Cowgirl Fever (Novak Springs Book 1) Read online

  “I don’t know if he was or not. It’s not for me to say. I just know what happened between us. It’s all I have to go on. It’s up to him to figure out where to go from here. I can’t be that person for him anymore. I need to figure out what I want out of my own life. So far it’s starting the Cowgirl Yoga program. That has to be enough for now.”

  “You have time to figure it out.”

  “That I do.”

  “Well let’s go inside and get something to eat. I’m suddenly starving.”

  They both walked into the dining hall and were greeted by the other women. In a short time she and Tori would have to welcome two of them into their cabin. She didn’t generally like to get to know new people and didn’t really plan on changing that outlook for them. All she saw them as was a way of gaining some much needed relief from the tension she had to deal with when she was around Tori. Nothing else really mattered because she had no intention of seeing any of them again. She did truly like Emma and was glad she had a chance to talk with her. It helped her to shake off the uneasiness she carried around after Tori had left her. The talk with Emma gave her something else to focus her energy on.

  ***

  The tension remained thick between Ginnifer and Tori. Staying inside a cabin with her made it difficult to breathe. So instead of going to bed, Ginnifer decided to go for a walk to clear her head. The night sky was pitch black and sprinkled with a bazillion stars. They twinkled at Ginnifer during her walk. The stars didn’t shine quite like this in New York, so she couldn’t help staring at them as she strolled along one of the paths on the ranch. She found herself at one of the main stables and heard a horse whinny inside. A gentle voice followed the noise. It was a decibel barely above a whisper, making it difficult to hear, but she could still make out the sound of Dallas’s voice saying, “That’s right girl, I’m here to help you.”

  Ginnifer found it difficult to resist the lull of his voice and wandered inside to find out what he was doing. When she walked inside, she found him leaning down with a white mare having difficulty delivering her foal. The poor horse was breathing heavy as she attempted to expel the baby from her body. Ginnifer shuffled her feet to get a closer look at the horse, causing Dallas to stop and look up at her. Surprise filled his eyes followed with a tiny smile. “Well looky here, Olympia. We have an angel of mercy come to help us out.”

  Ginnifer was floored he thought she could help. No way, absolutely not, she knew nothing about horses. She would be useless to him in this situation. So she told him as much by saying, “Uh, I don’t know anything about horses. I doubt I will be able to do anything to help her.”

  Dallas shook his head disagreeing. “You’re wrong. I was trying to figure out how I can help her, and here you are just when I need you. I can’t get inside of her and keep her calm. Come on, Gin, you can do it, stroke her face and talk in a nice soothing voice while I help her. I will be here with you every step of the way.”

  Ginnifer’s face lost all color. Did he ask her to pet a horse as she gave birth? What if it got wild? Clearly he was delusional. With bewilderment she asked, “Uh…exactly what do you want me to do again?”

  “Come a little closer. You will have to get down on your knees here and take off your jacket. It will be a bit messy to get this done,” Dallas explained as he gestured her to come closer. Not knowing what else she should do, Ginnifer quickly peeled her jacket off and followed his instructions.

  “That’s it. Now I need you kneel closer to her head and with a soft voice reassure her. I’m gonna try to pull the baby with her contractions to help the baby come out easier. It’s her first delivery, and she’s not doing well with it,” he told her.

  Ginnifer slowly sat down next to the horse. Raising her hand up to her mane, she gently stroked her as she spoke about anything and everything. It wasn’t long before she saw Dallas pull a small horse completely out of the mare. Dallas looked up at her with delight in his eyes. “Looky here, we have us a baby colt.”

  Ginnifer had no idea what had been preventing the horse from delivering the foal on her own, but she was glad she was able to help. She looked up at Dallas in wonder. Ginnifer still couldn’t believe she helped even in a small way for a horse to give birth. A huge grin spread over her face. Turning to look Dallas in the eyes and with wonderment in her voice, “That’s absolutely amazing.”

