How to Handle a Cowboy Read Online Free PDF Page B

moment she was touching the ceiling, the next she was on the ground, facing the blank and frustratingly unmoving face of the closet door.
    â€œOkay. Now I just need to back off,” he said.
    He’d better back off. His head was right between her legs. If she squeezed, she could strangle him. Well, not really. If she was one of those girls who rode horses, she could, but her thighs weren’t that muscular.
    Unfortunately, she didn’t want to strangle him. With his head between her legs and his hands on her thighs, she felt a hot rush of lust. His hands slipped down to her calves, and maybe, just maybe, he lingered there a little too long.
    She grabbed his head, figuring she’d shove him to the floor if he didn’t move soon. The rush of lust had turned to something stronger, and she needed to get him out of the danger zone before he realized what he was doing to her.
    â€œMiss Dunn?” said a small voice from the other side of the door.
    She froze. The knob turned in what seemed like slow motion—but not slow enough. When the door opened, she staggered and fell backward as Ridge dropped down on all fours. She writhed on his back, struggling for purchase with flailing feet.
    And that’s what nine-year-old Josh saw when he opened the door.
    ***
    Ridge had to smother a laugh at the stunned expression on their rescuer’s face. The kid was a puny little guy, eight or nine years old, with sandy hair and wire-framed glasses perched askew on his nose. Skinny arms protruded from the drooping sleeves of a grubby T-shirt that hung nearly to his knees. It had a picture of the Hulk’s scowling face on it and said “Don’t Get Me Mad” in big block letters.
    The kid’s nose wrinkled up in confusion as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Which was understandable, since Sierra had fallen to one side and was thrashing around on the floor.
    She finally scrambled to her feet. “Josh!”
    The kid squinted then wrinkled up his nose again, lifting his lip and exposing his front teeth in a grimace that reminded Ridge of a cartoon rabbit. Then he shoved his glasses up on his nose with one finger and his face relaxed again.
    â€œJosh, where are the others?”
    The boy looked longingly toward the front door then returned his gaze to Sierra and made that face again. It was evidently a technique designed to adjust his glasses while keeping his hands free.
    A very ineffective technique.
    â€œThe others?” Josh poked the glasses back into position and gazed at the door again then returned his owlish gaze to Sierra, eyes wide with fake innocence. “What others?”
    â€œThe other boys .” She ran her hands through her hair, bringing it back to some semblance of order. “Where did they go, Josh?”
    He continued looking at the door while he answered. “They left.” He looked back at her and gave her a winning smile. “Do I get a Pudding Snack? For letting you out?”
    â€œYes. If you tell me where the others went.”
    He looked torn, as if his loyalties had been strained beyond endurance. The squinting and grimacing intensified. “They left. I don’t know where.” He wiped his nose with the back of one hand. “Were you scared? In the closet?”
    â€œNo, Josh, I was just worried. About you boys. ” Her voice was rising into a shrill, barely contained hysteria. “Where did they go?”
    Joshua squinted at Ridge then returned his gaze to Sierra. “You probably weren’t scared because you had him to play with.”
    Ridge put on his best poker face and stared straight ahead. He could feel Sierra beside him radiating tension. If he looked at her, he’d laugh as loud and long as she had back there in the closet.
    He had to admit the idea of “playing” in the closet had crossed his mind, especially when he’d felt the firm, muscled tone of Sierra’s smooth calves. Tennis. That was