His cell phone began to beep, making him grateful for the interruption. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen. “I have to take this.”
“Thanks for the water.”
She walked away at a brisk stride. He didn’t let his annoyance with himself stop him from watching her. For a short woman, she had legs that were long and shapely, and she obviously took care of herself.
Then he swore as he realized his cell phone had gone to voice mail. Before he could call the supplier back, he heard the arrival of another horse and glanced over his shoulder to see his sister, Brooke, bearing down on him, looking past him to Emily.
With a sigh, Nate patted Apollo’s neck and mounted to meet his sister at eye level, which wasn’t difficult when she sat in the saddle almost as tall as he did. Her brown hair was hidden by her cowboy hat, but he knew a long braid trailed down her back, and although it got in the way sometimes, she didn’t cut it. Those intelligent hazel eyes finally settled on him.
“So who was that?” Brooke asked. “I didn’t recognize her.”
“Emily Murphy. She just came to town to see about some old family property she inherited.”
Brooke’s amused eyes suddenly focused on him with new light. “I see.”
He didn’t stiffen, knowing how easily she could read him. “What do you see?”
“Grandma Thalberg was here yesterday.”
He wanted to wince. “Then you know everything I do. I’m sure Emily will be gone soon enough, and we can go back to knowing just our regular neighbors’ business.”
It was bad enough he couldn’t get Emily out of his mind, but he certainly didn’t need his sister or brother to know that. Although with the way Josh had been picking fights, maybe rumors of woman trouble would distract him.
“So what happened to Ashlee?” Brooke asked.
Nate frowned. “What do you mean? Is something wrong with her?”
“Oh, Nate, you’re hopeless,” Brooke said with a groan. “No, there’s nothing wrong with her. Although shouldn’t you know that since you’ve been dating her?”
“Was dating her. We cooled it off.”
“You mean you cooled it off. Had she reached the ten-date limit?”
He guided Apollo back down the road, away from town. Brooke’s gelding ambled alongside, while Scout trotted beside them, occasionally pausing to stick his nose in a hole.
“I don’t have any dating limits,” he said mildly, then remembered that Josh had first come up with that supposed rule.
“Oh, please. Every girl in Valentine knows your dating rules. I think Ashlee let her hopes get too high.”
“No, she didn’t,” Nate said patiently. “She sensibly asked me if I’d like to take our relationship deeper, and I regretfully said no. No tears, no recriminations.” Ashlee and all the others like her were safe from him—he knew when to stop himself from getting too involved, saw the warning signs a mile away—except where Emily was concerned.
“She knew the score, like every woman in Valentine Valley.” Brooke glanced over her shoulder as if she could still see Emily. “But this woman’s new. Someone will have to explain how it all works to her. You can’t trust Grandma Thalberg for that. If it were up to her, we’d each be married already.”
“Married?” He smiled. “You have a barrel-racing career to advance.”
She snorted. “You know I’ll be lucky to win at our rodeo, let alone take my meager talents on the road.”
With a laugh, he said, “Don’t worry about Emily. She doesn’t seem to be the tenderhearted sort. She’s fixed on repairing her property, selling it, and leaving.”
“Your ideal woman.”
“Will you stop it?” he demanded with exasperation. “You can find out the truth all by yourself the next time you see Monica Shaw. As I was leaving yesterday, I saw her curious face peering out at me. You can bet she’s hightailed it next door already.”
Brooke’s face lighted up at the mention of her best friend. “Then I know who I have to visit today.”
“We’re going out to inspect the irrigation ditches at Cooper’s Mine. Dad and Josh are waiting for us up at the barn. I think we have some holes that need plugging. That could take all day.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring my hip boots. That’ll help me wade through the bullshit you always spout.”
With a tap of his bootheels, he had his mount dancing up against hers, and laughing, they took off at a gallop for the barn, Scout chasing them with eager excitement.
The Silver Creek Ranch was a sprawling complex of a half