Page 29 of Unexpected Temptation
“I like when you touch me.”
Jaylen pulled her to him again and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin.
“Everything’s going to be okay, Baby.Just give us a chance.I promise not to rush.”
Amelia nodded against his chest.“Okay.”
Jaylen tilted her head back.
“Good,” he murmured, and then his head dropped again.The kiss quickly turned heated and carnal.When he felt his control start to slip, he ripped his mouth from hers.“I’ve got to stop before it gets out of hand.Besides, I don’t want to keep you out here too long.Let me check on a horse that had an injury, and then we’ll go back to the house.”
“Don’t rush on my account.I could stay out here all day.”Amelia looked down the wide walkway.She counted six stalls on each side.She got a glimpse of it when Jaylen was bringing them there, but hadn’t realized it was this big.
Jaylen smiled and brushed his thumb over her lips.
“This way,” he said, and grasped her hand.“It’s this next stall.”He released her hand and unbolted the stall door.“Easy, girl,” he crooned as he patted the horse’s neck and moved to the mare’s side.He took off the bandage and inspected the cut thoroughly.
“What happened to her?”she asked and stepped forward to pet the horse’s neck gently.She’d never get enough of the feel and smell of these beautiful animals.
Jaylen glanced up at her.
“She got her hock caught on something.Thankfully, one of the ranch hands found it quickly before it got infected.”
Amelia frowned, tilted her head, and tried to listen for other signs of humans.“Ranch hands?”
Jaylen opened a tin of ointment and put a generous amount on the cut before wrapping it in clean gauze.
“Yes, I’ve got about ten guys living here full-time and a few part-timers.Usually, kids who come back from college for the summer.”
“I haven’t seen anyone.”
Jaylen grinned.“On the back side of this barn and past, the stand of trees is the main part of my ranch.”He always liked the fact that most of his place was hidden from people.
****
“There’s more to thisplace?”she asked with wide eyes.For him to have that many employees, this ranch had to be a lot bigger than she realized.Although the barn was large and newer, the house was more of a cabin and had been there for several decades, so it threw her off.
Jaylen chuckled.“Yesterday, you couldn’t see past the barn because of the rain, and I know the cabin is misleading, but I didn’t want to use any money for a house when the cabin was enough for me.I needed stables and places for the hands to live comfortably.Now I have enough money to build a bigger house, but I don’t have the time or the inclination to do so.Maybe you can help me draw up plans for a house.”
“What?Me?”she asked, surprised, and her hands stalled on the horse.
“Yeah, you.If I have my way, it’s going to be your house, and I want you to love it, and I’d like it big enough to fill with kids.”
Amelia sucked in a startled breath, swallowed in shock.She couldn’t bind the emotions that bombarded and filled her with an overwhelming need.Children.Her biggest dream.She had always wanted children—many children—and here was Jaylen, a man she was immensely attracted to, offering her just that.If this didn’t work out, she knew she would never be the same.She’d be a shell of a person and might never recover.
Jaylen wiped his hands on a towel, patted the horse, and then pulled her to him and tipped her head up with a hand under her chin.
“Hey, what are you thinking?You look sad.”
Fear was pushing her to pull back from the situation before it was too late.Everything about this man was from her dreams, and it seemed too good to be true.Things like this only happened in fairy tales, never to someone like her.
On the other hand, could she let this opportunity pass?She would never forgive herself if she walked away without giving this her all.
Amelia wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
“I want to try with you.So badly.I’m afraid, but I’ll try my best.”
Jaylen smiled and ran his thumb over her bottom lip, and his eyes stayed locked on hers.
