Page 36 of A Cowboy's Heart

Willa laughed. “Once he makes up his mind, it’s hard to change it.”

“Are you his girlfriend?”

“Oh, Lord no. I’m his personal assistant. If I were his girlfriend, I would have killed him a long time ago.”

Lucy burst out laughing. “Good thing you aren’t then. How long are you at the ranch?”

“We have three more weeks. Rock is doing well on the riding lessons. Devin’s a good teacher.”

“Devin and Jaxon both are. They have riding classes on the ranch some summers.”

Willa didn’t know that. Maybe that was how Christopher knew where to send Rocky for lessons. She never did ask him how he’d pickedBur Oak. Despite everything, she was glad he had because she couldn’t imagine not meeting Devin. What if Christopher had sent them to another ranch?

Glancing toward Devin from under her lashes, she watched him put the halter on the horse, speaking to the horse in soft tones then he led her from the stall. When he passed Willa, he winked at her. She could feel the heat pouring into her cheeks. She looked away and saw Lucy looking at her with a smile on her face. Willa gave her a slight smile and cleared her throat.

“Maybe we can have lunch together before you leave, Willa,” Lucy said.

“I’d love that, Lucy,” Willa said and meant it. She liked Lucy. She seemed like a beautiful person who had been through a lot.

As she watched, Reid walked to Lucy, put his arm around her, and kissed her temple then he walked out of the barn with Zeke running after him making Willa chuckle.

“The only time my son slows down is when he’s sleeping.” Lucy laughed.

“He’s adorable and seems to love Reid very much.”

“He idolizes Reid, and the feeling is mutual. Reid is a wonderful man.” Lucy looked at her. “All of the Callahan men are.”

“Uh…”

“You don’t have to say anything, Willa. I know you’re planning to leave here in three weeks, but even if I hadn’t seen you blush when Dev walked by, I still would have known something was happening between you. I can feel it.”

“It won’t work. I’m going back to Hollywood, and I’m older than he is.”

“Who the hell cares that you’re older? Love doesn’t know numbers and if he’s interested, he’s not playing. Devin isn’t like that. None of them are. The Callahan men fall fast and love hard, and deep.” Lucy shrugged. “Sure, he’s had his share of women, especially when he was in the rodeo, buckle bunnies were always after him, but he never stayed with one too long––”

“Buckle bunnies?” Willa asked laughing at the absurd name.

“Oh yes. Rodeo groupies. The Callahan men were always surrounded by them. I used to be so jealous seeing them around Reid. Even when I was married to Zeke. For a long time, I felt awful about that, but now I know I was meant to be with Reid for the rest of my life.”

Willa smiled. “I think you are, too, because I can see how much he loves you and you feel the same way about him.”

“You ready, Willa?” Rocky called to her from the barn entrance.

“Yes.” Turning toward Lucy, she smiled. “Let’s get together for lunch for sure. I’d love to see the town. I may need to rent a vehicle. I hadn’t even thought about that. I’ve been having too much fun at the ranch.”

“I can pick you up one day. I can take you to the car rental place too, but you really don’t need to rent a vehicle. I can take you anywhere you want to go.” Lucy hugged her.

Willa hugged her back and suddenly knew she’d made a friend for life even though her lifewas in Hollywood. Giving Lucy a wave, she ran out of the barn and after shaking Zeke’s little hand, she waved at Reid then climbed into the truck.

Chapter Eight

Devin drove back to the ranch, taking it easy since he was pulling the trailer. Glancing in the mirror, he saw Willa staring out the window. He wanted to be with her tonight but worried whether she would agree to see him. He decided he’d take a chance and ask her when they got back to the barn. He wanted her to spend the night with him. Tonight was the dance for the guests leaving tomorrow and he had to attend for a brief time, but he wanted to be with her. He just couldn’t seem to stay away from her.

Blowing out a breath, he wondered how he was going to feel when it washerlast Saturday at the ranch. Just the thought of her leaving made his gut ache. He was in deep. His feelings for her had hit him like a ton of bricks. It was amazing it had happened so fast, since he’d only known her a week. People don’t fall in love in a week. Do they? Reid said he fell for Lucy the minute Zeke introduced them and Jaxon had said the same about Bethany. Even Roark said he fell for Priscilla within a week. Was it really possible?

The truck ate up the miles to the ranch, and it wasn’t long before he was pulling back into the driveway, blowing the horn at Josie as she stepped from the check-in cabin. No one new would be checking in until tomorrow. A week was the minimum stay. Check-in was Sunday at, or after two. Check out was Sunday at noon. Those two hours allowed the housekeeping staff toclean the cabins. Unless of course someone decided to try to check in early like Rocky had.

Devin twisted his mouth as he remembered seeing Willa for the first time just a week ago. His damn dick had stretched behind his fly, and he wanted to fuck her where she’d stood. Shifting in his seat, he remembered how he’d wanted to fuck her with those red stilettos on her feet and hadn’t… yet. He had three more weeks to do that, and he was looking forward to it, if he could just get her to let him in again.

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