Page 72 of Smokin' Situation

“Ready to go for that ride now?” I asked, and her eyebrow raised suggestively, a chuckle escaping me. Shaking my head, I couldn’t resist teasing her since she wasn’t running away again. “Not that kinda ride.Yet.”

The crowd behind her laughed, but I didn’t pay attention to them as she stepped forward—eyes locked with mine—fingers grazing mine as she stopped beside Phi, using her other hand to pet her neck. The horse nudged Rhey in the shoulder with the side of her face, nickering as if to sayget on already.

I kicked one of my boots out of the stirrup and held Rhey’s hand as she used it to step up; her face inches from mine. Leaning in, I whispered in her ear. “I know you’re scared right now, and to be honest, so am I. But I’m done running from the things that scare me, and I hope you are, too.”

She smiled, tipping her head until her forehead rested against mine, causing my hat to shift back. “Thank you for coming to find me.”

Her breath caught as I tilted my face, lips lingering beside her mouth. “Anywhere, anytime. You need me, and I’ll always be there to rescue you. Even if it’s from yourself.”

Her hand grasped the back of my neck, and she pulled me closer, lips grazing my ear. “I’m not sure how to get on this horse without flashing half this parking lot.”

I laughed loudly, wrapping one arm around her waist as I pulled the reins to the side, turning Phi to face away from the bar. “I got you.”

Thankfully, all the months I trained to keep in peak physical condition in my previous life meant I could both brace my hands on her waist and lift her while she slipped her leg over the saddle in front of me. We both smoothed out her dress, and I watched over her shoulder as she tucked the material between her legs and underneath those luscious thighs.

“You ready to go home?” I whispered in her ear and sighed when she leaned back into my chest.

“You’re welcome!” Charley’s loud voice cut through the air, and I shook my head as Rhey giggled in front of me.

Turning Phi back to face the bar, I tipped my hat, raising my voice for the benefit of the crowd. “Thanks for the public humiliation, we’re gonna head home now.”

Deciding I’d had enough ridicule from my co-workers, I took the much shorter route back to the ranch without going through downtown—and past the station. Rhey’s hand rested on top of the one I had braced against her stomach for the quiet ride along the outskirts of town.

As the horse passed the lodge, her pace increased when she realized how close to home she was. “Easy, girl,” I teased, pulling back on the reins to slow her pace. It was bad enough that I was asking her to ride double again when she was supposed to be recovering. But shewaskind of my wing woman, so I could understand why Charley insisted it had to be Seraphina.

Rhey’s fingers tightened over mine when I slowed the horse outside the barn, looking around for signs of anyone inside. The expansive building was silent as I walked her inside, pulling back on the reins to halt her outside of a stall.

“You okay?” I murmured, smiling at Rhey’s shaky nod, before I pulled my hat off, reaching over to hook it on the post next to Phi’s stall door.

My hair was a sweaty mess, but I didn’t care, and I hoped she wouldn’t either, as I tucked my face into her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. When I woke up this morning, I didn’t expect our whole day to be thrown for a loop in the form of a mistaken identity gone wrong. But my day ended with her back in my arms, and that’s exactly where I wanted her to stay.

Tristan

Rheystillseemedalittle skittish as I sat behind her on Seraphina in the barn. I couldn’t exactly blame her. It’d been a bit of a shock to learn that my brother was the friend from high school she’d been hooking up with for years. And to have the discovery happen completely unexpectedly led to the three of us epically fucking things up. Jay was probably the one who escalated things the most unnecessarily, but I knew my tendency to put my head down and walk away from conflict hadn’t helped.

“I’m sorry I tried to leave,” I whispered into her skin, tracing my lips along the side of her neck. She leaned her head back against my shoulder, guiding my hand higher until I felt her heart thudding beneath my palm.

“I’m sorry I left,” she replied, melting against my chest as we sat quietly atop the horse in the dimly lit barn. “I was scared that you’d be angry with me.”

“I wasn’t angry with you. I was angry at how he was talking to you…about you.” It still made my blood run a little hot when I recalled the crushed look on her face when Jay started lashing out as he realized something had happened between Rhey and me when he was out of town. “You never lied to me, sweetheart. So, I have no reason to be mad. I knew the score going in, and I still pursued you. And I wouldn’t change what happened between us either. If he has a problem with that, then so be it.”

“But I don’t want to come between you and your family. I couldn’t live with myself if you lost your brother over me. I’m—”

“Worth it,” I interrupted, wrapping my arms around her tighter. “You are worth more to me than you give yourself credit for. With you, I finally feel like I might move on with my life and be happier than I was before. I thought it ended underneath that tree, and now I have you. It was worth every bit of that pain and grief to find something I want more than to be a jumper.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered, her inhale shaky, and I could tell she was right on the cusp of being overwhelmed enough to cry.

“So am I.” I whispered the words against her neck, my lips lingering on her pulse point. “But I think I could love you, and while that scares the fuck out of me, I don’t want to let it go.”

She sniffled, a drop of wetness rolling down the back of my hand as I realized she’d given in to the tears she’d been trying to hold back. “I don’t think I’d survive losing you too.”

My heart broke as her voice trailed off into a soft cry, and I shifted, turning her face in my direction. I used my fingertips to catch her tears before I leaned in, softly pressing my lips to hers. When I pulled back, I dipped my head to keep eye contact. “I’m not planning to go anywhere, anytime soon. Not unless you tell me to go.”

She nodded, sniffling again and trying to stem the tears rolling down her cheeks. She’d lost so many people in her life, and I knew she was scared, but I wouldn’t let a little fear deter me from pursuing what I wanted. I never had, and I wasn’t starting now. I wasn’t stopping until I got what I needed, and that was building a new life with her by my side.

“What do we do now?” she asked, wiping her cheeks with her fingertips.

“Well, right now I should probably get this saddle off Phi, but you’re waiting for me because I’m not letting you out of my sight right now.” She rolled her eyes, but I leaned in, placing a kiss against her wet cheek. “I don’t trust you not to wander into danger if I don’t keep track of you.”

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