Free Rachel's Cowboy by Judy Christenberry

feeling.
    She hated him because he’d yelled at her, criticized her clothing, picked on her city ways in naming the sick calf. But mostly she hated him because he’d done his best to make sure they were never alone. From the first moment she’d arrived on the ranch, J.D. had found inventive ways to stay away. Did he dislike her so much that he couldn’t stand to be with her, for fear she’d bring up their…well, their night together?
    She could put his mind at rest. No way was she going to mention that mistake, she told herself emphatically.
    She ignored that little voice inside her that questioned, Was it really a mistake, Rachel, or the best night of your life?
    Instead, she stared out the window for the rest of the short drive.
    When J.D. pulled into the parking space in front of the feed store, she gazed at the few buildings nearby. They included a diner, a small bank and a grocery store. “Is this a town? What’s the name of it?”
    “You’re in downtown Prairie View.”
    “What fun!” she exclaimed, surprising J.D.
    “You think this trip to Prairie View is fun?”
    “Of course. In the city, you have to fight for a parking space and traipse around to thirty different stores to get the best bargain, or the perfect gift. Here, life is much simpler.”
    “Yeah, sure,” J.D. said dryly as he got out of the truck.
    Madge and Rachel didn’t wait for him to come around and open the door for them, but met him on the sidewalk. Once they were inside the store, the housekeeper headed for the yarn display.
    “This project seems very important to Madge,” Rachel murmured.
    “Yeah. She’s not usually so intense.” J.D. watchedher sorting through the colors, as if looking for a particular one.
    “I think we should offer to help her. Do we have time?” Rachel asked, as if they hadn’t been at odds earlier.
    “We have all the time you want.”
    Rachel led the way across the store to the older woman’s side. “Can we help you, Madge?”
    She jumped a foot. “Oh! I thought you’d be looking for boots. I’m fine. I don’t need any help.”
    Again J.D. and Rachel exchanged a glance. Rachel gulped. She couldn’t believe they could understand each other so well. She must be imagining things.
    “What color are you looking for, Madge?” Rachel asked, trying to put any communication with J.D. out of her mind.
    “A hazel-green. You know the color—not quite green, not quite brown.” She sounded distracted as she searched through a big bin of colored yarn.
    “There!” Rachel said, pointing to a skein at the bottom, visible through the clear plastic side of the bin.
    “Yes! That’s it! Oh, I’m so glad you found it, Rachel.” Madge told the salesman who approached them how much she needed.
    J.D. stood there with his hands on his hips. “It sounded like she was describing the color of someone’s eyes,” he muttered.
    Rachel wasn’t sure he knew he’d spoken aloud, but she agreed with him. “Do you know anyone with eyes that color?”
    “I don’t really notice men’s eyes,” he whispered wryly.
    She shrugged, avoiding looking at his brown ones. She didn’t need to. She’d been seeing them in her fantasies for six months.
    Whoa! She’d best not go down that road. Better to focus on the purpose of her shopping trip. Stepping closer to the salesman, she said, “Where are your boots?”
    “Over against the wall. I’ll be right there to help you.”
    Rachel guessed she’d just discovered one of the limitations of shopping in Prairie View. There seemed to be only one person to wait on the customers.
    Several types of boots were displayed against the far wall. She stood there looking at them, at a loss about how to choose the right pair.
    “I can help you, Rachel,” J.D. said in a low growl.
    She took a step away from him and replied, “I need to know what kind of boots to buy.”
    “If you’re going to be a cowgirl, you need this type,” he said, reaching past her for a black