Page 7 of Home to the Cowboy

Imagine what would happen if he’d kissed her. Oh, my goodness, where did that thought come from?

Her phone rang. It was Abby, checking on her.

“Hi, Abs. I’ve just arrived. You won’t believe what happened to me!”

By the time they ended the call about half an hour later, the butterflies had finally settled down. Laughing at herself, she ran up the stairs. It was ridiculous to think how she’d reacted to a stranger. It was probably only because she was so tired.

She seriously hoped this wasn’t going to happen every time she saw a man in a cowboy hat.

Chapter Three

Everyone was already around the breakfast table when Dylan walked in on Saturday morning. As he’d predicted, he hadn’t slept well last night. Between steamy dreams of the long-legged brunette in black underwear, he’d woken up out of breath and in desperate need of a cold shower. He’d probably had three before he’d finally dozed off early this morning.

“Morning,” Carson said. “So what happened to you last night? You said you’d join us at Grey’s.”

Dylan pulled out a chair. “Morning, everyone. I gave a friend of Ellie’s a lift into town. Her car broke down a few miles out of town.”

Ellie’s eyes widened. “Are you talking about June?”

He shrugged. “She didn’t give her name but said she’s a friend of yours.”

Ellie grinned. “Sounds like June. Thank you for giving her a lift into town. What about her car? I’ll—”

“I phoned someone last night,” Dylan said. “They’ve already picked it up, I just checked.”

“Thanks, Dylan,” Ellie said. “That is so sweet of you. I’m going into town this morning, so I’ll check if June has everything she needs. Where was she when you found her? Still in her car?”

Dylan kept his eyes on his plate. He’d quickly discovered how members of this family could read minds. And seriously? No one should even get a glimpse of his thoughts this morning. “She left her car at the side of the road and was walking into town with her baggage.”

“A red suitcase,” Luke, Hayden’s nine-year-old son, said. Like his aunt Willow and uncle Cooper, he had the uncanny ability to read minds.

“And you like her.” Willow, Hayden, Becket, and Cooper’s sister grinned. “So if you got home early, why do you look like someone who hasn’t slept at all last night?”

He ignored Willow’s questions. She was the worst. Cooper had the grace to not always say what he could see or read or whatever you called it, but Willow didn’t have any such qualms or filters when it came to her family members, which now, apparently, also included him.

“Who is June?” Carson asked, saving Dylan from having to ask the burning question.

“June Kincaid,” Becket said. “She’s the editor who came to see me last year—”

“And then Ellie thought he was dating another woman,” Willow interrupted him.

Laughing, Ellie leaned against Becket’s shoulder. “That was of course before I knew how Becket feels about me. While June was signing Becket with the publishing company she works for, she fell in love with our town. When she phoned to say she had some leave and wanted to spend time here, I offered her our house in town. I mentioned it at the table, but you guys were probably talking about work. She’ll be working online but hopes she’ll have time to work on the children’s story she’s been thinking about.”

“She’s such a beauty.” Laura, Hayden’s wife, smiled. “She created quite a stir in town during her last visit.”

“Well, Marietta has more than enough single men who’ll be very happy to show her around town,” Willow said.

Dylan quickly looked up.

“Ha,” Willow laughed, pointing at him. “Thought so. You’re smitten with the editor.”

Hunter Grant, Willow’s husband, pulled her close for a kiss. “Stop reading people’s minds!”

Dylan swallowed the last of his coffee, his appetite gone. There was work to be done, even on a Saturday. Breeding season was later, but they were already planning ahead. They had to schedule a Breeding Soundness Exam on all the bulls in time, something that had to be done every year before the breeding season to make sure the bulls were fertile and that they were physically capable of mounting and breeding the cows.

“Before you leave, Dylan, we’re all going to the farmer’s market next Saturday,” Rose, Cooper’s wife said. “Isabella has a food stall this year, and we’re all going to support her.”

“I also have a booth for my photographs,” Carson said.