Not My 1st Rodeo Read Free Page B

about putting seeds into the earth and being rewarded by green plants that would then become food. The closest she got to that was a couple of planters on her balcony. With a sinking heart, she realized this was probably the last garden her mom would put in at the ranch. Their plan was to move to a smaller house, on a smaller lot, closer to town.
    It was bad enough that Melly’s life had fallen apart. Why did the things she relied on to always be there have to change too?
    â€œBusy time of year for you too,” she said, taking another sip of coffee, determined to change the subject. She didn’t need to kill the vibe with her depressing attitude.
    â€œIt’s always busy,” he replied, but he smiled again. “Though, yeah, this time of year is particularly hectic, and fun. A few weeks from now will be insane. Vaccines, branding, all the other necessary things that happen to new calves. I’m sure you’re familiar with that.”
    She perked up. “Of course I am. Though I have to admit, branding isn’t my favorite job.” She sighed. “And it’s not something I’ve been a part of much since college. I kind of miss it.”
    â€œYou don’t go home to help out?”
    He couldn’t know how hard that question was to answer. “Not as often as I’d like. Teaching is a pretty demanding job. Though I do visit more in the summer when I’m off.” She didn’t add that James hadn’t liked the ranch. He hadn’t liked the dirt or the smells or anything about it. She’d rarely gone home when they were together. It was only in the last year or so, since the divorce, that she’d visited more frequently, put on her boots and gotten in the saddle again.
    â€œIt’s probably the hardest time of the year,” he admitted, “but I love it.” He turned his coffee cup around in his hands. “Actually, I love just about every day on the ranch. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
    He looked up at her, and she could swear there was a defiant set to his jaw, as if daring her to challenge him. She wondered why. Wondered why he’d suddenly sounded a little defensive. If he expected her to disagree, he was going to be disappointed. To her mind, his life was pretty ideal. She was so done with the city, the cramped spaces and the traffic. Maybe it was true. You could take the girl out of the country, but it was a heck of a lot harder to take the country out of the girl.
    â€œSo,” she said, a little nervous again, “you’re divorced?”
    â€œI am.” He smiled grimly. “My ex-wife thought ranching sounded a lot more romantic than the reality.”
    Melly couldn’t help it, she snorted. Brett’s expression darkened.
    She covered her mouth with a hand and tried to straighten her face. “I’m sorry,” she offered, wanting to smooth the fretting wrinkle off his brow. “I didn’t mean to do that. I shouldn’t laugh.”
    â€œYeah, well, I should have seen it coming. She never did really fit. I was just…”
    â€œDazzled?” Melly suggested, lifting an eyebrow.
    His face relaxed a little and his eyes warmed, as if he appreciated the little bit of wit. “Yeah. Dazzled is one way of putting it. Thinking with the wrong head, if you’ll pardon the crude expression.”
    She laughed again. And the wrinkle smoothed just a little bit more.
    â€œSounds like we both ended up with people a little flashier than our tastes,” she observed. “Or maybe just a little too refined.”
    â€œMaybe,” he conceded. “They might have done better with each other than the likes of us.” He chuckled a little, and she got a tingly kind of feeling from him pairing them together, even in such a casual way.
    Melly looked down at her cup. Her coffee was gone. She suspected Brett’s was as well. As dates went, it had been different. And since the