Diamonds and Spurs [The Callens 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free Page B

word feminine , but instead couldn’t get past the concept of two husbands. “She has two husbands?”
    Vince laughed and leaned over the stall door, looking amazingly comfortable in his skin. “Around here, it’s common, especially in the Callen family. Women are scarce, so the men share.”
    She’d never considered herself sheltered, but in Intrigue, she was out of her element. “Makes sense.” Proud she’d acted calm, she returned to the horse.
    “You interested in going for a ride?”
    Her shoulders sagged and turned around. “Are you kidding? I’d love to, but I’m not sure I can. I’m not done here.” She waved her hand to all ten stalls.
    “Let’s ask Crystal.” The taskmaster was her immediate boss.
    “Okay.” Asking wouldn’t hurt.
    Playing hooky on her third day on the job might not be the smartest move, but brushing the beautiful horses had her chomping at the bit to get out. While she knew what the other workers did for the ranch, her role was still unclear.
    Vince headed over to the corral. “There she is.”
    Her boss sat on a beautiful Arabian that reminded her so much of Charger. Mandy inhaled and sucked in her stomach, remembering all she’d left behind.
    Vince placed a warm hand on her back. “You okay, darlin’?”
    The way he said darlin’ had her nerves jumping. His hand on her back had another part of her anatomy throbbing. “I’m fine.”
    Vince waved and Crystal slowed the horse and dismounted. She tied off the reins and came over. “Vince. What’s up?”
    “Mind if I take your charge for a little ride? Stalls are clean.”
    Her boss smiled and ran a glance between the two. “Sure. Don’t tire her out too much.” She winked.
    “You can count on me.” Vince turned back toward the barn.
    She looked up at him. “What was that about?”
    “What?”
    Now he was being coy. “About tiring me out?” The image of making love with someone this easygoing altered something inside her.
    “I like to ride hard. That’s all. Can you keep up?”
    “This a test?” She might have given fake references about her working at a ranch, but her horsemanship was the real deal.
    “Should it be?”
    “No.”
    The hand on her back slipped lower, and his fingers squeezed her waist. Shimmers of joy spread up her spine. Maybe she should beg off going, but then he might tell Crystal she copped out. Her boss might wonder about her ability to ride the range.
    They entered the stifling barn, but the fresh smell of hay boosted her spirits.
    “Have you picked out a favorite horse?” Vince hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets and looked like a man she could fall for. Don’t go there . She’d already had her heart broken.
    “I kind of had my eye on this Arabian.” She pointed to the horse she just brushed. She had a finely chiseled bone structure, a delicately arched neck, and a high tail.
    “Wind Song. She’s a beauty. Mine’s tied up by the house. You need help saddling her?”
    She chuckled. “If I did, it would mean Mrs. Watson made a mistake hiring me.”
    He grinned. “Meet you outside?”
    “You bet.”
    She selected a saddle from the tack room, and after tossing on a blanket she saddled the horse and cinched the straps. “Let’s go for a ride, Wind Song.”
     
    * * * *
     
    The moment Vince crossed the yard between the barn and the house, he kicked himself. He had no right taking her away from her job, but damn, the woman did something to him—more specifically to his cock. He hopped up on his horse and trotted over to the barn.
    Mandy was saddled and waiting. She looked mighty pretty up there, all regal and proper.
    “You ready to eat some dirt?” Egging her on might have been wrong given she was a new hire, but the luscious brunette intrigued him in more ways than one.
    For one, women who worked with horses didn’t wear fake nails. Secondly, other than the Callen clan, the women in Intrigue didn’t pluck their eyebrows with such precision nor did they have super