“Do you have allergies? Because there are a lot of dust bunnies under there. I’m pretty sure I saw a whole fluffle.”
“A…excuse me? Did you call it a fluffle?”
“That’s what you call a group of bunnies.”
“I’m dealing with a child,” she muttered.
He shot her a broad grin. “I’ll take that as a compliment. The minute you grow up, you grow old.” To prove his point, he gave an exaggerated bow complete with arm flourish. “I’ll leave you to freshen up and meet you outside.”
With his key in hand, he strutted out of her room and next door to his. The New Mexico air was heavy and oppressive. That claim of it being dry heat didn’t matter one damn bit to a man born and bred in the mountains—it was still hot as Hades.
His room was a mirror copy of Madeline’s. While he scrubbed water over his face and raked it through his hair, he wondered if she was doing the very same thing right that minute.
Nah—she couldn’t wash her face with sunglasses on.
He grunted and settled his Stetson in place.
When she opened her room door, he was already waiting for her, leaning against the building with arms folded.
She glanced him up and down.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He led the way to his truck again, watching for suspicious persons or other dangers that thankfully never came. He reached to open the door for her.
“I got it,” she ground out.
He backed off. “Suit yourself. It’s just part of the service I offer.”
The small town boasted one sporting goods store where they could buy camping gear. Inside, he paused to inspect the bulletin board.
“What are you doing?” Madeline’s cool expression never seemed to change.
“Checking for a place to rent some horses.”
“Oh. That’s smart.”
His lips twitched. “Don’t sound so surprised. I’m not just a big stupid guy who can bash heads. I get that a lot, you know.”
“People thinking you’re dim-witted?”
“Yeah.” He poked a finger at a card tacked to the board. “There. I’ll take a picture of it.” He reached into his back pocket for his phone.
“No need.” She flashed her watch face against the card and then walked into the store.
Half an hour later, laden with all the gear they’d require for a trip through rough terrain, Mathias walked out of the store. Automatically, he scanned the parking lot and his gaze lit on a guy with a Land Rover giving an employee hell for chipping the paint when he loaded supplies into the back of it.
He seemed to have bought out most of the store’s stock in camping and backpacking gear. He even had a kayak strapped to the roof.
The young kid helping load his buys into the vehicle had the slumped shoulders of a dog that’d just been kicked. He nodded at whatever the asshole was saying and then slunk away.
Mathias glanced over his shoulder to ask Madeline if she’d seen that dick, but she wasn’t there.
His heart rocketed up his throat. Had he already failed her? While they shopped, she insisted that he not crowd her and reminded him twice that she didn’t need to be guarded right now. But the second he didn’t, she vanished.
He stepped back inside the store and spotted her checking out a display of colorful bandannas hanging near the door.
“Typical woman, getting distracted by pretty things.”
Her head snapped around. “Typical man, thinking a woman couldn’t possibly need something to keep the sweat and bugs off her neck during the journey they’re about to take.”
God, this woman was a piece of work. She wasn’t like any woman he’d encountered before. Her quick responses had him on his toes, and he’d felt the lash of her tongue more than once today.
He waved at the rack. “In that case, I prefer the bright blue.”
She’d been fingering the bright blue one, but to be contrary, she snatched the navy one off the rack and stomped to the checkout.
He chuckled to himself. He couldn’t wait to see how frazzled she got once she was in the saddle.
* * * * *
“No horses?” Madeline couldn’t keep the exasperation from her question.
“I’m sorry—they’re all booked for tomorrow.” The woman at the outfitter acted as if not having any horses to rent was no big deal, when it meant disaster.
Madeline settled her elbows on the counter and leaned in. “Exactly how many parties do you have heading into the canyon trails tomorrow?”
Mathias stepped up behind her, close enough for her to feel the man’s body heat penetrating through her clothes. As if she wasn’t hot and sticky enough in this weather without him adding to it.
“What she means is where can we find some horses if you don’t have any?”
The employee stared over Madeline’s head at Mathias. Her jaw dropped. Then she flushed pink.
“You can try down the road at Wild Bill’s.”
“Thank you, miss.”
Was it Madeline’s imagination, or did Mathias’s voice sound different? She wanted to whip around and catch him in the act of flirting on the job, but doing so would bring her up close and personal with him, and she was already tired of having him glued to her back.
The girl giggled. “I hope you find some.”
“Me too.” He placed a hand out as if to grab Madeline by the elbow. She stalked past him before he could do any such thing and barreled outside into the stifling heat.
“Why is it even hotter in the evening?”
“The land forms a natural basin. The rock’s holding the heat of the day and releasing it now.”
She inwardly groaned.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find some horses.” Mathias sounded confident.
“How can an outfitter not have enough horses? And what the hell was that back there?”
He shifted his head to pierce her in his stare. “What?”
“That disgusting flirting episode with the girl behind the counter.” She yanked open the truck door and jumped in.
Mathias took his good ole time rounding the front of the truck. By the time he climbed behind the wheel, her annoyance level had jumped two notches.
“That,” he twisted the key in the ignition, “was not flirting. That was being amiable and considerate of an employee. Your intimidation tactics weren’t going to make the girl pop out two more horses.”
Okay, he was right. She might fall back on her ability to scare people too much, when a simple thank-you would work.
They bumped down the road to another outfitter. This one had a big wooden cutout of a cowboy and WILD BILL’S painted across the chest. As they hit the parking lot, the sign’s lights came on, bare bulbs like those surrounding a Hollywood starlet’s dressing room mirror, except these outlined the cowboy.
“Ain’t that cute?” Mathias drawled.
“Charming.” She jumped out, but not before she caught his eye roll.
At the door, he blocked her way using his big body. She craned her neck to look at him. He must be six-two without the boots. She could still take him down in seconds.
“Let me do the talkin’.” Under his hat, his eyes were shadowed, but she knew they were fixed on her.