A Rancher of Convenience
Page 24
“Here you go, Duchess,” she crooned as she held out her hand and let the black mare lip two slices from her palm.
She laughed as a reddish brown mare tried to push Duchess aside. “Mind your manners, Scarlett, I have some for you, too.”
She gave Scarlett her treat. “I’ve had some excitement today, both good and bad,” she confided to the two mares as she stroked Scarlett’s muzzle. “The good news is that I’m moving forward on my bakery business.”
Cassie Lynn shifted to give Duchess her share of attention. “The bad news is that Pa wants me to go back to the farm and take care of him and my brothers.” She breathed a sigh. “I don’t want to do that, of course. So now I need to find me a husband.”
She gave both horses a final pat, then crossed her arms on the top rail and leaned into it. “I sure wish you gals could speak. I bet you’d be able to give me some good insights. I figure the way a man treats his animals is a good measure of his character.”
“Are you talking to the horses?”
Cassie Lynn turned her head to see a freckle-faced boy of six or seven eyeing her curiously.
“Of course. They’re friends of mine.” Then she smiled and stepped back from the corral fence. “I don’t think we’ve met before, have we?”
The boy shook his head. “We just got to town a little while ago. I’m Noah.” As he stepped out of the shade of the livery, the sun highlighted a bit of copper mixed in with his blond hair.
“Glad to meet you, Noah. I’m Cassie Lynn.”
“My uncle Riley likes to talk to horses, too.”
“Sounds like a smart man.” She held out her last few apple slices and nodded toward the two mares. “Would you like to feed them?”
The boy smiled, displaying a gap where one of his front teeth should be, and took the slices. He eagerly stepped up on the second-from-the-bottom board of the fence so he could lean over the top rail. Fearlessly holding his hand out just as she had, Noah smiled as the black mare happily took the offering. “What’s her name?” he asked.
“Duchess.” Cassie Lynn moved beside the boy and propped a foot on the bottom board, concerned by his precarious perch. She rubbed the other mare’s neck. “And this here is Scarlett.”
She smiled as the boy stroked the mare’s muzzle. “I see you’ve done this before,” she said.
The boy nodded. “Uncle Riley has a real fine horse—a gray named River. He’s inside right now talking to Mr. Humphries about stabling him here.”
Well, at least she knew the boy wasn’t alone. Cassie Lynn patted Scarlett’s muzzle so the animal wouldn’t feel left out, then she leaned her elbows on the top rail again. “Are you visiting someone here or do you and your folks plan to settle down in Turnabout?”
The boy shook his head. “We don’t know anyone here. And I don’t have folks anymore. It’s just me, Pru and Uncle Riley.”
She absorbed the words, as well as his matter-of-fact tone. Before she could form a response, though, they were interrupted.
“Noah, what are you doing out here?”
At the sharply uttered question, Noah quickly turned, and in the process lost his footing. Cassie Lynn moved swiftly to stop his fall and ended up landing in the dirt on her backside with Noah on her lap.
“Are you all right?”
She looked up to see a man she didn’t know helping Noah stand up. But the concerned frown on his face was focused on her.
“I’m a bit dusty, but otherwise fine,” she said with a rueful smile.
He stooped down, studying her as if he didn’t quite believe her reassurances.
She met his gaze and found herself looking into the deepest, greenest eyes she’d ever seen.
Copyright © 2016 by Winnie Griggs
ISBN-13: 9781488008009
A Rancher of Convenience
Copyright © 2016 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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