by Mandy Baxter
Ryder stepped to the edge of the loft, a bale of alfalfa held firmly in his grasp. She couldn’t deny it was quite an impressive sight, each muscle cut and defined, corded from the effort of holding up the eighty-pound bale of hay. He tossed it down as though it weighed nothing at all and it bounced once on the flatbed before rolling to a stop at Lara’s feet. She gripped the twine that held the bale together in both of her hands and was sure to lift with her legs as she maneuvered the heavy rectangle of hay to the back of the flatbed, the first of her soon-to-be-organized stack. Granted, she couldn’t haul them around the way Ryder could, but she was holding her own just the same.
“Here.” Ryder threw down a pair of well-worn leather gloves. “Use those.”
***
Of all the stubborn, pigheaded women.
Though he always welcomed a social call from his mother, today’s not-so-impromptu visit had thrown a huge monkey wrench into his plans. He’d had Lara right where he wanted her: soft, dripping wet, and oh-so-willing. But his mom’s sermon on family and reputations had managed to squash all of Ryder’s hard work.
Speaking of hard …
His cock pulsed in his jeans, his own raging desire reminding him that as far as he was concerned, he and Lara had only just begun their erotic play. He welcomed the discomfort, used it as motivation to continue on his course. He refused to stop this game until he had her every way imaginable. And maybe even a few he’d never thought of.
“Are you tired, Blackwell? Need to take a little breather after exerting yourself over that one bale?”
Lara’s sarcastic comment broke through his musing, and he looked down to find her smirking up at him, an expression that made him want to strip her bare and do all sorts of dirty things to her until she was as pliant and agreeable as a newly broke filly. Damn it, with all of the women who’d gladly jump into his bed without so much as a wink, why was he so obsessed with the one who didn’t seem to want anything to do with him?
Well, it didn’t take a mind like Freud’s to figure that one out.
He hoisted another bale into his grip and dropped it down onto the flatbed. Lara slipped his gloves on and moved the alfalfa next to the first bale. One thing was for certain: Lara Montgomery was damned tough.
It took half as long to load the truck as he’d expected. And though there’d been next to no conversation, it was a companionable silence. Something he rarely experienced with other women. He enjoyed working alongside Lara. And wasn’t that damned domestic of him? “Ready?” he asked as Lara hefted the last bale into place. He hopped down onto the truck from the loft and pushed his hat back on his forehead.
“To the feedlot?” she asked.
Down to business. She could deflect all she wanted, but Ryder was more determined than Lara was stubborn. “Yup. We’ll feed and then break for dinner.”
It took all of about an hour to throw out thirty bales of alfalfa for the cows and calves they’d moved to the north pasture. The supplemental feeding was important, and for some stupid reason, Ryder wanted Lara to know that he was looking out for his stock and making sure they were well taken care of. When the last bale was spread and followed the long line of strewn alfalfa he’d constructed, he had her circle back around toward the house.
Ryder sat on the flatbed, legs dangling off the edge as the old truck rocked and teetered on the unsteady ground. It was a piece of shit and only ran about half the time, but he kept it to remind him of his roots. And a few other things. He pulled off his gloves and brought his hand to his temple, tracing the scar above his left eyebrow. It took eight stitches to close the split in his head, an injury sustained when his dad got pissed at his brother Luke and Ryder stepped in to take the brunt of his father’s rage. His eyes wandered to the corner of the flatbed, to the very spot he’d smacked his head when his dad shoved him and he’d tripped into it.
He couldn’t erase the past. But he could damn well make sure history didn’t repeat itself. Ryder had been only sixteen when he finally took matters into his own hands. It had been the first and last time that he’d let his own rage spur him to violence. And he vowed he’d never lose control like that again.
“Where do you want me to park?”
Lara’s words cut into his thoughts like a soft rain on a sultry afternoon. Only now did Ryder realize that his fists were clenched tight, and his heart raced in his chest. He banished the unpleasant memories that threatened to suck him into a dark place he rarely visited and focused his attention instead on the sound of Lara’s voice. “You can pull up to the main house.”
