Chapter 6
JULES
L ifting her gaze upward, she absorbed the sight of the rolling pastures and commanding mountains that fully surrounded her.
Every destination was different, but the feeling when she arrived was always the same.
The thrill of adventure, the thrum of something unfamiliar and new.
Turning up Fleetwood Mac, she didn’t bother trying to hide the smile that filled her face.
She was brimming with excitement as she followed the road around the large farmhouse and down to the cluster of barns.
It was early afternoon by the time she arrived, the team nowhere in sight—already out, busy with their day.
Climbing out of her car, Jules leaned forward on the open door and took advantage of this moment of solitude to really absorb her surroundings.
The cloudless blue sky sparkled above the harsh ridge line that felt unreal.
In fact, the whole scene seemed dreamed up.
Reaching back into her car, she withdrew her favorite bone colored cowboy hat complete with a dainty gold chain and turquoise stone band.
She’d bought this one in Montana at a small, local shop that made each hat by hand.
They even branded a J just above the band for her.
It was the stories that came with the pieces that she loved to collect.
Placing the hat on her head, she turned to find Maddie approaching down the hill. With a wide smile, she took off to meet her best friend.
“I am so glad you are here,” the scrubs-clad brunette called out.
“I am so glad you thought of me,” she replied as they reached each other. Maddie enveloped her in a hug with a huff.
“As if there would have been anyone else that came to mind. This is going to be so great having you here.” She paused and looked around. “First we need to go find your new partner. Once we do introductions, I’ll give you the full tour.”
“Wait.” Jules furrowed her brow. “Introductions? I’m not working with Floyd?”
Her friend shook her head. “Mm, no Floyd is partially retired. Don’t worry though, Riley is just the nicest guy. I just have to find him…”
She halted abruptly as Maddie started off to find Riley. Riley . The name was common enough, but the chokehold it had her in was anything but.
Realizing Jules was no longer at her side, the veterinarian turned on heel and tilted her head. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she coughed. “Fine, just surprised.”
“I’m sorry, I really thought I told you about the change back when it happened. You wait here and I’ll bring him over instead.”
As Maddie disappeared in one direction, Jules turned the opposite way to dip into a barn.
She needed a minute to look up the ProRodeo standings and confirm for herself that she was getting worked up over nothing.
The moment she found his picture on the site, she’d be able to settle her racing heartbeat.
Crossing the threshold, a sound alerted her that she was not alone. Removing her sunglasses, Jules blinked rapidly, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the space. And then once they did adjust, she blinked more rapidly to clear away the mirage of the cowboy before her.
So much for settling her racing heartbeat.
“ Sundance ,” she sputtered in awe.
Dropping the wooden board from under his arm, he slowly turned over his shoulder, his blue-green eyes studying her with equal intensity. She would recognize that look anywhere. She would remember it for a hundred more lifetimes.
Jules had dreamed of those eyes for a year now.
Holding his gaze, she gulped as he wiped his hands on the white T-shirt clinging to his sweaty, washboard abs and strong chest and started across the barn towards her.
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe.
All her senses locked onto the man with the dark golden hair that fell just above his broad shoulders as he drifted her way.
When he was a mere step away, her mouth parted, a soft sigh escaping her.
She had always assumed that she built up his image in her head over time.
That if she ever did run into him again, it would be a refreshing reality check.
But that wasn’t the case at all. He was just as ruggedly handsome as she remembered, and then some.
“Jules,” he rasped as he came to a stop, the toes of his boots knocking against hers.
Her heart slammed against her sternum as he smiled down at her. But something was different now.
“Your mustache!”
A deep chuckle escaped him. “Yeah, lost a bet. I had to shave it off. Why, do you miss it?”
Tension coiled in her core at the sound of his laugh.
Desperate for relief, she reached out and clutched his face.
Her hands dragged along his jaw before pulling his mouth down to hers.
He immediately gave in to her, twisting one fist in her hair and taking her waist with his other hand’s commanding grip.
Their tongues tangled frantically as she clutched his upper arm and pressed tight against him. He tasted like strong coffee and cinnamon, masculine yet sweet, and she wanted to indulge in every last ounce of him.
When she sucked his lip between her teeth, a low, guttural noise sounded from his throat, sending a tingle of desire shooting through her center. She dragged her mouth back, keeping hold of him and giving a small tug on his lip before releasing and smiling up at the dazed look on his face.
“We can’t do that again,” she murmured, bringing her hand down to rest on his chest.
“Why can’t?—”
“Oh, you found each other! Perfect!” Maddie’s chipper tone rang out from the entrance of the barn.
Jules took a step back, dropping her hands to her sides. “So, this is Riley?” she asked innocently.
“This is Riley,” her friend replied, coming to a stop beside them.
“I’m Riley,” he pretended to confirm, a teasing sparkle in his eye.
“And this is our new caretaker, Jules.”
