Catching the Cowgirl (Cotton Creek Romance)

by Jennie Marts

  He might not have ever ridden a horse before, but he’d seen the old John Wayne movie The Cowboys and knew what happened when a guy fell off his horse into a stampede of cows. Especially when it was the kid with the glasses. It was always the kid with the glasses.

  Good thing he was wearing his contacts today. At least he had that going for him.

  His horse stopped and bent its head down to eat some grass. This wasn’t really much of a stampede anyway. It was mostly a group of slow-moving cows that plodded along quite amiably, as if they somehow knew they were being moved to another pasture with better grass.

  Hell, maybe they did know.

  His horse took another bite of grass, dragging Adam’s body forward as he struggled to stay in the saddle.

  “How you doing, cowboy?” Skye asked, riding up next to him on the right.

  He didn’t even look up. All of his concentration was on wrestling with the reins and trying to pull his horse’s head back up. “Just grand. Having the time of my life,” he muttered.

  She chuckled and kept riding forward, clucking to his horse to follow. “Ah, come on. It’s not all bad. Have you checked out the view?”

  He lifted his head in her direction as the horse took a step forward, and his breath caught in his throat. Not just at the amazing backdrop of the mountains, but of her.

  Skye was a vision. She sat tall in her saddle, her back straight, the reins held loosely in her hands as she maintained complete control over her horse. A straw cowboy hat sat low across her forehead, and wisps of her long blond hair swirled in the air around her, carried by the light breeze. Or possibly fairies. Because in that moment, she looked magical.

  But she was real. Her smile was real. And it was all for him.

  As gorgeous as she was now, sitting on that horse with the mountain scenery behind her, she’d been just as beautiful when he’d kissed her the night before.

  Images of feasting on her bare skin filled his mind, and heat surged through his veins. But that wasn’t all that was surging. He shifted in the saddle, his jeans suddenly tighter.

  Geez, he needed to get a grip before he fell off this damn horse.

  “You’re right,” he called to her. “It is an amazing view.”

  She laughed, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Hang in there. We’re almost to the place where we’ll split from the group. Clint and Cal will finish taking the cattle on to the pasture and our bunch will head up the ridge to the spot where we’re going to set up camp for the night.”

  “I’m good. I could do this all day.”

  “Yeah, right. You’re being a good sport anyway. It’s really not too much farther. Just over the next hill.” She left him with a wave and galloped ahead.

  The group spent another twenty minutes riding up a small hill and herding the cows forward. The terrain opened up to a wide expanse of pasture on one side and a rocky ridge on the other. Pine trees dotted the side of the hill, but he could see a trail heading up through the trees.

  Skye spent a few minutes going over the final details with Clint.

  Adam tried not to sneer every time he looked at the handsome cowboy. The guy was totally at ease on his horse. He had the confidence and look of the Marlboro man, and watching Skye laugh at something Clint said grated on Adam’s nerves.

  He turned to Josh, who had ridden up next to him. “How’s it going? Are you enjoying your first cattle drive?”

  The younger man’s smile was contagious. “Heck, yeah. This is awesome.” He jerked a thumb toward his bride, who was a few yards away, wearing her usual sullen expression. “Brittany is not enjoying it quite as much.”

  “I guess this kind of activity isn’t for everyone.”

  Josh shrugged. “She’s usually really fun. But every time something goes wrong on this trip, I know she’s sorry we came. I keep telling her that someday we’ll be able to take a beach vacation, but right now, we need to save our money until I find a job.”

  “Sounds sensible.”

  “Yeah, we don’t want to be living in my parents’ basement forever. She gets that, but stepping in a giant pile of horse poop this morning didn’t improve her attitude about this place.”

  Adam chuckled then turned his attention to Skye, who’d called them toward her to offer them instructions on the next section of their ride.

  He, Josh, and Brittany had signed up for a camp-out on the top of the ridge. Cody and Skye would be taking them on to the campsite, while the rest of the group headed back to the ranch to spend their nights in comfortable beds.

