Wild For You

“Two. I sold one, and my friend Ben has the other. The next one I’m keeping.”

“I wish I could’ve helped you out today.” Spencer glanced at his watch. “I know you’re more interested in bulls, but it’s a different story trying to get them registered.”

“I only want the semen for my own breeding purposes, so that’s not a problem. Basically, I’ve got to figure out if I want to move forward and build a facility and find the right personnel to handle that portion of the business. Hell, I wasn’t even interested in any of this until a few months ago.”

Matt stepped away from the stall and headed for the pot of coffee he’d started. “You want some?” Matt asked.

“Sure.” Spencer’s thoughts wandered back to Erin. Time had flown by. He hadn’t expected to be here this long, and he was a little surprised she hadn’t come looking for him. Unless Rachel had given her a ride to town.

He didn’t like that idea, even though he should. Sometimes she was a bit hard to read. Damn, he wished he knew if she was serious about sex being nonnegotiable. Maybe it was part of her strategy to get him to come around. The plan had merit. Not that he’d admit it.

“There’s another way I’d consider getting into this business.” Matt held out the mug of black coffee. “Go in with a partner—50/50 investment, 50/50 profit.”

Spencer smiled. “I figured this discussion might be headed in that direction.”

“You interested in that route?”

“It’s possible.” Spencer took a sip. “Are you looking to breed strictly rodeo stock?”

“For me, personally? Yeah, mostly.” Matt gestured to King Arthur. “But when a stallion like this comes along, I’d be stupid not to consider other options. A guy I know, lives about twenty miles east of town...he trains racehorses. Trent’s good. He’s got several major wins under his belt. He’s expressed some interest.” Matt sipped from his mug, his expression thoughtful. “So, here’s another question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“What’s your opinion on cloning?”

Spencer almost spit out his coffee. “Are you serious?”

Matt laughed. “I’m just curious. Hell, I’d have to clone myself to take on any more work.”

“You must be following all that Quarter Horse Association business down in Texas. That fight’s been going on for a long time, and I don’t see it ending soon.”

“I agree with you there,” Matt said, then they both turned when someone entered the stable.

It was Erin.

Her hair was mussed and her cheeks flushed. She’d taken off the hoodie and was down to a red T-shirt that fit snugly across her breasts and showed off toned, lightly tanned arms. Whether or not she was wearing a bra wasn’t clear, but Spencer could see her nipples poking at the worn material.

“Speaking of trouble,” he said when she was close enough to hear.

“Ah, you missed me. How sweet.”

Matt chuckled just as his phone buzzed. “Excuse me a minute.”

As they watched him walk away, Spencer noticed some hay in her hair. “Where were you?”

“Horseback riding. It was amazing.”

“With Rachel?”

“No, she had to run over to the Sundance and drop something off, so Bobby took me.” Erin hunched her shoulders and rubbed her arms. “It was warm out in the sun, but now I wish I’d put my hoodie back on.”

Spencer shrugged out of his jacket.

“What are you doing?” She leaned away when he tried to drape it over her shoulders. “You’ll be cold.”

“I’m fine.”

“Bobby said he has an extra jacket if I need it.”

“Look, you’re shivering. Can you just put the damn thing on without arguing?”

She pressed her lips together, her jaw clenched as he settled the heavy suede jacket around her. “Oh.” She relaxed as he overlapped the front. “Wow. This is nice. Fleece-lined and everything. You might not get it back.”

The jacket dwarfed her, hitting just above her knees. She turned her head and buried half her face into the collar, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. A soft smile lifted her lips. She looked so damned sexy. Did she even realize what she was doing? She could be purposely taunting him, but he didn’t think so.