Taming The Texan

Alexa nodded. “I’m ready. Just tell me what to do so I don’t hurt or scare her.”

“Grab the pommel and hook your left foot into the stirrup.”

She followed his command and, before he even realized what he was doing, he’d stepped in behind her and circled her waist with his hands. Alexa stilled beneath his touch. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, her eyes met his.

“I’m helping you up.” He left no room for argument because, while he might not have thought about his actions at first, now that he had his hands on her, he was in no hurry to let go. “Relax,” he murmured.

Her eyes darted to his mouth—as if he needed another reason to feel that pull of sexual tension. Those dark lashes framed striking eyes and all of that rich black hair slid over her shoulders, the tips brushing against the backs of his hands. An image of all of that hair sliding over his body came to mind and Hayes knew in that instant he was fighting a losing battle.

He wanted this woman, the first woman he’d wanted since his return. And he planned to have her... To hell with all the reasons this ride was a bad idea. He’d just figured out the reason this was the best idea he’d had in months.

Two (#u446543ce-c746-5313-b4ae-c61b6644fbee)

This was not a good idea. Nope, nope, nope. As if the horse agreed with her, each nope in her mind fell in tandem with each stomp of a hoof.

Alexa wished she could just ignore the zing shooting through her, but how could she? This man was the first to strike any type of spark or interest in so long... There was no ignoring the emotions.

She’d done well to mask her feelings for years, but there was no way she could lie to herself right now. Hayes Elliott was one sexy cowboy, and he had the brooding, broad-shoulder thing down to perfection. And those jeans? Yeah, they fit gloriously over lean hips that produced the sexiest swagger she’d ever seen. Even with the minor limp, Hayes was intriguing and every part of her wanted to know more.

Down, girl. Alexa hadn’t come on this little getaway to find some cowboy. Though Hayes Elliott would no doubt fuel her fantasies for a good long time.

Alexa’s horse stayed alongside his. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they’d been out together. Her hips rocked back and forth in the saddle with the motion of Jumper’s easy gait. Alexa didn’t even want to glance over to see what Hayes’s hips were doing. Her eyes needed to stay straight ahead.

The picturesque ranch was breathtaking. White fencing ran as far as the eye could see. The rolling hills were dotted with cattle in the distance. With the bright sun beating down on the land, Alexa found it hard to believe a storm would be rolling in soon.

She wanted to focus on enjoying the ride, but on occasion Hayes’s thigh would brush against hers and those tingles would start up all over again.

Good grief. She’d met the man only moments ago and already he held such power over her... How was that even possible?

Maybe she’d been too enveloped in her classroom and her son. Alexa needed to venture out more, as Sadie had said when she’d insisted Alexa take this vacation, but in her normal life...well, where would she go? It wasn’t as if she had guys asking her out or a large group of friends she went out with. She had Sadie, who taught in the class next to hers. They’d met in college and had been friends since. And she had Mason.

Alexa was fine being a single mother with not much of a social life. Her job right now was to be both mother and father to Mason, so anything else would have to wait. And that was more than okay. She had one guy in her life and he was more than enough.

“How long has this land been in your family?” she asked, desperate for a topic that would get her mind off the rugged, moody man and slice through the tension between them.

“My brothers and I are third-generation ranchers at Pebblebrook. My grandfather built the house that I live in.”

So he had mentioned before. “How many acres are there?”

“Over five thousand.”

Alexa had read that in the pamphlet for the B and B, which advertised the upcoming dude ranch. She’d asked because the last thing she wanted was silence. That would only be awkward and cause her daydreaming to start all over again.

Alexa couldn’t even imagine trying to keep up with all this land and the livestock, but of course the Elliotts had the funds to hire people to do all the maintenance and grunt work.

Her world consisted of wrangling four-year-olds all day and coming home to a rambunctious baby boy. Her life was quite different from the Elliotts’ ranch lifestyle. Part of her was proud of herself for taking this break Sadie had insisted and paid for. The other part of her wondered if Mason had enjoyed his morning snack of blueberries and bananas.

Maybe she should stop to call and check in.

“That’s the first barn my grandfather built on this land.”

Hayes cut into her thoughts with the history of the ranch. Up ahead, Alexa spotted a small barn, definitely old in comparison to the massive stone-and-metal structure at the beginning of the property. The Elliotts might be billionaires, but she could see the way they’d grown this estate from something small into something grand.

“You doin’ all right?” Even with the concerned question, Hayes had that low, gruff tone.

“Fine,” she replied.

“Want to explore more?”

Or turn back.

Alexa wasn’t quite ready to head back, but at the same time she knew he didn’t want to be out here with her. He probably preferred privacy.

“I could stay out here forever,” she replied, finding it to be true. “But I don’t want to keep you.”

He grunted, whatever that meant.

“Was that a reply?” she asked as she glanced over to him. It was nearly impossible to see his face in the shadow from his hat’s wide brim.

“I’ve got nothing,” he replied, sounding way too lost, too broken.

Alexa glanced at his hands on the reins. Scars randomly crossed over his taut knuckles. Those large, tanned hands no doubt had done so much. He was a soldier, a rancher. Everything about him screamed alpha and loner. For some insane reason, she found that attractive. She chalked it up to the fact that she always looked out for those in need, not that she found him irresistibly sexy.

Hayes was the exact opposite of her late husband. Before Scott had passed away, they’d been so in love and ready to spend the rest of their lives together. He was safe, made her feel safe. She hadn’t felt that way since he’d died of heart disease. The doctors had tried to comfort her by telling her there was no way they could have known he’d been born with the defect that had ultimately taken his life.

She hadn’t been able to save him. Not that she was a medical professional, but she had survivor’s guilt. There was no way to dodge it. And finding out she was pregnant only a week after she’d lost him had only added to the guilt.

Alexa was familiar with the emotion, even before Scott died. She had been only eight when her sister drowned while they were swimming. On their family vacation to the beach, they’d both gone out too far. A riptide pulled her sister out and it was all her father could do to save Alexa from being swept under as well. Years of remorse and counseling had held her family together.

So Alexa recognized the brokenness Hayes displayed.

Alexa gripped her reins and enjoyed the steady trot. They were going a bit faster than before and she figured Hayes had urged his horse to speed up and hers had followed suit. Someone like Hayes wouldn’t ask permission first, but he kept glancing her way to check on her.

“So you’re the only one around today?” she asked, needing to break up the thoughts swirling around in her head about the sexy man brushing his thigh against hers.

“There are a few workers milling about,” he replied. “I just happened to be the only one in the stables.”

“But you weren’t working.”

He threw her a glance and adjusted his hat. “I’d just gotten done at my house and decided to take a break and ride.”

So he had been planning on going out alone. “You could’ve told me to come back later.”

“I could’ve, but as you said, there’s a storm coming in later. You would’ve thought I was a jerk.”

Alexa couldn’t help but laugh. “You wouldn’t have felt bad for sending me away?”

Hayes shrugged and turned his horse slightly. Alexa followed. “I don’t have feelings anymore, but this is my family’s ranch and I know how hard they’ve worked.”