Free Her Cowboy Lover (Pleasure Ridge Ranch) by Ava Flynn Page A

I’d want to capture all the natural beauty here."
    "You could stay somewhere else."
    She met his eyes, a thousand questions in hers.
    His heart rate kicked up a few notches. "I don’t want you to go, Lily." With a deep breath, he reached into his pocket for the package he hoped would show her how he felt better than any words he could ever cobble together.
    * * * *
    Lily’s heart was surely going to beat out of her chest. What was he reaching for? What did she want him to be reaching for?
    It turned out to be an envelope, which Connor extended as he walked toward her.
    "What’s this?"
    He lifted the envelope toward her hand. "Open it."
    Lily took the envelope and opened the flap. Inside were several cash bills. "I don’t understand."
    "That’s equal to the portion of your stay here on the ranch that would have come to me."
    She felt her forehead scrunching as she lifted her gaze to him.
    "I don’t want what happened between us this week to be marred by the taint of my being paid," he said.
    Lily lifted the envelope toward him. "But you need this for your mom."
    He took another step toward her and gripped her shoulders gently. "I don’t." He smiled. "I got another job today."
    "Today?" They’d been together all day, except... "The call you got when the horse was being saddled?"
    He nodded, and the happiness in his eyes lifted her heart. "It’s a ranch foreman position only about half an hour from where I live."
    "Connor, that’s wonderful." Already, she could tell such a big difference in him. That haunted look that she’d seen hiding in his eyes was gone. And truth be told, she wanted to be around to see what this new life brought him. What it might bring the both of them together. Down the road, it was possible they might not work out. But something inside her said that wasn’t true. That as absolutely insane as it might be, Connor was worth giving them a chance.
    She stepped away from him and turned to look out across the vast vista stretching out toward the horizon. "You know, tomorrow is my birthday. This week was my birthday present to myself." She glanced toward Connor, saw a pinched look on his face, like he already knew she was going to leave. "But I’ve decided I’m going to give myself another present."
    "What’s that?"
    She turned to face Connor. "Us a chance."
    Slowly, a smile tugged up the edges of Connor’s mouth. And then he rushed forward and lifted her into his arms, spinning her in a circle, causing her to laugh.
    He finally returned her on her feet and smoothed her hair back behind her ear. "I love to hear you laugh. I’ll do my best to make sure you laugh often."
    He left her without words, so she showed him how she felt by lifting onto her toes and kissing him. "My friends will be so jealous when I tell them that I got a cowboy lover for my birthday."
    "What do you say we go back to the cabin and let me make sure I live up to that title?"
    "I’d say that’s a very good idea."
    * * * *
    Thank you for purchasing this novella. I hope you enjoyed it. Watch for more Pleasure Ridge Ranch stories coming soon, and be sure to check out the first story of the series , In the Cowboy’s Bed.
    Visit me online at www.avaflynnromance.com for all the latest news on Ava Flynn titles.