“You can ride a cowboy instead.”
She threw him a grin, which he returned, and she drove out of the Blackburn Ranch onto the newly smoothed road. “They finally finished the construction.”
“No more of that noise and dust.”
“We’re both country at heart. We like our peace and quiet, but we’re not likely to get any today once we reach my family’s place. You sure you’re up to another day with the Daltons?”
He chuckled. “I had a great time before.”
“Yeah, but this time it’s a huge reunion. You’ll meet my parents. Even my aunt’s crazy sister Diane will be there. Be prepared for weird stories.”
He eyed her. “Will they be true?”
“Likely.”
“I enjoy me a good tale.” He got comfy in the seat, but she noted he was staring at her curves. A warmth seeped over her, and suddenly, she got an idea in mind.
Whipping it off the road, she bumped out through a field that belonged to Blackburn but wasn’t used as pasture, being so near the road.
“Whoa! Did we blow a tire or what?” Noble sat up straight, hanging on to the holy-shit handle.
She drew to a stop. With a flirty smile, she crooked her finger at him.
“Oh yeah, darlin’.” He unbuckled his seatbelt in order to lean across the console. Hooking a hand behind her nape, he yanked her in. The crush of his lips promised so much more if she cared to find a secluded place.
Heat shivered up and down her insides, and she melted into his caress. The kiss went from wild to slow and sensual. Finally, he ran his tongue over her lower lip in the most tender of brushes.
She let out a ghost of a sigh and lowered her forehead to his. “I love you, you know.”
“I loved you first.”
Laughing now that he’d make even that into a competition, she planted herself behind the wheel again and slowly maneuvered back onto the road while he buckled his seatbelt once more.
The rest of the drive to the family homestead was filled with happy banter between them. By the time they arrived, she was eager to introduce him to the family in a more permanent way.
When they parked among the dozens of pickups there and made the walk to the house, Noble let out a low whistle. “This is all your family?”
“Yep. I see some of the Colorado crew is here too. They don’t often make the trip. C’mon.” She grabbed his hand and picked up the pace.
A couple of her cousins’ wives spotted her at the same time and came out of the big tent they had erected to greet them. Then a few others got introduced to her man. Pretty soon she’d dragged Noble all around the place, showing him off to every man, woman and child there.
When she cornered her parents, her mother’s eyes widened. No doubt it was a shock to the woman who’d raised her that Gracie might have settled enough to find a love interest.
“Noble, these are my parents,” she announced.
He released her hand to grip each of theirs in a firm handshake, showing what he was made of. “Good to meet you both.”
“Noble works on the Blackburn with me. We’ll both be stayin’ on too.”
Her father’s grin was all the reward she needed, and he hugged her tight. “So proud of my girl, but I knew you’d best every guy who applied for the job.”
“I even bested this one a time or two.” She nudged Noble with an elbow.
He chuckled. “Several times. But I got her back a few times.”
After that, Aunt Maggie announced the food was ready, and she and Noble got into line with her parents for the huge buffet. There was a roasted pig as well as rotisserie chickens, dozens of salads and enough corn on the cob to keep an army of pigs happy.
They shared their meal, both her parents getting to know Noble better. Then he was called out by her brothers to join into a horseshoe tournament, and Gracie waved him off with a smile.
Her oldest cousin Hank sidled up next to her. “Hey, Gracie.”
She gave him a smile and a hug. As a young girl, her much older cousin had intimidated her, but in the recent years since her brothers had joined the Dalton Ranch operation, she and Hank had had more opportunities to spend time together.
“You sure you trust your brothers with Noble?”
She chuckled. “Question is can I trust Noble with my brothers.”
Hank laughed but then grew serious. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you since you left school. Then you went to the Blackburn.”
She nodded, feeling a flutter of nerves. Where was this conversation going?
“I know you probably had hopes of coming here and managing the finances.”
She pressed her lips together. “I never expected something to be handed to me, Hank.”
“No. But we’re family, and you’re damn smart. I know you’d be a huge asset to us. I hope in time we can afford you.”
She studied his face. He was serious. “If it ever happens that you need my expertise, even for an afternoon of looking over the books, I’m here for you, Hank. But I don’t expect to live and work the ranch the way my brothers have. I’ve made my own place on the Blackburn, and I’m happy for now.”
“You won’t stay there forever?”
“Hopefully by then we’ll be in a position to fix you up with an office here, Gracie.”
Moving close, she hugged her cousin. “I appreciate it, Hank. I will look forward to it.”
