Cowboy Up: A Contemporary Romance (The Cherry Series Book 1)

by Luna Starr

  “I’m fine.”

  He frowned. “Seriously. Rain’s going to run straight into your collar.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t care,” I answered, not really sure why I was giving him attitude. I just felt uncomfortable—with him, the night before, today, with myself, with everything.

  He sighed and shook his head. I unclipped Jenny’s halter and slid the bridle on, then glanced out the big doors. The thunderclouds were still there, but they weren’t nearly as ominous as they had been the day before. “I don’t think it’s going to rain, anyway.”

  He snorted and climbed on Breezy, with another glance at my helmet. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

  We rode out at a good clip and I posted while Tom just let his kidneys take a beating. As we left the yard and headed into the pasture, both mares stepped up into easy canters. I leaned over and stroked Jenny’s neck. She was so easy to ride, but this type of riding still wasn’t my thing. I wanted to be taking fences and feeling that adrenaline rush. Even though this was different to me, it was also kind of mundane in its simplicity.

  We rode to a small creek—or one that looked like it used to be small. Swift water was pulling down the tall grass along the banks and it was fully engorged with rainwater.

  “Damn.” Tom pulled Breezy to a halt and stood up in his stirrups, glancing left and right. “There’s no good place to cross this, so this is as good as any. We’re going to have a fine time getting those cows across this water.”

  His comment left a trail of goosebumps across my skin. I hoped he was right about me being able to handle it, because if we had a lot more of these obstacles along the way, I wasn’t sure I could. I tensed and Jenny lifted her head, ears working forward and back like she was worried too.

  I stroked her neck. “Easy, girl.”

  Tom glanced over. “Are you scared?”

  I stiffened, making Jenny’s ears shoot backward. “No.”

  He scooted Breezy sideways until our knees were touching, then he leaned over and grabbed my shoulder. “Trust that mare. This is the kind of stuff she’s done every day of her life...”

  I swallowed and nodded. I knew he was right, and I’d seen the horses out here, not giving a damn about much of anything, but I was still nervous. He squeezed me again gently. “Okay?”

  “Okay.” I took a breath and relaxed and Jenny did too, then she walked toward the creek like it was no big deal.

  Tom nudged Breezy a little so she eased in front of us. “Just follow me.”

  My fingers were tight on the reins, but Jenny didn’t seem too fazed by the water. She willingly followed Breezy as the water began to grow higher and higher up her body. Once it was just below my feet, my heart started to pick up.

  “It’s getting deep,” I said to Tom.

  “It’s okay. Just trust Jenny.”

  So I did. And by the time we climbed out on the other side, I could finally let go of the breath I’d been holding and truly relax. I gave Jenny a healthy pat. “Thanks, girl.”

  Tom glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “That’s the only time we’ll have to cross the river, and by the time we get back here, the current should have mellowed out.” He glanced up at the sky. “Unless those let loose again.”

  I nudged Jenny and she jogged up next to Breezy, then slowed to a walk. Breezy flattened her ears and nipped the air, but Jenny didn’t care. Tom shook his head. “Quit,” he growled at Breezy, then glanced at me. “They fight like sisters.”

  I laughed. The tension finally drained out of me and I started enjoying the ride. We rode up the side of some steep cliffs and I gripped the horn tight and tried not to look down as Jenny skillfully navigated the narrow path. “You’re really bringing cows down this?” I heard the quiver in my voice and wanted to be embarrassed, but I was too scared.

  “No,” he yelled back over his shoulder. “We’re going to take a shortcut and then we’ll drive them the long way.”

  Oh great, the long way, I thought. But the long way was still better than heading back down this treacherous path. I glanced over the edge of the path and noticed the hillside was thick with pines and undergrowth. But it was also really steep. One false step and we would be tumbling down that thing, probably never to be seen or heard from again. I did my best to keep my weight in the middle of the saddle and not give Jenny anything else to worry about other than keeping us alive.

