Free Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? by Abigail Sharpe

to take in a deep, calming breath, “we want you to be…” Her eyes squeezed shut. “Happy!” she wailed.
    “Oh, come on, Mol.” Riley’s irritation flowed away and the desire to protect his sister from pain rose up within him. She turned into his shoulder and sobbed even louder, her fists ineffectively punching him. His arms automatically went around her and he patted her back, trying to comfort her.
    “Mol.”
    She didn’t respond. Riley started to panic. He needed to get her to stop, even if he was the cause. “Molly.”
    “Wh-wh-what?” Tears fell down her cheeks, each following the pattern of the previous one, leaving streaks.
    “Come on. Stop crying.”
    “You go back to the stables and play with Westley or take care of Scarlet.” Molly took a deep shuddering breath and brushed her cheeks with the palms of her hands, then used her pinky fingers to wipe under her eyes. “Jeannie and I will tell everyone to go home and give them back their money. Maybe we can organize a trail ride first, just so their trips aren’t completely wasted.” She sniffed again and wiped her nose. “I’m sorry, Riley. I really thought you would see changing the ranch is a great idea.” She gave him a wan smile and patted his shoulder, then slowly turned back to the kitchen.
    She got as far as two steps away, her shoulders slumped in defeat, before his need to protect his family shoved the word out of his mouth. Even through his gritted teeth. “Okay.”
    Dammit, the thickness in his throat lessened along with the dull pain in his gut. He may hate what he was doing, but it was the right thing to do.
    Molly stopped, but didn’t turn around. “Okay?”
    “I’ll stop behaving like such a jerk.”
    “Oh, thank you, Riley.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, all evidence of her gut-wrenching sadness gone. “Let’s go meet some more women.”
    His father had taught him to always follow through, no matter how distasteful the task. Riley followed Molly out of the mud room, ignoring the unsettling feeling that he’d been had.
    *  *  *
    Conversation around Ainsley stalled again and she realized Riley must’ve come back from the kitchen. She stayed firmly planted by the staircase and watched the small scuffle among the women jockeying for a position in Riley’s path. Jewel won, and the brunette smoothed her white sundress before facing Riley with a friendly smile.
    Ainsley was too far away to hear any conversation, but she could clearly read Jewel’s body language. Friendly, but not overeager. Add to that her hair flip and the occasional light touches on Riley’s arm and she could be an advertisement for a best-selling guide to flirting. And it seemed to be working. The cowboy’s previously stiff face crinkled at his eyes when his lips lifted into a smile.
    After a few minutes, Molly guided him to Meagan. Her roommate gave an outward air of serenity, but her free hand was in her hair, twirling it as they chatted. Ainsley couldn’t tell what was said, but he left Meagan with a smile, and she continued to follow his path after he moved on to the next woman, still playing with her curly locks. She abruptly stopped and cast a quick peek around the room, then shifted her weight when she saw Ainsley watching her.
    “Nice hands,” Meagan said, joining Ainsley with a nod in Riley’s direction. “What did you think?”
    “Um…yeah.” Ainsley deliberately looked him over. Mistake—she hadn’t noticed in the greenhouse how great his butt looked in a pair of jeans. “Nice everything.” Except personality.
    The housekeeper appeared and set out more platters of food on the heavy wooden table. The maple aroma of bacon wafted over to Ainsley, and she purposefully strode up to the buffet and helped herself to a plate, avoiding the cowboy. Even if she was curious to see if Riley would acknowledge that they’d already met. And to see if he was the same ill-mannered lout from last night. And to see if her pulse rate remained