Page 34 of The Cowboy's Country Charm

“I am. Makes me realize how much I’ve put riding on the back burner these last few years.”

Like she was doing to him. Back burners were kept at a simmer, but sometimes they came to an unintentional boil. “Well, whenever you want to ride, just give a holler. Cort runs a lot of horses these days. He doesn’t use ATVs if he can help it. I’m sure we can find a mount for you.”

She turned her head toward him. Sunbeams bounced off her dark glasses as her body moved in time with the horse’s gait. She seemed relaxed for the first time since he’d met her.

“That’s very generous, but be careful—I might take you up on it.”

He smiled. “I hope you do. Be good for you to take some time to do something you enjoy. All work and no play…”

She sighed. “I’m just so nervous about this charity thing. It will make or break our business. There’s a lot on the line. And with Marcia out…” Her voice drifted off.

“From what Lexi told me, you’ve got some great ideas, bail out of jail notwithstanding. And by the way, I’ve pulled some favors, and Stetson and Mel have agreed to participate. I might even get Colby.”

“That’s great.” She settled back into the saddle. “Who’s Colby?”

“Colby Johnson. He’s a rodeo cowboy. Pretty well known in these parts. He’ll be a draw for sure, if he hasn’t got a conflict. Summer is his busiest time on the circuit.”

“That would be fantastic. You three will draw the bidders, but it would be great to have some more.”

She beamed a smile at him that made his insides flip-flop like a fish on a hook. Guess he had it bad.

“Remember, you promised to bid for me.” He was counting on it.

“If no one else does.” She chuckled.

“That wasn’t the deal. The deal was you would bid on me. Regardless.”

“Not how I remember it, but okay, I promise I’ll bid. But I’m not promising the winning bid. Believe it or not, we’re not going to make much on the charity event. Especially since we intend to donate a portion of our fee back to the event. I believe it’s important to support the community and those in need, and it’s good for business too.” She’d even gotten Marcia to sign off on it. A clear signal that her boss’s health issues had scared the woman.

“That’s mighty kind. And smart.” And that was how he’d sum her up. Kind and smart. A winning combination in his book. “Make a right,” he said as another trail intersected.

She reined the horse for the turn. He was enjoying the slow walk of the horses. Gave him more time to be with her.

“I’m surprised none of this”—she waved her arm—“tempted you to take up ranching. Seems to me it’s a great way of life.”

“It was great growing up on a ranch.” Except when tragedy had struck. “But too isolating. And… well, there are a lot of reasons, much as I love this ranch.” He didn’t want to live his life among constant reminders of what had happened. Yet here he was staying in the old homestead, helping out his sister. But just temporarily. Until he could move on with a totally different job.

“And your father respected your decision. Imagine that.” She shook her head in seeming disbelief.

He chuckled. “My dad is the most supportive person you could ever meet. And maybe you will meet him when we get back. He’s a sucker for my mom’s peach cobbler and just about everything else she bakes. Me too, for that matter.”

Golden bales of straw bundled into blocks could be seen in the distance, dotting the landscape like drops of sunshine.

“We’re almost there. Up for a trot?” He wasn’t sure how good a horsewoman she was. And though he was enjoying their slow ride, he wanted to assure she would have time to meet his mom. For a guy who had dubbed himself as not being relationship material, he was jumping the gun a bit. But if hecouldhave a serious relationship, the woman beside him would be the one, and he respected his mother’s intuition. To hear her tell it, she’d been a supporter of Cort’s long before Lexi realized he was the one.

“Love to.”

He nudged his horse, and Misty began her prance. Sheba followed. In no time they were among the scattered bales of straw, the sun glinting off the bundled golden stalks.

He pulled up. She did the same. She was a pretty good horsewoman after all.

“So how do plan to make the maze?” He leaned over the horn toward her.

“We’re thinking we could stack them up three high, like they were bricks, to create alleyways in order to make a maze of sorts. We’ve got a lot of space at that convention center, so why not use it. People would enter the maze, and when they found their way to the end, they’d get ten tickets as a bonus. Tickets they could use for the Chinese auction of goodies we’re collecting.”

“What type of goodies?” He slid off his horse.

She did the same, and they stood facing each other, holding the reins of their respective horses. The breeze played with the strands of her blond hair, swirling it around her face. She lifted her glasses onto her forehead, and her blue eyes paled in the light from the sun, giving her an angelic aura.

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