Romance: Cowboy Way of Love Read Free Page A

“That’s
too bad.”
    Hunter cast her a
surprised glance.
    She smiled and shrugged.
“What? LouLou’s a sweetheart. I wouldn’t mind going for a little
ride.” LouLou shifted her feet beneath her and Peony’s smile
faltered for a minute. “As long as it’s not too rough of a ride,
that is.”
    Hunter smiled. “There’s no
law that says we need everyone else with us to go for a ride.” He
chuckled. “I do live here, after all. I know all the prettiest
spots.”
    “ Show me,” Peony replied.
“I want to see your home.”
    They ambled away from the
photoshoot, Wally carefully plodding his way up toward one of
Hunter’s favorite trails.
    “ Hey,” Seth called out to
them. “Where are you going?”
    “ We promised this little
lady a trail ride,” Hunter replied. “I’m not about to let her
down.”
    A strange look crossed
Seth’s face, and then he smiled. “Have a good time, bro.” His smile
deepened. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Then his expression
grew more serious. “And make sure y’all are back in time for the
rehearsal dinner!”
     
    “ All of those cows are
yours?” Peony asked. The trail they’d taken brought them up on a
ridge that looked over the Shipman ranch; over a thousand head of
cattle were grazing the lower pastures.
    “ Most of them,” Hunter
said. “Some of them belong to the bank, but that’s how ranching
goes. It takes three cows to make any money. One to pay the bills,
one to pay the interest on the bills, and one to put some cash in
your wallet.”
    “ Do you like doing it?”
Peony asked. “Being a rancher?”
    “ I couldn’t imagine doing
anything else,” he said. “This is what I’ve done all my life. My
brothers? They’re not ranchers. Seth loves the computers, and I
don’t know what Jerry would do if he couldn’t teach school. And of
course Mark being a preacher… when you’re called like that, what
else can you do?”
    Peony took a deep breath.
“Hunter. Look at the family you come from. Everybody’s
accomplished. Petunia tells me all the time what a genius Seth
is…”
    “ Petunia,” Hunter gently
interrupted, “is a woman in love.”
    “ Be nice!” Peony scolded,
brushing her fingertips against Hunter’s bicep. He smiled at the
contact, and nudged Wally close enough that his leg brushed up
against hers. “My point is, my family’s not like that. Petunia’s
worked hard, and she’s doing all right. But as for me, and Pansy
and Primrose? We’re still figuring life out. We’re not at that
level.”
    Hunter snorted.
“Appearances are deceiving, especially where my family is
concerned. Jerry’s a teacher now, but my parents spent a lot of
sleepless nights wondering if he’d even finish school. Mark was a
lunatic until he found Jesus.”
    “ What about Seth?” Peony
asked.
    “ He’s probably the best of
the bunch. I think that comes with being the youngest. He saw us
making all the mistakes, so he didn’t have to.”
    Peony let out a sigh. “I’m
glad to hear it. Petunia’s head over heels for him, you
know.”
    Hunter smiled. “I’m pretty
sure the feeling is mutual.”
    “ So what about you, then?”
Peony demanded.
    “ What do you mean, what
about me?” Hunter said. He playfully looked off into the distance.
“I was a perfect angel. Scout’s honor.”
    “ Oh, please.” Peony said.
“I’ve seen the way you look at me. You’re no angel.”
    Hunter blushed. “Girl,
that body of yours?” He pointed up toward the sky. “I guarantee
there are angels up there right now hanging halfway out of heaven,
just to check you out.”
    Peony laughed. “Flattery
will get you everywhere, Mr. Shipman.” She grew serious. “But spill
the beans. Tell me your darkest secrets.”
    “ When I was fourteen,”
Hunter said, “I ran away from home. I decided I had had enough of
ranch life. I was going to see the bright lights and big city for
myself.”
    “ How far did you get?”
Peony asked.
    “ San Diego,