Read Online Rodeo Romance (Contemporary Western Romance Short) by Teresa Gabelman - Free Book Online

a truck or something?” Trisha watched as he expertly hopped on the horse, then he held his hand out to her.
    “Yes, I have a truck.” He stared down at her, his lips tipped with a sexy grin. “But I would love to have you ride in front of me. Trust me.”
    She looked at his hand, then back to his eyes. In that moment, she realized she really did trust him. While it shocked her, it also filled her with relief. Doug had not ruined her. Taking his hand without another thought, she let him pull her up in front of him. His strong arm wrapped around her stomach, pulling her back against him. She heard him take a deep breath.
    “You smell good,” he whispered in her ear as he tugged the reins, leading the horse away from the cabin.
    Trisha enjoyed the ride. Not only did she enjoy the beautiful scenery, but the man behind her felt right against her back. Her mind went quickly to her and Cindy’s departure from the ranch and knew this wouldn’t last, but dammit, she was going to enjoy every single minute. After a short while riding, he turned off the path and headed through a thick wooded area. Suddenly, they broke through into a beautiful field with a small pond. Jake dismounted with ease then reached up for her.
    Trisha looked around in awe. “It’s beautiful.” She looked away from the scenery to him and then held out her arms for him to help her down.
    “Yes, you are,” Jake answered as he pulled her off the horse and slowly slid her down his body to the ground.
    Being held close to him was delicious. It had been so long since she had been held and looked at like this; it felt good. Memories of Doug started to shift into her mind, but she pushed them back. She would not let that bastard ruin this. She was going to live her life the way she wanted, not the way he wanted. Jake brought her out of her thoughts by cupping her chin with his large hand.
    “I want to erase that sadness from your eyes.” His masculine voice soothed her soul.
    “I’m not sad,” she assured him, reaching up and cupping the hand holding her chin.
    His eyes narrowed slightly. “Okay, let me rephrase that.” He kissed her lips gently. “I am going to erase him from your memories.”
    Not knowing exactly how she felt about him knowing she was thinking of Doug at that moment, Trisha tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “It’s just…”
    “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Trisha.” Jake pulled her closer to him. “I don’t care about the son of a bitch, but I will tell you if I ever meet up with him, he’s a dead man.”
    “I don’t have feelings for him,” Trisha said, wanting to make her emotions clear.
    A grin tipped his lips. “Good to know.” Jake took off his hat and placed it behind her on Spirit’s saddle. “You want to swim first or eat?”
    “Swim?” Her eyes widened as she looked around him to the small pond. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
    He cocked an eyebrow at that. “Neither did I.”
    Oh, holy hell! After that statement, her appetite vanished, or at least her appetite for food. “Ah…” was the only thing she could muster.
    He chuckled, taking her hand and leading her toward a large tree. “We’ll eat first and then if it’s still warm, we’ll go for a swim.”
    All Trisha could do was nod as she sat on a large boulder before she crumbled at his feet. She watched as he worked quickly building a fire, spread a large quilt next to it and then brought a cooler out from behind a large bush. “What if I would have said no?” She grinned, amazed at how well thought out everything was.
    Jake cocked an eyebrow at her over his shoulder. “I would have convinced you,” he replied with a wink.
    Overly confident men usually turned her off, or so she thought. Jake seemed different with his confidence. As if it would have been worth her while to say no just so he could convince her otherwise. Shaking her head at that weird thought, she kept her mouth closed as he held her hand,