a bad guy. He snapped at me. We kissed. Then he spanked me.”
As a stream of wine spewed past her lips, a coughing fit ensuing, I couldn’t help but grin. Admitting what had happened wasn’t something I’d been planning.
“Wha… What?” Sandra managed then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You’re not serious.”
“Yep. I am. He called me a brat who needed to learn a lesson.”
“He spanked you right there? Like at the auction?”
“In the parking lot.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” She finally brought the wine to her lips, taking the time to drag her tongue around the rim. “Tell me about the kiss.”
“Perfection. Panty-dampening. Thank God, I didn’t find out his name. I never plan on seeing him again.”
“Oh, girl. That’s a real shame. Maybe you need one hunky, dominant cowboy to keep your conspiracy theories in check.”
“Very funny.” As we both laughed again, I thought about my camera. “Do you want to see a picture of him?” I asked coyly.
“Such a bad girl. Of course, I do. Who knows, maybe I can recognize him.”
“If you so, I think I’d track him down and give him a piece of my mind.” I brushed my fingers across my lips, remembering the kiss. No. I refused to be bullied by anyone, even if the roughhewn cowboy was one of the sexiest men on the planet.
“Or the rest of your body?” she mused.
“Hmm… That’s not going to happen. I’ll be right back.”
I heard her laughing, her fit of giggles exactly what I needed. Maybe I did need to lighten up. I hadn’t been able to get close enough to the steer in question to know for certain if it was the one who’d been injured. And the calls? Well, there were crackpots in every corner of life. As I grabbed the camera from my vehicle, I couldn’t help but notice a huge truck with blackened windows going by Sandra’s house very slowly. I stood still, studying the make and model, finally lifting my camera to take a picture.
Just as the driver floored it, the tires screeching.
This time, I wasn’t shaking. I was pissed.
And I’d snapped the picture.
The hair stood up on the back of my neck, a wave of nausea pooling into my stomach.
As I took the camera inside, my anger was fueled again, but I was determined not to let her know what had happened and ruin the rest of the night. I found the picture of the cowboy. That would keep her occupied. Just seeing his chiseled face was enough to make me hot and bothered.
“Here you go. Tell me that isn’t one sexy hunk?” I asked as I handed her the camera.
She glanced at the photo then up into my eyes then down once again.
“What is it?” I wasn’t certain I wanted the answer.
“You’re not going to believe this, but I know exactly who he is.”
“What?”
“Meet Holt Wills, although I heard he goes by Mustang now. And let me tell you, he’s one bad boy. In fact, he’s dangerous.”
Chapter 4
Danni
Sexy.
Rugged.
Dangerous…
Maybe I should add delicious given the heated kiss.
One reeking of explosive passion.
My grip on the steering wheel tightened as anger rushed up from my boots. I also had to add in arrogant as hell, opinionated, and a brute. He certainly wasn’t my kind of guy, as if I had one. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been out on a date. Not that I would ever consider going out on any kind of date with the jerk. Nope. It wouldn’t happen.
At least I was vindicated in my emotional reaction to him, my instincts correct about the cowboy. While Sandra had offered very little in a backstory behind her claim, she’d insisted I stay away from him. What the hell wasn’t she telling me? And how much of a bad boy could he be?
What in the hell did it matter? I wasn’t looking for his approval or for any kind of relationship. I snorted and reined in my ridiculous thoughts. As if we’d be able to tolerate each other for more than a few minutes.
Exhaustion had settled in, even though I remained wired. As I pulled up in front of my quaint little cottage, the single light burning by the front door leaving a warm glow, I tried to push the day’s events behind me. Thankfully, Sandra had convinced me that I should second guess doing any additional digging. My savings were dwindling fast from the move and I still needed to purchase additional equipment for my clinic.