  Each of their horses was packed with supplies for the camp-out to evenly distribute the weight. Adam’s horse carried his tent, sleeping bag, and a saddlebag full of food.

  Skye had his things stored in one of her saddlebags. She’d told him to pack light for the trip but had seemed surprised when he’d handed her the clean T-shirt and a Ziploc bag containing a stick of deodorant, a toothbrush with a small tube of toothpaste, and a fresh pair of boxer briefs.

  He’d only shrugged. “You said pack light. This is pretty much all a guy needs for a two day trip.”

  She’d laughed and shoved them into one of the bags hanging off the side of her saddle.

  “Let’s go,” Skye called, leading her group toward the hillside. The air cooled as they plodded into the shade of the trees, and it would have been much more pleasant if Adam hadn’t been clinging to the saddle on a half-ton beast as they began the ascent up the side of the mountain.

  The end of his tent bumped against his leg as his horse climbed along the rocky trail.

  Skye had assured him that the horse knew what it was doing, that it didn’t want to fall any more than he did, but it still made him nervous every time the horse’s footing stumbled on the loose gravel.

  His knuckles were white as he gripped the saddle horn, his stomach pitching each time the horse faltered.

  They came through a set of trees and stopped in a clearing. Evidently he wasn’t the only one whose nerves were on edge.

  The young bride was apparently not enjoying herself, either. Her face was drained of color, and she had a death grip on her horse’s mane as it plodded into the clearing. She let out a string of swear words as she threw her leg over the saddle and staggered to the ground.

  “I’m done,” she cried, her voice breaking as the tears started. “I’m not getting back on that horse.”

  “What’s wrong?” Josh asked, climbing off his horse and coming to his young bride’s aid.

  “I hate this. That stupid horse keeps turning its head back and trying to bite my leg, and I’m terrified I’m going to fall off. I just want to go back.”

  “But we already paid for the excursion,” Josh explained, putting an arm around her shoulder.

  “I don’t care. I don’t care about the money. I don’t care about the adventure. I just want to go back to the lodge,” she wailed. “If you’re so worried about it, you can go on without me and spend the night in a stupid tent by yourself. But I’m going back, even if I have to walk.”

  Skye slipped off her horse and threw her reins over a low set of branches on a nearby tree. She crossed to Brittany, resting a hand on her shoulder as she spoke quietly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to go. This is supposed to be fun. We’re not going to make you do something that makes you this upset. Why don’t we take a break and have a little snack. You’ll have a chance to rest a few minutes.”

  Brittany nodded and let Skye lead her over to a small outcropping of boulders. Skye got her settled on the rocks, then passed out granola bars and small boxes of raisins to the group. They each had been given a trademark “Hawkins Ridge Ranch” water bottle, and they ate the snacks and had some water as the rest of the group dismounted and stretched their legs.

  But even after a twenty-minute break, Brittany wasn’t to be dissuaded. She stuck to her guns, insisting that her horse had it in for her, and she wasn’t getting back on it.

  Skye assured her it was okay to go back, but it was
a long walk to the ranch. She finally convinced her to get on Cody’s horse with him. “He’s a good rider. You’ll be safe with him. And he can just lead your horse back to the ranch.”

  Cody’s shoulders straightened at his mother’s praise, and he helped pull Brittany onto the saddle behind him. He looked over at Adam, then back at his mom. “You guys going to be okay? I can drop these guys back at the ranch and come back up to the ridge.”

  Skye shook her head. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. I packed Adam’s tent and sleeping bag on his horse, and we’ve got plenty of food for the two of us.”

  The boy’s mouth was set in a thin line as he glanced back at Adam. Had he picked up on the mounting sexual tension between him and his mother? “But what if you get in trouble? How is he going to help you?”

