The Cowboy's Christmas Courtship (Cooper Creek) by Minton Brenda

Author:Minton, Brenda [Minton, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Layla slid off the back of a pretty gray mare that Gage had asked her to ride. She smiled as she reached to pat the horse’s face. Super sweet. She loved the mare. She loved riding in the Cooper arena. And she had to admit, it had felt good putting her mare in one of the large stalls in the stable.

“Having fun?” Gage walked up to her, leading the gelding he’d been riding. He was limping more than usual, and she gave a pointed look at his leg. “I’m fine. And you’re having a good time, so don’t ruin it by lecturing.”

“I think we should be done.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late.”

“It’s only one o’clock.” He pulled the reins of the gelding tight when the animal nudged at him. “Let’s go have lunch.”

“Lunch?”

“At the house.” He inclined his head toward the exit. “Let’s get these two brushed and turn them out to pasture.”

“What about my mare?”

“She’s fine in the stall. She’s munching on hay and acting pretty pleased with herself.”

Layla walked next to him, leading the mare, who was practically resting her head on Layla’s shoulder. “I’m sure she is happy. As long as she isn’t too happy here. She does have to go home with me.”

“She wouldn’t want to stay here. Too many men.”

“When are you leaving, Gage?” she blurted out. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to pull them back in.

Gage shifted to look at her. “In a hurry to get rid of me?”

“A little.” She smiled as she said it, but maybe she meant it, just a little. She didn’t want to get attached to him. Maybe the sooner he left, the better.

“Probably after the first of the year.” He tied his gelding and flipped a stirrup over the saddle to undo the cinch. “I can’t ride until the doctor releases me. Unless I decide to ignore him.”

“What will you do when you get tired of riding bulls?”

He looked at her as he pulled the saddle off the horse’s back. “What’s this? Twenty Questions?”

“I’ve known you my whole life, and you’ve always been Gage Cooper, megaflirt and bull rider.”

“Great. They should put that on my gravestone—Gage Cooper. He was a happy man.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I didn’t mean it quite like that.”

“I hope it’ll say more than that. I’m not going to be young and immature forever.”

“So what will it say?”

He shrugged. “I guess, Gage Cooper, One Good Guy.”

“That’s perfect.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you approve. But that isn’t what you mean, is it? You want to know if I’m going to grow up, get a job and settle down?”

He looked sad, just for a minute, then he wasn’t. He smiled and laughed, the way he always did. But she wasn’t fooled.

“Gage, you are a good person.”

He led the horse to the end of the barn, opened a door and turned the animal loose, sending him off with a light swat on the rump to get him moving before he closed the door.

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