Naked Hunger: Naked Cowboys, Book 8 (3 page)

“What’s in the next building?” she asked as they reached the end of the concrete center aisle.

“That’s where the hands and I stable our horses. You’ll be taking care of them too.”

“Should we take a look?”

He shook his head. “Most of them are out right now, working the pastures or riding fences. Next time.” He nudged her around to face him. “There will be a next time, right? You are going to buy Doc out?”

“Getting close to it.” She wanted to give Pete her answer before anyone else.

He let his gaze travel over her from head to toe and back up again, sending a wash of sensation over her.

“You sure you can wrangle those big animals? Pete sometimes has to ask one of us to help.”

She swallowed her immediate retort and dug up a smile. “Then I’m sure if I need it, you’ll give me the same help. Right?”

“Yeah. Right.” He still didn’t move. “Just want to make sure you know your way around these critters.”

“Trust me. Don’t let my size fool you. I did my internship with large animals, and most of them weren’t friendly. I can handle it.”

At last he said, “All right then. Thanks for coming by.”

They stood there for a long moment, gazes locked and neither of them acknowledging the electricity zipping around them that nearly turned the air blue. When he touched her elbow to nudge her forward again, it felt as if he’d kissed her skin with a branding iron.

Not good. Not good.

With a tremendous force of will, Sable pushed everything else out of her mind and concentrated on the things Ryan was telling her. She’d be caring for these animals. She needed to know everything about them, their environment and how they were cared for. When they finished checking everything out and he walked her back to where Pete waited, the cool breeze carried the fresh scent of his aftershave along with the earthy scent of the barn. It made all her senses tingle. She would have to give herself a stern talking to if indeed she bought this practice. After all, she’d be working with this man, and mixing sex and business could be a problem.

Or not. She’d wait and see.

“Thank you for the tour,” she told him, reaching for her best professional attitude.

“My pleasure.”

When he shook her hand, the same electricity shot through her. Only the slight narrowing of his eyes told her he’d felt the jolt as well. Holy hell! How would she handle being around a man she constantly wanted to see naked?

“Well?” Pete asked when they were back in his truck. He’d waited and chatted with one of the hands while Ryan had done the walkthrough with her.

“It’s everything you say,” she told him. “And everyone I’ve met seems friendly and easy to be with.”

“As long as their animals get top care,” he added.

“Which is a hallmark of my practice,” she pointed out. She glanced over at him, curious about something. “This boat of yours people keep mentioning must really be something.”

“Sure is.” A look of pure joy flashed across his face. “My wife and I have been planning to live on that boat as soon as I retire for a long time. Which,” he told her, “I hope is right now. We both love it here in Saddle wells, but I promised her we could travel, spend time together. Travel down the Gulf to the Caribbean. Do some fishing, some sightseeing, stay at some five-star hotels.”

“Sounds great. But won’t you miss the animals?”

“Maybe, maybe not. But I do believe I’m ready for a big change. And a promise is a promise.”

“I hope I get to meet her,” Sable told him.

“As a matter of fact, I have orders to invite you for dinner tonight.” He chuckled. “Bring your appetite. Maura puts on a good feed.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Then let’s get down to the nitty gritty so we can be on time. She hates it when I’m late.”

Chapter Two

“How is the house hunting coming?”

Sable looked up at Georgie Hannigan, who was standing in the open doorway. In the short time she’d known Georgie and Cade, they’d become like old friends to her. It amazed her, because while she’d made friends in the past, she found herself connecting so easily with the Hannigans, as well as with the other people in Saddle Wells. She was blown away by the women, Georgie’s friends, who’d embraced her so readily and completely. Already she felt more as if she belonged than as an outsider.

“It’s coming.” She sighed. “Sort of.”

“Can’t find what you want?” Georgie leaned in the doorway. “Nida’s usually pretty good at matching her buyers with properties.”

Sable had met Nida the day after she and Pete had signed the agreement of sale for the practice. She was the silently acknowledged queen of the Rowan County real estate market. Pete had told her the woman had a reputation for making great matches and finding people the perfect properties.

Maybe I’m being too picky?

No
, she answered herself. If she planned to be here for a long time, which she did, she wanted a place she could really make into a home. Location was important too. She’d discovered she was the only large-animal vet in Rowan County at the moment, which meant she needed to be somewhat centrally located. On that note, she was thankful that Saddle Wells was actually located in the geographic center, so her only other requirement was being close enough to the clinic.

She also had to figure out the best place to stable her horse.

“I should have done all this when I was here the first time,” she confessed to Georgie.

The woman chuckled. “We talked about that, remember? But you were anxious to get back to West Texas and pack up all your stuff, get back here and dive into the practice. How’s that going, by the way?”

Sable grinned. “I feel like I’ve been riding a bullet train with Doc. We spend half the day going over business procedures in the office and seeing small animal patients. Then we’re off to the races, hitting as many ranches in the county each day as we can. Man, where does he get his energy?”

Georgie just shook her head. “We all ask the same thing. You’ll settle into a routine when you have control of the situation.”

“Meanwhile, I’m spending every spare minute looking at properties either to buy or rent or rent to buy or whatever.”

