The Lady and the Cowboy Ch. 02

"I happen to like number-crunching, and I've always been good at math."

"Nope. Can't see it," he teased me mercilessly.

"Well what can you see me doing?" I asked, trying to sound playfully annoyed.

"Not riding horses, that's for damn sure," I didn't have to look at him to tell that he was grinning. "How someone almost gets thrown off one of those trail ponies, I have no idea, but you managed it."

"It wasn't my fault, I was just sitting there! It was the horse, the thing was jumpy since I first sat down on it," I giggled lightly, remembering the scene from earlier that day.

"Horses can sense fear, remember that," he was smiling. "Now I wouldn't want you to miss out on the complete Waterman Ranch experience, and after what I saw today, I'm not sure if you can handle riding on your own yet, so I think I should take you out sometime and show you how to do it properly." As he said it, an image flashed through my mind, but in my head, it wasn't a horse I was riding. Heat rushed through me, and I swore he read my thoughts. "Perhaps I could teach you a thing or two..." his voice became less playful and more sultry as he flashed a wicked smile. "About horses that is."

My heart was beating fast as we walked up to the cabin, and I glanced up at his face as we stopped, which was partially shadowed by the moonlight. My voice was just above a whisper. "I'm sure you could..." I wanted to grab his shirt collar and drag him into the cabin with me. God, if only he would kiss me. I'd have given my right arm in that moment to just have him lean down... but he didn't.

"Goodnight, California." And with another one of those glorious smiles of his, he turned to walk back to the stables.

I walked into the cabin, careful not to make noise since my parents had turned in early and were probably sleeping. Luke and Lucy were still at the Lodge, and when I walked into the bedroom, I quickly went over to the window and pushed the curtain aside. It was dark, but I could see Tripp's outline becoming enveloped in the night. I watched him until he was no longer visible.

After closing the curtain, I threw my body on the bed, groaning. What a stud, I thought to myself. What would he taste like, feel like? I wondered how he would make love. If he had even a fraction of the skill in bed as he had training horses, he would be no less than mind-blowing, not that I had any true experience to judge him against.

At nineteen, I was one of the last of my friends who still clung to her virginity. Actually, I wasn't clinging to it, I just hadn't met the right person yet. Sure, I'd had boyfriends, and I wasn't completely inexperienced, but there was never anyone who I could confidently say I wanted to do it with. I didn't care how old I would be when I finally took the plunge, but I knew it would be with someone who I deeply cared about, and had a shot at a meaningful relationship with. That was not Tripp Carson.

The realization of it made me ache inside. Never had I felt such an intense longing and desire for someone before. I indulged myself, fantasizing about him, but I scolded myself for wondering if I would actually indulge if I had the chance to in the real world. What could come of a relationship with him? I was going back to California in two weeks, and I was not the kind of girl to give myself to someone who could be nothing more than a brief bout of summer fun. Even if he did find me attractive, which I was starting to think he might, what did that attraction mean? He probably hit on all of the girls who came through the ranch, and thought of me solely as a little nineteen-year-old piece of ass.

As I thought it, the voice inside my head told me I was wrong. Tripp wasn't like that. After seeing him in the barn today, I knew he was caring and gentle, and although he acted tough and cocky, I didn't think he had the capacity to hurt others. Something about him made me trust him, and I barely even knew the man. I remembered how he looked at the hurt foal, with pain in his eyes that matched my own. No, he wasn't a womanizing sleezeball.

He had said he wanted to take me riding. With that thought, I squealed like a little girl at Christmas time as I got up and pulled a nightgown out of the dresser. There I was, fantasizing again. Taking off my jean shorts and shirt, I went and stood in front of the large mirror that hung on the back of the door.

I carefully looked at the girl standing before me. Would Tripp find her attractive? Slowly, I unhooked my bra and tossed it over to my bed. I had a pretty nice figure, I decided. My breasts weren't gigantic, but they were pretty big on my frame, sitting high above my tampered waist. My wavy blonde hair was long enough so that it came down to just above my pink nipples. I wasn't short, although standing next to Tripp I certainly looked it. As I turned around slowly, I thought that my butt might be a little flatter than desired, but in general, it wasn't half bad.

Although I might be thought of as pretty, I couldn't help but think of how I paled in comparison to that glorious man who I'd watched last night, riding a bucking horse in the moonlight. Quickly, I donned my nightgown and climbed into bed. Before closing my eyes, I peeked out the window one last time, and smiled as I saw a light coming from the barn in the distance. Even though my heart ached for the injured horse that lay in the building, I felt better knowing Tripp was there with it.