A Saddle Made For Two

“Not at all,” Ellie replied.

“Let me fetch some money.” Reba ducked back inside.

While Ellie waited, the area filled with a variety of vehicles, and she waved to the people she recognized. When a hand rested on her thigh, she nearly bolted from her saddle, spooking Sky Dancer and forcing her to concentrate on calming him.

“Get the door fixed?” a deep, familiar voice asked.

Her heartbeat accelerated as she turned to look down at Chace Branningan. “Are you following me?”

His grin was enough to melt the polar ice cap. “Nope. Didn’t know we were destined to run into each other so soon.”

“Disappointed?” she asked, and watched an assortment of emotions cross his face.

Pure devilment won out to dance in his eyes. “Miss me?”

Ellie wasn’t about to admit she’d thought of little else other than him and the sale of the ranch over the six days she’d spent on the road. “I completely forgot we met.”

The light in his eyes flashed, and he shot her a devilish grin. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”

“A ten-pound bag shouldn’t be more than—” Reba’s voice halted, and Ellie turned in the saddle to look at her. Her gray-eyed gaze drifted to Chace and back again to Ellie, and her mouth turned up in a Cheshire Cat smile. “I’ll get the ice.”

“No,” Ellie said in a rush and turned to scowl at Chace. “Mr. Brannigan was just leaving.” Having Reba see them together, no matter how innocent, was a bad idea. No telling what the woman might get in her head.

“Haven’t seen you for a while, Chace,” Reba said, her grin widening. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.

He looked at Ellie and offered another knee-weakening grin before turning back to Reba. “I had the pleasure of meeting her last week in Cedar Rapids.”

“Really? In that case, why don’t I fix us all lunch tomorrow and you can get better acquainted. Say at noon?”

With a grin, he touched the brim of his hat. “That sounds mighty fine.”

Ellie shot her friend a murderous look. He was the last person she wanted to spend time with. “I’ll be there if I can make it,” she hedged. “Keep your money, Reba. I’ll get the ice.”

Without a glance at Chace, she nudged her horse toward the concession stand. Behind her, she could hear his soft chuckle, and she tightened her grip on the reins. Her day had taken a turn for the worst when he’d shown up. She hadn’t expected to see him again, and with the season nearly over, the thought had both cheered and disappointed her. That alone was enough to worry her.

Her wait in line at the concession stand was blessedly short, and she added two candy bars, knowing Reba’s penchant for chocolate.

Balancing the bag of ice on the saddle horn in front of her with one hand and holding the reins in the other, she wove her way through the gathering groups toward the Tuckers’ trailer. She called a greeting over her shoulder to one of the other barrel racers, wishing her luck, and turned back when Sky Dancer came to a sudden halt.

Chace stood at the horse’s head, holding the bridle and murmuring to the animal. Ellie opened her mouth to tell him to get lost, but when he looked at her, the words escaped her.

“Trying to avoid me?”

She knew she lacked the subtlety of most women, and his question brought the heat of embarrassment to her cheeks. “N-no, of course not.”

Smoothing his hand along the horse’s neck, Chace moved closer, never taking his eyes from hers. “What did I do to scare you off?”

Lifting her chin, she gripped the saddle horn and squeezed the ice, barely noticing the chill. It wasn’t him that scared her, but what he did to her. She’d never met a man who could scramble her senses with a simple smile. And she’d met plenty of men, rodeo being a predominantly male sport. But no matter how much Chace made her nerves tingle and her mind go blank with just a look, he wasn’t the man for her. She’d sworn off cowboys long ago. If she ever settled down, it wouldn’t be with a vagabond rodeoer.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“But you don’t like me much.” His frown was formidable but didn’t mask his puzzlement.

The confusion in his eyes tugged at her heart. “I really don’t know you, so how can I tell?”

“We can fix that.”

The air around her thickened, and her heart pounded. He hadn’t moved, but somehow he seemed closer. There was nothing worse than a cowboy who couldn’t take a hint, she reminded herself. And she’d done more than hint at him. She hated being rude, but he brought out the worst in her, stirring her up and leaving her with no choice.

Her hands shaking, she gathered the reins to leave, and the ice started to topple. Before she could react, Chace made a grab for it and settled it in the crook of his arm.

When she reached down to snatch it away, he took her hand and placed it on the horn, covering it with his. “If you weren’t in such an all-fired hurry to get away from me…”

Ellie held her breath, ready to deny she wanted to avoid him, but with his hand on hers she couldn’t find the words.

Letting go, he drew back and smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t know what it is, little bit, but I intend to find out.”

Opening her mouth to ask him what he meant, she froze at the sound of the nickname he’d called her again and squeezed her eyes shut. A vision of her dad lifting her onto a pony flashed through her mind. She swallowed, forcing back the memory that still caused a deep pain. It would only lead to more memories she couldn’t deal with. “I told you not to call me that.”

His hand returned to hers. “It slipped out. But you are—”

“Don’t.” She opened her eyes to see him studying her.

“You don’t like anybody pointing out that you’re on the small side?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that. Call me shrimp, call me shorty, call me tiny. Just don’t call me…that.”

Chace tipped his head to one side before removing his hand. “Okay. If you promise to be there tomorrow for lunch at Reba’s.”

She bit back a scathing retort at his persistence. “You don’t give up, do you?”

He shrugged and looked off in the distance. “You were the one who said you didn’t know me well enough to know if you liked me. I don’t see any reason why we can’t be friends.”

Ellie knew of plenty. One in particular. A big one. But she couldn’t tell him that it was because of the heat he caused to pool in the area of her body closest to the saddle horn. “I guess there isn’t,” she fibbed.

“Good. Give it your best tonight.” He handed her the ice and touched Sky Dancer on his rump, sending them on their way.

Sky Dancer shied as they circled the back of Reba’s trailer. Ellie quickly regained control, but wondered if he’d needed a longer run.

“I was beginning to worry.”

J. R. Staton was walking toward her, and she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her real estate agent. Handing him the ice, she offered a smile. “Give this to Reba while I tie up, would you?”

“I’ve had a new offer for the ranch,” he said before turning to walk around the corner of the trailer, out of sight.

Ellie made quick work of sliding off her horse and making sure he was tethered, then she looked around to make sure Chace wasn’t anywhere in sight. She didn’t want to have to deal with him right now. This was far more important.

Talking about the sale, especially if it involved more money for her brothers, was much better than thinking about a wandering cowboy who turned her insides into a blazing bonfire.