Free Her Dream Cowboy by Samantha Holt, Emily Silva

 
    Sophie eyed the ranch as she stepped out the cab and her feet hit the dusty ground. It was bigger than she’d expected. She kind of anticipated a small cabin or something…not this huge wood-paneled building with wide, modern windows and a large green roof. A balcony ran across the front and looked perfect for sitting out and enjoying a nice drink.
    Not that she’d be doing that. She gulped. She had come to trek across the wilderness. Whatever the heck that meant. Well, she knew what it meant. Sophie just wasn’t quite sure she was up to it. Her best friend—maybe make that ex-best friend by the end of this—had talked her into it. Beth loved adventure, whereas Sophie always played it safe.
    And look where that had gotten her. Divorced, jobless. Starting again at twenty-nine. Maybe marrying the boss straight out of college hadn’t been the best of ideas…
    The driver passed over her suitcase, and Sophie set it on its wheels, muttering a “thank you” as she took another deep breath and started toward the building. Of course the website said it was suited for a group of up to eighteen people, so she should have known the ranch would be big.
    For the hundredth time that day she cursed Beth. On her way to the airport, Beth had called to let her know she was really sorry but she couldn’t make it. Something had come up at work. So now Sophie was stuck in the middle of Nevada on a ranch about to do some real cowboy stuff.
    What the hell had she let herself in for?
    The front door opened, and an honest to goodness cowboy stepped out. Sophie blinked, wondering if the heat had gotten to her. England was freezing at this time of year. Perhaps she hadn’t acclimatized properly.
    Wearing a blue flannel shirt, a hat— a Stetson, right?— boots and worn jeans, the man embodied just about everything she’d ever pictured in a cowboy. Even from a distance, she saw his muscles flex with each movement as he strolled casually toward her. She couldn’t quite see the color of his hair yet, but his skin was a deep tan, making her acutely aware of her pale English rose coloring.
    He stopped in front of her, his frame towering over her. And she was hardly short. Wide shoulders spread out before her, a V of flesh almost in her eye-line, and her mouth dried. She glanced up to be greeted by pale gray eyes set into a chiseled face. Christ, this guy was no metrosexual, unlike the London city boys she was used to.
    Creases around his eyes suggested he laughed a lot, and his strong nose had a slight bump in the bridge, implying he’d broken it once. A tiny white scar skimmed the top of it, and Sophie concluded he must have either taken a punch to the face or fallen on it. With muscles like those, she went for fighting but he didn’t look aggressive.
    “Sophie Duncan?”
    Oh God, he drawled . Her knees shook as she extended a hand. “Y-yes, that’s me. A pleasure to meet you.” What was it about foreign accents that made her sound even more like the Queen? She sounded ridiculous!
    “Luke Harper. Nice to meet you. Can I take that?”
    “Uh…” Before she could respond, he took her suitcase and led her into the ranch, stepping back to hold the door open.
    “We’re just winding down from tourist season,” he said as he set down the suitcase and stepped behind the counter to grab a set of keys, “so it’s a little quiet. There was a group of four that joined us yesterday but they’ve gone out already.” He glanced at something on the desk and frowned. “Wasn’t there meant to be two of you? Didn’t you book a second person on the trip?”
    Sophie drew her gaze from her surroundings to nod. “Yeah, my friend kind of bailed on me. So it’s just me.” She tried to grin, but it probably came out as a nervous smile.
    His eyes twinkled when he removed his hat and dropped it on the counter.
    Blond. Dark golden blond. And ridiculously touchable-looking. Sophie bent her hand into a fist to prevent herself from launching at him