A Cowboy's Promise Read online

  “Now that you mention it, no.”

  “I don’t want to horn in, but I’ve encountered quite a few, so if you’d like me to help her through the basics before you take off down the trail, I’d be happy to.”

  “I would appreciate that. I’d be willing to pay for—”

  “Are you kidding? After the way Libby’s mother insulted horses and the people who ride them, I’d consider it a public service. I’m not planning to charge you for the use of Strawberry, either.”

  “That’s not right.”

  “Hey, I can make that decision if I want to. And I want to. Now get busy. Your lady will be arriving shortly.”

  Greg was all too aware of that. He’d been awake since five with a knot of worry lodged in his stomach. When he used to live here, he’d been a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. He’d attended that party hoping to find a woman willing to share some time in the back of his truck. And he’d found Libby. Did she still see him that way? He hoped not, because he wasn’t that guy anymore.

  She’d asked him to teach her to ride, and that puzzled him. Picking up a brush, he began whisking the dust from Bob’s golden coat. She could have taken him up on his offer of coffee, or in her case, tea. Instead she’d asked for a riding lesson. Why? Everyone in town knew that Wild Creek Ranch provided lessons. Libby could have contacted Kendra instead of asking him.

  Her choice indicated she wanted more than a riding lesson. But how much more?

  About that time, she arrived in her silver hatchback. She gave them a little wave as she drove past and parked up by the house next to his truck. As she left her car and started down to the barn, he stopped what he was doing long enough to call out a greeting, but then he had to duck his head and control the urge to laugh. She was dressed for a garden party.

  Her loose-fitting pants were made of a dark green material that looked expensive and she wore loafers. Her white blouse could be silk for all he knew and her hat was a wide-brimmed straw contraption. Before she’d taken two steps, a breeze caught her hat and she clapped her hand on the brim to keep it from flying away. This would be more of a challenge than he’d counted on.

  Kendra didn’t look at him as she spoke in an undertone. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” She walked toward Libby, hand extended. “Welcome to Wild Creek Ranch!”

  “I’ve always wanted to see your place.” She shook Kendra’s hand. “It’s beautiful.” The wind tugged at her hat. “But I might need something to tie this down. I didn’t think about wind.”

  “I have a better idea.” Kendra turned back toward him. “I’m gonna borrow Libby for a minute, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure thing! I’ll finish saddling Bob.” Thank God for Kendra.

  He was finished and leaning against the rail when they returned. Libby had on a red ball cap with Wild Creek Ranch embroidered on the front and a pair of boots that had seen better days, but they had a decent heel and she’d be more likely to keep her feet in the stirrups.

  “She wouldn’t take my Stetson,” Kendra said as they approached.

  “No way!” Libby looked cute as hell in that red ball cap. “I know what those hats cost. This’ll be fine.”

  “I told her she could keep it.” The mischievous gleam in Kendra’s eyes said she was hoping Libby would show it off to her mother.

  “I’d love to.” Libby tugged on the brim so it shaded her eyes more. “I’ve never had a ball cap.”

  “Never?” Greg found that hard to believe. “Not even when you were a kid?”

  “Especially not then. Mom told me little ladies didn’t wear ball caps.” She held out one foot. “Or boots like this. I’m lucky Kendra and I wear the same size.”

  “She wouldn’t take my good boots, either.”

  “These are fine. I didn’t realize I needed a heel to keep my foot from slipping through the stirrup.” She laughed. “I have shoes with heels, but you wouldn’t have wanted me to show up in stilettos. Loafers were the best I could do.”

  “Well, you didn’t know.” Greg’s protective instincts kicked in. Her earnest efforts to get this right touched him.

  “That’s for sure.” She glanced up at him. “Kendra said she’d start me off with some basics since you might not realize how much I don’t know.”

  “I think that’s a very good idea. I’ll stand by and watch.” He positioned himself off to the side and Kendra went to work.

  She introduced Libby to Strawberry and taught her how to pet the horse. He wished he could get away with videoing the process because he’d never seen anything more endearing. Libby hung on Kendra’s every word and followed her instructions to the letter. Eventually she was mounted on Strawberry with her stirrups adjusted and the reins held loosely in her hand.

  Her expression was radiant as she gave him a smile of triumph. He responded with two thumbs up. Meanwhile his breathing was wonky and his mouth was dry. Gazing at Libby sitting proudly in the saddle with the morning sun on her pale gold hair got to him.

  She was no longer a ten-year-old memory or the pretty woman behind the counter at the bank. She was a very real possibility. She’d asked to step into his world and she looked damn good there. Until now he hadn’t dared dream big when it came to Libby Tesler. Now he was beginning to.

  * * *

  Libby was so excited she couldn’t see straight. Kendra declared that she’d had enough preliminary instruction to head out on the trail, so that meant it was time for Greg to mount up. Watching him swing effortlessly into the saddle gave her heart palpitations.

  He glanced over at her and smiled. “Just follow me.”

  Anywhere. “I’ll be right behind you.” Livin’ the dream.

  They had to go through a gate. Greg dismounted to open it and motioned her through before closing it again and remounting. She paid close attention to every movement of his muscular body.

