Page 90 of Burning Skies
I love when she wears my stuff.
We scarf down some egg sandwiches and then drive over to Rhett’s house.
Once we park, we head to the barn where I coordinate with our ranch hands. Then I introduce her to our border collies, whose tails wag wildly. I give them scratches behind the ear and pat their heads, but they’re more interested in Honey. “These guys are gonna help us today. This is Samson and Delilah, and this little squirt is their daughter Chickpea.”
“Chickpea?” She chuckles.
“Don’t look at me. Austin named her.”
Honey goes to her knees to pet them, and they cover her with kisses. “Hi, guys. Look at you. Aren’t you sweet.”
Pretty sure every animal in my barn is gonna be in love with this woman by the end of the day.
I offer her a hand to help her up and then direct her to Buttercup. “This is Paige’s horse. She’s a sweetheart. Shouldn’t give you any trouble.”
“She’s beautiful.” Honey holds out her hand so Buttercup can smell her. Then the horse leans closer, and Honey runs her hand over her mane and neck. I bring over her saddle, and she holds out her hands. “I can do this.”
“Okay, but let me get things started.” It seems ungentlemanly to just hand her the saddle. After I get it situated on Buttercup’s back, I let her handle the rest while I get Prometheus ready to go.
Ten minutes later, when we meet outside, I smile at how damn hot she looks riding that horse.Be still, my fucking heart.“You look good up there.”
“Thanks. I love horses. They’re the best part of working on a ranch. Besides the sexy cowboys.” She waggles her eyebrows at me, and I chuckle.
“Back at ya, darlin’.” I whistle and our collies follow us out. Once we reach the field where our cows graze, we touch basewith our ranch hands, who are repositioning the portable water troughs. I point to the farthest corner. “We need to move these guys through that gate.”
Honey studies the field. “Do you wean the calves in November?”
“We let the cow-calf pairs stay together until spring. It’s less stressful for the youngins.”
“Youngins?”
Smiling, I shake my head. “Are you giving me shit?”
“Maybe.”
I tilt back my cowboy hat and motion to the field. “You and I will work together. We’ll do our best to keep the pairs together.”
“Have to watch the mother’s behavior.”
“Exactly. She’ll often let us know which calf is hers.” Sometimes, there are a few calves by one mother.
From there, Honey and I break off from the other guys. She and I work one side of the field, while they handle the other. We move in tandem, like we’ve been doing this for years. I have that kind of connection with my brothers, but we’ve been working together our whole lives. I’m not sure what I was expecting today, but when she escorts the last calf through the gate, all I feel is overwhelming pride in my gorgeous girlfriend.
“No wonder you kick ass at the ranch rodeos. You made this look easy.” Her brothers might be assholes, but they taught her well.
“I haven’t had that much fun in ages. I miss feeling useful on the ranch.”
“You can always help me here. We don’t have any weird rules prohibiting women from doing this.”
She grins, and it hits me square in the chest.
On the way back, I take a detour. “Let’s stop for lunch. I brought food.”
“Great. I’m famished.”
We head down by the river, and I tie up our horses. The dogs hound me until I give them treats, and then they sprawl on the bank.
I untie my saddlebag and pull out a small blanket and some sandwiches. After we eat, I tug her close and kiss her in the tall grass.
