“Wow. That sounds incredible.” Kid crammed the rest of his first sandwich then most of his second sandwich into his mouth. He swallowed it all whole. “Then why don’t you?”
She paused, her hand in midair with the water bottle. “What? Are you kidding? First, I don’t know them.”
He waved that excuse away. “Oh, bull. I can’t think of a better way to get to know them.”
She let out her exasperation in a groan. “Second, they might be involved with cruelty to animals.”
He hesitated, then spoke his mind. “Sorry, but I think we’re accusing innocent men. From what we saw today, they treat their animals better than most people treat their pet dogs. The only thing missing is for them to carry a calf around in a very large purse.”
“And third…” Her mind blanked.
“See? You can’t come up with another reason. So just do it already. I know I would.”
“You’d hump a post if you thought it would call you later.”
Instead of being insulted, Kid let out a loud laugh, then slammed his palm over his mouth. He paused a moment to see if he’d awakened the men. “That’s the truth. Still, how many times have you told me about your fantasy of sex with two hot cowboys? Well, here’s your chance. Grab it before you lose it.”
A tingle ran down her spine. Could she do that? Should she? She may not understand why her body felt so wonderfully weird whenever they were around, but she did know that she’d love to fulfill her fantasy. Even if only for a short time.
Kid waited, an expectant expression making his face light up. “Besides, you could use a good fucking.”
“Kid!”
“I don’t mean that you’re a bitch or anything, but it wouldn’t hurt you any to let go for a night or two. So will you?”
She didn’t want to say, knowing he’d hold her to it like a promise. “I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He stood, snagging his empty plate. “I’m going back for fourths. Do you want another?”
“No thanks. I’d rather sit here and look at the stars.”
“Suit yourself.”
She lay her head against the chair and let her mind wander. As they had almost all day, her thoughts took her back to the men. She smiled as the image of them riding toward her grew stronger. Their eyes, sometimes growing brighter with bits of an amber color mixing with the brown, locked onto her. Or were Rick’s eyes hazel? They not only brought in the amber, but changed with the way the sun hit his face. She’d have to look closer next time to be sure.
“Couldn’t sleep, huh?”
She jolted upright, aware that she’d gotten so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard them coming. “Um, I was just kind of daydreaming. Or rather, night dreaming. Whatever you call it.”
Rick eased into the chair Kid had vacated while Gunner leaned against the railing and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. He didn’t appear apologetic even though he said, “Sorry. We didn’t mean to bother you.”
Oh, you bother me, all right. You bother me in all the right ways.
She realized now that she’d felt the zing of the energy whip into her again before they’d let her know they were there. Her body came even more alive as though dosed with a full load of adrenaline. Should she ask them about the sensation? But if they didn’t feel it, she’d get nothing but embarrassment for doing so. It was better to keep quiet.
Surely if they’d felt the same thing, they’d say something.
“That’s okay. I guess I should be going to bed.” She began to rise when Rick took hold of her arm.
“Stay and talk a bit first.”
His request wasn’t gruff or confrontational. For that reason and because she couldn’t bring herself to leave them, she nodded and sat back down.
“I wonder where Kid went to. He was supposed to be getting more to eat. I hope you don’t mind that we helped ourselves.”
“Not a problem. You didn’t eat much at dinner.”
She resisted the urge to say why, and instead, decided to change the subject. “It’s really pretty out here.”
The pride shone on their faces. Gunner stuck his hands into his pockets and slid his gaze skyward. “Yeah, it is. And quiet. At least, it usually is.”
“Usually?”
“Kid has one hell of a snore on him.”
She laughed, knowing what he was talking about. She often had to take a sleeping pill whenever they traveled together, even when they had separate rooms. Kid’s snoring reminded her of a 747 airplane revving its engines. “You might want to invest in earplugs. Or move him into the barn.”