I averted my gaze. I was here to give her a tour and then let her be on her way. I could do this. It was simple, easy. There was no reason I needed to keep letting myself get distracted by her beauty and the swirl of emotions that continued to confuse me.
She shifted in the saddle, and I couldn’t stop myself from checking out how well her jeans cupped her firm ass. I groaned.
This was going to be one long ride.
We meandered through the fields, and I pointed out the basic things about the ranch that people typically liked to see when they visited a ranch for the first time. I caught her looking at me with a furrowed brow. Her cheerfulness had died down.
Grace turned in her saddle to stare at me. “You seem bored. Shall we pick up the pace so we can get this over with?”
Without waiting for me to answer, she urged Storm into a gallop and took off.
Wait, she can ride? Who is this mystery woman?
After my initial shock, I pushed Jameson to chase after them. The trees turned into blurs as we raced past. As I caught up, I called out, “Slow down.”
Grace pulled back on the reins and brought Storm down to a walk.
“How come you didn’t tell me you could ride? Who are you?”
“I’m Grace.” She grinned. “Blake’s sister, I’ve been riding for years,” she added when her name didn’t register.
My eyes widened.
“Oh shit. Sorry, I didn’t put two and two together.”
“Obviously,” she huffed and glanced away.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know who you were, or I would have done this differently.”
Her head whipped back to me. “Oh, really. And what would you have done different? Maybe you would have lied about being thrilled to take me out for a ride? Or would you have just said no in the first place?”
Okay, that hurt. I knew I was being a little standoffish, but I wasn’t being a total asshole. Was I?
“If I’d known who you were when Liam asked me, I would’ve had us leave earlier so I could show places that might interest you, not just give you a tour of the fields. I could show you the lake, some of the trails you can ride while you’re here, and the cottonwoods. I wouldn’t have wasted time on the cattle and hay fields. Those are for people who want to know about the ranch.”
Her face softened, and her lips curled into a smile. “Okay. Show me some of the better places, and maybe I’ll forgive you.”
I smiled back. “Come on. I know a place you’ll love, and then after, I have a spot we can break for lunch.” I jerked my head to the right and turned Jameson in that direction. Now that I knew she could ride, I picked up the pace.
Grace gasped when we cleared a line of trees and stepped out into a section of the cross-country course thirty minutes later. To be honest, I was always impressed by the sight as well. Even though I was a cattle man through and through, I could still respect the beauty in something like this.
I watched as Grace’s wide eyes took it all in. Her gaze darted left to right as though memorizing the space. I remembered Blake’s fascination with the course when she first saw it and thought maybe Grace might feel the same way.
“This is amazing,” she said as she and Storm wandered around the edge of the training course.
“I thought you might like this. Blake wouldn’t shut up about it when she first got here.” I turned Jameson toward her. Now that I knew she was Blake’s sister, I vaguely remembered hearing Grace was training for the Olympics. “When do you think you’ll be able to try it out yourself?”
“I’m not sure when Blake has it on the schedule. Maybe next week.” She bounced in her saddle, clearly excited with the prospect of riding the course.
I watched as she took in everything around her. She looked so beautiful, so innocent, so strong. The way she held herself in the saddle oozed confidence. My dick twitched. I loved a confident woman.
If I kept staring at her, I was going to get very uncomfortable in my saddle soon.
“You ready to move on?”
Grace turned my way and smiled. “Sure. Let’s go.”
I turned east and headed in the direction of our lunch spot. It was a small grove of trees on a tiny hill that overlooked a lake. I headed there when I needed to think or be by myself. There was something inside me that wanted to share my spot with Grace.
I discreetly adjusted myself. I needed to fight this attraction. Grace was Blake’s little sister and I had no room for a woman in my life right now. It may have been six years since my fiancée died, but no matter how much Ty thought I was ready, I needed more time to heal.
Grace sighed as we reached our destination and she looked out over the water. “This ranch is magical. I mean look at this spot. It’s gorgeous. The sun hitting off the lake is so beautiful.”
She looked so beautiful. While she talked about the sun’s rays bouncing off the lake, all I could see was how those same rays turned her hair a shimmery auburn. I grunted a response and forced myself to look away.
We dismounted and walked through the trees to stretch our legs before settling down under my favorite tree. A warm, happy feeling settled in my chest. She didn’t need to know this was my favorite spot, but it seemed important to share this piece with her anyway.