Page 11 of Riding Into Love
“Good. As long as we’re clear. It was just a moment. A lapse in judgment. Nothing more.”
“Got it.”
“I’m serious, Burke.”
“So am I.”
I exhale, long and slow, trying to shake the lingering heat crawling up my spine. Whatever this is between us, it ends here. It has to. Because if I let myself get tangled up in Colby Burke, I know I won’t come out the other side unscathed.
?Chapter Four
?Colby
Kissing River Thurstonwas completely inappropriate, wildly unprofessional, and borderline stupid, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Her lips, her hands, the way she melted into me like butter on a hot biscuit. Hell, I’ve been distracted all morning, and Tango nearly walked me straight into a fencepost because I was too busy replaying the damn thing in my head.
It was just a kiss. It meant nothing. I keep telling myself those things, but it doesn’t seem to be sinking in.
What the hell was I thinking? She’s not some random woman I can pick up and discard. She’s not a barfly or a one-night stand. She’s my employee, and that means hands-off. No matter how tempting she is, or how bad I want to sink myself into her and forget the rest of the world exists.
Worst yet, she’s my good friend’s daughter, and if he knew about what happened, he’d have my balls in a sling. I have no doubt about that.
And yet, despite all of these perfectly logical reasons, none of them seem to matter. I’m drawn to her, like a horse to an open pasture. I know, without a doubt, that if River asked me to jump, I’d do it without question. But I have to be smarter than that. If our interaction yesterday tells me anything, it’s that she’s sorting through her own demons, and the last thing she needs is another man making demands on her.
So, for now, I’ll stay away. I’ll give her space. But the truth is, River Thurston isn’t the kind of woman you can ignore. Not even for a second.
It’s mid-afternoon by the time I get a chance to breathe, and my first instinct is to go and find her. To see what she’s up to, and if she’s doing all right. I just need to figure out how to do that without sending the wrong message.
As it happens, it’s not hard to find her. The stars must be aligned just right, because when I bring Tango into the barn to brush him down, River’s right there, mucking out the stalls.
She looks like something straight out of a Western calendar. She’s got her hair tied up in a loose ponytail and a red bandana wrapped around her forehead, and she’s wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts that show off the bottom curve of her ass. I’m not proud of it, but my eyes are glued to that spot, and a dozen dirty fantasies are already dancing through my mind.
But she’s not alone. Lewis is leaning against the stall door, talking to her in that low voice I’ve heard him use with women before. When she bends over to scoop up a pile of fresh hay, his eyes drop to her ass, and a hot wave of anger blooms in my chest. Jealousy. But why? I’ve got no claim to River. I can’t even claim to know her that well, and yet, the idea of him ogling her like that makes me want to knock him upside the head.
Never in a million years did I think my foreman would enjoy having a woman on the ranch, especially not one who could best him at his job. But the longer River is here, the more of my men seem to enjoy her company. Even the older hands have taken a liking to her. They say it’s because she’s so willing to help out, but I know better.
They’re all a bunch of horny bastards. Every single one of them. And if I don’t put a stop to it, one of them is bound to try something stupid.
