To Tempt a Cowgirl

by Jeannie Watt

“I hope you take payments,” Dani said as she got to her feet.

  “And I don’t even charge interest.”

  Dani fought a smile as they walked together to the sale office to settle the deal. Lacy J was hers once again.

  * * *

  FOR ONE ROTTEN MOMENT, Gabe had thought he was going to have to buy the horse. Buy it, “realize” it was too much for him and sell it at a loss to Danica Brody. She’d obviously wanted the mare badly, but had only allowed herself to go to a certain point in the bidding—at least until her friend had intervened. He lingered in his seat until he saw Danica come out of the sale office, tucking her checkbook into her jacket pocket, then followed her to the exit, where he intercepted her. Something flashed in her eyes when she saw him—recognition? Guilt? Satisfaction?

  “I thought you said buying this horse is buying trouble—or was that only if I bought her,” he said.

  “Oh, no,” she said easily. “I’m buying trouble, too. But the thing is, I know what I’m getting into.”

  “And you think I don’t?”

  “I truly doubt you know this mare like I do. We kind of grew up together.”

  “And then someone ruined her?”

  “Something like that.” She held out a hand. “No hard feelings?”

  “No,” he said with a half smile as he took her hand, rather enjoying the way it felt in his. Small but strong, smooth and warm. She stepped away and Gabe made his move. “Hey, since we’re neighbors...I don’t suppose you’d like to—”

  Her expression instantly shuttered. “No,” she said simply. “But thanks anyway.”

  * * *

  DANI CROSSED THE lot to where she’d parked her truck and trailer. She’d refused to allow herself to believe she wouldn’t get Lacy back, so had come prepared to haul the horse home. It would have been a lonely trip home if it hadn’t been for Mac. She owed him. Owed the horse. Seemed as if she owed everyone a small debt of gratitude—even Chad for showing his true colors before the wedding. Good of him to save her all that future heartache.

  Speaking of men, her neighbor worked fast. She couldn’t really blame him, though, if he was living alone in the castle. Not much to do in the isolated place and coffee with a neighbor would have probably been welcome. Of course, he might have been talking a drink or a date, but she hadn’t given him a chance to offer anything. She was so not in the market right now, but he was damned good-looking with his dark hair and striking gray eyes and she’d felt a nice jolt of...something, when their fingers had touched. A corner of her mouth tilted up as she got her keys out of her pocket. Too bad Jolie wasn’t here. Her sister was a sucker for smoldering hot guys. While she...she’d had enough of that for a while.

  Her phone rang in her pocket and she dug it out. Allie. Her oldest sister, who’d also had enough of men for a while.

  “I got her,” she said as she unlocked the door to the trailer’s tack room.

  “For a song?”

  “Uh, no. The song part didn’t happen, but I got her.”

  “That’s going to be one expensive lawn ornament, Dan.”

  “I—”

  “Owe her. I know. And I’m looking forward to seeing her when I come for my stuff.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to drive over tonight? Sleep over?” Dani asked, reaching into the tack room for Lacy’s old halter.

  “I’d prefer not to spend the night on the ranch.” Allie spoke matter-of-factly. Too matter-of-factly. Dani pressed her lips together, wishing that her sister could separate her bitterness toward her ex husband from the ranch itself.

  “I understand.” The silence that followed her comment stretched on just a moment too long and Dani’s radar went up. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.”

  “What happened?” she asked flatly. She knew this tone and also knew that unless something was dreadfully wrong, Allie wouldn’t share without being prodded—the burden of being the stoic older sister that their mother had depended on. “Kyle?”

  “Who else? I had to threaten him with a lawyer today in order to convince him to bring back Dad’s old tractor. He still insists he needs it to work around his place.”

  “And...”

  “You know as well as I do that he doesn’t need a tractor. He wants to sell it to a collector. In fact, from the way he was acting, I think he already has a buyer.” Allie blew out a disgusted breath. “He actually told me that he deserved the tractor in return for the sweat equity he’d put into the place.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Dani said. “He was drowning in sweat. That’s why the place is falling apart.”

