Page 12 of My Cowboy Kiss
“What pups?” I ask River.
He doesn’t get a chance to answer before the man continues, “I dropped by my mother-in-law’s house there and everyone was talking about pups wandering onto thin ice at Clem’s Pond. I went out there to see what I could do but your fella had already slid across that ice on his belly and went right after them. Made the news there.”
That’s something River would do. He’s been rescuing animals and bringing them home with him for as long as I’ve known him.
The man pops open the cash register and takes out the money River had given Sue Ellen. He puts it on the counter and pushes it toward River. “It’s on the house today.”
“It’s okay, I?—”
The man motions for us to take the bows and quiver of arrows. “Go on. I’m not accepting any money from you. Take your missus out for an ice cream or something with it.”
The man beams at us, and I realize he means me. I’m the missus he’s referring to. I smile back at him then scoop the money off the counter and stuff it in River’s pocket.
I pick up the bows. They’re not heavy, just awkward to hold. “Thank you,” I say, then nudge River out the door.
He takes the bows and the quiver from me.
“Thin ice is dangerous,” I say, the fear I learned from my fucked-up family rearing its head. That someone I love will leave me.
“I’m always careful.”
We stroll out to the beginner’s distance, and I squint at the targets ten to forty yards from where we stand.
“I know what you’re thinking but don’t worry. I’ll always come back to you.”
I make a joke and laugh it off, but his words are a hug to me. He knows what I meant without me saying it.
“I might nail a clump of grass, but I’m not going to hit any of those.”
“I’ll help you.”
A young couple approach to my left and the woman stares at me like she’s trying to place me, then says something to the man she’s with. He gives me ahey babylook.
“Or maybe I’ll accidentally put an arrow in someone’s ass.” The guy flicks his tongue out at me and moves like he’s licking a sucker.Maybe the arrow in the ass won’t be an accident…
“The range sits on five acres of land,” River says. “You won’t hit anyone.” He gives the man a hard stare. “But I’m going to.”
The man starts speedwalking, pulling the woman with him and I clutch River’s arm to stop him from going after them. “He’s not worth it. I used to get that kind of shit all the time when I lived in Clover County when people assumed I was like my mother.”
“What the hell is wrong with people?” River’s gaze burns into mine. Under my touch, his muscles are hard and tight like he’s ready to throw a punch.
The air around us heats up like a fast-moving storm is approaching.
“You promised to teach me,” I say, trying to dispel the tension.
“I’ll teach you.” His gaze drops to my lips, his words laden with meaning. “Whatever you want to learn.”
My skin tightens and my nipples harden. Like he’s dropped a lasso around my shoulders, I’m pulled closer to him. “Archery,” I manage to get the word out.
“Alright.”
I take up the bow but don’t hold it the way he instructs me to.
“Not like that.” He comes up behind me.
A guilty confession here. I am a complete newbie at archery, but I watched a couple of videos online about this. I have a general idea how to hold the bow, but I didn’t do it right on purpose.
Because I knew he’d put his hands on me. While I know in my head it’s best for him if we’re not together romantically, my body wants this delicious treat of him standing behind me, his body brushing mine.
