***
As I mucked out the horse stalls, I had to remind myself why I took this job in the first place. Though it wasn’t glamorous in the least, it paid more than my last gig at the factory.
I’d been forced to work job after job since age twelve, when my mother climbed into the nearest bottle after my father’s death. In all honesty, life at the Evans residence had been a complete shit show over the years. At the age of twenty-four, I’d already seen so much more than a man twice my age. I was determined to change the state of my family even if that meant working my ass off to make it happen.
This job wasn’t where I’d imagined I’d be, but at least it gave me better hours so I could be home in the evenings when Mom was usually at her worst. Plus, I got to work with the horses. Horses had been my passion since my dad had taken me to my first rodeo when I was five. I started riding at the stables where he worked after that and rode almost every day until he died. Though I really didn’t have time or money for riding much anymore, other than the guided trail rides at the club, I still relished the ability to be around the gorgeous beasts on a daily basis.
Another thing that had kept me up at night was Daniel’s circle of friends – if you could call them that. I knew my kid brother. He wasn’t his usual self - leaving the house after midnight and coming home at near day break with blood-shoot eyes. Hanging out with the wrong crowd gets a guy into deep shit. I knew it from experience and I wanted so much more for my brother. Based on my limited exposure, I didn’t know much about his friends but something told me they were trouble. At this point I was waiting for my opportunity to catch him doing something stupid so I could finally beat that stupid out of him.
With a grunt, I forced my shovel under the pile of crap and heaved it into the waiting wheelbarrow. My forehead was glistening with sweat so I wiped it with the back of my hand. Once the last stall was cleaned, I tossed the shovel to the side and heaved the wheelbarrow up with both hands.
“Dean!” a familiar voice called out. I stopped walking and turned around. My boss, Trevor Larson was standing behind me.
“What’s up?” I asked
“Well, I was going to tell you to clean the stalls out before you get the horses set for the riders, but it looks like you already took care of that. Aside from that, these riders are a group of elite club members. Make sure they leave happy, weel ya?” he said.
“Sure thing. I’ll take care of it,” I answered, stifling the urge to say ‘no shit, Sherlock,’ instead.
Realizing he had nothing else to say, Trevor turned and walked away.
“Asshat,” I muttered under my breath as he left. Though he probably had as much money in his bank account as I did, Trevor had a chip on his shoulder. He’d been around these old-money assholes way too long.
After I dumped the wheelbarrow, I stowed it away in the barn and quickly washed my hands. I knew there wasn’t anything I could do about the shit smell but I refused to approach the country club ‘elite’ with disgusting hands.
I looked at myself in the foggy mirror over the sink. My face was red from exertion and my blue eyes looked bloodshot. I shook my head and watched my dark hair fall across my forehead. My hair was always a dark brown but after a few hours in the stalls, it turned almost black from sweat and muck.
Once I was clean enough, I sighed and hurried out to the front of the stables. My workers were already there, saddling up horses for the afternoon riders. As my eyes fell on the group, I knew they weren’t beginners. It was a group of girls, all about eighteen, wearing professional riding gear with their hair tied back into tight ponytails. Most of them held riding crops in their hands, making me fight back an eye roll.
As I stepped forward to finish saddling the horses, I shook my head and swore under my breath. Trevor didn’t say anything about babysitting. Just the appearance of these spoiled brats was enough to work my nerves. My patience was running thin after hours in the stalls and now, I had to cater to a bunch of silver-spoon-fed bitches who didn’t know the first thing about hard work. It was nauseating.
I saddled the last horse, taking care to fasten the straps just right before I turned to let the girls know the horses were ready. Most of them were already climbing up, adjusting themselves like princesses on a throne. Unable to hold back this time, I rolled my eyes and turned away just as the last girl walked slowly toward me. I barely looked at her until she was standing right next to me.
“I guess you’re mine,” she said softly. I jerked my head up, staggered by her words, to see her stroking the horse’s face gently.
The girl was exquisite. Two long blonde braids were caught in the sunlight just right and when I looked up at her face I was struck with the most striking pair of blue eyes. Her skin was peaches and cream, with flushed cheeks from the southern heat. Her lips were naturally plump and pink and formed a sexy heart shape that I could appreciate for much longer than what would be deemed socially acceptable.
Fucking hell. Don’t be a creep man. Look away. Crap! Too late.
When our eyes met, I felt a wave of heat forming in my torso and traveling down to my pants. Thanks to her form fitting riding gear, I was able to make out those sexy curves that shaped her perky breasts. I didn’t dare to lower my gaze any further to avoid scaring the poor girl with a massive erection.
She looked away and smiled at the horse as she leaned in to place a kiss just under his eye. I frowned and quickly looked away. The last thing I needed was to be caught eye fucking one of the club’s members. I needed this job.
“All yours,” I said, not daring to meet her eyes again. “Here you go.”
I handed her the reins. She smiled gratefully and expertly flung herself up and over the horse’s back. My eyes followed her movements closely. I tried to look away but that time, I couldn’t.
