Page 2 of My Rancher Valentine

“You’re a pig.”

“Not even close, Kitten.” He looked past me. “I’ve got to go meet someone, but I’ll keep an eye out for you in the stands. Maybe later we can talk about doing that interview over dinner.”

“You have a better chance of your horse sprouting wings than me going to dinner with you.”

“We will see about that.” He chuckled and walked around me toward the entrance gate.

I watched him leave. My eyes drifted down to his ass. If he wasn’t such a jerk, I might be tempted to take him up on his offer. Anyone with an ass like that had to be good in bed, and it had been far too long since I had been ridden.

“Kathy.” I turned at the sound of my name. Madison Thorne ran up with her arms wide open.

“Maddie.” I returned her hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

I loved the Thornes. Madison and her older brother Dallas were amazing in the saddle. Between the two of them, it felt like they had claimed every top seed that Beau missed. The rest of their family were riders too, but none of them rode like the two eldest Thornes.

“If you’re here that must mean Dallas is lurking around somewhere.” I pulled away and smiled.

She waved her hand back in the direction she just came from.

“He’s back there with the rest of the family.” She leaned in. “Including our cousin, Victor, and his new girlfriend.”

“Really?” I had only met Victor once before, and he seemed quite intense. I knew he used to ride along with the rest of the Thornes, but there was some sort of health issue, and he had to stop. I didn’t know what exactly it was, though. As a reporter, you would think I would be dead set on getting the information, but I was one of the rare breeds that didn’t always believe everything was everyone else’s business.

“Yeah, they met last summer on a cruise, and since then, he has been trying to get the rest of us to go on another one with him.” She shook her head.

“I’ve heard good things about cruises.” Not that I would be in a rush to do it.

She shook her head. “I prefer to keep my feet on solid ground. Not something that moves beneath me.”

“You do know that the Earth is rotating as we speak.” I knew it was a silly comment, but I couldn’t help it.

“Okay, then ground where I don’t feel it moving beneath me.” She smiled, which did nothing but enhance her beauty.

Honestly, if Madison hadn’t gone into the rodeo business, she could have easily been a model. She had to be as tall as most of the men here. Easily over six feet, and that was without heels. Her soft brown eyes had a warmth that conveyed the friendliness she was known for unless you ticked her off. Then she could be fire and brimstone.

There weren’t a lot of African-American riders in the rodeo circuit, but the Thornes were well known. They had been riding for generations, and each one seemed to get better and better. I would love to do a documentary on their family one day if I could. It would mean leaving Oregon and spending some time down in Cherish Springs, Louisiana, but I totally think it would be worth it.

Of course, that would also mean that my editor saw me as anything other than a small-time reporter covering puff pieces and town fairs. I knew some reporters, like Blair, were happy doing those kinds of articles, but I wanted more. I wanted to cover the hard-hitting stuff along with Margo, who was our top journalist. Margo Munro was going places. All she needed was the right story.

I also wanted to do deep-dive documentaries. You can only put so much in an article, and inevitably there were thingsthat always ended up on the cutting room floor. I knew the same could be said for docs, but at least I could give people a more well-rounded and fuller sense of my topic. That would be amazing.

“Hey, I’ve got to get back to the fam.” Madison put her hand on the top of my arm. “Let’s get together for dinner before I leave, okay?”

“Absolutely.” I smiled and waved as she walked away.

I stood there for a moment, trying to decide if I should wait for Beau to get done so I could get this interview over with, or head out and interview some of the people who came into town for the rodeo. I looked down the hall to see things looked strained between Beau and whoever he was talking to. I guess I would catch him later.

Before I could walk away, I heard my name. I turned back. Beau was rushing toward me with a smile that made me want to back away. His eyes twinkled, and that dimple was cherub-deep. This fool was up to something.

“There you are, sweetheart.” He put his arm around my back. “I’m glad we caught you.”

“What are you doing?” I whispered. The two men he had been talking to followed behind him and were smiling at us both.

He put his lips right to my ear. “Just play along, Kitten.”

“It’s so nice to meet you.” One man held his hand out toward me.

“Nice to meet you, too.” He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

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