He planted a kiss on her cheek, and then his oldest daughter ran up to him, asking if she and another cousin could take the horses out for a trail ride. Gracie waved him off to make sure the girls were safely underway, thinking of how many of these reunions she made her escape on horseback too.
She helped the ladies clean up the buffet and then wandered out to watch the horseshoe competition happening in the yard. Seated on a quilt spread on the grass, she and her sisters called out jeering comments and placed bets on who would win.
“Now this one, I’d place all my money on,” Gracie called out as the hunkiest of all got up to make his toss.
Noble pivoted, a grin plastered across his face. “That’s good, because soon it’ll be my money too. I plan on marryin’ ya, Gracie.”
Her jaw dropped, and her sisters squealed and clapped. Noble made a dead ringer, the clank of iron on iron practically their wedding bells.
Jessamine reached over and slowly closed Gracie’s jaw. “Don’t worry, Sis—you can still wear your boots.”
Noble’s high score had everyone cheering. Or maybe they were really cheering for what he’d just said to her.
He walked back and kept coming toward her, purpose in those long-legged strides. The gold of his buckle caught the sunlight and gleamed. He stopped before her, and she squinted up into his eyes.
He held a hand out to her. “Gracie.”
Her insides turned to total mush at the way he said her name.
She put her hand into his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Her sisters giggled as they walked off together.
“They know we’re going to find ourselves a nice hay bale to hide behind,” Noble drawled.
Gracie sent him a heated look. “Race ya.”
THE END
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Em Petrova
Em Petrova was raised by hippies in the wilds of Pennsylvania but told her parents at the age of four she wanted to be a gypsy when she grew up. She has a soft spot for babies, puppies and 90s Grunge music and believes in Bigfoot and aliens. She started writing at the age of twelve and prides herself on making her characters larger than life and her sex scenes hotter than hot.
She burst into the world of publishing in 2010 after having five beautiful bambinos and figuring they were old enough to get their own snacks while s
he pounds away at the keys. In her not-so-spare time, she is fur-mommy to a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff.
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Ranger Ops
AT CLOSE RANGE
WITHIN RANGE
POINT BLANK RANGE
RANGE OF MOTION
Knight Ops Series
ALL KNIGHTER
HEAT OF THE KNIGHT
HOT LOUISIANA KNIGHT
AFTER MIDKNIGHT
KNIGHT SHIFT
O’ CHRISTMAS KNIGHT
ANGEL OF THE KNIGHT
6-Pack Cowboys Series
6-PACK RANCHER
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SOMETHING ABOUT A LAWMAN
SOMETHING ABOUT A SHERIFF
SOMETHING ABOUT A BOUNTY HUNTER
SOMETHING ABOUT A MOUNTAIN MAN
Operation Cowboy Series
KICKIN’ UP DUST
SPURS & SURRENDER
The Boot Knockers Ranch Series
PUSHIN’ BUTTONS
BODY LANGUAGE
REINING MEN
ROPIN’ HEARTS
ROPE BURN
COWBOY NOT INCLUDED
CUPID COWBOYS
The Boot Knockers Ranch Montana
COWBOY BY CANDLELIGHT
THE BOOT KNOCKER’S BABY
ROPIN’ A ROMEO
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HARD RIDIN’
LIP LOCK
UNBROKEN
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WEST
LANE
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Rope ‘n Ride On Series
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DOUBLE DIPPIN’
LICKS AND PROMISES
A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS
LIPSTICK ‘N LEAD
The Dalton Boys
COWBOY CRAZY Hank’s story
COWBOY BARGAIN Cash’s story
COWBOY CRUSHIN’ Witt’s story
COWBOY SECRET Beck’s story
COWBOY RUSH Kade’s Story
COWBOY MISTLETOE a Christmas novella
COWBOY FLIRTATION Ford’s Story
COWBOY TEMPTATION Easton’s Story
COWBOY SURPRISE Justus’s Story
COWGIRL DREAMER Gracie’s Story
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STRANDED AND STRADDLED
LASSO MY HEART
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BLOWN DOWN
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WRONG SIDE OF LOVE
Firehouse 5 Series
ONE FIERY NIGHT
CONTROLLED BURN
SMOLDERING HEARTS
Club Ties Series
LOVE TIES
HEART TIES
MARKED AS HIS
SOUL TIES
ACE’S WILD
The Quick and the Hot Series
DALLAS NIGHTS
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