by Soraya Lane
When he finally turned his head to her, she pressed a deep, slow kiss to his lips before moving back. She’d never reacted to a man like this before, and she had no idea what it was about Sam that was driving her crazy. Whatever it was, he was good for her, and she loved the way her body seemed to hum when she was around him, as if his kisses whispered from her mouth all the way down her body, skimming across her skin and making her feel more alive than she’d ever felt before.
“See you soon,” she murmured, leaving him standing there as she walked away and into her bedroom.
Part of her wished he would follow her, that he’d storm after her and throw her over his shoulder, like a caveman conquering the woman he’d been lusting after, claiming her and making sure she knew it. But then again, she liked the anticipation, the burning heat of his eyes on her as he watched her. Mia didn’t look back, she couldn’t, but she was damn excited for whatever the hell happened next if that was just a taste of what she had to look forward to.
* * *
Sam walked back to where his truck was parked by the stables and whistled out to his dog. He patted his leg, praising Blue when he ran immediately over and trotted beside him the rest of the way.
Mia had been right, there was only one reason he’d showed up at her place in the morning, and it had everything to do with him wanting to make sure her date wasn’t there. Seeing her, alone and wearing her PJ’s, had comforted him. Clearly she hadn’t stayed at Preppy Guy’s place, either.
Two reasons. He was only lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge the fact that he’d thought of little other than kissing Mia at the bar the night before.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he plucked it out, seeing it was Nate.
“Hey,” he answered.
“Hey yourself. Thought I’d check you actually made it home last night and didn’t do anything stupid.”
Sam laughed, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. “Perhaps I should get you to define stupid?”
Nate’s chuckle was deep. “Were there any black eyes, fists flying, woman stealing or…” he laughed again. “Hell, I don’t know!”
By stealing he wondered if kissing someone who was taken, at least for the evening, counted. “Nothing happened. I’m working this morning, up bright and early. You?”
“I’ve been up since the crack of dawn. My lovely ladies were so pleased to see me they decided to wake at four thirty a.m.,” he said. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Sam said.
“Oh and Sam? I don’t believe your bullshit for a second. Something went down last night, you’re just too chicken-shit to tell me.”
“Yeah, something like that.” Sam said goodbye and put his phone back in his pocket.
In the past he’d always told Nate everything, but times had changed. Hell, he’d changed. He’d gone from bachelor to loved-up without even realizing how quickly he’d made the transition, and it had been him not Nate who’d been ready to settle down. He’d believed he’d found the one, that he wasn’t going to repeat the mistakes his parents had made, and yet here he was, single and not knowing what the hell his future held. While Nate was at home being the dutiful husband with two kids to boot. It was more than ironic; it was flat out impossible for Sam to wrap his head around sometimes.
He noticed that Mia hadn’t been down to feed her horses yet, so he filled their hay bags and checked their water. He wasn’t one for compliments, but he did admire the fact that she didn’t have a groom. Sam was almost positive that her father would have happily written the check for another worker, but she was gritty and determined, and clearly liked proving people’s perceptions of her wrong.
By the time he’d finished up in the stables, he could feel a glow on his skin, the day heating up and his own temperature rising from doing the work. When he’d risen early to feed out his own ranch, the day had still been new, dewy and cool, but now it was getting hot.
“Come on,” he said to Blue, waving a hand and stopping to collect some more hay. He’d made huge progress with the stallion, and he was actually looking forward to working him again today. He’d thought about getting Mia to film him working with the magnificent but troubled horse, rather than getting a crew to come along, but he’d decided against it. This was just he being who he was. He’d become too used to all the work he did, particularly the trickier stuff, being filmed and uploaded for his followers to see.
“How’s he doing?”
Sam turned to see Mia standing not far away, arms crossed over her chest. He drank in the sight of her; hair pulled up into a messy ponytail, tight faded jeans with boots, and a smile as big as Texas. She was a knockout, even without all the makeup and sexy-as-hell clothes going on from the night before. Suddenly, he couldn’t get enough of her.
“He’s good,” Sam replied, turning his attention back to Tex as he crossed into his paddock. He might be making a little headway, but he wasn’t about to take his eyes off him and give him the chance to lash out. “I think you’ll be quietly surprised.”
Mia must have moved closer because her voice traveled easily to him. “I honestly didn’t think anyone could ever get through to that horse.”
He stood patiently, hay on the ground for Tex to walk over to. He did. Slowly, but it was progress, and instead of having his ears pinned back hard or lunging at him with his teeth bared, his ears flickered, more cautious than anything else.
“With this guy,” Sam said softly, all his attention focused on the animal in front of him, “it’s about reprogramming his brain. We need to show him through our actions that he has nothing to fear, and reward the right type of behavior that we want to see more of.”
“The fact he’s trusting you enough to eat in front of you like that is incredible,” she said. “I can’t believe it.”
“Well, believe it,” he said, reaching out to touch Tex, firmly but slowly touching his neck. “The next step is you taking my place, because if he can’t trust you, then everything I do is essentially worthless.”
