He’d managed to escape the homey little scene in the living room and was now in the horse barn mucking out stalls, venting his frustration by jamming the pitchfork into fresh hay.

He heard footfalls behind him and knew it was Jim. Coming to chew him out, no doubt.

“I thought for sure once you saw her you’d be dying to teach her,” Jim said as he approached.

Hank didn’t look up. “I’m not.”

“Come on, Hank. She’s quite a looker.”

“Forget our deal. You give her lessons, then.”

“You know Jess won’t agree to that. Especially now that she’s seen her.”

Hank’s eyes shot up. “You’re attracted to her?” he asked, outrage in his voice.

Jim held up his hands. “Compared to Jess? Not on your life. Besides, I won’t let you out of this. You agreed to take her on, and that’s what’s going to happen. Get used to it. We’ve got a business to run here.”

Jim had a point, but Hank wouldn’t concede it. Nor would he admit that ever since Jim had arrived at the Lazy L, his sister’s idea of turning the family homestead into a dude ranch had worked better than he’d expected.

Instead, he said, “I think we ought to refuse her. Just send her on her way.”

“I’ve got a better idea. You give her what she paid for.”

Hank threw down the pitchfork.

“Fine. I’ll teach her. But she’s mine only for the lessons. The rest of the time you and Jessie entertain her.”

“SO, DID HE AGREE to be nice?” Jessica looked up from the casserole she was preparing when she heard her husband come in.

“Not exactly,” Jim replied. He told her about the compromise of them having to entertain their guest.

Jessica shook her head. “I don’t mind entertaining her when I can, but I don’t understand him. We have a beautiful single woman here at the ranch and he has to go find other women? What’s wrong with him?”

“He doesn’t want to feel trapped. I understand him.”

Jessica’s brows rose. “Oh, really? You feel trapped with me?”

Jim reached out and pulled his wife into a bear hug. “You know what I mean.” He gave her a kiss. “Give him time. He may change his mind.”

“I doubt it. He’s too wrapped up in the action in town. Those women are only out to capture him. They know that whichever one he chooses will be well provided for.”

“I’m sure he’ll realize that before it’s too late.”

“I hope so. It would make life miserable if he married a woman who wanted breakfast in bed every day.”

Jim kissed his wife. “It’ll work out. Don’t worry. In the meantime—”

“Am I interrupting?”

They both turned to see Andrea at the door.

“I wasn’t sure whether I was allowed in the kitchen.”

Jessica ushered her in. “If we were in full guest mode, you wouldn’t, simply because it gets too crowded in here with the staff. But since you’re the only guest, we’ll be using the kitchen to eat in. We have dinner at six.”

Andrea smiled. “Good. I had visions of eating in the dining room all by myself. That would be horrible.”

“Is everything all right in your room?”

“Yes, of course. It’s lovely. And I was wondering if I’ll be able to use a washer and dryer while I’m here.”

“You can, but I’d be glad to do your laundry.”

“I can do it. And you don’t have to clean my room more than once a week.”

“You’re certainly making it easy for me,” Jessica said. Then, as if remembering something, she gave a startled “Oh” then moved across the room to a counter where she picked up a box. “I forgot to put this in your room.”

“What is it?” Andrea asked.

“Epsom salts. They’ll help reduce the soreness you’ll feel when you start riding. You fill your tub with hot water and pour in a cup of this before you soak.”

Andrea cringed. “Will I be that sore?”

Jim laughed. “Horseback riding requires the use of some muscles that aren’t used often.”

“Then thanks, I think. I’ll run this up to my room.” She started, then stopped. “I was wondering, is there a store nearby where I can pick up some jeans for riding? I only have designer jeans and somehow I don’t think they’re the right thing to wear.”

“There’s a good place in town,” Jessica said. “I suspect there’re other things you’ll need, too. We can go after dinner, if you want.”

“Only if you let me come,” Jim told his wife, wrapping his arms around her again and pulling her close.

Jessica grinned at him, then turned to Andrea. She smiled and wiggled her brows. “We’re newlyweds, you know what I mean?”

Andrea returned the smile, but truthfully she didn’t have a clue what she meant.

