Chapter 9
“Vinny,” Marshall warned, seeing the stricken look on his accountant’s face.
Fuck, she had come here to clean up his finances and get the ranch back on track. Now, he was scaring her half to death. This wasn’t supposed to be a survival challenge. He gripped Colette as the huge horse butted his head on her shoulder and sniffed her hair.
Colette was frozen, petrified. All she could do was move her eyes to see the giant black face tapping her shoulder. Marshall rolled his eyes.
The horse wanted attention. But she didn’t know that. He moved to put himself between Vinny and Colette, but the damage seemed to have been done. Behind him, she gripped his shoulders and buried her face in his back. His horse was a menace. Vinny the devil.
Right. Vinny followed him wherever he went when he was loose, waiting for crumbs of attention. If he didn’t get them, he would seek them out. As he was doing right now.
“Colette, he wants you to pet him,” Marshall said softly, taking one of her hands in his and bringing her around halfway. Holding her small, trembling hand in his, they pet Vinny’s silken nose. The horse huffed a hot breath, coming closer to Marshall. Colette stepped back, wary.
“He’s not so bad,” she admitted. Her rapid breaths were slowing behind him. “He just looks like the horse of my nightmares.”
Marshall snorted. “In a way, he is. He needs way more attention than any of my other horses. It can be exhausting.”
Peeking over his shoulder, Marshall sensed a change and caught a glimpse of her face. Rosy cheeks, blue eyes bright, and a soft smile teasing at her lips. His breath caught and he turned back to Vinny, grateful for the distraction.
Taking him by the reins, he led Vinny back to tie him to the fence, hoping Colette would follow.
“I’ll get Mocha,” he said gruffly, wiping a hand over his beard.
“Don’t,” she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I want to ride with you.”
Marshall swallowed. He didn’t make a habit of riding two people on one horse, but this was just a quick tour. He could change to a bigger saddle and add a blanket to make the animal comfortable.
Vinny was his biggest and strongest horse.
He could handle the extra burden, especially when it was the size of Colette Slip.
Instead of tying up the horse, he walked him back into the barn, praying that Colette wouldn’t run away from where he had left her.
He adjusted Vinny’s straps and blankets to ensure the horse would be content.
The ride would be kept short—just long enough to show her what they were working for and to point out the areas he’d mentioned when they discussed the different parts of the ranch. No big deal. The horse would be fine.
Marshall hoped he would be too.
Being pressed against Colette for any amount of time seemed like…a lot.
As he approached her, he noticed she had taken off her jacket and hung it on a fence post. She must have warmed up.
His mouth flattened as he took in her thick pink cardigan buttoned up to her neck with yet another frilly blouse collar poking out.
If he were a weak man, seeing her like this would have been his undoing.
The way the fluffy wool of her sweater clung to her was more tempting than any display of cleavage could ever be.
Today she had listened to his advice and worn something farm appropriate: jeans.
Marshall was full of regrets.
He should have never told her to wear jeans. They were medium blue and hugged her curvy hips perfectly, narrowing at the ankles. If he were a weak man, he would be thinking of running a hand along the soft, rounded part of her hip and cupping the curve of her ass.
Luckily, he was made of steel and would do no such thing.
Excessively forward, as usual, Vinny broke the spell by shoving his face in between them.
Reaching a hand to grab the bridle, Marshall’s heart lightened when Colette reached out a tentative hand and stroked the horse’s nose without hesitation.
Vinny snorted in her palm, greedily seeking more.
“See? He’s a big softie,” Marshall said, placing Vinny near a stand that was used for mounting horses by ranch visitors and clients. “Climb up.”
“How?” she said, uncertain.
“Get on this step here. Good,” he explained. “Now, place your foot in the stirrup. There. Swing your leg over his back and get your foot in the other stirrup.”
Colette uttered a trembling breath and followed his instructions. Beaming with pride as she successfully seated herself on the horse, she adjusted herself on the saddle. A strange emotion bubbled inside him, a sort of pride that she had faced her fear and that he had been the one to witness it.
