didn’t realize you were judging me,” he said.
She tipped her cowboy hat back on her head and turned to gaze at him with a sardonic look. Her face was in shadows beneath the straw cowboy hat, but he could read her body language. She was sassy and funny, this cowgirl.
Distracting.
“I was judging you and it wasn’t fair. It’s just the last time I was around city folk was when I worked on this dude ranch in Tyler and a lot of them were...well, not very good riders. So I lumped you in with them. I should have known Clay wouldn’t have told me to give you free rein if you didn’t know what you were doing,” she said. She held the reins loosely in one hand, and pushed the brim of her hat back on her forehead with the other.
Her eyes were a deep brown that reminded him of the color of his mocha in the morning. They were pretty and direct and he was almost certain when she was angry they’d show her temper. Will wondered how they’d look when she made love.
Then he shook his head.
This was the first time lust had come on so strongly since Lucy’s death. And it took him by surprise.
He shook his head again. “To be fair, I’m not sure he knew my skill level. I think Max asked him to make sure I get the full Texas experience.”
“The full Texas? That’s funny. Well, this might be about it,” she said, gesturing to the pastures.
He skimmed his gaze over the landscape and then settled back in the saddle. It reminded him of some of the places he’d visited growing up. His family had some property in Montana and there was a similar feeling of freedom from the real world here.
“I’m sure riding across the open plain isn’t the only thing that’s unique to Texas,” he said. “You mentioned Tyler—did you just visit that dude ranch?”
“Nah,” she said, looking away from him. But before she did he noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“I worked there when I was in high school in the summers. Clay offered me this job after...well, when I was ready to leave my family’s ranch. My daddy said I was losing myself by mothering my brothers and sisters and he wanted me to have a chance to have my own life. I’m pretty good with horses. My daddy has a nice-sized ranch in Tyler. What about you? Where are you from? The Northwest, right?”
“Yes. Seattle area. Bellevue, actually. It’s a suburb,” he said. He’d never wanted to live anywhere else growing up. He loved the mountains and his waterfront property, but after Lucy...well, he’d been struggling to make Bellevue feel like home again.
“I’ve heard of it. I think Bill Gates lives there.”
“We’re not neighbors,” Will said with a laugh.
She shook her head and laughed. “I’ll jot that down. You ready for a ride back or you want to see some more?”
“What’s left to see?”
She rocked back in her saddle, shifting to extend her arm. “Out that way is the south pasture—there’s a creek that runs through it. Down that way is the—”
“Let me guess—north pasture.”
“Ha. I was going to say castration shed. We do that in the spring,” she said.
He shook his head. “I’ll skip that.”
“Guys always say that.”
She was teasing him and he observed that her entire countenance had changed. Her relaxed smile made him realize how full and lush her mouth was, and the way she tipped her head to the side, waiting for his response, made him want to do something impulsive.
Like lean over and kiss her.
He slammed the door on that idea and sat back in his saddle to be a little farther away from her. There was just something about her easy smile and the wind stirring around them. And he was on horseback in Texas, so far away from his normal world, that he wanted to pretend he was someone different. A man who wasn’t so tired from not sleeping and hoping he was making the right choices all the time.
He knew that nothing would come of kissing Amberley. He wasn’t here to hook up. He was here to do a job. Besides that, he wasn’t ready for anything else. He knew that. But for a moment, he wished he were.
“Back to the ranch.”
She didn’t move, but just stared at him—there was a closed expression on her face now. “Sorry, sir, didn’t mean to be inappropriate. Follow me. You want to run back or walk?”
“Amberley—”
“I was out of line. I guess I forgot you were a guest for a second.”
“Who did you think I was?” he asked.
“Just a guy,” she said, turning her horse and making a clicking sound. Then she took off back the way they’d come.
* * *
He galloped after her and reached over to take her reins, drawing both of their rides to a stop.
She took back her reins and gave him a good hard glare. “Don’t do that again.”
“Well, I couldn’t figure out another way to stop you,” he yelled. He wasn’t sure what he’d stepped into, but he could tell something had changed and he was pretty damn sure he was the cause.
“Why would you want to?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure you want to get back to the ranch and I’m taking you there.”
“Don’t act that way,” he said. “I’m sorry. My life is complicated.”
She nodded and then looked away. “Everyone’s life is complicated. We’re not simple hicks out here on the ranch.”
He hadn’t meant to hurt or offend her.
And all of a sudden he felt ancient. Not twenty-eight. Not like a new father should feel, but like Methuselah. And he hated that. He’d always been...a different man. His father had said he was lucky and someday his luck would wear thin. But he knew his father wouldn’t rejoice in the way his luck had run out. Losing Lucy had changed him, and some people would say not for the better.
“I’m sorry,” he said. The words sounded rusty and forced but they weren’t. She didn’t deserve to be treated the way he’d treated her, because he wanted her and he knew he wasn’t going to do anything about it. He wasn’t about to invite another person into the chaos that his life was right now.
“What for?”
“That sounded...jerky, didn’t it? Like I’m trying to imply that your life isn’t complicated,” he said. “That’s not at all what I meant. I just meant I’m a mess and this ride was nice and you are wonderful...”
He trailed off. What else could he say? He thought she was cute. Maybe he’d like to kiss her, if he wasn’t so stuck in that morass of guilt and grief. And then more guilt because his grief was starting to wane. And it’s not like Lucy would have expected