AT SIX O’CLOCK exactly Hank entered the kitchen. He’d managed to find chores to occupy his afternoon and had avoided his new guest. Now, freshly showered and dressed, he was hungry.

He sat down at the table in his usual spot and noticed the fourth place setting. “Who’s joining us?” he asked his sister, though he was afraid to hear the answer.

Before Jess could reply, a small voice said, “I am.”

He turned to find Andrea walking through the kitchen door.

“Is that a problem?” she asked when she took the seat across from him.

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. But guests usually eat in the dining room.”

“Andrea’s not a conventional guest, Hank,” Jessie said as she put a platter of corn on the table, followed by a bowl of salad, biscuits and a steaming casserole. “She doesn’t want a fuss. And I, for one, appreciate it.”

Great, Hank thought. Just what he needed. Another “member of the family.” The New York side, he joked to himself.

When Jim came in and Jess said the blessing, everyone served themselves.

“Where were you all afternoon?” Jess asked Hank as she filled her plate. “I was showing Andrea around the ranch and I thought we’d run into you.”

“I had some things to do to get ready for tomorrow.”

“Oh. Have you chosen a horse for Andrea?”

“Yeah.”

Andrea spoke up. “Are you going to tell me about him?”

“Her,” he corrected tersely. “It’s a young mare I bought last summer with an Appaloosa bloodline.” Not that she’d know what that meant.

Jess asked, “Is that the one you bought from Dan Peters? She’s—”

As she swallowed a forkful of salad, Andrea suddenly began to choke, coughing into her hand.

“Are you all right?” Hank asked, rising to his feet. “I could do the Heimlich on you, if you need.”

“No!” Andrea managed to get out between coughs. “I’m fine.” She cleared her throat and took a drink. “You were saying, Jessica?”

“I think she’s a good choice, that mare. I rode her once or twice last summer. She’s very gentle.”

Hank nodded. “I think she’ll be good for Miss Jacobs.”

“Please, Hank, call me Andrea.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Don’t you think that’s a little too informal for a New York socialite?”

Jim fairly groaned, but Andrea seemed unaffected. She calmly said, “It may surprise you to know that though my family is well-off, I do work. And I can actually cook and clean for myself.”

“Really?” Hank tried for nonchalance, but he was actually intrigued. He thought she was a rich girl taken care of by daddy’s millions. “What do you do?” he asked in spite of himself.

“I’m a graphic designer for a small advertising firm.”

Hank could imagine that. Along with her real femininity and poise, she had an artsy quality about her, and wasn’t that a perfect education for a rich girl? Art school. He could see her now, going to class dressed in her designer clothes and carrying her sketches in a designer bag. No doubt she took a cab to school or had the chauffeur drop her off. No public transit for this girl.

“And you managed to get a month off from work?” he asked skeptically.

He could swear Andrea hesitated just a second before she replied, “I had some vacation time saved up.”

“Nice company.” He took a forkful of chicken casserole and thought aloud as he chewed. “I can’t even remember the last time I had a vacation.”

“Think of this next month as one,” Jim interjected. “You don’t have to deal with the herd.” He shot Hank a grin, and Jess laughed.

True, but he had to deal with Miss Jacobs. He wasn’t sure which was worse.

After Andrea took her first bite of the casserole, she looked at Jessica. “This is delicious.”

Jess smiled. “Thanks. I went to college for home ec.” She laughed.

“Actually, public relations,” Jim said.

“Sounds like the perfect preparation for your job.”

“Oh, I don’t usually cook. Hank’s and my older brother, Pete, married our chef. Mary Jo does a wonderful job of cooking. They’re on their honeymoon.”

“Yeah, she does,” Hank said. He looked at his sister, “You’re not so bad yourself, sis.”

“Thanks, Hank.”

When Hank had finished his dinner, he stood up to leave.

“You don’t want dessert?” Jess asked.

“You made dessert? Well, I might have some now that I think about it.”

She brought a cake plate from the counter and lifted the lid, revealing a chocolate cake.

“Oh, my, and I was thinking about refusing dessert, but like Hank, I’ve changed my mind.” Andrea smiled at Jessica.

“Good. I hope you like it, because you’ll probably get it again tomorrow.”