  Dallas took advantage of the pure bliss in her expression and pulled her into his arms, kissing her senseless. His mouth moved over her lips with light caresses. With a moan, Ginnifer turned around to face him and placed one of her hands lightly over his chest. For a brief minute Ginnifer let herself forget about the horse and the foal, allowed herself to feel. Dallas deepened the kiss and held her tightly against his chest. For a few short moments they both were lost in each other. The sound of the horse behind them broke the spell. With a sigh Dallas released her and took a step back. His stared into her eyes with an intensity Ginnifer didn’t understand.

  “Well, we have to get the little guy cleaned up. Are you going to stay and help me?” he asked.

  “Oh yes, I want to make sure he’s okay.”

  A soft smile formed on his face. It was an intimate moment, and for a brief second Ginnifer felt like she could really like this man. In this moment it felt wonderful to be with him, and she didn’t want to go back to her cabin anyway. So she smiled back at him as Dallas expressed, “Good. For a fleeting moment there I thought you were going to flake out on me.”

  The light mood changed and the air was charged with something else. She needed to get more control of the situation, and really? She couldn’t believe he had just said that to her.

  So Ginnifer gave him a look of pure vexation as she proclaimed, “Well, it isn’t like I’ve ever helped a horse have a baby before. Hell, for that matter I’ve never seen any baby born, let alone a freaking horse. Give me some credit for not bolting out the door immediately.”

  Dallas looked into her eyes and with complete sincerity agreed, “I know, and really I do appreciate your helping me out here. I was going to call the vet, but I was afraid he would be too late getting here. You helped me save both their lives tonight. Thank you, Gin. I owe you.”

  Wow. It was the only thing that Ginnifer could think when she looked at him. Where had this sensitive guy come from? Gone were the sexual innuendos she had gotten used to hearing, and instead she saw compassion and sincerity. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to start seeing him in a different light. That wouldn’t do her heart any good. She was already wildly attracted to him. Ginnifer cleared her throat, trying to get the lump forming inside to disappear. With an uneasy smile, she stared into his eyes. Shaking away the jittery feeling growing inside of her belly, she contemplated what she should say to him. She had never been so nervous in her life. This was a game changer, and she had no idea how to handle it. This cowboy could end up being her undoing. Her voice taking on a husky tone, she muttered, “I’m glad I could help.”

  Dallas grabbed her into his arms. Hugging her tightly in his embrace, he whispered in her ear, “Come on, Gin, let’s go get our new baby settled in for the night.”

  With that he released her and they began working together to get the newborn foal settled in with his mama. They worked together like they had been doing it for years. The entire time Dallas didn’t express one sexual innuendo to Ginnifer. The man was continuously surprising her. If he kept it up, she wouldn’t know which way was up. She leaned against the wall while watching him add some straw to the stall. He turned to look at her and smiled. She couldn’t do anything but smile back at him. Damn him for making me feel things I’m not ready for…

  Chapter Twelve

  Life is full of insanity at every turn. It is just a matter of how it’s handled and the amount of chaos that erupts each day. The madness touching your mind also plays a huge part. Some people can’t handle the stress of life and check out when it gets too difficult. Everyone has their own demons to keep in check, and it isn’t always easy
to be the strong one in every situation. In fact, it is damn irritating when it is expected of you every time something happens to disrupt the status quo. At some point a little bit will give, and the world will come crumbling down. Ginnifer was at the crevice of her existence and was about to find herself shattering into a bazillion pieces. She managed to get some sleep and make it through a few days without disaster striking, but she could feel the tension with Tori every time they were in the same room. It was getting harder and harder to breathe around her. Tori didn’t usually hold things inside, and she had to be bursting with explosive energy. It had always been expected for Ginnifer to be the glue that held things together, but a person really could only take on so much before they splintered. Their disagreement could very well erupt in ways that could destroy the very fabric of their friendship. Tori still wouldn’t talk about their eye-opening argument. Her response to any inquiry Ginnifer made was that there wasn’t anything left to discuss. So Ginnifer had no choice but to continue on and avoid conflict with her. She was tiptoeing around her, and the stress of it all was taking its toll on her.

