Free Reunited with the Cowboy by Carolyne Aarsen Page A

and how to work with what they had.
    â€œI just don’t want to look too New York.”
    â€œYou look really nice,” Keira assured her. “And Mom and Dad won’t care if you show up in Oscar de la Renta or Target. They’re just glad you’re coming to church with us.”
    â€œHaven’t done church for a while,” Heather admitted. “I feel like a fraud.”
    â€œYou know better than that,” Keira replied. “You know God is as happy to see you come to church as Mom and Dad are to see you back here at Refuge Ranch.”
    â€œI’m glad to be home.”
    â€œI know Rowdy sure missed you. What do you say to going for a ride when we come back from the cattle show in Missoula? We won’t be home too late and I’ll be ready to get out after all that driving.”
    â€œSounds good.” Heather smiled at the thought, swiping some blush over her cheeks. Then she leaned forward, checking out the red scrape that stood out on her cheekbone. She’d tried to cover it with foundation, but hadn’t been able to hide it completely.
    â€œThat looks nasty,” Keira said. “Are you sure it’s not infected?”
    â€œNo. It’s just a skin abrasion.” She dabbed at it, her hand slowing as her mind flicked back to that moment when John had touched it and encouraged her to get it bandaged.
    His hand on her face had stolen her breath. Had sent an anticipation thrumming through her that was as strong as it was unexpected. One touch and all the years between seemed to have slipped away.
    Keira bumped her with her hip. “Hey, you. Coming back to me anytime soon?”
    Heather blinked, suddenly self-conscious of her meandering thoughts, realizing that Keira had been asking her a question. “Sorry, what did you say?”
    â€œI was going to ask you how it went yesterday. Needling the cows. You were in bed when I came back from Bozeman.”
    â€œI was exhausted,” she admitted. “Not used to the physical work and spending so much time outside. But it went good. No major wrecks.”
    â€œOther than that scrape on your cheek.”
    â€œMinor injury. Good thing I’m not modeling anymore. I’d get into the usual trouble for that.”
    Keira looked at her reflection, holding her gaze.
    â€œWhat?” Heather asked, brushing more powder over her scrape.
    â€œI sometimes wonder if you really enjoyed that work,” Keira said.
    Heather’s hands slowed as her thoughts slipped back to that erratic and confusing time of her life. “It was hard always being seen as simply a clothes hanger. I was thankful I wasn’t doing haute couture. I wouldn’t have survived trying to keep myself so emaciated. Even for the work I did, I was forever watching what I ate, weighing, measuring, never feeling like I was good enough. Mitch didn’t help.”
    â€œI got the feeling that things weren’t good between you two well before you divorced.”
    Heather tapped the remaining blush off her brush and put it back in her makeup bag. “I should never have married him. It was a mistake.”
    â€œWhy did you? Marry him?”
    She slowly zipped up her bag, then sighed. “I’m not ready to talk about it. Not yet.”
    â€œYou keep saying that.” Keira crossed her arms over her chest. “One of these days you’ll have to tell someone. I know there’re things you aren’t saying that I wish you would trust me with.”
    Heather toyed with her makeup bag, pulling the zipper tab back and forth, back and forth. “It’s not a matter of trusting you,” she finally said. “It’s a matter of shame.”
    â€œShame about what?”
    â€œMitch used to beat me.”
    The words dropped from her lips as if they had a life of their own. As if they had been waiting for this moment to be released. And right behind them came the usual shame. As if she should have done