then leaning back on the floor. My mother had brought up some hamburgers and fries for us since we were elbow deep in presents. Timberlynn had not only bought gifts for my parents, but she bought stuff for the kids, Kaylee, Lincoln, and even Brock and Ty. The Christmas shopping bug had hit her for sure.
“What’s wrong, did wrapping presents wear you out?” she asked.
“Hell yes. I think you bought enough gifts for the next two years’ worth of Christmases.”
She chuckled. “I did not. And the third gift to your parents is for letting me stay here. It’s kind of them to host me.”
“My folks love having people here. The more the merrier. Especially my mother. She loves to have company, even better if they’re female. All those years she was outnumbered by males and all.”
Timberlynn grinned, then took a sip of her wine and stared at me before she spoke again. “You never did answer me earlier.”
“About what?”
“Your dreams. If you want to work on the ranch.”
I sat back up and looked into her eyes. “Yes, it’s always been the long-term goal of mine. It’s in my blood, in my heart. I’m not sure when that long-term goal is going to start.”
Her brows rose. “Sooner rather than later?”
“If you had asked me a few months back, I’d have said later. My ropin’ partner, Chance, is giving me the vibe that he’s ready to quit. He met a girl last year and fell in love. He was ready to walk away from his career for her. She had other plans, though.”
Timberlynn raised a brow in question.
“She ran off with some hotshot guy from New York City.”
“Ouch. I’m sure that took a hit to his pride.”
“Did it ever,” I agreed.
“Can you not find another partner?”
I nodded. “I could, yeah. The question is, do I want to?”
She tilted her head and regarded me for a few moments. “What is your heart telling you to do?”
My eyes found hers once again, and I swore she looked like she sucked in a quick breath. “Well, my heart seems to be as confused as my head is right now.”
“Oh,” she whispered while her eyes drifted down to my mouth.
I wanted to pounce on her and take her right there on the damn floor like a fucking beast. But Timberlynn wasn’t the type of girl I wanted to simply have a quick fuck with. Hell no. I wanted her like I had never wanted any other woman, and I wasn’t going to simply romp around on the floor with her and walk out. I wanted to make love to her. Learn what it felt like to be buried deep inside of her. What made her moan, dig her nails into my back, and arch to take me in deeper.
If I didn’t get my thoughts in another place soon, I’d let the animal in me take over.
“Your turn,” I managed to say without sounding like I was in physical pain from not kissing or touching her.
“Right. Well, I’d really love to have a place with a good chunk of land. Equine training has been a dream of mine since I can remember, to be honest with you.”
“Anything you want to specialize in? And what about a degree? Most trainers have one.”
She flashed me a wide grin. “I have an associates in equine science. I might have taken a few extra classes here and there.”
I laughed. “Damn, woman, you are impressive.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down at her hands. “I’d love to focus on equestrian sporting, but I think therapeutic training would be amazing as well. Especially if I could find some good rescue horses for that. I also love the thrill of training a horse under saddle. Something about that connection you have with a horse when you’re trying to get them to trust you. I love it. And maybe when I’m more settled in, I’ll do a bit of breeding as well.”
My brows raised. “If my mother hears you talking like this, you may have a partner.”
That made her smile. “I love working with young horses too. There’s almost an adrenaline rush with it.”
I swear to God, my heart skipped a few beats. Where had this woman been all my life? “Have you started many young horses under saddle?”
She grinned. “I’ve had my fair share, yes. Enough to make a business out of it, if people gave me a chance.”
I placed my hand over my heart and slowly shook my head. “You are the girl