Page 15 of A Cowboy's Heart

“No, thanks. I’m hoping to sleep until morning. I might soak in the Jacuzzi again first though. Hey, did you enjoy the pool?”

“I did.” She glanced down at her swimsuit. “How did you know?”

He grinned. “Just a hunch. I’ll see you later, Wil.” He closed the door.

Willa followed the road to her cabin. Glancing around, she decided it really was a beautiful place with those gorgeous mountains in the distance. When she reached her cabin, she entered it then walked to the bathroom to shower to get the chlorine from her hair and skin, after which she was going to read the brochures to see what the Bur Oak ranch offered.

After her shower, she dressed in lounge pants and a red tank top then padded barefoot to the kitchen. Maybe she’d just stay in tonight. It was only their second night here, after all. There was plenty of time to check out dinner at the lodge.She hated the idea of dressing and going out again. The sun had made her tired, and she’d probably hit the sheets early tonight. Too bad Devin wasn’t hitting them with her.

“Willa LeAnn Foster, you seriously need to let it go,” she said aloud. “It ain’t happenin’.”

Flopping down on the sofa, she turned the TV on and flipped through the channels. Nothing appealed to her because she was just too antsy.Antsy?No, not antsy.Horny!And it was all Callahan’s fault.

“Grrrrr.”

Sitting up, she picked up a pillow and threw it across the room then slumped back down. That damn man was working his way into her head, and she couldn’t keep him out. As long as she could keep him out of her bed, that was all that mattered. She snorted. If she didn’t stop thinking of him, she was going to make herself so horny she’d attack him the next time she saw him and that could not happen since she was terrified that one time with him would never be enough.

Sighing, she reached for the brochures on the coffee table to see what the ranch had to offer besides gawking at hot cowboys. Leaning back, she opened one and saw it was about the lodge and restaurant. The ranch opened the first of March and closed the last week of August. There were twenty rooms at the lodge, along with a gift shop in the lobby. She’d have to check that out. The next brochure mentioned the activities. Opening it, she began reading. There was something for everyone every day—from trail rides to cattle drives, hikes, hayrides, swimming,tennis, fishing in the large pond, and trips to town. There was a bonfire on Wednesday nights. She also read about no fraternizing between guests and staff. She had to remember that rule.

On Saturday nights, there was a dance in the largest barn as a farewell to guests leaving the next day. She smiled. It sounded like a great place to spend a vacation. Tossing the brochure onto the table, she decided she’d talk to someone about going on one of the trips to town to look around. According to the pamphlet, it was a small, picturesque town.

Picking up the remote once again for the TV, Willa found an old movie. It would do.

****

Devin walked to his house as the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains. Glancing around, he could see people walking or jogging along the roads that surrounded the ranch. He’d seen a few people heading in the directions of the hiking trails too. Removing his hat, he swiped his arm across his forehead. It was damn hot and only just the beginning of July.

He chuckled when he remembered Rocky saying how hot it was yesterday when he’d arrived. Had it only been yesterday? Seemed like Willa had been here longer, which brought his thoughts back to her. It was beginning to become a habit for thoughts of her to pop into his head at any given moment and he needed to get past it because, although she liked to flirt or give him a rough time, he honestly didn’t think he had a snowball’s chance in hell with her.

Putting his hat back on, he continued to hishome and sighed when he caught sight of the beautiful log home. Jaxon had a log home too, but they looked nothing alike. Jaxon’s was a one-story, and Devin’s was a two-story with rows of windows across the front from the porch to the eaves.

He shook his head as he thought about Jaxon. His brother had been through so much. Losing his wife in a car accident and getting so injured himself that his career as a bull rider had ended. Devin would never forget his uncle Declan flying him and two of his cousins, along with all their parents, to Idaho Falls to visit Jaxon in the hospital two years ago. He’d had hours of surgery to repair his hip and busted leg. Bethany’s funeral had been put on hold until he was well enough to attend. For a year, Jaxon wanted nothing to do with anyone but he eventually moved on and began working Bur Oak as hard as anyone else. Maybe harder to prove to himself he was still capable. He never backed down from any job and that included baling and stacking hay and leading trail rides, but Devin knew how much his brother missed his wife, Bethany, every day. The only thing Jaxon didn’t do was lead the cattle drives since it required a two-night camping trip and only because sleeping on the ground more than one night bothered his hip too much. Devin was more than happy to do it, and he knew without a doubt that if, for some reason he couldn’t, Jaxon would despite the chance of his hip bothering him. Devin hoped his brother would find happiness with someone again.

He entered his house and squatted down to pet his Border collie, Dolly. He had found the dog’s mother in the barn about to give birth, and he knew the minute he saw her that someone had dropped her off. She’d been in bad shape. A week after having three puppies, she died. Between him, Jaxon, and the staff, they’d taken turns feeding the puppies. When they were old enough to find homes, he, Jaxon, and Roark had each taken one.

Dolly sat and waited patiently for him to feed her. Devin grinned as he scooped food into her dish. “If only Willa Foster looked at me like you do, Dolly-girl.”

He set the dish down and smiled as she began to eat.

“Now you’re doing exactly as she does when I’m around. Ignoring me.”

Laughing, he shook his head and walked out of the kitchen through his living room, and up the stairs. Time for a shower and he hoped he didn’t have to change the water to cold again like he had earlier today from the conversation at the pool. It wasn’t much of stretch for him and the other men working the ranch to shower twice a day, but he had a feeling that he’d be taking a lot of cold showers since Willa Foster was here. Damn woman.

Chapter Four

Wednesday morning at six, Willa entered the barn to see at least thirty people standing around. Spotting Judy, she smiled at the woman knowing she’d be here. Judy looked at her and smirked.

Yeah, okay. Game on!It was obvious she was letting Willa know she considered Devin hers for the taking. Willa hadn’t realized just how much she had wanted Devin until she got the message from her. Oh, she knew she was deeply attracted to the younger man, and she did want him but when another woman let her know she wanted him too, it made her see she needed to go for it. What could it hurt? She just had to let him know in a way he didn’t think she was up to something with such a quick change of heart.

Watching him enter the barn made her heart skip a beat.

Wearing his usual white straw cowboy hat, and T-shirt, he also wore chaps over his jeans, and scuffed boots were on his feet. Biting her lip to hold a moan at bay, she ran her eyes down over him. His jeans hugged him.Everywhere!Unable to keep her eyes off his crotch, she noticed how those chaps really emphasized that area. When she slowly raised her eyes, she saw him looking at her with a lifted eyebrow, and she wanted to crawl into a hole. But she reminded herself that she needed to let him know she wanted him, so she took a deep breath, lifted an eyebrow and smiled. The look on his face waswell worth it. He cleared his throat and shifted his eyes away from her.Point for Foster!

“This is an hour ride. Even if you’ve never ridden before, this will be an easy trek for you. We follow a trail, and it is single file. We will go down an embankment so lean back in the saddle as we do. Otherwise, you’ll go right over the horse’s head.” He smiled when everyone laughed. “Do the opposite when going up. You’ll do fine. I’ll be at the back, so I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” His eyes met hers again then he turned to his horse.

“I may need help. I’ve never ridden before,” Judy said as she glanced at Willa then to Devin.

Willa held her laughter in.Oh, yeah. It’s on.

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