all the time for scads of friends and Cole has had lots of practice for two years now with his little sister, Laurel, and his niece.”
“Close your mouth, Evan, dear. You’ll catch flies,” Meg cracked from the other end of the table.
Meg. She was the big problem with this, too. They might expect him to entertain her. Maybe even go to the hospital together. He didn’t see how he could do either. Now what?
“Have you seen much of the ranch, Meg?” Jim asked, starting that first dreaded ball rolling.
“I’ve been helping Evan with Wade and Maggie or going to and from the hospital since I arrived. There hasn’t been time. Wait till you try juggling those two sleeping angels upstairs.”
“It’ll be good practice. And the weather forecast for tomorrow is perfect for a ride,” Cris said. “Sunny skies and seventy. Jackson mentioned that Glory’s probably about kicking down her stall.”
That was too true. The Irish Draught was getting antsy. She missed the attention she usually got from both Beth and Jackson. Since Beth’s advanced pregnancy had stopped her from riding before she even arrived in Colorado, Jackson had taken Glory out forexercise every couple of days, but Jackson, like Evan and every other sane man on the ranch, didn’t ride English tack or fly horses over fences. It would be selfish to deny the animal the kind of exercise she was used to.
He’d seen Meg ride, and it was truly like watching water flow. Smooth and fluid with a kind of mastery over the animal, like working a quarter horse, she displayed partnership and dominion in one package.
In short, it, no, Meg, had been beautiful.
Meg watched Evan’s expression mutate into a scowl. “I can’t believe you flew thousands of miles to baby-sit. I’ll watch the babies and you show Meg around, then, honey,” Evan said. “You probably haven’t had the chance to ride flat-out for months.”
Thank heavens. It was clear from his reaction that he wasn’t feeling the attraction she was. Unless he’s blocking it, just like you, a pesky voice in her head added.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Crystal said. “I’m not letting you bury yourself in yet another kind of work. Jackson told me how much help you’ve been since Beth got sick. He says you ought to be about ready to drop. I’ll remind you of what you said to Jackson. ‘You won’t do the twins any good if you harm your own health.’ We’ll be gone in a little over a week, Dad. Take advantage of the rest while you can. Okay?”
Evan held up his hands. “Okay. Okay.” He glanced at Meg, and his direct gaze made her want to squirm. “I surrender.”
And that was how Meg found herself mounted on Glory and following Evan out of the corral the next morning. He sat so straight in the saddle. A true horseman, even though according to Jack he was considered a cattleman.
“I always thought of Colorado as being cold in winter,” she said, finding Evan’s silence unnerving. She glanced at his handsome face. His blue-gray eyes seemed to sparkle even in the shade of his hat.
“Colorado’s dry and changeable. In a few days we could drop down to zero. Or a blizzard could roar across the plains and dump a foot of snow. Then it could warm up again and melt just as fast.” He looked away, then pointed to a fence. “Think you can jump that fence with her? Glory hasn’t been given her particular type of workout since she got here.”
Meg nodded and urged Glory into a canter. “Race you,” she called over her shoulder. She could hear Evan’s Apple Boy thundering after her, but the fence was there. She knew she’d won as Glory took flight and they sailed through the air, weightless just for a moment at the top of the arc. Then they landed and she turned back to watch Evan’s quarter horse ride the fence line to an opening, practically turn on a dime and race back to her.
Evan rode up to her, grinning. As he came to a stop, he leaned on the pommel, so relaxed in the saddle he
“Close your mouth, Evan, dear. You’ll catch flies,” Meg cracked from the other end of the table.
Meg. She was the big problem with this, too. They might expect him to entertain her. Maybe even go to the hospital together. He didn’t see how he could do either. Now what?
“Have you seen much of the ranch, Meg?” Jim asked, starting that first dreaded ball rolling.
“I’ve been helping Evan with Wade and Maggie or going to and from the hospital since I arrived. There hasn’t been time. Wait till you try juggling those two sleeping angels upstairs.”
“It’ll be good practice. And the weather forecast for tomorrow is perfect for a ride,” Cris said. “Sunny skies and seventy. Jackson mentioned that Glory’s probably about kicking down her stall.”
That was too true. The Irish Draught was getting antsy. She missed the attention she usually got from both Beth and Jackson. Since Beth’s advanced pregnancy had stopped her from riding before she even arrived in Colorado, Jackson had taken Glory out forexercise every couple of days, but Jackson, like Evan and every other sane man on the ranch, didn’t ride English tack or fly horses over fences. It would be selfish to deny the animal the kind of exercise she was used to.
He’d seen Meg ride, and it was truly like watching water flow. Smooth and fluid with a kind of mastery over the animal, like working a quarter horse, she displayed partnership and dominion in one package.
In short, it, no, Meg, had been beautiful.
Meg watched Evan’s expression mutate into a scowl. “I can’t believe you flew thousands of miles to baby-sit. I’ll watch the babies and you show Meg around, then, honey,” Evan said. “You probably haven’t had the chance to ride flat-out for months.”
Thank heavens. It was clear from his reaction that he wasn’t feeling the attraction she was. Unless he’s blocking it, just like you, a pesky voice in her head added.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Crystal said. “I’m not letting you bury yourself in yet another kind of work. Jackson told me how much help you’ve been since Beth got sick. He says you ought to be about ready to drop. I’ll remind you of what you said to Jackson. ‘You won’t do the twins any good if you harm your own health.’ We’ll be gone in a little over a week, Dad. Take advantage of the rest while you can. Okay?”
Evan held up his hands. “Okay. Okay.” He glanced at Meg, and his direct gaze made her want to squirm. “I surrender.”
And that was how Meg found herself mounted on Glory and following Evan out of the corral the next morning. He sat so straight in the saddle. A true horseman, even though according to Jack he was considered a cattleman.
“I always thought of Colorado as being cold in winter,” she said, finding Evan’s silence unnerving. She glanced at his handsome face. His blue-gray eyes seemed to sparkle even in the shade of his hat.
“Colorado’s dry and changeable. In a few days we could drop down to zero. Or a blizzard could roar across the plains and dump a foot of snow. Then it could warm up again and melt just as fast.” He looked away, then pointed to a fence. “Think you can jump that fence with her? Glory hasn’t been given her particular type of workout since she got here.”
Meg nodded and urged Glory into a canter. “Race you,” she called over her shoulder. She could hear Evan’s Apple Boy thundering after her, but the fence was there. She knew she’d won as Glory took flight and they sailed through the air, weightless just for a moment at the top of the arc. Then they landed and she turned back to watch Evan’s quarter horse ride the fence line to an opening, practically turn on a dime and race back to her.
Evan rode up to her, grinning. As he came to a stop, he leaned on the pommel, so relaxed in the saddle he
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