few hours, he and Connor had taken out in different directions to look for her. As he would for any of his employees, he’d feared for her safety and when he’d come across her tangled in the barbed wire fence she’d foolishly tried to cross over, the relief at finding her safe switched to annoyance from the worry and trouble she’d caused him.
“You have a cell phone, don’t you? Why didn’t you call the ranch when you got into trouble?” He looked down into her flushed face and grew suspicious when she averted her eyes. The girl carried secrets he normally wouldn’t be interested in prying into. His life had been anything but normal the past few days.
“I left it in my room. Besides, what good would it have done? I couldn’t tell anyone where I was because I didn’t know.”
Her excuse was both logical and feasible but he wasn’t buying it. “From now on, take your phone with you, or, better yet, limit your walks to around the buildings instead of taking off through the fields.” Caden told himself he was not disappointed when he halted Ranger at the corral next to the horse barn and lost the feel of Sydney’s soft body swaying with his as he dismounted. “Come on.” Lifting her down, he stepped back as soon as her feet touched the ground and couldn’t miss the regret crossing her face. For his sake, he wished she would be more like other women and at least try to hide her interest.
“I honestly don’t think I need to get the scrape looked at,” she protested as he clasped her elbow and led her over to his truck.
“Yes, you do.” Opening the passenger door, he waved his hand inside. “Get in. Willow Springs has a twenty-four-hour clinic.”
“Look, the truth is I’m low on funds until payday. I can’t afford a doctor’s bill.” He could tell she didn’t like being forced to make that admission. Tough.
“You’re covered under our insurance since you were hurt on our property while in our employ. Why don’t you have insurance?”
She ignored his question and hopped up onto the seat with a relieved smile. “In that case, let’s go.”
The next afternoon, Caden returned from the fields in time to stroll around the side of the big barn and catch a view of Sydney’s upturned ass as she stood leaning over the rail enclosing the pigpen. Way over. With a squeal, she toppled into the sty, landing in a mud puddle from the previous night’s rain. With a glare toward two hands laughing on the sidelines, he strode toward her, snapping at them, “You didn’t think to stop her?”
“Ah, c’mon, boss,” Tyler dra
wled as he and Carl came forward to help. “You gotta admit she’s cute.”
“And entertaining,” Carl put in.
Ignoring them, he reached over the rail for Sydney’s hand. “I dare you to find humor in your current position.” Mud caked her hair and splattered her face, yet she grabbed his hand with a beaming smile.
“I have no one to blame but myself. The big one distracted me when he bullied Princess.”
Tyler chuckled. “You named her?”
Sydney shrugged, climbed over the railing and hopped down. “Sure, why not. Thanks for the hand, boss.” She flipped Caden one of her cheeky grins, leaving him itching to spank her mud-caked butt as she sauntered up to the house.
Turning to his other employees, he growled, “Get back to work.”
Sydney was driving him fucking nuts, Caden groused when he found himself searching for her again the next day. If he didn’t fear the hands would stage a walkout, he’d fire her and wash his hands of her. Unfortunately, she’d had the gall to endear each and every one of his hired help to her with homemade breads, fantastic meals and an array of baked sweets that had the guys practically eating out of her hand. So, that option was out, no matter how much she continued to burrow under his skin.
She’d treated the lost, fence-snagging incident on Monday as a fun adventure, drawing smiles from the guys and adding to Caden’s frustration over a growing attraction he couldn’t get a handle on. Yesterday, when she’d grinned up at him with that irrepressible smile stretching her mud-splattered face, he’d struggled with an urge to either kiss her or toss her over his knee. Thank goodness she had walked away before he could do either.
Now, he and Connor were once again out looking for her after no one could find her by late afternoon. “I swear, if she’s wandered into a field again, she’ll have trouble sitting tomorrow.”