Cowboy Come Home by judy christenberry

figure out where to start our lessons,” he said coolly, hoping she didn’t question him further.
    “Oh.”
    He opened the corral gate. “Come on in here and I’ll introduce you to the horse Chad recommended.”
    He promised himself he hadn’t intended it. How was he to know she was so green she didn’t know to watch where she should step. When her boot came down in a pile of manure, however, he couldn’t resist.
    “Oh, I’m sorry, I should’ve warned you. That’s one of the problems with horses. Kind of like babies,” he added with a big grin.

Chapter Five
    S he had to leave.
    Camille scooted farther down into the steaming water, allowing her muscles full access to the heat. Her head needed some relief, too, she decided, as tears filled her eyes.
    She didn’t want to leave. The Randalls were so wonderful, welcoming her, treating her like family. She hadn’t felt so centered, so whole, in years.
    As long as she’d felt she was contributing, she hadn’t thought about leaving. But now, with the two ladies coming in to help, they wouldn’t need her.
    And then there was Griffin.
    She winced as she shifted her legs in the steamy water. It was his fault she was indulging in the decadence of a bath in the middle of the afternoon. Megan had taken one look at the way she walked after her lesson and immediately insisted on the hot bath.
    It was also his fault that she had to leave. She might’ve been able to find something else to do to help out around the house. But she couldn’t find a way to avoid Griffin Randall, no matter how she tried. If the Randalls thought there was a problem, they’d want to fix it.
    And today had made it very clear she had to avoid him. Especially his touch. Not that he’d intentionally lingered with his hands. No, after the first time, he’d tried to avoid her as much as she tried to avoid him. Because something happened when their skin came into contact.
    Lightning.
    Tornado.
    Earthquake.
    Or something very similar. Something neither of them wanted. After he’d helped her clean her boot, he’d led her to the placid animal Chad had chosen for her to ride. He’d explained about mounting the horse. From two feet away.
    Camille, however, didn’t quite grasp the essentials. After placing her foot in the stirrup, which seemed awfully high to her, she tried to step into the saddle, as Griffin had said. Gravity got the better of her, however.
    Griffin to the rescue. He had molded her hips in his large hands and pushed her up, almost across to the other side. Fortunately, he’d taken her gasp as alarm that she might fall.
    She knew differently.
    That recognition of desire filling her, enticing her to slip back into his arms, frightened her more than the horse did. What was wrong with her? She knew now was not the time to even think about a man.
    And Griffin had made it clear that even if the time was right, he was the wrong man.
    A knock sounded on the door. “How are you doing, Cammy?” Megan asked. The use of her childhood nickname touched Camille’s heart.
    “Fine, Megan. Do you need me?”
    “No, the babies are sleeping. When Anna gets home, she’ll give you a massage. That will help.”
    “I’ll be all right. I’m just not cut out for horseback riding.” That was her only hope. If she could stop the lessons, maybe—
    “Don’t be silly. Everyone feels that way at first. Now more than ever, you need lessons every day.”
    That was what she was afraid of. Camille closed her eyes again. “But I don’t have time—”
    “Nonsense,” Megan said briskly through the door. “All you’ve done since you got here is work. It’s been such a relief to the four of us,” she said, referring to the Randall wives, “but we want you to have some fun, too.”
    Fun.
    That wasn’t how Camille would describe her contact with Griffin. “Well, I’ll be leaving soon, anyway, Megan, so I won’t have time to—”
    “I don’t want you to leave, Cammy. Stay just a little longer. We