Sweet Talking Cowboy by M.B. Buckner Read Free Book Online Page A

unfastened the large belt buckle resting
in the vicinity of his belly button, loosened the waistband button on his
pants, and pulled his boots off.  Then just because she knew he was asleep and
wouldn’t remember any of it, she leaned over him and kissed him again.  Surprisingly,
one of his hands rose up to hold onto the back of her head and briefly his lips
moved in response, then he was asleep again.  Briann eased out the door and
down the hall to her own room, knowing she’d get very little rest tonight and
wondering about this startling discovery.  She’d never say it out loud and
would never let it be known, but in that room, she’d wanted Slade Butler to
make love to her.  No man had ever made her feel like that before.
    Briann’s night was long and restless, but she was at the
barn that housed her horses early the next morning, getting both of them ready
for the long day that lay ahead.
    The bay gelding did very well in his halter class, taking a
second, but the sorrel filly seemed to be off her game, and just was not as responsive
as she usually was to Briann’s cues.  She seemed heavy in her movements and reactions
and Briann put her away feeling disappointed with their performance.  She had been
excused from the arena without a ribbon and that was not acceptable.  She could
never be the trainer she wanted to be when the horse she was showing didn’t
have enough sparkle to keep the judges looking.
    Taking herself away from the pressure for a little while,
Briann sat on the bleachers and watched the stallion halter classes, allowing
her mind to imagine what it would be like to have a top quality stallion to
exhibit.  She didn’t always agree with the judge’s decision but today’s judge
had done a wonderful job, picking a young stallion that was equal to all the
older horses, but still developing.  He was already outstanding, but someday,
he’d be competing on a national level.
    When the class ended, she walked back through the barn,
looking at the horses in each stall, trying to locate any of the horses from
the Butler Farm.  She didn’t see even one.  That was unusual.  If Slade hadn’t
brought any horses to show, why was he here?
    Eventually her steps brought her back to the two horses she
had brought.  She stopped in front of the filly’s stall, wondering again just
what had taken her edge off.  Yesterday, the animal had positively glowed but
now she was standing in the corner of her stall quietly munching her hay,
paying no attention to the activity in the barn.  She just wasn’t right.
    Briann felt Slade’s eyes on her the minute he entered the
barn and she turned to watch him approach.  He’d cleaned up nicely, from this
distance showing no signs of the hangover she’d expected.  Just watching him
walking toward her was enough to start her heart racing.  A grin spread his
lips as he drew close and when he stopped in front of her, she could see the
tiny vessels in his pale eyes were swollen with blood.  Not tremendously, but
more than normal.
    “Hey.  How’d you do this mornin’?” he asked, indicating the
horses.
    “The bay took a second out of a class of twenty three, but
the filly is off.  How’re you feeling this morning?”  She couldn’t help
wondering just how much he might remember about last night.  Probably nothing,
she reminded her racing heart.
    His grin widened sheepishly, but his eyes held hers. 
“Actually I’m pretty fuzzy.  Did I call you to come get me last night, or did I
just imagine that?”
    She turned back to look at the sorrel horse, deciding that
was safer than looking into those steady, blue eyes.  “The bartender called
me.”
    He nodded.  “Thanks.”
    Now he was wondering if all his fuzzy memories were true or
if he’d dreamed up part of them.  He wasn’t sure how to ask.  After a long
moment he finally spoke.  “What was I drinkin’?”
    She shrugged.  “I couldn’t tell you.  Something kinda amber colored,
in a