  When he rode up beside her, she did her best not to hyperventilate. She’d never been so close to a mounted cowboy and this one had more appeal than any she’d ever met.

  He peered at her. “How’re you doing?”

  “Good.” She swallowed. “Excellent.” She was very fond of his light green eyes. He also had a small mole near his cheekbone. She’d never been close enough to notice that before. He used a citrus aftershave, maybe even the same one she remembered from that night. His full bottom lip was slightly chapped and his chin—

  “You look a little spaced out.”

  She took a deep breath and lowered her gaze. “I’m just excited. I’ve always wanted to try this.” With you. Looking down didn’t help. Now she was focused on his belt buckle, which might be a prize for something. Below that was his fly.

  “Why didn’t you?”

  She glanced up quickly. Getting caught checking him out wouldn’t be cool. “I knew it would upset my parents, especially my mom.”

  “She must be afraid you’ll get hurt, but you’re as safe on Strawberry as you would be in your car. Safer, really. He’s a steady horse and we’re just going to walk down the trail.”

  “I believe you, but she wouldn’t.”

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t gone that far in my thinking. But I didn’t mention I was coming.”

  He nodded. “She won’t hear it from me.”

  “I know.” She hesitated, but she had planned to bring up the subject so she might as well do it now. “This is the first time I’ve had a chance to thank you for keeping your promise.”

  Emotion flashed in his gaze and was gone. “You’re welcome.”

  “I know you didn’t tell anybody in Eagles Nest or it would have gotten back to me, but I always wondered if you’d talked about it to your friends on the rodeo circuit. You know, like men sometimes do. If you did, it’s okay, but I just—”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Sorry. I’m sounding paranoid. What if you had told strangers? It’s not important.” But having a secret only the two of them shared was nice.

/>   “Here’s the funny thing. I wouldn’t have told anyone even if you hadn’t made me promise. It was too important. Too special.”

  She sucked in a breath. The way he was looking at her gave her goosebumps. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “It’s the truth. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about—” His horse pranced a little and snorted. “Well, I guess Bob’s getting restless. We should go.” He nudged the horse in the ribs and moved on ahead of her.

  She would have liked to hear the rest of that sentence, but maybe it was a conversation for a time when they weren’t sitting on horses. “Did you name him Bob?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “I wondered. It’s such an ordinary name for such a pretty horse.”

  He turned in the saddle to smile at her. “His full name’s not so ordinary. It’s Sponge Bob Square Pants.”

  “No!”

  He laughed. “Afraid so.” He faced forward again. “I’d change it to something else but he’s nine and used to it. I think I’d only confuse him.”

  “No wonder you shortened it to Bob.” She checked the position of her feet in the stirrups and settled in to quietly enjoy the view. She hadn’t been wrong about how great he’d look riding a horse. Any angle was good, but when she was behind him he had no idea that she was focused on how nicely the saddle cupped his buns and how sexy he looked when his thighs flexed as he shifted his weight.

  She also liked hearing his voice, so she picked up the thread of the conversation. “My cat’s name is Hermione.”

  “Sounds like a good name for a cat.”

  “Hermione is a major character in the Harry Potter series.”

  “That rings a bell. Didn’t read them but saw a couple of the movies.”

  “How do you feel about cats?”

  “I like cats. Matter of fact, I like most animals. They have a lot to teach us.”

  “I agree.” And he’d just moved up several notches in her estimation. What a thrill to discover that the man she’d been crushing on for so long had more than a deliciously sexy body. He also had something far more important—a good heart.

  Chapter Three

  The ride wasn’t that far along and Greg was already focused on things he shouldn’t be focused on. Like once they made it through this open meadow, they’d be into the trees, a combination of pine and aspen that offered shadows and privacy. He still wasn’t totally clear on why Libby had asked for this riding lesson, but just now she’d brought up the night they’d had sex ten years ago.

  It wasn’t a good topic to discuss while they were riding down the trail, though. If they were going to talk about it some more, and he wanted to, then they should get off the horses so they could stand face-to-face. Maybe he’d test the waters by suggesting they take a break. Her response should tell him a lot.

  He turned back to look at her. Damn, but that ball cap was cute. It didn’t cancel out her air of elegance and refinement but it added a quirkiness that he hadn’t seen before. Maybe she wasn’t his type, but when she was wearing that cap, she almost looked as if she might be.

  Apparently she noticed he was staring at her and not talking. “What’s up?”

  “Just thinking that I don’t want you to get saddle sore on your first day. If you want, we could take a break when we get into the trees. Dismount, walk around, work the kinks out.”

  “That sounds good.”

  “Then we’ll do that.” Okay, she was fine with stopping. He wouldn’t assume anything. Play it by ear. Stay alert to any signals she was giving off.

  He waited until the trees had closed around them. Strawberry blended into the shadows somewhat, but Bob didn’t, so they needed to get deep into the forest to disguise a showy horse like Bob. This area wasn’t heavily traveled, though. McGavin trails were noted for giving people a sense of wilderness even when they were only minutes from the ranch.

  Pulling Bob to a halt, he looked over his shoulder. “Don’t try to get down by yourself. Let me help you.”

