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  Cody looked thoughtful. “How is your relationship with your stepdad?”

  Carilyn smiled. “George is like a father to me. Much more so than my birth father.” She cocked her head to the side. “What about you? Do you have much family here? I met your cousin and you mentioned a brother.”

  “My parents passed away some time ago,” Cody said. “But I have a boatload of cousins, aunts, and uncles in the Prescott Valley. The McBride clan is one of the biggest and oldest families in the area.”

  “I take it your reunions are pretty wild?” Carilyn said.

  He laughed. “You could say that.”

  Carilyn shifted on her seat. “I’d bet you have some stories to tell.”

  “You have no idea.” He grinned. “Do you have anything planned while you’re here?”

  “I haven’t made any plans yet.” She pushed a loose curl from her face. “I do want to go to Sedona sometime. I hear there’s a great dress shop there.”

  His lips twitched. “Couldn’t vouch for that, but I can tell you that Sedona has one of the best fudge shops anywhere. The only fudge I’ve had that’s better is Leigh’s.”

  “You’re a big fan of fudge, I take it,” she said. “Plain with no nuts, right?”

  “You’ve got it,” he said. “You could say I’m a purist.”

  She laughed. “I’ll have to try some when I go.”

  “If you’d like someone to go along, I’d be glad to take you,” he said.

  Something tickled her insides as she met his gaze. “I’d like that.” She found herself saying the words before she could stop herself. She’d already made plans to go to his ranch, and now Sedona, too?

  He smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  She suddenly felt jittery and wondered why she would feel nervous now. “I should find Leigh.” She let her gaze drift over the room but didn’t see her friend.

  “It’s possible she went outside with Mike,” Cody said. “It would be easier to hear out there.”

  She turned back to him. “I’m only going to be here a month,” she found herself saying.

  He nodded. “You might as well enjoy yourself while you’re here.” He gave a little grin. “Who knows? You might decide to stay.”

  “I don’t think so.” She couldn’t help returning his smile. “You and Leigh don’t give up easily though, do you.”

  “Nope.” He shifted his elbow on the bar. “Do you have anyone back in Kansas?”

  “If you mean a boyfriend, then no.” She shook her head. “My long-time boyfriend broke it off and went into the Peace Corps a few months ago.”

  “That must have been a tough thing to go through,” Cody said.

  She considered it for a moment. “It was unexpected and it wasn’t easy, but I’ve moved on.”

  Cody raised his beer bottle. “Are you still friends with your ex?”

  “He’s a good guy,” she said as Cody took a drink of his beer. “We’ll always be friends.”

  Carilyn started to ask him if he had any girlfriends, but Leigh’s cheery voice drew Carilyn’s and Cody’s attention.

  “I’ve got an early flight so I need to head home and get to bed,” Leigh said.

  Carilyn slid off her barstool. “I’m ready.”

  Cody got up from his stool and pulled a cell phone from a holster on his belt. “Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll text you directions in the morning?”

  “Directions?” Leigh looked intrigued.

  Carilyn knew she was in for a grilling once they got out of the bar. “Cody invited me to his ranch tomorrow. I’ve never been on a ranch.”

  Leigh gave a wide smile. “That’s awesome.”

  Carilyn wanted to elbow Leigh, who looked tremendously pleased, but instead Carilyn turned her attention back to Cody and rattled off her phone number, which he entered into his phone contacts.

  He shoved the phone back into his holster. “See you tomorrow morning.”

  “See you,” Carilyn said before she turned and walked out the door with Leigh.

  As they headed into the cool night, Leigh put her hand on Carilyn’s arm and squeezed. “I knew you two would get together.”

  Carilyn shook her head. “I’m just going to his ranch.” She wasn’t ready to tell her friend that she’d said she’d go to Sedona with him, too. Leigh would be unbearably excited about it.

  “Well it’s a great start,” Leigh said with satisfaction.

  A start to what? Carilyn wondered. Certainly not a relationship—that wasn’t going to happen.

  ***

  Chapter 7

  Leigh and Mike left for the airport before Carilyn woke Saturday morning, and now Carilyn found herself driving to Cody’s ranch. It was starting out to be a pretty day with a clear blue sky, not a cloud anywhere to be seen.

  When the text came in that morning from Cody with his address and directions, Carilyn had felt an inexplicable burst of excitement to see a message from him. Well, maybe it was explainable—but she really did know better.

  If she knew better, why was she driving to Cody’s ranch this very minute?

  She shook her head. The fact was that she was undeniably attracted to him, and seeing him like this was a dangerous road to follow when she would only be here for a month.

  It isn’t a problem, she told herself. She could handle this. Sure she could.

  Fifteen minutes after leaving town, she arrived at a mailbox with C. McBRIDE stenciled on it. She’d seen two other mailboxes with the same last name, but this was the only one resting on a green pole like he’d mentioned in the directions.

  She turned onto the drive that the mailbox marked and Leigh’s car jostled and vibrated as it crossed over a cattle guard and down the bumpy dirt road.

  The closer Carilyn got to the ranch at the end of the road, the harder she clenched the steering wheel. Breathe, she told herself. Just relax. Easier said than done.

