Page 45 of Heart & Hope

“She’s not coming?”

“Nope, sorry, Rubes. Looks like you ride with me. I’ll have to get Addy out to make sure a stone bruise is all it is.”

“Will she be alright?”

“Should be, but we can’t take her. And the young’un over there isn’t for beginners.”

“Oh, we can’t walk or take the truck?”

He smiles at me, and I know that was a dumb thing to say. “Nah, baby. Too far and too rough. My truck doesn’t venture into the wild. She’s too precious. Too pretty. You ride with me. Plus, Magnet has been asking to spend time with you for god knows how long. Honestly, I’m sick to death of him naggin’ me over it.”

I roll my eyes at him, glancing at the grey gelding who patiently waits where Reed left him.

“Okay, your call.”

“Give me five. I’ll have a thousand pounds of power between those long legs.”

“Reed!” I pull the cap from my head, intending to toss it at him.

He doubles over laughing. His hat falls off and hits the ground. He runs a hand through his hair and swipes the hat up. When he dumps it on my head and walks back to the horse, he glances back at me. “Hold that for me, baby.”

I watch, mesmerized, as he saddles up Magnet. Arms flexing under the weight of the saddle. The quiet, kind words he says. His ass as he bends over, making sure the gelding’s feet are clean and clear.

Lost in something like a dream, I don’t notice when he disappears to the other side of the horse and slips on the bridle. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m at Magnet’s shoulder. Reed ducks under his neck, almost bumping into me as he swaps sides again.

“Hey, you alright?” he asks, green eyes dropping to study my face.

“Yeah, I just?—”

I push up onto my tiptoes and kiss his cheek. “Thank you for this.”

“Beautiful, the pleasure is all mine.”

Chapter Eleven

REED

It takes every fucking thing I have to stand still as Ruby kisses my cheek. A friendly thank-you kiss. A platonic gesture of kindness. Like you would give your grandma at the Christmas holidays. And my cock is stretching in my jeans with her this close.

But I will be damned if I’m going to make her uncomfortable. Besides, she’s all New York and ambitious and wants a career and shit. And then there’s me—the wanderer, the least driven person on the planet. Hell, I can’t even decide on a direction, let alone head that way.

So, I tussle her hair again as I reclaim my hat, some kind of big-brotherly, friendly gesture. And I will the fire in my core to peter out before it burns me alive. But man, she smells fine. That sweet smile of hers is enough to suffocate a man with his own desire.

“Hop up, baby.”

I pat the saddle and reaffirm my grip on Magnet’s reins.

“Okay,” she says, pushing the cap back on her head as she ducks to the other side of the horse to mount. Her boots bounce on the ground before she launches herself into the saddle. She adjusts her seat and grips the pommel. Leading Magnet outside,I round his head and flip the reins over his neck and hand them to Ruby, slipping her foot from the stirrup and sliding my own in.

I swing up behind the saddle and put my arms around her waist, taking the reins from her hands. She leans back a little and returns her foot to the stirrup. “This alright?” she asks, the two words breathy.

“Perfect, Rubes,” I whisper against her ear.

She glances over her shoulder with a gaze that would bring the toughest of men to their knees. Her fire fades to sweetness as I nudge Magnet into a walk.

“Mountains, fields, or stream?” I ask.

She’s quiet for a moment.

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