  On one hand, I was really glad that Tom trusted me and thought I was good enough to handle this kind of riding, but I also wasn’t sure if it was validated trust. Because I wasn’t so sure I could handle it.

  The trail wound up and up and we finally crested the ridge and the view was insane. All the cows were spread out below us, nestled in a tight grove of trees in the middle of a thick pasture of grass at the base of the mountain.

  Tom pulled up and scooted Breezy over so I could come up beside him.

  “Wow,” I said, my breath literally taken away by our surroundings.

  He smiled. “Right? That’s kind of why I wanted to come up the backside of the mountain. This is the only pasture that butts up to the mountains and I never get enough of the view. Thought maybe you’d think the terror-ride was worth it once you saw this.”

  I smiled, a little surprised that he wanted me to experience this for myself. “It’s beautiful,” I admitted.

  “Worth the trip?”

  I got caught up in those long eyelashes and the way they framed his eyes for a second before I pulled my gaze away and enjoyed the scenery. My blood was pumping fast and as much as I wanted to blame it on my fear of the climb, the truth was that Tom was the one responsible. “Totally.”

  He grinned and pointed to a trail off to our left. “This takes us back down. There are a couple of pullouts and overhangs along the way, so watch your head.”

  I knocked a fist against my helmet. “Covered.”

  His laughter echoed across the high walls of the mountains and I liked the way it made me feel. “You want to lead the way?”

  My eyes widened and I shook my head vehemently. “Are you kidding? No way.”

  “It’s impossible to get lost. Just head straight down.”

  “Ha. No thanks.” He may have thought I couldn’t get lost, but I could barely find my way out of my driveway half the time. The fact that I’d traveled halfway across the country with only a handful of mistakes still boggled my mind. Of course, I had had GPS there to guide me…

  “Alright, I’ll lead.”

  Breezy took another swipe at Jenny as she passed by and Jenny responded by dragging her nose across Breezy’s flank and butt. I tensed for Breezy’s reaction, but she didn’t kick out, just lifted her head and squealed. Tom pressed his calves against the mare’s sides quickly and she focused on him. I was impressed. The mare was so totally in-tune with him.

  We barely rode two minutes off the backside of the mountain when the first raindrop hit the pommel. I stared at it and squeezed my eyes closed. The trail was bad enough on its own; I was terrified to think of what kind of slip-n-slide we would be looking at in the rain.

  Another drop joined the first and Tom urged Breezy into a faster walk. Jenny followed without any urging on my part and my eyes were glued to Tom’s back. I didn’t know how long it was going to take us to get down, but it must have been at least an hour to ascend. Jenny’s hoof caught on a rock and she faltered. I yelped, but she quickly regained her balance. Tom spun around in the saddle. “You okay?”

  I clutched the reins and the horn and tried to get my breathing under control. “Yeah.”

  He turned around and we started back down the mountain again. The rain increased and quickly became a downpour. The mares bowed their heads, but they remained steadfast in their plodding. This was nothing like going over fences. It was real and it was terrifying. Rain poured off my helmet and straight down my back but I didn’t care. I just wanted off the damn mountain.

  By the time we reached the first t
hing that looked even remotely like an overhang, water was pouring off Jenny and me in mini waterfalls. I tipped the short brim of my helmet up and blinked through the drops. The water was racing down the sheer face of the rock and falling in a straight sheet directly onto our path. From what I could see, there was no way around it. I closed my eyes and inhaled. Tom slowed.

  “We’ll hang out here for a second.”

  I could barely make out his words beneath the pounding of the water, but as he moved through the waterfall, a tremor of fear snaked down my back as he disappeared. Jenny followed and as we moved underneath the waterfall, all I could hear was the incredibly loud sound of the water rushing overhead and slamming into the rocks below. A few minutes later, we were safely on the other side. I gasped as the overhang spanned out around us, leaving only enough room for us and our horses.

  “Let’s wait this out and see if it mellows.”

