as she ran alongside the
trotting horse, she took hold of the saddle horn, gave a hop and a leap, and
was up in the saddle in a flash, her spurs jangling the whole time. Reaching,
she took her lasso from its hold, and Kris nearly groaned aloud. He so wanted
to see her use that lasso, bad. With the horse’s reins in one hand and the
lasso in the other, she looked over her shoulder towards the barking. “Sounds
like Coco found Ricochet. Damn good dog.” Turning back to them, she asked, “Can
I bring anything?”
His
dad shook his head. “Just you, bring you. We’d love to have you come eat with
us.”
“Alrighty
then, see you in two.” With that, she gave her horse a little click and a kick,
rounded the yard gathering momentum, then hurdled the
fence and took off down the hill at a gallop. Unable to move, Kris stood
watching her retreating form. This was a whole new breed of woman, he thought,
and he was most definitely up to doing a little “how do you do” with her.
Nik
clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on Casanova, let’s get the milking done.
Then you can get to the house and get a shower in. You look like you just
rolled out of bed after having had sex, which I presume you did because you got
a big ole hickey on your neck.”
Narrowing
his eyes on his smartass of a brother, he answered him with warning. “I’ll kick
your ass if you’re screwing with me.”
Nik
shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “Front and center, and flashing like a neon
sign.”
That
explained why his dad and Linnie had given him a hard time. Well, it had been
two thirty in the morning too, and his shirt had been on inside out. Damn it,
just his luck. Meet the most interesting woman he’d ever seen, and he had the
mark of another female on him. Turning, he headed for the barn.
CHAPTER 2
Showered
and changed Dani, drove out of the driveway of the
Luck-E, reflecting on her earlier visit to the farm. Holstein cows, cared for, about a thousand from the size of the newer
built barn, good condition farm, plenty of land, lots of haying pastures, and
abundant muscle from the looks of the men. The two brothers who’d spoken, no
problem, the one was married, she knew that from
meeting the little woman the day before. The other, flirty and loud, and
obvious as the day is long. She could handle him, no problemo .
It was the tall silent one she wasn’t so sure about. She felt a knot in her
stomach with that one. He was like a bull, waiting and watching, and if there
was one thing she knew, it was that the gentle, docile bulls were the most
dangerous.
Pulling
into the farmyard, she parked in front of the house and went to the door. Just
as she was about to knock, the door swung open. It was the flirty one standing
there, smiling from ear to ear.
“Come
on in, Danielle,” he said with amusement, as he stepped aside with a flourish.
“The kitchen is up the stairs and straight ahead.”
Grrr , he did that on
purpose, she thought annoyed. Giving him no choice, she looked him in the eye
and said in no uncertain terms, “Call me Dani.” Stepping in the house, she
slipped off her boots and went up. Walking in the kitchen, she was greeted by
the one she met yesterday, Jules.
“Hi
Dani, come on in, have a seat here.” Jules patted a chair near the end of the
table. “We’re so glad to have you with us. You found your horse, did you?”
Dani
nodded. “I did, and had enough time to get the fence up enough for now.”
The
guys walked in and took seats around the table. Of course, the tall, silent one
took a seat next to her. That knot in her stomach gave a good yank.
“I
hope you like pannekoekens ,” Jules said, “because
that’s what I’m making. It’s one of the favorites around here. Kris requests
them all the time.”
Which
one was Kris again? She shrugged her shoulders. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of
them, so I’m not rightly sure if I like them or not.”
“Oh-ho,
you’ve been missing out,” the