Curves and the Rodeo Star (BBW Romance - Coldwater Springs 4) (3 page)

She put on a pot of
coffee, her mind flashing back to the first day Cade arrived to train
Shadow. She’d been wondering when she would meet
her
guy, a man she could love and who would love her in return. Well, it
seemed she might have found him in Cade, but what did he feel toward
her?

Since that day in the
barn when he’d apologized, he’d been nothing but
friendly. They might have coffee together, but their fingers didn’t
even brush when she handed him a mug.

She sighed and reached
for the coffee cups. Just her luck that a guy she was developing
feelings for didn’t feel the same way.

“
Emma,” Cade
called out. She heard his footsteps down the hall and turned around.

“
Right on time.”
She smiled. “Coffee’s ready.”

“
Great.” He
took the mug she handed him. Emma noticed his fingers were nowhere
near hers.

She followed him out to
the porch, telling herself it was ridiculous to feel disappointed.

She’d just made a
good friend, that was all, and a friend willing to fetch items off
high shelves for her. At least she wouldn’t have to bother
with the stepladder from now on.

Emma smiled to herself at
the thought and sat at the small outdoor table. “How’s
Shadow coming along?” She sipped her coffee while she waited
for his answer.

“
Good. He’s
a smart horse.” Cade’s easy grin made her heart flutter.
He took a long swallow of the mellow brew. “In fact, I think
he might be ready for Bernie in a couple of weeks.”

“
Oh.” She
hadn’t been expecting that answer. That meant Cade wouldn’t
be coming around anymore. Disappointment flickered in her heart.

“
Bernie’s
recommended me to a few other people, so my horse training business
is starting to take off.
And I’ve just bought a herd of
cattle that’s arriving tomorrow.”

She raised her eyebrows
in surprise. “You’ve been busy.” But it made
sense that word was spreading about his skill as a horse trainer. On
the occasions she’d watched him during his sessions with
Shadow, she could tell he knew what he was doing.

An impulsive thought
struck her. Maybe she could hire him to train Pirate? She
immediately dismissed that idea. Pirate was already well trained.
But what about buying a filly or colt and hiring Cade to train it?

Emma reluctantly
squelched that idea as well. Although it would be a great reason to
continue to enjoy his company, buying another horse and paying Cade
to train it would really stretch her finances to the limit,
particularly when her goal was to buy another brood mare in the next
couple of months.

“
Hey.” Emma
blinked at the softly spoken word. “Where did you go?”
Cade gazed at her intently, as if he really wanted to know her
answer.

She fought the blast of
heat creeping across her cheeks and tried to smile. “Sorry.”

He took another sip of
coffee, then set down the mug. “So you mentioned this morning
you wanted help moving something in the barn?”

Emma forced herself to
focus on his question. It was just as well she’d mentioned it
to him today if he wasn’t going to be around much longer.
“Yes. I wanted to move the old horse trough in the barn. It’s
too easy to trip over where it is right now.”

“
Sure.” Cade
rose and waited for her to do the same.
“Let‘s do
it.”

They walked over to the
barn, Cade matching his stride to hers. Emma wondered what type of
woman he preferred. Skinny brunette? Slim redhead? She guessed it
wasn’t curvy blondes.

Entering the barn, Emma
directed Cade to the trough. “I’d like to move it over
here.” She indicated a bare space a few feet away that wasn’t
in the way of animals or humans entering and leaving.

“
Sure. On three.”
He gripped one edge of the trough and Emma did likewise. “One,
two, three.”

They lifted the heavy
trough and carried it over to the new spot, setting it down gently.
Emma exhaled heavily, but couldn’t help noticing Cade’s
breathing didn’t seem to change at all.

“
Good idea,”
he remarked, dusting his hands on his jeans.

“
Thanks.” A
small flush of pleasure surged through her at his praise.

“
Anything else I
can do?”

Emma looked around the
wooden barn. The hay bales were stacked neatly and she’d
finished her chores earlier. To her regret, she couldn’t think
of a single thing. Except,
kiss me.
She slowly shook her
head. “No.”

“
Well, I guess I’ll
be going.”

He sounded reluctant. It
must have been her imagination.

She raised her eyes, his
emerald gaze ensnaring her. He suddenly seemed to be standing much
closer to her.

“
You’ve got a
smudge.” His thumb caressed her cheek.

She couldn’t help
the husky tone in her voice. “Is…is it gone?”

“
Let me see.”
His eyes gleamed with desire as he bent his head toward hers. “All
gone,“ he murmured. “Except for here.”

His lips brushed hers.
Excitement rippled through her as he deepened the kiss, claiming her
mouth. His strong, capable arms wrapped around her waist, pulling
her even closer. She surrendered to the kiss, her hands clasping his
shoulders as he explored the secrets of her mouth. Her legs wobbled,
making her grateful he held her so securely.

He molded her to him, the
firm, hard muscles of his chest pressed against her soft breasts.
She sighed into his mouth as the kiss grew more intense. She had
often wondered what it would be like to kiss Cade, and now she knew.

Incredible.

His hands roamed over her
back as her lips clung to his. An electrifying shiver raced through
her as he stroked the contours of her derriere.

Emma had never been
kissed so thoroughly before. She wound her arms around his neck, her
brain fogging with desire.

