The Cowboy and the Calendar Girl by Nancy Martin Read Free Book Online

denim jacket. His gaze was clear beneath the brim of his hat. “You finally decide to join the land of the living?”
    “I have a touch of jet lag,” she replied, trying to sound calm despite the sudden acceleration in her pulse. The man was just as gorgeous by daylight as he had been the night before. The morning sun filled his blue eyes with a devilish gleam, and the rough denim jacket clung to his broad shoulders like a second skin.
    “Sleep well?” he asked.
    Had he guessed the subject of her dreams by the guilty flush that rose to her cheeks? Carly hoped not. “Yes, very well,” she lied. “How about you, Mr. Fowler?”
    “I think you could call me Hank by now. And we’ve known each other almost a whole day, right, Carly?”
    She liked the way he said her name—half teasing, half caressing. “Right,” she said briskly. “And we’re going to get to know each other much better before it’s all over, Hank. I just need a few minutes to load my cameras, then we can get started on the test shots for—”
    “Sorry. Today’s a bad day for me. As you can see, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
    Carly tried to hide her disappointment, then heard herself asking rashly, “Is there anything I can do?”
    “You know anything about cattle?”
    “I prefer filet mignon to strip steaks, if that’s what you mean.”
    With a laugh he said, “But can you ride a horse?”
    “Of course.” Then, realizing she might have just put her life in danger, Carly added slowly, “That is, if the real thing’s not too different from a carousel ride.”
    Amused, Hank motioned her down the steps, then strolled beside Carly as they headed toward the corral. “It’s not very different, as a matter of fact. You just sit still and enjoy the rhythm.”
    “Sounds easy enough,” she said lightly, wondering if he had a double entendre in mind. “Do you have a nice, quiet horse I could try?”
    “You’re serious?”
    Carly tossed caution to the winds. “Why not?”
    “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
    “Oh, I’m tougher than I look,” she assured him. “I’d like to help today. Really, I would.”
    “But—”
    At that moment Becky rode up to the fence and reined her sweating horse to a stop. It was the same stallion Hank had been riding when he’d first appeared before Carly. A cloud of dust rose up and nearly engulfed Carly. She heard Hank cough.
    “Hi,” said a perky-sounding Becky. “Sorry we can’t do the photos today, Carly.”
    “No problem.”
    Effortlessly Becky controlled her horse, which proceeded to snort and lunge against the reins. “Did I overhear you say you’d like to help today?”
    “I’d love it!” Carly said.
    Actually, she couldn’t imagine gallivanting around on a horse in all this dreadful dust and fresh air, but Carly didn’t want to let Hank Fowler out of her sight, now that she’d finally laid eyes on him.
    Brightly she suggested, “Maybe Hank could look after me so I don’t cause any trouble?”
    “Sure,” Becky answered, then suddenly faltered. “I mean—well, Hank’s going to ride out to look for strays today. Maybe you’d better stick around the corral just to—”
    “Oh, I’d love to go looking for strays!”
    “But—” Becky and Hank began almost in unison.
    “Oh, I’ll be perfectly safe,” Carly interrupted before either of them could voice their objections. “Hank can take care of me, right?”
    “Well,” Becky said, hesitantly glancing at her brother.
    “I don’t know.” Hank exchanged looks with Becky. “I’m going to be pretty busy today.”
    “I’ll stay out of trouble,” Carly pleaded. “You won’t even know I’m around. Please? Can’t I go with you?”
    “Why not?” Becky asked. She gave her brother a meaningful stare. “I’ve hired a few other guys to help out. We can handle things around here, I guess. Take a picnic, Hank. It might be fun.”
    “But—”
    “Go on. Show Carly around the old homestead you love so