His Ranch, His Rules by Shanna Handel

Author:Shanna Handel [Handel, Shanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stormy Night Publications
Published: 2018-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

On the way out to the barn, Alice came up to me, pulling me aside with a gentle tug. “Honey, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve brought you some more appropriate footwear for the ranch.” In her hands, she held a pair of tan leather cowgirl boots.

They were beautiful.

“Alice, I mean, Ms. Jenkins, thank you but I couldn’t possibly—”

“Seven, right?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re a size seven shoe, right? I guessed we were about the same size.”

“These are yours? I am a seven. That’s so sweet of you… but I would just feel terrible if something happened to them.”

“Honey, nothing can hurt a pair of good cowgirl boots. And I don’t need them anymore, so they are yours.”

“You aren’t working on the ranch?” I took the boots from her hand. The soft, buttery leather slipped between my fingers.

“When we first got the ranch, I was out there with all the men. Loved it. I still did a few chores here and there as I got older, then my husband passed away and it just wasn’t as much fun. I like helping the girls, now. Louanne lets me tag along for the wedding planning and she says I’ve gotten pretty good with the floral arrangements.”

“Well, thank you so much. I’m sure these beautiful boots will be much better than my Keds. I wore galoshes on the farm, but these are so much prettier.”

“You’re welcome, honey. It’s just good to see a spunky young woman doing ranch work again. I’ve missed that.” With a smile and a wave, Alice was off to the Mess Hall.

I sat down on a nearby bench, pulling off my sneakers. Luckily, I had worn skinny jeans, and the first boot slipped right onto my foot and over my calf. It was a perfect fit. I was so immersed in putting the second boot on, I didn’t notice Brody approaching until he was seated beside me on the bench.

“Nice boots, cowgirl. Where’d you get those?”

My face burned. Alice must not have told Brody she was giving me her old boots—I hoped he didn’t mind. “I uh… I think your mom felt sorry for me for being dumb enough to bring the wrong footwear,” I said, nudging the Keds with the tip of my new-to-me boots. “She said I could have them, but I’m sure they are just a loaner. I’ll return them after today and get my own,” I added hurriedly.

Again, I couldn’t read the look on Brody’s face. A mix of tension and something else sat in his jaw, his dark eyes distant.

“Brody—I can return them now if—”

“No, no. They look good on you. A perfect fit. It’s just that—well, my mama’s real sweet but she’s shy and she usually takes her time getting to know people. She must have really taken a liking to you to give you her boots.”

Overwhelmed by his statement, I said, “I can return them.”

“Don’t. It would break her heart. If my mama gives a gift, she means it. It made her happy to give them to you, otherwise she wouldn’t have.

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