Page 51 of Falling for the Cowgirl
He closed his eyes at the hurt in her voice, hurt he was putting there, and he hated himself for it. “I’m sorry.”
Her grip loosened, and she melted against him.
Other revelers lingered nearby in the open doors of saloons, some in the streets. No one seemed to be paying them any attention, and he used the opportunity to hold her longer than he should. He might not be able to have her. But he could savor these tiny moments once in a while, couldn’t he?
“You told Wyatt and Flynn about being Buster?” he whispered against her hair.
She nodded. “I wanted to. It wasn’t fair for them to think you were at fault for my indecency and to hate you for it.”
“I didn’t mind.”
“I couldn’t let you take the blame.” She lifted her head and gently touched his bruised cheek.
He winced.
“I didn’t want Flynn to hit you again.”
“Thank you. I’d prefer not to run into his fist again either.”
Her lips curved into a smile, one that stole the breath from his lungs. She was always beautiful, but her smile ... it made her stunning. “You could’ve defended yourself, you know.”
“Not when I deserved the thrashing.”
“You didn’t do nothin’ wrong.”
What about kissing her? It had been a mistake. Hadn’t it?
Her attention dropped to his mouth. Was she thinking about the kiss they’d shared too?“I’ll kiss who I want and when I want.”Her words reverberated through him. She was bold enough to kiss him again if she wanted to. It was exactly the kind of thing she’d do. Her aggression, her passion, her forcefulness had never scared him. He liked those qualities about her.
In fact, the thought of her reaching up and pressing her mouth to his sent a ripple of delicious desire along his nerveendings, tightening his muscles. If she chose that moment to kiss him, he’d be powerless to say no.
Swiftly, before she decided to initiate something, he lowered her to the ground and steadied her before he took a step back. “I’ll get my horse from the livery and see you back to the ranch.” Even though she’d probably made the ride home dozens of times alone, he didn’t like the idea of her riding by herself. Besides, he could use the opportunity to get his things.
She studied his face, her gaze flitting over his lips.
Another wave of wanting shot through him, this one just as intense as the last.
Blazing smoke. Was this what he had to live with from now on, remembering their kiss every time he was with her and craving it again? Was that why Wyatt and Flynn wanted him to get married to Ivy, because they knew the temptation firsthand?
He had to resist. He spun toward the hitching post and began to untie the horse’s line. “Wyatt offered me my job back but said I have to live with Flynn.”
She was silent another heartbeat before he heard thethunkof her shoe in the stirrup and the swish of her skirt as she situated herself in the saddle. “And you won’t do either?”
He allowed himself to get his fill of her now that she sat a safe distance away. “It’s best if I stay in town until I get another job.”
She looped the reins through her fingers, twisting the leather. “You don’t have to move.”
What was she insinuating? That she wanted to be with him? All the more reason he needed to make his escape from Healing Springs Ranch while he still had his sanity about him. “I booked a room at the hotel.”
“Are you still planning to work for Wyatt?”
He wasn’t sure what he’d do. He had to keep on acting like he was interested in Steele’s land, but at the thought of her not being able to buy it anymore, he hated to move forward with the purchase, knowing how much it would bother her. “I’ll be checking into a couple of other options tomorrow.”
“Then you won’t be around at all?” Her question hinted at dejection.
He had to relinquish the need to work for Wyatt just so he could see her once in a while. “I’ll be busy. And so will you.”
She stared off to the north. The forest fires that were still burning emanated an eerie glow, lighting up the pine trees and illuminating the outline of the peaks in the darkness. Without the strong winds, the smoke had lessened, leaving only a hint of it in the air.
