His Outback Cowgirl (Wildflower Ranch Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

then, Molly it is.” He examined the sky. “Let’s saddle up and take a quick ride to the north meadow before the rain hits.”
    Bridie helped Ethan saddle Molly and it wasn’t long before she swung into the saddle. Molly pranced a little and then walked forward. Ethan had taken Milo and Rocket back to the ranch house and after another glance skyward he swung into Captain’s saddle. Solid and dependable, the big bay didn’t even swish his tail.
    A wind flurry caught in the long grass and Molly shied sideways. Ethan threw Bridie a quick look that she ignored.
    She rubbed Bridie’s neck. “It’s okay, girl, you’ve seen this all before.”
    Ethan led the way through the undulating meadow. When she was sure Molly had calmed, Bridie relaxed in the saddle. Her gaze traced the broad width of Ethan’s shoulders. Ethan looked as gorgeous on horseback as he did on the ground. After years of pony club and then camp draft, the sight of a man at home on a horse wasn’t new. The sight also shouldn’t hold her attention even if the man’s wide shoulders tapered to lean hips and long legs that she’d checked out more than once while saddling the horses.
    Ethan continued to survey the white wisps that now blotted the sky. Every so often he’d stare at the rugged peaks that pushed their way through the heavier clouds and his mouth would soften. Henry had spoken the truth. Ethan belonged outdoors. Warmth crept through her. This cowboy was a rarity. He was both good looking and a good man. Free from conceit and arrogance, he’d left his home for the summer to care for a father who’d not be easy. He remained indoors and helped Henry with crosswords, suppressing his need to feel the wind on his face and the sun on his back.
    Ethan reined in Captain so she could ride alongside him. He pointed to a group of delicate purple wildflowers growing in a low spire.
    “I’m not sure if you have these in the outback but this is larkspur and the wildflower that the ranch is named after. As pretty as it is, it’s poisonous if cattle eat too much of it.”
    “No, we don’t have it even though we do have our fair share of poisonous plants.” She looked toward a conical white flower that emitted a faint perfume. “Is that one poisonous too?’
    “No, it’s beargrass, the wildflower Payton and Cordell’s ranch is named after.”
    Bridie smiled. “I see a pattern. My brother’s ranch is Hollyhock Creek.”
    Ethan matched her smile. She could have sworn the white flash of his slow grin made her lightheaded but it had to be the wind stealing her breath.
    “Yes, the original pioneering families in this section of Paradise Valley all named their ranches after wildflowers. Down from Zane’s ranch there’s Fire Weed Ranch, your mom’s childhood home. Then there’s also Rose Crown, where Ivy and Rhett live and Bluebell Falls that Rhett’s sister, Peta, runs.”
    “Zane’s already taken us to visit Fire Weed Ranch, even though no one lives there now. I’ve met Ivy and Rhett. Trinity is Ivy’s chief bridesmaid and whenever they talk wedding plans, Zane and Rhett have secret and urgent men’s business to discuss in the games room.”
    Ethan chuckled.
    Bridie stared. Ethan might sit on his horse all loose-limbed and relaxed, a poster boy for reliability and self-control, but his laugh alluded to a different picture. Deep, sexy and husky, it spoke of passions tightly contained. Passions that accounted for the not-so-steady look she’d earlier glimpsed in his eyes.
    Goosebumps rippled over her arms and she had a sudden urge to flee. This man was all kinds of dangerous. Gorgeous, compassionate and good dangerous. He was also the worst possible person she could be around at the moment. A kind word, or a gentle touch like he’d shown Molly, and she’d be undone. Her emotional floodgates would burst and there’d be no stemming the torrent of her sorrow. She didn’t need empathy, she needed to be left alone to grieve without an