Propositioning Mr. Raine (Riding the Raines Book 1) Read online

  Depression hit her. Had Navarro forgotten? It hurt. She walked down his steps to climb into her SUV.

  She had just put on her belt and started the engine when the lights of a vehicle drew her attention. It was heading her way. She killed the engine, got out of the SUV and put a smile on her face while she stood there waiting for Navarro to park. Thank God, he was just running late.

  But, it wasn’t Navarro’s truck. She frowned when a blond man climbed out of the vehicle.

  “Hi. I’m Adam. Are you Trina?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Navarro was hung up so he wants you to follow me out to the north barn where he is.”

  “Okay.” She was a bit surprised but Navarro worked with horses and she knew he had a barn, since he’d told her he’d cleaned stalls. She was just stunned that he wanted her to come to him. “Lead the way.”

  “He said he’d be there for a while so you might be spending the night in the barn. He wanted me to give you the option of staying or going. One of the horses is having a hard birth so it could be a long night.”

  Indecision hit. Was Navarro going to be annoyed with her if she actually came to the barn? Was he just too polite to call a rain check? Adam watched her as he rubbed his thigh, looking impatient.

  “He told me to tell you he’d like for you to come out there.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Hang on.” She ran up the porch steps to grab the tub and took it back to the SUV. “I’ll follow you.”

  He climbed back into his truck. The road wasn’t much more than a dirt trail through the high grass. Adam drove slowly and she wondered if he was doing it for her benefit. She smirked. Her SUV was tougher than the Ford the man in front of her drove. She had purposely bought a heavy-duty SUV, knowing she was living in the boonies. They drove for about twenty minutes when she saw the barn with lights coming from an open door. Adam parked so she parked her SUV beside him.

  Adam opened the truck window and said, “He’s inside, and I’m going home.” He tipped his cowboy hat. “Night.”

  Trina watched the guy drive away before getting out. Examining the open barn doors, she moved forward. Inside, she saw stalls, a loft with an opening and ladder, but no Navarro. She smelled hay and spotted a few horses that stared back at her over their stalls.

  “I’m here,” Navarro called. “In the back to the left.”

  Trina followed his voice through the barn, finding him in the last open-door stall.

  She stared at Navarro, unable to help it. He was barefoot, shirtless, and petting a very pregnant mare that was leaning against the back stall wall. Navarro had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and as she studied him, she noticed how tired he was.

  “How is she?”

  The smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s her first foal and she’s having a rough time of it. She’s not too stressed and the foal is turned right but I think it’s going to be a long labor. If things change, I’ll call Mike Arles, the local vet. I don’t know if you met him in town or not yet.”

  “I haven’t. What can I do?”

  He patted the mare one last time before walking to Trina. “I’m sorry about this. How do you feel about camping out? Ever had sex in a barn before?”

  She looked into his eyes, trying to read his expression, and what she saw verified he was exhausted but trying to hide it. He was a proud man and he’d given her his word about her having him five nights a week. It seemed as though he was going to give her those evenings even if it killed him. He looked ready to fall on his face. She took a deep breath.

  “I’d love to spend the night. It’s my time, right?”

  “You know it.”

  “Good. Here’s what I want. Tell me where we’re sleeping. Are there sleeping bags? Are they put down?”

  “I haven’t done that yet but I had Adam bring me a few and drop them in my truck bed. He also brought me a cooler with drinks and a few sandwiches, since I missed dinner.” He reached for her. “Come here.”

  Trina shook her head. “My time, my dime, right?”

  A frown marred Navarro’s handsome face. “Are you mad? I’m sorry about this but Adam couldn’t sit with Willow. His brother is getting married and it’s the bachelor party tonight. He’s the best man.”

  “I swear I’m not mad. I’ll be right back.”

  She turned around and walked out of the barn to go in search of the sleeping bags, found them, and carried them back into the barn. Navarro was still standing where she’d left him with the same frown on his features, until he saw her walk in with the sleeping bags. He looked surprised before moving toward her.

  “Let me do that.”

  “Let me. Where are we sleeping?”

  He pointed. “There, so I can keep an eye on her but we’re outside the stall, so she doesn’t step on us. But I can do this.”

  She met his concerned gaze, smiling. “You take care of her and I’ll take care of this. Let me do it, okay? It will make me happy.” She winked at him. “I like to feel needed.”

  The smile he gave her was relieved and genuine as his tense body relaxed. “Okay.”

  Navarro returned to the stall while she unzipped one sleeping bag to spread it out and used the second one for a top blanket. She left the barn to find the cooler in the back of Navarro’s truck and carried in the heavy box, setting it down by the sleeping-bag bed. On her last trip outside to her SUV, she grabbed the tub along with her purse. She hesitated before grabbing the towel she kept in the SUV to put on her seat when it got hot, and tossed it over her purse while she carried everything into the barn. With a glance down at the soft dirt floor, she kicked her shoes off.

  “Is anyone going to show up or is it just us tonight?”

  Navarro looked over his shoulder at her. “Just us. Adam won’t be back until tomorrow. He’s the only one who’s working with me right now.”

  She reached under her shirt to unfasten her bra and dropped it on the tub, and then removed her jeans. Navarro grinned, watching her get comfortable now that she just wore her undies and shirt. She smiled back at him and then went to her knees on the sleeping bag to open up the cooler. She took out two sandwiches for him and got out a coke. She met his gaze.

  “Come eat.”

  He petted the mare before walking to a hose first to wash his hands and using his jeans to pat them dry. He thanked her when he took a seat on the edge of the bed she’d made. As Navarro inhaled both sandwiches, she studied him closely, taking note of the exhaustion in his eyes and in his sagging shoulders.

  “You’ve had a rough day.”

  “It’s been a long one.”

  “You need rest. Can you lie down and take a nap?”

  He frowned. “You’re here and we have plans. We’re in a barn, so I was thinking up all the things I wanted to do to you here.”

  “Navarro,” she said softly. “Take a nap first. Please? That would make me happy. I can see that you’re beat.”

  “But—”

  “My dime, my time. I want you to lie down and let me touch you until you drift to sleep. You need some rest. We can have sex later.”

  “If you touch me, we’re going to have sex before I get some sleep.” He grinned. “Hang on. Let me turn down the lights so we can settle in. If Willow gets into trouble, we’ll know it. She’s not shy about making a ruckus if she needs attention.”

  Trina watched Navarro get to his feet to close the barn doors before he switched the overhead lights to a dimmer setting. The stall door was wood with large gaps so they could see Willow clearly when he closed it to keep the horse corralled. He stripped out of his jeans and briefs, down to bare skin.

  Trina reached for her purse, wishing she had lotion, but she did have sunscreen, deciding it would have to do. It was greasy but not too bad and it smelled really good as she spread it on both hands. Navarro’s eyebrows arched.

  “Sunscreen?”

  “Lie down on your stomach.” She moved the top sleeping bag with her thumb. “Stretch out so I can give yo