Follow a Wild Heart: A Christian Contemporary Western Romance Series by Natalie Bright (top reads .TXT) 📗

Carli pressed Nathan’s name on her phone.

“Mornin’, Carli. How are you?” His deep, cheerful voice lightened her mood. Was the guy ever discouraged or down about anything? Such a contrast from grumpy Lank who seemed to be annoyed with everything she did.

“Good morning, Nate. What’s up?”

“About to saddle up. It’s such a nice morning, and I need to check the late birthing heifers. I’ve only had to help deliver a handful. We’re almost done with this year’s crop. Did you need something?”

“I just called to thank you for the lovely flowers. That was really sweet of you.”

“So, you like them?”

“How did you get on my porch without me hearing you?”

He chuckled. “That’s a secret I’ll never tell. If you were my girl, I’d give you flowers every day.”

She gulped hard. What? He was getting bolder and moving faster all the time. She wasn’t ready and wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Uh...” she stammered and then cleared her throat.

“I don’t mean to freak you out, Carli. Just speaking my mind. Already told you how special you are to me.”

“I’m flattered but remember I said to go slow?”

He chuckled again. “They’re just flowers, Carli. No biggie. I wanted to let you know I had a great time. Hey, you want to bring Beau and go for a ride? I’m trying to put some miles on a colt for a guy. Or I could come to you.”

She was tempted. If the prediction held true it should be a mild day with minimal wind and it wasn’t all that cold. She hadn’t taken Beau out for a while. Would it encourage Nathan even more if she kept spending time with him? She always had a lot of work waiting for her in the office. Couldn’t just go off gallivanting when she had a ranch to run. But she really needed a friend and he was so easy to be with.

“I dunno, Nate. I’ve got a lot to do here. Plus, I was just about to join Lola’s yoga class. I think they’re starting soon.”

“Seriously? Bend your body in unnatural ways like a pretzel? Or ride Beau across the pasture on a beautiful morning? When was the last time you had him out anyway? Think of him. Horses need to run. And it would be more exercise for you than yoga stretches.”

He was a hard one to argue with. “All right, Nate, you win. I’ll load up Beau, tell Lola I can’t stay for her class, and head your way in a few minutes.”

“Sounds like a deal. I’ll give you the two-cent tour of the Rafter O by horseback. See you in...say, a half hour?”

“Okay, half hour.”

As she was saddling Beau, Lank came around the corner with a hammer in his hand, nails between his teeth, surprise reflected on his face when he saw her. Shoving the nails into one pocket, he asked, “What’re you up to? Taking Beau for a ride? Want some company?” His stare was bold and the look on his face hopeful.

Carli’s stomach did a flip flop, which caused her to grit her teeth and ignore his eyes. She’d actually love to go out for the day with Lank. But she’d just fired the guy only a few days before and promised herself she would try to act more professional, distance herself because of the employer/employee relationship.

Concentrating on brushing Beau, she remained quiet, staring at the horse’s side to give herself time to think of a reply. Lank waited.

She swung the saddle blanket in place. Finally, Carli said, in her employer voice, “Actually, I’m meeting Nathan.” Why did she even tell him that? It was none of his business what she did or who she did it with.

Lank lowered his head a bit, then looked up through dark lashes. She almost melted when she saw the disappointment on his handsome face.

“I don’t want to create any problems between you and your boyfriend, boss. I’ve got work to do.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Carli’s chest ached. Darn, she hated when he called her “boss” and Nathan wasn’t her boyfriend. The man was intolerable. He could wipe away her calm spirit with just one encounter. She pursed her lips with annoyance. Would they ever figure this out and feel comfortable with each other? She had to let it go for now because she was running late to meet Nathan.

“C’mon, Beau, let’s go.” She looped his lead rope around the fence rail and left to hitch the trailer. Within minutes she was on her way to the Rafter O and then remembered she forgot to bid her apologies to Lola for ditching class. But as Nathan had pointed out, why would she want to be cooped up in a class bending her body in strange contortions when she could be riding her horse across the Texas Plains? It really was a no-brainer.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Wearing a ballcap, her honey-colored braid trailing down her back, Carli loved the warm sun on her face. It had been a hard winter. And that snowstorm! Ugh, she didn’t want to remember how cold she had been. She could’ve died really. But today she would put those bad memories out of her head. And she flat refused to think about Lank. Instead, she focused on the cowboy riding along with her as they made their way across a pasture on the Rafter O ranch.

Nathan and his horse came loping behind her. He looked good, but then he always dressed with all the necessary Texas cowboy gear. Western hat, tan hide chaps, boots, and spurs. Which reminded Carli, she needed to find a leather worker who could make her a pair of chaps. Nathan wore a blue wool vest with the Rafter O brand. She couldn’t help but notice his tanned face, broad shoulders. What woman wouldn’t go for him? Plus, he was a genuinely nice guy. Why do I always make things so difficult? Just pick the nice guy. For some reason, she couldn’t. Her mind grappled