Snowbound with the Cowboy by Roxanne Rustand

Author:Roxanne Rustand
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-10-08T20:43:37+00:00

* * *

By the time Sara finished the rest of her ranch calls for the day, it was almost six o’clock and pitch-black outside with just a few random flakes of snow swirling in front of her headlights.

When she stopped to take care of her animals at Tate’s place she lingered at the big window in the tack room and watched him work a young paint under the bright fluorescent arena lights.

If she’d ever given thought to the skills of a saddle bronc competitor, they certainly wouldn’t have equated to what she was seeing now.

Not that she knew much about rodeo, but with the broncs and bulls it seemed to be all about staying aboard for eight seconds while adding as much flash and drama as possible to drive up the score.

But now, Tate was sitting nearly motionless in the saddle as he rode at a lope, as if he and the young gelding were a single, fluid entity, his hands low and relaxed, the reins loose. The colt’s head was held low, his tail drifted quietly behind him—with no signs of tail wringing or head-tossing agitation, even when Tate slowed him to walk and circled the arena a half-dozen times.

Sara could tell the colt was turning out beautifully in Tate’s kind and experienced hands.

Would Warren and Millie think any different of Tate if they could actually see his gentleness? See how kind and thoughtful he’d been toward her since the fire? Or would they simply harden their hearts and see only what they wanted to—the son of the man who had selfishly turned their lives upside down?

She didn’t have to wonder; Millie had already made her feelings clear, and even now Sara felt as if a rock had settled in her midsection.

It was so unfair to be caught in the middle of a bad situation. But how could she choose friendship with Tate over the two people in the world who loved her most?

Tate stopped in the middle of the arena, backed the colt a dozen feet or so, then dismounted, flipped the stirrup over the saddle seat and loosened the girth.

She turned away to finish feeding Theodore and the cats, and took food and water to all of the dogs. She had almost slipped out the barn door when she heard the clip-clop of horse shoes on cement at the far end of the horse barn.

“How was your afternoon?” Tate cross-tied the gelding and began unsaddling him. “Anything exciting?”

She turned, wishing she hadn’t lingered quite so long at the window. “Just the usual—and busy.”

“Since you’re here anyway, would you like to go up to the house and take a quick look around? It might give you something to ponder before we get together tomorrow night.”

“I...well, I guess so.”

“I still need to feed the horses, so feel free to check it out. I need to warn you, though. I suspect it’s not at all like you remember.”

Curious now, she nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

A wry smile deepened the dimple in his left cheek that she’d always thought impossibly charming.

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