I let that settle over me. This really is its own empire. The land, the people, the livestock. And this man, standing barefoot in a bathroom doorway, talking about it like it’s as natural as breathing, he’s the king of it all. And I’m not sure how I even ended up here beside him.
Why the hell would his ex have walked away from this? From him and Wyatt? I can’t understand it. What am I missing?
“Do you think you could show me?” I ask. “All of it?”
He laughs. “Yeah, if that’s what you want. Might take a while to get round it all.” He tilts his head. “Can you ride?”
I bite back a smile. The only thing I can ride confidently is him. I can feel the blush crawling up my neck before the thought even finishes forming.
“A horse, city girl.” His voice drops low. “I know you can ride me. Very fuckin’ well.”
My face is on fire. “No,” I say quietly. “Not many horses in New York to ride.”
He rubs his hand over his stubble and closes the distance between us. His hands land on my hips—gently, so gently, careful of the bruise that’s still blooming purple beneath my clothes.
“Wanna learn?” he rasps.
“What if I fall off?”
I’m scrambling for reasons not to look completely out of my depth. Because what if the woman Hunter really wants knows about this life? One that loves this lifestyle? Knows the difference between breeds of horses and can rope a calf without breaking a sweat?
I’m not even sure I could shovel shit properly. What if I turn out to be nothing but an embarrassment to a cowboy?
“You think I’d put you on a horse that’ll do that to you?” He ducks his head until his eyes are level with mine. “These horses, they’re my babies. I broke them in myself. I care for them. If you put your trust in that horse, they won’t let you down.” He pauses. “Same as I won’t.”
I blow out a breath and slide my hands up his chest. Feeling the steady drum of his heart beneath my palm.
“I’m not asking you to be the next wrangler at Sterling Ranch, Lola. I’m asking you to be mine. To just be here with me.”
I look up at him through my lashes. “I don’t know what a wrangler is,” I admit.
He laughs. A proper belly laugh that shakes through his chest and into my hands. He rests his forehead against mine, still grinning. “You’re the breath of fresh air I needed, baby.”
“What makes you think I can’t be a wrangler?”
He cups my cheek. Looks at me like he’s seeing past every wall I’ve ever built. “You can be anything you wanna be here, firefly. But how about we teach you to ride a horse first before you make your next career move?”
I nod, a menacing grin spreading across my face. “Okay, cowboy.”
He presses a kiss to my lips. The kind that makes my toes curl against the bathroom tile.
“And you need a couple more days for that hip to heal,” he adds.
“You got it, boss,” I say with a giggle.
He growls. Actually growls.
“You can call me sir, cowboy, Hunter, boyfriend.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “Fuck, you can even call me husband. But I ain’t your boss, Lola. You are in control of your life and how you live it. I’m just here for the ride, however you’ll have me.”
My brain short-circuits.
Husband?
All I can do is blink at him with my mouth wide open like a fish someone’s just pulled out of water.
“Hunter,” I whimper.
He tilts his head. “That’s my least favorite of the options.”