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Thankfully, he listened. But so did every other cowboy in the corral. Later in the afternoon, Casey Remington came over to tease her. Casey had always been a big tease.
“Looks like Belly has a bo-o-oyfriend. And here I was hopin’ I could be your boyfriend now that you’re back in town.”
“Sure you were.” She rolled her eyes before she went back to watching Corbin help herd the cows into the pen. She felt a little more relaxed now that he was on horseback.
“Are you questioning my sincerity, Belle Holiday?”
“Yes, I am, Casey Remington.”
“I’m wounded.”
“I’m sure you’re just devastated.”
Casey rested his arms on the rail she stood at and leaned over, blocking her view of Corbin. “If you’d take your eyes off your boyfriend long enough to look at me, you’d see the hurt in my eyes.” His eyes held nothing but a teasing twinkle. She couldn’t help but laugh and tease back.
“You’re right. You do look devastated. And we can’t have that, now can we? No woman in Wilder would ever want Casey Remington’s heart to be broken. So of course, I’ll be your girlfriend. In fact, why don’t we just cut through all the dating nonsense and get to the good stuff.”
His eyes lit up. “Sex?”
“Marriage.”
The disappointment in his eyes had her laughing again. “Are you sure you just don’t want to stick to the sex?” he said. “Sex with me is the good stuff.”
She swatted the brim of his hat. “Noelle might be right. You are arrogant, Casey Remington.”
He winked. “It’s not arrogance when it’s the truth.”
“Well, that’s something that’s never gonna be proven, Lover Boy. At least not with me.” She tugged his hat over his face before shoving him out of her way. When her gaze found Corbin again, she discovered he had stopped herding cows and was looking in her direction.
“Everything okay?” she yelled.
He nodded before he wheeled Homer around and headed out of the corral with the other two cowboys. Belle had to hand it to him. He might not be as experienced as the rest of the branding crew, but he was a fast learner. And a dedicated one. No matter what job Rome gave him, he did it.
And Rome gave him some pretty difficult jobs. Especially since he was a greenhorn.
“Are you trying to kill him, Rome?” she couldn’t help asking when her brother-in-law walked past her.
Rome shrugged. “He wanted to be a rancher. I’m just showing him what he’s in for.”
Since ranching was hard, she couldn’t argue the point. Nor could she help feeling sorry for Corbin as they rode back to the Holiday Ranch. He looked like he’d been rode hard and put away wet. She understood. She hadn’t worked half as hard as he had and she was about ready to drop out of her saddle. The hot afternoon sun beating down on them didn’t help.
When she spotted the cluster of trees up ahead, she couldn’t help veering toward them. For a man who got lost easily, he seemed to have figured out the way home.
“Where are you going? The ranch is the other way.”
“I want to show you something.” She took the lead. When they got to the trees, she issued another warning. “Watch out for low-hanging branches.”
“I’ve listened to you telling me what to do all day. I’m kinda over it.”
“Fine. Don’t be careful, but don’t blame me if you get knocked off your horse.”
“And I thought Liberty was the bossy twin,” he grumbled.
She laughed. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be bossy too.”
“So . . . what was Casey Remington talking to you about?”
“He was just being Casey. He’s a world class flirt.”
