Chapter 5
Connor
Avoiding Ryder turned out to be a bit more difficult than I imagined.
I threw myself into work, being the first to volunteer whenever Larry needed something done.
I thought getting away from the main house would keep me away from Ryder, but he had a tendency to show up at all times, either on horseback or on an ATV.
Thankfully I was almost never alone, so he couldn’t flirt too hard.
Eventually he’d get bored and give up, but those encounters always left me shaky, hot, and tighter in my jeans than I wanted to admit.
That boy was going to be the death of me.
And today, my volunteering had landed me in the saddle with a lasso at my side and several calves that needed to be caught for their vaccinations.
There was no veterinarian and other ex-cons didn’t know how to ride.
So that meant I was the only person on the ranch that could lend the regular hands some help.
“Damn, boy!” Larry cried as I roped a calf on my first try. “You’re not half bad at this. Where’d you learn to do that?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
I wrapped the rope around the horn of my saddle, making sure the calf didn’t get away. “I worked with a performing troupe for a little bit. We all had some tricks and mine was rope.”
“That’s pretty impressive,” Larry nodded. “Who knew that would come in handy, huh?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, watching as one of the ranch hands got a hold of the calf and delivered the vaccinations before letting it go.
I pulled my rope back in, extremely conscious of the fact that I was leaving out that I usually tied people up as part of that performance troupe, since, you know, it was for a burlesque show. “Who knew?”
“Better keep those skills quiet,” Larry said with a wink. “Pete starts hearin’ how good you are with a rope, he’ll have you workin’ extra shifts.”
I laughed, feeling a rare moment of ease. Something about being on horseback with the wide-open sky above me made prison feel like a distant memory. I scanned the field, spotting another calf separated from its mother.
“I got this one,” I called to Larry, nudging my horse forward.
The calf saw me coming and bolted, but I was ready.
I swung the lasso overhead, feeling the familiar rhythm, the perfect weight of the rope in my hand.
With a flick of my wrist, I sent the loop sailing through the air.
It dropped neatly around the calf’s neck, a perfect catch.
The satisfaction that surged through me was almost as good as sex.
Almost.
“Son of a bitch, that was pretty!” Larry hollered, riding toward me. “You’re a natural, Connor!”
I shrugged, trying not to look too pleased with myself. In prison, standing out was dangerous. But out here, under this endless Montana sky, it felt good to be recognized for something I was actually skilled at.
The sound of an approaching engine caught my attention.
I turned to see a cloud of dust rising from the ranch road, and my stomach immediately tightened.
An ATV appeared over the ridge, and even from this distance, I recognized the rider.
Ryder McGrath, coming to observe our work. Or more likely, coming to observe me.
“Looks like the young boss is paying us a visit,” Larry said, following my gaze.
I kept my expression neutral. “Guess he’s checking on our progress.”
“Guess so,” Larry replied, but there was something knowing in his tone that made me wonder how much he knew about the boss’s son.
Ryder pulled his ATV to a stop at the fence line, killing the engine before hopping off with athletic grace. He leaned against the fence, watching us work. Even from here, I could see that damned smirk on his face.
“Don’t mind me,” he called out, waving a hand. “Just wanted to see how the vaccination was going.”
Larry tipped his hat. “Going just fine. Your new boy here’s got some skills with a rope.”
Ryder’s eyes found mine, and even across the distance between us, I felt the heat of his gaze like a physical touch. “Is that so?”
The way he said it made my mouth go dry. I turned away, focusing on adjusting my lasso, getting ready for the next calf. But I couldn’t shake the image of Ryder in my head, tied up from neck to knee in a beautiful shibari harness. It would be art… truly.
“Show him what you can do, Connor,” Larry encouraged, completely oblivious to the tension crackling between Ryder and me.
I cleared my throat. “We’ve got work to finish.”
“Go on,” Larry insisted. “The boss’s son wants to see what you can do. Might as well impress him.”
I sighed, knowing I had no other choice.
I guided my horse away from the herd, scanning for a calf that would make for a good demonstration. My heart hammered in my chest, knowing Ryder was watching my every move. I spotted a quick little heifer about fifty yards out, separate from the others and skittish as hell. Perfect.
“That one,” I called to Larry, pointing her out. “Good luck with her,” he chuckled. “She’s been giving us the slip all morning.”
I nudged my horse forward, keeping my movements smooth and controlled. The calf spotted me and took off running, zigzagging across the field. I pressed my knees into my horse’s sides, urging him to follow. The animal responded immediately, seeming to understand exactly what I wanted.
As we gained on the calf, I began swinging the lasso above my head, feeling the weight of it, letting it build momentum. I kept my eyes locked on my target, blocking out everything else, especially the green-eyed devil watching from the fence.
The calf darted left, then right, but I anticipated the movement. With a flick of my wrist, I sent the loop flying. It sailed through the air in a perfect arc before dropping around the calf’s neck. I pulled back, tightening the loop just enough to hold her but not hurt her.
Larry whooped from behind me. “Goddamn! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”
I allowed myself a small smile as I wrapped the rope around my saddle horn and brought the calf to a stop. One of the other ranch hands rode over to administer the vaccine while I kept the rope taut.
Only then did I dare look over at Ryder.
He was leaning forward against the fence, his lips slightly parted, eyes wide with what looked like genuine admiration and something else.
Something hungrier. Clearly, I was turning him on in ways he’d never experienced before.
I wasn’t sure if I was proud or terrified.
“Where the hell did you learn to do that?” he called out, pushing himself off the fence and walking closer.
