After all, wasn’t Pebblebrook using Annabelle’s B and B as a way to spread the word for the dude ranch? By the time they were ready to open, they would not only have her guests already talking, they’d also have hired the best PR firm in the country. This dude ranch was a goal of their father’s and Hayes wasn’t about to let that man down.
“You live on the ranch?” she asked as they stepped out into the bright June sunshine.
“I do.” That was the easy answer. The ranch was now in its third generation of Elliotts, and Hayes wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. He owned two other homes: one in the mountains of Montana and a tropical getaway in the secluded part of the main island of Hawaii. He had options, but the ranch was where he’d come to heal, to find that piece of himself that had been damaged...possibly destroyed for good.
“There are several homes on the ranch,” he continued. “My brother Colt and his wife, Annabelle, live in the first house you see as you come up the drive. Nolan and his wife live in the back on the east side, and I live in the original Elliott homestead back on the west corner. It’s set between the river and the brook running through the ranch.”
He loved not only owning that piece of history from his family, but having the privacy he so desperately craved right now. His brothers respected the fact that he needed his space.
“Sounds like quite a family,” she stated. She wrung her hands as she glanced back to Jumper. “Are you sure the horse is safe for me? Does she know I’m nervous?”
Hayes looped Doc’s reins around the post and moved to Jumper’s side, right by Alexa. “You’re not nervous. You’re anxious. There’s a difference.”
Alexa smiled, a simple gesture that packed a punch of lust straight to his gut. Damn it, he didn’t want a punch of any kind. Couldn’t he just enjoy the company of a beautiful woman without lust entering into the picture? He wanted this ride to be simple, but the stirring in his body was anything but.
Someone should’ve notified Annabelle not to send any guests up today because the stable hands had all gone with Colt to the auction for more steers, leaving Hayes in charge. Not a position he’d wanted to be in.
Despite all the pain and anguish and betrayal he’d been through, something about Alexa made him want to get closer. Perhaps it was all those curves packed into such a petite frame, maybe it was those striking eyes that seemed to look deeper than just the surface, or perhaps it was that underlying vulnerability that made his inner protector surge to the forefront. Regardless, he knew this ride wasn’t going to be quick and painless like he’d first intended.
“At any time, we can turn back,” he stated, hoping that would give him the out he desperately wanted.
Alexa nodded. “I’m ready. Just tell me what to do so I don’t hurt or scare her.”
“Grab the pommel and hook your left foot into the stirrup.”
She followed his command and, before he even realized what he was doing, he’d stepped in behind her and circled her waist with his hands. Alexa stilled beneath his touch. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, her eyes met his.
“I’m helping you up.” He left no room for argument because, while he might not have thought about his actions at first, now that he had his hands on her, he was in no hurry to let go. “Relax,” he murmured.
Her eyes darted to his mouth—as if he needed another reason to feel that pull of sexual tension. Those dark lashes framed striking eyes and all of that rich black hair slid over her shoulders, the tips brushing against the backs of his hands. An image of all of that hair sliding over his body came to mind and Hayes knew in that instant he was fighting a losing battle.
He wanted this woman, the first woman he’d wanted since his return. And he planned to have her... To hell with all the reasons this ride was a bad idea. He’d just figured out the reason this was the best idea he’d had in months.
This was not a good idea. Nope, nope, nope. As if the horse agreed with her, each nope in her mind fell in tandem with each stomp of a hoof.
Alexa wished she could just ignore the zing shooting through her, but how could she? This man was the first to strike any type of spark or interest in so long... There was no ignoring the emotions.
She’d done well to mask her feelings for years, but there was no way she could lie to herself right now. Hayes Elliott was one sexy cowboy, and he had the brooding, broad-shoulder thing down to perfection. And those jeans? Yeah, they fit gloriously over lean hips that produced the sexiest swagger she’d ever seen. Even with the minor limp, Hayes was intriguing and every part of her wanted to know more.
Down, girl. Alexa hadn’t come on this little getaway to find some cowboy. Though Hayes Elliott would no doubt fuel her fantasies for a good long time.
Alexa’s horse stayed alongside his. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they’d been out together. Her hips rocked back and forth in the saddle with the motion of Jumper’s easy gait. Alexa didn’t even want to glance over to see what Hayes’s hips were doing. Her eyes needed to stay straight ahead.
The picturesque ranch was breathtaking. White fencing ran as far as the eye could see. The rolling hills were dotted with cattle in the distance. With the bright sun beating down on the land, Alexa found it hard to believe a storm would be rolling in soon.
She wanted to focus on enjoying the ride, but on occasion Hayes’s thigh would brush against hers and those tingles would start up all over again.
Good grief. She’d met the man only moments ago and already he held such power over her... How was that even possible?
Maybe she’d been too enveloped in her classroom and her son. Alexa needed to venture out more, as Sadie had said when she’d insisted Alexa take this vacation, but in her normal life...well, where would she go? It wasn’t as if she had guys asking her out or a large group of friends she went out with. She had Sadie, who taught in the class next to hers. They’d met in college and had been friends since. And she had Mason.
Alexa was fine being a single mother with not much of a social life. Her job right now was to be both mother and father to Mason, so anything else would have to wait. And that was more than okay. She had one guy in her life and he was more than enough.
“How long has this land been in your family?” she asked, desperate for a topic that would get her mind off the rugged, moody man and slice through the tension between them.
“My brothers and I are third-generation ranchers at Pebblebrook. My grandfather built the house that I live in.”
So he had mentioned before. “How many acres are there?”
“Over five thousand.”
Alexa had read that in the pamphlet for the B and B, which advertised the upcoming dude ranch. She’d asked because the last thing she wanted was silence. That would only be awkward and cause her daydreaming to start all over again.
Alexa couldn’t even imagine trying to keep up with all this land and the livestock, but of course the Elliotts had the funds to hire people to do all the maintenance and grunt work.
Her world consisted of wrangling four-year-olds all day and coming home to a rambunctious baby boy. Her life was quite different from the Elliotts’ ranch lifestyle. Part of her was proud of herself for taking this break Sadie had insisted and paid for. The other part of her wondered if Mason had enjoyed his morning snack of blueberries and bananas.
Maybe she should stop to call and check in.
“That’s the first barn my grandfather built on this land.”
Hayes cut into her thoughts with the history of the ranch. Up ahead, Alexa spotted a small