  Today Ginnifer had a mission. One that could prove to be impossible to complete depending on the person she was seeking out. Yeah, she was also avoiding Tori as much as possible. So much so that she was actively looking for Dallas. She had asked Emma some questions about the ranch that morning after their yoga session and had been told that Dallas was the one to bounce her questions off of. She had been told she could find him in the main barn because he was working with the newborn foal they had delivered a couple nights ago. With a grimace, she steeled herself for the task at hand and wandered into the barn. Dallas really was the lesser of two evils at this point. She was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. The two people turning her life upside down were also the two people she couldn’t avoid forever, but if she could put off Tori for as long as possible, their friendship might weather this storm. It would be devastating to lose her at this juncture of their relationship.

  The small problem that came to light in one of the cabins Emma hadn’t foreseen resulted in extra individuals in her and Tori’s cabin. One of the cabins had a pipe burst and flooded the entire cabin floor. She moved two of them into the cabin with Ginnifer and Tori because they had the most extra room. Their two new cabin mates were Melody and Shelly. So before she ran off to do her errand, she had made sure that she moved all of her belongings near the bed she was occupying. As far as Tori’s belongings went, it would take a miracle to wrangle them all up, so she left it to her to complete on her own. Having two other people in the cabin might help ease some of the tension. It would give Tori some new targets for her angst.

  Emma had also informed them during breakfast that after dinner they were going to assign teams for Friday night’s activity. It had been explained that it was going to be a scavenger hunt led by Dallas, Wes, and Emma. Ginnifer prayed she didn’t get put on Dallas’s team because it could only lead to trouble. She was already growing attached to him in the worst possible way. Hell, this little excursion of hers was bound to lead her down a dangerous path. She told herself it was only for work, but if she was being honest with herself, she really did want to see him. He must have been extra busy the past couple of days because he had been scarce around the ranch. It galled her to admit she missed his sexual innuendos and devilish smile. It still baffled her he hadn’t tried to do more with her when they delivered the foal. Ginnifer was actually craving his attention. Not that she would admit that, ever. Still, she figured at the very least this activity might prove to be the stress reliever she needed in order to make it until the end of this vacation. Who the hell was she kidding? There really was only one place this would eventually lead to, and it was a matter of time before she gave in and jumped the man.

  There was a noise coming from one of the stalls, so Ginnifer wandered over to see if she could find Dallas inside. When she reached the stall, she looked inside and saw a beautiful white colt with a mane and tail mixed with a combination of black and silver. The baby she had helped Dallas deliver was truly beautiful. He was a stunning horse. When he was fully grown, he would be breathtaking. Ginnifer wanted to stroke his mane and hug him. While she watched him move inside the stall, she wondered where his mama was. She heard a whinny from behind her and watched as Dallas led the solid white mare inside. He stopped when he noticed Ginnifer standing in front of the stall and stared at her for several minutes before he continued on his path. Once he arrived at the stall, he gestured with his head for her to move aside and allow him to open the gate for the mare to get back inside with her baby. After she was inside, he closed the stall door and secured the lock on the outside. Dallas turned to face Ginnifer and stalked toward her, stopping in front of her. He leaned over and brushed his cheek against hers, the stubble from his facial hair lightly scraping against her sensitive skin to whisper in her ear, “Did you come to visit our baby, or are you ready to play with me yet?”

  Ginnifer took a step back in a feeble attempt to gain some distance between them. She knew if she ventured in here on her own, he would take it as a sign of surrender. It was up to her to gain the upper hand and fast before things got way out of control. With a shaky voice, she looked at him and said, “No I, uh, Emma said I should ask you about some of the stuff concerning the ranch. So I was forced to seek you out to get the answers to those questions.”

  A look of disbelief crossed his face, and after a brief moment his lips turned up into a sinful smile. “Darlin’, don’t ya know you don’t need an excuse to come looking for me? I’ve been waiting for you to give in to the inevitable.”

  Ginnifer gasped as he grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace. His breath mingled with hers as their faces were almost close enough to touch noses. She looked up into his cobalt-blue eyes and tried to explain, “No, seriously, I’m looking for some information for my article. If this isn’t a good time, I can come back later.”

