The Cowboy Claims His Lady by Meagan McKinney Read Free Book Online

naked, eh?” Justin whistled. Though short of stature, he was a bearish man with thick red hair and an easy grin, and he was usually considered the troublemaker in the lot.
    â€œWe weren’t naked,” Bruce said.
    â€œAlmost naked?”
    Bruce finally laughed. He didn’t confirm or deny the charge.
    â€œShe’s sure a beauty, that one. I saw her at the stomp and near fell in love right then and there. And I’ll bet she’s headstrong, too, if Hazel’s blood’s in her.”
    Bruce frowned.
    â€œAre you thinkin’ a goin’ for it? If not, I certainly wouldn’t mind—” Justin stopped his offer dead.
    Bruce’s expression told him all he needed to know.
    â€œFine. Fine,” the cowpoke finished. “But don’t let me hear she’s gone back to New Orleans without any Mystery hospitality. It would break my heart.”
    A snort was Bruce’s response.
    Justin looked at him working on the computer.
    â€œIt’s about time you took a woman. I’ve never seen a grizzly so mean as you without one.”
    A shrug and then the words “I’ve quit hibernating” was the only answer Justin got.
    Â 
    If there was one thing Lyndie could say about Montana, it was that it certainly increased her appetite. Gone were the days of existing on a café au lait and a salad. The Mystery Dude Ranch’s chuck wagon served steak, and she found she craved it like an anemic.
    Filling her plate, she sat down at a rustic pine table in the middle of the lodge. There were maybe fifteen people at most making up the ranch’s guests.
    â€œRoger Fallon, and this is my wife, Annette.” A bearded and bespectacled middle-aged man stood up at Lyndie’s picnic table while she seated herself.
    â€œI’m pleased to meet you,” she replied, suddenly self-conscious of her heaping plate.
    â€œWe saw you at the stomp last night. We’re fromLondon. Living the real cowboy life here, ain’t we?” Annette was a matronly, twinkle-eyed, bleached blonde with a contagious smile.
    Lyndie liked them both immediately. There was something disarming about the couple. She thought perhaps it was the cowboy attire. Both had enthusiastically dressed for the trail, right down to the leather-fringed vests and red knotted kerchiefs.
    â€œYou’ve come far to ride a horse,” Lyndie commented pleasantly.
    â€œThis is the best dude ranch in the U.S. How could we resist—despite the cost?”
    Annette’s words took Lyndie aback. She hadn’t paid anything for the dude ranch; she figured Hazel had owned it, and just let her come. Now she wondered if she was even more indebted to the cattle baroness than she’d thought, for letting her take the place of a well-heeled, paying tourist.
    â€œI— I have to confess I don’t know much about the dude ranch,” Lyndie said. “My great-aunt, who lives here in Mystery, told me to come. She was convinced I was working myself to death, but that really wasn’t so.”
    Lyndie cut into the thick juicy filet still sizzling on her plate. She was mortified that Hazel might have allowed the Mystery Dude Ranch to take a loss on her. She’d assumed the ranch was Hazel’s, to do with as the cattle baroness wished.
    â€œThe cowboys here are supposed to be the bestin the state. But Bruce Everett was recommended to us from Tokyo to Timbuktu,” Roger Fallon commented with a charming smile. “We’ve waited five years on the list to get to come here. How about you?”
    Color crept into Lyndie’s cheeks.
    She’d had no idea Mystery Dude Ranch was such a desirable destination. If anything, she figured Hazel had let her come because the ranch was desperate for customers.
    â€œI really don’t know anything about a list. As I said, my great-aunt got me up here.” Lyndie chewed her steak, hoping they could change the subject.
    â€œSo you have real