Hope on the Range (Turn Around Ranch #2) - Cindi Madsen Page 0,96

much pity; more like she cared he’d had such a rough life. It tightened his throat and made it hard to breathe in the best possible way.

“Exactly,” Jess croaked out around her emotions.

“I’m almost done with the car.” A renewed sense of purpose filled him, too. He was going to make the vehicle run better than it had in years.

“Thank you.” Jessica stood, picking up the now-empty plate as she did so. “I’ll get out of your hair. But if either of you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here. On top of being a mediocre cook, I’ve had my fair share of bumpy experiences. Just putting it out there.” Jess patted her thigh. “Come on, Ed Sheeran,” she said, and the orange tabby cat trailed after her.

The name for the ginger cat made Maddox chuckle. And while he likely wouldn’t take Jessica up on her offer, it was nice to know there was one more person who cared enough to treat him like he was decent, regardless of all the mistakes he’d made.

Weird to think that after a month at the ranch, he’d somehow gone from counting the days to wanting to slow them down. Part of that stemmed from everyone in the program being so damn nice—even talking to Nick was beginning to feel more like a relief than a burden—but most of it was due to the girl seated beside him.

The one who accepted him flaws and all. The exact type of person Jess had advised him to hold on to.

* * *

After spending another half hour under the car, “helping” Maddox, Harlow dragged him toward the stables. It was high time they practiced roping, stage-rehearsal style.

Harlow loved the way Maddox automatically laced his fingers with hers. The butterflies in her gut drifted in lazy circles, high on his nearness. “I can’t think of any more questions, so how about you just tell me something not many people know about you.”

Her—dare she say boyfriend?—lifted a dark eyebrow. “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. You’re already so sure I’m going to miss that you’re preemptively asking me a question?”

Harlow curled closer, studying the planes of his face, the slope of his nose, and those enticing lips—a handful of stolen kisses and she was already such a goner. “Our time’s running out, and I want to know everything about you. I hoped that by now I could ask without having to earn it.”

As they stepped into the stables, Maddox glanced around. Then, in an unexpected movement that robbed her of breath, he pivoted her around, pressed her against one of the wooden posts, and slanted his mouth over hers. The rasp of his whiskers sent goose bumps skating across her skin, but before she could fully participate in the kiss, he withdrew and flashed her a devious grin. “You always have to earn it.”

At first, she was going to give him her hard glare, but instead she decided to beat him at his own game. “What if I bat my eyelashes and say please?” She leaned in to him and ran a hand down his chest, going so far as to add a pout for good measure.

Right as he touched his lips to hers, she jerked back. “Not so fast, mister. Where’s my secret?”

He groaned and shook his head, but then he looped a finger through her belt loop and tugged her closer. “I take it back. Your tactics aren’t even a little bit sweet when it comes to getting what you want.”

Her grin stretched so wide that her cheeks hurt. Finally, he’d admitted she was tough, although yeah, she was sweet, too. Even better, Maddox made her feel like she could safely show that side of herself without worrying he’d take advantage of it.

A loud throat-clearing popped their intimate bubble. They jumped apart as Brady and Tanya descended the ladder in the corner.

“What’s going on?” Brady asked.

Maddox straightened and maneuvered Harlow behind him. “We were just coming to get the horses so we could practice roping.”

“And you thought the horses were in each other’s mouths?”

Harlow’s cheeks burned with the fire of a thousand suns. Busted.

But then she noticed how harried Tanya seemed. How she was tugging at her disheveled clothes and all the strands of straw sticking from her red hair. “Looks like we weren’t the only ones.”

Oops, I blurted that right out.

Tanya and Brady looked at each other, guilty expressions on both their faces. Then Brady rubbed the side of his neck. “We were just,