He moved to stand beside Mia, closer than he would have as little as a day ago. He leaned deep into the railings, elbows on the fence. Sam stared at the stallion a moment before turning to look at the woman beside him.
“This isn’t a fairy tale, Mia,” he said, his voice gruff even to his own ears. “There is no way this has a guaranteed happy ending.”
She stared back at him, her gaze unwavering. “Are we talking about the horse here or us?” she asked.
He looked at her mouth, something he was starting to develop a habit of doing. Sam forced his eyes up, locking on the blue aqua that was just as mesmerizing to him.
“We’re talking about the horse,” he replied.
Her smile was sweet, but she still turned away from him, gazing back toward Tex. “I never thought it was a fairy tale,” she said simply. “I know what you think, that I’m no match for a horse like him, but the truth is, I’m all he has. Once you’re gone, anyway.”
Sam nudged her with his elbow, forcing her to look back at him. “That’s not true. I didn’t know you when I first came here, but now? I know that you’re kind, honest and full of passion and grit about what you do. Not to mention you’re actually a hell of a horsewoman.”
“Wow,” she said, grinning. “I can’t believe how good that feels, having you compliment me like that instead of putting me down.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he said, leaning back so he was facing her better. “You must get compliments all the time.”
“I do,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. “But most of the time they’re loaded compliments because of who I am or what someone wants from me. At least with you I know you’re being real. There’s no bullshit about the way you are with horses. You take it seriously and I appreciate that.”
“Well, good. Because I damn well mean what I say, and I don’t go giving out compliments unless they’re warranted.”
“So about that fairy tale,” she said, eyebrows arc
hed.
“I need to know if you can do it, or if you feel like you have too much history with him?” Sam asked, knowing the question was loaded for her. “If you’re too raw from what happened, if you deep down know that you’re not his forever owner, then we’d be better transitioning from me to someone else.” He paused. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head, making her long ponytail swish from side to side. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s a fair question.”
“So?” he asked.
“So you’re wrong. I am the right person, and I’m not bringing any of my baggage to the table. I want to form a bond with him. No one wants that more than I do.” She leaned into him, surprising him, her touch catching him off guard.
They stood, side by side, staring at Tex.
“He’s my horse, and I’m going to be his forever home. I need you to be clear on that,” she said.
Sam nodded.
“You sure that’s not the only fairytale we’re talking about?” Mia’s voice was lower, softer this time. “Or should I say non-fairy tale?”
He stiffened, not liking where their conversation was heading. There were no fairy tales where he was concerned, not ones with him being the nice guy or the prince riding in to save the damsel on a white horse, anyway.
“I don’t know where you’re going with that,” he managed.
She gave him a look that said she didn’t buy his lack of understanding. “Look, let’s be honest here.” He saw that she looked uncomfortable, but he had to give her credit for tackling something uncomfortable head on. His way of dealing with whatever was happening between them had been to turn up on her doorstep like a maniac and kiss her without saying a word in greeting first.
“We kissed and it was good,” she said simply, as if explaining something mathematical. “You turned up this morning, clearly wanting to see if I was, I don’t know, otherwise involved, and then we kissed again.”
“Yeah, you’re about right with all of that,” he said, feeling his face change, unable to stop the hint of a smile as it twisted his mouth sideways. He turned to face her, admiring her, reaching out to touch the end of her ponytail now it was falling over her shoulder. It was like spun gold in the sunlight, silky and soft.
“And now you’re trying to figure out a way to tell me why things are too complicated,” she finished. “Or something like that. Maybe I’m not your type, or maybe you just don’t want…”
“Stop,” he said, tugging on the end of her ponytail then.
“Ow!” she glared at him, eyes wide.
“You’re exactly my type,” he said, not releasing her from his gaze, wanting her to see how much it pained him to push her away when she should have been his ideal woman. “My problem is that I’m not looking to get involved with any woman. It’s complicated, but relationships aren’t my thing.”
“Relationships are always complicated,” she said softly, not taking her eyes away from his. She surprised him by reaching for his hand. “But I don’t need a relationship, Sam. I’m leaving around the same time you’re scheduled to finish here. The show jumping season kicks off properly then and I’ll be on the road, and I don’t need anything in my life to complicate things.”
He felt her thumb rub across his hand, remembered what it was like having her in his arms, having those fingers kneading the back of his neck when he dipped down to kiss her. There was no denying that he wanted her, because he did and his body would only betray him if he tried to pretend otherwise. But she’d never struck him as the love ’em and leave ’em kind of girl. Maybe he’d read her all wrong. Again.
“So let me get this clear,” he said, moving closer, forgetting all about the horse he’d intended on giving his attention to. “You definitely don’t want a relationship?”
“Does every girl need to be desperate for Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and keep her for the rest of her life?” Mia asked. “There are times when fun will do.”
He hid his surprise. Either he’d read Mia all wrong or she was playing with him.
“No, she doesn’t. But I thought you were more of a, how shall I put this, traditional girl.”
