Excerpt:
The truck had arrived to deliver the new horses, and Ali’s father had
promised she could pick the horse she wanted. She ran into the barn,
looking around for Tim, the caretaker of her parents’ ranch. He’d been
with the family since Ali was five; he was like an uncle to her. Ali
made her way into the barn, a cloud of dust in tow.
“Well, good morning, Ali. You’re up early. Can’t imagine why.” A
mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes.
“Are they here?”
“What? Is what here?” He grinned as she ran from stall to stall in
search of the new horses.
“Aw, come on, Tim. Where are they?”
“They’re out back in the stable. You can ask—”
Ali tore out of the barn and right into a hard, muscular chest. A pair
of big, strong hands on her arms kept her from falling.
“Excuse me, ma’am. I didn’t see you,” the stranger said.
Ali raised her head. Her gaze swept over a massive chest and worked up
to a face shadowed by a dark brown Stetson. The pair of hands released
her, and she backed away. Squinting, she shielded her eyes from the
sun’s stinging rays, and the figure before her came into focus.
Droplets of moisture rolled down his forehead alongside his temples to a
tightened jaw line. A wisp of sandy brown hair rested above a pair of
hazel eyes. Her gaze fixated upon a hairless, chiseled chest revealed by
his partially unbuttoned shirt.
“No, I, uh…should have been watching where I was going,” Ali finally
replied.
Timothy strolled out to them. “Ali, this is my nephew, Mitch Colbert.
He’s going to give me a hand with the stables for a while.”
Ali extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mitch.”
The man touched the brim of his hat and nodded his head. “Likewise,
ma’am.”
“If you need anything,” Timothy continued, “and I’m not around, Mitch
can help you.”
Oh, I’m sure he can.
