Page 46 of Rancher's Heart

Gravel crunching made us freeze, and Elle’s wide eyes locked on mine. “Who the fuck would be here this early? And how the hell can we be caught twice in less than twelve hours?” She whispered as she rolled off me like whoever it was would hear her.

“No idea.” I pulled the blanket up and watched a vehicle round the corner. Groaning, I let my head fall back onto the pillow.

Ryder got out of the truck, and I watched him look at the trail of clothes that spread from my truck to the front step. Elle pulled the blanket up to her chin and cuddled closer to me in an attempt to hide.

“Good morning.” Ryder said laughter hidden in his words, as he stopped at the bottom step.

“What do you want?” I grumbled.

“Elle left her wallet on the table when you two left.” Ryder held up the black wallet and placed it on the railing of the porch. “You paid for the last round of drinks, by the way.” His voice was light and I knew he was lying.

“Glad I could help,” Elle said as she buried her head into my chest.

“You working today?” Ryder asked as he started to walk away.

“Not sure, I think I’ve got someone better to spend my time with.” I let my hand slide over Elle’s hip.

“Alright, talk to you both later.” Ryder waved as he walked back to his truck. The engine roaring to life made me turn back to the woman in my arms.

“Where were we?” I smirked, and she slapped my chest. Ryder drove out of my yard, and I pulled the blanket off her delicious body. Letting my eyes roam the curve of her shoulder, the swell of her breast, the dip of her waist, and the rise of her hip made my cock swell. She had the most exquisite body I’d ever laid eyes on.

“I thought you didn’t leave anything behind?” I asked as I shifted her so she was straddling me.

“Must have slipped my mind. There was a man who’d defended my honor and then claimed me as his, I was a little distracted.” She smiled and ran her hands down my chest.

“Hey, Griff,” Parker called as he hopped out of Elle’s truck.

“Hi pal, it’s good to have you back.” I let the horse out of the pen and ducked through the bars as Parker bounded over to me.

“Making any headway with her?” He asked as he climbed the panel, and watched the horse wander off into the pasture.

“She’s coming along, doesn’t like me too much, I’m afraid.” I chuckled as I watched him shake his head.

“You’re too big.” He didn’t turn to look at me just kept staring at the horse. “Think I could give it a try?” Turning to face me, his eyes were wide and full of hope. I knew that look anywhere. The boy was horse crazy. It was in his blood, his soul, and I’d seen him around the animals. His gentle spirit made them feel at ease.

“Talk to your mom, and if she’s okay with it, then yeah you can work with her tomorrow.” He hopped off the fence and fell into step beside me without another word.

“Parker, I need to talk to Griff for a second, why don’t you take your stuff inside.”

“Is this about Dad’s new place?” He asked as he picked up his backpack.

“New place?” I looked at Elle, and she just nodded.

When the door closed, Elle let out a long sigh and leaned against the grill on her truck. “Troy’s living at my old place.”

“He bought it and kicked you out?” I was so confused.

“No, he said a friend of the family bought it, and he’s there to build it up into a business to teach reining and horsemanship.” Elle drew in a ragged breath and looked up at me, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

“Do you believe him?” I asked, moving beside her, so she wasn’t staring into the sun.

“Whoever bought it paid the Hays boys ten million dollars. Troy’s well off but there’s no way he could get his hands on ten million cash.”

“The place wasn’t even worth one. There’s no land left other than a few quarters, and everything except the barn needs to be pushed into a pile and burned.” It made no sense. Last year I’d offered the Hays boys a million for the place, and they were determined to stay until someone would give them more. I guess they’d got their wish, but even a generous appraisal of the value wouldn’t have come near three million. “Troy didn’t happen to offer the name of his friend did he?” Elle just shook her head and looked down at the ground.

“I’ll be back. I have some work to do.” Kissing her head, I took off toward the barn. We had to figure this out quickly, and I needed to know what was going on. Having my office in the barn made my home feel separate from the business of the ranch and I could make my home my respite from the ranch’s business. But now I wished I was working in the house, listening to Parker and Elle.

Grabbing the phone, I dialed Phil. “I just saw Elle pull back into the yard, why are you calling me?”

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