OLIVER: WESTERN CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (Blackwater Canyon Ranch Book 2) (11 page)

They’d ridden for a while, mostly in silence, before Daisy saw the Shoshone River. Ahead of them, a winding blue ribbon of water cut its way across the land. Grassy green bluffs butted up next to it, with pines, spruces and aspens growing not far away.

She twisted in her saddle to survey her surroundings. “I can’t see anything but wilderness.”

“Does that bother you?”

She pondered his question for a few moments. “No. I actually like it. The beauty brings a peace to my soul.” She laughed. “I know that sounds corny.”

“It sounds perfect. I told you I’ve wondered why you’d want to live in a city if you could have this.”

She couldn’t answer that question honestly. “There are lots of reasons.” Just because she’d fallen in love with the stunning landscape around her, didn’t mean she didn’t still love the city.

“Name one.”

She searched deep for an answer but couldn’t come up with anything they hadn’t discussed before. “Shopping. There aren’t many stores around here.”

He grinned. “That’s what trips to Cody are for.”

She returned the gesture. “It’s not going to matter what I say, you’ll counter it with something else.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Then don’t ask me to argue it with you.” She loved his self-assuredness, his love for the land around him, and the way he looked damn fine in a saddle.

“Always so sassy.” He grinned.

When they reached the edge of the river, she tugged on the reins like Oliver had taught her. Some of the bluest water she’d ever seen sparkled as it flowed past. A big bird circled overhead.

Oliver stopped next to her. “Osprey.”

“What?” She glanced at him.

“That bird. It’s an osprey. They’re amazing fishers of the rivers around here. If you watch, you might see them swoop down and catch a fish.”

“Have you seem them do that before?”

“Several times.”

“Nice.” With a wistful sigh, she glanced skyward and wished the bird would show its talents to her.

“Are you ready to cross?”

His words startled her. “The river? I don’t think we should.”

It was one thing to cross shallow water on a four-wheeler. Quite a different story when the river was deeper and she’d have to place her trust in the animal she rode.

“The horses don’t mind,” he countered.

“What if mine gets stuck?”

He chuckled. “They’re not like a car that’s going to get stuck in the mud. These horses have all crossed the river many times. It’s perfectly safe. Out of all of us here, you’re the only one who’s worried.”

She glanced at the water that had now taken on a dangerous quality.

Oliver held out his hand. “Give me your reins, and I’ll lead her across. All you have to do is sit there, okay?”

She nodded hesitantly. “Okay.”

He pulled the reins over her horse’s head as Cognac walked forward. Once the slack between them disappeared, her horse followed.

Daisy gripped the horn like a lifeline as her horse stepped into the water. It didn’t look very deep where they walked, but the river rushing past still left her dizzy. Her heart thudded in her chest, even as a small smile crept across her lips.

She relaxed her grasp on the horn and allowed her body to mimic the movements of the horse. Water splashed around the horses’ feet, and she could see where they might enjoy it, too.

Oliver glanced over his shoulder. “Doing okay?”

“Doing great.” She smiled.

Before she could say anything else, her horse lurched as she stumbled and then tried to correct herself. Daisy slipped to one side of the saddle as fear ripped through her.

“
Hang on
,” Oliver warned.

She was, for dear life. She tried to resume her position on the saddle, but then Daisy the horse did the same damn thing again, and suddenly the weight of her body and the horse’s clumsy actions sent her tumbling.

She gasped as cold water sluiced over her, waking every sense in her body. She was beneath the surface, and then she wasn’t as two firm hands gripped her tightly and pulled her upward.

She coughed up the water she’d accidently swallowed in surprise as Oliver pounded on her back to help.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a frantic voice. “Daisy, are you okay?”

She nodded as he pushed wet hair from her face. Another cough worked to expel more water from her lungs, and then she sucked in a deep breath.

“You scared the shit out of me.” He looked her over as though checking for damage.

“You said I’d be okay,” she croaked.

He laughed then and hugged her tightly against him as water raced around them. “You weren’t supposed to jump off.”

“I didn’t,” she said as he led her and the horses to shore. “She slipped on a rock or something.”

When Daisy was safely on land, she met his gaze, grateful for the sunshine that warmed her. “I’m certainly not bored any longer.”

“Ah, Daisy.” His eyes were full of adoration as he pulled her toward him. He rubbed the shiver bumps from her bare arms, giving her other kinds of chills.

“I guess I should remember that whenever I go with you, the odds are I’ll get dirty or wet.” Her words brought forth another laugh.

“That’s always possible.” His smile warmed her heart more than the sun.

She glanced across the river she’d become intimately acquainted with and shivered. “I don’t suppose there’s a bridge or something so I don’t have to cross again.”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

She released a sigh, wondering about the odds of falling off a second time.

“I’ll let you ride in front of me on my horse if you want. Will that make you feel any better?”

“Yes.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Are we headed back now?”

“Unless you want to ride around in wet clothes for the rest of the day. I, for one, don’t.” The bottom half of him was soaked as well.

“Me, either.” Which truly saddened her. She’d wanted to spend a good portion of the afternoon with him out here where no one watched, where she could look at him and laugh with him without worrying about Rachel or Caleb catching them. “Maybe we could come back next time.”

He nodded, his expression thoughtful. “How many more days are you here?”

“Two weeks.” In the beginning, she’d counted because she didn’t want to be at Blackwater. Now, she didn’t want to leave.

“It’s going to come faster than you know.”

