Read Online Beware of the Cowboy by Mari Freeman - Free Book Online

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out of my league, Beck.”
    Becky lifted the handcuffs. “I hate to disagree with the
boss lady, but looks to me like Blake thinks you belong hogtied to his bed. How
much more belonging do you need?”
    Liza eyed the shimmering gold cuffs. “I haven’t a clue.”
    “Fine. Get your ass in that fast convertible of yours and
head to the ranch.”
    * * * * *
    After finding her nerve she found Blake’s house on the
backside of the Dean property. She started for the barn door as one of the
other cowboys came out, the same graying man who had been with Blake the
morning the colts got loose.
    “Well, look who’s here,” he quipped.
    “Is Blake around?”
    “Lady, if you’re gonna make him any more ornery than he
already is, I’ll thank you to go home.” He lifted his tattered straw hat and
jammed it right back down on his head in a feeble attempt to prove his
politeness.
    Liza laughed. “I’ll try not to. Do you know where I can find
him?”
    He pointed behind the barn and moved on.
    When she saw Blake, he was leading two horses. Head down,
his hat and shirt dust-covered from working, his chaps snug. They still did
nothing to hide his strong thighs. She sighed.
    He looked up and gave her a little smile as he neared, but
said nothing. They walked the horses into the barn where he handed her a set of
reins. “Take her saddle off, will ya?”
    With shaking hands, Liza fumbled to get the cinch untied.
The cinch was tight, and her nervous fingers couldn’t get a good grip on the
leather. The buckskin shook like a wet dog in an attempt to hurry her progress.
Blake was in the next stall, talking to his horse. Liza couldn’t understand the
words but remembered how the deep, rich tones of his voice had sent chills up
her spine when he whispered commands into her ear.
    Blake slid up behind her and wrapped his arms over hers,
easily slipping the leather from its knot, his big fingers lingering over hers.
“Why the shaky hands?” The words were spoken into her hair, just under her ear,
giving her goose bumps. She could only shake her head. Her nerves were as much
out of her control as her feelings. He turned her around to face him. “What is
it, baby?”
    “I…I’m nervous.” There it was.
    He kissed her brows. “Why on earth?” The mare shook before
she could answer, knocking off the saddle. Blake gathered the tack, tossed the
saddle over the gate of an empty stall then turned and gave her a sexy, sly
smile, still not asking her any of the hard questions he had every right to ask
her.
    He led her toward his house. The surprisingly cozy home sat
to the side of the ranch, well away from the main mansion. She had expected
Blake might live in a rough-looking cabin befitting a cowboy, but was surprised
by the modern look of the place. Its warm colors and cozy, big front porch did
little to ease the jangled nerves Liza was experiencing.
    His simple acceptance of her unannounced appearance after a
couple of weeks of avoidance was unexpected, and knocked her off guard. Her
practiced speech was gone and her explanation of her feelings was lost in her
wonder over the uncomplicated man with the extravagantly brown eyes.
    “I thought you lived up at the main house. I went up there
first. Bobbie sent me out here,” she stammered as they entered. That had been
an embarrassing experience. Bobbie didn’t seem the least bit surprised to see
her. The extravagant woman, in her hot pink Capri pants with palm trees
embroidered on them, had seemed genuinely glad to see her and gave her simple
directions and even offered to have her driver take Liza around. The entire
time she spoke, the two newlywed pugs chewed at her expensive leather sandals.
    He chuckled. “Little old to be living with my mother, don’t
you think?”
    Big, bold western art hung on three of the four walls of the
great room, a saddle sat in a corner with ropes and a cowboy hat hanging on the
wall over it. The western décor created an interesting contradiction to