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

new home into a cheerful if not elegant spot to spend the next nine months.
    She rose late the next morning and decided to start the day by indulging in a languid bubble bath and taking her time to get ready for the ice cream social. This would be her first opportunity before Open House to make a good first impression on her new boss and as- sociates, and she was looking forward to making their acquaintance. Dressing with care, she chose a simple flowered sundress with a short white jacket to cover her bare shoulders.
    On her way to her first small-town social, Carrie tried to use the forty-five-mile drive to Lander to collect her thoughts. But the prospect of seeing Judson Horn again sent her pulses leaping. What exactly was it about that man’s eyes that defied a woman to break through that thin layer of ice to dive to the bottom of those blue, blue depths? Insanity, she wagered, recalling her prom- ise to keep her distance from all men in the future.
    Carrie arrived right on time at the park with a plate of brownies and a nervous smile. Surrounded by aged cottonwoods and traversed by a brook, Lander City Park was quaint and enchanting. Children climbed happily on the playground equipment as adults mingled aroundthe picnic tables. She stopped momentarily to watch a tennis match between two athletic boys.
    She and Scott had been a strong doubles team, and just watching a short volley made her feel suddenly melancholy. Gently, she reminded herself that it took more than a strong backhand and a killer serve to make a marriage. Strength of character and fidelity headed her list, although she would have been lying to say that sheer physical attraction wasn’t right up there near the top, as well.
    When Judson spied Carrie Raben standing forlornly beside the tennis courts, he felt his heart lurch unnatu- rally against his chest. She looked as pretty as a bouquet of mountain wildflowers. How was it that her looks seemed to grow on him each time he saw her?
    “Whoa,” he admonished himself, pulling hard on his own reins.
    He recognized the feeling that welled up inside him- self for what it was—pure, unadulterated lust. Judson shook his head in self-reproof. He hadn’t been able to get Carrie Raben out of his head for more than a minute since he’d left her yesterday blithely playing on the merry-go-round. Assuring himself that it was simply re- sidual guilt that he was feeling, Judson determined that the first matter of the afternoon would be to set matters straight between them. All things considered, it just might be a lot safer making the truth about the fictitious jackalope known in a public place.
    A deep, resonant voice shattered Carrie’s solitude, plunging her into a pair of clear blue eyes. Judson Horn was wearing jeans and a bright Western print shirt that snapped up the front. Shocked at the way her bloodraced through her veins at the sight of him, Carrie at- tempted to insert a tone of nonchalance into her greet- ing.
    “Hello,” she said, uncomfortably aware that he was looking at her as if she were the most delectable sundae around.
    “You look nice today,” he drawled.
    The compliment centered a tight ball of pleasure low in her stomach, which exploded, leaving warm spots of pink upon her cheeks.
    “Thanks,” she managed to say without stammering, and was rewarded with a slow, sexy smile that reached right inside her and heightened her already-keen sexual awareness of him.
    Just then a hefty man wearing a blood-red tie ap- proached with an outstretched hand and stepped be- tween them. “You must be Carrie Raben,” he beamed, pumping her hand up and down. “I’m Bill Madden. I interviewed you over the phone.”
    Grateful for the friendly ease with which her super- intendent seemed to accept her, Carrie smiled warmly.
    “Since you’ve already met the chairman,” he said, pulling her over to a nearby group of people, “let me introduce you to the rest of the school board.”
    Chairman!
    The word