The truck rounded the stables and approached the house, and Pepper shimmied her little black body out from her doghouse and bounded next to the pickup, tail wagging as she yipped in welcome. “Somebody’s glad to see you,” Lara remarked as she killed the engine and hopped out of the truck. “Come here, girl.”
Ryder watched as Lara snuggled Pepper, ruffling the fur at her ears. “She’s a mixed breed, isn’t she?”
“She’s a mutt all right,” Ryder said with affection as he bent down beside Lara to stroke Pepper’s fur. “Blue heeler and border collie. She’s smart as a whip and the best-tempered dog I’ve ever owned.”
“I believe it,” Lara said with a laugh. “You sure showed those ornery cows who’s boss this morning, didn’t you, girl?”
Pepper wagged her tail and pushed her snout under Lara’s arm, getting close enough to give her cheek a couple of licks. Lara laughed and wrapped her arms around Pepper’s neck, enjoying the affection, and something tightened in Ryder’s chest. Maybe this weekend wasn’t such a good idea. Because with every moment he spent with her, Ryder was afraid that Lara was anchoring herself deeper into his system rather than working herself out the way he’d hoped.
“Did you train her to run cattle?” Lara’s eyes met his and for a moment, some of the iciness melted away, replaced with a glow that seemed to soak right into him, igniting every inch of Ryder’s body with fiery warmth.
“Sort of,” he said with a shrug. “She was born to chase and herd, so it comes naturally to her. Dogs like Pep need something to get after, you know?”
Lara smiled. “I do. I’ve treated more than a couple ambitious cow dogs who thought they could take on a truck tire or two. It’s good that she has plenty of space to roam around and get all of that energy out of her system.”
Ryder looked around—there wasn’t another house for miles—at the acres and acres of land. “You got that right. Guess we both need a little space to roam.”
Lara’s expression darkened and she averted her gaze. “Guess so. No chance of any ex-girlfriends dropping by for a quick visit when you live all the way out here.”
He was good and ready to put talk of his past relationships away once and for all. Yes, he’d been with more than a few women in his life. They both knew it, no point in beating a dead horse. But he was curious at Lara’s sharp tone. “What’s the matter, doc?” he teased. “Jealous?”
She didn’t look at him when she said, “Hardly. Though I have to wonder how many women have gotten the Ryder Blackwell treatment in such a low-rent place.” She ran her fingers absently through Pepper’s fur. “Maybe you figure the local vet wouldn’t mind if you took her right there in the barn.”
Low rent? That stable cost him a fortune, and the place was almost as clean as his house. He wasn’t sure what Lara thought—maybe that he wined and dined the women he slept with, bathed them in expensive gifts before they fell into bed with him. But what she didn’t know was that she was the first woman he’d ever actually entertained at his place. Ever. “You’re making a mighty big assumption, don’t you think?”
“Am I?” Her eyes met his, serious and almost … sad.
“Jesus Christ, Lara.” Ryder stood and snatched his Stetson off his head, smacking it against his thigh. She frustrated him past the point of reason and maybe it was her up-front, down-to-business attitude that made him want her even more. “For someone who’s trying so hard to rebuild a reputatio
n tarnished by cheap, cruel gossip, you’re sure jumping on that bandwagon pretty damned quick.”
“See, that’s the thing, Ryder,” Lara said, giving Pepper one last scratch behind the ear before she stood to face him. “All the gossip about my family happened to be true. People don’t generally talk about someone unless they give ’em something to talk about.”
“Well, if that’s what you think, I suppose there’s nothing I can say to change your mind.” He let out a derisive snort. “Let’s eat.” Ryder snapped his fingers and Pepper fell into step beside him, wagging her tail and bouncing as he headed for the house.
