Rocky Mountain Rebel by Vivian Arend Page B

that he took a moment to think her question through before answering. Made it seem less some practiced comment, more from the heart.
    “I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Even being the couple hours away for school while Jesse and I went to college was brutal. I wanted to wake up in the spring and hear frogs. Let the roosters be my alarm instead of some tinny music pounding through the walls of the dorm from my neighbour’s room.”
    “I bet there’s an app for that.”
    Joel chuckled. “I bet there is.”
    She wasn’t sure why it was suddenly so important to have him…well, like her. Oh, she was sure he wanted her, but like her? As in actually like the Hansol bad girl?
    He’d said he admired her spirit, but most of that was impulsive. Spur of the moment. She’d rarely set out and done things to get them done. And now? Having Joel Coleman actually like her became an important part of the plan.
    Although with every new thing she added to it, the damn to-do list was getting as full as she’d ever had it in her entire life.
    “Tell me about…?” She scrambled back through the sexual cloud for the details he’d shared. “Sable. What was her mom’s name? And how do you say that properly, because talking about a horse’s great granddaughters probably follows some secret rancher’s code, like breeding and mares and other stuff.”
    Joel glanced down, adjusting his grip on her fingers to curl his entire hand around hers. “You want to know all the terms?”
    “All about horses. Tell me everything.”
    “I bet there’s an app for that,” Joel deadpanned.
    “You’re better than an app. You can hold my hand while you teach me.” She gave him a smile, hoping this was the right thing to do, willing him to accept her offering.
    Willing herself to be brave enough to take this adventure and stick it out to the end, because the potential for something wonderful was incredible.
    Past, present and future. It all hinged on the here and now. If she could make it through the next months and learn to handle horses. If Joel was smart enough to help her.
    If the town could just stay out of their business for a little while.
    They stood there for a minute. She wasn’t sure what came next. “I guess we should get back.”
    “I guess we should.” Joel didn’t let go of her fingers until they were at the bike, then he lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed his lips against her fingers briefly. “Give me a ride back to my truck?”
    She wasn’t sure if she should go awww for him being a gentleman, or kick him for leaving her aching with anticipation. “You don’t want to drive?”
    “Your bike. Let’s see how you handle it.” He handed her the helmet and waited until she’d mounted. Then he stepped over the back and curled an arm around her belly, and all the wild fantasies she’d shoved into a corner sprang up.
    Hard-as-nails muscles pressed against her, bands of iron holding her steady.
    The dry mouth she’d suffered from vanished, and she swallowed hard to stop from drooling. “I think it’s better if you drive. I don’t think I can balance her with your weight in the back.”
    She escaped from the circle of his arms. Not because she didn’t want him holding her, but because she wanted it too badly.
    Joel seemed to accept her excuse. “It’s a bigger bike than you should have, isn’t it?”
    “I’ll trade down someday. It was cheap.”
    He slipped into position and waited for her to mount. Wrapping her arms around him didn’t seem nearly as dangerous, but the control she clung to was an illusion. Because in spite of the drive back to the truck, the time it took for him to dismount, in spite of all that, she was still horny as all get out from having her inner thighs rubbing his fine ass.
    She wanted him between her thighs for real, and while it seemed she’d get her wish eventually, going slow was the order of the day.
    Not even a goodbye kiss.
    Joel hauled open his truck door. “I need to get