Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
“Okay, you two. We’re taking a pretty girl out to show her the ranch. Pogo, no flirting.”
The seven-year-old gray thoroughbred snorted and bounced his head, almost as if he was offended. He was a retired racehorse my mother had rescued a few years back. He loved riding the trails but get him to an open pasture and he practically shook to be let loose. He was my second favorite horse on the ranch.
“Yeah, you act like you won’t, but I know you will.”
I walked up and ran my hand over Rosie. She was an eight-year-old standard breed mare with an attitude, but she was one hell of a horse. She had a beautiful canter, and she loved a good run when she was set free. “What about you, girl? You ready to show off some?”
Rosie looked me straight in the eyes, and I knew her answer.
“I thought so. Let’s take care of her, okay?”
Rosie nickered and I laughed.
“So, are you some sort of horse whisperer?”
The sound of Timberlynn’s voice made my chest squeeze slightly. I attempted to ignore it, but when I turned and saw her, the tightness grew, and my voice got lost for a moment. I barely managed to walk over to her without falling on my face.
She looked beautiful, dressed in riding pants, a black vest, and a pink hat with a yarn ball on top of it. She gave me a smile, and I was pretty sure something inside me cracked. Right then I knew nothing was ever going to be the same again. She was fucking adorable, and I wanted to know everything about her.
“You look cute,” I heard myself saying before I could think better of it.
She tilted her head as she let her eyes roam over me. “You look handsome, as usual.”
I lifted my brows and then laughed as I tipped my cowboy hat at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say cute.”
“No? I don’t look cute?” she teased as she spun around and motioned with her hands down her body.
“No, I mean, you do look cute. I mean, yeah, you look adorable in that. Um, I mean, you’re pretty…looking. You look pretty adorable looking. No, wait.”
Timberlynn laughed and walked up to me. She placed her hand over my mouth and softly said, “Thank you, Tanner.”
A shot of heat raced through my body, starting from her hand on my mouth. I wanted to grab it and slowly kiss up her arm, hoping that it led to other places on her body I could kiss. Too bad she was covered up with clothes.
When she saw the way I looked at her, she backed away and dropped her hand. Her face flushed, and she cleared her throat. She had let her guard down, and that was something she must not do often. I was going to make it my mission to get her to let it down completely.
“Kaylee let me borrow a pair of her riding pants.”
“Will they keep you warm enough?” I asked.
She glanced down and then looked back up at me. “I think so. How long will we be out riding?”
“Not long. The temperature is unseasonably warm, but still not warm enough to make it a longer ride.”
Her eyes widened in both shock and amusement. “Unseasonably warm? It’s thirty-eight degrees outside, Tanner. I can barely feel my toes!”
“It’s gonna get up to forty, though.”
Timberlynn laughed, and it sounded better than anything I’d ever heard. I mentally made a note to do whatever I could to hear it more often. It surprised me how much I wanted to be around her. Hear her laugh, see her smile. It should have made me want to run for the hills, but it didn’t. I honestly didn’t want to think too much about the reasons why. At least not right now. Or later. I’d think about it after our date was over.
She may not want to admit it, but this was a date as far as I was concerned.
“Okay, then, forty is warm,” she said. “I’ll need to remember that in my decision-making process.”
She walked up to Rosie and started to run her hands all along the horse’s body. She picked up one foot and examined the shoe and hoof.
“Decision-making process?” I asked, watching her look over the horse. It was sexy as hell to watch her. She was clearly in her element, and fuck if it wasn’t a turn on. I had to look back over to where Jimmy was so my dick would stop thinking of all the things it wanted to do to Timberlynn.
“Yeah, I’m trying to decide if I want to move to Montana or Utah.”
I shot my gaze back to her and tried like hell not to let this bit of information show on my face. Timberlynn in Montana for good? Jesus, that did things to my chest and stomach. Trying to blow off what seemed to be excitement at her announcement, I scoffed. “Please, tell me you’re kidding.”