He released a stirrup and secured a buckle. “People who are falling in love gallop their horses along the beach all the time.”
Maybe so. But there was no way in this world Sydney was galloping any horse anywhere anytime soon. “Couldn’t we just go to a movie?”
He rocked the saddle back and forth on the horse’s back. “Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s a long way to Wichita Falls.”
“What about a picnic? You, me, some ants, maybe a bottle of wine?”
“We want Katie to see us.”
Good point. Cole and Sydney alone in a meadow didn’t do anybody any good. Well, except maybe for the cowboy Viking fantasy she was working on. The one where Cole dragged her into his strong arms and kissed her until she swooned.
“Maybe you could double me on your horse?” That ought to give Katie something to think about.
“I wouldn’t do that to my horse.”
“Hey!”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so sensitive. I’m the heavy one, not you.”
She scrambled for an alternative, any alternative. “I know. We could mess up our clothes and our hair and let Katie think we had sex.”
He walked the smaller of the two horses over to the porch. “On our first date?”
“What? Are you a prude?”
“No, I’m not a prude. Come over here and get on.”
She shook her head, moving backward until she came up against the cabin wall. “Then why not on a first date?”
“Because I’m supposed to be falling in love with you. Come on. Clarabelle won’t hurt you.”
He couldn’t have sex if he was falling in love? “Don’t tell me this is a good girl, bad girl thing.”
His eyes darkened to cobalt and a shiver ran up her spine. “This is a horseback-riding thing.”
“Because, if you’ve got some hang-up-”
“What? You’ll refuse to marry me.” His look turned challenging.
But then, Sydney was up for a challenge. There was nothing wrong with sex on a first date. Not that she’d ever done it. But she could have if she’d wanted to.
“I won’t refuse to marry you,” she answered, striking a pose. “But you’ll have to tell me which kind of girl you want me to be.”
His nostrils flared.
There. Now he was the one off balance. She took a few bold steps forward and her breasts came level with his eyes.
She made a show of reaching past his shoulder to pat the horse. It twitched at the contact-a warm muscle jumping against her fingers. She let her voice go husky. “Which kind do you want me to be, Cole?”
“Sydney.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t do this.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t flirt with me.”
She blinked in mock innocence. “I’m simply asking a question.”
“No, you’re not.” He swung up on the porch, positioning himself behind her, speaking very close to her right ear, making her skin vibrate with his gravelly, sensual voice. “What you’re asking for is trouble.”
He was right. Tall, strong, sexy and right. And if that was trouble, bring it on.
But his voice went back to normal. “Hold on to the saddle horn,” he instructed, placing his hand on the back of hers and moving it into place. “You’re going to put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your leg over the saddle.”
Sydney tensed. Flirting, she knew. Horses were something else entirely. “Listen, I’ve never, ever-”
“It’s easy.”
She fought his grip. “Cole.”
“She’s calm and gentle, and she’ll follow right along behind me.”
“I’m scared,” Sydney admitted. What if the horse bucked? What if she fell? What if she was trampled?
“Tighten your grip.” He pressed her hand against the hard leather of the horn. His palm was warm and sure, and for a moment she relaxed.
“I’m right behind you.” He nudged her forward, urging her closer to the horse. “Foot in the stirrup now.”
She took a deep breath and did it.
“Up and over.” He placed a broad palm under her butt and all but lifted her into position.
It was a quick thrill, but a thrill all the same. And now she was straddling a shifting horse, staring down at a rough-and-ready cowboy with a knowing glint in his blue eyes.
She could feel the heat coming off her cheeks and tiny quivers jumping in her thigh muscles.
“For the record,” he said, back to husky and sexy.
“Yeah?”
“You should feel free to be good
It was a long mile from Cole’s cabin near the creek up to Katie and Kyle’s house on the hill. They took it at a slow walk, and Clarabelle followed the black horse along a faint trail through a wildflower meadow. Sydney’s thigh muscles grew tight, but otherwise the ride went without incident.
“Katie said you used to live up here,” she called to Cole as the two-story house rose up in front of them.
He twisted in the saddle to look back. “I moved out when Kyle got married.”
“Was it just the two of you?”
He nodded, then did something to drop his horse back so they were side by side. “My parents died when I was twenty. Kyle was eighteen.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It was tough. But at least we had Grandma.”
“The matchmaking grandmother.”
Cole smiled. Then his eyes dimmed. “She’s going to be really excited about you.”
Sydney felt a twinge of guilt. Grandmas didn’t seem like the kind of people you should lie to.
“Will it be okay?” she asked.
He seemed to ponder the question. “Well, she’ll definitely book the church. Probably start baking the cake.”
He brought the horses to a halt but didn’t dismount. “You know, if we want to pull this off, we’d better make sure we have our stories straight.”
Trying to lighten the mood, she tossed her hair over her shoulders. “How about you fell head over heels and I’m marrying you out of pity?”
“That’ll work.”
“Cole, I was only-”
“It
Katie appeared at the back door, giving an exuberant wave. “Sydney. You’re still here?”
Sydney smiled at Katie. “Cole offered to teach me how to ride,” she called back, deciding it was better to stick to the truth as far as they could.
Katie skipped toward them. “That’s fantastic.”
Sydney shifted in her saddle. “It’s pretty hard on the butt. I don’t know how you guys do it.”
“Callouses,” said Cole as he dismounted. Then he grinned at her. “You’ll be developing some soon.”
Was he flirting?
He looked as though he was flirting.
And she’d sure felt a shiver at the reference to her butt.
He walked a few paces and tied his horse. Then he came back for her. “You want some help down?”
