near pasture, when he’d appeared beside her, interrupting her thinking time. She hadn’t been pondering riding, that was for sure.
Adam leaned a little closer, pressing his arm against hers. Warmth shot from the contact all the way through her. Down, girl. He’s not really yours.
“Better now than when my stepfather decides to test your mettle.”
“I shouldn’t have told him I could ride.”
“You told me first.”
“Oh. Yeah. I guess I did.”
He studied her from mere inches away. “So tell me about your riding experience. Time to come clean, honey.”
“Stop with the honey. There’s no one to hear.”
“Don’t count on it. Even the horses have ears.”
She could argue this, but he’d win. He always did, but hearing the endearments from his lips — to say nothing of the kisses from the same location — were messing with her brain.
Riley angled a look westward where the sun already hovered over the gap in the rolling autumn hills. “It’s too late in the day.”
“Nice try, Ry. Then you won’t have to ride for as long. Odds are, you’ll be able to walk again tomorrow. Bonus, right?”
Ugh. She’d forgotten how sore she’d be. “I don’t want to.”
“Riley.” His tone held a note of warning.
She sighed, set her hands on the top rail, and leaned back. “Fine. Whatever.”
“That’s better.” He poked his chin toward the horses. “Which one do you want to try?”
“Um, I get a choice? I pick some old nag who’s safe with five-year-olds.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think we have anything like that besides my nephew’s pony, and you’re a little taller than Toby.”
“Toby?”
“Travis’s kid. He’s three. You’ll meet him Friday when Dakota drops him off for the weekend.” Adam raised his eyebrows at her. “Dakota is Scotty Erickson’s sister.”
“Oh.” Clickety-click, the pieces snapped together. “They share custody?”
“Yep. They also share an on-again, off-again relationship.” Adam stared across the pasture, his jaw pulsing.
Whoa. Somebody felt strongly. “You got a thing for her?”
“What?” Adam straightened and pinned her with all the force of his gaze. “Are you kidding me?”
“Just wondered.”
“Well, don’t.” He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her with a boatload of passion.
One of his brothers must be nearby. She fisted the front of Adam’s denim jacket in both hands and kissed him back. When they came up for air, she whispered, “Who’s watching?”
He looked her in the eyes. “No one.”
“Then...”
“Don’t mess with me, Riley. This isn’t a joke to me. When I tell you there’s nothing, I mean that there is nothing. Got it?”
“Okay. Fine.” She edged backward, trying to break his magnetic gaze. At least he released her arms. “Your sisters told me about Chantelle Devereaux.” She wouldn’t have thought his gaze could sharpen any further. It could.
“Don’t believe everything they say. Chantelle was a mistake.”
“Maybe I’m another one.” From bruised lips to a bruised ego, this was going to be a difficult few months. And that wasn’t even counting the bruised backside she was going to get from unaccustomed riding.
Adam offered a grunt and shook his head. Disgusted with her, most likely. “I’m going to put you on Ladybug.”
“Was that the horse Chantelle rode?”
Oy. Now she’d done it. Her skull nearly split from the piercing gaze.
“I never brought Chantelle to Rockstead. In fact, I’ve never brought a girl here in my life before yesterday.”
"You keep the real girlfriends away and just bring the fake one? I get it.”
“You don’t get anything, woman. Now stop talking like that. Want to accuse me of things and yell at me? Have the decency to wait until we’re twenty minutes down the trail. I’m saddling Ladybug for you, unless you want to do it yourself?” One eyebrow arched.
“Please saddle her for me, cowboy.” She couldn’t quite keep the edge out of her own voice. God knew she’d tried.
“I’ll teach you how next time.” Adam stabbed a finger toward the ground between them. “You wait right here.”
“Could you quit ordering me around like I’m a kid?”
“Could you not push all my buttons?”
“Like you’re not pushing mine.”
Adam inhaled and shook his head. “I’ll be right back.”
Don’t make Adam angry. Wowza. She’d remember that. But how in the world could she compete with a household-name pop star? She, Riley Dunning, with zero talents, zero money, and zero charm?
She wasn’t supposed to. She was supposed to practice her one talent, acting. Everyone around them was to believe she was madly in love with Adam. Of course, couples argued all the time. As long as no one figured out what they fought over, it was probably okay to let off a