Joshua and the Cowgirl Read Free Page A

untamed hair. He backed off a step and shoved his hands into his pockets. “No need for thanks. As far as I’m concerned, you and your daughter, Casey, are family and families stick together.” He grinned at her. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind taking a punch at the competition on my own account anyway.”
    The offhanded remark was made cheerfully enough, but it troubled Garrett just the same. She knew Red was fond of her. In his own stumbling way he’d told her more than once that he’d be pleased to share a future with her. If she was ever going to trust a man, Red would be the one, but something had always held her back. Today, encountering Joshua again and feeling her blood race hot and wild at his slightest touch, she recognized what had kept her from that commitment to Red. Garrett didn’t want the kind of danger Joshua represented, but settling for less wasn’t in the cards for her, either. She’d rather go through life alone, accountable only to herself and to Casey. It was a choice she’d made years ago. Until the day she’d met Joshua Ames, she’d never questioned it.
    That alone told her far too much about the threat he posed. With any luck, though, he would be gone in a day or two and she would survive this second attack on her senses unscathed. If there was even the most remote chance of it happening any other way, well, there was always Red’s offer to punch the man out for her.
    * * *
    Joshua paced from one end of the cluttered parlor to the other, dodging musty, old-fashioned furniture and cursing Cal as he went. A fire blazed, which should have made the room welcoming. Instead the house felt stuffy and overheated, making it especially oppressive after the icy air outside and Garrett’s equally chilly reception.
    Joshua’s temper, usually slow to rise, was leashed so tightly that the slightest irritation was likely to set him off. It was his experience that Mrs. McDonald could irritate the dickens out of him in less than ten seconds flat. He could hardly wait for her to waltz in here in that imperious way she had and try to explain why he was here and Cal was basking in the Florida sun. He heard the sharp tapping of her cane and prepared himself for a royal battle.
    “Mr. Ames, it’s so lovely to have you back with us again,” she greeted him in a voice that rang with a strength belied by her slow, obviously painful approach. Joshua found himself moving swiftly to grasp her elbow as she eased herself onto a Victorian chair covered in faded brocade. Though the chair looked miserably uncomfortable, she sat in it regally. Her back was not quite as ramrod straight as he’d remembered, but her still coal-black hair was swept up in a crowning braid that added to the impression of stature and quiet dignity. He might have been fooled had he not seen her enter the room or looked closely at her face.
    Filled with compassion, Joshua pulled up a chair and sat opposite her. He’d heard about her osteoporosis, but this was the first evidence he’d seen of its devastating effect. His anger died in the face of her valiant struggle to brave a pain that shadowed the snapping blue of her eyes and drained the color from her cheeks. The disease had clearly worsened since his last visit.
    “Can I get you something?” he offered.
    A faint smile tugged at the grim set of her mouth. “I can still manage to ring for the help, young man. Tea will be served shortly.”
    Joshua sat back, chastened yet amused. Obviously nothing had weakened her spirit. In that instant his reluctant respect for the gritty, eighty-two-year-old rancher grew tremendously. He vowed to do nothing more to undercut her bravery. This was one situation in which chivalry was most likely to be deemed pity and refused out of hand.
    “Where’s Cal?” he asked far more mildly than he’d intended.
    Her mouth turned down. “Home, I expect. He said something about those infernal horses of his, then took off.”
    “Even though he knew I was