“It wouldn’t be smart, going from screaming to sex. We haven’t resolved anything. We’re still angry. Confused.”

  “I’m not angry,” said Trevor, though maybe he was. He wasn’t sure what he felt, under his boiling want.

  “I’m not, either,” said Sabrina. “But I feel bad. I’ve been tired. Frustrated. I took it out on you.” She dropped Trevor’s hand and rubbed at her face. “I’ll return the bedframes,” she offered. “I’ll take Pete along so it’s not just me. They know him, right?”

  Trevor stood there a moment, thrown for a loop. Bedframes? Pete? Then he remembered, and he managed a nod. “That’ll work,” he said. “And I’ll deal with Trent. I think we can fix this if we do it today.” He kicked at a loose floorboard with the toe of his boot.

  “I’m sorry—” Sabrina started, but Trevor cut her off.

  “Trent’ll likely be able to get the Millers to drop the charges. He’s helped them out a few times, so they owe him one. And he likes you, so there’s that. Trent’ll always bend the rules for a pretty face.”

  Sabrina snorted. “Unlike you.”

  Trevor flushed, not with anger, exactly, but the intense heat she had aroused in him had to escape somehow.

  “Something on your mind?” he asked pointedly. He didn’t want to play games with her. They’d crossed a line, whether she liked it or not. What were the odds they could just let it drop? Pretend it never happened and go back to their lives? “If you’ve got something to say, you should come out and say it. I make my living playing by the rules. The success of this ranch depends on my rules. But that doesn’t mean I feel the need to deny myself everything.”

  “That kiss…” Sabrina’s lovely face lapsed into a faraway expression. Trevor studied it intensely. The eager way her mouth had moved against his only moments ago told him he wasn’t the only one struggling to keep his attraction under control, but he wanted to hear her say it. “That kiss was something else,” she said. She turned to the window and pressed her forehead to the glass. “But I’m not sure we should repeat it.”

  Trevor nodded slowly, but he was damn sure they would. How could they not, after the way she’d grabbed his wrist, strong and possessive, hard enough to bruise? She wanted him. He knew it. He wanted her too.

  “I mean, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it. I really, really enjoyed it.” She reached up to brush a disheveled strand of hair out of her eyes. “God, I feel like you’re making me lose my mind.”

  “I’m making you lose your mind?” he repeated with a raised eyebrow.

  Sabrina shook your head. “You’re right. We have to do something about this tension between us. We let it keep up like this, it’s going to explode.”

  Trevor had a few ideas on how to break that tension, and he was willing to spend the afternoon trying them all out on her. Forget the damn work schedule, forget his damn rules. Forget the Millers, and the junk in the yard. His blood started pumping as she turned to face him. He ached to go to her and take her in his arms, but something in her expression told him he shouldn’t.

  “I actually had an idea,” she said, and ducked into the kitchen. When she came out, she had a pamphlet in her hand. She held it out to him without getting too close.

  “We’ll deal with the bedframes. I’ll fix my mistake—though I still think those frames would’ve gone great in your cabins—and apologize to Trent and the Millers. And then I want us to try this out. As a team-building exercise.”

  “Team-building exercise?” Trevor tapped the brochure. “This is a riding competition.”

  Sabrina nodded. “Yeah. A team competition. Everyone who works here has to participate. We need to learn to work together. It’ll help us get along. Help us quit fighting with each other, and the benefits ought to trickle down to our campers. The better we work together, the better we’ll serve them.”

  “Save a cowboy, ride a horse?” Trevor let out a chuckle. “Everything with you really does come back to work.”

  “Not everything.” Sabrina reached for him, then pulled away, blushing. “But we get a lot more accomplished when we’re…in sync.”

  Trevor studied the curves of her body as she moved back into the tiny kitchen. He couldn’t discuss business just yet—he was still lost in the memory of having her folded against him.

  “This rodeo is just down the road from here.” Trevor set the pamphlet down on a new little table, one of the ones Sabrina had made. “Most of the ranch hands participate in it every year anyway. Should be easy enough to get them behind the idea of forming a team, even if it isn’t exactly billed as a team-building exercise.”

