Claiming the Rancher's Heart

Lauren’s eyes took on a distant, almost dreamy look. “Do you know the first cowboys came from Mexico? They were known as vaqueros, the Spanish word for cowboys.”

Stacie shot a pleading look in Anna’s direction. They needed to stop Lauren before she got rolling. If not, they’d be forced to endure a lecture on the history of the modern cowboy all the way home.

“Get in, Lauren.” Anna gestured to the Jeep. “We don’t want the Rocky Road to melt.”

Though Anna had injected a nice bit of urgency in her voice, Lauren’s gaze remained riveted on the men, dressed in jeans and T-shirts and boots, talking and laughing in deep, manly voices.

One guy captured Stacie’s attention. With his jeans, cowboy hat and sun-bronzed skin, he looked like all the others. Yet her gaze had been immediately drawn to him. It must have been because he was talking to Anna’s brother, Seth. There could be no other explanation. A testosterone-rich male had never made it onto her radar before. She liked her men more artsy, preferring the starving-poet look over a bulky linebacker any day.

“You know, Stace—” Lauren tapped a finger against her lips “—something tells me there just may be a cowboy in your future.”

Lauren’s research involved identifying compatible couples, and Stacie was Lauren’s first guinea pig—or as she liked to refer to it, research subject.

A knot formed in the pit of Stacie’s stomach at the thought of being paired with a ropin’, ridin’ manly man. She sent a quick prayer heavenward. Dear God, please. Anyone but a cowboy.

A few weeks later, Stacie dropped into the high-backed wicker chair on Anna’s porch, braced for battle. When Lauren had arrived home after an afternoon run, Stacie had told her they needed to talk. She’d stewed in silence about the prospect of Lauren’s proposed match for her long enough.

While she knew it was important for Lauren’s research that she at least meet this guy, it seemed wrong to waste his time. And hers.

Stacie was still formulating the “I’m not interested in a cowboy” speech for Lauren when a cool breeze from the Crazy Mountains ruffled the picture in her hand. She lifted her face, reveling in the feel of mountain air against her cheek. Even after four weeks in Big Sky country, Stacie still found herself awed by the beauty that surrounded her.

She glanced out over the large front yard. Everywhere she looked the land was lush and green. And the flowers…June had barely started and the bluebells, beargrass and Indian paintbrush were already in riotous bloom.

The screen door clattered shut, and Lauren crossed the porch, claiming the chair opposite Stacie. “What’s up?”

Stacie pulled her gaze from the breathtaking scenery to focus on Lauren.

“Your computer hiccupped. It’s the only explanation.” Stacie lifted the picture. “Does he look like my type?”

“If you’re talking about Josh Collins, he’s a nice guy.” Anna stepped onto the wraparound porch of the large two-story house and let the door fall shut behind her. “I’ve known him since grade school. He and my brother, Seth, are best friends.”

Stacie stared in dismay at the teetering tray of drinks Anna was attempting to balance. Lauren, who was closest, jumped up and took the tray with the pitcher of lemonade and three crystal glasses from the perky blonde. “You’re going to fall and break your neck wearing those shoes.”

“Ask me if I care.” Anna’s gaze dropped to the lime-green, pointy-toed stilettos. “These are so me.”

“They are cute,” Lauren conceded. Her head cocked to one side. “I wonder if they’d fit me. You and I wear the same size—”

“Hel-lo.” Stacie lifted a hand and waved it wildly. “Remember me? The one facing a date with Mr. Wrong? Any minute?”

“Calm down.” Lauren poured a glass of lemonade, handed it to Stacie and sat down with a gracefulness Stacie envied. “I don’t make mistakes. If you recall, I gave you a summary of the results. Unless you lied on your survey or he lied on his, you and Josh Collins are very much compatible.”

She wanted to believe her friend. After all, her first match with Sweet River attorney Alexander Darst had been pleasant. Unfortunately there’d been no spark.

Stacie lifted the picture of the rugged rancher and studied it again. Even if he hadn’t been on a horse, even if she hadn’t seen him talking with Seth after the Cattleman’s Association meeting, his hat and boots confirmed her theory about a computer malfunction.

A match between a city girl and a rancher made no sense. Everyone knew city and country were like oil and water. They just didn’t mix.

Sadly, for all her jokes about the process, she was disappointed. She’d hoped to find a summer companion, a Renaissance man who shared her love of cooking and the arts.

“He’s a cowboy, Lauren.” Stacie’s voice rose despite her efforts to control it. “A cowboy.”

“You got something against cowboys?”

The deep sexy voice coming from the front steps sent a jolt through Stacie. She dropped the picture to the table, turned in her seat and met an unblinking blue-eyed gaze.

It was him.

She had to admit he looked even better up close. He wore a chambray shirt that made his eyes look strikingly blue and a pair of jeans that hugged his long legs. There was no hat, just lots of thick, dark hair brushing his collar.

He continued to lazily appraise her. The glint in his eye told her he knew she’d put herself in a hole and was desperately searching for a way to shovel out.

Trouble was, she couldn’t count on Lauren, who appeared to be fighting a laugh. Anna—well, Anna just stared expectantly at her, offering no assistance at all.

“Of course I like cowboys,” Stacie said, feeling an urgent need to fill the silence that seemed to go on for hours but lasted only a few seconds. “Cowboys make the world go round.”

His smile widened to a grin, and Lauren laughed aloud. Stacie shot her a censuring look. Granted, her response might not have been the best, but it could have been worse. She’d been caught off guard. Startled. Distracted. By his eyes…and his timing.

Why, oh, why, hadn’t she kept her mouth shut?

“Well, I can’t say I recall ever hearing that saying before,” he said smoothly, “but it’s definitely true.”

Okay, so he was also gracious, a quality sadly lacking in most men she’d dated, and one she greatly admired. It was too bad he was not only a cowboy, but also so big. He had to be at least six-foot-two, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. Rugged. Manly. A dreamboat to many, but not her type at all.

Still, when those laughing blue eyes once again settled on her, she shivered. There was keen intelligence in their liquid depths, and he exuded a self-confidence that she found appealing. This cowboy was nobody’s fool.

Stacie opened her mouth to ask if he wanted a beer—he didn’t look like a lemonade guy—but Anna spoke first.

“It’s good to see you.” Anna crossed the porch, her heels clacking loudly. When she reached Josh, she wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for filling out the survey.”

Josh smiled and gave her hair a tug. “Anything for you, Anna Banana.”

Stacie exchanged a glance with Lauren.

“Anna Banana?” Lauren’s lips twitched. “You never told us you had a nickname.”

“Seth gave it to me when I was small,” Anna explained before shifting her attention back to Josh. She wagged a finger at him. “You were supposed to forget that name.”

“I have a good memory.”

Stacie could see the twinkle in his eyes.

“I have a good memory, as well,” Anna teased. “I remember Seth telling me that you and he preferred the traditional dating route. Yet, you both filled out Lauren’s survey. Why?”

There was a warm, comfortable feel to the interaction between the two. Stacie found herself wondering if Josh and Anna had ever dated. A stab of something she couldn’t quite identify rose up at the thought. It was almost as if she were…jealous? But that would be crazy. She wasn’t interested in Josh Collins, cowboy extraordinaire.

“Seth probably did it because he knew you’d kill him if he didn’t,” Josh explained. “I completed the survey because Seth asked and I owed him a favor.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I never expected to get matched.”

He’s no more excited about this date than I am, Stacie thought, pushing back her chair and rising, finding the thought more comforting than disturbing.