Rugged Cowboy: A Grumpy Sunshine Western Romance

Chapter 12

Yoga hadn’t been as bad as he’d expected. In fact, it had felt good to stretch his muscles in some of those poses. Though it had been sheer hell when he’d been bent over and Viv had grabbed a hold of his hips and pulled him up, her own groin right at his hip level. He’d hardened immediately and was grateful he could somewhat hide it for the next few poses, even faking some movements, using his back injury as an excuse, so she couldn’t see his erection. Seeing her in the skintight electric purple pants and what could only be described generously as a sports bra fanned his desire higher, and he had to remain focused on the ground or distant hills to take his mind off the image. Since they were outside, he just prayed his cousin didn’t decide this would be a great morning to check out the class. Wade would never live it down.

Then the ultimate insult, the goat, the bane of his existence, plopped its hairy ass in his lap as he was trying to calm his raging desires for his instructor, and promptly fell asleep. Though maybe that wasn’t so bad since Viv was staring at him with a mixture of awe and that sweet look women got when they saw something adorable. Maybe he could turn it to his advantage.

Viv sat on the mat next to him, stroked the goat’s ears, and said, “I told you yoga wouldn’t kill you. Does your back feel better?”

“I think it was the personal massage and hot tub more than the yoga, but yes.” He’d love to have another session with her hands on him. That would go a long way in making another part of him feel better, too.

She blushed.“Well, they’re all part of the therapy. You should sit in the tub today and consider another massage.”

“Are you offering?”

She only blushed and kept her eyes on the goat, but then she nodded.“I have time later today. I’ll check the book for openings in the room.”

He watched her for several long moments, then blurted out, “Come camping with me.”

She lifted her head and studied him soberly for a moment.“Why?”

“You’ve shared your world with me. I’d like to share mine. Besides, the Perseid meteor shower starts this week, and it’s amazing what you can see out in the middle of nowhere, with no city lights or anything to block your view.”

“You can also get eaten by bears or wolves,” she countered.

“I won’t let that happen. And Festus will protect you, too. Come on. You’re due for some time off.”

One of her eyebrows lifted.“You’ve been keeping track of my time off?”

“A good manager monitors all staff and ensures they have adequate downtime to recover. Besides, you don’t want to miss this, even if it is a bit early for the best viewing. We could always go again when it’s better.”

Her teeth worried at her lower lip and she considered his words.“Will I have to ride a horse?”

“Consider it another adventure.”

“What makes you think I want adventure?”

Was she kidding? Viv was made for adventures.“You came out here from New York. Pretty different from a ranch. You tracked down a goat, twice, in a field. You faced a herd of cattle and then yelled at the person rescuing you. Why else would you have done any of those things if not for the excitement?”

He stifled a smile as she wrinkled her nose.“I’m not sure I like how you read me so well. But I’m not really a camping kind of woman. Five-star hotels with indoor plumbing? Yes. Fancy RVs with a built-in bathroom? Sure. Glamping with mattresses and those nice tents? That might be the extent I’m willing to try.”

He took her hand in his, the feel of her softness under his reminding him of how they felt on his back, on his chest, on his cock, and he had to tell himself to calm the fuck down.“Trust me. You’ll like this.”

She eyed him suspiciously, then slowly nodded.“Fine, but if I see a bear or get attacked by wolves, I’ll haunt you forever.”

He solemnly nodded back.“I would expect nothing less.”

* * *

Wade had had a few days to calm down his back, along with the torture that was therapy with Viv, before their camping trip. Nothing else happened during their massages or early morning yoga sessions, and he found himself looking forward to both of them. He enjoyed the yoga for the gentle exercise it gave him and the time he spent with Viv. And the massages allowed him to get to know the witty and smart woman underneath the sexy as hell exterior. Despite all the getting to know her, he still felt like they were balanced on the edge of a knife, like this was all foreplay, and he wondered how it would play out on their camping trip.

Finally, the day arrived, as did Viv, with the gear he’d told her to pack. She gestured to the bag at her feet.“I did as you ordered. Pack the opposite of anything I think I would need. Which seems counterproductive because I wanted to pack my bear spray, my whistle, my running shoes, and, oh yeah, not even go on this trip.”

He snorted as he tossed her bag on the pack horse they were bringing.“Bear spray can work, but the range is in question. Usually about fifteen to twenty feet.”

She stared at him, her jaw gaping.“That’s not very far.”

“Nope. And if a bear is charging you, well, they move pretty damn fast. Faster than you can run. So, trust me, while it can help, it’s not the best option. Besides, we’ll be fine where we’re going. Trust me.”

Festus skidded into the barn and right into Viv, rolling on his back for some loving. Wade grunted.“Festus will give any warning if there’s anything to worry about.”

She glanced up at him.“Why did you name him Festus? Is that after the uncle in The Addams Family?”

He grinned.“No, that’s Uncle Fester, but good guess, and never let the family hear you say that. Every dog has been named after a character on Gunsmoke. I wanted to name him Fester, and they were appalled. He had to be named a character on Gunsmoke. Hell, I’d never even heard of, much less watched, Gunsmoke before I came here. Do you have any idea how many seasons there are? There are twenty. And yes, I had to watch all of them.”

A laugh burst out of her.“That sounds painful.”

“What’s worse is I started to like it.”

Her laugh echoed in the barn and Festus jumped up and licked her face. She hugged him and stood up.“So, is it just us?”

He nodded.“We’re doing a formal trip for guests in a week for the Perseid meteor shower. I need to check out the site, make sure everything is ready.”

She planted her hands on her hips, mock outrage in her tone.“So, this is all work for you? I thought I was someone special.”

“Of course you are. You think I want to go out there alone with just Cisco and Festus? You could wait until next week and go with everyone else, but I thought you might like a sneak peek and check it out yourself, along with maybe consider setting up one of your moonlight yoga sessions.”

She rolled her eyes and shoved him.“Enough with the flattery. I’m already here. Let’s go. But a moonlight yoga session isn’t a bad idea. It might work out any soreness from the trail ride.”