  Sabrina leaned across the counter and grinned. “So, you’ll sign us up?” she said.

  “And pay the entry fee, I assume,” Trevor muttered.

  “I’ll pay the entry fee.”

  “Fine,” he agreed. “We’ll enter.”

  Sabrina gave a small cry of excitement. She leapt up and pumped her fist, and a rare smile curved across Trevor’s face. He reached out to shake on it, and the moment Sabrina’s fingers slipped inside his own, he gripped them tight. “On one condition,” he added. “You’re going to be my partner in the rescue race.”

  “The…rescue race?” Sabrina echoed. Her unfamiliarity didn’t diminish her own smile. “What is that? Like a relay race?”

  “You might call it that,” he answered mysteriously as he rose. “Meet me in the arena at sunset. And wear some damn jeans you can ride in.”

  “And if I can convince the Millers to let me keep the bedframes?” she asked hopefully.

  Trevor snorted. Fat chance of that, but he couldn’t help relenting in the face of her optimistic expression. “If the Millers are fine with it, I’m fine with it too.” As he headed out the door, he caught sight of something hanging above the doorway. It was a five-pointed silver star, like a sheriff’s star, but smooth all over. After losing every argument and losing himself in Sabrina, he felt a sudden need to reassert some authority.

  “At the very least, take this down,” he remarked as he reached for it. “We’re not decorating for Christmas this early.”

  “No!” Sabrina lunged after him. The shrill, desperate quality to her voice stopped him dead in his tracks. He froze, hand hovering over the ornament. She spoke more calmly. “I’m sorry, it’s just that…my grandfather gave that to me. It’s important.”

  “Why is it important?” he asked curiously. He could tell by her tone that she was serious. He gazed at her critically, but Sabrina wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  “If we win the riding competition, then I’ll tell you,” she promised. “But only if we win.”

  “Then I expect you to be at the arena promptly this evening,” he said. “Before sundown,” he added over his shoulder as he shoved the door open. “That’s at seven—”

  “Seven-thirty. I know.” Sabrina smiled ruefully and pointed toward her refrigerator. “You made a list, remember? I know when the sun sets, down to the minute, every single day for the next three months.”

  Trevor nodded in approval. He let himself out of the bunkhouse and started back across the lawn, skirting the pile of iron frames that had opened this can of worms. If only the Millers knew the trouble they’ve caused. They’d be proud as hell, he mused.

  Pete was in the stables when Trevor arrived, and when he looked up, he was frowning, like he had something to say. Trevor ignored him, but Pete launched in anyway.

  “You didn’t have to go so hard on Sabrina.”

  Trevor felt himself flush. What had Pete seen?

  “That’s none of your business,” he managed, through clenched teeth.

  “You kind of made it my business, yelling like that. I heard you all the way in the north barn.”

  Trevor let out a harsh breath, half embarrassed, half relieved. Pete hadn’t seen him, but he’d heard, all right. Trevor hadn’t realized he’d been yelling that loudly.

  “I’m just saying,” said Pete, “we’ve all got to start somewhere. Your granddad was patient with me when I started.”

  “You didn’t fill his lawn with old junk.”

  “But I did leave the gate unlocked, and his horses ran off. He could’ve yelled at me, but he just made me go find them. Best way to learn from your mistakes is to deal with them, right?”

  Trevor nodded slowly. Granddad had always said that. “She’s going to talk to the Millers,” he said. “It’s just frustrating, is all.”

  “For her too, I’d wager.” Pete brushed off his pants. “That girl’s been bending over backward to help. It wouldn’t hurt you to meet her halfway.”

  Trevor made a gruff sound. Pete moseyed off, headed out to grab lunch. In a sense, Trevor had met Sabrina halfway, his lips meeting hers, his hands in her hair.

  “Back to work,” he muttered, but his heart wasn’t in it. The memory of Sabrina’s lips lingered through the rest of the day, not just in his head, but in his body as well. He could still taste her, feel the heat where she’d touched him. His scalp tingled lightly where she’d tugged on his hair. More than once, he found a horse shying from him or a tool slipping from his grasp due to his errant thoughts.