Just like he would feel with any other person he was helping.
“Come on, Marshall,” she encouraged.
He gripped the horn and pulled himself up with ease, settling comfortably on Vinny’s back. His body was almost more accustomed to being in a saddle than driving his truck, though he did both often. One thing he never did, though, was ride double.
Marshall swallowed as he realized his mistake immediately.
His newest employee was unused to riding and his intention had been to provide comfort during her first time.
He gave little thought to what his level of discomfort would be.
Clearing his throat, he squeezed Vinny to get him moving.
The sooner they finished the tour, the sooner Marshall could put space between them again.
If he thought the sight of Colette in curve-hugging jeans was torture, as soon as the horse began moving, the soft bounce of her behind against his crotch was agony.
At that moment, Marshall decided he’d best be looking for someone—not his new employee—to slake his lusts with.
If the rate of his heart picked up as soon as a pretty woman pressed herself against him in a totally non-sexual way, it had been way too long since his last encounter with someone.
Marshall shook his head, reminding himself that she was here because she was afraid to ride alone.
His goal was to provide comfort and security, nothing more.
They rode along the property line, then inward, guiding the horse to the top of Chester’s Hill, where Marshall could show her the expanse of the land they owned.
Though mostly yellow, the hint of green dusting the fields gave a sweet promise of spring emerging, following the snowstorms that announced the end of winter in the foothills.
At the crest of the hill, Marshall leaped off Vinny’s back as though he had been burned, itching to put distance between them. His heart raced uncomfortably. This wasn’t good.
“You expect me to do that too?” Colette said, brows gathering in concern. “It’s so high up here.”
Marshall watched as her top teeth dug into her pink bottom lip, and his heart raced. “No,” he rasped. “I can help you.”
He was grateful for his thick Carhartt jacket that hid the way he shivered.
He fucking shivered. With a reassuring smile, he reached up his arms, and she brought her leg over the horse.
He slowly lowered her to the ground. Marshall held his breath as he lowered her, worried the act of bringing air to his lungs would bring him too close.
He couldn’t bear to touch her again. Or inhale that intoxicating, lovely scent.
Colette seemed oblivious. She pushed past him, away from Vinny, and gazed at the stunning view.
Marshall rubbed his beard, reminded of how special it really was.
During his long days of hard work, he forgot to take a moment to appreciate what he did it all for.
Shaking his head, he turned to untie the extra blanket rolled up behind the saddle.
Laying it on the ground, he motioned for Colette to sit.
“I just need one more minute,” she said, hands resting on her hips as she took in the rolling fields, the herd of cattle off in the distance, the farmhouse a dot of white, and the various outbuildings painted red. “It’s so gorgeous, Marshall.”
From down on the blanket, Marshall rested his forearms on his knees and chuckled.
“It certainly is.” It was hard for him to focus on the view.
His eyes kept drifting to the pop of pink in front of him and the way her Levi’s clung to her body.
He closed his eyes, enjoying the rays of warm sunshine as they drifted over his skin.
Yep, he was going to need to find a woman in town; it had been too long.
His new employee was making it very difficult for him to focus on his job.
Marshall was not happy with the distraction.
He jumped, opening his eyes as she plopped down beside him.
He completely missed the question she had asked him.
“What?”
“How many head of cattle do you manage?” she asked again.
“We have between two hundred and two-fifty head,” he explained.
She exhaled through her pursed lips. “Wow, that’s a lot.”
“It’s a lot of pressure and investment, which is why we need you to help us figure out where I went wrong.
We’re losing money and our reputation is in question.
If we don’t make a change, our investments will be screwed.
We might have to start laying people off,” Marshall spoke, eyes glued to the hills that gave him life after hitting rock bottom.
Each acre owned a part of his heart; each blade of grass fed his soul. Unused to sitting still this long, Marshall began to play with his fingers. His gaze flicked to Colette. The woolly fabric of her sweater looked soft, and he itched to touch it.
Please keep your hands off Colette. You can’t fuck Simone’s friend. She’s off limits.