Page 19 of Headstrong Cowboy
“What the...?”she asked as she squinted into the darkness as if she could see what the heck had caused Ryder to move away from her so abruptly.“What happened?”
“I don’t know.Something ran into my legs.I think it was a dog.I got a quick look at it before it disappeared into the trees.”His voice sounded strained, and Chrissy put it down to him being as surprised as she was that their kiss got interrupted.
“A dog?”Most of the dog owners in Marietta were very good about keeping their animals in at night, but that didn’t mean the odd one or two didn’t escape from their backyards.“Did you see where it went?Maybe we should go find it and see if it has a collar, so we can take it back to its house.”
“I think by the time I’m ready to go dog hunting, he’ll be long gone,” he finished with a groan, the sound causing her to study him a little closer.
He was rubbing his leg, a grimace on his face.“What happened?What’s wrong?”
“The dog hit me where I got hurt.”
The articles she’d read about Ryder’s accident had detailed how he’d been gouged in the thigh by a bull, deep enough to cause damage to the muscles.“Oh my goodness.Come on...there’s a bench over there.Can you make it?”She pointed to the wooden structure about fifty feet away.
“I think so.”He took a step, but his leg gave away, and Chrissy rushed to prop him up—what she should’ve done at the very beginning.
“I’ve got you.Lean on me and we’ll shuffle our way over there.”
He chuckled lightly, and she was pleased to hear the sound.She tightened her grip around his waist, and he placed his arm around her shoulders.The tips of his fingers dug into her arm, but she didn’t say anything about it.The little pain she was experiencing would be nothing to what he was suffering.
It didn’t take them long to reach the bench and once Ryder was seated, she placed her hands on his thigh, massaging it lightly, which was difficult through the denim.“Am I helping or not making a lick of difference to your pain?”
“It’s helping a bit.”
A bit was better than not at all.She shifted so that she was seated beside him and was able to knead his flesh a little better.“Does this often happen to you?”
“You mean getting assaulted by a dog?Can’t say that’s ever happened to me before.”
His humor was welcome.It made her confident that he wasn’t in too much pain.“Not something you plan on telling your rodeo buddies, huh?Can ride a bull for eight seconds, but a small dog manages to take you down?”The second she finished speaking, she gasped, the realization of what she’d said slamming into her.“Oh God, I’m so sorry, Ryder.That was so insensitive of me.I can’t believe I said that.”
His hand landed on hers, where they were resting against his thigh.“Can’t say that the comparison, and reminder of what I used to do and lost, doesn’t pinch a little, but you’re right—it’s not something I’ll tell my friends about.”
Ryder was letting her off the hook, something she didn’t deserve.But she wasn’t going to belabor the point, because it wouldn’t make him feel any better.“Thank you,” she whispered and continued massaging his leg.
“Hey...”Ryder nudged her chin up with a finger.Reluctantly, she met his gaze, worried at what she might see there.All she saw was compassion and understanding.“I mean it.It’s okay.I know you didn’t mean anything malicious by it.That you were teasing me.It’s all good, my little flower.”
His lips landed on hers before she could answer him.This time the kiss was what she’d been wanting before they’d gotten interrupted.He possessed her mouth and she welcomed it.Sparks of desire burst to life in her belly, and she scooted closer to him so that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders.His tongue nudged against her lips and she opened up, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
Everything within her glowed to life.For so long she hadn’t allowed herself to feel anything for anyone of the opposite sex, seeing as it as a betrayal to Beau—even after their divorce.Which was ridiculous, considering it had been a mutual decision, and she’d known that Beau had gone on a couple of dates before his death.
If she’d put herself out there long ago, would she react the same way as she was reacting to Ryder?Or was it because of him that she was feeling that way she was, as though everything was slipping into place inside her?As if she’d been like a picture hanging slightly askew and now she was straight on the wall.
Eventually, the need to breathe had them pulling apart, both of them dragging in air.Was that Ryder panting?Had he been that into the kiss that he was struggling to catch his breath?While her world had been shaken a little, she was still able to breathe properly after a few seconds.
Was there something wrong with Ryder?
“Are you okay?”he asked, sounding like he was totally in control of himself and his bodily functions.
“I am.Are you?”
It was then she became aware that the panting was coming from her left.Still in Ryder’s embrace, she looked over her shoulder and found a male dog sitting on his haunches, watching them.“Is that the dog, Ryder?The one that ran into you?”She kept her voice pitched low so as not to frighten the animal.
“I think it is.”Ryder carefully lowered his arms from where they had been wrapped around her, and she controlled her shiver of disappointment and the loss of his embrace.“I know.Me too.”
Pleasured spiked through her that Ryder hadn’t wanted to let her go.“What do we do?”
All through their short conversation, the dog sat patiently, as if waiting for them to finish talking about him and do something.“I’m going to get up slowly and see if I can grab him.See if he is wearing a collar.”
“Okay.”
