Last of the Red-Hot Cowboys by Tina Leonard Read Free Book Online Page B

you keep saying. But you don’t offer a better solution, cowboy.”
    He traced a finger along her bare arm. “As I told you before, Judy’s been known to hatch a half-assed scheme. We tolerate it because we love her, but I hate to see you get caught up in it.”
    She smacked his finger away. “You’re not exactly fully baked in my opinion yourself. And honestly, I am so not interested in your small-town drama here. I need a job, so I applied for Judy’s team. Nothing else interests me.”
    â€œI’ll train you,” he said, standing.
    She stared at him, too sexy in a denim shirt and worn jeans, his collar-length dark hair seemingly never combed and always somehow contributing to his overall rascal persona. “To do what?”
    â€œRide.”
    â€œI can ride, damn it.”
    â€œI saw your riding. It’s not bad. I won’t train you to bullfight. But if you want a chance at a real working act, you girls ought to think about becoming the Hell Belle’s riding team.”
    â€œThat’s not what Judy has in mind. You’d have to talk to her.”
    â€œA trick riding team,” he elaborated, and in spite of herself, her attention caught.
    Not because she’d get to work with Trace. Not at all.
    â€œThere are many teams that can do amazing things. I think Judy wants somethingbigger, something that Hell can brag about, own as a first-ever.”
    â€œYou’d be surprised what a well-trained horse and well-trained riders can do. If Judy’s serious about setting up a rodeo here in town, we could advertise our own Hell Sweethearts as an innovative act. Maybe even barrel-racing acts, too.”
    She looked at him, stunned that he seemed to have put a lot of thought into this plan. “I don’t know what Judy would say. I’m just giving this gig a shot for a couple of weeks.” She tossed his keys at him from her nightstand drawer. “Nice truck, by the way. Great tunes on your iPod.”
    He grinned, swept his eyes over her T-shirt again as she lay against the pillows. “Anytime you want to know where the red-hot cowboys are, sugar, you just come ask me. I’ll be happy to show you.”
    She tossed her pillow at him, hitting him square in the face. Laughing, he left, a jackass who thought way too much of himself.
    Sexy jackass, damn him
.
    She wasn’t going to get a wink of sleep, and no doubt, that had been his intent.
    * * *
    â€œAva,” Judy said the next day at practice at the Horsemen’s riding ring, “Did I see a black truck outside your bungalow last night?”
    It was six A.M. , far too early to fend off Judy’s curiosity. “Yes, you did, Judy.”
    The mayor smiled. “He is a sexy devil, isn’t he?”
    Ava cantered around the ring again before stopping in front of Judy, who for now was training the team herself until she got a proper offer—or so Judy said. “I don’t know if ‘sexy’ is the word I’d use.”
    â€œIt’s one of many you would indeed use,” Judy said with a laugh. “Along with ‘arrogant’ and ‘annoying.’ ”
    â€œI can’t disagree with those.” Ava patted her horse’s neck. “He had an idea he wanted to suggest.”
    â€œIf Trace had such a great idea, he would have come to me. No doubt his idea had nothing to do with ladies protecting rodeo cowboys. ‘Doing men’s work,’ as I believe hecalled it.” Judy smiled. “I don’t believe in men’s work. I believe in work. It matters not who does it, and Trace knows I don’t have any patience for his quibbling on that detail. Which is why he went to you to share his idea. He knew better than to suggest it to me.” Judy patted Ava’s horse on the neck and stroked its nose. “Don’t fall for those sexy brown bedroom eyes is my advice.”
    Judy had a salient point. Ava looked at