  “Exactly! I asked him why, if he’d put in so much effort, we just paid someone a boatload of money to patch up the fences and gates so the cows would stay home. He didn’t have an answer to that one.”

  “I imagine not,” Dani said.

  “He is so pissed that he had to go back to work,” Allie continued in a lower voice. “He’d never planned on working again.”

  Dani’s former brother-in-law was openly angry that he hadn’t received a share of the property in the divorce settlement, which was why he kept trying to lay claim on anything of value left on the ranch, like, say, a vintage tractor.

  “Into every life,” Dani said drily.

  “Yeah, tell me about it,” Allie said and then her voice brightened. “But, hey, I didn’t call to cry on your shoulder. I called to see about Lacy. I’m glad you got her.”

  “She’s changed,” Dani said.

  Allie gave a soft snort. “Haven’t we all? Even Mel.”

  “No kidding,” Dani said with a wry smile. Their ultra-driven sister had finally stopped dealing with her demons by never slowing down and had settled on a remote ranch in New Mexico with her new husband. “I need to call her, too. Tell her the news.”

  “That reminds me—Mom phoned late last night. They’re heading off to the Great White North to fish. We shouldn’t expect to hear from her for a while.”

  “Mom the world traveler.” And she deserved it. After more than a decade of living lean in order to raise the girls on the Lightning Creek Ranch as her late husband had asked, she’d remarried and was living comfortably in Florida. “I hate to cut this short,” Dani said, “but I need to load Lacy while there are still some people around to help if I have trouble.”

  “Be careful,” Allie warned in a serious voice. “I’d like you to be in one piece when I see you tomorrow.”

  “Will do.” Dani ended the call and dropped the phone back into her pocket. As she started for Lacy’s pen, she saw someone loitering nearby, then stifled a groan as she realized just who it was. Marti Kendall. Petite, toned and tanned, dressed in slim-fitting Wranglers and a studded black T-shirt, she looked like she’d stepped out of a Western fashion ad in Horse & Rider.

  “Hey, Marti,” Dani said as she opened the gate to Lacy’s pen, “was that you bidding against me?”

  “No,” Marti said with a light laugh, brushing back a hank of her beautifully streaked light brown hair. “I have more than enough horses to deal with. The last thing I need is a crazy one.” She leaned her arms on the rails, fixing Dani with a candid look. “So is it true what I’ve heard?”

  “Depends on just what that was,” Dani said, coiling the halter rope. Marti had been a couple of years behind her in school and the undisputed queen of her class—no, make that of Eagle Valley High. The aura still clung to her, making it difficult for Dani to warm up to the woman. What made Marti so certain that she was a cut above everyone else, other than her perfect looks and amazing horse skills?

  “That you’ve come home to start training for a living? Just like me and Dad?” she asked brightly.

  “Seems like a good time to do it.”

  “Wow. I hope you’ve done your research.” She spoke with a note of concern that didn’t fool Dani one bit. “You know that the market is fairly saturated here.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” Dani said, trying to infuse some sweetness into her dead tone.


  “I guess what I’m saying is, since you’re just starting out, don’t be surprised if you can’t get enough work to make ends meet. Dad and I are kind of the go-to trainers in the region.” She flashed her very perfect teeth. “But you know that.”

  “Why,” Dani asked slowly, “would you care if I made ends meet?”

  Marti seemed surprised by the question. “Because I’d hate to see you fail.”

  Yeah. Right. And I have this bridge...

  “I’ll be fine,” Dani said. “Thanks for your concern.”

  “Well, good luck.” Marti patted the side of Lacy’s pen, the silver bangles on her arm jingling as she moved. She started for the door, then stopped and turned back. “Since you’re here, can I sign you up for an Eagle Valley Days committee? We have a lot of last-minute details to work out.”

  “I need to work out a schedule before I commit. I may not have time.”