“Yeah.” The thought tortured her.

“Come on. Let’s get you home before Rachel so she doesn’t see us and overreact.” He held out a hand to her, and she willingly took it.

His fingers wrapped around hers, and she savored the feel.

“You first.” He gave her a boost to help her up. “Okay, take your foot out of the stirrup and hang on tight to the horn.”

He swung up behind her, surrounding her with his warmth as he reached around her to take the reins. Daisy gave him both sets, not wanting to do anything but hang on. “Don’t worry. It will be over soon.”

Slowly, he eased the horses back into the water. She tensed, trying not to watch the river rush past.

“It’s okay. I won’t let you fall,” he whispered in her ear and tightened his hold on her.

She leaned into him, wishing her life wasn’t so complicated.

“There,” he said as they safely reached the other side. “All is well.” He dismounted and looked up at her with an expectant gaze as he held out his arms. She didn’t hesitate to fall into them.

He set her safely on the ground between him and the horse, but when he started to move away, she knew her opportunity was passing as well.

She gripped the sides of his shirt. “Oliver,” she whispered. She tried to use her gaze to impart the feelings rushing inside her.

He searched her eyes for several moments and then blew out a frustrated breath. “Damn it, Daisy. What am I going to do with you?”

“Kiss me?” she asked hopefully.

Just when she thought he would, he stepped away. “We can’t.”

“
Oliver
,” she said in a much more forceful tone. “This whole thing is so ridiculous. Why do we have to act this way with each other? I get that you don’t want Rachel to find out, and I have no intention of telling her. But do we have to deny ourselves what we both want? Don’t tell me you don’t want this as much as I do, because I won’t believe it.”

He remained silent.

“Rachel’s not here right now,” she said in a softer voice as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. “No one is. It’s you and me alone in the wilderness, and I want you to kiss me again.”

“Unless you don’t want to,” she added when he didn’t immediately jump on the offer.

“You know I do.”

She sensed him softening. “Really? Because you seem perfectly content to only look at me from across the yard.”

He shook his head in warning. “You know that’s not true.”

“You say it, but I want you to show me.” She knew she taunted a lion, but she didn’t care. “Unless you’re too scared.”

He caught her chin in his hand. The dangerous need hovering in his eyes made her tremble. He pressed against her, forcing her back against his horse. Cognac shifted, but didn’t leave.

“You want me to show you?” He was so close his breath brushed her cheek. “I’ll show you.”

His lips claimed hers in a passionate assault that rocked her grip on reality. “Oliver,” she gasped against his mouth. Eager embers jumped to life, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him to her.

“I’ve dreamed of this,” she said between his kisses. “Every night and nearly every waking moment since the last time.”

He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “Is that so?”

She nodded. “We have unfinished business, mister, and I hate leaving things undone.” She pushed at the wet hem of his shirt.

He held her gaze for several long seconds before he tugged the shirt over his head. Within seconds, she was down to her panties and bra while he still wore his pants. Same as last time. If he thought that would do this go round, he was mistaken.

In the middle of an extremely hot kiss, he tried to undo her bra. She pulled from him and laughed. “Oh, no. You’ll lose those pants before you take anything else off me.”

He grinned as though she’d discovered his secret and tried to reach for her again. “Come here,” he growled.

She allowed him to pull her against him, but she held his hands at her sides to keep them from wandering. “Do you have a condom this time?”

He didn’t immediately answer.

She slipped a hand in his back pocket and tried to pull out his wallet. He caught her with a laugh. “Hang on a minute.”

“Answer me, Oliver. Is there a condom in your wallet?”

He sighed in self-disappointment. “I’ve carried one ever since.”

He’d thought of her often, then. “Seems to me neither one of us can fight this.” She slid her hands around his waist, loving the feel of him. “We shouldn’t have to.”

He drew fingers down her bare arms, giving her a multitude of shivers as a bird cried out overhead. “Are you sure you can’t be happy with me pleasing you and leaving it at that?”

“Oral sex is still sex, Oliver. Rachel would be just as pissed about that, you know.” He had a certain way of burrowing deep into her heart every time they were together. She cradled his face in her hands and pulled his head toward her. When he was close enough, she caught his mouth in a kiss that she never wanted to end.

“I want to feel you inside me, Oliver.”

“Fuck.” He tightened his grip, squeezing her against him as he owned her with a fierce kiss. With sly fingers, he reached for her bra. She let him remove it, but she quickly followed with the button on his jeans.

He didn’t stop her.

She unzipped his pants before he could change his mind and then tugged them down. His jeans weren’t as wet as hers and came off easily.

“One of these days, we’ll have to try this with dry clothes,” she said with a laugh.

“I hope so.”

His comment gave her pause, but the thick blood pulsing through her quickly stole her attention.

His gray briefs were next. When he stood before her, naked beneath the blue Wyoming sky with his muscles all hard and contoured, and his erection jutting toward her, she was certain she’d never seen anything so beautiful.

She reached for his shaft. He hissed as she wrapped her fingers around him. “This. Yes,” she whispered.

He needed no further encouragement. It took him only seconds to open the condom and put it on. With his t-shirt in hand, he led her to the grass near a tree and spread his shirt on the ground. “It’s not much.”

“I don’t care.” She wouldn’t be thinking about the grass anyway.

The moment he had her beneath him, something wild sparked in his eyes. He caught her lips with his and greedily ran his hands over her skin as if he couldn’t get enough. “I’ve wanted you for so long, Daisy.”