Page 7 of Mistletoe Cowboy

She produced it. There was a supply of assorted nails. He picked out some to do the job. He got wire cutters from the tool kit and proceeded to heft the heavy bale of wire over his shoulder.

“Can I help?” Teddie asked.

He chuckled. “Sure. You can carry the hammer and nails.”

She took them from him and followed along behind him to the pasture that fronted the stable.

“I could find someone to do it. . . .” Katy began.

“Not before the horse went through it again.” He frowned and glanced at them as he put down the wire and pulled out a measuring tape. “Why did he run?” he asked belatedly.

Teddie sighed. “Well, there was this plastic bag that had been on the porch. The wind came up and sent it flying toward the corral. Bartholomew panicked.”

Chapter Two

Parker burst out laughing. “A plastic bag.” He shook his head. “Horses are nervous creatures, to be sure.”

“You said they were prey animals,” Teddie reminded him shyly.

“They are.”

“How do you tell that?” the little girl wanted to know.

“Prey animals have eyes on the sides of their heads, not on the front like humans do,” he replied. He went on to explain about the evolution that produced such a trait.

Katy was watching him curiously.

He gave her a dry look. “Oh, I get it. A horse wrangler shouldn’t know scientific things like that, huh? I minored in biology in college.”

She flushed. “Sorry.”

He shrugged. “We’re all guilty of snap judgments. Don’t sweat it.” He glanced toward the house. “Those steps need fixing as much as this fence does.”

“Know any reliable handymen hereabouts?” Katy asked him.

He chuckled. “Sure. Me. I work cheap. A couple of sandwiches and some good, strong black coffee. It will have to be on a Saturday, though. Boss keeps me pretty busy the rest of the week.”

She flushed. “Oh, I didn’t mean—”

“He doesn’t mind if I help out neighbors,” he interrupted. “He’s a kind man. So is his wife.”

“You said she wrote forWarriors and Warlocks,” she added, glancing at Teddie amusedly. “Teddie loves it. I have to keep her locked in her room when it’s on, though. It’s very grown-up.”

He was grinning from ear to ear. “It is. If you saw the boss’s wife, you wouldn’t believe she was somebody so famous.”

“I still can’t believe we have somebody that famous here in Benton.” She laughed.

“Yeah. Gave us all a start when we found out. Cassie Reed, now Cassie Denton, was working as a waitress in town. Her dad, Lanier Roger Reed, was working at the farm equipment place. None of us knew they were running from a big scandal in New York. Her father was falsely accused of ”—he stopped and glanced at Teddie—“a grown-up thing. Anyway, the woman who accused him is now occupying a comfortable cell in state prison. J.L. married the writer and she came back out here to live. Her dad produces a hit show about a musical group from the seventies.”

“Oh, my goodness, those are about the only two shows I watch on TV.” Katy laughed. “What a coincidence!”

“She’s a good writer. And she’s a sweet person, too. She’s very pregnant, so we all sort of watch out for her. It’s their first child. Due pretty soon, too. J.L. says the baby’s going to be a Christmas present.”

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Bound to be.”

She glared at him.

---