“I’m a chocoholic. You can’t give me too much chocolate. Are you a chocoholic, Hank?”

“No, Miss Jacobs, I’m not. I have no addictions.”

Andrea shot him a look, but Hank dove into his cake. He wolfed it down, then pushed away from the table. “If y’all will excuse me, I’m going to town.”

Andrea looked up. “So are we.”

Hank was startled. “Why?” he demanded.

“I need to do some shopping.”

“You brought three bags! Isn’t that enough clothes for you?”

“Apparently not,” she said with a smile, refusing to be offended.

“Women!” Hank said as he stomped out of the kitchen. “I wouldn’t be caught dead shopping.”

“I THINK THIS STORE will have exactly what you need,” Jessica said as they entered a large western clothing outlet in Steamboat Springs.

Andrea was surprised by how busy the town was for a weeknight. Every store was crowded. Some people looked to be tourists like her. In their fur jackets and Ugg boots they stood out from the regulars.

“Let’s start with jeans,” Jessica proposed as she led Andrea to the appropriate section.

Andrea followed, along with Jim. She’d helped the couple clean up the dishes and the kitchen after dinner in return for their help with her shopping.

Jessica picked out a few different styles and Andrea went into the dressing room to try them on.

When she emerged in one pair, Jessica and Jim nodded. “Perfect, Andrea,” Jessica said. “How do they feel?”

“Like sausage casing,” she said as she turned to view herself in the mirror. “And I’m the sausage.”

Jess laughed. “Then they fit just right.”

With Jessica’s help, she bought three pairs of jeans and a handful of western-style shirts, a ski jacket, long underwear and a pair of gloves. And boots.

“You need one more thing—a cowboy hat,” Jess said.

Andrea looked at her. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. But a hat’s a tricky fit. It has to be tight enough so it won’t fly off while you’re riding, but not so tight it’ll give you a headache. Jim will be more help there.”

“She’s right,” Jim said with a grin. “I’m the hat man.”

“I really appreciate it, Jim,” Andrea said. “You’re better at shopping than any man I know.”

“Maybe you don’t know many married men.” Jim laughed.

“I guess I don’t.”

When Jim took her to the hat section, she was surprised to see so many choices. She’d always thought one cowboy hat looked like another.

Jim gave her several to try, none of which apparently was right, then he led her around the aisle to another rack.

She heard a woman’s flirty laugh, followed by the rumble of a deep, sexy male voice. A voice she recognized.

Could it be?

She lifted her head so she could see from under the brim of the gray suede hat she’d tried on, and her eyes met a pair of brown ones shot through with topaz.

“Hank. What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be caught dead shopping.”

He let go of the woman he’d been embracing and put a hat on her long blond tresses. “I’m helping a friend pick out a hat.”

“I see,” Andrea said. “Maybe you can give your opinion about this hat.” She indicated the one she wore.

“A good choice,” Hank grudgingly said. “Of course, it’s also the most expensive.”

The blonde he was with tried on a few more hats. Then she stepped close to him, slid her hands up Hank’s chest and around his neck. “Ooh! I love this hat, Hank. Can I have it?”

He pulled her arms down. “Come on, Lucy, it’s not appropriate for you.”

“You just don’t want to pay for it because it’s so expensive.”

“No, that’s not the reason.”

“Pretty please, Hank? The color looks good on me.”

Andrea had to stifle a laugh as she noticed the lavender hat with an ostrich feather in red and purple encircling the crown.

“Fine, I’ll get it for you.”

She couldn’t help herself. “Nice choice!” she called out.

The blonde smiled. “Thanks.” Then she whispered something to Hank. Despite Hank’s sharp no, she spoke up, anyway. “We’re heading out for a drink and some dancing. Want to join us?”

Andrea shook her head. “Thanks, anyway. I’ve got an early day tomorrow.” She wanted to remind Hank that he did, too, but she held her tongue.

It didn’t matter to her what Hank Ledbetter did with his nights.

She watched him walk away with the blonde draped around him. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that pang in her stomach was jealousy.

Chapter Three

Andrea came down to the kitchen early the next morning. She hadn’t been able to sleep much in anticipation of her first riding lesson with Hank. She’d found Jessica already preparing breakfast, and lent a hand as they chatted.

