Cowboy Enchantment - By Pamela Browning Page 0,35

of her imagination, and she’d better put a stop to it. But how? She had been imagining her perfect cowboy all of her adult life, and now that she’d found him, who could blame her for giving her imagination full rein?

She turned away, but he reached out and stopped her by casually resting a hand on her shoulder. When she thought about what she’d just imagined that hand could do, she felt a blush creep up the sides of her neck, the warmth of it staining her cheeks.

He did not seem to notice. “Let’s go out back for a minute.”

He didn’t say why, and she didn’t question. It was enough to know that he was enjoying her company enough to want to spend extra time with her.

In the back of the house was a tumbledown wooden shed. “This was where the Iversons kept their farm animals,” he said. To one side a trickle of water dribbled from a pipe into a basin made of a hollowed-out rock. A tin cup on a chain dangled from the pipe. “You can taste the water if you like,” he said.

She held the cup under the water until she had collected enough to drink. The water was surprisingly cool. “Tastes a little salty,” she said after a sip.

“It is,” Hank agreed. “But okay to drink.”

While Hank stacked flowerpots in the old shed, she took a few pictures of the light and shadow playing across its weatherbeaten boards. By the time the sun tinged the snowy mountain peaks pink in the distance, they were ready to leave.

She remained quiet on the way back to the ranch. The square dance was tonight, and Hank hadn’t mentioned it. As they rode into the stable yard, she was mulling over whether she should ask him if she’d see him there, but before she decided, Cord McCall strode out of the feed room.

“Hank, where you been?”

“We’ve just come from the Iverson place. It’s time to fix those windows.” Hank swung down from Whip’s back, but before he could reach Erica to help her dismount, Cord had reached for Melba’s bridle.

Erica dismounted on her own. Cord gave her a curt nod and led Melba into her stall. Not knowing what else to do, Erica tagged along.

“Hank, I’ll help you rub the horses down, and then you and me need to sit down and figure out our purchasing requirements for the stable,” Cord said.

“I’ll need to make sure Justine isn’t tired of looking after Kaylie,” Hank said. “I was planning to go over to the Big House.”

Cord looked disgruntled. “I’ve only got a few minutes until I have to be on the road,” he said. “I was hoping we could settle things before I go.”

“I’ll check with Justine about Kaylie,” Erica said. “If you like.”

Hank seemed to notice her for the first time since they’d ridden in. “Would you? I’d be grateful. Tell Justine I’ll be there as soon as we finish up here.”

Erica set off for the Big House, not minding the errand. Since she had her camera with her, she’d use this opportunity to snap some shots of Murphy. If Kaylie was available, she’d take some photos of her, as well.

But she wouldn’t ask Justine if Hank was going to the dance. Her pride wouldn’t let her.

AN HOUR OR SO after he arrived back at the ranch, Justine was fixing Hank with a no-nonsense glare. “What do you mean you don’t want to go to the dance tonight?”

Hank shifted his weight to his other foot. “I want to take Kaylie off your hands.”

“Don’t be silly, Hank. We have a whole lot of women who are going to need partners tonight, pardner.”

Hank unwrapped a fresh cookie from its cellophane wrap and handed it to his daughter, whose eyes lit up as she grabbed it. “The last job I had, they didn’t expect me to work all day and dance all night,” he said glumly. Still, he’d bet Erica was going to be at the square dance.

“The last job you had didn’t provide free baby-sitting,” Justine said tartly. “Anyway, was it really work to take a leisurely trail ride with Erica today?”

“Not exactly,” he admitted. “Hey, did she put you up to this?”

“To what?”

“To insisting I go to the dance.”

“No. She delivered the message that you’d be here soon and took Murphy for a run so she could take some pictures of him. We did not discuss you. You like her, don’t you?” Justine’s sideways glance was mischievous.

“I didn’t say that,”