“I’m fine.”She was amused and somewhat grateful that Ry had broken into Eb’s story.Eb was a conscientious neighbor, but he had a tendency to wax nostalgic a little too often.
“Well, then, let’s take care of our wounded patient,” Ry said.“I believe this is how they do it in the movies.”Taking off his hat, he walked up to Mikey and poured the rest of the water into the upended crown of the hat before offering it to the horse.Mikey tossed his head and rolled his eyes.“Come on, Mikey,” Ry coaxed, wiggling the hat to make the water slosh inside.“Didn’t you ever watchGunsmokein reruns?”
Freddy laughed.Ry had just splashed water into a ninety-dollar hat, but it probably needed some seasoning, anyway.“You have the wrong horse.He’s aSeinfeldfan.”
“Just my luck.”Ry adopted a New York City accent.“Try it, Mikey.You’ll like it.”
The horse snorted and stuck his nose into the hat to suck the water in noisy swallows while Ry exchanged a grin with Freddy.
Eb glanced around and looked impatient.“Tell you what, McGuinnes.You can climb on behind me and I’ll lead Mikey down the trail.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that, Whitlock.”Ry kept his attention on Mikey.“Thanks, anyway.”
“Why not?Gold Strike can carry both of us.Hell, he could probably carry a knight in full armor.”
“Probably, but I just wouldn’t feel right about it.”He clamped the dripping hat on his head and handed Eb the empty canteen.“I’ll walk with Mikey, if it’s all the same to you.”
Freddy bit her lip to hide a smile.She figured Ry was telling the literal truth.He’d no more be able to hoist himself up on Gold Strike and spread his legs over that broad back than fly to the moon on gossamer wings.
“Suit yourself.”Eb wheeled his big horse, stirring up a cloud of dust that made Ry choke.“By the way,” Eb called over his shoulder as he started down the trail, “how do you like the True Love?”
“Love it,” Ry called back.
Eb flashed his large teeth again.“Too bad.Oh well, welcome to the neighborhood.”
“Thanks, Eb,” Freddy called after him.Then she glanced down at Ry.“There you have a real Western gentleman.He wants the True Love so bad he can taste it, but when he finds out you’ll probably buy it out from under him, he greets you as his new neighbor.”
Ry wiped the grit from his face with the back of his sleeve.“And you could barely tell he hates my guts.What a guy.”
“Hates you?I hardly think so!Just because you’re both after the same piece of property doesn’t mean he takes that personally.”
“Oh, it’s not just the True Love he’s after.”Ry wiggled his eyebrows.“He’d like to slap a brand on you, little filly.”
“That’s ridiculous.”She laughed to cover her flush of embarrassment.Leigh had warned her about the same thing, but Eb was old enough to be her father.She wanted to believe his goodwill was motivated by nothing more than neighborly concern.“He’s never even asked me to dinner.”
“He doesn’t have to.He’s your neighbor.And he was hoping to buy your ranch.That would put him in a pretty sweet spot, being your boss and all.”
Freddy looked away from his penetrating gaze.“You’re making some big assumptions on very little evidence.”
“I’m sure it seems that way, but I make my living playing hunches.I make a pretty good living, so I’ve learned to follow my instincts.Trust me, Whitlock hated me on sight, first because I threaten his acquisition of the ranch, and second because he perceives me as a possible threat to his acquisition of you.”
Heat swept over her.“Why would he think that?”
“Easy.I just spent the night alone with you, which I’m guessing is more than he’s ever done.”
“It was only a trail ride!”Not strictly true.She’d helped him off with his pants and massaged his bare thighs until he became sexually aroused.
“Whitlock isn’t so sure.”He peered up at her.“Come to think of it, neither am I.”
Freddy took a deep breath.“Believe me, when I planned this, I had no intention of?—”
“I know.Neither of us could have known.”He gave her a long, assessing look.“As I said, I thought you were a man.”
“And I thought you were a big-shot businessman.”
“That’s exactly what I am.”
She shook her head.“You’re far more than that,” she said softly.
