Dark Desire in Elk's Crossing [Sequel to Ecstasy in Elk's Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Robin Gideon Page B

The people in Elk’s Crossing would absolutely freak out if they found out.”
    “My lips are sealed. Your secret’s safe with me. And thanks for whatever it is you’ve put in my pocket. I owe you a favor.”

Chapter Eight
     
    Joshua was glad now that he hadn’t bothered to get a four-door Silverado pickup. With only a two-door pickup, Annika was forced to sit between himself and Sven. Joshua liked the fact that Annika’s denim-clad thigh was pressed against his as they drove to the eastern range where Norwegian Oil Enterprises was tentatively scheduled to put three oil wells—provided Joshua gave his approval after reviewing the final plans. Since the drilling would take place on private, not public, land, all the necessary permits had already been approved months earlier.
    It was a twenty-mile drive, mostly on gravel roads, to the eastern range where more than six hundred head of Angus cattle were munching on thick, green grass, with their diet supplemented with hay and vitamin-enriched salt licks.
    Though Joshua didn’t like admitting it to himself, he was doing everything he could to make his land look as flattering as possible for Sven, and even more importantly, for Annika. He wanted her to have a favorable opinion of his skills as a cattleman. For a man who generally didn’t much care what anyone thought of him one way or another, Joshua wanted Annika’s respect much more than he’d considered possible.
    “That’s all my land in that direction,” he said, pointing to the south, where he kept a two-hundred-head herd of Holstein cattle. “But that’s not the site your geologists want to put the oil wells. That’s up here another couple miles. We’ll pull onto the turnoff, get the horses out of the trailer, and ride from there.”
    “You’re sure the horses are well-trained?” Annika asked.
    Joshua caught the undercurrent of fear in Annika’s tone. He gave her a smile and patted her thigh. It was the first time he’d touched her that day, and he liked the fact that she didn’t flinch or try to move away.
    “All of my riding stock are trained from the tips of their ears right down to their well-shod hooves. Don’t worry, Old Buck isn’t going to run off with you on his back.”
    “Buck? Does he buck?” Now the fear wasn’t an undercurrent, it was thick as molasses.
    “No, it’s just a name. I bought another horse whose name was also ‘Buck’ so one of them had to be ‘Old’ and one ‘Young’. Nothing for you to concern yourself with.” He chuckled softly. “Unless, of course, you tried to ride Young Buck, which would be a big mistake. I don’t ride him. I just use him for stud.”
    He turned off the gravel road, drove another mile through prairie, then pulled the pickup to a stop in front of a gate. The prairie seemed to stretch on forever, and there wasn’t a cow to be seen.
    Joshua got the horses out of the trailer, adjusted the saddle a little for the length of Annika’s legs, then helped her up into it. He could tell that she was quite nervous, and he made a promise to himself to not do anything that would heighten her unease.
    She moved about a bit in the saddle, trying to get comfortable, and when she did, he watched the way her breasts bounced and swayed inside her blouse and bra. His libido reacted, as it always did to Annika, and he felt an immediate swelling in his groin.
     
    * * * *
     
    Joshua said this beast is well-trained, and that there’s nothing to worry about, so stop worrying, damn it!
    The thought did not prompt an immediate end to Annika’s concerns regarding Old Buck for several reasons. The first was that he didn’t seem all that old, and the second was that he was long-legged, so it seemed to Annika that she was sitting a mile off the ground. When she initially got into the saddle, the gelding had pranced a couple steps to the side, and though Annika had never before ridden a horse and didn’t know anything about them, it seemed to her that the