Wild About the Wrangler by Vicki Lewis Thompson

water on the parched earth of her creativity. Now she couldn’t seem to stop drawing things.
    Even better, she had buyers for her art. Knowing someone would pay for one of her pictures had rebuilt her confidence and her savings account. If she decided to move or was forced to, she could handle that.
    She came in sight of Georgie and Vince’s rental, a cute one-bedroom bungalow on three acres. It belonged to a couple who’d also moved to find jobs when the town could no longer provide any. Like many people in that situation, they hadn’t found a buyer so they’d been thrilled at the idea of renting the house.
    Georgie seemed to like the place okay, but obviously the barn was the most important feature. She’d wanted Prince nearby, and Vince had recently bought a gorgeous black horse named Storm Cloud. They rode together every chance they got, and Anastasia envied them that. Even though she was afraid, the little girl she used to be still dreamed of riding bareback across a meadow.
    She wasn’t as keen on the moonlit part of the fantasy, though. After listening to Georgie, she understood that racing across a field at night could end up crippling the horse and maiming the rider if a gopher hole happened to be in the wrong place. But riding along a trail in the moonlight with a handsome cowboy who looked a lot like Mac Foster . . . Oh, yeah, she could picture that.
    The rental house had a patio wall in back and a low decorative wall in front with a wrought-iron gate. The barn to the right of the house sat back about twenty yards. Anastasia had ignored the barn in the past, just as she’d learned to ignore the one out behind the Victorian after that fateful night.
    Today, though, she looked at the barn with interest. She could draw Prince and Storm Cloud and give the sketches to Georgie and Vince. They’d probably like that.
    They already had a lot of her work on their walls, including an early sketch of the Ghost and the one she’d done of Vince soon after the guys had arrived in town. But a sketch of the two of them on their beloved horses would make an awesome wedding present.
    As she approached the bungalow, Georgie must have been watching for her because she came out the front door and down the flagstone walk. The flagstone was a nice touch, and the house had some charm. The owners had offered a rent-to-own deal, but Georgie and Vince weren’t doing that. Anastasia knew her sister was biding her time, waiting to reclaim her ancestral home.
    â€œHey.” Georgie’s welcome was reflected in her brown eyes as she came toward the gate. She’d piled her honey blond hair on top of her head and she wore her favorite at-home outfit—an old shirt and faded jeans. Her relaxed expression had become the norm ever since she and Vince had figured out they were madly in love. “I’m so glad you called. But you’ll need a jacket for the walk home unless I drive you.”
    She laughed. That was so Georgie. “You can loan me a hoodie if it would make you feel better. But I’m not letting you use your gas to take me that short distance. Have you started cooking yet?”
    â€œNot yet. Why?”
    â€œLet’s take a walk down to the barn, first.”
    Georgie came to an abrupt halt and stared at her. “The barn? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”
    â€œI’ve taken a major step toward overcoming my fear of horses. Now I want to go pet yours.”
    â€œThis I gotta see.” She came through the gate and gave Anastasia a hug. “What major step?”
    â€œI asked Mac to give me riding lessons.”
    Her mouth dropped open. “You did not.”
    â€œI did.” Laughing, she crossed her heart. “I promise I’m not making this up.”
    â€œYou’re taking riding lessons? That’s fabulous!” Georgie hugged her again, tighter this time. “Congratulations, sis.”
    Anastasia got