I stared at her long enough for her to notice. When she finally met my gaze, I was lost. Her smile was innocent and sweet but there was something different brewing behind her eyes. As she shifted herself on the saddle, my eyes were drawn to her hips and long, strong legs in their tight riding pants. A brief flash of those legs wrapped around me pulsed in my brain and I almost groaned out loud.
“All set?” I asked her, taking a small step forward.
“Just about,” she said. “Would you mind grabbing my water? I left it over there.”
She pointed to a spot just a few feet away. I saw an engraved water bottle set against the side of the barn. I hurried over to it and grabbed it, eager to get back to her.
“Thank you,” she said as I handed her the bottle. She took a long sip, letting her plump lips linger on the spout. I swallowed hard as my eyes trailed down her smooth neck to her breasts. She wore a tight top that matched her pants, and it showed off the curve of her chest without revealing even an inch of cleavage.
Fuck. Stop staring.
“Thank you again,” she said. She slid the water bottle into the saddle bag and swung the reins around. The horse obeyed her silent command easily, turning his head and allowing her to lead him down the trail. She rode him with perfection.
Lucky bastard.
“Be careful,” I called out. “The trail can be rough this time of year. Fallen branches and stuff.”
“I think I’ll be okay,” she said with a sly grin.
“I’m Dean,” I said. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I’ll do that,” she said.
With that, she slapped the reins down and galloped away. I watched as she easily jumped a tree trunk and quickly bypassed her friends. I smiled to myself, unable to look away until she disappeared.
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face for the rest of the hour. Every time I had a free moment, I glanced down the trail, just waiting to see their group return. I didn’t even know this girl’s name, but I was already spellbound.
Her body was amazing and that smile was enough to knock me on my ass, but there was something different about her. I had seen my fair share of gorgeous girls but her eyes drew me in. She was young, probably eighteen, but she seemed older somehow. It was as if an entire world existed within those blue eyes, an entire world I had to explore.
After an hour passed, the girls slowly began to arrive back at the stables. They trotted over with haughty looks on their faces and complaints flowing freely. I listened to them politely, nodding just as I was trained to do.
“I’m sorry about that,” I said without emotion.
“We’ll be sure to take care of that.”
My responses were rehearsed and ready but when I saw her again, I suddenly forgot them all. She galloped over with a wide smile and windswept strands that had escaped her braid. She actually looked to be enjoying herself.
“How was your ride?” I asked as I reached out a hand to help her down. She glanced at my hand and then slid off the horse without assistance. I was impressed.
“It was lovely, Dean.”
When she said my name, I felt my stomach turn over. Not only was she sexier than I remembered but the way her lips curled around my name was enough to make my dick twitch in my pants. I cleared my throat and took a step forward.
“It doesn’t seem fair, does it?” I asked, laying on the charm.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“That you know my name, yet I don’t know yours,” I said. I grinned at her in my patented cocky way but she only laughed and shook her head.
“No,” she said, pulling off her riding gloves. “I guess it isn’t fair.”
“Shall we fix that, then?” I raised my eyebrows.
She considered me for a second. My grin never faltered. I’d had my fair share of run-ins with the opposite sex. Most women fell all over me without so much as an invitation. At twenty-four, I knew I was good looking and I used that knowledge to my advantage. There wasn’t a woman alive who could resist me when I decided to have them.
“I’m Caroline,” she said simply.
“Caroline.” I repeated her name slowly, drawing out each syllable. “That’s beautiful.”
“It’s common,” she said.
“Unlike you.”
Her eyes snapped to my face. She smiled and I knew I had her. I brushed my hair out of my eyes and took another step forward. We were only inches away from each other now, close enough that I could have touched her. I expected her to take a step back, to become affronted by my brazen approach but she surprised me. She held her ground and stared at me with wide, expectant eyes.
“Will you be riding with us again, Caroline?” I asked softly.
“I’ve been a member of this club my entire life,” Caroline said. “I’ll always be around, but what about you? I don’t remember seeing you before.”
“I just started a month ago,” I said. “It’s a summer gig for now but we’ll see what happens.”
“I guess we will.” She nodded and turned away from me.
“Wait,” I said. “Can I get your number? Maybe we can arrange a private trail ride.”
She turned around to face me with an amused expression on her face. Her eyes searched mine. At first, I thought she was considering her answer but it wasn’t long before I realized she was just toying with me. Her smile widened as she shook her head from side to side.
When she turned around to leave, I thought about calling after her but I knew my usual methods wouldn’t work with this girl. Not only was she part of the elite but she was able to see through all my tricks. I watched her head toward the showers, my head spinning. When she ducked inside, I imagined her peeling of that riding outfit and stepping under a steaming hot stream of water.
What the hell is it about her?
Her beauty wasn’t plastic and manufactured like the rest of them. A few had tried to entice me, but I had always politely kept my distance. Not only was I not attracted to them, but I couldn’t risk getting caught with my pants down with a club member. I needed this job.
Still, the thought of Caroline had my head spinning. I simply had to have her, no matter the cost.