  She crossed another cattle guard as she looked at the sprawling ranch house, the large barn, and what looked like a storage shed. Corrals were behind and to the side of the barn and three horses were inside one of the corrals. Reddish-brown cows with white faces were on the other side of the fence in a pasture covered with green grass.

  When she pulled up to the house and parked, the front door of the house opened and Cody stepped through the doorway. Her heart pounded a little faster when she saw his sexy smile and she watched his easy stride toward the car. She turned off the car and brushed her sweaty palms on her jeans before pulling the keys out of the ignition. She’d just leave her purse in the car—she wasn’t going to need it now.

  She pushed her long red braid over her shoulder and started to open the car door, but Cody was there before she could and he opened it for her. She climbed out and stuffed the car keys in the front pocket of her jeans as he shut the car door.

  “Hi.” She smiled at him.

  “Welcome to the old homestead,” he said with a return smile and a shy hug.

  He stepped back and she said, “Thanks for inviting me.” She wasn’t sure what else to say so she looked at the livestock. “What kind of cows do you have?”

  “I have Hereford cattle.” He gave a nod in that direction. “Come on and I’ll show you around.”

  “All right.” She fell into step beside him. The midmorning sun was warm on her arms that weren’t covered by her plain cinnamon-colored T-shirt.

  He glanced at her as they walked. “Did you have any problems finding my place?”

  She shook her head. “None at all.”

  They walked up to a pasture fence. The smell of manure was strong—it reminded her of times she’d gone to the state fair as a kid and had looked at the animals.

  “I breed to sell to 4-H and FFA kids around the state to raise and show at competitions as well as county fairs and the state fair,” Cody said as they stopped in front of the fence. “So my herd is show quality. I also sell steers to individuals who buy for the fresh beef.”

  “I’m
a city girl,” she said. “What’s the difference between a cow and a steer?”

  “A cow is a female who has given birth at least once or twice.” He gestured to one of the larger animals, then moved his finger to point to a smaller one. “Heifers are from one to two years old and have never calved.

  “Calves are less than ten months old and rely on their mother or a bottle for milk,” he continued as he nodded to a pair of calves beside a cow. He moved to a larger animal. “A steer is a castrated male and used primarily for beef.”

  She nodded. “And bulls are males used for breeding?”

  “Yep.” He pointed to a larger animal corralled a good distance from the pasture. “That’s the bull.”

  “So you don’t refer to a herd as cows,” she said.

  “That’s right,” he said. “They’re referred to as cattle. A rancher will refer to the number he or she owns as how many head of cattle they have.” He nodded toward the herd. “I have twenty-five head right now.”

  “Why don’t they have horns?” she asked.

  He looked at her. “Hereford are normally horned, but these are naturally polled through selective breeding.”

  “Interesting.” She smiled. “Learn something new every day.”

  With a grin he said, “Ready to see the horses?”

  She nodded. “You bet.”

  They approached the corral with the three large animals. “Are you familiar with horses?”

  “Not more than that they’re horses,” she said. “I’ve never ridden and I couldn’t begin to tell you what kind they are.”

  “All three of my girls are Quarter horses.” He gestured to one on the left. “She’s a palomino. That refers to her coloring—gold coat and white mane and tail.” He nodded toward the other two. “The twins are also Quarter horses but they’re sorrels.”

  “One palomino and two sorrels, all three are Quarter horses,” she repeated. “Got it.” She looked up at him. “What does sorrel mean?”

  They reached the corral and Cody put his hands on the top wooden rail before stepping onto the bottom rail and raising himself up. “It’s for their brownish-red coloring.”

  Carilyn followed his example and climbed up onto the rails. He was somewhere around six-one, a good seven inches taller than her, so he was a good deal higher over the top rail than she was.

  He whistled and the horses raised their heads. The palomino started toward them. Cody glanced at Carilyn. “I have a different whistle for each of my girls.” When the horse reached them, he stroked her forehead. “This is Dolly.”

  Carilyn laughed. “With all of that blonde hair, the palomino must be named Dolly after Dolly Parton, right?”

  “You’ve got it.” He grinned. “One of the 4-H kids who worked for me named the other two when they were born. The one with white markings is Molly. The other is Holly.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few green pellets. “Why don’t you feed these to Dolly? Let me see your palm.” Carilyn did as he told her and he dropped the pellets onto her palm. “Now hold out your hand.”

  She wrinkled her forehead. “Dolly won’t bite?”

  He shook his head. “Nope.”

  Carilyn did as he told her. Dolly snuffled over Carilyn’s palm and the horse’s velvety muzzle tickled her hand. The horse smelled…horsey. The next thing she knew, the pellets were gone.

  “Dolly is so beautiful,” Carilyn said as she stroked the mare’s forehead. She glanced at the other pair that looked interested in what was going on. “So are your sorrels. Can I feed Holly and Molly, too?”

  “You bet.” He whistled to the sorrels and they both trotted over to Carilyn and Cody.

  Carilyn held out her palm again and Cody gave her a few pellets, which she fed to Molly. “Their muzzles feel so soft.” She held out her hand to Cody and he put more pellets on it, which she fed to Holly.

