Montana Sky

to LA in the fall. And I finally decided to tell him about the book. He was pretty jazzed, which surprised me, so I shot off the first couple chapters to him to give him a taste. We’ll see.
    At the moment, I’m squeezing in writing time between wedding preparations. The shower’s coming up, and we’re all pretending Lily doesn’t know we’re planning one. Should be a hoot.
     
    “S O WHAT ARE YOU MEN PLANNING FOR THE BACHELOR party?” Tess sat on the corral fence at Nate’s and watched him take a yearling through his paces.
    “Something dignified, of course.”
    “How many strippers?”
    “Three. Any more isn’t dignified.” He reined in, backed the yearling up, then squeezed gently with his knees. The yearling broke into an easy trot. “That’s the way. Smart boy.”
    Look at him, Tess thought, all lanky and lean with his hat pulled low and those long, narrow hands as sexy as a concert pianist’s.
    He quite literally made her mouth water. “I ever tell you how good you look on a horse, Lawyer Torrence?”
    “A time or two.” It still made heat crawl up his neck. “But you can tell me again.”
    “You look good. When am I going to see you in court?”
    Surprised, he circled the horse. “Didn’t know you wanted to.”
    Neither had she. “Well, I do. I like looking at you in your lawyer suit, all sober and serious. I like looking at you.”
    He slid off, looped the reins around the rail, and began to uncinch the saddle. “Hasn’t been much time for looking or anything else just lately, has there?”
    “Busy time. Only ten days until the wedding, and Lily’s parents are coming in tomorrow. After things settle, maybe you can take me into town, let me watch you ride the court. Then . . . we could stay in a hotel for the night and play.” She ran her tongue around her teeth. “Wanna play with me, Nate?”
    “Your rules or mine?”
    “No rules at all.” With a laugh, she hopped off the fence and grabbed him into a hot, lengthy kiss. “I’ve missed you.”
    “Have you?” That was progress he hadn’t expected quite so soon. “That’s nice.”
    She glanced toward the house, thought of bed. “I don’t suppose we could . . .”
    “I don’t think Maria could stand the shock of that, middle of the day and all. Maybe you could stay the night.”
    “Mmm. Wish I could, but I’m already AWOL. And I don’t like to stay away long, after what happened.”
    His eyes went cold as he turned to lift the saddle off the yearling. “I wish I’d been there sooner that night, to back Adam up.”
    “It wouldn’t have mattered. There was nothing Adam or Will could do to stop it. Nothing you could’ve done if you’d been there.”
    “Maybe not.” But he’d had some bad moments thinking of it, imagining it. Wondering what he would have done if it had been Tess with a gun at her head. Because the light had gone out of her eyes as well, he moved on impulse and swung up on the horse’s bare back. “Come on, take a ride with me.”
    “Without a saddle?” She blinked, then laughed and stepped back. “I don’t think so. I like having the horn to grab onto.”
    “Tenderfoot.” He held out a hand. “Come on. You can grab me.”
    Intrigued but wary, Tess eyed the horse. “He’s awfully big for a yearling.”
    “Just a baby and anxious to please.” Nate cocked his head and waited for her to take the offered hand.
    “All right. But I really hate falling off.” She let him grip her hand and with little grace clambered on behind him. “Different,” she decided, but found a definite advantage in being able to snuggle close behind Nate, her arms circling his waist. “Sexy. Adam rides bareback quite a lot. He looks like a god.”
    Nate chuckled, clucked the horse into a walk. “Puts you more in tune with your mount.”
    It also, Tess realized when they slid into a trot, put her more in tune with her lust. And when they smoothed outinto a gallop she was grinning like a fool. “This is great. More.”
    “That’s what you always say.” He circled the corral again, enjoying the sensation of those firm, generous breasts pressed into his back. His eyes crossed when she slid her hands down below his belt.
    “Figured as much,” she said, when she found him hard. “Ever do it on horseback?”
    “Nope.” The idea provided a fascinating visual—Tess laid back in front of him on the horse’s neck, her legs wrapped tight around his waist as they mated to the rhythm of the horse.