I shrugged, trying to seem casual. “Picked it up here and there.”
“Here and there, my ass,” Larry laughed. “Boy says he used to do it in some kind of performing troupe. Never seen anything like it.”
Ryder’s eyebrows shot up. “A performing troupe? Like a rodeo or something?”
I kept my face carefully blank. “Something like that.”
Once the calf was vaccinated, I loosened the rope and let her go, pulling my lasso back in with practiced ease. I coiled it at my side, trying not to notice how Ryder’s eyes followed my hands as I worked.
“You got any more to do?” Ryder asked Larry, though his eyes never left me.
“Just three more,” Larry replied. “Shouldn’t take long with Connor’s help.”
“Mind if I stick around and watch?” Ryder’s smile was all innocence, but his eyes were anything but. “I feel like a kid at the rodeo.”
“Free country,” I muttered, turning my horse away from him without ceremony.
Larry chuckled, oblivious to the tension. “Suit yourself. Might learn something new.”
I tried to focus on the task at hand rather than the man watching me with those hungry green eyes.
The next calf proved trickier, darting between a cluster of larger cattle.
I guided my horse around the perimeter, waiting for a clear shot.
When the opening came, I seized it, swinging my lasso with precision.
The loop settled perfectly once again around the calf’s neck.
“Beautiful!” Ryder called out, his voice carrying across the field.
My face burned at the praise, and I kept my eyes fixed on the calf as one of the hands approached to administer the vaccine.
Damn him for affecting me this way. I’d managed to keep my desires in check for seven years in prison, surrounded by men with nothing but time and frustration.
Yet one spoiled ranch owner’s son had me hot under the collar with just a look.
But I knew what kind of game he was playing, and I refused to take part in it.
The next two calves went just as smoothly. With each successful catch, Ryder’s admiration became more obvious, his posture more tense. He was practically vibrating with excitement by the time I roped the final calf.
“That’s all of ‘em,” Larry announced, riding up beside me as the last calf was released. “Damn fine work today, Connor.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. “It felt good to be useful.”
“You’re more than useful,” Larry said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Pete’s gonna be mighty pleased when he hears about this. We’ve been short on skilled ropers since old Jim retired.”
Great. The last thing I needed was more attention from the McGrath family.
As Larry and the other hands started heading back toward the barn, I lingered behind, taking my time coiling my rope. I hoped Ryder would follow the others, but of course, that would’ve been too easy.
“Need some help?” he asked, approaching my horse.
“I can coil a rope all by myself,” I replied, not looking at him.
“You know,” he said, resting one hand on my horse’s neck, “when Dad said we were getting a new batch of guys, I didn’t expect any of them to have actual skills.”
I snorted. “What, you think ex-cons are just worthless criminals?”
“No,” he answered, surprising me with his sincerity. “But most of them just do the bare minimum to get through their probation. You’re... different.”
I finally looked down at him. The sun caught his strawberry-blonde hair, making it glow like burnished copper. His lips were curved in a smile that seemed almost genuine rather than teasing for once.
“Different how?” I asked, immediately regretting giving him an opening.
His green eyes sparkled. “You care about doing the job right. You take pride in your work.” He paused, his voice dropping lower. “And you’re fucking incredible with those hands.”
There it was. I wondered how long it would take him to add some sort of flirtation to the mix. The man was insufferable.
“Yeah, well, I’ll be keeping those hands to myself.”
Ryder’s expression shifted, his playful smirk replaced by something more genuine. He stepped closer to my horse, lowering his voice.
“You don’t have to keep them to yourself,” he said, his eyes holding mine. “Not on my account.”
I tightened my grip on the reins, the leather creaking beneath my fingers. “Look, I meant what I said before. I’m not here to play games. I’ve got six months to get through without screwing up, and then I’m gone.”
“Who says it has to be a game?” Ryder asked, reaching up to stroke my horse’s mane, his fingers brushing against my thigh. “Maybe I just like what I see.”
My body responded traitorously to his words, heat pooling in my groin. I shifted in the saddle, trying to hide my reaction. “Your father would have me back in prison before sundown if he knew what you were suggesting.”
Ryder laughed, the sound rich and untroubled. “Dad doesn’t need to know everything that happens on this ranch.”
“Easy for you to say,” I countered, anger flaring suddenly. “You’re not the one with everything to lose.”
His smile faltered slightly. “You think I don’t have anything to lose?”
“Not like I do.” I gathered the reins, preparing to ride away. “This isn’t just a job for me. It’s my freedom. And you,” I scoffed. “Well, you’re just a rich boy used to getting what he wants. But I’m not gonna be your plaything.”
Before I could nudge my horse forward, Ryder placed his hand fully on my leg. The touch sent electricity through my body. I don’t think I’d ever gotten hard that fast in my life.
“I saw the way you handled that rope,” he said, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “The control, the precision. I bet you know exactly how to use it for... other things.”
My breath caught. The bastard had figured me out completely. I stared down at him, fighting the urge to grab him by that expensive shirt and pull him up into the saddle with me.
“You don’t know what you’re playing with,” I warned, my voice rough.
His eyes darkened. “Maybe I want to find out.”
I leaned down, close enough that I could smell his cologne, see the faint freckles across his nose.
He seemed to gravitate towards me, pulled in by all that pent up frustration I was exuding.
But I had him right where I wanted him. Then, with all the softness in the world, I gave him the last answer he ever wanted to hear.
“No.”
With a flick of the reins, I rode off, leaving him breathless, wanting, and hard by the look of his jeans. Maybe that would finally teach him.