Free Espino, Stacey - Midlife Ménage [Ride 'em Hard 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Stacey Espino Page B

herself doing things her way. They’d made progress the day before. She showed him a glimpse into the woman under the tough exterior. It was enough incentive for him to continue to court her.
    The drought ravaging the south end of the province showed no signs of letting up. He couldn’t do anything for her wheat crop. It was probably only good for straw at this point. But he could try and help with her new orchard just as her boarder had. Wade could understand why the young cowboy was smitten with Wendy, willing to risk his health to make her proud. She was an enigma of a woman with delicate beauty and a vibrant inner strength.
    As soon as the men showed up with the water truck, he waved out his window for them to follow. He drove his pickup up the dirt road to the next ranch over. Wade wasn’t sure how Wendy would take his presence, but she’d accept his help whether she liked it or not. The woman was too stubborn for her own good.
    He spotted her truck as he pulled up to her ranch, another one, too, probably the boarder’s. It did give him a dose of possessiveness knowing another man was living under her roof, able to be close to her each day. Both things he coveted. The water truck pulled up alongside him. It had been a miracle he was able to get the service in the first place. They were booked solid thanks to the drought, and the price was a testament to the demand.
    “The orchard’s about half a mile out. We’ll take the path along the left side of the house,” he said to the passenger of the five-ton truck. He continued on ahead, wondering how long until Wendy showed up raising hell for his interference.
    When they reached their destination, he stepped out of his truck as the men got to work. The trees would get a good watering, and God willing they’d get rain within a week. He’d never seen the orchard until now. It amazed him knowing Wendy single-handedly planted every tree. She was one of a kind, doing things most men couldn’t accomplish on their own. She’d make a fine wife if only she’d open herself up to the possibility.
    Just as he’d suspected, Wendy was on their tail. A horse riding toward him stirred up dust as it galloped along. The land resembled a desert, and it would only take one careless spark to set acres of land into an inferno. As the horse neared, he noticed Wendy’s blonde hair loosely fluttering behind her. His heart skipped a beat when she was close enough for him to see the blue of her eyes.
    “What on God’s green earth do you think you’re doing, Laweson?” She dismounted before coming to a full stop, a regular cowgirl in the saddle.
    “Doing what you should have let me do weeks ago.”
    She took a few steps forward, looking around the orchard, and sizing up the noisy truck which left an unattractive path through her property.
    “A watering truck? I can’t pay for this.”
    “I’m paying.”
    “Why?” She still looked genuinely clueless as to why he’d offer to help her.
    “Because neighbors help out neighbors when they need it, and because I’ve been trying to get through to you since I moved in next door.”
    As she watched the water freely flowing through the orchard, her eyes mirrored the shimmering liquid. “You didn’t have to do this,” she murmured.
    He closed the distance between them and pulled her close. She melted against his frame when he fully expected her to bolt away. “I want to help.”
    “You have no idea what this orchard means to me. It’s something I started on my own, and it wasn’t easy. To see it all turn to firewood would have been too much.”
    “It’s been a wicked year for farming. We have to stick together in times like these.”
    She looked up at him, her forearms resting on his chest as he held her. “Have you helped all your other neighbors in the same way?”
    He smirked. “Maybe not quite as much.”
    “Well, thank you. I probably would have refused your help if you’d asked, so I’m glad you came.”
    “You need