Never before had Ryder bothered with worrying over the shit people said about him. It was just talk after all, and he’d be willing to bet his “many” conquests were way overexaggerated in the public opinion. But now, after being hit over the head with it repeatedly by the woman he was trying to impress, Ryder wished for the first time that people would’ve kept their big mouths shut.
Chapter Seven
Lara didn’t know why her mood had turned so sour. Especially since she’d already decided that she wasn’t going to let Ryder Blackwell touch her in any way more intimate than a handshake ever again. Still … her mind rebelled against logic, reminding her of their time in the stable and the way his fingers worked her sensitive flesh, bringing her fevered body to heights of pleasure she’d never experienced before.
With nothing more than the artful caress of his fingertips he’d given her the most intense orgasm of her life. And there was a part of her that yearned for more. That need to have a little more of him was enough to sour Lara’s mood. So much for being stone-cold.
The Blackwell ranch was impressive in and of itself. Over nine hundred acres of lush pastures and rolling hills dotted with trees. Ryder’s house stood like a sentinel at the head of it all, a sprawling ranch-style mansion that might have been considered modest by billionaire standards. Even when her family had been at its wealthiest, they’d never known luxury like this.
Ryder led the way across a wraparound porch to the side of the house. A cottage door led to a small mudroom, complete with coat hooks fashioned from discarded horseshoes and a bench made from cut lodge poles lined with cubbies for boots. Pepper scrambled across the hardwood floor into the depths of the house while Ryder kicked off his boots. Lara followed suit, stuffing them into one of the empty cubbies and tried not to look too nosy as she followed him into the kitchen.
Wow.
“I think your kitchen is as big as my entire apartment.” The words escaped Lara’s mouth before she could think better of it. “I mean …”
Ryder chuckled. “It’s definitely bigger than the house I grew up in.”
Lara strolled into the kitchen, her fingers skimming the shiny granite countertops as she walked. If she had a kitchen like this, she’d live in it. Top-of-the-line appliances, an island counter big enough to roll out ten pie crusts, windows that let in the perfect amount of sunlight, and a gorgeous porcelain basin sink that looked like the only antique in the place.
“My mom salvaged that sink from my grandma’s place,” Ryder said when he noticed her eyeing it. “We reclaimed a bunch of stuff from the old house when we built this one. There are little bits and pieces of my family in every room.”
Ryder might have been a lowlife for buying her horse, but Lara admired his love for his family. And there was something about a nostalgic man that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. If he cared enough to save his grandma’s sink, maybe there was more to him than the heartless womanizer she’d sized him up to be.
“Well, let’s get to cooking.” Excitement pooled in Lara’s stomach at the prospect of putting Ryder’s kitchen to good use. “Though I have to admit, I half-expected to see a team of professional chefs waiting to cook our meals to order.”
Ryder rolled his eyes at her ribbing, a half smile curving his lips, and it only intensified the butterflies swirling in Lara’s stomach. “I know how to cook, thank you very much. Sit down, and I’ll whip us up something.”
“Uh-uh,” Lara said with an emphatic shake of her head. “No way am I not going to take this opportunity to play in a kitchen like this.”
“All right.” Ryder flashed her a wide smile that went straight to her head. How could a man make her feel giddy from nothing more than a grin? “We’ll cook together, then. You grab the steaks and veggies from the fridge and I’ll rustle up the pans.”
“Deal.”
Ryder’s “fridge” was a double glass door, industrial Frigidaire that looked like it belonged in a five-star restaurant. Stocked full of pretty much anything she could possibly want, Lara dug through its confines, worried that she might get lost before she managed to gather all of the ingredients for dinner. After some hard-core foraging, Lara managed to retrieve a couple of T-bone steaks, onions, mushrooms, and a trio of peppers.
“There’s rice in the pantry,” Ryder said as he pulled a pan from a baker’s rack above the island. “Unless you want beans or pasta, or something else.”
“Rice is fine.” She set her haul on the counter next to the stove and riffled through the walk-in pantry left of the refrigerator, marveling at the neat rows of sundry items. Really, Ryder’s kitchen was better stocked than the local grocery store.
