Free Once Touched by Laura Moore Page A

stare, even as he reminded himself that Quinn had two older brothers and a father who were more than capable of taking Josh out of the picture if need be. Besides, Quinn didn’t seem to mind Josh’s attention, though right now she’d ducked her head and was staring in apparent fascination at a tiny hoofprint in the dirt.
    To his credit, Josh met his stare with a level gaze. Of course, it was likely the cowboy recognized that Ethan wasn’t exactly a threat. Josh could have him flat on his ass before he could even land a punch anywhere near Josh’s pretty mug. And in terms of competing for Quinn’s attention, well, that was a non-issue on so many levels, never mind that she was the first woman to make him feel and notice things—good things—in months.
    Josh returned his attention to Quinn. “Since you’re so busy this morning, you want me to groom Domino for you?”
    Ah, so Josh didn’t know Quinn quite as well as he should.
    Ethan remembered the way she’d been with that pony of hers. The brushes had been bigger than her hands but that hadn’t stopped her from doing her level best to make that shaggy pinto coat shine. He doubted she would have outgrown the need to spend special time with her horses, connecting with them as she brushed their coats, inspected their hooves, and checked for any soreness in their bodies.
    The bright smile that she pinned on her face came as a surprise, except when he realized that it was a shade
too
bright, as if she was eager to be rid of Josh. “That would be so great, Josh. Thanks!”
    “Anytime, Quinn.” Along with a slow smile, Josh’s voice had dropped, going all husky. The guy was slick. “I’ll catch you in a few, then.” With a nod to Ethan he said, “Good to meet you.”
    “Yeah. Likewise.” No reason to hold it against the Texan for asking about Afghanistan. It was natural. Plenty of people sounded off on topics about which they knew jack.
    And so what if the guy was making the moves on Quinn? Who was he to judge, or denounce Josh as a little too practiced with his moves, or wonder whether he was right for Quinn?
    The guy probably thought he was perfect for her, but Ethan had looked at people through lenses for many years. He knew Josh wasn’t seeing Quinn clearly. Because for all her easy banter, for all that Quinn appeared to be struck by the cowboy’s good looks and charm, she also seemed slightly uncomfortable around him. Why, he didn’t know.
    Best to stay out of it. He could easily imagine Quinn setting him straight. She wouldn’t mince words telling him to keep his nose out of her business. He of all people should respect that. Besides, why go looking for problems when he could hardly deal with his own?

L IFE AT S ILVER Creek Ranch was something Quinn generally navigated with ease. She didn’t mind the long hours or shifting gears as she moved from one job to the next, one minute shoveling manure into the wheelbarrow and rolling it to the pile, the next minute tidying herself up and flipping on the charm switch to lead ranch guests on a two-hour ride or heading over to the main lodge and helping the waitstaff when the ranch’s restaurant was short of servers.
    But suddenly her world seemed complicated, doubly so.
    Men,
she thought with a sigh.
    She didn’t know which male troubled her more, Ethan or Josh. And she didn’t like having either one invade her thoughts while she stood in front of Major’s long brown nose and eyeballed his rider’s spanking new cowboy boots peeking through the stirrups.
    The boots belonged to a guest named Sharon, half of a couple, and she was as new to riding as her boots. But she and her husband, Paul, seemed to love each other, so clearly she had smarts and experience that Quinn sorely lacked.
    “How do those stirrups feel, Sharon? You want to be able to keep your legs long and your heels down when Major starts to move.”
    “I guess they feel good.” Sharon managed a smile.
    “You look great on him, hon,” Paul