Bet You'll Marry Me Read Free Page B

put your feet up on my desk. This is only temporary.”
    Rob laughed on the other end of the line. “Got it.”
    Next, Nick punched in the number to his younger sister, Billie. Now that he’d gained Miss O’Brien’s attention, he needed a way to get close to her. Wayne Freeman had unknowingly given him a pretty good idea how to do it, and he was going to need Billie’s help.

 
    Chapter Two
    J ENNY LEANED FORWARD in the saddle as Starfire prepared to jump. Her fingers firm and steady on the reins, she pressed her knees to the horse’s sides. Starfire’s muscles bunched beneath her and a moment later, they sailed into the air, not as high as they used to, but still clearing the gate by half a foot.
    No doubt about it. The best remedy for stress was a good ride. Starfire landed and the wash of emotion that swept over her was similar to the relief she felt when an airplane touched down on the runway. Relief, not because she was afraid of flying but because she was home. On Windy Meadows property. Where everything was familiar. Everything was safe.
    Jenny brought the thoroughbred’s pace down to a slow trot, and headed straight for the stable.
    The long wooden structure housed eighteen stalls, a wash area to bathe the horses, and a wonderful oversized tack room. Besides the multitude of hooks and cabinets full of horse equipment, the tack room was filled with her favorite photos, trinkets, and best-loved treasures.
    She could sit in the tack room for hours, leaning against a comfy bale of hay, reading a book or dreaming of her next adventurous trail ride up to Harp Lake. Countless times when she was little, she’d sneak out of her bedroom late at night and sleep here, in this special place, instead of her own bed.
    As she slid out of the saddle, the sweet smell of horse and hay soothed her senses like her own personal brand of aromatherapy. Neighs from the other horses blended together to sing her favorite song. Their friendly faces greeted her with warmth and understanding.
    Why couldn’t the townspeople understand her resolve to keep the ranch? Hadn’t they ever loved anything so much it would kill them—rip out their heart and soul—to let it go?
    And why did they think marriage was the only solution to her financial dilemma? Maybe they expected her to be like the other young women who either kicked off their cowgirl boots on the way to the city or married the first guy who asked them to dance.
    She wouldn’t sell Windy Meadows. And she wouldn’t hitch herself to a man she didn’t love, no matter how good a dance partner.
    The audacity of that conceited, dark-haired man to bet he could convince her to marry him. Nick Chandler had no idea who she was or what she liked or didn’t like. He didn’t know her past, or her present hardship, or her dreams for the future.
    And what kind of man kissed a complete stranger? He appeared to be in his early thirties and was dressed like the other ranchers, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a black Stetson hat. But instead of dirt, sweat, and leather, he smelled like a new shirt straight from a Fifth Avenue store. And when he touched her . . . his hands were smooth. Too smooth to have done much ranch work. Could he be a city slicker out on vacation?
    Whoever he was, he’d foolishly bet her ten thousand dollars, and the temptation to acquire some easy money had been too hard for her to resist. All she had to do was avoid the man for the rest of June and the first two weeks of July and the ten thousand would be hers. Half her bank debt.
    Combined with the money she received from the pack trips, she’d be debt free a full month before her end-of-summer deadline. Wouldn’t that surprise everyone?
    Staying beyond Chandler’s reach for five weeks would be easy enough. He couldn’t pursue her if he never came into contact with her. She’d just stay on the ranch. There was a ton of work that