Free A Cowboy's Heart (Hitting Rocks Cowboys) by Rebecca Winters Page B

attention you’re giving his girlfriend.”
    Her gentle laughter was like an unexpected breeze on a hot day, refreshing him.
    Within a half hour they left the barn and cleaned out the stalls in his trailer. The first rule with horses was to take care of them before you did anything else. Liz understood that. They worked side by side while he unhitched the trailer from the truck.
    “After we’ve driven to the center to check out our other horses, let’s go buy you some reins. When we get back here, you can try them out. I’m curious to see if you feel any improvement with them.”
    “Our minds must think alike. I was just going to ask if I could take the truck later to buy some.”
    “Would you rather go alone?”
    “No—” She sounded surprised.
    “Good.” He’d wanted to go with her. “I know a reputable place to get what you need.”
    Her eyes swept over him. “For a change, why don’t you shower first?”
    “Do I look that bad?”
    She grinned at him. “Even in a foot of muck you couldn’t look bad, and you know it, Connor Bannock.”
    He swept his hat off his head. “Well, thank you, ma’am. That’s the sweetest sweet talk I ever heard.”
    “Well, don’t get too used to it. Your head’s going to swell right up after your next championship. You’ll be too heavy for Firebrand to prance around the arena with you in front of your thousands of screaming fans.”
    Connor’s heart came close to palpitating out of his chest. “Are you a psychic, too?”
    She shook her head. “Nope. I’ve been studying the statistics on you. Barring a catastrophic force of nature, you’re favored to win. Nothing would make me or your parents happier. I’m sure they’ll be looking down at you.”
    “How did they get into this conversation?”
    “Once, when Ralph was giving me and Sadie some barrel-racing pointers, they both came out to the paddock. They’d been watching you practice at the arena with Wade. We heard your dad say that no one worked harder than you, whether it was ranch work or training for the rodeo. They both said they were so proud of you they could burst. Of course Ralph agreed.”
    A lump as large as a boulder lodged in his throat. “It’s kind of scary how well you know what went on at the ranch behind my back.”
    “We weren’t there all that often, but I’ll tell you this. Everything I heard about you would make you happy inside.”
    “You’ve forgotten Ned.”
    “I’m trying to, but there you go again, determined to stomp all over yourself. Those Corriente bulls from Mexico that you throw around have nothing on you.”
    He laughed before hurrying to get cleaned up. Come to think of it, he’d been doing a lot of laughing since they’d driven away from the ranch.
    Once he’d showered and dressed in a clean shirt and jeans, he made them bologna-and-cheese sandwiches along with a fresh pot of coffee. “Nice,” he remarked when she joined him a few minutes later smelling like a meadow of spring wildflowers. She was wearing jeans and a red-and-blue-plaid hombre shirt with horn snaps.
    “Thanks.”
    He gave her another sideways glance. “It’s a good thing I’m going out shopping with you. I’m afraid you won’t be safe in those duds on your own.”
    “Throwing more bull, Bannock?”
    “Just stating the truth, ma’am.” He wondered how she’d react if he told her she was a knockout in that outfit.
    She gave him the once-over out of dark-fringed green eyes. “That shade of brown suits you.”
    “And here I was afraid you wouldn’t notice.”
    Her arched brows lifted. “You’d be surprised what I notice. Thanks for the lunch. I’ll be out in the truck when you’re ready to go.”
    * * *
    L IZ COULD TELL Polly was happy to see her. She kept nickering. They took a walk around the arena to help her get used to new surroundings, then Liz stalled her again. “I’ll be back later, I promise.”
    She gave the horse an apple, one of Polly’s favorite treats, and then she