Page 38 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
He nodded. “Yeah, she was.” But beneath his tough exterior she saw the longing there. He obviously missed his family. Her heart squeezed for him. Even if her mother could drive her batty sometimes by loving her a little too much, she couldn’t imagine not having her parents.
She rose and put her mug in the dishwasher, as Jaxon said, “Boot up, Kitten, I’ll see you out there.” He winked. “Don’t forget your hat.”
She smiled. “I’ll be out in a few.”
He accepted that with a nod and headed out the front door. She quickly returned to her room, went to the bathroom and then slid into her boots and cowboy hat. Taking a quick look in the mirror, she shrugged.Not half bad, Charly.
Maybe she could play cowboy after all.
When she made it outside, the morning air was sweet and clear as it filled her lungs. The rising sun peeked over the mountains and washed the ranch in a pale orange glow. She found all the cowboys already mounted, and all eyes came to her—the fake cowboy. She suddenly felt like a filly dropped into the center of a bunch of stallions. And she absolutely hated Aubrey for the dirty thoughts that rushed through her mind.
Though her gaze quickly found Jaxon, and she hurried to his side, handing him her small bag that contained her pajamas and fresh clothes for tomorrow.
His gaze raked over her from head to toe and heated. “Well, well, Kitten, you might just fit in here after all.”
She brushed him off with a roll of her eyes. But she didn’t hate his comment—she wanted to belong in Timber Falls, her new home. She doubted she’d ever feel truly at home at the ranch—being a city girl—but she longed to feel like she hadn’t left her life behind in Phoenix. With near desperation, she wanted to discover this new life was better than she could have ever imagined.
He approached the porch steps and then grabbed up some light gray chaps. “These belonged to one of the cowboys. She was about your size.” He offered them to her.
She looked at the worn suede with a frown. “How do you put them on?”
He lifted an eyebrow, a little too full of himself. “I can help you, if you’d like.”
She took in all the smiles on the cowboys’ faces and sighed. “Yes, please, that’d be great.”
She turned away from the group to not let everyone see her face as Jaxon helped her into the chaps.
Then he gestured to Thunder. “Up you go.”
This time, when he helped her up onto the horse, it seemed far less sexual than last time. Considering the watchful eyes on her, she was glad for it. She took up the reins, as Jaxon stuffed her bag into his saddle bag and then hopped aboard his horse with very little effort.
He turned his horse around and said to the cowboys, “Let’s roll out.”
The cowboys cheered as they headed off around the barn.
Gunner sidled up to her on a black horse that had white spots on his rump. “Ready for this?”
No.“Absolutely.” She smiled.
“Atta girl.” He chuckled, riding off.
Eli passed her then, atop his cream-colored horse. “If you need a break, just let me know, and I’ll tell them I need to piss.” He winked.
Now knowing his tragic past and the loss of his sister, it made his kindness of ensuring she never looked weak even sweeter. “Thanks, Eli. I appreciate that.”
He simply nodded and clicked his tongue, sending his horse trotting forward.
She suddenly felt like a massive jerk. Maybe she and her friends had all come here with a chip on their shoulder, but everyone at Timber Falls ranch was kind and growing on her. It made her feel terrible that they weren’t doing everything they could to make the locals in town feel as wonderful as they were making the out-of-towners.
“Stick next to me,” Jaxon said into the silence, drawing her gaze to him, as he sat atop a pure black horse. “You’ll do just fine.”
She squeezed her legs and Thunder strode into an easy walk next to Jaxon’s horse. “Thunder will do just fine,” she said with a laugh. “I will sit here.”
Jaxon chuckled and dipped his head. “I’m pretty confident that Thunder could go and bring the horses home without our help at all.”
She smiled down at the horse. “He’s pretty special, huh?”
“My dad trained him,” Jaxon explained, looking way too fine for this early in the morning. He wore a light gray T-shirt, worn jeans and a tan-colored cowboy hat that all fit him with mouth-watering perfection. “Couldn’t let him go after, and they were a team for a long time.”