  Oh, nice. The kid wasn’t concerned about anything romantic happening; he was just worried that Adam wasn’t capable of taking care of his mom if something happened. Although, now that he thought about it, what the hell would he do if something happened?

  Calm down. What was going to happen? They were just going camping, for frick’s sake. Camping in the wilderness with snakes, and bears, and mountain lions. Shit. Maybe he should go back to the lodge. Brittany had given him an easy out.

  He glanced at Skye. Her knowing grin seemed to suggest that she already figured he was going to bail.

  Forget that. They’d made a deal, and he’d agreed to give her a chance to turn him on to nature. But who could pay attention to nature when she was around, turning him on already just standing there.

  “We’ll be fine,” he assured Cody. It did rankle him to think that the boy probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought if it were Cowboy Clint who was spending the night out on the ridge. Clint could take care of anything.

  Cody gave his mother one last questioning glance, then seemed satisfied as she nodded and passed him the reins of Brittany’s horse.

  “You can help Cal with the cookout tonight, then sleep over at his place. He’ll be glad to have the extra hand.”

  Cody’s face brightened a little, and Adam suspected that it had more to do with seeing Haylee at the cookout tonight than the opportunity to sleep on the older ranch hand’s couch.

  “See you in the morning, then.” Cody turned, and the mare fell in step behind them as he led it and Josh back down the trail.

  Skye sat down on the boulder next to Adam. “That just leaves us. Are you sure you’re okay staying? It’s all right if you want to go back.”

  “Heck no. I’m pumped.”

  She chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah?”

  “Maybe not exactly pumped, but moderately enthusiastic,” he answered with a shrug. “Besides, we made a deal. And I keep my promises.”

  Her laughter died. “That’s not been my experience with the men in my life,” she muttered as she stood and wiped the dust off her pants. “Let’s head out, then. We want to have time to get the tents set up and have dinner made before the sun goes down. Once it dips behind the ridge, the temperature drops a good ten to fifteen degrees.”

  Skye was all business as she cleared up their trash, tightened their saddlebags, and then swung herself easily up onto her horse.

  He was a little less graceful as he grabbed the saddle horn and hauled himself back into his horse’s saddle.

  They rode in silence for the next half hour, which was fine with Adam. He needed his full concentration to hold on as the horse climbed up the steep trail. Trying not to cringe every time the horse faltered on the gravel, his nerves were shot by the time they reached the top of the ridge and rode out of the clearing.

  “What do you think?” Skye asked, stopping her horse so his could catch up and stand next to hers. “Pretty amazing, huh?”

  He’d been so focused on staying upright in the saddle, he hadn’t really paid much attention to his surroundings, except for the random pine branch that he either had to duck under or pull his leg back to avoid getting scraped by.

  But he raised his head now, and his breath caught in his throat as he took in the majestic scenery around him. The clearing reminded him of a photograph he’d seen in a book, almost too beautiful to be real. Bright green expanses of grass were dotted with a colorful array of wildflowers. Another row of mountains lay beyond it, their snow-capped peaks blindingly white against the brilliant blue sky. A thin river ran through the center of the clearing, winding down from the mountains then disappearing into the dense forest.

  His chest tightened, and he swallowed back the sudden emotion that filled his throat. He had no words to explain his response and wasn’t sure he could speak, even if he did know what to say. All he could do was nod.

  A smile broke across Skye’s face. “I told you.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, just taking in the view, and then Skye pointed to a spot where the river narrowed in size. “We’ll cross there. The river is shallow enough in that spot that the horses can walk across it. Then we’ll camp over there, next to the bluff. That’ll keep the wind away and still give us a great view.”

  “Sounds good.” His horse fell in step behind hers and they traveled through the grassy area, walking along the bank of the river. The path there was still a little rocky, but not as steep, and Adam was just starting to relax when he heard a sound that made his blood run cold.

  His horse let out a terrified whinny and reared up as the rattlesnake coiled in the path below them, poised to strike.

