Free Spurs (Bad Boy Burnetts Book 1) by Lola Rivera

Chapter One
     
     
    Daphne's stomach quivered at the metallic jangle of spurs and heavy boots on the wooden floorboards. For the rest of her life that sound would conjure only one image in her mind: Cord Burnett, the sexiest, most drop dead gorgeous cowboy she'd ever seen.
    Growing up in Houston, Daphne had attended the world famous livestock show and rodeo every year of her life. She had seen—and lusted after—her fair share of cattlemen but never had any of them compared to Cord.
    From the moment she'd clapped eyes on him, she'd just known he was the man for her. Unfortunately it didn't seem as if Cord shared her sentiments.
    She tried not to dwell on that miserable fact as he drew near. Instead she settled deeper in the corner of the comfy sofa and pretended to be engrossed by the article on gravitational waves in her scientific journal. The footsteps came closer, the jingling spurs surprisingly noisy in the empty ranch house.
    When Cord drew near, Daphne's entire body flared with awareness. He was so close his body heat penetrated her arm and the side of her face. As he moved around to stand in front of the couch, his smell filled her nose. Leather. Sweat. Horses.
    If only she could bottle it and keep it for those lonely nights she'd soon face once she left his ranch.
    “Where is everybody?”
    His gruff voice shook her to the very core. She looked up slowly, savoring every second of raking her eyes over his dusty, muscular form. Those piercing blue eyes made her shiver. His square jaw with its five o'clock shadow lent him a roguish look. The Stetson sitting atop his head hid most of his prematurely graying hair. She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to be wrapped up in those big, strong forearms.
    Shaking off her momentary enthrallment, Daphne met his gaze. “Kate and Derek decided to drive into Austin for the weekend. They won't be back until Monday morning.”
    She noted the smallest tic in Cord's jaw. He had done his best to avoid her during her two week visit to his ranch. “Why the hell did they leave you behind? Surely you’d rather be on 6 th Street than stuck here on this dusty old place.”
    God, he really was blind. He didn’t see it. How could he not see it?
    “I’m not big on the bar scene. I wanted to stay here.” With you , she left unsaid.
    His expression turned skeptical. “I don’t know why.”
    She had never imagined his dislike of her ran so deep. The knowledge he couldn't stand to be alone with her stung painfully. Daphne looked away, not wanting him to see the hurt in her eyes.
    “I made dinner but don't feel obligated to try it.” She tried to make light of the situation with an impish smile. “I'm not known for my cooking skills.”
    Cord's expression softened a bit. “I'm sure it's just fine. I need a shower first.” He gestured to his filthy clothing. “Half an hour okay?”
    “Sure.” Her gaze drifted to his backside as he walked away from her. She had never seen such a perfect ass. The denim stretched taut across his butt only exaggerated its perfection. It was all she could do some days not to reach out and swat it.
    What would Cord do if she did such a wild and brazen thing? She doubted he would be very impressed. He would probably do something shocking and old school and toss her across his lap and spank her bottom while muttering things about ladylike behavior.
    Not wanting to be carried away by those types of salacious thoughts, Daphne dropped the magazine onto her lap and leaned her head back against the sofa cushion. She buried her face in her hands and tried not to cry or shout with frustration.
    When her best friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law Kate had first floated the idea of this visit, Daphne hadn’t been very excited. Three weeks on a cattle ranch? It wasn’t her idea of a relaxing vacation, but her brother had pushed and Kate had cajoled and somehow Daphne found herself tossing her favorite clothes into her Pégase Légère and agreeing to