Kayla & the Rancher, Paige Tyler [story read aloud TXT] 📗

“I saw you sketching the other day,” he said, drawing up one leg and resting his arm on his knee. “You didn’t tell me that you could draw.”

Kayla shrugged. “It’s always been a hobby of mine,” she told him. “I didn’t think to mention it in the letters.”

“What do you like to draw?”

“Dress designs, mostly,” she admitted, and then, picking up a strawberry, she gave him a shy smile. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to have my own shop.”

Cord lifted a brow, clearly surprised by her admission. “Really? Is that why you learned to sew, then?”

She nodded. “Part of it, yes.”

He thought a moment. “You know, you should ask Rachel if she’d be willing to sell some of your dresses at the store. There aren’t as many women here as there are in Boston, of course, but more move out here every day. Who

knows? You could get so many orders that you might even have to open your

own shop.”

Kayla looked at him in surprise. “You real y think I could do that?”

“I have no doubt,” he said. “You certainly seem to have the gumption to do whatever it is that you set your mind to.”

She smiled. “Are you sure you don’t think I’m just a little too spirited at times?”

she teased, gazing at him with mock innocence in her eyes.

He locked eyes with hers and the corner of his mouth quirked slightly.

“Actually, I find that spirit to be extremely sexy.”

The words made her catch her breath, and she abruptly realized that their

light conversation had suddenly become flirtatious. Not knowing what to say to his comment, she took a bite out of the strawberry. A small amount of the juice squirted out and began to run down her chin, and as she started to lift her fingers to catch the liquid, she saw that Cord was looking intently at her lips.

Cord suddenly leaned in, and she thought he was simply going to wipe the

juice from her chin with his fingers. But instead, he cupped her face with his hands and gently kissed the juice off her chin before slowly finding his way up to her slightly parted lips.

Kayla had been kissed before, but it had been nothing like this. Those other kisses had been cool, almost chaste, the men barely brushing their mouths to hers. But Cord’s kiss was neither cool nor chaste as his mouth explored hers.

His kiss was tender, and yet demanding at the same time, and she felt

lightheaded from it. She realized that she hadn’t taken a breath from the

moment his hands had touched her face.

She felt him slide the ribbon off her hair, felt his hand delve into the thick waves. His mouth moved more insistently over hers, and she instinctively

parted her lips, only to sigh with pleasure when his velvety tongue dipped into her mouth to glide along her own.

Cord ran his free hand down her back and over her hip before settling on her curvy bottom. As she felt the heat of his hand on her skin through the thick material of her riding skirt, she found herself wishing he’d give her a few light spanks. But he didn’t, of course. Instead, he gently lowered them both to the blanket. Still kissing her, he moved his hand up her bodice and along the

curve of her breast to slowly undo the buttons on her blouse.

The material parted easily at his touch, and she gasped as he gently cupped her breast through the thin undergarment that she wore. Kayla let out a soft sigh of pleasure that quickly turned into a moan when Cord began rubbing his thumb over her sensitive nipple. She should have been shocked, but she

realized that she felt very comfortable with everything he was doing.

Cord abruptly lifted his head to gaze down at her, his breathing ragged. “We’d better stop before we get carried away,” he said hoarsely.

Kayla didn’t want him to stop, though, and as she lay on the blanket panting, she wanted to tell him so. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she

realized the wisdom of what he was saying, and so she reluctantly nodded. “I suppose you’re right,” she agreed, giving him a shy smile.

His mouth quirked. “I was hoping you’d disagree with me,” he said, lightly running a finger down her cheek before gently kissing her on the mouth

again.

If he only knew, she thought as she buttoned her blouse. Cord put what was left of the food back into the basket while she folded the blanket they’d been sitting on. With both the basket and the blanket safely stowed in one of Cord’s saddlebags, he pulled Kayla close for another kiss before helping her to

mount her horse.

Giddy from Cord’s kisses, Kayla gave him a dazzling smile. “I’ll race you

back.”

Before he could answer, she gave her horse a nudge with her booted foot

and, with a quick glance over her shoulder, galloped away before Cord had

even mounted his own horse.

Grinning, Cord swung up into the saddle and set out after her. Willing to let her stay in the lead for a while, he followed more leisurely.

He began to turn his horse back the way they had come, expecting Abigail to do the same, but she continued to ride toward the tree line that topped the slope that led down into their ranch’s valley. That wasn’t the way they had come.

“Shit,” he muttered.

Gripping the reins tighter, he kicked his horse into a gallop and raced after her.

Up ahead, Abigail threw a quick glance over her shoulder, and seeing that he was closing the distance between them, urged her horse into a run.

Cord did the same. “Abigail, stop!” he shouted as he raced after her. “Abigail!”

But she ignored him, continuing to ride toward the trees. He put his spurs hard into his horse and gained on her quickly. Racing ahead of her,