“I’m really looking forward to working with you this summer,” he drawled in amusement, taking the taupe-colored cowboy hat from his head and running his fingers through his hair. Dammit, why did he have to be so attractive?
She bit her lip, waiting for Maddie to notice the tension in the air. But instead, her friend looped her arm through Jules’s and smiled back at him. “I think you two are going to get along well.”
“I think so too,” Riley agreed, his piercing stare trained on Jules.
“Okay, I’m going to show her around and get her settled, but we’ll see you for dinner.”
“Oh, but I just had something to ask him really fast?—”
“You’ll have time to talk all night. The big cook-out after branding weekend is today, so you can meet everyone and get to know your partner better.”
“Lookin’ forward to it,” he said in a deep, coarse tone.
Kicking the bottom of a boot up against a support post, he lowered the hand holding his hat to rest against his thigh and watched Jules numbly follow Maddie out.
She looked over her shoulder at him once more before turning the corner.
A smirk graced his face, and as they made eye contact, he shot her an overwhelmingly sexy wink.
These were going to be a complicated few months.
She trailed alongside Maddie, feeling like a foal on unsteady legs.
She had spent countless hours honing her personal set of rules, each one established after a lesson taught at home.
Visit, immerse, leave on impeccable terms. Be responsible for yourself and what you choose to do.
She could go on, but this situation seemed like it should be added to the top of the list as a lesson in what not to do. Maybe in bold, red lettering.
Disbelief fogged her thoughts. It was like the second he was before her, any ability to form a logical notion had disappeared.
She became this animal running on age old instinct.
And while she typically relied on her instincts and gut-feelings, this was something else entirely.
No, she shouldn’t trust her feelings with this one, she needed to establish rules to handle her attraction to Riley.
They continued to walk, passing each barn in the grouping as Maddie pointed details out. Jules hadn’t been paying the best of attention, and her friend seemed to notice. “Are you okay?” Maddie asked, coming to a stop.
“Sure, just taking it all in.”
“I know it’s probably a lot and happening fast… I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk more or maybe just plow ahead.”
She smiled and said, “Plow ahead. Definitely. You know me.”
Maddie pursed her lips. “Yeah, I do. Which is why I’m worried about how you’re handling things with your dad over this.”
She shook her head. “He sends his best, he understands that you need help, that’s all.
” Jules’s gaze carried over Maddie’s head at the scenery behind her as she lied.
There was something settling about feeling so small in such a beautifully vast place.
“I could use some help figuring out if I’m actually excited about what’s ahead, though,” she admitted quietly.
“We’ll figure it out,” Maddie agreed with a reassuring nod.
She dragged one boot across the dirt in front of the other, crossing her legs at her ankles.
She was waiting to see if Jules would say more.
But Jules didn’t want to say more. Not today, not with the feel of Riley still on her lips.
She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, savoring the lingering feeling from him taking hold there moments ago.
It seemed he had taken hold of her thoughts as well, but that was nothing new.
And just as her mind produced the image of his broad shoulders and strong arms, they appeared before her.
In the distance, he exited the barn and crossed over to an old, green truck.
There was another man with him now, maybe a bit younger, and Riley pointed for him to grab one of the boards from the bed.
Maddie followed her gaze, a grimace setting across her mouth. “I hope he’s not overdoing it.”
“Who?”
“Riley. He was actually a big deal in the rodeo world before this. But he got injured pretty badly while saddle bronc riding. It took him off the professional tour and sent him back home.”
Her stomach lurched, nausea hitting her like a wave. He got hurt. No wonder she couldn’t find him at the season opener in Colorado this year—not that she was looking.
“What happened?” Jules asked, her heart inadvertently racing at the idea of him in pain. It was silly, she didn’t even know the man. And he was clearly fine, based on how he hauled that pile of boards over his shoulder.
“I don’t know the details, only Brett and Grey do, actually. I just know that the team sometimes reminds him to take it easy or asks him if it’s all good still.”
“Does he still compete then?”
“Well, he left the pro circuit and stopped competing in roughstock events. Doctor’s orders apparently. He still does tie-down roping at the Sterling Round-Up; we will go watch him sometime.”
Jules shrugged nonchalantly, but she had a feeling that more time around him was not the answer. She was already struggling to comprehend how she was going to work side by side with Riley. All those long days, out in the summer sun… maybe they took a break and?—
“Where’d you go just now?” Maddie waved her hand in front of Jules’s face.
Turning towards the flurry of tattoos being waved about, Jules blinked rapidly. That daydreaming would certainly have to stop. “Nowhere. But when did he become the wrangler? I thought that was Floyd.”
“A few months ago now, I’d say. Floyd is mostly retired, but still helps. He’s excited to become a grandpa for baby Hayes. I think he and his wife are going to spend all their time with that little one.”
“Good for him,” she sighed. If she had known that Riley was the wrangler, would she have agreed to this? She wanted to say no. Yet the moment she saw him today, she’d wasted no time kissing him again. “So,” she ran her fingers across her lips, “what’s next on our tour?”