Have Cowboy, Need Cupid by Rita Herron Page B

she’d get the promotion she wanted. It was only a matter of time before Rafe had to admit that she was right, that the best thing he could do for himself and his ailing mother was sell.
    She forced her eyes away from his muscular backside so as not to get distracted.

    R AFE GLANCED at the fine snakeskin of Suzanne’s boots, wondering where she’d found such hideous things and why she thought wearing them to walk through pastures was appropriate. They had to be about the most uncomfortable-looking pair of boots he’d ever laid eyes on. She was a stubborn thing, too. He was sure she would have balked at the idea of riding Blondie. “Keep your heels down, toes up. If you don’t and the horse throws you, you’ll get caught in the stirrups.”
    “You mean Blondie throws people?”
    He bit back a laugh at the note of panic in her voice. Definitely a city girl, this one.
    “No. It’s just good riding practice.” He tightened Thunder’s reins, urging him to fall into a gait the old mare could keep up with as they rode.
    “Anything else I should know about?” Suzanne asked.
    “Hold the reins in one hand. Squeeze the horse with your thighs and calves,” he said. “You ride with your legs, not your whole body like most people think.”
    He dragged his gaze forward as he saw her visibly clench her thighs. Lord, this woman conjured up wicked fantasies.
    “This is the south pasture,” he said, pointing to the cattle grazing nearby. “I rotate them periodically to give the grass time to replenish itself.”
    Blondie waddled behind him, Suzanne’s long dark hair dancing in the wind as they quickened their pace. She didn’t talk much as they crossed the tumbling hills and dipped into the valley, the horse’s easy gait allowing her to experience the scope of the breathtaking vista. Despite her inexperience, she took naturally to the saddle, her lithe long body graceful as she bounced in rhythm with the horse.
    He explained his operation as he guided her down a trail to the east side of his property. Mossy banks flanked the stream that gurgled along the mountainside, eventually flowing into the pond where his cattle drank and found shade from the summer heat.
    “Look at those mountains,” he said. “The peaks are the first things I see in the morning when I look out my bedroom window. I rode out here and played in the woods all the time when I was a kid.”
    “They are lovely,” Suzanne agreed.
    “The dogwoods should be blooming pretty soon,” Rafe added. “When they’re blooming at once, it looks like a sea of snowflakes.”
    “We used to have a dogwood in the yard where I lived when I was little,” Suzanne said in a voice that suddenly sounded small, as if she was remembering a time that had been lost to her until the sight of the mountainside had resurrected it. “I’d almost forgotten about it.”
    “Where was that? Atlanta?”
    “One of the suburbs. But Dad sold the house for a condo after Mom died.”
    Rafe hesitated, once again detecting a note of sadness in her voice. “Sounds like you miss it.”
    “Actually, I haven’t thought about it in years. The condo was nice. We had a pool and there was always stuff to do. Dad entertained a lot, too.”
    “Backyard barbecues for your friends?”
    She glanced at him, a small pinched look forming between her eyes. “Not really. Mostly his business clients.”
    “Sounds like loads of fun.”
    She frowned. “It was all right.”
    “No trees at the condo, though?”
    “One or two.”
    “Wedged in the cement for looks, huh?”
    Her silence verified the answer.
    “I bet you didn’t have pets, either.”
    “They weren’t allowed.” She shrugged. “Besides, Rebecca got so upset when the neighbor’s goldfish died, Dad didn’t want her getting attached to anything else.”
    “What about you?” He arched a brow, guiding Thunder around a bend by the creek until they’d found one of his favorite spots, a clearing nestled in a cluster of trees. The