The Cowboy Code by Christine Wenger Page A

didn’t let go of her hand. Unfortunately, two of the kids and one of the cowboys were in the barn, and they had to suffer through three pairs of raised eyebrows and three sets of eyes looking at their clasped hands.
    One pair of eyes belonged to Brandon Avery, Danny’s new friend. Maggie’s grip tensed, and he wondered if he should drop her hand.
    But one scathing look from Joe and the three looked away. He dropped her hand to lead Lady out of her stall, and hooked up the lead rope to a cast-iron circle on the wall. He handed Maggie the horse’s bridle and a sugar cube.
    â€œJust remember what I showed you. She’ll take the bit. She knows what’s happening.”
    Maggie turned to the horse, and fed her the sugar cube. She’d clearly gotten the hang of things duringtheir morning session, because she didn’t need much instruction for the bit, nor for the saddle.
    Joe unhooked the lead rope, and handed her the reins. She took them without flinching, though he could see the tension in the set of her shoulders.
    â€œNow lead her outside. I’m right here, next to you,” Joe said. It wasn’t a hardship being next to Maggie, catching the scent of her floral shampoo whenever she was near.
    â€œSo far, so good. Right?”
    â€œYou’re doing fine. We’re going to take Lady on a walk along the river, just so the two of you can get better acquainted.”
    â€œIt has turned into a gorgeous day.”
    Joe hadn’t noticed. He’d been busy worrying about the beautiful woman next to him. Shedding his coat, he draped it over a fence post. She handed him Lady’s reins and did the same.
    They walked along the river, Lady neighing softly behind them.
    â€œIf you’ll hold her for me, I think I’m ready to get on now, Joe.”
    â€œOkay, but let me help you.” He gave her instructions, and Maggie repeated them. After a few hops, she was sitting in the saddle, looking surprised—and proud of herself.
    â€œThere will be no jumping or running. We’ll let Lady walk for a while, then we’ll call it a day.”
    When he looked back at Maggie, she was sittingtall in the saddle and seemed to be enjoying the ride. Every now and then, she’d pet Lady or whisper something to the horse that he couldn’t hear.
    â€œI can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m having a great time.” She chuckled. “I’m back on a horse after—” She put her hand over her mouth so the next word was muffled, then she removed it. “Years.”
    He laughed. It seemed like he was always laughing with Maggie.
    Ideally, he would have liked it if she took the reins, but he felt that Maggie had made a ton of progress, and he admired her grit.
    â€œJoe, tell me more about the woman you were engaged to. Why didn’t you get married?”
    â€œWhat do you want to know?”
    â€œWell, you know a lot about me, but I don’t know anything about you.”
    He shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. Her name was Ellen Rogers. She left me to live in Los Angeles. She said that she didn’t want to live on a ranch or in a small town like Mountain Springs.”
    â€œI’m sorry. That must have hurt.”
    â€œThere’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m glad I found out sooner than later. She wanted a different lifestyle, and my ranch couldn’t compare.”
    â€œThere’s a lot of opportunities in big cities. There’s not much around here.”
    â€œNot if you don’t like ranching or farming,” he said, a little defensive.
    â€œI know. I grew up on a dairy farm, remember? But I wasn’t home much. From about the age of ten, I was busy taking voice and dancing lessons in Syracuse. Liz got stuck with doing most of my chores, but she loved the farm.”
    â€œ You’d never leave Manhattan for a place like Mountain Springs.” It wasn’t a question; it was a