Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? by Kate Pearce Read Free Book Online

scratched her neck. ‘They were going to put her down. I offered to pay the vet’s bills and keep her if she survived.’
    Lauren swallowed. ‘It wasn’t your truck was it?’
    He glanced at her, his hand fisting in the horse’s mane. ‘No, but I knew the bastard who was driving. It was my father and he’d been visiting me. I suppose I felt partially responsible.’
    Inwardly Lauren groaned. Another gold star for cowboy Ken. She reached forwards and stroked the silver nose of the second horse. ‘Who’s this?’
    Grayson grinned, the tension left his face as quickly as it had appeared. ‘This is Flicka. She belonged to my mom. I offered to take care of her after my mom died.’ He frowned. ‘I knew my father wouldn’t be interested in keeping her and at least I get to ride her occasionally. She’s so gentle she’d be great with kids.’
    Lauren couldn’t help but hear the faint longing in his voice. She could imagine him surrounded by kids, all of them adorable little black-haired scamps, a rosy-cheeked wife in the background . . .
    ‘And this is Robbie, my first horse and still the best. He’s a paint.’
    Lauren admired the huge white horse with its characteristic swirls of brown markings like swipes of a paintbrush. She rubbed the horse’s nose, wishing she’d brought a treat for him.
    ‘My first horse was a paint,’ Lauren said. ‘They’re my favourite breed.’
    ‘You had a horse?’
    She grinned, glad to have surprised him for once. ‘For most of my childhood I did. I rode English style of course. Since I started work, I haven’t had time to ride at all.’
    Her smile faded as she buried her face in the horse’s mane, inhaling the peppery musty scent. She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed riding before her career overwhelmed her and kept her tied to the city.
    Grayson upended the two buckets in the feeding trough and studied her, his expression full of wry understanding. ‘When I was a kid, all I wanted was to stay with my mom’s folks on their ranch. After the divorce, my dad made it almost impossible for me to get back there. I missed it like hell.’ He touched Lauren’s cheek. ‘I’m going to get some hay. Stay here if you want and get acquainted. I’ll be back in a minute.’
    By the time Lauren kicked off her boots in the mud room, the outside light had disappeared. She was surprised at how hungry she felt as Grayson guided her into the kitchen and switched on the overhead lights. A worrying thought struck her as she gazed around the welcoming but empty kitchen.
    She gave Grayson a cautious smile. ‘Are we going out to dinner?’
    He leant back against the counter, the mischievous glint back in his eyes. ‘Not unless you feel like a long drive. The nearest decent restaurant is thirty miles away.’
    Lauren glanced uneasily at the shining cook top and oven. ‘You’re not expecting me to rustle up a good old country feast are you? Because despite some very expensive cookery lessons, I burn water.’
    Gray walked across to the industrial-sized refrigerator. ‘Luckily for you, I’m a great cook. When you leave home at eighteen and have to earn your own way in the world, you gather a fine collection of paper hats serving at fast food restaurants and food-packaging plants.’
    Lauren tried to imagine a young earnest Grayson in a paper hat instead of a cowboy hat and failed. ‘What if I don’t like fries?’
    He grinned as he flung open the refrigerator door. ‘I can do better than that. Tomorrow I’ll barbecue but for tonight, my housekeeper left these.’
    Lauren took in the stacked plastic containers. Each had a note attached to it detailing a date and brief reheating instructions.
    ‘You could’ve pretended to cook it all yourself. I’d have been terribly impressed.’
    Grayson studied the containers. ‘I didn’t know you couldn’t cook. If I had, I would’ve tried it for sure.’
    Lauren crossed to his side and he put a companionable arm around her shoulders.