Cade widened his stance,
pulling her into the V between his legs. Emma felt his arousal, his
hardness a stark contrast to the soft femininity of her belly.

His hand trailed along
her ribs, then cupped her breast, his other hand caressing her
rounded bottom. He swallowed her gasp as his thumb brushed back and
forth over her stiff nipple through the layers of her t-shirt and
bra.

Her toes curled as his
thumb continued to graze her nipple. She had never felt like this
before, so sexy and desired.

Cade finally tore his
lips from hers, burying his face in the hollow of her neck. He
sipped at the sensitive skin, causing her to tighten her arms around
him.

Emma inhaled shallowly.
The only thing she could focus on right now was how much she wanted -
no, needed, Cade. His hands and lips felt so good, so right, on her
heated skin…

“
Not like this.”

Emma blinked as Cade
rasped the words. It was as if he had doused her with a bucket of
cold water.

She took a shaky step
back, out of the circle of his arms. His eyes were hooded and his
arms had fallen to their sides. She stared at him, unable to read
the expression on his face. But one thing was clear. He didn’t
want her.

At first, Emma’s
throat refused to work. “You’re right,” she choked
out, turning on her heel and hurrying out of the barn. She would not
run, but she wanted to get to the safety of the house immediately.

“
Emma!” She
heard him call her name, but there was no way she was sticking around
for more rejection. After that amazing kiss, she actually thought he
was attracted to her. Well, more fool her, she thought bitterly,
giving up all pretense of walking and racing into the house.

###

Two days later, Emma
relived the disastrous scene once more as she bagged up grain at the
feed store. Once she had reached the house, she locked the doors,
never wanting to talk to Cade again. But she couldn’t help
peering out the window, careful not to be seen. Cade had walked out
of the barn, rubbing the back of his neck and scanning the property.
He’d stood outside the barn for a few minutes, and then headed
for his truck. Only when he’d driven away had she allowed
herself to feel the full force of his rejection.

“
Not like this.”

What else could it mean
except that he didn’t want her? She’d had her share of
terrible first dates, but at least she hadn’t kissed and clung
to the guy like a mindless moron. Wiping the back of her hand
against her eyes - they were the tiniest bit moist because of the
dust particles in the air - she resolved not to think about it.

Except she couldn’t
stop thinking about it. Well, it was obvious Cade wasn’t into
curves.
Or he just wasn’t into you.

A few hours later, Emma
finished work and got into her SUV. Friday afternoon.
The
weekend stretched in front of her. She still had her regular chores
to do on the ranch, but on weekends she usually found time to read a
good book or bake something sinfully delicious, like double chocolate
fudge brownies. And right now, she needed a good dose of chocolate.

At least Cade wouldn’t
be over until Monday. He usually trained Shadow during the week,
giving the horse a break on the weekend. Before he kissed her,
sometimes he would drop in on Saturday or Sunday, asking her if he
could give her a hand with anything, but Emma doubted he would do so
now. And she didn’t want him to.

She had managed perfectly
well before Cade Winters had arrived in Coldwater Springs, and she
would manage perfectly well again.

Emma parked her vehicle
in the garage. She’d stopped at the grocery store on the way
home to buy chocolate. Tonight she planned to enjoy her brownies
while watching
Psych
. Perhaps Shawn and Gus could cheer her
up.

Exiting the garage, she
gazed at the horses in the distance. Icy fingers chilled her spine
as she noticed the gate to the south pasture was open. Dropping her
purse and grocery bag, she sprinted over, her eyes skimming the
acreage. Shadow wasn’t there.

Her breath stopped. She
prided herself on taking good care of the horses in her charge.
She’d never had a missing horse before.

Cade. It had to be. He
hadn’t latched the gate properly when he left today and Shadow
had nudged it open and decided to explore.

Emma’s hands curled
into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms. She methodically
checked all the other horses were there. Pirate came up to her,
nudging her, asking what was wrong.

“
I have to find
Shadow.” She gave him a quick, loving pat, before closing the
gate to the south pasture. Hurrying to the SUV, she had enough
presence of mind to pick up her purse and groceries. She would have
to drive around and see if she could spot the black quarter horse.

Emma sped out of the
driveway, paying attention to her surroundings as she had never done
before.
She had to find Shadow, otherwise it would be the end
of her agisting business. Although it was a side business and her
goal was to have her quarter horse stud be the main source of her
income in the future, right now, caring for other peoples’
horses gave her some welcome income. And she loved all the horses
she looked after.

She drove slowly down the
country road, looking left and right. But all she could see was open
pasture dotted with livestock. Shadow wasn’t among them.

Turning the SUV at the
end of the road, her hands trembled on the steering wheel. She had
to find him! Drawing in a shaky breath, Emma drove down the
neighboring road. A few large ranches occupied the area, but only an
occasional cow looked up to see who was driving past. Once she
reached the end of that particular road
,
she pulled over to
the shoulder.

Her hands shook as she
dug the phone out of her purse. Cade was the last person she wanted
to talk to right now, but Shadow’s safety was more important
than her pride. Besides, it was likely that this was all Cade’s
fault anyway!

She’d programmed
his number into her phone a while ago, so if she ever needed to call
him, she wouldn’t have to memorize it. But she never thought
she’d be calling him in this kind of situation.