Page 28 of A Cowboy's Heart

“Could I take Moondancer?” Rocky asked him.

Devin nodded and told Chip to take care of it. In the meantime, he couldn’t keep his eyes from Willa, only she wasn’t having the same problem since she didn’t look at him at all. Was she still angry with him? He really wanted to know, but now was not the time. She was so hung up aboutthe age difference, and he couldn’t care less about it. He wanted to kiss those lush lips and bury himself between her silky thighs but he had to stop thinking about it or his dick was going to get hard, and he didn’t need that right now.

Chip led the two horses into the aisle and handed the reins for Moondancer to Rocky then reins for another horse to Willa.

“Is this my saddle, Devin?” Rocky asked laughing.

Devin grinned. “Yes. Hop on.”

He looked at Willa. “If you’ll get on, Willa, I’ll adjust the stirrups.”

Willa nodded then mounted the horse. He walked to her and adjusted one stirrup then walked around the horse to fix the other one. Placing his hand on her knee, he waited until she looked down at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly and saw tears fill her eyes.

Willa nodded but didn’t say anything. He knew he had royally fucked up, but she had hurt him by making excuses not to be with him. He wanted her every minute of every day. She was confusing him with telling him she didn’t want to get involved but then turning around and having amazing sex with him. He didn’t know what else to say to her. Apparently, she was done with him.

Pulling on the reins, she moved the horse away from him to join the group of riders. Most of them were still staring at Rocky. Devin blew out a frustrated breath, walked to his horse, and vaulted onto the saddle.

“This is about an hour and a half trip to themountains. Each of you has a sleeping bag behind the saddle. The three packhorses have tents, blankets, and jackets. There will be a chuck wagon following behind us with food. Once we get to the cattle, I’ll divide you up. There won’t be much of a problem keeping them in line. They do this every week. I’ll get them started, and you all just keep them in the group. If you don’t feel comfortable enough going after a straggler, let one of us know and we’ll take care of it. If anyone needs to stop for any reason, yell out to one of us. You each have a handkerchief, use it. The cattle kick up a lot of dust and dirt. You will follow Chip in single file until we get to the cattle, which is just a little over a mile. If you feel you need to return to the ranch, let us know, and one of us will bring you back. Do not attempt to come back on your own. Any questions?” He looked around the group. One person raised his hand. Devin nodded.

“Can we get Rocky’s autograph?”

Everyone laughed.

He grinned and looked at Rocky. “Mr. Fontaine?”

“Once we get back, I’ll sign autographs, Mr. Callahan.”

“There ya go. When we get back, you’ll have plenty of time to get autographs. Any questions about the trip?”

“What are the jackets for?” Judy asked him.

“It gets cold––”

“It’s July,” she exclaimed.

“Yes ma’am, but we’re going to be close to the Glacier Mountains. We’ll be at a much higherelevation. It’s not uncommon for it to get into the upper forties, lower fifties, especially at night.” The group grumbled. Devin sighed. “It’s in the brochures. If you want to back out, now is the time.”

It surprised him when no one left. With the grumbling going on, he thought surely someone would back out. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Nudging Picasso, he rode toward the doors and waved his hand for everyone to file out. He noticed that Willa stayed close to Rocky. Did she think she needed to be close to Rocky so she didn’t have to deal with him? Why had she come on this trip?

Rocky must have talked her into it, but why bother if she wasn’t going to enjoy it? She knew he was leading this trip. If she’d read the brochure, she knew.

Tugging the reins, Devin had Picasso follow the line. The long journey stretched out in front of him.

****

Why had she let Rocky talk her into this? Spending so much time close to Devin was going to be pure torture. When he apologized, she hadn’t known what to say. What had he apologized for exactly? The fact that he’d practically thrown her out of his home? It was so hard to look at him. She missed seeing his smile, tasting his kiss, and feeling him inside her making her scream. She wiggled in the saddle.

The time here was for Rocky, and he seemed to be doing so well. She looked at him and almost smiled seeing him sitting on the horse as if he’dbeen born in the saddle. Rocky really was enjoying riding. In just a short week, he’d learned a lot. He had a lot more to learn, but he seemed to be doing really well. He continued to talk about getting his own horse, and she knew he probably would as soon as they returned to Hollywood.

Her heart ached thinking of leaving this place. She’d only been here a week, but she loved the fresh air and the gorgeous, majestic mountains so she knew she would miss this place. Glancing around, she saw Devin at the back of the line. He was scanning the area and didn’t realize she was looking at him. The man looked so good in that saddle. She knew just then, it wasn’t the place she would miss. It was the man. Three more weeks. How would she stay away from him? She didn’t know how she would but she had to. It could never work for them. He said he didn’t care about the age difference but what if they fell in love and in a few years, he wanted someone younger. It happened all the time. Men left their wives for younger women, and she was already forty. In ten years, she’d be fifty, and he’d still be young at forty-one. Her husband had left her for a younger woman.

Tilting her head back, she stared up at the blue sky. The sun shone down brightly, and it was already hot. The sun warmed her shoulders and sweat trickled down between her shoulder blades and breasts. By the time they reached the camping spot, the cooler air would be a reprieve she was sure they’d all be welcoming. The brochure had mentioned a large waterfall andswimming was allowed, but the water could be frigid. Swimsuits were an option. She hadn’t brought hers. There was no way she was going to prance around in hers, but she had a feeling Judy brought hers just so she could tempt Devin.

Willa glanced ahead to see Judy talking with Rocky. The woman didn’t stand a chance with him. He was seeing a very popular actress, but they were keeping it secret so the paparazzi would leave them alone. Willa was happy for them, and it looked as if Rocky was in love. Smiling, she watched him ride his horse, and he seemed such a natural at it.

---