  Tom slid off and draped Breezy’s rein over a tree branch that had grown under the rock. She immediately stuck her nose out in the rain and grabbed a mouthful of grass off the mountainside. I dismounted and searched the opposite side for a similar branch and found one about a foot over my head. I glanced over my shoulder and Tom was there, pressing close and taking the rein from me.

  “I’ll loop it over twice. Pretty sure she won’t go anywhere, but I don’t trust her fully.” I took a step back while he secured her rein and she stood there like she was cross-tied, sweet as could be. I petted her neck.

  “She’s such a good mare.”

  He stroked her neck in a path above my hand and our fingers almost brushed. I yanked mine away and wiped the rain off my neck. I didn’t know why but Tom just made me completely uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he was being rude or unfriendly or anything. He was totally acting like himself but maybe that was the problem. After last night, it felt like we should have been different—that things shouldn’t have just returned to normal, like we’d both just brushed whatever had happened underneath the rug.

  “You’re soaked,” he scolded.

  I shrugged and try to play it off like it was nothing even though my entire backside all the way to the tops of my thighs was, indeed, soaked. “Nothing I haven’t experienced before.”

  He shook his head and pointed to the ledge. “Now do you see why I wanted you to wear a better hat?”

  I took my helmet off and hung it over Jenny’s horn. “I’d take a wet shirt over a dented skull any day.”

  “I’d take you in a wet shirt over anything any day,” he answered with a smirk as I shook my head, wondering what the hell was going on with us.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tom

  The space beneath the overhang was way too small to keep enough room between Summer and me. She looked like a drowned mutt and I wanted to pull her into my arms and dry her off. Her wet hair clung to her shoulders and that shirt couldn’t possibly have been any tighter or wetter. Of course, I immediately remembered those heavy breasts and the way her nipples tightened into little bullets as soon as I touched them.

  Feeling the need for a cold shower myself, I walked to the edge of the overhang where the mist from the rain could cool my overheated body. When I’d first wanted to take her up here, it was just to help me drive the cows in. But then after last night, I’d decided maybe it would be good for us to have some time alone so we could talk. Now, I wasn’t so sure it had been the best idea because I still didn’t know how she felt about me or last night. She was acting odd, to say the least.

  Behind me, I heard her shuffling around, cooing to Jenny and pacing off the tiny area. I hadn’t expected her to be so scared of the cliff edge, but I guess I’d ridden this so many times, I could do it in my sleep.

  “Everything okay?” Summer asked and I turned away from the pouring rain. Her face looked fresh-scrubbed, her cheeks bright and lips full. I wanted to ignore her obvious beauty, but every time she glanced my way, I wanted to taste those lips again. Bad.

  My dick was already throbbing inside my jeans and I was sure that if she glanced down, she would see the outline. That was one of the problems with having a huge cock, it was very obvious, even when you didn’t want it to be.

  I tugged on a strand of her wet hair that was clinging to her shoulder. “Everything except you being soaked to the bone.”

  Her lips parted on a comeback but her words seemed to stick in her throat and as her eyes dilated, it was fairly obvious that she wanted me to kiss her. I started to go in for the kiss but she backed away, pretending interest in Jenny. The distance between us suddenly felt as if it were miles long.

  “We won’t have to be here long,” I offered, feeling rejected.

  She nodded and stuck her hands in her back pockets, then turned to stare at the sheets of rain. I leaned against the damp rock and crossed my arms, curious about what she was thinking, but not sure I should ask. It was clear that something was bothering her. And I was really worried that that something was me.

  Maybe I hadn’t done a good job of fucking her? I knew she’d had an orgasm but maybe I hadn’t been as good as I could have been? Maybe I’d rushed? Maybe she was disappointed in me?

  She shifted, cocking one hip to the side and pulling her wet pants snug against the curve of her ass. I groaned and lifted my eyes to the ceiling. I didn’t want to be a dick, but I was only a man. Put me anywhere near a wet woman whose clothing was clinging to her, and I was going to look.

