Roped Tight (Ryker Ranch #4) - Kim Loraine Page 0,29

his hand. So, maybe working him out of my system was gonna be a solo effort. It was a good thing I had a lot of memories I could use.

Hazel and I rode slowly, easing into her being on horseback. I knew she was a grown woman who could make her own decisions, but I had been on the other side of serious trauma to my body, and it had taken me a lot longer than three months to feel comfortable riding again. I imagined after birthing an entire human, especially with one who took after his daddy in the broad shoulders and large head department, she'd need things to go slow and gentle for a while yet. Maybe I was wrong. I'd let things go at her pace.

As we rode out toward the hills, we passed a few ranch hands who were hard at work, getting the land ready for the controlled burn we had scheduled. I waved at the guys, and Hazel offered them a slight smile.

"You're not quite settled in here, are you?" I asked her.

"I just don't know them that well. I will. Everything's been so crazy for us since I first came here. And Georgie doesn't sleep much, so Tristan and I kinda take shifts. It'll settle down soon enough."

She turned her inquisitive gaze to me, a knowing smile on her lips. "You got a little beard burn on your neck there, Sam."

The back of my neck heated, and I had to force myself not to touch my throat where Tucker had rubbed his lips along my skin. "What I do on my own time is nobody's business."

Maybe I was a little harsh. But she didn’t back down. That woman was fierce, and I had a feeling she took no prisoners.

"Sure, but if you're trying to be secretive about it, you probably shouldn't be making out in the tack room. There are so many people on this ranch, I'd hate for you to be outed before you’re ready."

We rode in silence as I mulled over her words. Outed. I never really thought about making a statement, truly coming out for the world to know. Why did it matter who I was with? Wasn't it more important that I be happy?

"How did you know? About me, I mean."

She smiled. "I'm good at reading people. And the way you and Tucker look at each other, I'm surprised everyone doesn't know. I didn't realize you were trying to hide it until I heard you guys in the tack room. This doesn't seem like the kind of family who wouldn’t be supportive of you. I'm sorry if you feel like they won't."

I shrugged. That wasn't it. But how did I explain everything? "I've never thought they wouldn't support me. My parents love us. My dad loved us, hard, even when we didn't want him to. I just, I won't be able to give my mom the traditional wife and grandbabies thing she'd set her hopes on for us all."

Now it was her turn to shrug. "Well, you don't want a wife. It looks like you want a husband. You can still get married. You can still have babies. There are so many options. Surrogacy, adoption, foster care. The world has changed since we were growing up."

Something about what she was saying sent a stab of longing through my chest. She was right. Where I'd only seen obstacles, she showed me the future. "Tucker and me, we're not made for picket fences and Christmas mornings. We're wrong for each other in every way that counts. We only work together in one way."

Her musical laugh made me smile despite myself. "Men are so blind. You only see what's right in front of you. I think you need to learn to read people a little better. And maybe you should listen, rather than talk."

"We said plenty when we ended things the first time."

"Okay, but I'm just telling you, it's risky to keep sneaking around like that. Someone else is gonna find you. And I can tell you from experience, even though this isn't about other people, it hurts when people you love don't feel like they can be their true selves around you."

A horse and rider approached us, and I immediately recognized it as Tristan, my baby brother, all grown up. He slowed his horse to a stop right next to Hazel and gave her a rakish grin. “Hey there, darlin', I set Georgie up with a date with his Grammy. How