  He couldn’t shake the impression that Sabrina had purposefully distracted him with the riding competition. Maybe she’d needed time to get her thoughts in order, to make sense of what had happened between them. He wasn’t sure what their next step should be. He knew what he wanted, but he had to be smart. If he blew it with Sabrina, she might run away. He couldn’t afford that. Couldn’t take the chance. She’d brought chaos to Wildhorse, but she’d done a lot of good, too. He needed her to stay on and finish what she’d started.

  But, if we could have both…

  Trevor frowned to himself. He rose from his last task of the day, peeled off his gloves, and slapped the dust off on the side of his thigh. The sun was sinking slowly beyond the distant hills, casting the Texas skyline in a ruby-red hue that darkened to a glorious amber the closer evening crept.

  Trevor replaced his hat. Then he started toward the arena.

  8

  SABRINA

  Sabrina spent all afternoon googling what a “rescue race” was. By the time she reunited with Trevor that evening, she had a pretty good grasp of what it entailed.

  She wasn’t sure whether to be thrilled or terrified.

  “So, it starts with a team of two people,” Trevor began as he roped in Pete for a demonstration. Pete flashed her an easy grin, no doubt meant to reassure her, but it did nothing to calm Sabrina’s nerves. She watched Trevor walk out into the dirt arena, leading a saddled Tex behind him. “The ‘rescuer’ is the first rider. He comes off the gate at the start of the run, and meets up with the ‘damsel’ on the other side of the ring.”

  Pete, who Sabrina suspected had begun drinking as soon as his shift was over, dropped a curtsey and giggled as girlishly as his baritone would allow. Sabrina rolled her eyes. She stayed by the fence, though—despite the ease exhibited by the two men, she knew what was coming next.

  Trevor swung up into the saddle and steered Tex toward the starting point. “The rider comes in breakneck—as fast as the two partners are comfortable with. Winning teams gallop!” he hollered over his shoulder at her as he turned around and suddenly spurred Tex into a gallop. The quarter horse lunged across the arena toward Pete.

  Sabrina had never seen Trevor ride before. The way the rancher carried himself astride his saddle winded her almost as much as his speed did. She watched the surging motion of the horse and the way Trevor’s hips rocked forward into the saddle. He almost appeared to hover motionless above his seat, even as he leaned his long body dangerously far out over Tex’s neck.

  “We ride up!” he continued, shouting so she could hear him over the drumming of hooves. “Slow up! Take a sharp turn. Soon as I’m around…”

  Sabrina held her breath. Trevor pulled Tex around Pete, and the ranch hand—without so much as a flinch—reached up and grasped Trevor’s outstretched arm. Trevor hauled the other man up onto the back of the saddle, and they bolted off together toward the starting point and a sliding stop.

  The two men trotted over to her. Sabrina strained herself upright and clapped desperately, overwhelmed.

  “Of course, it will go a lot faster with a tiny thing like you on back,” Pete said as he swung himself down again. “Try to relax. Trevor won’t let you get hurt.”

  “That’s right. I won’t.” Tex danced a little beneath Trevor, and the rancher reached down to give the horse a solid pat of approval. “I’m going to run him back and forth a few more times. He needs to burn off some excess energy before I can get him to start heeding me on the turn. Then you’re up, Sabrina,” he warned as he trotted off.

  Sabrina swallowed audibly. She wasn’t sure she had what it took not to break for the fence screaming when faced with a ton of horseflesh and steel-shod hooves bearing down on her. “You guys look like you’ve done this before,” she said, once she found her voice.

  Pete hung off the fence beside her. “Trevor’s always been great at the rescue race,” he remarked. “Never could beat him, try as I might.”

  Sabrina’s watched Trevor trotting around the arena. “How long have you known him?”

  “Since we were kids. My dad worked for his gramps.”

  “So this is your home, too.”

  Pete didn’t look at her, only nodded. Sabrina stood up straighter, flush with a fresh sense of determination. Grandma and Grandpa had lost their ranch, their home. She’d be damned if she’d let that happen to Trevor.

