Handsome Wrangler (Handsome Devils #6) - Lori Wilde Page 0,3

sassy, shoulder-length black hair and midnight-blue eyes, Caitlin was beautiful. And he could tell from the way she was looking at him, Caitlin felt the same sizzling chemistry he did. Attraction arced between them like lightning on a steamy Texas night.

Dang it. This was not what he wanted, certainly not why he’d come back to Honey. He, like everyone else in town, knew Caitlin had plans for her life. Big career plans that included living in Dallas, making a name for herself. She had no room in her life for settling down, and he wasn’t interested in a fling.

Idly, he rubbed his side, the scar still bothering him. Only Jared Kendrick, his boss, knew he’d been injured six months ago.

He’d been tossed at the rodeo, and this time, he hadn’t simply been able to shake off the injury. He’d broken ribs and gashed open his side. He’d realized then that he was getting too old to be tossed around like a stuffed animal. He needed a stable job, which he’d found working for Jared. He was good with horses, and being a wrangler on Jared’s horse farm was perfect for him.

Finally, he admitted to himself he was a small-town guy who didn’t like living in the fast lane. And despite what some people thought, Honey, Texas, really wasn’t the end of the earth.

No, Honey was a great place, a place where he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Sure, there were a few eccentrics in town. And they weren’t what you’d call on the leading edge of trends. But Honey offered exactly the atmosphere he wanted. Slow. Calm. Peaceful.

Of course, he wasn’t off to a very good start by being attracted to a childhood friend. The girl who at ten had taught him to never underestimate a female. The woman who couldn’t burn rubber fast enough leaving this town.

Regretfully, he lifted his arm from around Caitlin’s shoulders. She gave him a quick, inscrutable glance and then moved away from him. Thank God. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand there breathing in her seductive perfume and not do something about it.

Rafe stepped over and ruffled Caitlin’s hair. With a groan, she smoothed it back in place.

“Cut it out, bozo,” she said, glaring at her brother.

“Sure thing, Caitlin. But what do we do now?” Rafe asked. “Give up playing ball just because you turned into a woman?”

An awkward silence fell on the group. Brent watched Caitlin cross her arms across her midriff, but her action only drew attention to her breasts. He forced himself to look away and study a tree in the corner of the park. He counted to ten. Then twenty.

Ah, dang it all.

“Caitlin can hold her own,” Logan piped up.

Apparently, she’d had it with their discussion. She muttered something about obnoxious men and started walking toward her father’s house again. Brent glanced at his own house right next door.

When his grandmother had died and left it to him, he’d first thought of it as a royal pain. But now he loved that house. Granted, the place needed work since it had been empty for five years. However, he enjoyed the work ... every backbreaking second of it.

“Let’s go home,” Caitlin called over her shoulder. “The rest of the gang should be there by now.” Brent watched the gentle sway of her hips for a moment, then fell into step with Rafe and Logan, their footsteps crunching the dry summer grass beneath their feet. Caitlin waited for them to catch up to her.

Once they had, they made their way slowly, the hot summer sun sapping their energy. More than once, Brent caught Caitlin looking at him, but each time he met her gaze, she abruptly looked away.

Smart move. At least she was fighting this attraction between them. He needed to do the same.

“You know, Caitlin, we can still play football. We’ll just make sure we stick with flag football. We’re all too old to get tackled,” Logan said, nudging her.

“As long as everyone follows the rules,” Brent said. “They could really hurt her.” The thought of one of those idiots tackling Caitlin in a football game made Brent’s blood pressure rise.

“Give it up, Logan. It doesn’t matter anymore because Caitlin’s leaving soon,” Rafe said. “It will be just guys from now on.”

Brent shot her a quick glance. When her gaze caught and held his, his heart slammed in his chest. When had the girl in pigtails who’d always called him buddy turn into such a