  “Oh...and Chad’s family is pretty heavily involved. I understand.” She sounded as if she actually did understand as she expertly delivered the Chad jab. “But if you change your mind, give a call. We’re in the book.”

  “I’m sure I can find your number.”

  “Just look under ‘horse training’ in the Yellow Pages,” Marti said with another bright smile. “I think we’re the first entry.”

  * * *

  “SHOT DOWN. HOW UNUSUAL.”

  Gabe smirked at his assistant, hoping the full effect came across on the FaceTime phone connection, even though Serena Anderson Widmeyer was impervious to both his charm and his temper.

  “I’m not trying to date her. I’m trying to get to know her. Make friends.” Then offer her a fair price for a piece of land he needed. He had it on good authority that there were stability issues on the Lightning Creek Ranch and that it had come close to being put on the market a few months ago. He planned to capitalize on that instability as soon as possible.

  “Hard to do if she shuts you down,” Serena said with a wicked smile that came through clearly, even though she had the airport terminal window at her back.

  “You’re a rotten assistant.”

  “That’s what happens when you hire the boss’s family.”

  “You aren’t family,” he muttered.

  “I was at one time,” she reminded him with a serene smile.

  And then she’d come to her senses. She and his best friend, Neal Widmeyer, had been ridiculously unhappy in their marriage, but after the divorce, both had continued to work for Widmeyer Enterprises in different departments. Oddly, they now seemed to like each other much better than when they were married. Good thing, because Stewart Widmeyer did not take well to dissension in the ranks.

  “What do you think of the place?” she asked.

  “Potential. A lot of potential.” Nestled against a mountain with a fishing stream running through it and within shuttle distance of a ski resort, it was a gem of a property, nicely protected from the rest of the valley by Lightning Creek Ranch acreage.

  “Enough to compete with Timberline?” Timberline was the resort on the opposite side of the valley that Stewart’s former partner had essentially stolen before parting ways with Widmeyer Enterprises.

  “I think so. Eventually,” Gabe said. But they needed more land, first to insulate the proposed resort from the possibility of encroaching housing developments and, more important, to make a world-class golf course. Timberline didn’t have a golf course and had no hope of procuring the acreage at this point in the game.

  That was Stewart’s trump card.

  He planned to make a bigger, better, more exclusive resort than Timberline, steal Timberline clientele and make his duplicitous partner, Mark Jeffries, pay. The trick was keeping the plans under wraps while Gabe investigated the possibility of buying the Lightning Creek. If anyone associated with Timberline figured out that Widmeyer Enterprises was looking at property, land prices would go up astronomically. That was where Gabe came in. Jeffries, of course, knew all the family members who worked for Widmeyer. He didn’t know Gabe, who acted as an independent consultant. His name was on no company rosters—he was identified only as Process Resources, Inc. He was nameless and faceless, and was thus able to lease the Staley property with no fear of word leaking out. He’d even drummed up a few side contracts so that he had something to do while he “vacationed” in his new house.

  “They just called my flight,” Serena said, “which means you have to do without me for the next two weeks because I’m turning off my phone.”

  “Right.”

  “No, really. I’m doing it.”

  “I’ll expect you to call for an update tomorrow.”

  Serena made a rude noise. “Won’t happen. Good luck with Ms. Brody,” she said. “Gotta go.”

  “What if I need you?” he asked, just to be a dick.

  Serena made a face and then the screen went blank. Gabe smiled to himself as he set the phone down on the table.

  Good luck with Ms. Brody. He was going to need it.

  Temporarily moving to Montana from his home base in Bloomington, Illinois, getting to know Danica Brody and then introducing the idea of a sale had seemed a logical approach, but now that he’d met Dani, he sensed that he’d have to move carefully. Take his time, collect information. Refrain from pushing too hard and spooking her.

  He could play it that way. And in the meantime...

  Yes. In the meantime.

