Austin (New Horizon Ranch Book 8) Read Online Free Page A

to move. Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer.
    “Willie Ray, I hate to break up you and Micha’s conversation but man, move it. We’re hot, tired, and ready to hit the hay—I mean the showers. We’re ready to go home. You, too, BJ. Unload.”
    “Hey, you don’t have to get so hot and bothered,” the big hulking cowboy drawled.
    Before Austin could make a comeback, Jolene rammed the cowboy in his meaty rib. “Either get out or I’ll kick you out,” she snapped. And on that note, the truck cleared and she escaped and stalked off.
    BJ had moved out of Austin’s way and scratched his head. “What’s your problem, man?”
    Austin didn’t even reply; he just headed after his horse. His entire body still burned from the feel of her next to him. And as he brushed Buckskin down in a back stall, the scent of peaches stayed with him.
    It was going to be one long night.
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    Jolene took a long, cold shower that night. She’d behaved badly that day and she knew it. And then finding herself practically in Austin Drake’s arms on the ride back to the ranch had her fully aware of the cowboy. She couldn’t help noticing how firm his chest was and how hard his thigh was against hers. And despite the fact that he’d had the worst job of the day trailing the herd, the man still managed to smell like saddle leather and aftershave. Willie Ray, on the other hand, was not so lucky and despite all her willpower, she’d been drawn to turn Austin’s way rather than the beefy young cowboy. It had been one long ride back to the ranch and her every nerve was still on high alert even as she climbed into bed and sank into the soft mattress.
    The day would start at five again, as they’d try to get the hot, gritty job of branding done before lunch while there was some semblance of coolness in the air. In August, cool was a word used lightly as the mornings began with the temps already crossing the eighty degree mark most mornings.
    Despite how tired she was, she did not sleep. Not at first anyway. She kept thinking about Austin, darn the man. And she wondered whether he was thinking about her too.
    And that curiosity did not sit well with her.
    By morning, she felt groggy and sore and wanted coffee. She got out of bed at four thirty, made a pot of stout coffee and moved out onto the porch to sit in a rocking chair while she waited for the rooster to crow and the ranch to wake up.
     
     
    The sun became blisteringly hot by midmorning. It was a hub of activity as they were broken down into several teams to administer vaccines, brands, and any medicines the animals needed. Austin was one of the cowboys who stayed in the saddle and sorted the calves out of the group; Jolene was down on the ground, helping administer vaccines. Austin was glad he wasn’t on the ground rubbing elbows with the ranch’s newest hire, though he now had the aggravation of trying to keep his eyes off her.
    The woman hadn’t given him any peace last night. No sir, he’d tossed and turned and before dawn, he’d ended up standing on his front porch, swigging down coffee before the rooster crowed.
    And he’d been thinking about Jolene.
    No thank you, but he was not taking any chances of their skin coming in contact in any shape or form. If he had his way, there was not going to be any words exchanged—good, bad, or tempting.
    Because he was tempted. It wasn’t healthy being attracted to someone who downright disliked him. That didn’t seem to matter, though. Despite the distance between them, all he could think about was finding out whether her sassy lips were as sweet as they were tart and snappy. Or whether a kiss from her would be as fiery as the flame in her eyes. His throat went dry just wondering about it.
    “Austin!”
    He heard someone yell his name and then realized he’d been so deep in thought that he’d missed his cue to separate out a new group of cattle. His daydreaming had the whole synchronized work chain