Chapter 14
Corbin’s riding had greatly improved since the last time Belle had seen him ride. He no longer looked tense and awkward. In fact, all the way to the Remington Ranch, he sat in the saddle as if he’d been riding for years instead of just a few weeks. One hand lightly held the reins while the other rested on his thigh and occasionally reached up to pat Homer’s neck.
Belle struggled to keep her eyes off him and he seemed to be having the same problem. Every time she glanced over, he was watching her . . . and no doubt thinking the same thing she was: what the heck had happened on the porch that morning?
She’d thought it was his kisses that left her all shaky and flustered. But as soon as he stepped out on the porch without a shirt on, she’d felt like leaves trembling in a strong wind.
Corbin had a phenomenal body. The type of body without an ounce of fat. Just stacked muscles one upon the other. When he lived in Houston, he must have worked out at a gym. A lot. He had a toasty tan as if he’d been working the ranch shirtless. When he’d raised his arms over his head to stretch, her tummy had taken a dip at the sight of the pale skin of his armpits covered in dark hair. He had looked so virile standing there stretching with his hair all bed messed that it had taken her breath away.
She was still having a hard time breathing.
Which was why she shouldn’t have agreed to come with him. But she couldn’t in good conscience let him ride to the Remington Ranch alone. Not only could he get lost, but also hurt. He might have gotten better at riding, but he still wasn’t an expert. This was proven a few minutes later when a rabbit raced out of its hole and spooked Homer. The horse jumped sideways, almost tossing Corbin off.
“You might want to keep a hand on the saddle horn,” she said. “Horses are unpredictable.”
He tightened his hold on the reins and placed his other hand on the saddle horn. “How long have you been riding?”
“Since I was four.”
He flashed a glance over at her. “Your daddy put you on a horse when you were only four years old?”
“No. Mama didn’t want us riding until we were six. It was Liberty who thought we should learn to ride at four. I helped her get up on our old plow horse first and then she pulled me up. Thankfully, Betsy didn’t move very fast. She plodded along at a snail’s pace no matter how hard we kicked our bare feet and wanted her to go faster.”
“You didn’t have on boots?”
“Nope. And that’s another thing we got a stern lecture for . . . along with not putting a saddle on Betsy.”
“Hank didn’t spank you?”
“Never.” She glanced at him. “Did your daddy spank you?”
He was silent for so long that she thought he wasn’t going to answer. “My daddy didn’t care enough to discipline us. We were nonentities to him.”
Belle knew he and Sunny had been passed around to different relatives, but she didn’t know all the details. She couldn’t help being curious. “And your mama?”
Again, there was only the sound of creaking saddle leather and horse’s hoofs hitting the hard earth before he spoke.
“Mama had a big dream of what a family should be. But since she only ever loved one man—and that man was a two-timing loser—that dream was hard to obtain. Which didn’t work out so good for me and Sunny. When she found out about Daddy fooling around with another woman, she’d kick us all out. Then when he came back, she’d want the dream again and she’d come and get us at whatever relative she’d pawned us off on.”
The story was so tragic Belle didn’t know what to say. No wonder he wanted to give Sunny a stable home. She had never had one . . . and neither had Corbin.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It wasn’t that bad. It certainly wasn’t as bad as Jesse’s childhood. Sunny and I weren’t physically abused.”
Just mentally.
And Jesse was physically abused? Liberty had told her that he was adopted, but not about the abuse. No wonder Liberty was so protective of him. She had always championed the underdog. Not that Jesse was an underdog. It looked like he had overcome his abusive childhood and become a successful man who had found happiness.
An image of Jesse’s big smile as he showed her the loft he’d renovated for her and Liberty flashed into her head and she felt like the worst person in the world. He’d only been trying to do something kind for her and the woman he loved and Belle had been rude and childish.
Was still being rude and childish.
She might not think he was the best man for Liberty, but that wasn’t her choice. And it certainly didn’t give her the right to be mean to him. She had always prided herself on being kind to others, but she hadn’t been kind to Jesse. And if anyone needed extra kindness, it was someone who had lived through abuse.
Whether physical like Jesse or mental like Corbin.
Which might explain why, when they reached the branding corral, Belle suddenly found herself taking on the role of guardian angel. Corbin couldn’t move without her issuing a warning.
“Corbin! Watch out for that closing gate.”
“Corbin! Don’t get too near that steer’s horns!”
“Corbin! Back up when they release that calf from the chute!”
Thankfully, he listened. But so did every other cowboy in the corral. Later in the afternoon, Casey Remington came over to tease her. Casey had always been a big tease.
“Looks like Belly has a bo-o-oyfriend. And here I was hopin’ I could be your boyfriend now that you’re back in town.”
“Sure you were.” She rolled her eyes before she went back to watching Corbin help herd the cows into the pen. She felt a little more relaxed now that he was on horseback.
“Are you questioning my sincerity, Belle Holiday?”
“Yes, I am, Casey Remington.”
“I’m wounded.”
“I’m sure you’re just devastated.”
Casey rested his arms on the rail she stood at and leaned over, blocking her view of Corbin. “If you’d take your eyes off your boyfriend long enough to look at me, you’d see the hurt in my eyes.” His eyes held nothing but a teasing twinkle. She couldn’t help but laugh and tease back.
