Page 58 of A Lot Like Love
“I was implying that we were having too much fun for you to have to go work long shifts.”
She kicked her horse in the sides and surprised him by bouncing off into a trot. The look on her face was anything but comfortable, but he knew how damn determined she was and he doubted she’d rein back to a walk. That’s why her losing one game hadn’t rattled him—she was still going to win, of that he had no doubt.
“Some of us have to work for a living. Fact of life,” she called over her shoulder.
“Some of us could hustle and play cards every other night and make a fortune,” he shot back, nudging his horse into a canter to catch up with her. “Now wouldn’t that be fun.”
“Don’t bait me, Ryder.” She slowed when he did, her breath coming out in short pants. “And how the hell do you make that look so damn easy?”
Ryder tried not to laugh at the pissed-off look on her face. “Sorry.”
“I don’t tell anyone about my past, Ryder. What I told you stays between us, okay? I don’t want to go back there. I want to leave assholes like Jim and my father in my past forever.”
Her tone was somber and it wiped the smile clean off his face. “I was just playing with you, Chlo. And for the record, I don’t go around telling people about my dad. So what was said in Vegas stays in Vegas, okay?” He wished he could make it clearer to her that he cared about her way too much to ruin anything between them. “I would never hurt hurt you,” he finally said.
She glanced at him, squeezing his hand back when he reached over and clasped her palm. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to jump down your throat.”
“So you’re off to work now?” he asked.
“Yeah. I’ll see you later. Maybe in the morning if you’re already asleep when I get in.”
Ryder let his reins slip through his fingers until he was just holding the buckle again. He tipped his head back to look up at the blue sky, the sun shining just enough, the heat bearable. When he’d been away he’d missed everything about Texas—no matter how hard he’d tried to make a life elsewhere, the pull back to the King ranch had been impossible to resist. And now that he was here, the thought of having to leave again was like contemplating a limb being ripped off. Just like the idea of Chloe leaving him was causing him some serious goddamn pain.
“I can’t keep it a secret any longer,” he muttered, the shock on Chloe’s face telling him he’d actually said the words out loud instead of keeping them inside of his own head.
“You’re going to tell your brothers?” she asked. “When there’s only a couple of nights tops until the next game?”
He shook his head. “Hell no, I’ve thought that one through and I can’t do it. But I have to tell Granddad. I can’t lie to him.”
Chloe’s gaze was sad. “You do what you have to do. But I’ll win it back, that’s a promise.”
“I know you will,” he told her, dismounting when they reached the barn. “But I owe him the truth. I spent years away from here wanting to find my own way in the world and prove myself, and I’ve never had much of a conscience, but when it comes to my granddad…” He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “He gifted me a third of his estate, and I owe it to him to tell him. All I ever wanted was to show him I was as capable as Chase and Nate, and now look at me.”
“You want to tell him regardless of the consequences?” she asked, letting him guide her down, hands on her hips. Chloe spun in his arms, palm to his cheek as she stared up at him. “Sometimes what we don’t know won’t kill us.”
He pushed his hands into her jean pockets, shoving her forward so her body hit his. “When did you get so wise?”
She tipped back and he kept hold of her, not letting her get away. Ryder kept his hips slammed into hers, not letting her say another word, mouth covering hers.
“I’m going to be late,” she whispered, clutching his shirt and yanking him close so his lips couldn’t escape.
“You sure you need to be on time for your shift?” His confession could wait if it meant more sinning with Chloe.
She groaned, grinding her body against his, tugging at his shirt so it came loose and rubbing her hands over his abs, her nails gliding across his skin. “Goodbye, Ryder.” Chloe nipped at his chin and he slapped her on the ass as she turned.
“Goodbye Chloe,” he murmured.
He could play with his fake girlfriend all day and never tire, but it was time to man up to what he’d done.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he quickly tied the horses up before answering it, knowing it was Chase.
“Hey.”
“Hey. You busy?” Chase asked.
“Not now. Whadda ya want?” Ryder flicked his phone to speaker and put it down on a railing, taking the saddles off.
“I need a hand. Can you spare the rest of the afternoon? I’m down a couple of guys and I need to round up some cattle from the other side of the ranch. It’ll take a few hours at least.”
Ryder patted his horse and threw the saddle back up. “Count me in. I’m at the barn saddling up now.”
He rubbed down the horse Chloe had been riding and walked him out to the field, disappearing into the feed shed and returning with some carrots. “Sorry, big guy, just when you thought your work for the day was over, huh?”
Tomorrow he’d tell his granddad. Today he was going to ride out over the land and talk shit with his brother. He lived to work on the ranch, so he wasn’t going to say no if his brother needed him.
