Lost Without Them by Trista Ann Michaels Read Free Book Online Page A

even locking the door.
    She walked over to the coffeepot and noticed the note lying on the counter. Picking it up, she read the neat penmanship.
    We’ll be on the ranch all day. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. There’s a walkie-talkie on the island if you need us for anything. We’re always on channel 2. We’ll be back to the house around 6.
    Cody
    Keegan set the note back down and resumed making coffee. She needed caffeine. That was apparently one mystery about herself she could knock off the list. She was a caffeine addict.
    * * * *
    Cody adjusted the saddle girth around the horse. He gave him a pat before dropping the stirrup and fender into place. He heard the crunch of footsteps on the hard, cold ground and turned to see who came to join him. When he saw Keegan moving toward him, he smiled.
    She looked nice this morning. Her hair was full of soft curls that blew gently in the winter breeze. The jeans and shirt Sam had gotten her fit her well. Too well. They hugged her curves like they were made for her. The denim jacket came just short of her waist and wasn’t nearly enough for the much colder weather that was on its way. Cody would have to remedy that and get her a warmer coat.
    “Hey, Sunshine,” he said. “You finally decide to get up?”
    “I’ve been up,” she replied.
    She appeared nervous as she shifted from one foot to another and fiddled with the fingers of her right hand. He decided to try to put her at ease.
    “I’m sorry about last night, Keegan. It’s just, well…we heard you—”
    She put her hand up. “Let’s don’t talk about that.”
    Cody smiled slightly. That was probably a good idea, if truth be told. Hell, he still had a hard-on thinking about her naked and undulating on that bed.
    “I’ll just say this, then. From now on, we knock first.”
    Keegan grinned. “I would appreciate that.”
    Cody nodded. “Done.”
    “That’s a beautiful horse,” she said.
    “Have you ever ridden one?” he asked, then realized his mistake when he saw her raised eyebrows. “Yeah, gotcha,” he said with a chuckle.
    She bit at her lower lip so adorably it was all Cody could do to keep from grabbing her and kissing her. Damn, this was going to be a long freakin’ winter.
    “Wanna go for a ride?” he asked, unsure they should really be on the horse together, but he couldn’t think of another reason to get his arms around her.
    She looked hesitant at first as she stared at the horse. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I think I do.”
    Cody held his hand out, and she came toward him. He helped her place her boot in the stirrup, then climb onto the animal.
    “His name is Chestnut,” Cody said as the horse bobbed his head in reaction to her added weight.
    She took the reins in her left hand and patted Chestnut’s neck with her right. “That’s a nice name.”
    “Watch your foot, darlin’,” Cody said as he nudged her foot from the stirrup and put his in its place. Swinging his leg over the back of the horse, he climbed up behind her.
    She leaned to the left so she could turn slightly. “You’re going with me?”
    He settled his arms around her waist and took the reins in his hand. “Is that a problem?”
    He hoped not. He liked how she felt in his arms, the way her thighs rubbed against his as the horse sidestepped from the added weight.
    “No,” she whispered and quickly turned back to the front.
    Cody grinned slightly as he kicked Chestnut gently in the side, urging him out of the barn. Keegan felt stiff at first but slowly began to settle back against him as they made their way up a worn path. At the top of the hill was a nice spot that overlooked the house. It was where he planned to stop and show her the surroundings.
    “This isn’t uncomfortable on you, is it?” Cody asked. “On your stitches?”
    She shook her head. “No. It’s not bad. The fresh air and activity actually feels good. It’s so beautiful here.”
    “Yeah. I forget that sometimes.”
    He placed his