Page 42 of Cowboy Stole My Heart
“Okay, well, he seemed a little overprotective, but that’s okay. I can respect that.” Sam shrugged. “He has every right to question me.”
She considered him, wondering why he was so okay with her brother’s interrogation. Tanner had gone way too far, and she wasn’t exactly his kid sister anymore, far from it in fact. “You’re serious?”
“I’ve got a little sister. She married Nate King.” Sam chuckled. “So I can fully appreciate the wholeprotect your sister at all coststhing. It just about cost me my friendship with him, and my sister was ready to throttle me.”
Mia nodded. “Gotcha. Well, now that I know how well you could bond with my brother, can we go back to horse work? Because that’s what you’re employed here to do.”
Sam made a serious face. “Yes, boss lady. Straight back to work it is.”
He gave her a look she couldn’t decipher. “What?” she asked.
“I was just wondering,” he said, his eyes glinting, “when we’re off the clock.”
She felt a flutter in her stomach, wondered if she’d gotten in too deep with Sam already. Flirting was one thing,kissingwas one thing, but actually going through with some sort of no-strings-attached affair was another thing entirely, and certainly not something she’d ever done before.
“You just focus on the horse,” she said, sounding more confident than she felt. “I don’t want anything to distract you.”
Sam winked. “Well, sweetheart, you better get your little self a long way from here if you don’t want anything to distract me.”
Mia knew she was blushing, but she didn’t care. She was a woman, she was allowed to blush, and it wasn’t like she was exactly used to all this attention.
“Just get back in with the horse,” she scolded. “No more flirting, no more comments, and definitely no more winks! I’m the boss in case you’d forgotten.”
Sam grinned and started to whistle, going back over to Tex. She stood on the sidelines and watched, wondering how on earth this big, muscular man could be so gentle and kind with horses and so damn intimidating to her. He looked like he should be a bull or bronc rider, the kind of man who used his weight and height to intimidate, and yet here he was before her showing he didn’t need to be rough to get results.
And she liked him. More than liked him. She was impressed by him, she was attracted to him, and she wanted to know everything there was to know about Sam Mendes, including why he was so open to a no-strings-attached affair and nothing else.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she ignored it. She still hadn’t texted Trent back, which meant she needed to take her eyes off Sam and message him, just in case he took her lack of response as ayes. The last thing she needed was for him and Sam to have a showdown over her, not now, and not ever. Besides, Kat would never forgive her if she didn’t let him down gently, and not responding was all kinds of rude.
She took her phone from her pocket and leaned against the fence to make the call she’d been dreading all day.After that she was calling Kat, and then she was going to go back to thinking about Sam.
***
“Are you free for dinner?”
Mia nodded, looking surprised, and he helped to put away her gear, walking beside her into the tack shed.
“Ah, yeah,” she said, “sure.”
“Good. Do you mind cooking then?”
Mia laughed at him. He knew it wasn’t exactly romantic, but then they weren’t exactly close to any decent takeout food and his house was an hour away.
“I’d take you out or order in, but I don’t have any other clothes with me, and I don’t think we’d get anyone to deliver here, right?”
She shook her head. “You’re right, and you’re also lucky that I like cooking. I’m just not used to making double portions though, so I’m not sure what you’ll be getting.”
“Can’t we raid the main house?” he asked, grinning. “I bet your dad has enough steaks to feed an army up there.”
He watched as she put the saddle down she was carrying and gave him a quizzical kind of look. “Actually, that’s a great point. I don’t eat a lot of meat, so I’m always turning down his offers of Angus beef. Probably why he doesn’t bother offering it to me anymore.”
“You had me at Angus beef…” Sam said. “I’m seriously trying not to drool right now.”
“Well, if we do steaks then you can grill them. I’m no good with meat.”
Sam tried not to smile, looking at her straight-faced. But then her face fell and she shut her eyes for a beat, shaking her head.
“I don’t believe it for a second,” he said in a low voice, resisting the urge to tease her.
