Free A Cowboy's Christmas Promise by Maggie McGinnis Page B

disappeared from view as he checked out the horse’s stomach. “How we doing, old boy? You gonna pull through?”
    “He’s, uh, looking good.” Daniel squeezed Hayley’s hand, then made himself busy gathering his coffee cup and cooler. “Thanks for relieving us.”
    “Least I could do after you did the night shift for us.” Cole ducked under Apollo’s head, looking from one of them to the other again, and Hayley swore she could feel a rush of redness heat her face. “Long night?”
    Hayley nodded quickly, suddenly desperate to get out of the barn. “Yup, but we’re good. All good.” She picked up their dishes and her sweatshirt and made for the big door at the end of the stable.
    She didn’t turn to see if Daniel followed.
    —
    “So?” Kyla handed Hayley a glass of lemonade and joined her on the porch swing of her little cabin later that afternoon.
    “So,” Hayley echoed. After Daniel had left this morning, she’d expected to be too jangled up to sleep, but instead, she’d flopped on her bed and never opened an eyelid until four o’clock in the afternoon. Now it was five, but the ranch was eerily quiet. Moose lay snoozing under the swing, happy to have her bare feet buried in his soft fur.
    “Really? You’re not going to give me anything here? You spend the entire night with Daniel, and you’ve got nothing to report? I’ve been waiting all day!”
    “You say that like we were on a hot date. We were—quote—
spending the entire night
in a
barn
because your horse went colicky.”
    “Still, though.”
    “Just because you and Decker shared your first real kiss on a hay bale in a stable doesn’t mean that everyone gets busy in the barn.”
    Hayley gulped as she heard her own words.
    Kyla laughed. “I never meant to imply that you should. Just curious. You guys looked kind of cozy this morning as he left. Makes a girl wonder, that’s all.”
    “We were walking zombies. I barely found my way back to the cabin.”
    “And yet you skipped a little.”
    “I. Did. Not. Skip.”
    What?! Had she?!
    “Did too.” Kyla couldn’t suppress her grin as she pointed to Hayley’s face. “So what happened? I need details!”
    Hayley sighed, looking out over the barnyard.
No way was she sharing any details. Not yet. Not until she figured out what it all meant…if anything.
    “Where is everyone?”
    “Day Three trail ride. Did he kiss you?”
    Hayley choked on her coffee. “Jeez, Kyla.”
    “You’re not planning to date him and dump him, are you?”
    “Why would I do that?”
    “Because you’ve practically patented the procedure?”
    Ouch.
    Hayley tried not to be hurt by Kyla’s words. After all, they were pointedly, perfectly true. But still. It made her sound all hard-edged and scratchy.
    She sighed. “You’re the one who introduced me to him. Did you
not
want me to be interested?”
    “I definitely want you to be interested. I just don’t want you to grow
dis
interested.”
    “Fling, Kyla. I just wanted to come out here and maybe have a little ego-boosting fling. With a cowboy, remember?”
    “Daniel’s not fling material, Hayls.”
    “Then why’d you introduce us?”
    “Because maybe I hope…maybe this time it could be different for you. He’s not like any guy you’ve ever known, I promise.”
    “Reality probably says otherwise.”
    Kyla tipped her head downward. “Not that you’re jaded about these things.”
    “Maybe a little.” Hayley squeezed her thumb and forefinger together.
    “Here’s an idea: just relax and see what happens. Dump some of that forever-armor and see what the week brings. Maybe Daniel could turn out to be more than a fling.”
    Hayley swallowed hard. She didn’t do long-term. Wouldn’t know how to even if she
was
willing to believe these things ever worked out well.
    “I don’t know, Kyla.”
    “Give it a chance, okay? You’ll never know if you don’t try it. Relax and let things take their course, maybe.”
    “I’m relaxed! Look at me! Lemonade!