“You’re right. You do look devastated. And we can’t have that, now can we? No woman in Wilder would ever want Casey Remington’s heart to be broken. So of course, I’ll be your girlfriend. In fact, why don’t we just cut through all the dating nonsense and get to the good stuff.”
His eyes lit up. “Sex?”
“Marriage.”
The disappointment in his eyes had her laughing again. “Are you sure you just don’t want to stick to the sex?” he said. “Sex with me is the good stuff.”
She swatted the brim of his hat. “Noelle might be right. You are arrogant, Casey Remington.”
He winked. “It’s not arrogance when it’s the truth.”
“Well, that’s something that’s never gonna be proven, Lover Boy. At least not with me.” She tugged his hat over his face before shoving him out of her way. When her gaze found Corbin again, she discovered he had stopped herding cows and was looking in her direction.
“Everything okay?” she yelled.
He nodded before he wheeled Homer around and headed out of the corral with the other two cowboys. Belle had to hand it to him. He might not be as experienced as the rest of the branding crew, but he was a fast learner. And a dedicated one. No matter what job Rome gave him, he did it.
And Rome gave him some pretty difficult jobs. Especially since he was a greenhorn.
“Are you trying to kill him, Rome?” she couldn’t help asking when her brother-in-law walked past her.
Rome shrugged. “He wanted to be a rancher. I’m just showing him what he’s in for.”
Since ranching was hard, she couldn’t argue the point. Nor could she help feeling sorry for Corbin as they rode back to the Holiday Ranch. He looked like he’d been rode hard and put away wet. She understood. She hadn’t worked half as hard as he had and she was about ready to drop out of her saddle. The hot afternoon sun beating down on them didn’t help.
When she spotted the cluster of trees up ahead, she couldn’t help veering toward them. For a man who got lost easily, he seemed to have figured out the way home.
“Where are you going? The ranch is the other way.”
“I want to show you something.” She took the lead. When they got to the trees, she issued another warning. “Watch out for low-hanging branches.”
“I’ve listened to you telling me what to do all day. I’m kinda over it.”
“Fine. Don’t be careful, but don’t blame me if you get knocked off your horse.”
“And I thought Liberty was the bossy twin,” he grumbled.
She laughed. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be bossy too.”
“So . . . what was Casey Remington talking to you about?”
“He was just being Casey. He’s a world class flirt.”
He snorted. “You didn’t look like you objected.”
She glanced back at him in surprise . . . and ran into a low-hanging branch.
“Be careful of low-hanging branches,” he said with a definite smirk in his voice.
When they broke through the trees, Corbin released his breath in a startled gasp. She understood. Cooper Springs was gasp worthy. The water was clear as glass and the cypress trees surrounding the springs were huge, green, and majestic. It was like stepping into a magical world.
“Damn,” Corbin said. “I heard you and Liberty talk about swimming at Cooper Springs, but I pictured it more of a watering hole for cattle.”
“During droughts, cattle did come here to drink. The rest of the time, Daddy kept the herd away so us girls could have our own private swimming hole.” She dismounted and tied the reins to some mesquite scrub before she toed off her boots.
“What are you doing?” Corbin asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going swimming.”
“Oh, no, I’m not skinny-dipping with you, Bella.”
“I’m not skinny-dipping with you either.” She stopped pulling off her socks and glanced up at him. “Unless you aren’t wearing underwear.”
“I’m wearing underwear.”
“Then what’s the problem?” She peeled off her shirt. She had on a sports bra that covered her as well as, if not better than, a bikini top. Although the material of her panties was a little thinner than bathing suit bottoms. So after pulling off her jeans, she wasted no time diving in. The cold water was a little startling, but also refreshing. She resurfaced with a gasp of pleasure.
Corbin was still sitting on Homer.
“You should get in,” she called. “It feels heavenly.”
“No, thanks. I’ll just head back to the ranch.”
“Suit yourself.”
He went to turn the horse, but then stopped. “You swim well, right?”
She knew how protective he was of Sunny, but having that protectiveness focused on her made her smile. “Not as good as Liberty, but okay.”
“What’s okay?”
“Are you worried I’m going to drown, Cory?” It was the first time she’d used his nickname. She liked the way it sounded. Corbin was rigid and uncaring . . . but Cory was the man sitting on the horse looking concerned. The man who heaved a heavy sigh and dismounted before he started removing his clothes.
Belle should have looked away.
She didn’t.
Just like she had done earlier that morning, her eyes ate up the naked flesh Corbin revealed as he turned away from her and drew his T-shirt over his head. His back was just as tanned and muscled as his chest. Those muscles stretched and flexed as he finished taking off the shirt and neatly laid it on the nearby rock. After he removed his boots and socks, he lowered his jeans to reveal black boxer briefs that covered hard butt cheeks she could have bounced a quarter off of. His legs were as muscled as his back, chest, and arms, but not as tanned. They were paler and covered with a light dusting of dark hair.
He turned and Belle’s mouth went dry.
He was either extremely well endowed . . . or extremely excited. Before she could figure out which, he dove into the springs. He came up a few feet away from her and slicked back his hair with one hand. Water droplets clung to his dark lashes and slid down his nose and high cheekbones. One drop quivered on his bottom lip. An overwhelming desire to tread closer and lick that drop off settled in her stomach. Before she could do something stupid, he spoke.
“Are you satisfied?”
She knew he was talking about her getting him into the springs, but the question held more meaning to her. Was she satisfied? The answer came quickly.
No, she wasn’t satisfied.
Yet.