  Chapter Ten

  It was quieter than he’d imagined it would be. Not that he’d ever spent much time imagining the sound of a rattlesnake. But the noise itself was just a soft rattle, like a handful of beans being shaken in a coffee can.

  Yet, that one quick, low sound echoed like a hammer through his chest.

  He clung to the saddle, gripping the sides of the horse with his thighs as he fought to stay in the stirrups. The horse reared up again, his back feet faltering on the soft bank of the river.

  “Whoa,” Adam yelled, not knowing what other command to use to calm the terrified horse. He waited to feel the steady settling as the horse’s feet gained purchase on the ground, but it didn’t come.

  Instead the horse slid backward, his back legs sinking into the water as it fell into the river, dumping Adam off its back as it struggled to swim.

  The shock of the icy cold water stole his breath.

  Adam fought his way to the surface while the current tried to pull him back down. Even though he’d grown up next to the ocean, he wasn’t a strong swimmer.

  Panic tightened like a hard ball in his chest, threatening to freeze his limbs. His brain seemed frozen as well, and his body reacted on instinct as he tried to keep his head above water.

  Blinking against the spray, he caught sight of the bank, and his alarm grew. He’d been carried into the middle of the river and had already drifted quite a ways. His horse was nowhere in sight.

  Think. Focus. Swim, you idiot.

  His arms flailed in the water as he tried to propel himself toward the bank. Panic warred with logic as he felt his efforts failing.

  He cried out as a large mass bumped into his body, then a firm hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

  “I’ve got you,” Skye cried as she pulled him toward her, and he hauled himself over the front of her saddle.

  Gasping, he clung to the horse’s neck, his fingers stiff from the cold.

  “Hold on.” Skye guided her horse through the water. It let out a whinny as it climbed up the bank on the other side of the river.

  Adam slid off the horse, stumbling to the ground and falling into the dry grass. He didn’t even care about the dirt and mud covering his clothes—he was just so happy to be on dry land.

  Skye dropped to the ground next to him, rubbing his arms to increase their circulation. “Are you okay? Adam?”

  He blinked, trying to focus on her face, then shook his head, like a dog shakes the water from his fur. “I’m fine. Just give me a sec to ca
tch my breath.”

  “What the hell happened? One minute you were plodding along behind me, the next you were in the river.”

  “A rattlesnake was on the path,” he explained, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. “It spooked the horse. When it reared back, we fell in the water.” He lifted his head, searching the clearing for the horse, alarm filling him as he failed to see it. “What happened to him? The horse?”

  “Don’t worry. Horses are great swimmers,” she assured him. “But it must have really been scared. It climbed back out of the river and ran for the trees. It’s probably halfway back to the ranch by now.”

  “Ah shit. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. Besides, he knows how to get back home.” Her eyes cut to the cluster of clouds that had drifted over the mountains. “But we need to get to camp and get a fire built. Besides getting you warm and dry, we should get the tent set up as soon as we can, just in case those clouds decide to dump a storm on us.”

  He looked up at the dark clouds. “Rain? But the sun is still out.” Just barely. The round fiery ball was settling behind the row of rocky peaks, slowly dipping lower even as they spoke.

  “Thunderstorms crop up quickly in the mountains. And they can drop buckets of rain and bring vicious lightning.” She hauled him to his feet, then got back onto her horse.

  His legs were stiff as he put his foot in her stirrup and climbed on behind her. She took his hands and pulled them in front of her, wrapping his arms around her.

  The warmth of her back felt amazing, but he pulled away. “I don’t want to get your clothes even more wet.”

  She pulled his arms tighter and eased slightly back against him. “It’s okay. I was in the river so my jeans are soaked anyway.” She kicked her heels into the haunches of the horse. “Let’s just get to camp.”

  …

  Thirty minutes later, they’d made it to the camp and had their remaining supplies unloaded. Skye had tied the horse to a tree then unsaddled it, securing the saddle, bridle, and blanket under a tarp against the rocks.