The Ashtons - Cole, Abigail & Megan

nice guy,” Russ said, unable to hold back his sarcasm. He’d tried all of his life not to be judgmental, but this was one time he couldn’t help himself. “It sounds to me like your mom got hold of a real loser when she hooked up with this Wayne character.”
    Abby nodded. “Uncle Grant doesn’t have much to say about it, but Ford and I think they probably deserve each other.”
    “I’m sorry for the way it all turned out, honey,” Russ said, pulling her into his arms.
    He’d only meant the gesture to be comforting, but the feel of Abby’s soft, feminine body pressed to his chest sent a shock wave straight through him, and his good intentions took a hike. He could no more stop himself from kissing her than he could stop the sun from setting in the west.

Chapter Three
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    G azing into Abby’s pretty, emerald eyes, Russ slowly lowered his mouth to hers. The feel of her soft lips had his heart thumping inside his chest like a sultry jungle drum. But when she tentatively moved to bring her arms up to circle his neck, then tangled her fingers in the hair at his nape, his pulse took off at a gallop.
    He lightly traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue, and when she parted for him on a soft sigh, Russ slipped inside. As he stroked her inner recesses, her sweet taste and shy response sent his blood pressure soaring and brought his neglected hormones to full alert.
    Without breaking the kiss, he lowered her to the soft grass and partially covered her body with his. She felt so damned good beneath him. In twenty-six years of life, he’d never wanted a woman as quickly or as fiercely as he wanted Abby at that very moment.
    Parting her legs with one of his, he pressed his thigh against her feminine warmth as he eased his hand inside her jean jacket to cup her breast. Rewarded by her soft moan of pleasure, he chafed the peak with his thumb through the layers of her clothing.
    His body hardened predictably, and he allowed her to feel what she was putting him through, how she made him want her. But a split second later, he felt her go perfectly still, then push against his chest.
    “Please stop,” she said, her tone clearly bordering on panic.
    Russ immediately removed his hand and untangled their legs to help her sit up. “What’s wrong?” He didn’t think he’d gotten so carried away that he’d hurt her. And he was sure she’d enjoyed what he’d been doing.
    “I…have to go.” She scrambled to her feet, and before he could stop her, she ran over to where Dancer grazed a few feet away.
    Bewildered, Russ watched her quickly mount the gelding, then rein the horse toward the stable. Jumping to his feet, he caught Blue’s reins and swung up into the saddle to follow her. But Abby had nudged Dancer intoa gallop and was already disappearing around the side of the building.
    When he reached the double doors, Russ dismounted and led Blue inside. He wasn’t sure what the problem was, but he damned sure intended to find out.
    “Abby, what happened out there?”
    “Please, not now.” She didn’t look at him as she continued to remove Dancer’s saddle.
    He noticed that her hand shook slightly when she picked up the brush to groom the bay, and, reaching out, he started to take it from her. “I’ll see to the horses,” he said gently. When she flinched and pulled back, he let his hand drop to his side. “Abby, honey, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
    “I rode him. I’ll take care of brushing him down,” she said, ignoring his question and turning back to Dancer.
    For the next several minutes, they worked in uneasy silence as they groomed the horses. Russ suspected Abby’s sudden panic might have something to do with what she’d told him about her mother. But if she wouldn’t talk to him, he had no way of finding out if that was what bothered her, or if it was something else.
    When she finished brushing Dancer, she led him to his stall, then started toward the open doors at the end of the stable. “Thank you for letting me ride your horse,” she said as she walked past him.
    “Abby, we need to talk.” He placed his hand on her shoulder.
    She didn’t look at him, but he felt her body stiffen a moment before she sidestepped his touch and continued walking. “There’s nothing to say.”
    Russ waited until she’d disappeared through the double doors before he cut loose with a string of cuss words that could have blistered paint. Abby might think there was nothing to discuss, but he sure as