Read Online Bridleton by Becky Barker - Free Book Online

first.”
    The tractor lurched when she shifted into gear and Noah threw his other arm across her lap to anchor them both. Her blood pressure lurched with it, shooting heat throughout her body. He kept her caged by his arms while the engine coughed and chugged. Metal clanged against metal and the wagon creaked as they swung into slow, laborious motion. Andrea’s heart pounded in a matching rhythm.
    The rise and fall of her breasts pressed them against his arm so she didn’t take another deep breath until they reached the first gate. He jumped down to open it, giving her a little breathing space. Once she’d driven through he latched the gate and returned to his position beside her.
    This time he kept more distance between them, holding the seat but standing upright rather than leaning toward her. They traveled another mile or so before the tractor hit a pothole in the dirt road. It tilted sideways, throwing him against her and causing him to lose his footing. His hand brushed her right breast as he grappled to steady himself again. Andrea’s nipples tightened and she felt a pull deep in the pit of her stomach. She went utterly still as his whole body pressed so close to hers she could feel his erection.
    For a long, heart-stopping moment, neither of them so much as twitched. Andrea felt like fused dynamite waiting for a match strike. The seething sexual energy coursing through her came dangerously close to igniting. She shuddered and locked her fingers around the steering wheel to keep from reaching for him. Her strangled sound of denial had Noah cursing.
    “I’ll get the next gate,” he said as he jumped off the tractor.
    She dragged in several deep, cleansing breaths as he strode ahead of her. When he neared the gate she finally put the tractor in motion and followed. Once they’d passed through to the next field Noah jumped onto the wagon and began wrestling with bales of hay. Dozens of longhorn cattle bawled in greeting and began to gather around for the fresh supply of food.
    A field of bluebells framed the pasture to the north. Andrea stared at the slowly undulating blossoms, letting the familiar sight calm her nerves. She shut off the tractor and crossed the tongue to the wagon, being careful to dodge the wickedly long, curling cattle horns. She’d always loved the longhorns. They were as hardy as the Bartells had always been on this sometimes unforgiving land. Right now the grass for grazing was minimal. That’s why they needed to supplement with hay.
    Noah stripped the wire off the bales and pitched hay toward the hungry livestock. She moved closer to help him.
    “I’ll get it. You aren’t wearing gloves,” he said.
    “Give me your hook.”
    He handed her a vicious-looking hay hook and they worked together for the next few minutes. He pulled the hay free of the wires and she separated it into sections with the hook. Then she flaked off chunks small enough to handle herself. She’d forgotten how dusty and itchy the job could be but she didn’t complain. They worked in harmony and emptied the wagon in less than fifteen minutes.
    Andrea had just hefted the last flake of hay over the edge of the wagon when she turned and slammed into Noah. The collision knocked her off balance. She would have tumbled backward into the collection of pointed horns if he hadn’t snatched her into his arms. His abrupt action made them lose their footing and stumble. He landed on his back with her sprawled across him.
    Momentarily stunned by the bone-jarring fall, neither of them moved a muscle. Their hearts pounded against each other at a thundering pace. Every cell in her body responded to his closeness and she felt his equally fierce response. Andrea pressed her hands against his chest to wedge some space between them.
    She stared into his beautiful blue eyes and watched the pupils dilate. The fall had knocked off his hat. His hair looked tousled and sexy as hell. She wanted to run her fingers through it as she had so many