“Yeah. Okay. I can do that.”

She didn’t want to do it. But this was one of those weird, unwinnable discussions. If people were concerned about her—her performance at work or her feelings—they would hover more. And what she didn’t want was that hovering. That feeling she needed to be looked after.

But she also didn’t like asking for help.

She still hadn’t made a move toward the fridge, and he suddenly leaned down, reaching past her, so that she took a whole breath of him.

All that skin and sweat and man, in a way she hadn’t quite thought of man before.

Then he took a bottle of water and held it out in her direction.

She opened the bottle and took a step back, suddenly becoming conscious of just how hot she was when the cool liquid slid down her throat. “Is there anything left you want me to do today?”

“I was actually wondering how you would feel about another trail ride. I know that you took Gus out earlier, but I’d like to see how Gus and one of the rescue horses I got a while back do on the trail together. We can save it for tomorrow if you want...”

Jamie’s only real option was heading back home, and since she wasn’t really eager to hang out with her brothers after last night, she was ready to jump at Gabe’s offer of riding, even though it would mean more time in his company.

Right now it was preferable to dealing with her family.

A little shiver settled in her stomach, rippling through her body.

Time spent with Gabe. It made her feel such weird things.

Weird and not entirely unpleasant.

Maybe she was a little interested in feeling more of that, too. It was better than feeling the same old things all the time, anyway.

“A trail ride is just fine by me.”

“Great,” he said. “I’ll pack us up some sandwiches.”

“Sounds good to me.”

CHAPTER SIX

GABE FELT LIKE a fucking dolt for asking her to go on a ride, particularly after the way his body had reacted to being so close to hers when he’d helped her out with the motor.

That had been a dumb-ass move, too. He shouldn’t have touched her.

His reaction to her didn’t exactly make sense. She was pretty, it was true, but she was young, and she was a tomboy. He tended to be a little bit more of a magpie when it came to women. Attracted to the obvious and the shiny, rather than the simple and down-home.

Jamie was a down-home girl, that was for sure.

Gabe had never put much thought into his type of woman. He had roots that were low-class as hell, and he figured his taste went right along with that, and he didn’t much care.

He liked what he liked. Big hair, a lot of makeup, rhinestone jeans.

Nothing wrong with that.

But then, in all reality, his body was probably just enjoying the kick of arousal it got out of proximity to a woman at all.