Page 18 of A Cowboy Of Her Own

“Wonderful.”

“You want to go back and call Earl?”

Priscilla raised her middle finger at him making him laugh. She shook her head and looked around. The sun was coming up over the Glaciers and had slowly begun to brighten the sky. It was just as beautiful rising as it had been at setting. The orange rays kissed the mountains as it rose above them. She bet this land was beautiful in the winter too.

“Were you born and raised in Montana?”

“Yes. All of us Callahans were. Right here in Spring City.”

“I suppose the winters are harsh living so close to the Glaciers.”

“It can be for sure. I love it though. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

“I never see snow in northern California unless I go up into the mountains. A white Christmas never happens where I live. At least I’ve never seen one.”

“You have good summers though.”

Priscilla nodded. Yes, the summers were nice but she loved cooler weather. Fall and winter had always appealed to her. She rode her horse alongside the cattle and smiled as the rising sun shone down on her face. It was going to be a warmer than normal day.

“Is there a pond close by where we’ll be camping?”

“Yes… and a stream. It’s why I told you to bring soap.”

“I’m sure I’ll be hot and sticky by the time we get there. I’ll definitely need a bath.” She smiled at the thought of a cool swim but wasn’t thrilled at the idea of being undressed so close in proximity to this hot cowboy.

****

Roark almost slipped from his saddle. That was all he needed—thinking of her ashot and sticky. Damn it. Now his damn cock was twitching against the fly of his jeans.Why in the hell did you bring her up here?He decided he was a glutton for punishment. That’s all there was to it.

“Tell me about the Callahan cousins.”

“Reid retired last year. He used to be the best in bull riding—he won a lot.”

“Why did he retire?”

“He’d retired two years before coming home for Christmas last year. It gets hard on the body after a while. I’m thinking of retiring once I win another buckle. Reid did ride one last time this past February in Vegas.”

“Why did he return?”

“Zeke Albright was his best friend and he’d been killed by a bull four years earlier. It was an event to honor the fallen men in bull riding.”

“That’s nice that they do that. Why does the name Albright sound familiar?”

Roark chuckled. “Zeke was Lucy’s first husband.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Reid has been in love with her for yearsbut with Zeke being his best friend, he’d never let her know. Thing is, she blamed Reid for Zeke being killed. Zeke had retired but Reid talked him into going one more time.” Roark shook his head. “Reid blamed himself too. He was a mess for a long time. Lucy was pregnant at the time but she didn’t tell anyone. Not even Zeke. She told Reid she had blamed him so she didn’t have to blame herself. She thinks if Zeke would have known she was pregnant, he wouldn’t have ridden.”

“Do you think that’s true?” Priscilla asked.

“No. If anything, he would have gone just to brag about becoming a dad but yeah, he would’ve still ridden… to prove a point, I suppose. We all knew Zeke well. He was like our fifth cousin, but he and Reid were inseparable. Reid really took it hard when he died. Zeke was only twenty-nine.”

“That’s so sad. Can I use any of that in the article?”

“I don’t see why not. It’s common knowledge. There wasn’t a cowboy on the circuit who didn’t know Reid was in love with Lucy—except maybe Zeke.”

“What did she have? Boy or girl?”

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