Read The Reluctant Virgin [Ride 'em Hard 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) for Free Online

girl, and I don’t want you upsetting her.”
    Now he was really confused. Josh never seemed to care about a woman’s feelings before. His father had practically begged him to settle down and marry, to stop his womanizing ways, but the older man passed on before he could see his dream come to fruition. Now Josh appeared genuinely concerned with this girl’s feelings.
    “Relax. I just want to get the hell out of here.” He had a ton of tasks to get done on his ranch for the upcoming sale. Unfortunately his friends and family assumed he was twiddling his thumbs since they’d sold their cattle and hadn’t saved their fall seed. Clay and Austin had both offered him work as a ranch hand, but he didn’t want to work another man’s land. He wasn’t sure what the fuck his future held.
    As the girl neared the wagon, Josh met her partway. He reached for her hand, but she pulled it out of range. He hadn’t paid too much attention, but as soon as Josh introduced her as Cindy Taylor, he knew. She was the same girl who’d disappeared from town nearly a decade ago. He’d often wondered what became of her and her family after their farm went bust.
    She looked up at him from where he stood in the wagon but quickly averted her eyes. He saw recognition for that brief moment. Why didn’t she acknowledge him?
    “Good morning, ma’am,” he said, playing along.
    “Morning,” she said as she turned to give him her back. Cindy grasped Josh’s sleeve and urged him to follow her out back.
    “I’ll saddle the horses so we can scout the land proper,” said Josh. He disappeared into the barn, leaving Cindy alone at the rear of the house. Matthew knew he had to make his move now while she was alone. There must be a reason she was avoiding him. Had he done something wrong all those years ago? He’d known her since they were in diapers.
    “Cindy. Long time no see.” He trapped her in a corner so she couldn’t avoid him.
    “Do I know you?”
    He scowled. “Am I that easy to forget? You’ll give me a complex.”
    “You probably have me mistaken for someone else.”
    “With blue eyes like yours? That’s impossible.” His old buried feelings for the Taylor girl came back like she’d only left yesterday. He’d only admired her from a distance, occasionally trying to make small talk. She’d changed, now a woman, and a stunning one at that.
    “Look, I’m here on business. If you’ll excuse me…”
    She tried to brush past him, but he was sure he knew who she was. He blocked her from walking off. “You used to be a lot nicer.”
     

     
    Cindy’s heart was racing like a jackrabbit. He recognized her, and it was only a matter of time until he told Josh and Adam who she really was. She hated being a bitch with Matthew because she only had good memories of him, but she couldn’t deal with a trip down memory lane. She’d worked so hard to reinvent herself. Her family farm was taken by drought, bankrupting her parents. Now she saved farmers from the same fate through her position at Oakley Irrigation. She was once a cripple, now she was just an ordinary woman.
    “Please…I can’t do this now.”
    He smiled. “So it is you. I knew it.” Matthew had a boy-next-door appeal. His tousled brown hair, strong jaw, and baby blue eyes were just a few of his features she’d stored to memory. He’d bulked up since she’d last seen him, not unlike Josh. He was tall and confident, not the twenty-year old boy she remembered.
    “This account is very important to my boss. I can’t talk now, Matthew.”
    “Then let me take you out to lunch to catch up on old times. I just need to unload this hay at Angel’s new place, and then I can head back to pick you up.”
    “Matthew…”
    “I won’t take no for an answer.”
    She couldn’t afford a scene when Josh would be back any second with the horses. “Fine. But I’ll meet you in town by the feed centre, not here.”
    “Perfect,” he said. “There ain’t anything between you