“I think you may have to adjust your expectations,” Georgie pointed out, “or you’ll be living out of a moving truck.”

“I know, I know.” Sable picked up her phone and pulled up the calendar. “All my stuff will be here in a week, so I better have some place to put it.”

“No kidding.”

“Not to mention my horse.”

Georgie’s eyes widened. “You have a horse?”

Sable nodded. “A quarter horse. She belonged to a man whose cattle I helped tend. The man was retiring, selling everything off and going to live with his son in Washington. I used to ride Clover whenever I was at the ranch and could manage it.”

“So you bought her?”

“Uh-uh.” Sable smiled. “He gave her to me, as a thank-you gift. My partner and I saved a valuable mare for him one very stormy night.”

“That’s some gift.”

“What’s some gift?” a male voice asked.

Cade came up behind his wife, slid his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss. Sable had seldom seen two people so totally connected with each other, and she wondered if she’d ever find that for herself.

“Sable’s bringing a quarter horse here, a mare that someone just gave her.”

“Some gift,” he agreed. “Have you decided where to stable her yet?”

“Are you kidding? I haven’t even found a place for myself yet, let alone my horse.”

“Ryan Donovan rents stable space,” he told her.

At the sound of the man’s name, an unexpected swarm of butterflies began a dance in Sable’s stomach, and her pulse pounded so loud she wondered if the Hannigans could hear it. At once, the man’s very masculine face, his thick shock of midnight-black hair and his electric-blue eyes popped into her head. Oh, great. Now she just needed for her nipples to peak and her pussy to throb and she’d be in full attraction mode. Not good. Not good at all.

Ryan Donovan was going to be a client. She didn’t plan to mix her social and professional lives.

Oh, who are you kidding? You want to get naked and do the horizontal mambo with him so badly you can’t see straight.

“Sable?” Georgie’s voice pierced her fog. “Did you hear what Cade said?”

Sable shook off the vision. “I thought he raised bulls?”

“He does,” Cade added, “but he built a brand-new stable two years ago with a few extra stalls that he leases out. I’m sure he’ll be at the party tonight. I can get you two together about it, if you like?”

“The party,” she repeated. The other reason she’d returned so quickly. Pete Lynch’s going-away party.

“Yes, the party,” Georgie reiterated. “Please don’t tell me you forgot about it.”

“How could I possibly.” She laughed. “That’s all anyone’s talked about all week. I’m looking forward to it, and to meeting more people.”

“Well, they’ll all be there tonight, at Matt and Reenie Stark’s ranch. Pete’s a well-loved guy.” Cade grinned. “I think the whole world will be there. And very anxious to talk to you, I promise you.”

“No kidding. When I was here before, and in the few days since I’ve been back, it seems as if everyone in Rowan County knows Pete and Maura.”

“You’ve got that right,” Georgie agreed.

Sable blew out a breath. “What time does it start again? I think I have it on my phone here.” She started to scroll through her calendar.

“Six,” Georgie told her.

“We thought you’d like to ride with us,” Cade cut in. “Give you a rest from driving.”

“Oh, thank you.” Sable was warmed by their kindness. “But what if you want to stay late or something? Hang out with your friends? I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

Georgie walked over and gave her a light hug. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll leave. Don’t worry. We get up with the chickens here anyway, so early is good.”

“If you’re sure, then…thank you.”

Truthfully, she was glad not to be braving the crowd by herself. She’d met quite a few people when she’d been here before, but she knew that barely scratched the surface. Having a guide would be a big help.

“I’ll be sure to get you together with Ryan about your horse too.” Cade glanced at his watch. “Just come on downstairs around five thirty.”

“Thank you,” she said again, smiling as the big man guided his wife from the room with his arm around her.

Sable sat down on the bed and blew out a breath. Ryan Donovan. Oh. My. God. She hadn’t seen him since she’d arrived, as busy as she’d been, and there hadn’t been any calls from the Gold Buckle. That didn’t mean he hadn’t been on her mind every minute she wasn’t busy. That incredibly black hair of his and eyes the color of deep sapphires, almost too blue for a man. That lean yet muscular body.

She could close her eyes and imagine him in the rodeo ring, riding a bucking bull, arm outstretched to balance himself. She’d done an Internet search for him and been impressed by all the rodeos he’d won, all the medals, all the trophies. She was equally impressed by the fact he was smart enough to take his winnings and start his ranch while his body was still in one piece.

She’d love to see that body naked in the firelight. She’d love to—

She shook herself. Thinking that way was dangerous. She was the doctor for his animals. He was a client. She’d just met him, for heaven’s sake. And who knew if he was even interested in her? She’d need every minute of the time between now and the party tonight to steel herself and not embarrass herself in front of him. But lordy, the man sure did make her mouth water and every erogenous zone in her body beg for attention

* * * * *

Ryan Donovan stood at the edge of one of the two big tents set up in the Starks’ backyard. The minute he spotted the new vet in town, he took a step away from the huge crowd milling around. His mouth went dry at the sight of her. She looked as delicious as he remembered. Maybe even more so. That tour he’d given her of his main barn was an event that had played over and over in his dreams and given him a painful boner each morning.