They were laughing about some of the antics of previous guests when Hank entered the room and went directly to the coffeepot.

“You’d better eat a big breakfast or you’ll be starving by lunch!” he snapped.

Andrea had thought they’d prepared too much food, but she must’ve been inspired by the early hour, for she cleaned her plate. Hank did the same.

When Hank got up from the table, Andrea jumped up, too. She wasn’t going to be accused of dawdling.

Hank stared at her. “You ready?”

“Yes,” she said, putting on her new ski jacket and hat, and working on her gloves as she followed Hank.

As they walked to the horse barn, Andrea felt anticipation grow. Along with fear. She hoped she managed to do what her teacher asked without showing she was scared.

“Okay, first you need to know the equipment you’ll be using.” Hank began pointing out the parts that they used to saddle a horse. After he made her repeat the names of the parts, he introduced her to the horse she was going to ride. “This is Moonbeam.”

“Nice name.”

“She came with it. Dan Peters named her.”

Andrea stroked the horse several times under Hank’s supervision.

Then he brought out an apple and cut it in half. “Here, hold this flat in your hand and feed it to her.”

Andrea did as he said, refusing to ask if the horse would bite her. When the horse gently took the apple half and crunched it, Andrea stood amazed. Then she fed the mare the other half. When the animal nuzzled Andrea for more, Andrea looked at Hank. “Do you have more?”

“No. That’s enough. We don’t want to spoil her.”

Andrea stroked Moonbeam’s neck. But she watched Hank to see what came next.

“Now pick up the bridle. I’ll tell you how to put it on the horse.”

She did as she was told, her stomach fluttering. It took several tries to work the bit into the horse’s mouth, but she finally learned to trust Moonbeam. They moved on to the remaining equipment, and in no time she had Moonbeam saddled.

She felt so proud when Moonbeam stood before her, ready to ride.

“Now unsaddle her.”

She turned to Hank. “But…”

He gave her a steely stare.

“I thought I’d get to ride her, since she’s all saddled.”

“You’re not ready yet.”

She stared him down, but in the end she followed his instructions. He was, after all, the expert. She unsaddled the horse, and when she finished, she looked at Hank, a challenge in her eyes.

“Good,” he replied, without any expression. Then he said, “Now saddle her again.”

She waited for him to say what to put on the horse.

“Without my help,” he said.

She prayed she could remember the order of what she’d done only a few minutes before, and was pleased with herself when she got it right.

Hank offered no words of praise. Nor did he tell her to unsaddle Moonbeam again, as she’d expected.

“Now mount up.”

Feeling a rush of adrenaline, she stepped up to the side of Moonbeam, wondering how she was supposed to climb onto such a tall animal.

Hank’s sharp words stopped her.

“You’re on the wrong side of the horse. You need to be on her left side. That’s the way most horses are trained.”

“Oh, sorry, Moonbeam.” She started to walk behind her to the other side.

“Don’t go around the back of the horse. Go around the front so she can see you. Some horses kick when you go behind them.”

Nervous now, Andrea walked around the front of the mare and moved to the left stirrup. She paused, trying to figure out which foot went in first.

“Your left!” Hank barked.

She glared at him. Did he have to yell? And why didn’t he just explain all these rules before?

She put her left foot in the stirrup and using all her strength, swung her other leg over the horse. Much to her surprise, her body settled into the saddle as if it belonged there.

“Good job. Now dismount.”

She considered taking the right side to dismount, but Hank told her, “Left side!”

She slid off the horse on the left side. She figured he would tell her to mount up again and she wasn’t disappointed. She swung up into the saddle once more, a bit more smoothly this time, and hoped he’d let her stay there and begin teaching her to ride. But alas, no. He ordered her to dismount, then turned on his heel to leave.

“Unsaddle her and then you can amuse yourself till lunch.” With that he simply walked out of the barn.

Andrea rested her head against Moonbeam’s long neck and stifled a scream.

“HONESTLY, JESSICA, all I did was saddle and unsaddle Moonbeam. I thought he’d let me ride a little bit, at least. I was so frustrated!”

