laying out a saddle, hefting the large item off a stall wall and onto a sawhorse. He grabbed a bottle and a large rag and headed her way.
Suddenly she wished she hadn’t agreed to continue this volunteer job.
“Hi, Jake,” Sara said at his approach.
His gaze skimmed her attire. “You’re gonna get dirty. Shoulda worn sum’in diff’rnt.”
Sara held her hands out and looked down at her clothes. Gray shirt, faded jeans, sneakers. Uniform of champions. “I don’t have anything else.”
Without ceremony, Jake pushed the bottle and rag at her. As soon as she grabbed it, he weaved in and out of saddles until he reached the far right corner. “Start at one end, work your way across.”
With his own rag, he started rubbing the leather in circular motions. “See?”
“Yes, Daniel-san. Sand the deck.”
Pale blue eyes lifted, his hands slowing in their ministrations. His face had about as much expression as the saddle under his rag.
“Got it,” she said. Some people missed all the cinematic classics.
He returned to his work. She returned to watching him work. That was, until he lifted his gaze again, his hands once again slowing. It was amazing—no expression, no words or change in countenance whatsoever, but the guy had her scampering to the other side of the barn. His powers of persuasion were almost magical.
She got into a rhythm, working the conditioner into the leather. Outside the barn, she could hear the faint rise and fall of conversation, accompanied by the occasional neigh of a horse. Inside the barn, however, the silence settled, thick and heavy. The only sound was of two rags on leather.
“How is the season going so far?” she asked as her mind started to wander. “You guys filling your quota of guests?”
Swish. Swish. Swish.
“Dining room is picking up. Lots of people. I don’t clean the house, though, so I don’t know how many rooms are empty. Do you?”
Swish. Swish. Swish.
“Oh, hey, I met Mikey. Mike, I mean. Frost. He’s a childhood friend. Isn’t that nuts? That I would meet him here after all this time?”
Swish. Swish. Swish.
Sara nodded. She could take a hint.
Eventually.
* * *
After a silent hour of grueling leather conditioning, Sara’s arm tingled from top to bottom, sore and achy. She sighed and straightened up, moving on to the next saddle. It was then she noticed two things. One, sometime in her mindless workhorse mentality, Jake had wandered out of the barn. No goodbye, no see-ya, no promises that she’d be the next karate kid if she kept it up. Nothing.
The second thing she noticed was the large bronzed shoulders absorbing the sun in the barn doorway. His black tank top hugged his muscular body, showing off his bumpy pecs and flat stomach. His mouth twisted in a sardonic smile while his eyes caught her like prey.
Sara started to salivate.
“Oh, h-hi,” she stammered.
He pushed off the door and sauntered closer, weaving in and out of the displayed leather. “Told you I’d meet up with you. Our time was cut short yesterday.”
A sexy pose was definitely needed right now. She might not be interested, but his absolute hotness seemed to warrant the effort.
She cocked her hip to the side, her rag rising in the air like a balloon. She tilted her head and smiled.
What’s this pose? Look at me, I’m a psychopath?
She dropped her hand before trying on a giggle. Then opted for not giggling. She was absolutely failing at this!
“I, ah, so that—well, yeah. Here we are. I guess.”
Stop giggling!
“Yes.” He was five feet from her now, not stopping. His body was so taut and spectacular. “We could start with the pleasantries, like how are you finding the job so far, or what do you think of Montana, but why not just cut to the chase, huh? What are you doing after this?”
His body was right in front of her, heat radiating off his skin like he’d stolen a piece of the sun and now showed off his wares. His muddy brown eyes smacked into her, forcing his presence on her. It also forced out a sudden moistness between her thighs. Her knees became wobbly as a handsome smile worked up his face.
“I’m going to take you out tonight,” he continued. “Show you around. You should wear a cute little number so I can show you off.”
That confident smile. Virgins were deflowered with that smile.
“I-I have to…” The words kind of trailed away. She had no idea what it was she had to do. In the face of a man this