Free HorsingAround by Wynter Daniels Page B

pounding. For her, for them.
    He lifted his head, smiled at her, then pressed a kiss to her lips. Rolling off her, he pulled her to him so her back rested against his torso. Perfect.
    Her eyelids lazily slipped shut. Satisfied and exhausted, she fell into a blissful sleep.
    * * * * *
    The sun still blazed bright when she woke in Jake’s arms a while later. Although she faced away from him, she instinctively knew he lay awake beside her. “What time is it?”
    He slid his hand softly along her bare hip. “A little after five.”
    “What are you thinking?” She stiffened at his sharp intake of breath.
    “I don’t want you to leave, Paige.”
    She couldn’t look at him. “I have a life in New York. A job, an apartment.” That sounded pretty lame even to her ears.
    “How do you feel about extending your stay? Maybe another week?” He kissed the side of her neck, below her ear. The tenderness of the gesture sent a shiver shimmying up her spine. Jake was a man she could fall for, hard.
    The longer she stayed the more difficult it would be to leave, but she didn’t want to say goodbye to him. Not now. “I think I can swing a few more days.”
    “A week,” he insisted.
    She could finagle a few more vacation days from her boss. She had tons of them on the book since she hardly ever took any personal time. “Okay. A week.” A shiver of excitement danced over her skin.
    “You know, with us in business together, you really ought to come down here on a regular basis, keep your hand in it, learn the ropes. That’s probably some sort of tax deduction, right?”
    She had to smile at his not-so-veiled attempt at coaxing her to commit to visiting. “You’re absolutely right. I should.”
    His serene sigh as he settled against her back assured her that he truly wanted her here.
    Yeah. She’d be back. Real soon.

Epilogue
    Four Months Later…
     
    Paige hurried across the Gainesville Airport toward baggage claim, but her luggage was the farthest thing from her mind. She’d missed Jake terribly since last month’s visit. When she spotted his tan cowboy hat and the bouquet of carnations, she took off running toward him. Her heart pounded with anticipation.
    Jake caught her in his arms and spun her around. “Whoa. Your flowers are probably all crushed now.” He kissed her, long and slow.
    How she’d missed his taste and his strong embrace. She’d craved his smell, like pine trees and fresh cut grass. She drank him in. Desire immediately washed over her. “I can’t wait to get back to Ocala, to the ranch.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
    His face lit up with laughter—and lust. “ Me too, baby. Let’s find your suitcase and hit the road. I’ll do my best to keep the truck under a hundred on the highway.”
    They left the terminal hand in hand. He carried her bag to his pickup and told her about all the changes he’d made to the ranch since her last trip. Paige listened intently, saved her news for later. Once they started on the road, she decided the time had come.
    She set her hand over her heart to calm herself. “I had an offer on my condo.”
    He glanced at her and the big smile on his face assured her he’d meant what he’d said about wanting her to stay on permanently. “And?”
    “I accepted it. We close in three weeks. I should be able to wrap everything up there by the end of the month.” She still couldn’t believe it was actually happening. She was about to make the biggest move of her life. Her mother and her friends had called her crazy for wanting to give up her life in New York, but then, they’d never met Jake. They’d never seen the ranch or smelled the sweetness of fresh orange blossoms. For the first time in her life, she didn’t care what anyone said. She planned to make a decision based purely on her emotions.
    His eyes widened. Without a word, he took the next exit off the Interstate. They passed a stone sign that read, Payne’s Prairie State Preserve .
    What did he have