Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
He straightens and wipes his gloved hands on his chaps. His face is flushed from the cold, and his scruff is a few days overgrown. He’s covered in mud and muck from a full day of cowboying, and his blue eyes are bright but tired.
Throw in the thick arms and steady, confident way he walks, and I’m a goner.
“Well, yeah.” He gestures to his legs. “Why do you think I wore my fancy chaps today?”
I saunter toward him. “Nice fringe.”
“I know.” Smirking, he curls a gloved finger through my belt loop and pulls me in for a kiss. “You’re early.”
“I was hoping to catch you in action. I don’t get to watch you cowboy nearly enough.”
I had a hair appointment downtown this afternoon, so I told Sawyer I’d swing by Lucky River Ranch on my way home to pick him up for our date. Wyatt and Sally are watching Ella tonight, and Sawyer and I are having a little sleepover at my place. It’s Dan’s weekend again with Junie, and he actually picked her up early, grabbing her from preschool earlier today.
Since it was my turn to plan the date—Sawyer and I try to get out at least once a week, and we switch planning duties every other time—I decided I’d combine work and fun, and give my boyfriend a little lesson in barrel racing.
Really, I wanted an excuse to watch him ride a horse. Nothing sexier than a man who knows what he’s doing in the saddle.
He nips at my bottom lip. “What else you wanna see?”
“Everything. Mostly, I wanna see you ride.”
“I think”—he ducks his head to suck on my neck—“I could arrange that.”
A hog whistle splits the air, and Sawyer and I break apart to see Duke walking out of the barn with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“I have a knack for interrupting y’all, don’t I?”
“Get lost,” Sawyer grunts.
I grin. “Hey, Duke.”
“Don’t worry, I’m leaving. Gotta get these two in their pen ASAP.” He nods at the sow and her calf. “I actually got somewhere to be.”
Sawyer rolls his eyes. “Lemme guess. The Rattler?”
“Not this time, no.”
“Aw, you have a date of your own, don’t you?” I ask.
Duke blushes, which might be the most adorable thing ever. “It’s not a date. But it’s also not not a date?”
“Who ya meeting?” Sawyer asks.
Duke smirks. “Wouldn’t you love to know? I’ll let y’all get to it. Told Wyatt I’d grab Ella tomorrow to get doughnuts and coffee downtown, by the way. You two take your time in the morning. Well, unless you wanna rush, because sometimes that’s fun too.”
“You’re gross,” Sawyer says.
“He’s not wrong,” I say.
Duke just keeps smirking. “Y’all have fun.”
“Who do you think he’s meeting?” I ask when Sawyer and I are in the car on the way to the arena at the Wallace Ranch. I have to smile at how huge my boyfriend looks in my little Subaru, the top of his hat hitting the ceiling. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about anyone before.”
Sawyer, who insisted on driving my car, shrugs. “No clue. He and Ryder have always been wild cards when it comes to girls. Duke’s been mooning at Mollie’s friend Wheeler since they met…”
“Wheeler. Huh. I can actually see them together. They’re both firecrackers. Lots of personality.”
“She’s gotta have the same sense of wanderlust that Duke does if that’s ever gonna work. He likes cowboyin’ just fine, but I can tell he wants more.”
“She’ll love that about him.”
Sawyer lifts his fingers off the wheel. “Maybe. Whatever the case, I hope Wheeler knows what she’s getting into.”
I grin. “I think Duke’s the one who should be worried.”
“Why’s that?”
“She’s a lot of fun. I hope he can keep up.”
“Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” Sawyer reaches across the console to put his hand on my thigh. “Bet I’ll be able to keep up with you tonight. I only been ridin’ since before I could walk.”
“But you haven’t been racing. There’s a difference.”
“You think I can’t win?”
I dig my hands into the hair that curls out from underneath his hat. “Honey, you did win. You got me.”
He laughs, a big, booming sound that fills the car and makes my core light up in the most delicious way. “Luckiest son of a bitch in these parts, no doubt.”
Sally is waiting for us in the arena. Because she’s awesome, she already has the horses tacked up and the barrels ready to go.
“I love that y’all are doing this for date night,” she says. “Wyatt and I really enjoy riding together. Sawyer, prepare to get your ass kicked. Ava is a tough coach.”
“Don’t I know it?” Sawyer’s eyes twinkle when they meet mine. “She’s always riding me hard.”
“You and Wyatt with the dirty jokes.” Sally shakes her head. “You need to get your filthy minds out of the gutter.”