12
Back in theSaddle
The sun teased the horizon,orange light stretching over our bodies. It was a day of… so freaking much.
We played in the lake, swimming and paddling and splashing. I had a chicken fight, me on Nick’s shoulders and Derek on Shawn’s, all four of us falling into the water at the same time, arguing over who the winner was.
Lucky for me, the guys found some old sweats in the big toolbox in the back of their truck. Slipping them on, I could finally dispose of my filthy, tattered wedding dress, pretty much the only reminder left of how my crazy day had started.
I was comfortable, in more ways than one.
“Guys, I don’t know how to… thank you.”
They turned to me, all dressed after our afternoon of sex and skinny-dipping. Or at least they had their jeans on. Shawn and Derek were still shirtless as they relaxed, their muscles gleaming in the golden light. If I hadn’t just had more orgasms in a few hours than I’d had in the previous four months of wedding prep combined, I’d have wanted to continue to play with those taut muscles and pebbly nipples.
As it was, I just filed the images away for later.
“Thank us? For what?” Derek asked as he looked at me. “You’re the one who gave us all the sweet memories, darlin’.”
“About that,” I said, “I know we just met, but… do we have to lose touch? I mean, if you want, this can be just a day of fantasy. But you’re all so great. I’d love it if we could... hang out again.”
I held my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I might not be their ‘type.’ They might not see a girl like me hanging around the cowboy lifestyle.
Nick hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans, frowning as he considered my words. “Hang out?”
Ugh. I braced myself. I couldn’t complain about how the day had gone. It had been magical, it really had. But I was greedy. I wanted more. That was, if it were at all available.
But if it wasn’t, I’d be okay with that. I’d been through worse. And I’d never forget the three hotties who saved my runaway bride ass from the side of the road.
“Do you mean… friends with benefits? Something like that?” he continued.
“Mmmm,” Derek murmured, “I might like a little more than that. Shawn?”
“I’m with you, Derek. And I think Nick is too, he just doesn’t have the balls to say it,” Shawn laughed.
Nick flipped him off. “Fine, you got me,” Nick said when we stopped, smiling bashfully. “So… what about your life back home? You’ve got a pile of shit to deal with.”
“I do… but I’ll get to that, eventually,” I said, surprising even myself. “And I might like to… see more of the ranch.”
“Do you have a job to get back to?” Derek asked.
“I work online,” I said, “with the occasional in-person meeting I travel to. Besides, I’m on vacation.”
I knew I sounded hopeful, and I knew I might have been pushing things. But as the three guys looked at each other, I couldn’t deny the truth. I wanted to know more about the ranch, to see what it was like there.
Shawn cleared his throat. “You know, Leesa, you could come back to the bunkhouse with us. We’ve got good internet, so you could stay as long as you want. It’s not fancy and you won’t have much privacy, but it’s only just us three guys there this time of year.”
Holy shit. Me on a ranch? In a bunkhouse? With three hot cowboys?
I nodded. “I think I could handle that. With one stipulation.”
They looked at me, concern crossing their faces.
I laughed. “Can we get something to eat? I’m starving again and I really don’t want another hotdog. Although as long as I’m dressed like this, I think we’ll need to stick with take out.”
“I can do you one better. How about we cook dinner for you?” Derek asked.
A warmth rose up in my chest, and for the hundredth time that day I resisted the tears that had been pricking my eyes. “Can you guys cook?” I teased.