Free A Real Cowboy Knows How to Kiss by Stephanie Rowe Page B

grinned. "Me either. I haven't been on a horse since I was sixteen. You'll be my backup if I fall off and crack my head open on a rock." He raised his eyebrows. "You could take care of that, right?"
    A little chuckle escaped at the image of Steen, who had once been one of the best calf ropers in the state, toppling off his horse and cracking his head open. "Yes, I could use prairie grass and saliva to tape you back together."
    "Great. Let's do it. Yeah?"
    She hesitated. The part of her that had spent her entire life working to prove herself and surpass the next hurdle recoiled from the idea of taking the afternoon off from work to simply enjoy herself. But another part of her, the broken part, cried for the chance to simply breathe, instead of frantically trying to accomplish one thing after another with no respite.
    She felt like she was free-falling into an abyss, like a great black cloud was crushing her soul. She was desperate, and a little terrified that she couldn't seem to pull herself out of it. Maybe a horse ride was what she needed. Being out in nature, breathing in the fresh air, and feeling the wind on her face would give her clarity. She knew there had to be an answer as to how to reclaim herself, if she could just find it.
    Steen grabbed his shirt and tugged it over his head. "I know you're free, because you had the rest of the day booked for this ranch. So, let's go. You need it. I can tell." He grinned, flashing her that old-school boyish grin that had made all the girls go weak. "Besides, this might be your only chance to see how hot my ass looks in chaps. It's worth it."
    She burst out laughing then, a welcome relief from all the tension that had been building. "You have old-man saggy butt now," she retorted. "What woman wants to see that?"
    "You do." He winked at her over his shoulder as he swaggered down the aisle, giving her a very good look at a rear end that looked every bit delicious as it had in high school. His jeans set low on his hips, owning his body with just the right amount of attitude.
    She so should run for the hills, or at least try to get Faith to limp her way down the road and back to the clinic. But her feet wouldn't move. She didn't want to be the responsible, dignified Erin Chambers anymore. She wanted to be, for one day, the relaxed, devil-may-care woman who was daring enough to ride off into the sunset with a sexy cowboy who knew how to kiss.
    Steen paused at the doorway to the tack room, looking back at her as he tipped his cowboy hat back, giving her a playful look that made her want to laugh. "You coming, Chambers?"
    She grinned and made her decision. "Yes, I am. I definitely am."
    Maybe it would be a mistake.
    But maybe, just maybe, it would turn out to be the right choice.
    She was tired of being afraid to try.
    Fail or not, she was doing it. And as she closed her medical kit, she couldn't keep the grin off her face. Either way, it was going to be fun, and fun was something that she hadn't experienced in a long time…especially with a man who kissed like he was pure sin itself.

Chapter 8
    By the time Steen led his horse outside to mount up, he realized that he'd been a stupid, lust-crazed idiot to suggest a ride with Erin. Not because heading off into the hills with her was a bad idea. Nope, he was still on board with that. But getting onto a horse? Shit. It had been completely natural for him to suggest a ride at the time. The implications hadn't even occurred to him…but they were now…
    He wasn't sure he could do it.
    Erin was already mounted, sitting comfortably on a mare named Winter Storm that he'd recalled Chase mentioning was mellow enough even for him. He, however, was holding the reins of a skinny, wild-eyed horse named Rock, which he'd noticed his first day. Rock was a little thin, a lot hostile, and plenty scarred up, making Steen pretty sure that Chase had rescued it from somewhere. Steen had always been interested in the horses that had come from messed up