Free Two to Wrangle by Victoria Vane

saddling up ol’ Beau. He hadn’t been on a horse in ages and desperately needed some time to think. He already had a good idea where Tom would have wanted his ashes to be scattered and hoped to figure some things out on the long ride down to the river. Horses were the best therapy he knew—aside from sex, that is. If he couldn’t have the one, he’d have to settle for the other.
    He was leading Beau out of his corral when Monica appeared. “That’s a beautiful horse,” she remarked. “I bet he could clear some fences with those long legs.”
    Ty grinned and patted the neck of the leggy, bald-faced sorrel. “Working cattle, jumping fences, scaling canyons, crossing rivers. You name it. Anything you can imagine doing on a horse, this ol’ boy’s done it.”
    â€œReally? How old is he?” she asked, stroking the gelding’s nose.
    Ty scratched his chin in thought. “Tom gave him to me as a yearling for my fifteenth birthday, so I guess he must be coming up on twenty, but don’t tell him that.”
    â€œWhere are you going with him?” Monica asked.
    â€œThought we’d ride down to a place where Tom and I used to fish for alligator gar.”
    Her eyes widened. “There are alligators in that river?”
    â€œNot gators. Alligator gar . It’s a butt-ugly sport fish with a mouth like a gator. They’re also just as big. Tom and I once reeled in a six-footer. The biggest ones on record have been caught in the Red River.”
    â€œI didn’t realize Tom enjoyed sport fishing,” she said.
    â€œYup. Ranching, fishing, hunting, flying his plane. Tom was a real man’s man.”
    â€œThere’s so much I still don’t know about him,” she said sadly. “And now I never will.”
    â€œYou knew enough to love him,” Ty reassured. “And he loved you back, Monica. He was damned proud of you too. Hell, he bragged about you all the time and even carried your picture in his wallet. He showed it to me the day he had his first stroke. I think he had some crazy matchmaking scheme in mind.”
    â€œHe wasn’t so subtle about it with me either,” she replied dryly.
    â€œOh yeah?” Ty cocked a brow. “What did he say?”
    â€œTom never kept it secret that he didn’t like Evan, but he thought a great deal of you. He wanted us to run the hotel together, but I think he had hopes of more. I set him straight that it was never going to happen between you and me.”
    He eyed her levelly. “Never’s an awful long time.”
    â€œThis is a pointless conversation.” She shoved her hands in her pockets. “I only came down here to ask if you knew Tom’s favorite spot on the ranch.”
    â€œYeah. I know it. It’s a grassy knoll that overlooks the river. You can see Tom’s entire spread stretching out for miles from there. He loved that spot. Matter-o-fact, it’s where me and Beau were headed.”
    â€œCan I go with you?” she asked. “Delaney loaned me some jeans and boots.”
    She stuck out a foot to show off a pair of dusty ropers. His gaze tracked from the boots slowly upward. He was surprised he hadn’t noticed sooner the boots and faded denim encasing her mile-long legs. Monica Brandt was hot as hell in her skirt and heels, but looking at her now, he was filled with the urge to back her up to a wall and peel those jeans slowly off her hips.
    â€œPlease, Ty,” she said.
    Ty hesitated. The biggest reason for the ride was for some alone time. He had so much to figure out. Monica’s presence would only muddle his head. “It’s a long ride,” he warned her.
    â€œHow long?”
    â€œCouple hours. Probably four to get there and back. Five if we hang around a bit. That won’t put us back ’til about supper time.”
    â€œI don’t have anything else to do except for going through Tom’s effects,