  “Hold my earrings,” she muttered, unhooking the silver horseshoes and thrusting them into Pete’s hand.

  “These things are earrings?” she heard him ask in astonishment, but she was already over the top of the fence and heading across the arena to her designated damsel position. Trevor pulled Tex up and raised an eyebrow. He seemed surprised to see her taking the initiative.

  “You ready to give it a go?” he asked. “I’ll walk him the first few times until you’re comfortable.”

  “Oh, I’m comfortable all right!” Sabrina replied, a shade too boisterous. “You boys come at me as fast as you want!” She punched her fist into the palm of her hand. “Let’s get this rescue ride on the road!”

  If Trevor noticed the nerves belied by her tone, he didn’t comment. He turned and spurred Tex to the other end of the arena. Before she had a moment to steel her courage and maybe really think about what she was about to do, the horse came galloping back toward her.

  She was so not ready for this.

  She threw her arms up at the last instant and clenched her eyes tightly shut as Tex came barreling past her. Somehow, they had managed to avoid a collision. She coughed and waved her hand in front of her face as the cloud of dust settled.

  “Good girl.” Trevor reined Tex back around with a grin on his face. “You didn’t move from your spot. Consider your first test a pass.”

  “Because I trusted you!” Sabrina seethed. “You were trying to freak me out on purpose!

  “Better you freak out now than after I grab you.” Trevor threw her a wink. “Pete had it right. I’d never hurt you, Sabrina. I needed to make sure you wouldn’t panic. That’s how folks get hurt.” The tightness around his dark brown eyes softened, and Sabrina’s heart fluttered. “But now you know what to expect when we actually get out there and compete. I don’t expect you to be on Pete’s level right off the bat. We’ll work our way up, and you’ll surpass him in no time. I promise we’ll take it a bit slower this next go-round.”

  Sabrina cast a helpless glance over to Pete, but the ranch hand was fiddling with her earrings, completely oblivious to the action unfolding in the arena.

  There was no one to rescue her but Trevor Wild—and she wasn’t certain he wouldn’t trample her in the attempt.

  “You almost made it up that time!” Trevor shouted as he trotted off. “One more!”

  “You’ve been saying ‘one more’ for the last hour,” Sabrina moaned. She was tired, hot, and thirsty, and moths the size of sparrows fluttered around the arena’s lights. The night sky beyond the practice ring was a dark velvet blue, the winking Texas stars bright overhead. What time was it, anyway? Pete was long gone, and she suspected he had left with her earrings.

  Worse than her exhaustion was her distraction. She couldn’t take her mind off kissing Trevor, the rough way he’d grabbed her, the brush of his lips. The way even their coupling felt like a fight, all eager hands and tongues battling for dominance.

  We’re too alike, she thought, as he came barreling back toward her. I can’t give an inch, and neither can he.

  Trevor’s chiseled face gleamed with sweat in the low light. His thighs gripped Tex’s sides, powerful and sure. She wanted to grab him and drag him down from his saddle, and kiss the bullheadedness right out of—

  “Get ready.” Trevor drove Tex toward her and circled around, and Sabrina reached instinctively for his strong, outstretched hand. He clasped her arm and pulled her up behind him. She had just managed to get her foot in the stirrup when her purchase slipped. She fell backward with a cry of dismay and landed hard in the dirt.

  “Might as well get someone in here to draw a chalk outline,” she muttered as she reached back to rub her bruised tailbone. “I’m pretty sure my ass has landed in this exact spot the last ten times we tried this.”

  “You’ve made it up onto the horse plenty more times than that,” Trevor reminded her. He pulled Tex up short and slid from the saddle. “You’re a good rider. Wouldn’t know it to look at you, but you are. You’ve just got to hold onto me until we reach the finish.”

  Sabrina snorted. She accepted his outstretched hand and got to her feet.

  “You seem distracted,” he added. He kept hold of her hand even when she made a move to draw it back. “You’re too tense on the pickup. I need you to relax.”