Taming The Texan. Jules Bennett

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СКАЧАТЬ a little one-on-one time with a total stranger wouldn’t be such a bad thing. With Alexa, there would be no need for him to talk about himself. He didn’t have to put on a front like he often did with his brothers. He could talk up the dude ranch with Alexa, which was a welcome distraction in his life. This family project might be the only thing keeping him from going out of his mind and giving in to the demons that had followed him home.

      “I’ll get her ready and we’ll go,” he told Alexa.

      Alexa. Such a beautiful name for a woman with such striking features. He’d only heard the name one other time, long ago. His high school buddy had dated and married someone named Alexa. Hayes had to force himself to stop staring because she was the type of woman a man could get lost in.

      All that long midnight hair, her dark skin tone and those wide, chocolate eyes. Her curves were damn near hypnotic in those jeans and fitted tank. Yeah, she would turn any man’s head and he was no exception.

      Years of military training had enabled him to mask his emotions—something that would come in handy on a trail ride with this beauty. The sooner he could get this ride over with, the better.

      Hayes saddled up Jumper and Doc, his brother’s stallion. Nolan had been working overtime at the hospital, so Hayes had offered to get Nolan’s horse out for exercise.

      “Right this way, Ma’am.”

      If he didn’t refer to her by her name, maybe he could keep this little escapade impersonal...exactly the way he wanted to live his life. Detached.

      Hayes took the reins and led the horses from the stable. Alexa fell in step beside him. The subtle aroma of jasmine tickled his senses. His instincts hadn’t failed him in all his years overseas, and he was positive he had Alexa pegged as someone who wasn’t taking time away because she necessarily wanted to. Something about her reserved nature and an underlying hint of fear made him all the more determined to make this ride to be enjoyable and memorable for her.

      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.

       Two

      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 СКАЧАТЬ