Free THE COWBOY SHE COULDN'T FORGET by Patricia Thayer

handle Mike.”
    Sarah leaned forward and lowered her voice. “And it didn’t hurt to have Vance Rivers come to your rescue.”
    Not hungry any longer, Ana pushed her club sandwich away. “I didn’t need to be rescued at all.” She shook her head. “What is it about men that makes them think they need to compete against each other, and I’m the prize?”
    Sarah smiled. “I’d say you’re a pretty lucky girl. I wouldn’t mind having someone like Vance around...just in case.”
    Ana tried not to think about him that way. “Sarah, you know we have to work together. That’s all that’s going on.”
    “So you don’t have any feelings for the man? No sparks between you two?”
    Ana shook her head, knowing she was lying. Yesterday’s kiss in the barn proved that there were sparks. Okay, more like fireworks. But what about Vance? Was he trying to prove a point by kissing the boss’s daughter, as he had all those years ago?
    Sarah’s voice quickly brought Ana back to reality. “I would think a man as handsome as Vance would get your juices flowing.”
    “I can’t afford to get anything flowing. We have to focus on the ranch. And there’s Dad to think about. I have too much on my plate right now to think about him or any man.”
    “I’m sorry, Ana. Is there anything I can do to help?”
    “You’re a good friend, Sarah. Thank you, but unless you want to drag my sisters back here, there isn’t much you can do.” She smiled. “Taking me to lunch was the best. Thanks for calling and insisting I come into town.”
    “A lot of good it did.” She nodded to the nearly untouched sandwich. “You aren’t eating enough.”
    Ana sighed. “I’m not very hungry.”
    “Well, make yourself eat. Colt needs you to stay strong.”
    Did her father even care? She knew that he needed her at the ranch. Whether he wanted her there or not, she wasn’t sure. But she wanted him well and back home to run the Lazy S. Then she could go back to her life. Her job. Except for the kids at the school, there was no one special waiting for her.
    * * *
    The following morning came far too soon for Ana. She got up with the sun, ate toast for breakfast and drank down some coffee, then headed out to the barn. She was going to do whatever needed to be done.
    She was ready to face Vance, whom she hadn’t seen in two days. Once inside the barn, she found a list of chores hanging on the door of the tack room, but no Vance around. The note stated that he’d gone out with most of the ranch hands, who were moving the herd.
    She shook off her disappointment that she hadn’t been asked to go along, then went to start her tasks. At the feed bin, she began to scoop out the morning’s rations of oats for the horses. With Jake’s help she got the job done within the hour. Then the cleaning began, the mucking out stalls and hosing down the center aisle.
    She even had the buckskin, Blondie, in the washing area. By the time she was finished with the bathing, she was as wet as the horse.
    It felt good to do physical labor. It took her mind off everything except the job at hand. She walked Blondie back to her clean stall. The horse nudged her for more attention.
    “If I have time later, it’s you and me headed across the meadow.” She gave the affectionate horse one more rub and left the stall.
    Jake walked by, whistling. “Thanks for the help, Ana.”
    “Not a problem. What’s next?”
    The twenty-one-year-old smiled. “We’re finished for the morning.”
    “Good, then I think I’ll go up to shower.” Ana wrinkled her nose. “I can’t stand myself any longer.”
    She took off toward the house, then paused to admire the huge stone and brown-clapboard structure. The original two-story house had been built for her mother, but over the years, they’d added on as each baby came along. Now it looked big and empty and in need of some tender loving care.
    Ana walked up the stone path to the back door, to find Kathleen folding clothes in the