Page 104 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

I shook my head. “It’s Patrick. They’re on their way to the horse barn.”

Jessica lit up. “That’s perfect!” She started talking with her hands. “You can jump on a horse.” She pointed at me. “And he can jump on a horse.” She pointed at the building across the street. “Then you can start at opposite ends of a field.” She threw her arms apart indicating each end of the block. “Then ride toward one another.” Her hands bounced as she imitated our journey. “When you get close, you can jump back off the horses.” She started using two fingers on each hand as legs running toward one another. “Then you can kiss!” Jessica made two mouths with her fingers and then had the tips meet. She even produced the “mwah” sound.

I rolled my eyes but had to admit that watching William riding was pretty attractive. Not sure how I looked to him, with all the bouncing bits, but he probably wouldn’t mind. Would he?

“Come on.” Jessica stood and grabbed a to-go box from the window. “We can get there in less than an hour.”

“I feel bad you’re taking a day off for me,” I said as I stood. Jessica had been a tremendous host, but I knew that she would be feeling the weight of being the last single woman from the Curvy Girl Crew. She’d hide it, but it was there.

“No way, this is the most fun I’ve had in months.” She grinned, then looked me over. “At least I got you into jeans instead of overalls.”

“William doesn’t mind the overalls.” I almost blushed at the memory of him stripping a pair off of me.

“But he’ll appreciate this more.” She waved at the low-cut, red, button-down shirt and the curve-hugging jeans. I’d insisted on wearing my boots, considering I’d intended to end up at his horse barn at some point. Jessica took my wrist. “Come on, girl, let’s go surprise your lover boy.”

The ride took forty-five minutes, and consisted of the two of us singing to the radio and me looking for storage units that we could open. It mostly kept my mind off of seeing William again.

It had barely been thirty hours since he’d left, but it felt like an eternity. The ranch had felt empty, my house had felt empty, and my heart had felt empty. None of that had improved upon arriving in the city, but now my insides started to stir with anticipation.

Would he be happy to see me? How happy? Would he be willing to kiss me in front of the people who worked for him? Or would he drag me into a stall where we’d kiss until the two of us were dizzy? I kind of liked that second option myself. I kept my thoughts firmly out of rolling in the hay territory, because I wasn’t anywhere near ready for that yet.

As we turned off the main road and followed the signs for Harris Barn, my mouth went dry, and I started wringing my hands.

“He’s going to be happy to see you,” Jessica assured me.

I managed a nod and nothing else as the buildings came into view.

If our barn was common mutt, then his was a decorated show dog. It was big and newly painted in dark but bold colors. Several acres of lush green surrounded the building. A handful of grooms led sleek horses to and from a nearby track. One that had to be just for the Harris’.

“Wow,” Jessica said as she turned into the driveway. There were a couple of open spots next to a silver Maserati and close to the path that led to the barn, but instead, she parked farther away with the other commoner vehicles.

“Wow,” I agreed.

Jessica turned her car off and turned to look at me. “Do you need backup?”

I should go alone, but it would be nice to have someone there with me. Someone who could drag me away if things went wrong.

But what if things went right? How would Jessica feel having to watch William and me reunite?

“Who’s that?” Jessica asked.

My eyes shot out the side window, expecting to see William, but instead, Patrick approached. Unlike his casual attire at the ranch, he wore a nice white shirt, a skinny maroon tie, and a pair of slacks. I let my disappointment out with a breath, but then said, “That’s William’s security guy, Patrick.”

“He’s nice looking,” Jessica said.

“Better than Danger Zone?” I asked.

“I wish,” Jessica grumbled. She’d been quiet about her grumpy, attractive boss, and I hadn’t pushed her about it.

Patrick was only ten feet away, so I steeled myself and got out of Jessica’s little car. The door squeaked as I opened it, and my legs felt heavy as I stood.

“Hey.” Patrick gave me a wide smile. He was handsome, but he wasn’t who I was here to see. “How was your trip?”

“Good,” I said.

Patrick looked at the splint on my wrist and frowned. “Are you taking care of that?”

“It’s just a sprain. Ice and anti-inflammatory meds for a couple of weeks,” I said.

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