  Her chin tipped toward me as she studied me with curiosity. “Are you okay?”

  No!

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I cleared my throat and stared past her to the droplets clinging to the underside of the branches. “This should clear up soon.”

  “Sorry I made us stop.”

  My gaze clashed with hers and I was shocked to see that she really believed that she was the reason we were here. “What? No.” I stepped closer. “You did great. That was a pretty advanced trail and I probably expected way too much out of Jenny. I didn’t want to keep soaking you if we could help it.”

  She looked away. “Oh.”

  The rain intensified, nearly drowning out her sigh, but I heard the sadness in it and I was drawn closer to her. As the water continued to beat down on us, we were enclosed in our little shelter, away from the entire world and for a minute, I wanted to believe that we weren’t so different. My fingertips brushed her cheek, but she didn’t look at me. “Who hurt you, Summer?”

  That brought her gaze to mine and she looked surprised that I either noticed or asked. “I—no one.”

  I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and my fingers were glued to her skin. “You’re safe here,” I whispered as my fingers slid around her nape and I wasn’t sure who closed the gap between our bodies, but her cheek ended up on my chest and my other hand found the small of her back. I closed my eyes and dropped my chin to the top of her head. She smelled like vanilla and alfalfa and I liked the way her curves molded against mine. Liked it way too much to be standing here, miles from civilization and trapped in a rainstorm with thoughts of what we’d done last night racing through my head.

  I flinched when her arms linked behind my back. It had been a long, long time since I’d held a woman, or wanted to. I wondered if it was the same for her. I’d given her nothing but grief since she’d arrived at Springhill and she probably could have used a friend all the while because there was something troubling her. There always had been.

  My thumb swished across her skin and I wanted to hold her forever, protect her from whatever was still chasing her, be they real monsters or only imagined fears. I wondered maybe if I could keep my own monsters at bay while I was defending her from whatever was hurting her.

  As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I wondered what the hell was getting into me. I just wasn’t a man who ever thought this way or felt this protective toward a woman but for some reason, I felt protective over Summer. At the very thought that someone could hurt her, an inexplicable anger began boiling over inside of me. I would kil
l anyone who tried…

  She lifted her head and I stared into those eyes until I was lost in them. And that was when I knew I had to taste her again. I tipped her head up so I could taste her lips. They were soft and cold and her breath mingled with mine. I surrendered to the need and swept my tongue out to taste her. One of us sucked in a quick breath but I wasn’t sure who because breathing was the last thing I could think about. Her tongue darted out to touch mine and I took her mouth feverishly. She clung to me, mewling and moaning and wrapping her tongue around mine. Her hands tightened on my back and I deepened the kiss. Rain misted our bodies, but I didn’t give a shit about anything else.

  I pulled her closer, pressing her stomach against mine and she sucked my lower lip between her teeth. My control slipped and my hands slid down to cup her ass. She responded and ground against me. She grabbed the sides of my head and sucked hard, clearly needing this as much as I did.

  I backed her toward the rock wall away from the blowing rain and pressed her against the solid surface. Her hands slid down to my shoulders and she clawed them as I dragged my mouth down the side of her neck and she arched into me. I pressed my hips into hers and she moaned and ground against me. When she lifted one leg and wrapped it around me, I grabbed it and pulled it higher so I could press deeper against her. She raked her fingers down my back, driving those hips against me until I was so hard there was no way she didn’t know exactly what she was doing to me.

  “Are you okay with this, Summer?” I whispered against her skin as my fingers slid down her ribs and beneath the hem of her shirt.

  She turned her lips to my ear and licked the rim, then breathed a ripple of hot air over it, sending a shiver down my entire body. “Don’t stop.”

  That was the cue I needed. I was overwhelmed by her beauty and the memory of her innocence. I was the only man who had ever been inside of her. I was the only man to know her intimately.

  And you should be the only man to ever know her intimately. Period, I said to myself.