  “I’ll wait. It’s a long way to the ground.”

  “You’ll get used to it the more you do this.” He swung down from the saddle and dropped Bob’s reins. The horse had been trained to stay put and so had Strawberry.

  “Then you’d be willing to bring me out again?”

  “Sure.” She had no idea what he’d be willing to do, but he wouldn’t lay all his cards on the table yet. He had some self-protective instincts. One step at a time. Walking over to her, he held out his hand. “Give me the reins.” Once he had them, he looped them over Strawberry’s head and dropped them. “This is called ground tying. Horses are trained to think they’re literally tied to the ground and they won’t go anywhere.”

  “That’s handy.”

  “People who work with horses all the time look for ways to be more efficient about it. And practical. A well-trained horse makes life so much simpler.”

  “Same with well-trained humans.”

  Startled, he met her gaze.

  “That just slipped out. I don’t know what it means.”

  He could hazard a guess. She was ready to break training and he could be the one she’d chosen to help her. That didn’t mean he’d be the one she’d end up with. Fooling around with Libby was a gamble. He might hit the jackpot and he might lose his shirt.

  But he remembered the taste of her lips, even after all these years. He remembered the warmth of her body and the pleasure of sinking into it. For a potential chance to experience that again, he’d take the gamble.

  He positioned himself next to Strawberry. “Take your feet out of the stirrups and swivel toward me so you can slide right into my arms.”

  She met his gaze, challenging him. “And then what?”

  “I don’t know. Your call.”

  “You said the same thing ten years ago.”

  “Is that what you want, Libby? What I gave you ten years ago? A forbidden thrill I’d promise not to talk about?” God help him, he’d go along with it. He was that desperate.

  “No, that’s not what I want.” She swung her right leg over and turned in the saddle. “Help me down.”

  He spanned her waist with both hands and steadied her as she slid to the ground. Then he stood looking at her, his chest heaving. “What do you want?”

  “More.”

  “I don’t know what that means.”

  “I’ll bet you do. I’m the girl who was taught that riding was smelly and dangerous, the one who wasn’t allowed to wear a ball cap or jeans, the one who was expected to marry a dweeb like Jeff.”

  “Jeff? The ex?”

  “He told me I had to get rid of Hermione before we could get married.”

  “What a sonofabitch.”

  “Yes, he is.” She smiled. “I’ve always been expected to give up what I want, to be someone I’m not. I want more than that.”

  “Then you’ve come to the right place.” Throwing caution to the winds, he tossed aside his Stetson, pulled off her ball cap, and kissed her.

  Her mouth was as lush as he remembered and her soft moan encouraged him to drag her closer. The years fell away and he was twenty again, kissing a woman who tasted like forever. At twenty that had scared him. He wasn’t scared anymore.

  Her body sought his, molding, enticing, tempting him. He cupped her sweet ass and nestled her against his aching package…ah, there, right there. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he nudged the tender spot between her thighs and she whimpered. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

  Lifting his mouth from hers, he gulped for air. “Libby…”

  “I know.” Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she struggled to breathe. “I wondered if it would be like this.”

  “That night…” He brushed his mouth over hers as he fought for control. “Seems like yesterday. I keep thinking of—”

  “Let’s go back.”

  “We just left.”

  “You don’t want me to get saddle sore.”

  “God, no.”


  “One more kiss and we’ll go.” She pulled his head down.

  He delved into her warm mouth with a deep groan of pleasure laced with frustration. She was so soft, so warm and willing. He had to touch her. Had to. He undid just enough buttons to reach in and unhook her bra.

  With a gasp, she ended the kiss. “Here?”

  “Just this much.” He cradled the weight of her breast and heat surged in his groin. Gazing into her eyes, he watched them darken as he stroked his thumb over her tight nipple. “Just this. Then we’ll go.”

  “But it’s…it’s broad daylight.”

  “So it is.” Slowly he massaged her silken skin. He was torturing himself, but he was willing to suffer for this memory of loving her, just a little bit, on this golden day.

  “I’ve never let anyone…”

  “I know.” He glanced down. Dappled light played across her creamy skin and the rosy peak of her nipple. “And look how beautiful you are covered in sunshine.”

  She blushed, but she lowered her gaze. Her breath caught and she placed her hand over his. “You’re so tan. I’m so—”

  “Tempting. Incredibly tempting.” He took a shaky breath. “We should go.” He leaned down and gave the tip of her breast a farewell kiss. Then he fastened her bra and buttoned her blouse. “We’ll ride out here again. Next time I’ll be prepared.”

  * * *

  Aroused and unsteady, Libby gratefully accepted Greg’s help to get back on her horse. She took the reins he handed up and accepted the ball cap he brushed off before giving it to her. “Thank you.” She finger-combed her hair before putting it on. “I’ll bet I’m a mess.”

  He smiled. “You’d lose that bet.”

  “Come on, now. My lipstick’s gone and my nose must be shiny. I’m sure my hair needs brushing, too.”

  “All because you’ve been kissing me. Do you wish you hadn’t?”

  “Of course not. But normally when I get mussed up there’s not so much light. I feel kind of exposed.”