“I guess you were, but you have to know how to take care of your horse. You did say you wanted to learn to ride like a cowboy, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I didn’t think Hank would be so…formal!”

The man himself stepped into the kitchen. “If you don’t like my teaching techniques, Miss Jacobs, we’ll be glad to refund you your money, except for the cost of the food and lodging we’ve provided so far, and you can go elsewhere.”

The kitchen was painfully silent for several moments.

Then Andrea spoke. “I didn’t mean to be so harsh, Mr. Ledbetter. I just thought I might be allowed to ride a little bit.”

“If you can manage to saddle your horse properly after lunch, you’ll be allowed to ride this afternoon.”

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me that this morning?”

“I don’t think it’s necessary to inform my students of every step when I’m teaching them.”

Jessica stepped between them. “But you could change your rules slightly, Hank. That wouldn’t be so hard, would it?”

“Fine! When’s lunch going to be ready?”

“I’m just getting ready to serve it. I’ll put it on the table if you’ll both be seated.”

“You can have Jim’s seat by Jess,” Hank said to Andrea. “He won’t be here.” After saying that, Hank sat down on his side of the table.

With a shrug, Andrea sat down beside Jessica.

Jessica put another casserole on the table with a salad and some baked beans.

Andrea now understood the remark Hank had made to her at The Prime Rib about eating everything in front of her. She was starving.

When Jessica uncovered the dish, Andrea drew a deep breath. Then she looked up straight into Hank’s eyes, noting the laughter there. At least he wasn’t frowning. “Yes, you were right,” she said with a chuckle.

“Good,” Jessica said. “It’s chicken pot pie. Be sure to fill your plate. And we have dessert, too.”

“Oh, my, I don’t know if I can eat that much.”

“You can,” Hank said.

She glared at him, but it was a wasted effort. He was already digging into his lunch. Which reminded her she was wasting time.

THE AFTERNOON LESSON went much better. After she successfully saddled Moonbeam, Hank told her to lead the mare out into the corral. She eagerly did so, waiting for the chance to ride for the first time ever. Hank didn’t bring out a horse for himself, and that surprised her. He was going to let her ride alone?

He sauntered out into the corral and climbed onto the split-rail fence. “Now, lead her around for a while.”

She thought about complaining, but she remembered what Jessica had told her about this morning’s lesson. She’d better hold back. Maybe he really was trying to teach her to ride the cowboy way.

After half an hour, he drawled, “Okay, bring her over here and mount up. Remember, left side, left foot. When you step up into the saddle, swing your right foot over and into the right stirrup.” While he was saying that, he got down from the fence and grabbed the horse’s reins.

Oddly, there was something different about mounting the horse in the wide-open space of the corral, instead of in the barn. She felt anxious. “She won’t run away, will she?”

“I’ll hold her. Don’t worry.”

She gave him a tight smile. “I won’t.”

She put her left foot in the stirrup and tried to swing up, but she got caught, unable to pull her body up into the saddle. Suddenly she felt Hank’s hands on her behind pushing her up. She gasped and nearly lost her grip on the horn. Her skin burned where he touched her. Somehow she found herself in the saddle.

“Sometimes dudes get caught in the middle.”

Andrea felt her cheeks heat, not because he called her a “dude”—which, as an inexperienced rider, she supposed she was—but because she couldn’t look him in the eye after he’d had his hands on her rear end.

True to form, though, he irritated her with his next words.

“Okay, ride her around the corral for a while. Remember, she’ll do what you tell her with the reins. Pull gently left or right, and when you need to stop, pull back gently on both reins.”

“You want me to ride in circles like a child?” she demanded.

“Yeah,” Hank responded.

“But what about riding somewhere?”

Hank sighed and shook his head. “Just do what I say. You’ll get there before you know it.”

“Today?”

“Nope. But maybe tomorrow. It depends.”

“On what?”

“On how quickly you recover.”

She gave him a glare and started riding around the circle with her teeth gritted and in total silence. She wanted to prove that she could wait him out. After a few minutes, he shouted for her to stop. She pulled back on both reins. The horse was wonderfully responsive.

“Good. Now do a figure eight.”

She rode the horse in a figure eight, enjoying that more than riding in a circle. Then he told her to reverse the figure eight.

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