Page 5 of Long Hard Fall

She knocked on the door. And waited. And waited. Knocked again. Rang the doorbell. Nothing.

Frowning, she pivoted and scanned the yard.

An obnoxiously large pickup sat outside the long barn. Must be the thing for the guys around here. She had a vague recollection of climbing into a truck just as big last night. Knowing she’d be in no shape to drive, she’d chosen a place close enough to walk, totally not planning on hooking a ride back. She pushed the thought away. Her hot hookup would only distract her.

A horse whinnied. Was someone down there?

She eyeballed her shoes. Should she dig out her boots? Well, it wasn’t like she was going tromping through manure. She just had to flag someone down to let them know she was here and wanted to talk.

Nimbly, she picked her way over the gravel driveway that led to the barn.

The deep rumble of a man’s voice and a horse’s answering whinny sounded deep inside the barn. Straw littered the floor; she chose her steps carefully. The far barn door was open and she spied movement.

Peeking around the corner, she was impressed by the sight.

“Whoa, Patsy Cline. Calm down, girl.” A man with surprisingly broad shoulders sat astride a massive brown horse. His back was to her with the sun blazing behind him, so she couldn’t distinguish specific features other than an amazing body and voice. She shaded her eyes, but her headache roared back to do an I-told-you-so that she should’ve drunk more water.

God, that voice. Yummier than the one she remembered from last night. Or the one she heard in her hangover-fogged state this morning. But she wasn’t running out on this guy. To get the information she needed, she’d be staying to chat for a while.

The horse’s rear end swung to the side and it shook its big head while the mesmerizing guy murmured encouraging words.

She didn’t know if this was a bad time, but she knocked lightly. The sound didn’t carry over the horse’s scratching hooves.

She knocked louder and the man’s head whipped around. She was nailed with a vivid blue gaze.

Her stomach plummeted and her mouth dropped open. She squeaked.

Oh. My. God.

No.

A slow grin spread across his face. “Well, well. We meet again.”

Her mouth hung open while she gaped at him. Ordinarily, if a girl stalked him home, he’d be panicking, but the look on Abbi’s face was too filled with horror.

He swiveled Patsy Cline around and patted her neck. “Good girl.” But he didn’t take his eyes off Abbi. Didn’t want to. In the dim motel room, she was smokin’, but her ethereal beauty was enhanced in the light of day. Her hair had dried and hung in soft waves around a face that’d gone pale.

Her mouth snapped shut. She frantically looked around, as if searching for anyone else to talk to. One hand flew to her lips and the other to her abdomen. Then she abruptly turned into the barn and heaved.

Cash’s brows flew up. Patsy Cline shifted underneath him, sensing the disturbance. He dismounted and tied her off on the side of the corral. He stole a second to soothe his horse before he checked on the sick woman.

Horrible retching came from Abbi as she lost the contents of her stomach. He rushed to her side and ignored the mess at her feet, more concerned about her being ill than having muck to clean.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and a blush stained her cheeks. At least she’d gotten some color back.

“I’ll throw some straw on it and shovel it out. No need to worry. Are you feeling okay?”

She nodded, then winced. “Too much to drink last night.”

What? “Honey, you didn’t seem that bad off, and you only had a couple beers while we were chatting.” Before she’d beckoned him back to her room, where he’d burned through his stash of condoms.

“I had a few before you showed up.” She buried her head in her hands and backed away from the spew on the ground. “And a couple of shots before supper.”

“Whoa.” He used the same tone he had used on his horse. Abbi’s gaze darted all over like she was about to flee. “I swear, if I’d thought you were wasted, I wouldn’t have taken you up on your offer.”

It’d have killed him to miss out on her banging body, but he was into fully conscious partners only.

She waved him off. “Not your fault. I hold my alcohol well. Until I don’t. I…gotta go.”

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