A Cowboy For Christmas Read Free

stalked down to the
horse stables, but froze mid-step at the entrance. His Appaloosa
gelding, Jeffery, nuzzled Missy’s hand.
    Thoughts of that darn woman
had kept him up half the night. But she looked rested. What was she
doing here so early?
    Her face wasn’t guarded. He
hadn’t realized just how snobby she’d looked the day before in her
nice clothes, but now she smiled at the animal. Her hair hung down
her back like a black, shinny mane. It’d been up yesterday, so he
hadn’t guessed it was so long.
    Nick was wrong. She was
here to take over the stables, starting with his own damn
horse.
    The traitor horse reacted
to Missy just like he had to Ben. She had the same natural ease
around them. They made a nice picture, for sure. That long body of
hers would look great riding on a horse.
    She must have listened to
his suggestion that she go into town and buy some work clothes. Now
in jeans, insulated boots, and a thick, winter coat, she looked
like she could belong. On her own ranch, that was.
    Wasn’t it his luck that she
was so hot? He loved long hair, and she had plenty. And huge brown
eyes in an oval face. Lips that just begged for a kiss. Darn it, he
didn’t need to waste his time with fantasies.
    She saw him and stepped
back from the horse.
    “ Morning,” he said as he
rested a hand on the stall. “I see you and my horse are on good
terms.”
    “ What’s his name?” Her gaze
rested on the horse, then Brent, and then the horse again. A
teasing smile slipped onto her face.
    “ His name’s Jeffery. And
what’s so funny?” He caught himself right before he returned that
enticing smile.
    “ They say pets and their
owners start to look alike. Jeffery has your long face.”
    One corner of her mouth
tilted up before she bit her lip. He saw her white teeth nibble on
her lower lip and thought of doing the same. Whoa!
    “ So does Dancer remind you
of Ben?” he asked, tilting his head to the black stallion that
watched her.
    Missy looked back at the
wild-looking thing. “I don’t know.”
    Yeah, he had her there.
Funny thing was, he felt bad that he'd made her face go all sad.
“So, you ready?”
    She nodded, though she
couldn’t know what she agreed to.
    “ Great, truck’s outside,”
he said and noticed how quiet she was. He waited until she slid in
and buckled up to start the engine. Her lavender scent smelled
strange mixed with the truck’s normal leather smell. “Not a morning
person?”
    She shrugged.
    “ Missy?” That made her turn
her face his way.
    “ Sorry, I’ve got so many
things on my mind,” she said, still not focused on him.
    “ Second thoughts about
being here, or worries about the life waiting for you?”
    “ I’ll pull my weight, don’t
worry. And I’m sticking around, so get used to me.”
    “ Yes, ma’am.” He turned the
truck off his gravel road, onto the highway, and sped
up.
    “ It’s just being in Ben’s
house . . .” She looked down at her lap.
    He felt guilty. Maybe he
shouldn’t have left her there alone. Too late now.
    Or could he fix it? “I
wasn’t thinking. You can move over to my place if you need to.”
What in hell was he thinking now? Her in his house?
    “ It's all right. Being
there just made me think about him more, wonder about him.” She
turned to her window, and a minute later, added, “The sky there
looks like the inside of a seashell.”
    At her soft comment, he
glanced over. She was too pretty to be sitting in his dusty truck.
Something stirred in him at the sight of her hair, her hands
resting one on top of the other in her lap. Casual beauty, he
thought.
    Darn it, her looks weren’t
his business.
    A few days of hard ranch
work, and she’d hit the road for home. Just like Amanda had two
years before.
    “ We need more hay for the
horses,” he said. Since she still gazed out the side window, he let
himself stare for a quick minute. Nice profile. Nice mouth, too. A
man could go crazy thinking about kissing her. But back to ranch
business