  Gabe strode through the house, paused and looked out the window at the spectacular view, then walked back into the living room and unrolled a map. His side contract was a simple project designing a small park for a town in Idaho. He’d put in a low bid just to get something to work on and now he didn’t feel like working on it. For the next few days, until the service providers had time to work him into their schedules, he had no internet, no TV. No company. He wasn’t one for big gatherings and a lot of social interaction, but he wouldn’t mind hearing the sound of a human voice, either.

  When was the last time he’d been lonely? Or ever considered the possibility of being lonely?

  After an hour of staring at his project and listening to music on his phone, Gabe finally walked out of the house and headed for his car. If nothing else, he’d go eat somewhere, soak up some local atmosphere.

  An hour later he had to concede defeat. Atmosphere soaking had not gone well. He’d hit a small tavern that served food, ate a steak dinner by himself, then wandered into the bar for a drink. Obviously McElroy’s was a very local establishment, since no one tried to make conversation with him, with the exception of the bartender, and that was duty talk.

  Gabe didn’t mind. He conversed with the bartender until he finished his lone beer, then tipped the guy decently and hit the road back home again. He’d learned nothing of value, but he’d made the guy laugh a few times and considered that a decent inroad.

  On the drive home, he was debating about the best way to make contact with Danica Brody without getting shot down again, when he rounded a corner and something white and large—no, huge—appeared in the road in front of him. He jerked the steering wheel to the right and mud flew as the tires spun, then caught, yanking the car sideways and slamming it into the ditch. Gabe’s forehead smacked the steering wheel and then he slumped back into his seat, checking his forehead for blood. His hand came away clean and he dropped it into his lap.

  Well, shit.

  Gabe let out a long breath, shoved the door open and got out to assess damage. In the distance, he could hear the hollow thud of hooves on the hard-packed road.

  A horse.

  A black-and-white horse.

  And Gabe was pretty darned certain he knew where to find the owner.

  CHAPTER TWO

  GABE WALKED ACROSS the field toward the lights of the Lighting Creek Ranch, hunching his shoulders against the wind. The distance was deceptive and what he’d thought was at the most a ten-minute walk through the tall grass took well over twenty, but finally he climbed through the fence onto the driveway and mad
e his way to the house.

  Deep booming barks followed his knock on the front door and a few seconds later Dani glanced through the window, frowning as she realized who was on the porch. Instead of pulling the door open, she cracked it a few inches, hushing the giant dog behind her as she did so. She did not look happy at seeing him on her porch.

  “I almost hit a horse with my car. I think it was the one you just bought.”

  The color drained from her face. “Are you sure?”

  “It happened fast, but yeah.”

  Without another word, Dani grabbed a coat and stepped outside, shutting the door before the dog got out. She brushed past Gabe, taking the porch steps two at a time, her golden-brown braid bouncing on her back.

  Gabe followed her across the driveway to the corrals attached to one side of the barn. Once there she pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and snapped it on, sweeping the light through the enclosure not once, but twice, as if she could possibly miss something as large as a horse. The corral was most definitely empty.

  “How did she get out?” Gabe asked.

  Dani shook her head as she reached out to rattle the closed gate. The latch held firm. “I don’t know, but I have to find her before someone hits her.” She hurried back across the drive, head down against the wind.

  “Where’s your car?” she asked.

  “It’s in the ditch.”

  Dani stopped. “Is it damaged?” she asked on a startled note.

  “I don’t know.”

  “We can use the tractor to pull it out just as soon as I find the mare.”

  “I’ll get a tow truck.”

  “I can’t afford a tow truck. I’m on a tight budget,” she said as she once again made a beeline to the house. Gabe had to trot to keep up with her.

  “I’ll pay for it.”

  “Why would you do that when I can just pull you out?”

  Gabe shook his head, then followed. Where he came from, women didn’t pull cars out of ditches with tractors. Nor did guys. They called tow trucks, as he was going to do.

  “Which way did she run?”

  “I was kind of busy hitting the ditch after she charged me, so I’m not certain.”