His gazed raked over her body, taking in every inch of her. He guessed her height to be about five foot four, the boots she wore adding another couple of inches. The soft pink sweater she wore fell gently against nicely rounded breasts, and jeans that lovingly outlined the swell of her hips and cupped her splendid ass were tucked neatly into calf-high hand-tooled boots. Her brown hair that was so dark it reminded him of melted chocolate swirled loosely around her shoulders tonight. He liked it a lot better than the tight ponytail she’d worn when he’d seen her before.

A nice little package of dynamite that he’d just love to—

To what, jerkhead? She’s the new vet.
She’d be tending to his stock. He needed to keep a professional distance between them. To show her the proper respect. That wouldn’t be too easy, since from the minute he’d clapped eyes on her, he’d wanted nothing more than to strip her naked, kiss every bare inch of her and plunge himself into her to the hilt.

And wouldn’t that just be so professional?

But damn, no woman had ever had such a strong effect on him. This attraction was so strong it had caught him off guard, smacking him in the face the minute he met her at the Bit and Bite.
Don’t start something
, he told himself for the millionth time. At his age, he should have enough sense to see the pitfalls and know enough to avoid them. But his big brain and his little brain seemed to be in constant battle over this. How the hell could he keep his distance if they ever got naked together?

As all these thoughts swept through his brain, his cock swelled with anticipation and an ache quickly settled in his balls. What the hell was happening here? He had much better self-control than this. He wished he had a drink, preferably with a lot of ice cubes in it, before he had to face her. No luck there, however. They were headed directly for him.

“Hey, Ryan.” Cade held his hand out. “How goes it?”

“Great, great.” He shook the man’s hand. “And with you guys?”

“The same.” Cade glanced at the woman beside him. “I believe you’ve met Dr. Hunter already?”

“Please call me Sable,” she told him. “And, yes, I had a mini tour of the Gold Buckle when I was here before. Nice to see you again, Mr. Donovan.”

“Ryan,” he corrected. “We’re not very formal around here.”

“I suggested Sable talk to you about boarding her horse,” Cade put in.

Ryan shifted his gaze back to Sable.

“You have a horse?”

Of course she does, you idiot. Didn’t Cade just say so? And she needs a place to board it. Damn! Could things be any better?
For a moment, he totally lost himself in the green of her eyes, startling because of the starburst of gold around the irises. He had to give himself a mental kick in the ass to keep from zoning out on her.

He wanted to smack his head.

She nodded. “I do. A quarter horse. She’s about fifteen years old. Cade and Georgie said you have some boarding facilities.”

“I do. I have space in the barn next to where you saw the bulls.” With his hand at her back, he guided her toward the back of the tent. “Why don’t we go get a couple of drinks and talk about it.”

He waited for her to protest, but she seemed almost as mesmerized by the situation as he was. Well, damn. He could almost feel the electric current snapping between them, sizzling in the air around them. He needed to get control of Mr. Happy, who was doing a dance in his pants. He, the man famous for his iron control, was entranced by a woman he barely knew.

“Take good care of her,” Georgie called as they walked away.

“I’ll just borrow her for a few minutes,” he assured them. But when he glanced back over his shoulder, the two of them were grinning at him like fools. He wanted to tell them this was just a business discussion, before they put on their matchmaking hats. Georgie and her friends were notorious for that.

“You must have something better to do than sit in a corner with me and discuss boarding,” Sable said. “This is a party, after all.”

“I’m not much of a party animal,” he told her. After fifteen years on the rodeo circuit, he figured he’d had about all the partying he could stand. “I’m only here because of Doc. Honestly? I’d rather discuss your horse.”

They had reached one of the bars by this time, and he gave their orders to the bartender. He carried her wine and a beer for himself to a corner of the tent where there was a mostly empty table and the noise was marginally less.

“I think it’s a little quieter over here,” he commented. “We won’t have to shout to be heard. At least until the band starts to play again.”

“This is quite the party.” She looked slowly around. “Looks like half the county is here.”

He nodded. “More like most of it. Doc’s been taking care of our animals for a good number of years. There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know him.”

“It’s very nice of the Starks to host it here.”

“Are you kidding?” He chuckled. “The ranchers were fighting over where this party would be held for two weeks. But Matt Stark just wore everyone down.”

Ryan wanted to lean forward, close enough that he could reach out and touch that creamy skin or stare more deeply into her eyes, but he needed to quit acting like a horny teenager. He needed her to take care of his bulls, so he didn’t want to frighten her away.

Except…except there was still that unmistakable chemistry, and from the look in those magnificent eyes, he was sure she felt it too.

Slow
, he cautioned himself.
Take it slow
.

“Tell me about your horse.” He wrapped his fingers around his bottle of beer, hoping the chilled glass would cool him off.

She took a sip of her drink, delicately licking lips he wanted to reach out and run the tip of his finger over.

“Well. Clover is a fifteen-year-old quarter horse who was raised doing ranch work. She was a gift to me from her owner when he sold his ranch.”