Always a Cowboy by Linda Lael Miller

Author:Linda Lael Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2016-05-21T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LUCE WAS ASLEEP next to Drake, one arm curved over her head. He could see one enticing bare shoulder, and her lips were slightly parted.

He’d kiss her awake, but he had a feeling she could use the sleep. He, on the other hand, rarely slept past dawn. Drake eased out of the sleeping bag, doing his best not to disturb Luce and succeeding except for a small sleepy murmur. Yanking on his jeans, he pulled a clean shirt from his pack. Then, dressed and barefoot, he made his way over to check on Starburst, giving him a handful of the oats he’d brought along. Then he sat on a fallen pine, stretched out his legs and watched the sunrise, inhaling the crisp air that still smelled of rain in the wake of the storm.

He didn’t have enough moments like this. Oh, lots of solitude, but he was usually on a ranch mission of some sort. Rarely did he just sit and breathe and indulge in the luxury of reflection.

So Luce wanted him to meet her parents. That was as good as a yes to a question he hadn’t yet asked. The stumbling block was that they were facing a long-distance relationship, at least for a while. He was torn over whether or not that kind of marriage could work, but the decision seemed to have been made for him.

And now, in addition to relocating the wild horses and trying to recover some of his mares, he’d have to do something about the mountain lion. It had been poaching on Carson property since last fall. Ironically, without the horses here, the problem was likely to get worse. The foal Luce had noticed was missing probably wasn’t the first. Animals, like people, fell into certain behavioral patterns, and not only that, the young ones were an easy food source for a large predator. A friend who was a park ranger had told him once that he never failed to advise families hiking in the mountains not to let their children or dogs run ahead on the trails. Kids should walk between the adults, he’d said.

Wyoming was a wonderful place to live but, like anywhere else, it had its dangers. No hurricanes or tidal waves, but there were plenty of other things to be cautious about—blizzards, forest fires and tornadoes among them.

“You seem deep in thought.”

He glanced up to see Luce emerging from the tent, dressed in a set of clean clothes, her hair in a ponytail. She could pull off a face free of makeup unlike any other woman he’d ever met. She was naturally beautiful, fresh-faced and vital.

“Just mulling over the dynamics of the universe,” he said, summoning a smile. “Sleep well?”

“You know exactly how I slept because you were beside me.”

“Uh, that’s right, I sure was. Wouldn’t mind doing that again.”

Drily, she said, “How come I think you aren’t referring to sleep?”

“You have a suspicious mind?” The smile came more easily this time.

“I hate to be the one to tell you, but you don’t do innocent very well.

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