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.”Sensing he was threatening her—and Ryeland—an uneasy feeling moved through her.“I’m not one of theirs, and I’m not some object that can be shared.” Despite the heat of the morning, a cold chill raced down her spine.He shrugged but the warning was clear in his eyes as he pitched his voice low for her ears only.“Hey, look, I like you, and I say you can fuck whoever you want.But some don’t see it that way.”By some she guessed he meant Trevor.Wanting to put an end to the conversation, she turned from him and shaded the sun from her eyes as she scanned the crowd, looking for Ashley.“Mel,” Ashley called out when their gazes collided.Mel waved to the girl as Ashley yelled, “I got in!”While Mel liked the little girl, she was happy Ashley was placed in Cassandra Wilson’s camp and not hers.She was pretty certain Ryeland had lied to her, and his fight with his folks had everything to do with her.The last thing she wanted was to cause any more trouble between them.“Okay, girls, who’s ready to hit the trails?”A chorus of yesses sounded and Mel grabbed her ball cap from her bag and pulled it on.She guided the girls into the woods and for the first half of the morning they walked the trails.Mel pointed out different things to them, like which berries were edible and which weren’t, as well as all the animal tracks they came across.They made their way along Stone Squaw Trail, Cole’s warning rattling around inside her head.She didn’t want Trevor and his buddies going after Ryeland, not because of her.Her stomach grumbled, effectively turning her attention from Cole.She stopped the girls at the peak of the mountain, so they could all have a snack.“Miss Spencer,” one of the girls asked as Mel ripped in to a granola bar.“Can I bring Fluffy on the camping trip?”She looked at Sasha, the cute little redhead in pigtails.It reminded her of the way her mother used to do her hair, before her father went to jail and her mother turned to the bottle—and to a barrage of different men.She gave one of pigtails a little tug.“Who’s Fluffy?”“My dog.” She held her hands out about eight inches apart.“She’s little, and doesn’t like to sleep alone.”“We’re not supposed—” She stopped when she saw the girl’s chin tremble slightly, a good indication that it wasn’t really about Fluffy sleeping alone.Damn.Even though she could very well get into trouble—and hadn’t she recently lectured herself on nice girls finishing last—how could she say no? “Okay, but it will be our little secret.”The grin that lit up her little face was so precious that Mel grinned back.“Now go finish your snacks.” Sasha plopped back down onto the ground, and after everyone had finished eating, Mel asked, “Who’s up for horseback riding?”“Me.Me.Me,” they all chimed in at once.“So that’s a no?” Mel teased, stealing a glance at her watch.One by one they began jumping up, yelling “yes, yes, yes”.“Okay, let’s go then.”Mel led the girls along the path, coming out at the other end where the corrals were located.“Hey, Blake,” she said to the head ranch hand.“Looks like I have a group of girls who want to ride the horses this afternoon.”Blake tipped his Stetson, showcasing his graying hair.“Well, what do we have here? You little fillies looking to lasso some cattle? I’ve got me some misbehavin’ sheep over there.”The girls giggled and all started talking at once and pointing to the horses in the corral.“All right, come this way.” A sparkle danced in his blue eyes as he winked at Mel.She followed along at the end of the line and when they entered the shaded barn and passed by one of the stalls, Mel’s heart jumped into her throat.What the hell?Even with his back to her, she’d recognize Ryeland anywhere.Hot.Hard.Cut.With a cowboy hat on his head, he stood there shirtless, his broad shoulder muscles flexing and relaxing again as he brushed down one of the horses.Her gaze fell lower, taking pleasure in the way his jeans hung low on his hips, showcasing one the finest backsides she’d ever had the pleasure of setting eyes on.As the temperature inside the barn jumped, she suddenly realized Blake was talking to her.“Uh…what?” she asked.“How about we get Ryeland to help out?”At the sound of his name, Ryeland turned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]