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Mark introduced the two new wranglers; Kelly Stevens, who was there for his second summer in Estes Park, having spent the previous one at a neighboring ranch, and Mandy Cole, a petite girl from Texas with brown hair and brown eyes. She’d just graduated high school, and it was her first summer job before attending college in the fall. Britt wondered if she’d looked as nervous as Mandy her first summer.
As Mark explained the rules and procedures of the barn that she could recite in her sleep, Britt’s attention wandered. Her gaze rested on Mitch and Kelly’s dark hair. Joel’s was a touch darker…and it had a bit of a curl in the longer strands on top. Soft and—
What in God’s name are you doing? Don’t think about the man.
She gave herself a mental shake to bring herself back to reality as the meeting concluded. Afterward, she talked to Mitch, Jon, and Mandy for a few minutes before scooping up her gear to head to her truck. When she stepped away from the barn, her backpack was lifted from her shoulder, and she turned to find Kelly Stevens smiling at her.
Her first inclination was to take the pack back, but she didn’t want to be rude. “Thanks. I’m not heading up to the dorms though.”
“No problem.” He fell into step beside her. “I remember seeing you around town last summer.”
She glanced over at the casual statement, but didn’t remember him beyond meeting him a few minutes ago in the meeting. “Did I hear you worked at The Lazy R last year?”
“Yep. I like this area.”
“What brought you to Highlands?”
After a slight hesitation, he answered, “Closer to the park. You guys have access to some of the best trails around.”
“I know. It’s my favorite place to ride.”
She couldn’t explain why, but something about the guy made her uneasy. He seemed perfectly nice, and hadn’t said anything to spark the sudden disquiet in her gut, but something in his tone made her grateful when they arrived at her truck. He kept her backpack on his shoulder as he faced her.
“Listen, now that we’ve met, I was wondering if you’d be interested in getting a drink later?”
The invitation caught her off guard. “I’m sorry, I’ve got other plans.”
“Tomorrow night then. Maybe we could do dinner?”
She shook her head. “Tomorrow night is the Kick-Off party at The Watering Hole. And I—”
“We could go together.”
“I’m meeting friends.”
His stance stiffened. “Of course you are.”
Conscious of the fact they had to work together for the next three weeks, she offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Kelly, but it’s just, I don’t date while I’m out here. Things get too complicated in the summer crowd, and the casual thing isn’t my thing.”
“You know what, forget I asked.” He dropped her backpack at her feet and stalked away.
After a moment, she closed her slack jaw. Wow, o-kay. Guess her gut was right on the money. And suddenly Joel Morgan seemed kinda nice.
An hour later, she sank into the steaming water of the hot tub. The jets massaged muscles sore from camping on the hard ground and a rousing game of racquetball, prompting a sigh of contentment. This was almost as relaxing as her nap in the meadow—before Ranger Morgan had shown up.
“Who won?” Gina asked as she slipped into the water beside her.
“Jayne did.”
“She’s tired,” Jayne said with a laugh. “I took advantage because that’ll probably be the last time I win all summer.”
“No, I think you’re getting better.”
“Sure I am.”
Britt grinned, then glanced at Gina’s shoulder-length hair piled on top of her head. “I kinda miss the purple.”
“It was bodacious burgundy, not purple.”
