Ride Me Cowboy #4 (The Cowboy Romance Series - Book #4) by Alycia Taylor Page A

with a grin.
He clicked his tongue at Sarge and we headed out down
the path that led around the pasture towards the rolling green hills. As we
rode along, we were both silent, taking in the beauty of the day. After riding
up a small hill, we started descending a steep ridge that led towards a small
green valley.
    “Wow! Everything down here is so lush and green,” I
said.
    “Yeah, it is. It sits so deep that it’s not exposed
to the harsh sun and the moisture stays in the grass a lot longer.”
    The grass was dotted with cattle and their calves,
grazing and frolicking in the deep grass. Neither Sarge nor Mark even seemed to notice the cattle as we rode through them. I was
fascinated over how the cattle didn’t seem to be afraid of us and just
continued about their business. “They’re not afraid of us,” I said out loud.
    “Nope. Sometimes that actually presents a problem,
as in when you’re trying to move them and they just stubbornly stand their
ground.”
    “They’re actually really pretty,” I said. He
laughed.
    “Pretty, huh?”
    “Yeah, their coat is all shiny and their muscles
ripple when they move. They look happy and healthy.”
    “You know what they say about California cows,” he
said.
    “ No what?”
    Laughing again he said, “Do you watch television at
all?”
    “Not unless I have to,” I replied.
    “Well, what they say is that a California cow is a
happy cow. But it’s good that you don’t watch a lot of television. It’s all
junk anyways.”
      We rode
across the lush pasture and up a slope on the other side. Then he took us across
a flat, dry area and descended down from there to a big creek. “I thought you
just had the one lake,” I said.
    “This is a creek. It runs off from the mountains
when it snows. There hasn’t been much snow lately, so the water line is low.
It’s still high enough for the cattle to use it for water, though, so we’re
doing okay.”
    The creek was so clear that I could see the smooth,
colorful rocks on the bottom, like looking through glass. Mark was right,
though, it couldn’t have been more than a foot deep and was barely moving. It
looked lazy to me, meandering along its rocky path.
    “How’s this look for lunch?” Mark asked.
    “Perfect,” I said. “My legs and butt are killing
me.” I’m pretty sure from the set of his jaw that he was trying not to laugh.
    “I’m sorry,” he said very sweetly. “I didn’t think
about you not being used to being on a horse.”
    “I’m tough,” I replied. “I’ll get over it.”
    He stopped and I awkwardly dismounted, concerned
that my shaky legs might give out right underneath me and sent me sprawling to
the ground. Mark seemed to just slide off. He took hold of my arm with his good
hand and said, “Are you okay, really?”
    “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just stiff and sore.”
    I walked around a bit to work my muscles out while
Mark set up for our picnic lunch.   “Lunch
is served,” he said. I looked at what he’d set up. He had brought a big,
fresh-looking loaf of French bread, a container of cold cuts and cheese, cut-up
watermelon, and cheesecake.
    “Wow, looks good. I’m impressed.”
    “Don’t be. It was all in the fridge just as you see
it. Your mom did all the work, not me.”
    “Well, you put it together nicely.”
    “Sit, let’s eat,” he directed with a grin.
    The truth was that I was afraid if I sat I would
look like a complete idiot trying to get back up. He’d spread the blanket next
to a rock, so I sat on that and reached back to try and massage my sore back
with my fingers. Mark came over and sat on the ground, but close to me. His
left hand came up and replaced mine on the small of my back. He gently but
firmly rubbed along my spine, giving me goosebumps and delightfully loosening my muscles.
    “Oh my goodness. That feels so good. Thank you.”
    “My pleasure,” he said. “If you haven’t noticed, I
love touching you.”
    “Really?” I said, feigning shock. Then I