Page 8 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Rachel headed around the barn and followed an overgrown path toward a fence that had a large, wooden gate. The gate was ajar, allowing for the possibility of two people walking through it side-by-side.

She trailed her hand across the wood, admiring the smooth texture of the treated pine. This was the kind of fence that all these places around here should have used. But instead, most of the folks around here used rebar and wire.

What had happened to the times when people took pride in what they owned? Rachel continued along the trail, wondering briefly if the men in that kitchen were looking for her yet. She laughed softly to herself as she walked. If Hennesy wanted to know where she was, all he’d have to do was call her cell phone. But if she knew those men, they were likely caught up on some topic that had nothing to do with her purchase. Rachel probably had a good thirty minutes to explore her immediate surroundings before they even noticed she was gone.

The grasses in the field had become overgrown. There were wildflowers everywhere. Different colors smattered the field as far as she could see. This place was definitely more beautiful than she’d expected. It felt bigger, too.

Her heart had slowed down since she’d arrived, and an overwhelming peaceful feeling washed over her. She’d made the right decision. That much was clear. Rachel closed her eyes and turned around in the middle of an open space. The fragrant smell of the flowers inundated her senses. This whole place just felt right.

“What are you doing here?” a sharp voice demanded.

Rachel’s eyes flew wide at the intrusion, and she spun around to find a familiar cowboy seated on his horse overhead. “Hudson? What are you doing here?”

He held the reins with both hands as he stared down his nose at her. “You realize this is private property, right?” Disdain practically dripped from his words, making her feel smaller than he had any right to do.

She crossed her arms and glowered right back. “I could say the same thing to you.” At least she had a reason for being here. Hudson, on the other hand, was trespassing—or he soon would be when this place was officially hers.

Hudson didn’t even flinch at her words. Nor did he shift in his seat. His focus continued to drill a hole right through her.

“What are you doing here anyway?” She drilled him with the question he’d asked her. “You’re not supposed to be here because this place is getting sold.”

“Yeah? Well, I have more of a reason to be here than you.”

“Why’s that?” she snorted. Clearly, he didn’t realize that she was here with the bank representative.

“Because this place doesn’t belong to you. Someone else bought it, and now they’re going to make a mess of it.”

She knew better than to take the bait. Rachel was nothing if not respectful, even when she was being pushed around. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to have a little fun with him. Hudson was here for a reason, and she wanted to find out why. “Then why are you here?” She lifted her chin and gave him a demure smile. “I’m only wondering because wouldn’t that make you a trespasser as well?”

His scowl never left his face. “I’m trying to save this place.”

“And how do you suppose you’re going to do that?”

“By camping out here and waiting for the unsuspecting jerk to come take a look at what they’re getting into.” He gestured around them. “This place is too big for them to be able to control all of it at once. I’m going to show them they’re not welcome by sabotaging their construction process.”

Rachel lifted her brows. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I’m dead serious.” Hudson leaned closer to her, his brows lowering dangerously over his eyes. “Some of the money hungry people in this town might not care if someone comes in and turns this place into the next tourist destination, but I do. I’d rather die here defending what this town used to stand for than see some airport and skyscraper get put up.” He straightened, clearly not shy about sharing where his heart was. Her own heart fluttered as if it had found a soul mate. Neither one of them wanted to see Copper Creek change.

“Ms. Walton! There you are!”

Hudson stiffened, his eyes darting behind where she stood. Rachel glanced over her shoulder to see both men lumbering toward them. Well, now the jig would be up. There would be no hiding that she was the one who’d put in an offer. By this time tomorrow, everyone would probably know.

Rachel could feel Hudson’s gaze on her, and she slowly met it. Her small smile did a poor job of masking just how she felt at that moment—which was mostly embarrassment. “So…”

“Please tell me that you didn’t convince one of your rich friends to buy this place,” he said.

She blinked. That sounded better than the true story—that she’d spent half of what she had on the land where they stood. She ran charities. It would be the perfect cover. “I can’t help it if someone I know has an idea for this property.”

5

Hudson

Hudson gaped at Rachel. This was worse than he thought. At least with a developer, he knew what was going to come. Not knowing who had bought the place meant that it could be anything. But most likely, it would be some rich idiot who wanted to play pretend and identify as a cowboy.

The two men reached them from across the field, and one of them wheezed from the distance they’d walked. The other puffed a little, his focus sweeping from Rachel to Hudson. “Is everything okay, Ms. Walton?”

She smiled at the men. “Yes. This is my friend Hudson. I asked him to meet me out here to give his opinion on a few things.”

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