Page 19 of Cowboy Stole My Heart
He kept her waiting, taking his time to finish eating. “I propose that you saddle up a horse and get riding. Your father’s employing me to work here, so I may as well give you some pointers.”
“Pointers?” She dug her nails hard into her palms as she fought the urge to explode.
“Look, everyone needs coaching. It’ll be fun.”
Fun my ass, she thought. But she sucked up her anger, refusing to let him see how easily he’d managed to rattle her. She was a professional horsewoman, not some beginner, but he was technically right. Everyone needed coaching, and if he could give her an edge on her competition, then she’d be a fool not to listen to him and see what advice he had.
“Okay, fine,” she agreed. “I’ve already ridden Indi today, but I have a young gelding I was going to ride this afternoon.”
He laughed, and she wondered why he could rile her so easily.
“What?” she asked, drawing her knees up and feeling oddly vulnerable around him.
“Nothing. It’s just that you’re not used to anyone telling you what to do, are you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” she replied, meeting his gaze, looking into eyes so dark they reminded her of her favorite dark chocolate.
“You’re Mia goddamn Ford. Everyone looks up to you and everyone your entire life has probably been slightly in awe of you,” he said simply. “You’re used to being treated differently.”
She let his words wash over her, watching him, listening. “That’s not true,” she said, but the moment she said it, she knew she was lying. Maybe she had grown used to being treated differently.
“Look, I get it. You’re supposed to be my boss while I’m here. Well, you know what? I’m not any good being told what to do and having someone micro-managing me, just like you’re not used to being told you’re anything less than perfect.”
His words were blunt, but they were accurate. She didn’t even know what to say to him in reply.
“I’m a serious loner, and you’re a princess. We’re not exactly a team made in heaven, but I’m here and I’m curious about your riding, so what the hell are we waiting for?”
She laughed. She had thought she’d be more likely to cry than laugh, but the moment he looked at her and grinned, she couldn’t help it. There was more than a chance he was going to drive her absolutely insane while he was here.
“You’refuckingcrazy,” she muttered.
“Oooh, did the princess just land an F-bomb?” he teased.
“Yeah, she did. And call me a goddamn princess again and I’ll punch you in the nose and break it.”
He shook his head, howling with laughter now. “Breakmy nose? Sweetheart, you couldn’t throw a punch that’d break my finger.”
“Oh yeah?” she sputtered. “It just so happens that I have two big brothers who beat the crap out of me when I was a kid. I learned quick to punch back hard, so don’t be so quick to judge me.”
They were both smiling when they pushed up to their feet, and Mia realized she hadn’t felt so good in a longtime. Sam might be arrogant and a bit of a jerk, but he was honest, at least, and she appreciated that.
“Truce,” Sam said, holding out his hand.
Mia nodded and clasped it, smiling when his fingers wrapped around hers, engulfing her small hand in his. “Truce,” she agreed, thinking about giving him a quick jab to the nose to prove her point, then deciding against it.
“You know, I had you pegged as a pretty little rich girl who hardly knew the back end of a horse from the front, with no intention of ever working hard or getting her hands dirty,” he said.
“Guess you were wrong then,” she replied.
“Yeah, about everything except the pretty part.”
Sam held her hand a beat too long, and when she pulled away and met his gaze, she wished she hadn’t. Because the heat there was enough to make her want to back off, fast, and the confident, sexy look on his face told her that he could eat her alive if he wanted to.
