Her Cowboy Sweetheart--A Clean Romance by Cathy McDavid

Author:Cathy McDavid
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-02-12T20:54:17+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

ETHAN POWELL POKED his head out the ranch office door just as JD was passing by. “Hey, pal. You got a second?”

“Sure thing.”

“Tie her up in the shade and come on in.”

JD had been leading the mare with the limp around the grounds to determine if she’d improved or worsened. The same mare he’d been checking on when he stupidly decided a bareback ride on her pasture mate was a good idea.

Was that only yesterday? So much had transpired since then. Carly finding him facedown in the middle of the pasture. Them going together to Hombre’s dog agility class. Her former in-laws being late bringing Rickie home. Her texting him in a panic. He hadn’t been able to sleep until learning Rickie was home, safe and sound.

Thx for thinking of me, she’d written. When wasn’t he? Try as he might to resist, Carly had taken up permanent residence on the fringes of his mind, frequently moving to the forefront. Like now.

Wrapping the mare’s lead rope around the hitching post and tying a secure knot, he gave her a pat before climbing the three short porch steps and crossing to the door. Hombre danced ahead of him, tail wagging. JD let himself into the small and, thankfully, air-conditioned office. Though it wasn’t yet ten in the morning, the temperature had already risen to the low nineties. Triple digits by this afternoon were not only predicted but inevitable.

“Que pasa, patron?” JD removed his cowboy hat and claimed one of the two available seats, savoring the welcome sensation of cool air on his sweat-dampened hair. Hombre settled at his feet, panting heavily.

Ethan looked out of place behind the scarred metal desk. The rugged former bull rider and now horse trainer was more suited to straddling a saddle than an office chair. “I need you to run a half dozen of our calmest trail horses over to Sweetheart Ranch today by four. They have a sunset ride and cookout for one of their wedding parties.”

“No problem. What time will they be done?”

“Leave the truck and trailer there. I’ll pick up the horses on my way home from the community meeting tonight. It should finish about the same time as the trail ride, and I’m going right by there.”

“Mind if I take one of the ATVs with me to ride back?” JD asked.

“Good idea. Or—” Ethan grinned “—you could use needing a ride as an excuse.”

“For what?” JD had his suspicions but played dumb.

“To ask for a lift. From Carly. I heard you two have been making regular trips to the park.”

“We’re friends.”

“Very good friends, from all accounts.”

Ethan had a point. Did friends hug and kiss? Call each other gorgeous? Flirt? It seemed JD and Carly were continually moving and readjusting their boundaries. JD more than Carly.

“Not what I saw, either.” Ethan propped his elbows on the desk. “Friends don’t argue like you two did.”

The tour. When JD and Carly had run into the group of special needs adults from Harmony House.

“We had a disagreement,” he admitted.

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