Page 64 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

"We're almost there."

Where? We were surrounded by nothing but groves of trees and open field. Luckily, there weren't any cows around so hopefully we'd skip the stampede this time.

Jos led me through a small thicket of trees. When we broke through on the other side, I gasped in delight. There was a body of water in front of me. It was bigger than a pond, but smaller than a lake, so I wasn't sure what it was called. It was beautiful, though. The water was crystal clear and set against snow capped mountains in the background.

"This is part of the ranch?"

"Yep, our land goes about half way up that mountain in the distance."

That was a lot of land. No wonder Jos had said it would take a while to see all of it.

Jos stopped several yards from the water's edge, right by a section that had four trees. He climbed off of Bucky, tied the end of the reins to one of the low hanging branches, and then reached for his saddlebag.

Not knowing what else to do, I climbed off of my horse and walked over to join him. I looped my reins over another low hanging tree branch and then turned to see what Jos was doing.

My brow flickered with curiosity as I watched Jos open his saddlebag and pull out a blanket. He shook it out before settling it on the ground in the middle of the small band of trees, right in front of a fallen log. Next, he grabbed a zipped up canvas box and set it on the blanket.

When he held his hand out to me, I wasn't stupid enough not to take it. I was a little confused when he pulled me down to sit between his outstretched legs, my back to his stomach as he leaned against the fallen log.

When he opened the canvas box and started pulling out small plastic containers, I cocked my head, turning it until I could see his face. "This is picnic?"

"Yes, ever been on one?"

I shook my head. I'd heard of them, of course, but I'd never been on one.

"Then this will be a treat for you."

I marveled at the food Jos revealed as he popped the lid on each of the containers. Chopped fruit, chopped vegetables with some sort of white dipping sauce, cold cuts, cheese, some bread, and even some chocolate covered strawberries.

It was a veritable feast.

Jos picked a piece of watermelon and held it in front of my mouth. When I just stared at it, Jos cocked an eyebrow. I let out a small snicker and then bit down on the fruit.

After taking several bites until that piece was gone, I turned slightly so I was sitting sideways and could see Jos's face without straining my neck, I picked up another piece of fruit and held it out to him. This went on and on between us until almost all of the food was gone.

I finally patted my stomach and said, "Full."

"Good."

Jos closed all the containers and packed them away in the canvas box, and then placed it back in his saddlebag. When he settled against the fallen tree log again, I turned so my back was to him once more and let myself settle against him.

I don't know how long we sat there, but I started to doze off. Jos was warm and comfortable. There was a gentle breeze blowing down from the mountains that wasn't too hot or too cold.

I didn't want to move...until Jos's hands slid under my T-shirt and began to explore my skin. "What are you doing?" I asked, not even trying to stop him.

"We had our picnic," Jos replied. "Now, I want dessert."

When I peered up at Jos, he was staring down at me with darkened blue eyes filled with desire. That look alone had the ability to make my toes curl because it was a clear sign of what was to come.

"Did you bring supplies?" I'd learned quite quickly that supplies were a must.

Jos reached over and grabbed stuff out of the saddlebag, holding them up for me to see.

Perfect.

I turned in Jos's arms and climbed up so I straddled his thick thighs. I stared intently for a moment, drinking in the passion filled look he was giving me.

I smirked as I grabbed his hat and pulled it off his head. "You won't be needing this." I could think of a few other things he wouldn't be needing, but the hat was a start.

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