Chapters (43)
- Cover
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Epilogue
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- Readers Guide
- QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
“I thought I was doing okay,” she said, frowning down at the plate as she grated even faster. “And then today, it was so obvious . . . this isn’t the life I want. I love the horses, but all I think about is who has a sore foot and the point rankings our animals are pulling in the show circuit. I don’t want that to be all I am.”
He flipped the bread to its other side and came over to where she’d grated nearly all his cheese. “Can I borrow a little of that, do you think?”
She sat back, blushing. “Sorry. Think I got carried away.”
“With the cheese, or with me?” He winked.
She groaned, dropping her face into her hands. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”
“Depends.” He sprinkled the cheese onto the toasted bread, flipped off the burner, and put a lid on the pan. “You give me a second kiss to think about, and I might just forget to tease you about the first one.”
He turned around and leaned his hips back against the counter, crossing his arms. He hadn’t wanted to leave her to get a fresh shirt, but when she peeked over her hands at him and her gaze dipped to his abs, he was very happy he hadn’t gotten dressed.
He tipped his chin up, just enough to catch her attention. “I’ll forget it,” he said quietly. “If you want me to.”
She blew out a breath, her hands dropping. “I—”
He waited, his heart thumping so loud he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hear her over the drum of it.
“I wanted to see if I could feel anything.” She glanced at him and then away. “It felt good.” Her voice trembled. “But I just . . . I don’t know if I want any part of all that, ever again.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.” That’s exactly where he’d thought she was at until she’d up and kissed him. But she hadn’t asked him to forget about it, and he’d told her where he stood—and that she could stand anywhere she pleased when it came to him. Too bad her daddy didn’t agree.
LJ lifted the lid off the pan, scooped her sandwich onto a plate, and cut it once diagonally, the cheddar and parmesan melting out the sides.
He took it to the table and slid it in front of her with an easy smile. “For now, how about you just eat your sandwich, Rodeo Queen?”