Sunshine

3. moody broody bodyguard

The girls lined up on their respective side of the cattle shoot, waiting for Colby's mark before shooting off. Spencer was off like a rocket, her lasso flying within two steps of her horse. She pulled, the rope pulling snug on the calf, shocking everyone as Teeter's snatched the calf's back hooves.

"I don' think I've ever seen someone out rope me," Teeter chuckled, shocked but impressed as she reached across her horse to shake Spencer's hand. "Maybe I ain't as good as I thought."

Spencer smiled as she shook Teeter's hand. "Trust me, you're good. Job's yours if you want it Teeter."

"Don't you have to run that past your boss?"

"I am the boss," Spencer smirked as she hopped off her horse, letting Ryan lead him back to the barn. "I don't believe I introduced myself, Spencer Dutton."

Ryan coughed obnoxiously, causing Spencer to rephrase. "Soon to be Wheeler, not that it matters right now."

"They always like this?" Teeter asked as she walked with Spencer.

The redhead sighed and shook her head. "Nah, Sawyer and I usually keep them in decent enough line."

"Sawyer?"

"She's out on tour right now, but she keeps that one," Spencer pointed at Ryan who was now hanging over the fence while the others threw hay at him, "in line so I can keep the rest of them in line. You'll get used to it."

Teeter laughed, her accent even rippling through that sound as well. "It'd be an honor to work for you Spencer."

Her name sounded awkward in the thick Texas accent, extra H's appearing everywhere making Spencer laugh. She sent Teeter off to fill out paperwork with a helpless Lloyd, mostly because she had no desire to do it.

It was then that her attention got pulled to the other side of the barn, where a frustrated Charlotte was arguing with Cole.

"What's going on over there?" Spencer nodded in their direction as she rejoined Rip, who looked over his shoulder to see the siblings.

"She wants to learn to ride so she can go to the camp, but I don't think Cole's ever ridden a day in his life."

"Yeah, nothing about him really screams cowboy," Spencer agreed. She stood on her toes, pecking her lips to his cheek before heading in the direction of the brunet siblings. "I think I'm gonna go save Charlotte from that now."

She watched from the side of the corral as Cole walked Charlotte through getting her foot in the saddle, only for the girl to almost fall on her face because she didn't have enough strength to get her other leg over.

"We have ladders for that, you know," Spencer offered as she walked into the corral. "Her legs aren't strong enough yet to push her over from the ground. The only thing she'll do is break her leg at this rate."

Charlotte turned a simmering glare to her older brother, "I told you it could've been easier."

Cole held his hands up in surrender, a pleading look sent Spencer's way. "Think you could take over? I have no idea what I'm doing."

Spencer's face turned up in mocking surprise. "Really? I couldn't tell."

Charlotte giggled, causing the redhead to send her a quick wink as she shooed Cole away.

"First things first, let's go get the ladder."

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Rip found himself wandering back down to the arena, both out of concern for Spencer and because he swore he had heard wolves. The howls continued in the center of the arena, but it didn't look like a wolf laying in the dirt. He flipped the lights, illuminating a now cackling Charlotte and Spencer, rolling in the dirt as they tried to continue howling.

"What on Earth are you two doing?" Rip chuckled as he put his rifle down at the fence before walking over to the girls.

Charlotte sobered from her giggles first. "We thought it would be funny to see y'all come running."

God, she's already starting to sound like Spencer and it's only been two days, Rip thought as footsteps came racing down to the fence.

"Where are they?" Cole's voice carried over the arena, sending the girls back into their stupor of laughter at his concern.

Rip turned, rolling his eyes but smiling. "Seems our wolves are more the kind that howl with laughter than for dinner."

Cole visibly relaxed, a grin even sneaking onto his face as he joined the growing group in the arena. "C'mon Charlie, we oughta get to bed if you were even thinking of getting to the camp tomorrow."

Charlotte scrambled to her feet, hugging Spencer as she pulled herself. She even quickly threw her arms around Rip, shocking the man to a standstill as she raced Cole back to the main house.

Spencer waved her hands in the air, silently asking for Rip's help to stand. He pulled her up, quick enough to bring her into his arms and dance her around to the music of the crickets.

"You like her?" He asked, his attention solely on Spencer.

She looked lost in thought as she stared off in the direction of the house. "She's a good kid, but she's been through a lot."

"You have too."

Spencer shrugged as she laid her head on his chest. "She spent almost her entire life in foster care. It's different. But I'd do anything for that kid already, and it's only been two days. Also, why are we still dancing?"

"You don't want to dance with me?"

"Of course I do, but there's no music Rip."

He chuckled, "I can turn some on if you really want."

A mischievous glint glowed in Spencer's eyes. "I have a better idea."

She stepped out of Rip's arms, pulling him toward the barn and into the tack closet.

"There's no one to stop us, but it reminds me of the old times." She stood on her tiptoes, plucking Rip's hat from his head and hanging it on the hook beside them. "What do ya say, Cowboy? Think you still got some giddy up to ya?"

Rip chuckled under his breath, letting his hands fall to Spencer's thighs before effortlessly picking her up and pushing her back into the wall.

"Why don't we find out," he whispered against her neck, smiling as he felt her body stiffen underneath of him.

He pressed a kiss to her neck, then another and another rising higher and higher until he met her lips.

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author's note. had zero energy to do the little header collage thing today