  When they had fed all of the pellets to the horses, Cody said, “If you’re up for it, I’d like to take you out for a ride.” He nodded to the sorrel with the white markings. “You can ride Molly.”

  She held her hand to her belly. “What if I fall off?”

  “I promise, you’ll be fine.” He inclined his head toward the house. “Let’s pack a picnic lunch and then we’ll head on out.”

  She found herself feeling more excited than doubtful and she smiled at him. “Okay. I’m ready to experience ranch life.”

  “Great.” He started toward the house and she walked beside him. “What do you like—roast beef, turkey, or egg salad?”

  “Any of those is great,” she said, “but if I had to choose one I’d go with egg salad.”

  The house was cool as they stepped inside. The living room was spacious, with chocolate brown leather sofa and love seat, a recliner in caramel-colored leather, a big wooden rocker, and a large flat-screen TV. Cody hung his hat on a rack by the front door. A guitar case was next to the hat rack.

  She glanced from the case to Cody. “Do you play guitar?”

  “Yep,” he said. “I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”

  Carilyn followed him into the kitchen with light oak cabinets, dark granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances. A round oak table with four chairs was in a nook to the right.

  She looked around the kitchen. “I like your kitchen.”

  “Thanks. Just had it remodeled in January.” He went to the fridge and ducked inside. In moments he had pulled out condiments, meats, and hard-boiled eggs, along with tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.

  They set about putting several sandwiches together. Carilyn only wanted one egg salad sandwich, but Cody made three different sandwiches for himself. With their picnic lunch, he included Oreo cookies, corn chips, green grapes, and a thermos of iced tea. When they were finished, he packed everything into a saddlebag, including paper plates, paper napkins, and a canteen of water.

  “Hold on and I’ll be right back,” he said.

  She nodded and he left the kitchen. When he came back, he was wearing a holster with a revolver in it.

  Her brows lifted. “You’re carrying a gun?”

  He nodded. “You never know out here if you might run into a rattlesnake. These bullets have snake shot in them.”

  At the mention of rattlesnakes, her eyes widened. “You’re worried about snakes?”

  “Not really.” He walked to the saddlebags and slung them over his shoulder. “But better safe than sorry.”

  She followed him out of the kitchen. He grabbed his hat off the hat rack and put it on.

  As they left the house and walked to the barn, nervous tension settled on her shoulders and she rolled them to try and get rid of it. She was actually going to ride one of those big animals and attempt to stay on it.

  Once they were in the barn, Cody set aside the saddlebags and whistled to Molly and Holly, and the sorrel mares trotted into the barn. He haltered Molly and took her to the tack room where he put a thick saddle blanket and saddle on her back. After Molly was taken care of, Cody took Holly out of the pen and saddled her, too.

  When Cody was finished, he put the saddlebags on Holly then turned to Carilyn. “I’ll help you mount Molly.”

  Carilyn rubbed her hands on her jeans while she felt a quick burst of nerves, but nodded and went to the horse. Cody instructed her on how to mount the big animal. With his help, from the left side of the horse she put her left foot in the stirrups and swung her right leg over before settling into the saddle. Not very gracefully, but she made it into her seat. It felt strange sitting on a saddle, the huge beast between her legs.

  With one hand on the pommel, Carilyn leaned forward and patted the big horse’s neck. “That’s a good girl, Molly,” she murmured before settling back into the saddle.

  It felt kind of cool sitting so high up and feeling the horse shift beneath her. The mare’s tail swished as she swatted flies off of her large rump. It surprised Carilyn when she realized that her nervousness had vanished to be replaced by excitement.

  Cody handed her t
he reins. “I’ll tell you what to do once we take off.”

  She nodded and tried holding on to the excitement and to remain loose and not uptight. She watched as he mounted his own horse then moved Holly close to Molly.

  He instructed her on how to hold the reins and how to get the horse to go in the direction she wanted it to.

  “Molly will follow Holly, so you don’t need to worry too much about it,” Cody said when he finished.

  Carilyn fiddled with the end of her braid. “Okay.”

  When they started out of the barn, her belly swooped again as she felt the horse move beneath her. She gripped the reins tightly but tried to relax at the same time like Cody had instructed her.

  They reached the pasture and Cody dismounted and opened the gate. He led both horses through then closed the gate behind them before mounting Holly again.

  Carilyn breathed in the fresh air and felt the breeze against her cheeks as they started into the pasture. She felt a sudden high from the cool spring morning and being astride such a majestic animal.

  “This is fun.” She flashed a smile at Cody. “Thanks for inviting me.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” He returned her smile. “It’s a beautiful day for a ride.”

  “It is.” She tipped her face up to the sun for a moment before looking back to him. “I’ll worry about setting up my laptop tomorrow. I was going to do that today, but this is much more fun.”

  “I imagine it’s going to take you a little time to load your new laptop with everything you need,” he said.

  “It’s going to be a pain in the butt.” She sighed. “I lost a perfectly good laptop that was less than a year old. Thursday I called to have software overnighted to me that is specialized for the work I do, and it arrived yesterday morning.”

  “Do you work on weekends?” he asked.