  “Now’s as good a time as any. Ask away.”

  Ginnifer sputtered over her words but managed to get out, “Aren’t you going to let me go?”

  “Don’t much see the point. We both know this is where you really wanna be. I don’t expect those questions of yours taking very long—this position will give us a better advantage for the fun stuff.” Dallas winked at her.

  Ginnifer’s mouth dropped open in surprise, and it took her several seconds to get words out of her mouth. “Well, I never. Really this is the only way you will talk with me?”

  “Well, we can skip the talking part if you want. I kinda like having you in my arms, and if I’m being honest, there are other things I’d like to be doing. So’s you know, talking isn’t involved in any part of them.” He leaned in closer and dropped a tiny kiss at the base of her neck.

  Ginnifer was in trouble with a capital T. She came looking for a distraction, and Dallas was definitely up to the task. The question being how far she was willing to let him go along this path they were heading down? She already knew his kisses were scorching, but he was currently doing some stuff with his hands across her ass that made her want to lean farther into him and beg for more. Damn if it felt this good with clothes on, what could he do once we both got naked? Ginnifer was fast getting breathless, and he hadn’t even really kissed her yet. The fight in her slowly left as she leaned her head back with a final attempt at getting information out of him. “I really do need to talk.” Lust filled her eyes as she licked her bottom lip in anticipation.

  “We can talk later.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss escalated out of control, and before she knew what was happening, she was backed up against the wall of the barn with her arms wrapped around Dallas’s neck. He had let her go, and his hands were pushing against the barn’s side as he continued to devour her mouth with his kiss. She reached up and pushed her hands through his hair, knocking his black Stetson to the ground. Ginnifer brought herself as close as she could to him while rubbing her body all over his. Dallas took it as an i
nvitation to reach down and pull her ass up under his hands. Ginnifer wrapped her legs around his waist, and he pushed her back securely against the wall. Her ass was firmly sitting inside the palms of his hands, and Dallas took the opportunity to squeeze it as he held her in place. Ginnifer moaned, leaned down, and deepened the kiss further, her hands grabbing his hair tighter with each sweep of her tongue with his. She could feel his dick harden between her thighs as she tightened her legs around his waist. Oh God, she needed to feel him inside her now. Dallas’s hands wandered up and inside her white tank top. She felt the clasp of her bra come undone. He quickly pulled both off of her in one quick motion and bent her body back against the solid panel of the barn. Ginnifer grabbed a post in each hand above her to hang onto as his palms brushed across her nipples. He palmed one breast in his hand as he brought the other one’s nipple inside his mouth. His tongue swirled around her nipple as his teeth grazed over it with a small bite. Dallas lifted his head up and blew on the sensitive nub. He turned his attention to the other breast to drive her wild with need. Ginnifer moaned when his tongue slowly ran over her other breast, and then he pinched it between his lips.

  “That’s right, Gin, let me hear how much you like this.”

  “Do it again now,” Ginnifer demanded.

  A small chuckle escaped his mouth, but he leaned down and did as she had asked. While he was giving her breasts his attention, he took it a step further and snapped open her jeans, pushing them open. He slid his hands inside and brought them down below her ass. His hands circled around each cheek as he whispered in her ear, “Untangle your legs, darlin’. I need these jeans off of you.”

  Ginnifer quickly did as he asked because for once he was speaking her language. Hell, he had been all along, but she chose to ignore it. She even took it a step further, and once her feet hit the ground, she kicked off her shoes to make things easier. Dallas made quick work of pulling her jeans and panties off. When the barrier was out of his way, he pulled her back into his arms and carried her inside one of the empty stalls and closed the gate. He set her down on a nearby stack of hay bales already covered with a saddle blanket and spread her legs wide across his shoulder. Dallas removed his black T-shirt and stepped out of his jeans before he turned his attention back to her. He spread her legs to give him better access as he leaned down and slanted his mouth over her clit to run his tongue over it. While his tongue caressed the sensitive nub, his finger eased inside of her. With each stroke of his tongue, he brought her closer to climax.