Page 14 of The Cowboy Fix

She followed him, a tiny skip in her steps, which he noticed. He stopped at the stalls and faced her. “You’re kidding me, right? About the loan?”

“Not really,” she said, then got serious. “Listen, I respect your right to turn me down. I also will pay for the rentandany riding lessons you give me. I may even buy a horse and board her here.” When he started to shake his head, she said just as firmly as he had earlier, “With the ranch in trouble, you can’t afford to turn down a paying customer, Nathan. Even if the payment comes from me.”

“Fine. You can ride Rosie for your lessons. She’s the youngest and I was planning to train her to barrel race anyway.” He scowled at her, but there was a glint in his eyes. He wasn’t as irritated as he sounded.

“All right. It’s a deal.”

Grabbing a hay fork, Nathan began cleaning the nearest stall. He was moving better, but she could tell he was tired.

Pleased with her progress, first renting the guesthouse so she could immerse herself in the Triple L’s culture and then getting Nathan to see her as a potential client, she said, “Let me help. I’m a good helper.”

When he handed her the fork and got one for himself, she knew she’d won.

Letting her finish the stall he’d started he went on to the next one. Before long he came back to inspect her work. “Don’t you have research or whatever it is you do to keep you busy?”

“I’m doing it.” She stepped back so he could see how well she’d prepped the stall for the horse that would come back to it that evening and caught sight of the placard that hadRosieetched into the wood. Fate spoke in mysterious ways.

Nathan snorted, giving her jeans and shirt a glance. Probably to see if she’d gotten dirty. She looked down. Except for her runners and a few smudges on her jeans, she wasn’t wearing too much of the stalls’ debris. The shoes she’d have to replace.

“If you’re going to do the work of a ranch hand, I’ll have to pay you ranch hand wages.”

“I don’t want you to do that,” she said quietly, a suspicious feeling that Nathan was about to turn the tables on her. His dark brows went up, and she knew this was one test of wills she wasn’t going to win. “Okay, fine. Where do I clock in?”

“There’s a clipboard in the tack room. You can keep track of your time there.” The skin at the corner of his eyes crinkled.

Yup, the man was not an easy one to negotiate with, but that didn’t mean she’d let him have it all his way. When he came to know her better, he would figure out she could be just as stubborn as he was. “I’m making bean soup and biscuits for dinner. Why don’t you join me? I have a few things I’d like to go over with you.”

“I like bean soup.” He was so serious, but a twitch of his lip, the corners turning up slightly, gave him away.

Nathan was more charming than he knew. “Good. Let’s finish up here and—”

“You’re bossy, you know that?” he said. It wasn’t the compliment Izzy was suddenly hoping for.

Just like Jonas.He didn’t say it, but the implication was there.

“I’ve been told that once or twice.” Laughing, she moved on to the next stall. They finished in silence, and when she was done, she sent him a jaunty wave, left him in the barn, and went straight to the shower.

She was just pulling the biscuits out of the oven when there was a soft knock on the door. The table was set, and the soup waited in a covered ceramic bowl with cherry blossoms painted on the sides that she’d found in one of the cupboards. She liked her recipe because it wasn’t hard and didn’t take long to make.

Leaving the biscuit pan on top of the stove, she went to answer the door and found Nathan holding a bottle of red wine.

Didn’t he look delicious in his jeans and dark charcoal button-down shirt? Izzy quickly brushed the thought aside and thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t said the delicious part out loud. “Come in.”

“I hope you like wine.” He followed her to the kitchen.

She could feel his gaze on her back. She’d changed into a summer dress after her shower and left her feet bare. She loved the feel of the hardwood floor but hoped she wasn’t sending the wrong message. It wasn’t often that she slowed down and took the time to enjoy her surroundings or the company of a handsome man.

Keep it casual, Izzy Payton.

“I do.” She put the biscuits in a napkin-lined bowl on the table while Nathan found glasses and poured them each a glass. Settling into the chair across from her, he waited while she filled her bowl. The silence stretched out until it got too quiet. She blurted, “Tell me about yourself.”

“How did you get involved in rescuing businesses?” Nathan asked at the same time.

Why was she so nervous? “You, first.”

“There’s not much to tell.” Nathan broke a biscuit and let it drop into his soup. “I was adopted when I was three months old. And I’ve lived on the ranch my whole life.”

“You train horses and riders to barrel race,” she added.

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