The Cowboy Who Broke the Mold by Cathleen Galitz Read Free Book Online Page A

almost getting himself killed just because something in that wild cat’s eyes reminded him of the woman he had just left behind. He couldn’t get over the fact that she’d actually fallen for that old chestnut about jackalopes. Telling himself that the silly woman deserved whatever she got, Jud figured that if a good dose of humility hastened her departure, he was, after all, only doing her a favor in the long run. Still, something haunting in the youthful schoolteacher’s na- iveté pulled at his conscience.
    Muttering an oath, Judson threw on the brakes and flipped a U-turn in the middle of the road. All the way back up that dusty road, he swore at his own soft heart. Of course, the virtuous thing to do was to go back and tell her the truth about the mythical jackalope before it ended up causing her any real embarrassment. Although he knew she’d be spitting mad to discover he’d been joshing her, for some inexplicable reason Judson pre- ferred she hear it from him rather than from someone else. Assuming that she was probably just now coming to terms with the terrible mistake she’d made and was in need of comforting, he prepared himself to find the new schoolteacher bawling her pretty little eyes out.
    But what he found awaiting him in the school yard upon his return was something else entirely. There on the merry-go-round spun a very undignified, uninhibited maiden. Carrie’s jacket, high heels and nylons lay neatly stacked on the hood of the old pickup as she clung tightly to the merry-go-round bar and leaned far back to stare up at the cloudless sky. Her hair swished softly in the breeze as she whirled around and around, oblivious to the fact that she was not alone.
    The sight took Judson’s breath away. He was simultaneouslyfilled with pure, unmitigated lust and the de- sire to momentarily abandon his adult responsibilities and join this enchantress astride the merry-go-round.
    “Just a kid herself,” he whispered to himself.
    Reluctant to honk the horn and make his presence known, Judson was quick to assure himself that there really wasn’t any reason why the truth couldn’t wait another day. Backing silently down the road, he tried to erase from his mind the image of Carrie Raben playing on a merry-go-round. Unfortunately it proved as indel- ible and stirring as the memory of her lithe body pressed against his.
    After indulging in her bit of playground fun, Carrie set about the business of moving in. She attacked the dirt and grime of her new home with the vengeance of a crusader. She was sure she had burned up more energy than in any of her costly aerobic classes. By mid- afternoon, she was ready for a break. Offering silent thanksgiving to her father for insisting she learn how to drive on a stick shift when she turned sixteen, Carrie crawled into the driver’s seat of her old pickup and searched the contents of the glove box for a map. Luck- ily she found one. Although she was rusty, it quickly came back to her, and soon Carrie was bouncing down the washboardy road toward Lander where she pur- chased not only groceries but also a few things at the local department store to make her new home more liv- able.
    She found the town as rustic and charming as Har- mony itself. Populated with friendly, unpretentious peo- ple who made her feel right at home, Lander was a pleasant contrast to the fast-paced, impersonal atmo- sphere of the big city she had left behind. Carrie hopedthis idyllic hideaway never underwent the crass com- mercialism of Aspen, Vail or Jackson Hole. As far as she was concerned, Carrie thought as she headed out of town, Lander was perfect just as it was.
    By the time she had unpacked her supplies, made a plateful of brownies to take to the social and put the finishing touches to her decor, Carrie was exhausted.
    Slipping between clean sheets that evening, she sur- veyed the results of her hard work with satisfaction. Elbow grease, new curtains and slipcovers had helped to transform her