The Rodeo Rider. Roxann Delaney

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      WITH THE CALVING over and both cow and calf doing fine, Tanner stepped out of the barn into the yard. After three steps, he stopped. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

      Beth, following him, collided with his back. “Sorry. You just stopped and—”

      “Why didn’t you tell me you brought her?”

      Stepping up beside him, Beth shaded her eyes and looked in the direction he was looking. “To be honest, I forgot. We were busy, remember?”

      Tanner looked down at her. “That we were, but all is well, thanks to you.”

      “And thanks to good Rocking O stock.”

      From the corral, they heard Shawn saying, “Come on, Jules.”

      Now Tanner’s attention was on the woman who’d been on his mind for more than a week. A woman with green eyes that took his breath away.

      “Come on,” he said, taking Beth’s arm and pulling her along behind him. She stuttered and stammered, but he paid her no heed until she literally dug in her heels.

      “No, Tanner. Whatever it is you’re thinking, don’t. I must have been crazy to bring her here. But I had hoped…”

      He turned to look at her and saw the stubborn streak he’d heard about but never seen. “What?” It was clear as day that she had hooking them up in mind. It wasn’t the first time someone had put a woman in his way. But why the sudden change of mind?

      “She’s…” Beth shook her head, scowled and stared at the ground between them. “You don’t know her, Tanner.” She turned to watch her friend, the scowl turning to a worried frown. “And I’m not so sure I want you to. I never should have introduced you to her.” She started for the corral, but Tanner stopped her.

      “Wait just a minute.” His hand gripped her upper arm. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      Beth stared up at him and opened her mouth to speak. She glanced at Jules, who stood at the fence shaking her head. “She’s a good person, Tanner,” she said in a quiet voice before looking him in the eye. “Not that you aren’t, but I know your type. You’re a love-’em-and-leave-’em cowboy. A one-night-stand man.”

      He felt about an inch tall and it made him mad. “Says who?”

      Her smile was lopsided. “Everybody. I’ve heard the tales.” Her smile vanished. “Unless you’re halfway serious, leave her alone.”

      “Well, they’re old tales,” he said between clenched teeth. He’d finished with one-night stands, as few as they were, long ago. And this, coming from a tiny woman not much bigger than the newborn calf she’d just helped birth, was more than he could take. “Hell, I don’t know that I even want to know her.” He clamped his mouth shut and kicked at the dirt.

      He couldn’t honestly say that he was immune to the blonde’s charms. She definitely presented a challenge. And he did love a challenge. If he took it, he wouldn’t do any harm to Beth’s friend. And that was a big if.

      Without a saying a word, he walked in the direction of the corral. “I see you like horses, Miss Vandeveer,” he called to her.

      “I mean it, Tanner.” Behind him, Beth’s voice held a threatening note. “You and Shawn are good at breaking horses. Don’t break Jules.”

      “Not on your life.” He watched Jules turn toward them, looking fine and sassy in a pair of blue jeans that hugged her hips and long legs to perfection. He knew for certain her emerald-green T-shirt matched her eyes. He’d have to remember not to pay any attention to the tempting sight.

      “Hello, Mr. O’Brien,” she said when he reached the fence to stand beside her. “Your son’s a very intelligent and talented young man.”

      Tanner stared at her. “My what?”

      “Your son.” She looked at Beth, then back at him, her eyes wide.

      “Shawn is Tanner’s nephew, Jules,” Beth said. “His brother’s boy.”

      “Oh. I suppose I should’ve asked.”

      Tanner couldn’t contain the laughter any longer. “And I guess I’m supposed to have a wife tucked away somewhere.”

      “I thought…I didn’t…”

      “It’s okay,” he told her with a grin. “There are some people around here who don’t have a high opinion of me.” He shot a look at Beth and turned back to Jules. “No reason to be afraid of Temptation there. He looks rowdier than he is, and Shawn keeps a tight rein on him.”

      “I don’t doubt that.”

      But she didn’t look convinced, and that had him wondering. “You don’t like horses?”

      “Not everyone is horse crazy, Tanner,” Beth said quickly. “That may be your area of expertise, but not everyone’s.”

      “It’s СКАЧАТЬ