Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,24

Bailey how I looked.

“So you told him you didn’t have boots and then ran out today and bought a pair?” she asked.

“Yeah, he said sneakers or boots. I figured I’d go for boots.” I shrugged as I looked down at my kickass cowgirl boots. “I love ’em. You should get a pair. I feel so country-girl-ish.”

The buzzer sounded and echoed up the stairwell, making my heart jump with excitement. Bailey looked at me and then looked toward the stairway before jumping up from the couch and skipping down the stairs. She was sometimes like a child trapped in a grown woman’s body, so fun-loving and silly.

I chased after her and stopped dead in my tracks when Ryan came in to view. I must have been gaping because Bailey took the opportunity to reach out, place her finger beneath my chin, and push upward to close my mouth.

Ryan chuckled and Bailey laughed. And of course my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

His jeans enhanced his toned legs and stretched out over his thighs just right. A snug, royal-blue shirt hugged his chest and arms. But the cowboy hat and boots were what made him any girl’s greatest fantasy.

He traced his lower lip with his tongue as he slowly took me in. I too wore jeans and a T-shirt, but his focus had narrowed in on my feet as a smirk covered his mouth. “I see you found the time to get yourself some boots.”

“Uh-huh,” I said as I stepped closer.

He held his hand out toward me and laced our fingers together securely when I took it. “You ready to go riding?”

“Riding?”

“Yeah.” He tugged me closer, and my chest bumped against his as he curled a hand behind my back. “Don’t worry, you’re riding with me,” he said just before kissing my temple and pulling me out the door toward his truck.

I was immediately a nervous wreck. I didn’t know the first thing about riding a horse. Visions of me falling off ran through my mind. I was sure to embarrass myself, no doubt about it.

“Have fun, kids,” Bailey yelled after us.

Chapter Thirteen

Ryan

I couldn’t contain my happiness. Hell, I had forgotten what it was like to hold a woman close. To hold her hand in mine or to bury my face at the base of her neck, just where it meets her shoulder. The comfort of having a woman in my arms was something I thought I’d never have the pleasure of again.

Amber was different than any other woman I had met over the years. She was so sweet, shy, and compassionate. She was so easy to talk to, and the way she listened to me made me feel like she was hanging on my every word. The way she looked at me also made me feel like I’d hung the moon. It was reassuring to have someone I could share time with, someone that didn’t know me during the darkest part of my life. She gave me the chance to let a little of the old me shine through. I had really missed the old me.

“Climb up,” I said from behind her as she stood staring up at the horse only a few feet from her with a look of panic on her face. I was more than positive this was the closest this city girl had ever been to one.

She peered back over her shoulder, and I almost laughed at how overwhelmed she looked.

“I’m from the city,” she said with wide eyes, emphasizing her loss at what to do. “Ryan, you do understand that we have subways and taxis, right? We do not have horses that are the size of SUVs. I’m going to need a little help if you expect me—” She pointed toward her chest, then spun around to point at the horse. “—to get up on that thing.”

Now I did chuckle. It was impossible not to. She was damn near panicking at the thought of how she would mount and then ride the horse.

I stepped up behind her, my chest fitting flush against her back. Gripping her hips, I leaned my head closer and grazed my lips over her ear. Her body relaxed against mine, and she tilted her head to the side, opening up her neck to me.

As I placed a kiss at the base of her neck, she shuddered in my arms. “You have to put your foot in the stirrups,” I whispered before kissing just below her ear. “I’ll lift as you pull yourself up.”

She nodded