Free The Texan by Bobbi Smith

laughed.
    “We’re going to need all the breakfast we can eat to get us through the day. You’ll see.”
    They dug in, enjoying every bite of the delicious, homemade fare.
    “Emmie…I wanted to ask you…did you and Josh get everything settled last night?” Millie had recognized that there was tension between them when she’d left the study, and she’d been wondering how the confrontation had turned out.
    Emmie looked over at her. “Yes. I don’t think I’ll be breaking down the study door in the middle of the night anymore.”
    “Is it safe for us to ride out alone?” Millie had heard the story of why Emmie’s mother had gone back East to live.
    “We’ll be fine. There hasn’t been any trouble around here for some time now.”
    “Good. Where are we going?”
    “I want to take you out to one of my favorite places on the ranch.”
    “Where is it?”
    “You’ll see. I want to surprise you.”
    “I love surprises.”
    “I know.”
    They finished eating and went out to get their horses.

Chapter Nine
    J
osh had been working hard out on the range checking stock since just after sunup. He rode back in to find Steve in the stable telling one of the other hands that Emmie and Millie had gone for a ride.
    “How long ago did they leave?” Josh demanded, breaking into their conversation.
    “A couple of hours,” Steve answered.
    “Did they say where they were going?”
    “Emmie just wanted to show her friend around the ranch.”
    “And you haven’t heard from them since?” Josh was growing worried.
    “No. Emmie knows her way around.”
    Josh was irritated. When he’d become a partner in the ranch, he’d never dreamed he’d end up running it with Hank’s young daughter. He had enough to worry about on the Rocking R without having to keep track of females from back East. Emmie might know her way around, but this was a hard country, and there was no telling what kind of trouble two women out there riding all alone might run into.
    “I’ll be back,” he snarled, mounting up again.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’m going hunting.”
    “Hunting?” Steve was confused and didn’t understand why the boss seemed so angry. “What are you hunting?”
    “Lost females,” he growled, not the least bit happy about having to waste time looking for Emmie.
    “You want some help?”
    “No. Keep working. I’ll find them.”
    With that, he rode out.
    Steve watched Josh go and knew that the foreman would find the women, for Josh was one of the best trackers he’d ever known.
    Emmie and Millie had been riding for quite a while as Emmie showed her friend around the Rocking R. When it neared midday and the sun was blazing down, Emmie could tell Millie was getting hot and tired.
    “Warm enough for you?” Emmie asked.
    “Yes,” Millie answered without hesitation. “I’m glad you loaned me a hat.” She definitely appreciated the Stetson she was wearing.
    “Next trip into town, we’ll get you one of your own.”
    “Good. I’m going to need it.”
    “Come on,” Emmie encouraged, urging her horse forward. “There’s one more place I want to show you—and I think you’re really going to like it.”
    Millie followed her lead, wondering how sore she was going to be the following day after sitting in thesaddle so long. They rode on for another mile or two before Emmie turned down an overgrown path. Millie followed after her, but wondered where in the world they were going.
    And then she found out.
    “This is my favorite place on the ranch.”
    “No wonder you wanted to come here!” Millie said excitedly as they reined in on the bank of a small lake. “It’s heavenly!”
    “I thought you might like it,” Emmie said as they dismounted. “I used to swim here when I was little.”
    “It’s so hot today, I wouldn’t mind jumping in there right now,” Millie said as she walked down to the water’s edge.
    Emmie shot her friend a mischievous look. “We are all alone.”
    Millie looked back at her,