Betting on Texas. Amanda Renee

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СКАЧАТЬ care of these animals. Like I said, I’m not staying long.”

      He couldn’t leave! What would she do?

      “Show me around later.” Miranda shooed him away.

      She really was desperate to see the house and wasn’t about to wait a minute longer. The house had played a major part in her move to Ramblewood. From the listing information the Realtor had emailed her, it had a great deal of charm and a homey quality. Ever since, Miranda pictured herself there, with a husband and a houseful of children. The fact it was a thousand miles away from Washington, D.C., was an added bonus.

      “Let’s get a few things straight, Miranda. I’m not your personal tour guide.” Jesse took her arm and steered her down the stairs. “You can see the house on your own time. The sooner I show you what to do around here, the sooner I can be on my way.”

      He walked ahead to the stable entrance and waited for her. Miranda was torn. It was probably wise to pacify the cowboy for the time being. After buying the house and the truck, she only had enough money left to tide her over for a year. She not only needed help with the ranch, she needed a friend in town. Not an enemy.

      “Oh, well, I’m sure this won’t take long.”

      Inside, the pungent smell of hay assaulted her senses, causing her to sneeze. Jesse took a pair of leather gloves from his back pocket and gave them to her. He grabbed another pair from a shelf and put them on as he walked to the last stall.

      “Do you have sneakers or work boots to put on?” he asked. “What am I asking? You wouldn’t even know what work boots look like.”

      Miranda narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s wrong with these?” She stuck out one foot, proud of her new red-and-turquoise leather cowboy boots. They sure were pretty.

      “They haven’t even been broken in yet. Those are meant for riding, not walking. You’ll regret wearing them in five minutes flat.”

      “I’ll be fine, thank you.” She pushed a few long strands of hair behind her ears as she strutted past him.

      “Suit yourself.” Jesse unlatched the stall door and stepped in to stand beside a large gray horse. “Tell me. Do all rich city girls buy property without seeing it?”

      Again with the insults?

      “You don’t quit do you?” Miranda tried to think of the shortest way to explain her situation. “My best friend is from San Antonio and he thought the Hill Country would be a perfect place for me to start over.”

      “What was so horrible you had to run away? I know! You ran out of places to shop.”

      Miranda chastised herself. This was her one shot at a new beginning. The citizens of Ramblewood didn’t need to know what her life had been like before she arrived.

      When she didn’t respond, Jesse laughed as he adjusted a harness over the horse’s head. He led the horse down the long corridor and outside, double-checking to make sure Miranda followed.

      “Never walk close to the back end of a horse,” Jesse said over his shoulder. “It’s a surefire way to get kicked.”

      Miranda quickened her steps to put the equine’s business end behind her.

      “Surely I wasn’t the only one who could have outbid you. Why take this out on me?”

      Jesse ignored her and turned the horse loose in the corral with the others. Miranda rested her arms on the top rail of the fence while he returned to the stables. Fresh, clean air filled her lungs. She couldn’t believe she was here, in Texas. On her land.

      He reappeared with another horse. She fumbled with the latch as she tried to open the gate for him. With the flick of his thumb, Jesse swung it open, grinning at her.

      Miranda closed the gate with Jesse still in the corral. He eyed her warily, stepped up on a fence rail and hopped over it, landing less than a foot in front of her. For a moment, Miranda thought he’d end up on top of her.

      “You were the only other bidder,” he said as he headed inside.

      Why would that be? If he didn’t want to expand on that information, she’d drag it out of him.

      “There was no guarantee no one else would bid.” Miranda was on his heels when he turned to face her.

      “Everyone in Ramblewood knew I wanted this place,” he snapped. “You don’t get it, do you? They all knew this was my ranch.”

      Miranda held her ground. His intimidation tactics were not going to scare her this time.

      “How was I supposed to know? And it’s not your ranch. It’s mine.”

      “I deserved Double Trouble!” he shouted.

      “And you’re about to get it if you shout at me one more time!”

      Jesse flinched at her retort. This wasn’t quite how she imagined her first day in Texas. She figured she’d see her house, walk around the property, maybe drive into town and have a bite to eat. Anything but this.

      “Some welcoming committee you are,” Miranda huffed.

      “Sugar, if you’re looking for a warm welcome, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

      “To think, I drove all the way here for this. I’m starting to regret it.”

      “Oh, goody.” Jesse clasped his hands together in mock glee. “Does that mean you’ll leave?”

      “Not on your life.” Miranda didn’t appreciate his sarcasm. This was her home now. She wasn’t about to let some cowboy chase her away.

      As she opened her mouth to tell him where he could go, a horse neighed from inside the stables. Her mouth snapped shut.

      What was she thinking? She couldn’t send him away. He was the only one who could help her now. At least until Jonathan cleared up this mess.

      From where she stood, the ranch seemed endless. It was a magnificent piece of land—the photographs hadn’t done it justice. There was a small cottage behind the house, nestled amongst dogwoods. From beyond the white pasture fencing, fields of wildflowers faded into a copse of trees. A couple of bungalows stood alongside a dirt road that ran through the pastures, toward the hills. The ranch seemed to roll with the landscape. She understood why Jesse was so protective of someone turning it into a housing development. The Hill Country was all she dreamed of and more.

      Jesse stood beside her as he took in the same view. When Miranda turned to face him she noticed his features darkened by sadness. She found herself stumbling for words to comfort him in some small way.

      “It really is beautiful here,” she said.

      The wall between them needed to come down so they could work together. Miranda thought their mutual admiration for the land was a good start.

      “Yes, it is. As long as you don’t ruin it.”

      So much for that idea.

      “Once again, I’m not going to ruin СКАЧАТЬ