Mallory's Bears(24)
She took her hand away, then faced him. Confronted him was more like it. “Is this your way of convincing me that you’re good men? Helpful ranchers who have gotten a bad rap?”
He drew back, and scowled at her. “Damn, woman, why so cynical?”
Guilt and shame flooded her, wiping away the body heat she’d gathered from the Northman brothers. She had no reason to believe they weren’t as good as they seemed. As for last night, they all shared responsibility for that and she didn’t want anything to color her memory of it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have accused you.”
Gunner, however, had already stormed out of the stall and was striding toward the front of the barn.
Rick’s hard gaze seared into hers. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” He gestured for her to get out of the stall, then closed the gate behind them and followed his brother.
“Hey, guys, give her a break. Sometimes her mouth gets ahead of her head. You can understand that. Right, Rick?” Kid scowled at her as he rushed after them. “Can we still go on that ride?”
She didn’t hurry, not with the looks they gave her. By the time she’d made it back to the saddled horses, she was ready to apologize again. She hadn’t been thinking when she’d said it. After all, she found it difficult to think straight anytime she was near them.
“I’m sorry. Kid’s right. I don’t think before I speak and I had no right to say what I did. Can you please forgive me?”
She would’ve sworn that they spoke a silent language that was communicated through glances and body language. But she wasn’t about to ask them about it. At least, not until later.
Gunner tugged the reins loose, then stuck his boot into the stirrup, and threw his leg on top of his horse. “We all make mistakes.”
“And we did promise Kid a ride,” added Rick.
Gunner clucked at his horse, getting the horse to move. “Choose either of the horses and saddle up. Although Kid might need the dappled mare. It’s a lot gentler than the other one.”
“You don’t have to tell me again,” joked Kid.
Mallory eased over to take the white horse’s reins and grazed her hand along its neck. She was thankful that the men had let her accusation pass. Clutching the saddle horn, she swung onto the horse. Rebel dashed around the corner, gave them a cheerful bark, then sat down on his haunches.
Thirty minutes later, she’d forgotten about her stupid remark. She was too entranced by the ranch to let any hint of doubt surround her. The summer’s drought had left the ground dry and brown, but green patches of trees broke up the monotony. A small lake filled with fish was only a half mile from the house and looked tempting in the heat of the morning.
They passed through one herd after another while Rick pointed out the health of the animals. She didn’t see any problems with the herds or with the group of horses that came up to them, seeking attention and to nicker at their mounts. The beauty of the animals, as well as the peacefulness of the land surrounding them, rolled over her as she rocked back and forth in her saddle. If she could ride over the ranch every day, she’d count herself as one lucky woman.
She might’ve been lolled into a serene state of mind if the Northman men weren’t close-by. The strange sensation that she’d come to love cocooned her with their presence. She studied them, from the way they sat tall in the saddle to the way they scanned the herd. They’d stop every so often to pass a loving hand over the head of a steer or the mane of a horse, then move on.
It was crazy, but she found herself resenting the attention they paid to the animals.
Good grief. I’m jealous.
They kept riding, urging their horses over the next ridge. She reined her horse to a stop as she took in two oil rigs pumping in the distance. “So you have oil wells, too?”
Rick pulled his horse up next to hers. Without thinking, she reached out to him, letting the sizzle that rushed between them bring her arm up. She blinked, realized what she was about to do, then dropped her hand to her thigh.
“We have a few wells. In fact, with the way the industry’s going, we make more money from oil than from raising cattle. The oil leases run for several more years and we don’t handle any of the mechanics of getting the crude out, so we don’t give it much thought.”
She didn’t say as much, but the gray and black oil rig didn’t fit with the beauty of the rest of the land.
“Come on. Let’s catch up to Gunner and Kid.”
They spurred their horses into a gallop. By the time they’d caught up with the others, Gunner had his hand flat on his horse’s rump, his gaze scanning the horizon. He didn’t appear happy.