“Oh really?” she asked, doing the cute-as-hell thing where she sucked in her bottom lip beneath her front teeth
Sam moved closer, their bodies only inches apart now. “Yeah, really. I guess I got you all wrong, huh?”
“Yeah, cowboy, you did. Because I’ve had daddy around trying to take care of me and do everything for me all my life. The last thing I want is to fall into the lap of man wanting to own me like a possession and tell me what to do.”
Sam was tired of talking. She was smart and quick with her words, but he was interested in the other things her mouth could do well, like kissing.
“Just over three weeks. That’s what we have left, right?”
Mia closed the little gap left between them. “Three weeks,” she whispered.
“Three weeks of a no-strings-attached affair before we go our separate ways for work?” he asked, wanting to make it absolutely clear what he was getting himself in for. He’d been called a jerk before, but it hadn’t been because he’d misled a woman. That wasn’t his style and it never would be.
“Three weeks,” she murmured back. “And then maybe a late night catch up or two when we’re both back home at the same time.”
Sam would have laughed but she didn’t give him the chance. Mia grabbed him by the back of his head, gripping his hair and tugging him forward, her mouth closing over his and showing him exactly what she had in mind. He had no idea where this version of Mia had come from, or what exactly he’d done to unleash it, but damn, he liked it.
He scooped her up, grabbing her under her butt and sitting her on the fence. Then he pushed in hard against it as her legs wrapped around him, their mouths still fused, her fingers still locked into his hair. Sam kept his hands on her butt, skimming her hips, but when she started to giggle he pulled back, wondering what the hell was going on.
“What?” he mumbled, getting an eyeful of her ample chest when she stretched back, laughing.
“My dad would have a fit if he looked out now from the house and saw me making out with the hired help.”
Sam glanced over his shoulder, suddenly thinking about the fact that the main house had rooms that faced this part of the ranch. “I’m hardly the hired fucking help,” he sputtered. “I’ll have you know I’m the best goddamn horseman this side of Texas.”
“Oooh, and I thought you didn’t have a big ego. How wrong I was,” she teased.
Sam hauled her down from the fence and smacked her on the ass, grabbing her wrist when she tried to protest and get him back.
“Easy tiger,” he whispered, his voice gruff as Mia’s eyes flashed with challenge. “Don’t go getting cocky without making sure you’re up for the fight.”
Her arched eyebrows laid down the challenge. He realized she’d glanced at his crotch. “I’m not the one getting cocky, sweetheart.”
Sam grabbed her again, not caring who the hell was watching. He wasn’t afraid of Walter Ford, and his daughter was a grown woman well able to make her own decisions about who she damn well kissed and where.
“You’re crazy,” he murmured, holding her tight and crushing her mouth to his. He tasted her, inhaled her, felt her. She was intoxicating. At least he had three damn weeks to get her well and truly out of his system.
Mia kissed him back, matched his urgency, proved to him that she was so different from the woman he’d expected to be spending time with on the ranch.
“Crazy about you,” she whispered, smiling against his mouth and making him do the same.
She finally pushed back, taking a step away from him. He watched as she adjusted her ponytail, still smiling. She looked even prettier when she was smiling.
“But now we’ve got work to do,” she said. “So how about we limit this affair to when we’re off the clock?”
Sam saluted, shaking his head as he climbed the fence to g
o back in with the stallion. “Yes, boss.”
Chapter 11
MIA watched Sam, admiring the way he had the stallion moving around him. It was impossible to believe that this was the same horse who’d been effectively blacklisted by everyone on the ranch. She glanced skyward, imagining Kimberley looking down and watching, smiling at her beautiful Tex finally finding his way back from the brink. He wasn’t perfect, but he was behaving better than she’d seen him since the accident.
“He’s doing a damn fine job.”
Mia turned, face breaking out into a smile when she saw her brother standing there. “Hey, Tanner,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good to see you home in one piece.”
“Just here for the night,” he said, kissing her back. Her brother was big and burly, but to her he was like a big teddy bear. Not so to anyone else who came across him, but he’d always been sweet and protective of her, and she was closer to him than her other siblings. They were the black sheep, the ones who did their own thing instead of what their father wanted.
“You staying here?” she asked.
“Yeah, just the night. I’m riding later today.”
Tanner often stayed over at the ranch house, sometimes at her place, when he was traveling close to home. But he had his own place a couple hours’ drive away.
“Imagine my surprise when I look out this morning and see the horse whisperer trying to teach my little sister how to kiss?”
His smile was devilish, his eyes glinting. Mia didn’t hesitate in punching him, slamming her knuckles into his arm. He tensed, of course he couldn’t resist flexing his muscles, but she refused to react to the fact she almost broke her hand when she connected with his rock-hard flesh.
“Shut up,” she hissed.
“Hey, I’m not the one making out with the horseman in plain view of the house.”
“Hey.”
Sam was suddenly calling out, and she was standing between two men who were each probably as prone to bad behavior as the other. She wished the ground would just swallow her.
