Page 42 of Wild

He nodded as he held my hand to steady me as I swung a leg over Lucy, then adjusted my stirrups and handed me the reins.

“It wasn’t the right time,” he said, then helped me onto Lucy.

But now it might be? Why was I rooting for that outcome? Did I have a horse in this race? No. He’d never said what we were, but it was clear now it had just been a little fun. No one just quit the military, certainly not for me. I’d heard of people being AWOL. He had to go back. There were procedures, surely. Our time was limited, but it was hard to think that on a pretty day as I was about to go for a horseback ride with the hottest guy on the planet.

Yes. I wanted him to leave the military and settle here because unlike the east coast, I would be sure to see him again. I’d visit Audrey for Christmas and soon after, have to visit my new niece or nephew.

Or maybe…

Maybe he’d give me a different reason to visit.

No. God, it felt dangerous to even entertain that thought. I was falling hard for this guy, the guy who’d kissed me on the forehead and pushed me into a separate bedroom the night before. That screamedI’m done.

Maybe he’d decided I was too young after all. I wracked my brain, trying to think if I’d done anything particularly immature last night. I hadn’t been too tipsy at the bar. Or made a college-girl scene. But he’d been hands-off before we went out. I’d gotten the disgruntled vibe from him during dinner.

I patted Lucy’s neck, more for my comfort than hers.

I was getting my hopes up about us turning into a long-term thing. It was totally foolish and unrealistic. I had a year left of school, and long distance relationships were difficult at best. I knew because I’d watched my freshman roommate try to navigate one with her high school sweetheart. It had fallen apart about six months into the game. And it hadn’t been pretty.

Colton wasn’t an eighteen-year-old college freshman. He was thirty and a Green Beret. He’d head back to North Carolina and forget about me and our fling. He was already putting distance between us now. And once he left, I couldn’t compete with other women, especially without of sight, out of mind.

Colton mounted his mare with far more grace than I would expect from a guy his size, and he clicked his tongue, urging both our horses forward. “You okay, sweetness?” he asked, adjusting his hat low on his head to block the sun. With that, he was an official cowboy. Panty melting.

When my horse lurched into motion, I squealed. I’d think about leaving later. Right now, I wanted to just have some fun.

“Never been better!” I called out as I held the reins and let Lucy take me wherever it was we were going. And it was true. Colton was beside me. I was trusting him in this just like everything else since we first met. I liked it. No, I loved it, and him, too. Despite my attempts to keep it from engaging, my heart was already soaring above us, basking in the warm fingers of the sun and the morning breeze. The smell of earth and grass and leather. Glowing with pleasure at the delicious male attention that kept coming my way.

Colton was going to get a crick in his neck if he kept looking over his shoulder at me, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Because every time he looked at me with such indulgence, such fondness, I melted a little more.

14

COLTON

I tookMarina out into the open fields and showed her how to take Lucy into a gallop. She whooped and laughed with the joy of it, her face shining with life. She was so fucking beautiful with her blonde hair bouncing off her shoulders, her eyes alight. And that smile. Fuck, it made my wolf happy, and it hit me square in the heart.

I’d had women, appreciated even more, but her smile ruined me. All that and on the back of a horse like the cowgirl-in-training she was. I was a goner because she took to it like a natural. I was surprised when anyone hadn’t ridden a horse before, but I’d pretty much grown up on one. Watching her though, made it better for me. I was sharing something of myself, something I loved, without any words.

Not just the riding—the land. It was the best way to see it, on the back of a horse. I took her closer to the mountains, followed a stream for a bit, but the views… fuck, I’d forgotten how pretty it was here. Peaceful. Quiet. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I was back.

In the past, I’d been fine driving away once leave was over. I never thought twice about heading back to base. But now, with hindsight and all, I had to wonder why I was so eager for a deployment, for living in a sandbox with the enemy for months when I had this. Sure, I was proud to serve my country, but had that been the reason I’d enlisted in the first place? Had I been eighteen and eager to get the fuck out of Montana?

Yes.

I wasn’t eighteen anymore.

I stopped when we crossed over onto Old Man Shefield’s place. The view was to the east side of the valley. Pretty as a picture.

I leaned on the pommel and pointed. “This is our neighbor’s ranch, but he died this past year.”

She looked my way. “Oh. Is it okay that we’re over here?”

“Of course. We were close with Shefield. We’ve been looking after his place for him since he broke a hip a few years back, and he had to go stay in Billings.”

“Who owns it now?”

“Well, according to Rob, some niece of his inherited the place, but she hasn’t been around yet to claim it. It’s no matter because we’ll look after the property for her.”

Well, my brothers would. But I was already starting to think of myself as living here again. Staying. Getting involved in the daily operations. I had to figure out where my little niche would be. Maybe I’d settle into one of the smaller cabins in the hills just like Boyd had. I looked to Marina, wondering if she’d like that. Montana in the winter was for the hardy and a cabin almost off the grid wasn’t for the weak.