Read Online Rock Solid by Samantha Hunter - Free Book Online Page A

voice as he hugged her closer.
    “I wish you had,” she said, linking her arms around his shoulders. “I hope you will.”
    Their skin cooled and Hannah unlinked her arms, putting space between them as she sat back on his thighs, reluctant to get dressed. This was like a dream that she didn’t want to let go of. Already, she was having a difficult time believing she’d been this bold.
    “I guess we should get going,” she said, her fingers meshed with his.
    “Let’s maybe swim first?”
    “Oh, that would be lovely,” she said with a smile, letting him lead her to the clear green pond. Pretty white lilies floated on the surface, and Brody stood at the edge, holding her hand and gazing down into the water.
    “Worried it’s cold?” she teased.
    “No, double-checking for gators,” he responded seriously. “But we’re good to go.”
    Hannah blinked in surprise, but let him pull her into the cool, clear water, gasping as they surfaced after submerging.
    “This is wonderful,” she exclaimed, looking up at the sky through all the trees that surrounded them, cupping a lily pad in her hand and smiling at Brody. “It’s as though we’re lost in some tropical world.”
    “It does have that feeling,” he agreed as he dived underneath again, his hands sliding up her legs and making her laugh as he pulled her back down under for a kiss. They relaxed and swam in the cool waters for a while, before it really was time to head back.
    Emerging from the pond, the warm air dried their skin almost before they put their clothes on. When Hannah pulled herself up into Salty’s saddle, she bit her lip, loving the way her oversensitized body felt every bit of pressure from the saddle, the movement of the ride reminding her what had happened only a few minutes ago.
    It had not been a dream.
    But as they rode down the path, single file as the greenery closed in, her thoughts started to churn again.
    Maybe her deal with Brody was as crazy as it sounded, but Hannah needed to do something crazy. Playing house while he faked his retirement was completely the opposite of anything she’d ever do. Which was what made it absolutely perfect.
    She wasn’t in denial. Hannah knew she’d probably get hurt—at least a little. Being with Brody was addictive; it had been before, as well.
    Or maybe she wouldn’t get hurt. She wanted to become adventurous, not tied down. She had to be sure to keep that in mind.
    Finally, they emerged into the light of an open meadow and pulled up side by side again. The barns were in the distance, and Hannah looked at Brody, her serious thoughts receding.
    “Race back?”
    He looked pensive, but then nodded. Before she could say another word, he nudged Pepper from a walk into a run, and shot ahead of her before she could shout, “No fair!”
    Laughing, she held on tight as Salty took off as well, but they weren’t able to catch Brody. He stood in the shade of the barn by a trough, letting Pepper drink while she and Salty caught up.
    Hannah shook her head as she slid down from Salty, leading the horse over to the water.
    “You play dirty, Palmer,” she accused playfully.
    He grinned. “You snooze, you lose,” he teased.
    They led the horses to the stable, where they washed and brushed them down before taking them to a shady part of the pasture. Hannah was surprised to see several large birds moving among the horses, pecking at the ground.
    “What are those?”
    Brody secured the gate behind the horses.
    “Guinea fowl. My granddad brought a pair decades ago for pest control—they will eat every tick and mosquito around, and even clear out snakes. They kept multiplying and have been here ever since. Every now and then, when they overpopulate, we’d take one for Sunday dinner, but otherwise they just roam and keep the pastures and fields pretty free of pests.”
    “Wow...I didn’t know birds could do that.”
    “Yeah, chickens are good for mosquitoes, too, I guess, but we never really planned on