“Why did you turn me down when I asked you out last month?” Ryder asked out of nowhere as he tore into the package of steaks and seasoned them. He didn’t make eye contact, just focused on the task at hand. Huh. A little out of character for the usually self-assured cowboy.
“You know why,” Lara said. She filled a pot with water and set it to boil on the stove. “Why did you buy October when you knew I wanted her?”
Ryder paused as he set one of the steaks aside. “You know why.”
She probably deserved that. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she said, “I turned you down because I knew what people would say about me if I went out with you. I’ve worked hard to rebuild my family’s reputation. Once I get my stable up and running, I don’t want anyone to have a reason not to do business with me.”
“And you think a date with a successful cattle rancher would’ve tarnished your reputation?”
“You know what I mean.” Lara grabbed a knife from the butcher block and went to work slicing peppers. “It’s different for a man. You can date as many women as you want with a revolving door into your bedroom and no one would bat a lash. Your reputation as a businessman is good and intact. But the second a woman acts like she might want to play the field, everyone treats her like she’s a leper. Not exactly the best way to start a business. Plus, I didn’t want people to think I was …”
“What?”
Lara cringed. “A gold digger. I’m not exactly rolling in money, you know.”
Ryder set aside the steaks and turned toward Lara, his light brown eyes alight with a heat that she wished she could ignore. He stalked toward her, and she took a few steps back until he’d effectively pinned her against the island counter. The intensity of his gaze stole her breath and Lara tried to avert her eyes but he held her captive. “I don’t give a good goddamn what anyone says about me and neither should you.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Lara remarked. “You’ve already made your fortune.”
“And I could lose it tomorrow.” The warm timbre of his voice shot straight through her, settling between Lara’s legs in a slow thrum that stirred her desire. “Life is short and I refuse to waste it on a lot of needless worry. I’m not going to deny myself the things I want because of some nosy assholes who don’t know how to mind their own business. I do what I want, when I want, and the rest of the world can go fuck itself.”
“And what do you want, Ryder?” It was a dangerous question, one Lara wasn’t sure she wanted him to answer because she was looking for an excuse to disregard her own coached detachment. Her breath hitched in her chest, her body hyperaware as he reached up and smoothed his thumb across her cheek.
“I want you.”
*
**
Dinner took a backseat to a more primal hunger as Ryder stared into Lara’s bright blue eyes. His hands found their way to her hips and he gripped her tight, hoisting her pert little ass onto the countertop. The thought of laying her out, savoring every inch of her like she was his last meal made his head spin and his cock swell in his jeans. And Ryder could think of no better way to put the wide marble countertop to good use.
He reached up and without a word stripped Lara’s shirt up and over her head. Her chest rose and fell with her breath and he stared greedily at the soft round flesh swelling above her bra. With his eyes still locked on hers, he took a step closer and she spread her legs as though in invitation. Ryder cradled himself against her and placed a lazy kiss between her breasts as he reached behind her and released the clasp.
With the straps clutched in his grasp, Ryder leaned back and paused. It took all of his restraint not to jerk the garment free of her skin, but that was the point, wasn’t it? To test the limits of his control, see how long he could hold out. For a moment, he simply stood there. Drank her in. Let his eyes roam over the flesh his fingers itched to reach out and caress. And when his hands began to shake from the effort of restraint, Ryder slowly dragged the straps down Lara’s arms and pulled her bra away to reveal her breasts.
Mary mother of god.
Her nipples puckered tight as they were exposed to the air and Ryder reached out, cupping the delicious weight of one breast in his hand while he took the other into his mouth. He sucked deeply, swirling his tongue over the pearled peak and Lara arched into him, her breath catching in a desperate gasp. His cock responded to the sound, growing almost painfully hard and throbbing against his fly. He wanted inside of her so bad, he didn’t know how long he’d be able to wait. But he was going to do his damnedest to make sure she was screaming his name long before he dove into her sweet, wet heat.
