Free The Rancher and the Runaway Bride Part 1 by Susan Mallery Page A

the state to be settled. Some people think it’s still being settled.”
    “The wide-open spaces are a little intimidating. I can understand why those early pioneers kept on going.”
    “Me, too. Hot as hell in the summer. Freezing in the winter. We get storms coming in all directions, tornados, remnants of gulf hurricanes.”
    “Sounds like paradise,” she teased.
    “It is to me. I’ve traveled a lot, and this is where I belong. It’s not for everyone, though.”
    She gazed up at the star-filled sky. “Maybe not, but I understand the appeal. There’s no one around telling you what to do. No pressure. I’d forgotten what it was like to do physical work, something with my hands, to have something to show for a day’s work.”
    “I wouldn’t have picked you as an old-fashioned girl.”
    “Me, neither. I’m still figuring things out.” She looked at Brady. Ruggedly handsome, she thought with a sigh. A perfect, romantic cliché. Too bad she wasn’t in the market for a cowboy. He was a hundred percent fantasy material.
    Broad shoulders filled out his shirt, stretching the material just enough to make a woman sit up and take notice. She’d seen him calming his horse. He spoke gently, moving his hands with a sureness that made her wonder what else those hands would do as well. What other tasks did those long, strong fingers move into easily, confidently? Wasn’t there an analogy about women and horses being similar—unpredictable to tame but worth the effort? Or was that just wishful thinking on her part?
    “How long have you run the ranch?” she asked.
    “Five years.”

    “I’m surprised. You must have been a baby.”
    He grinned. “Twenty-eight. I’ve aged quickly. Now I’m an old man like Tex.”
    “Thirty-three isn’t old.”
    “It’s nine years older that you, Rita.”
    She stiffened and stared straight ahead. “I’m not a child.”
    “Agreed. You’re more of a youngster.”
    Randi knew he was teasing her, but oddly enough, she found it difficult to smile in return. She didn’t want Brady to think of her as immature—not when she was a grown woman. But defending herself would only prove his claim of her youth. She would have to find another way to point out that he should take her seriously.
    She would also have to keep her past from him. Running out on a wedding was not the act of a mature adult.
    “Being the baby of the family made it hard to grow up,” she admitted. “Things are different now. Time on the road changes a person.”
    “How long have you been on your own?” he asked.
    “Two months. It’s been hard, but in a good way. I’m learning to depend on myself rather than letting other people take care of me. I guess I’m becoming responsible.”
    “That’s a hard lesson to learn.”
    She wrinkled her nose. “Not for you. I’ll bet you were born responsible.”
    “Are you saying I’m boring?”
    “Not at all.” She glanced at him. “Responsible isn’t boring. The world needs more responsible people in it. Otherwise the rest of us would be in trouble.”
    “You’re doing okay. Taking care of the horses is a challenging job. People think it’s all about mucking out the stalls, but there’s more to it. You have to learn about the animals, understand them, so you can see if they’re healthy. You connect with them.”
    His compliment pleased her. “Thanks. I guess you got lucky, huh? I could have been a complete flake.”
    “A flake wouldn’t have worried about getting up on time that first day.”
    “Maybe.” She wrinkled her nose. “You don’t have to answer this, but…why did you hire me?”
    Brady surprised her by turning away. She might be crazy, but she would have sworn the question made him uncomfortable.
    Silence stretched between them. Randi wondered if she’d crossed some invisible line between employer and employee. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
    “It’s not that,” he told her. “I’m trying to work up an