Page 51 of The Cowboy Who Came Home

“Where are you living while you’re here?”

“The state got me a cute little rental,” she said.

“The state?”

Misty turned toward him, noticing he hadn’t picked up anything to drink. “Yes,” she said. “I work for the State of Texas. I’m a conservationist.”

Link gave her half a smile, and dang if that didn’t make her heartbeat do a jig. “A conservationist,” he repeated. “I’ll have to look that up.”

“I work specifically with buildings older than a hundred years,” she said. “To make sure when they get restored, we preserve the history that needs to be preserved.”

“I gotta be honest,” he said. “This sounds like a made-up job.”

“Stop it.” She grinned wider and bumped him with her elbow. “It’s a real job. I’ve done several buildings in the Hill Country.”

“Is that where you’re from?”

“No, sir.” She finished her punch and took a couple of steps away from him to throw the cup in the trashcan. “I grew up and went to school in Dallas.”

“Ah. A big-city girl.”

“I mean, I like the country too,” she said.

Link laughed then. Actually laughed right out loud.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re not a great liar, Miss Misty.”

The song ended, and more people flooded off the dance floor. Link grabbed her arm and tugged her away from the refreshment table.

“You’re right,” she said as she stumbled after him. “I’m not a great liar.”

“My momma says that if you tell the truth, you have no reason to be nervous.”

“Sounds like something my mother would say.” She flashed him a smile, and she wasn’t surprised at all to find Mitch coming their way. He had far darker hair than Link, and she couldn’t really see a resemblance between them.

They were both handsome, and both had clearly gotten themselves ready for tonight. Mitch definitely had a more happy-go-luck personality, while Link almost had the dark, mysterious cowboy act down pat. At the same time, she got the feeling he wasn’t pretending.

It’s hot tonight, Mitch said, and Misty wasn’t sure if he meant the temperature or how many people had come to the dance.

“Sure is,” Link said. “There’s a lot of people here tonight.”

“I heard it was the first one,” Misty said. Mitch frowned, and she quickly signed it for him, as she’d forgotten.

It’s not the first one, he said. There were dances last weekend too.

“Did you boys come to those?”

“No,” Link said as Mitch shook his head.

Misty didn’t know what to do now, flanked by these two gorgeous cowboys. Then she chastised herself for thinking they were gorgeous. But they are.

“There you are,” Ralf said, and Misty looked past Mitch to the man she worked with. “And who are these fine gentlemen?” He gave her a knowing look while smiling at Link and Mitch.

“This is Link,” she said. “And his cousin, Mitch.” She glanced at both of them. “Sorry, I didn’t get your last names.”

“Glover,” Link said. “We’re both Glovers.”

---